Weather Is a Complicated System

Early the next morning, Justin discovered that Gavin was back to normal.

The test was simple:

Gavin sat at the Hufflepuff table, picked up a snack he called a Xiaolongbao with his chopsticks, set it in a spoon, carefully bit a hole in it and drank the soup inside, then dipped it in a dish of black vinegar before eating it.

His movements were smooth and his gaze intent. He was nothing like the Gavin who had stared blankly at a plate of roast beef yesterday.

"You're better?" Justin asked, sitting down beside him with his Oatmeal. He sounded delighted.

"Better."

"How?"

"Cordelia cured me."

Justin was awestruck. "Cordelia can do that too? What Spell did she use?"

Gavin thought for a moment. "It wasn't a Spell. It was a non-pharmaceutical physical intervention."

"Physical intervention?"

Gavin nodded.

Justin's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. He looked at Gavin's face.

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Justin fell silent. His expression passed through several stages—from confusion to reflection—before settling on genuine admiration.

As he spooned up his Oatmeal, he said,

"Cordelia's amazing. If I ever have a psychological problem, maybe I can ask her for help too."

The moment he said it, Justin felt the air around him turn a little colder.

It was like walking through the Forbidden Forest and suddenly sensing something watching from the shadows.

He looked up and found Gavin staring at him.

Gavin's expression was perfectly calm.

"Why are you looking at me?" Justin asked, baffled.

"You don't need to go to Cordelia," Gavin said slowly. "I've learned how to do it. I can cure you too."

Justin had no idea what the "treatment" involved, but he nodded anyway.

If Gavin could do it, wouldn't it be just as good to let him?

Ernie came over just then