Does Sunk Cost Factor Into Decisions or Not?

On the last Friday of October, the Oak bulletin board in the Entrance Hall was packed with people.

As soon as Filch left with his bucket of paste and brush, dozens of students from the third grade and above swarmed around the still-wet Parchment notice, surrounding it in layers.

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year is set for tomorrow, Saturday.

More than half a month has passed since the Mark 2 test flight at Black Lake.

In the past two weeks, the other six old, Cleansweep Seven had already been modified and handed over to Cedric.

The Hufflepuff team sneaks off to the field for extra practice before dawn every day, and when they come back from practice, everyone holds Broomstick like they've done something wrong.

Then during the day, everyone pretended to be dejected and hopeless.

The most ingenious one was Cedric, who pretended to have no appetite during the day, making everyone believe that he was truly desperate.

What no one knew was that he went to the kitchen every night to have an extra meal for himself, and he gained a lot of weight.

Qiu Zhang found this very strange; how could he gain weight even if he didn't eat for a day?

Gavin himself never stopped his ascetic practices.

I take my medicine and Meditation every morning and evening on time.

It was tough on his three roommates.

Under the constant torment of their "beauty genes," the three of them endured a week of dark circles under their eyes before finally figuring out a way to fall asleep.

Put a picture of Snape above your bed.

It must be said, the effect is outstanding.

Just one glance before bed, and all love and affection will vanish instantly; the moment your head hits the pillow, you'll be fast asleep.

There are a few minor side effects.

The next day in Potions Class, as soon as Snape pushed open the classroom door, Rolf saw his face and immediately let out a huge yawn.

Snape immediately deducted twenty points from his score with a dark expression, wiping out all the points Gavin had painstakingly gained back.

"Should we go to Honeydukes first, or to Zonko's first?"

Justin, having squeezed his way out of the crowd, straightened his crooked tie and turned to his roommate behind him with great interest:

"Tracy said she wanted to try Three Broomsticks Butterbeer, but I don't know if there will be a line if we go in the morning."

"Of course, we walk along the High Street from south to north."

Ernie tucked the manila Diary containing the time of the notice under his arm and began to speak in a measured tone:

"Let's go see the magic instruments with Dervish and Banges first, then go to the Sweets store. If we go to Zonko's first, you two will run out of pocket money right at the door."

Before he could finish speaking, Rolf, who was standing next to him, didn't say a word.

He was staring down at a crooked sketch of Hogsmeade he had drawn, his brow furrowed as he muttered to himself:

"That's strange. Last time, Stebbins from fifth grade mentioned that old stationery store. Is it on the left or right side of the High Street? I heard they sell Quill that can write backwards..."

Ernie paused, looking at him with a puzzled expression:

Why buy Quill that writes backwards? Isn't writing normally enough enough to make your Potions Class paper go wrong?

Gavin stood beside the three men, glanced at the sketch, and immediately understood the reason:

"Because Lovegood reads magazines upside down."

Rolf's hand trembled violently as he looked up in disbelief.

How could you--

Justin, standing nearby, chuckled and winked at Gavin:

"It's an improvement that he now knows to give you Quill —it's better than him reciting your quotes to people in the Entrance Hall last week."

Gavin paused, "My quotes? When did I publish any quotes?"

Rolf's face flushed red to the roots of his neck, and he lunged forward to cover Justin's mouth:

You swore you wouldn't mention it again!

He blocked Justin, but failed to defend against Ernie on the other side.

Ernie reopened the manila Diary in his hand and read aloud in a serious tone:

"To be precise, it was 7:30 a. m. last Wednesday, near the Stone Pillar on the right side of the Entrance Hall. Finch-Fletchley and I were both there at the time."

Seeing that he could no longer hide the truth, Rolf had no choice but to withdraw his hand and turn around, his face filled with grief and indignation, to accuse Gavin:

"This is all your fault! Gavin, your methods are completely ineffective!"

Gavin was completely bewildered. "What tricks did I teach you?"

Justin, standing to the side, was laughing so hard he was almost convulsing, gesturing and recreating the scene for him:

"He was originally going to talk to someone about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but when he saw Lovegood, his brain went completely blank! He stood there, staring at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, and let out a particularly deep sigh—"

Justin cleared his throat and mimicked Rolf's magnetic vocal fry perfectly:

"Actually, I'm also afraid... I'm afraid that Planck Constant is actually a random variable. It's the foundation of the world, and if this number is constantly changing, then all the material structures in the world will fall apart... That would mean I'll never unravel the mysteries of magic."

"..."

Planck probably never imagined he'd be the one being approached by a woman.

Gavin's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but ask:

"... And then? What was Lovegood's reaction?"

"No response!"

Rolf clutched his hair, his voice filled with the despair of a shattered Dao heart:

She just held up the magazine upside down and looked at me, without surprise or curiosity, not even raising an eyebrow! She stared at me for a full five seconds, then finally just gave a flat "Oh," and turned the page!

Justin watched with glee:

"The worst part is yet to come! Seeing that Lovegood didn't react, he somehow pulled out that line you said to Miss Rowle outside the Staff Room that day!"

Gavin's eyelids twitched, a sense of Grim rising within him:

You won't--

Yes! I told you!

Rolf, his neck stiff with frustration and despair, yelled at Gavin:

"I recited it to her word for word—'Of the myriad things in this world, I love only three! They are the sun, the moon, and you! The sun is for the morning, the moon is for the evening, and you are for every morning and evening!'"

There was a moment of silence in the corner of the Entrance Hall.

Gavin slowly closed his eyes.

I felt like I could carve a Chamber of Secrets out of the marble floor of the Entrance Hall with my toes.

"What about this sentence? Surely she'll react by now?"

Justin tried to suppress a laugh:

After listening to her story, Lovegood asked Scamander if she would like to meet her father.

Gavin was taken aback. "So fast?"

"She said her dad was looking for writers for 'The Quibbler'," Justin finally broke down, slapping his thigh. "She said, especially the part about 'all matter in the world falling apart,' her dad would definitely be interested."

"..."

Rolf sullenly lowered his head, folded the Hogsmeade sketch in his hand, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"... So I've decided to try a different approach and buy her a Quill that can write backwards tomorrow."

Gavin patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction:

"Let's buy two, just in case her dad also likes to revise manuscripts backwards?"

Rolf yelled in frustration, "I didn't want to pursue her father!"

Justin and Ernie laughed so hard they were doubled over.

The group laughed and joked their way through the Entrance Hall and headed towards the Great Hall entrance.

Beside Stone Pillar on the outskirts of the crowd, Harry stood in the shadows with his head drooping, the blank Parchment in his hand almost crumpled.

Ron and Hermione stood beside him, quietly comforting him, "We'll definitely bring you a big bag of candy tomorrow."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry caught sight of Gavin approaching, and his dull green eyes suddenly lit up.

He took two steps closer, a faint glimmer of hope on his face:

"Gavin... you're a Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching assistant, so you're practically a faculty member, right? Can a teaching assistant approve... temporary leave permits for extracurricular practice?"

Gavin stopped and looked him up and down:

"My teaching assistant privileges are currently only enough to shove Boggart's wardrobe into the storage room at a 45-degree angle."

Harry's eyes, which had just lit up, instantly dimmed.

"However," Gavin said Splinching, "If you really need extracurricular activities this weekend, I can go to Black Lake right now and borrow Number 78 for you, so it can keep you company in the Gryffindor Tower this weekend."

Ron, who was standing nearby, paused for a moment, then suddenly became interested:

"What is Number 78? Is it the magical creature that Professor Lupin keeps by the Black Lake? Can we borrow it back to the lounge to play with?"

Hermione also thought it was a good idea and earnestly advised:

"If it's an extracurricular observation project on Defense Against the Dark Arts, it's better than you just sitting there daydreaming in the lounge—"

"No, no need!"

Harry shuddered and, before the two of them could agree on his behalf, he took a half-step back, his face pale.

"I suddenly realized that writing the Werewolf paper that Professor Snape assigned me, all by myself in the common room, is actually quite enjoyable."

Ron looked at him, bewildered. "Are you out of your mind? Writing Snape's paper is happiness?"

Harry didn't dare to explain a word more, fearing that Ron might actually get curious and invite "Number 78" back to the tower to stay with them for a weekend.

How is that different from the legendary Azkaban?

Gavin nodded and casually patted him on the shoulder:

"Let me know if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

Watching Harry shrink back behind the pillar as if granted a pardon, Gavin couldn't help but think of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class this week.

Because Professor Lupin was in his full moon period and his health was weak, Snape taught all the classes this week.

The first thing Snape did after entering the classroom was to dismiss Gavin's teaching assistant.

He stood by the podium, looking down at Gavin with a venomous glance:

"It was Lupin who invited you, not me. I'm not so incompetent as to need a third-year student to teach me how to attend class—go back to your seat."

This is a good thing.

Without a Gavin readily packed his things and sat back down in the audience.

What followed was something even more eye-opening—

Snape swung his staff to shut all the blinds, pulled down a large curtain, and actually started playing a PowerPoint presentation on the stage.

Looking at those pages of illustrated guides to Werewolf behavior, Gavin couldn't help but think to himself, "Wow!"

Although he had a bad temper, Professor Snape even used PowerPoint in his lectures, proving that he was indeed a scholar who greatly respected science.

As for Lupin, who is on leave for recuperation, Gavin just saw him last night.

Ever since Snape handed his solitary confinement to Lupin, Gavin had been using "going to Professor Lupin's for solitary confinement" as an excuse, and even Cordelia didn't suspect anything.

Last night, he even used the excuse of being locked up to stay in the office and got to watch Lupin's first Werewolf transformation.

To be honest, watching a grown man on the floor with his bones cracking and popping, growing a body full of gray fur and turning into a dozing wolf, was quite an interesting sight.

Unfortunately, aside from satisfying my curiosity, I didn't gain anything substantial.

Perhaps the Wolfsbane Potion preserved Lupin's sanity too perfectly; throughout the entire transformation process, the connection between his soul and body was so stable it was as if it were welded shut, making it impossible to see any flaws in the deep Transfiguration.

This has caused Gavin to be preoccupied with the Transfiguration Spell since last night.

Perhaps next time I should try to persuade Lupin.

Tell him not to drink the Wolfsbane Potion and to transform into something else for him to see?

Just as I was thinking about something, a slender figure walked over from the side.

Cordelia walked through the crowd and stopped in front of Gavin.

After two weeks of peaceful daily life, the tension and anxiety in the girl's eyes had subsided considerably.

She casually tucked her long, silver-gold hair behind her ear, and, to the astonishment of the Hufflepuffs, gently touched Gavin's shoe with the tip of her shoe, asking casually:

"We're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow morning. What time are you planning to leave?"

Gavin's mind was still preoccupied with the Transfiguration Spell problem that had yielded no progress last night.

Upon hearing this, he had a moment of lapse in judgment and blurted out without thinking:

"Hogsmeade? I'm not going. I want to do more experiments—"

Gavin stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

He keenly sensed a faint, almost imperceptible, murderous aura.

The three Hufflepuffs nearby immediately moved aside, afraid of being splattered with blood.

However, when Gavin looked up, he found that Cordelia did not show any anger; instead, she was very calm.

The girl's bright, silvery-gray eyes lowered, her long eyelashes trembled, and she let out a soft "Oh."

"I see."

She lowered her head and hummed softly.

"Then you go ahead and get busy, business is more important."

And then, she even raised her head, looking incredibly obedient and sensible.

"I'll go with Tracy and Daphne tomorrow. Anyway... it's only my first time going to Hogsmeade, humph!"

After saying that, she turned around and started to walk towards the Slytherin table.

But his steps were twice as slow as usual, and his thin, cold back seemed to say, "I'm not sad at all. Go and spend the rest of your life with your experiments."

Gavin's eye twitched.

His survival instinct kicked in instantly; he didn't even hold out for half a second. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed the girl's wrist.

"Wait a minute."

Cordelia stopped in her tracks.

She didn't turn around immediately, but merely turned half of her fair face to the side, her mouth still stubbornly maintaining its air of superiority:

"What's wrong? Isn't Assistant Gu doing an experiment?"

"I've just reconsidered."

Gavin looked very serious.

"Experiments also require a balance between work and rest; constantly working on something without focus can lead to rigid thinking. Taking a trip out tomorrow will be more beneficial for future progress."

"Hmph, don't even try!"

Cordelia turned around, her silver-grey eyes glancing at him sideways, and gave a soft hum:

"You clearly think going shopping in Hogsmeade with me is a waste of time, right?"

The air around us seemed to freeze at that moment.

Justin and the others, who were not far away, held their breath.

This was a question that could cost them their lives. If they didn't answer it well, they might be able to scrape together enough money to buy a bouquet of white flowers and come here to pay their respects to Gavin next year.

Gavin remained completely calm, simply pulling her half a step closer, looking into her eyes, and nodding composedly.

"It's a bit of a waste of time."

The three people next to him gasped simultaneously.

That's it! No need to wait until next year, I can go buy some white flowers today.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, about to get angry, when she heard the boy earnestly add the second half of the sentence:

"But I'm willing to waste time with you."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Cordelia, who had just been wearing a stern face, suddenly froze on the spot.

A faint blush quickly spread up her fair earlobes.

Catching the gazes of several students around her out of the corner of her eye, Cordelia glared at him, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, and said in a low voice:

"With so many people watching, what nonsense are you spouting..."

Then, somewhat awkwardly, she looked away and stubbornly added in a low voice:

"... You said it yourself, I didn't force you."

After saying that, she took out a neatly folded piece of Parchment from her pocket and stuffed it into Gavin's hand:

"Meet in the Entrance Hall at 9:15 tomorrow morning. See if there's anywhere you'd like to go; you can add it."

Gavin looked down and unfolded the Parchment in his hand.

The guide to Hogsmeade, written in elegant cursive script, details the itinerary from the first stop Honeydukes, to the last stop, the Tea House, with even the tour times clearly marked without any gaps.

Gavin's lips twitched.

Where should he put it? On the back of the Parchment?

Remember not to be late!

With that, the girl's lips curled into an irrepressible smile as she turned and walked briskly toward the Slytherin table.

Just then, the Hufflepuff trio, who hadn't gone far, finally moved over.

Justin glanced at Cordelia's retreating figure, then at Gavin, who was completely unharmed, and clicked his tongue.

"When you just said 'it's a bit of a waste of time,' Ernie and I were already discussing who should go and call Madam Pomfrey."

Ernie nodded in deep agreement:

"I'm gripping my Wand tightly."

Only Rolf remained standing there, lost in thought, muttering the words he had just heard:

"But I'm willing to waste time with you..."

He looked up at Gavin, his eyes unusually serious.

"Gu, do we need to change the words in this sentence?"

Justin chuckled upon hearing this, looking at him with a hint of curiosity:

"What, are you planning to waste your time with Lovegood tomorrow?"

"Yes, she usually spends the whole afternoon alone by the Black Lake, lost in thought," Rolf analyzed seriously. "Objectively speaking, she is indeed wasting her time. When I said that before, it was completely true."

Ernie for a moment, then added cautiously:

"Besides, this statement doesn't involve any theory, so her father probably won't ask you to write anything again."

Gavin the Parchment neatly and put it in his pocket without any expression.

"No, her dad might think you have too much free time and drag you to Knockturn Alley for free."

Saturday morning, 9:15.

When Gavin went down to the Entrance Hall, Cordelia was already waiting in the sunlight by the door.

Today, she specially changed out of the baggy Black Robes she wore at school and instead wore a well-tailored dark woolen dress, over which she wore a dark gray hooded Robes with silver patterns that her family had ordered from Paris. The collar was trimmed with a circle of soft silver fox fur, making her look both neat and warm.

Filch, who was queuing in the Entrance Hall, checked the two men's signatures on the long list, then suddenly sniffed Gavin, startling him.

But in the end, nothing serious happened; Filch didn't find any contraband and had to reluctantly wave them on.

Outside the gate stands the newly installed Thief's Downfall, its silvery waters cascading down.

Gavin glanced at the water curtain specifically designed to wash away Transfiguration, and paused slightly.

I almost forgot about that.

I wonder if the Thief's Downfall is effective against the shape-changing agent?

But now is clearly not the time for experiments.

So he could only turn his head and whisper to the girl beside him:

"Wait for me outside for half a minute."

Cordelia nodded and walked alone through the water curtain down the stone steps.

The water droplets clinging to the hem of his Robes hadn't yet dried in the autumn wind when a white shadow swept past the side window overhead.

A white-feathered Seagull glided down close to the eaves, deftly avoiding the Thief's Downfall at the main entrance, and plunged into the bushes at the corner of the slope.

Two seconds later, Gavin, having reapplied his advanced Transfiguration, straightened his collar and casually stepped out of the shadows.

"That's so unfair."

Cordelia stepped forward, pouting slightly in dissatisfaction:

"I want to learn Animagus too! Once I learn, I can fly with you next time!"

At this point, she suddenly remembered something.

The girl's silver-gray eyes suddenly brightened slightly, and she turned her head curiously:

"What do you think my Animagus will be? Will it be able to fly? I can't wait!"

Gavin glanced at her, and suddenly the image of the black and white, round, bamboo-gnawing Patronus she had summoned last year flashed into his mind.

The thought of the girl in front of him staring in disbelief when she discovers she's turned into a panda made him want to laugh.

Gavin forced a smile, his expression unchanged as he looked away.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it too."

The Scottish Highlands were cool with autumn breezes at the end of October, but the High Street of Hogsmeade was bustling with heat.

Under the crooked thatched roof, the rich aroma of Butterbeer wafted from the crack in the door of the Three Broomsticks, while in the window of Honeydukes, a row of Peppermint Toads seemed to be tap dancing in a row.

The two first went to Honeydukes and bought a large bag of Fizzing Whizzbees and Pepper Imps according to Harry's list.

Gavin took the bulging paper bag and carried it in his hand. As he pushed open the door and walked out of the Sweets store, he saw the Hufflepuff trio talking at the crossroads across the street.

"You guys go ahead and look around, I'll go find a stationery store by myself." Rolf waved to the other two, clutching the directions he had just found out.

"Not going to Zonko's?" Justin asked.

"Isn't Ernie going? Why don't you go with him?"

Justin turned to Ernie, who had a serious expression. "What are you going to buy from Zonko's? Dungbomb? When did you become interested in this kind of thing?"

"It's to buy Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Ernie said seriously. "My grandpa specifically told me to try them when he signed the papers. He said the bandage-flavored ones from Zonko's tasted really good."

Justin paused for a moment, a little curious:

How do you know what "the smell of bandages" means?

Ernie remained unfazed:

He said it smelled exactly like my grandma's socks.

Justin opened his mouth, momentarily unsure whether to sympathize with his grandmother first or admire his grandfather first.

While Justin was still in a daze, Ernie had already turned and walked towards Zonko's, while Rolf went off alone into a secluded side road.

He didn't notice that, from behind the shadow of the red mailbox on the street corner, a man carrying an old leather bag and wearing a gray-brown wizard's robe slowly raised his head.

The man had a dark red old knife scar across his left cheek.

His gaze lingered on Rolf's lone figure for two seconds, then he pressed the Blackthorn wood Wand in his sleeve, lowered the brim of his hat, and silently followed him down the side road.

Across the street, Gavin was listening intently to Cordelia's critique of a strawberry cream candy in his hand, his view blocked by the surging crowd, and he didn't notice the fleeting gray figure at the alley entrance.

The two hadn't walked far along the High Street when a cloud of thick, yellowish-green smoke suddenly burst out in front of the Zonko's Joke Shop.

Fred and George detonated some new kind of Dungbomb, and the middle section of the High Street was instantly blocked by the pungent smell and screaming students running in all directions.

Gavin frowned slightly, not even glancing at the wooden signpost by the roadside, and took Cordelia's right hand, turning left into a very narrow cobblestone alley between two stone houses:

"This way. Go through here and you'll reach the Back Street, saving you from inhaling a nose Dungbomb."

I had just turned into the quiet stone-paved alley and walked about ten steps.

The person behind him suddenly stopped.

Gavin felt the pull on his palm and turned around in confusion:

"What's wrong?"

Cordelia stood still.

She didn't shake off Gavin's hand, but instead tilted her head slightly, her silver-gray eyes half-closed, staring intently into Gavin's eyes:

Gavin Gu.

Hearing her call him by his full name, Gavin's back muscles tensed instinctively.

"Aren't you in third grade just like me this year?"

Cordelia took half a step forward, her voice soft and gentle, a faint smile even on her face:

"There isn't even a road sign at that intersection up ahead. Several older students were just looking for their way around... How do you know Hogsmeade so well?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Gavin's face, and asked in a gentle tone, enunciating each word clearly:

"Tell me honestly. Who did you come here with before?"

Gavin paused for a moment, then felt a bit dumbfounded, and immediately told the truth:

"He came with Gavin."

Gavin?

Cordelia remembered the silly boy from another world that Gavin had told her about.

Did he come with a boy?

Cordelia narrowed her eyes; she was clearly not so easily fooled.

"Really just with Gavin? Or did you come with some other girl?"

She took half a step forward, a subtle hint of bitterness in her voice:

"I wanted to ask you this last time you told me, that girl named Harley, she seemed really nice to you? And you even gave her something before you left? You mean—"

Gavin was speechless for a moment.

Girls' minds are truly illogical; they can even be jealous of someone from another world.

Besides, the gift he gave was Bellatrix; he couldn't very well go and kill Bellatrix here to give to Cordelia as a gift, could he?

Wait a minute, let me think about it carefully--

It's not that it's impossible?

Bellatrix is going to die anyway, so she might as well contribute something before she dies.

She only lost her life, but I lost my love.

But looking at the girl in front of him who was already preparing to settle scores later, this path was clearly too complicated; it was too far-fetched to solve the immediate problem.

So Gavin sighed helplessly and changed his approach.

He grasped the girl's hand in return and said earnestly:

"Don't overthink it. Over there, Harley belongs to Ron, Hermione belongs to Malfoy, and that Mummy No. 2 belongs to Gavin, regardless of which world it's in—"

He looked into Cordelia's eyes and added the last half of the sentence:

"I am all yours."

The narrow alleyway fell silent for a moment.

Cordelia paused for a moment, a faint blush quickly spreading across her fair cheeks.

She turned her head slightly, a little awkwardly, but her fingers slipped between his, their fingers now intertwined, and she hummed softly:

"... That's more like it."

After a while, she whispered:

"From now on, you can only walk with me in every alley here."

"Certainly."

Gavin breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness, we finally made it through.

The two walked through the stone-paved alley and turned into a much quieter Back Street.

There happened to be a well-known dessert shop in Hogsmeade, with a blackboard outside that read "Autumn/Winter Limited Edition: Oven-Topped Ice Cream".

Cordelia's attention was immediately drawn to it.

The specialty ice cream I bought was served in a warm, crisp waffle bowl, topped with a layer of hot meringue that had just been caramelized with Wand, and underneath were two scoops of chilled, creamy raspberry and vanilla ice cream.

Cordelia took a small silver spoon, scooped out a small piece of the warm meringue from the raspberry ball, tasted it, and her silver-gray eyes curved into a satisfied smile.

Then, she naturally scooped up a second spoonful and held it to Gavin's lips:

"Try it, it's hot on the outside and cold on the inside, not greasy at all."

Gavin opened his mouth and ate the spoonful of hot and cold raspberry ice cream.

The sweet, cool milk cream slid down my throat and into my stomach.

He looked at the girl in front of him, who was focused on dealing with the caramelized crust, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

After finishing their bowl of the specialty ice cream, the two walked along the Back Street towards the side alley next to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

This cobblestone alley is right next to the side door of a Black Tea bakery that is open for business. A low brick wall covered with ivy separates it from the High Street outside. It is quiet and deserted, with only the warm aroma of Black Tea and cinnamon wafting from the bakery door.

I'd only taken three steps into the side alley.

Gavin's footsteps suddenly sank into the bluestone slab.

Without warning, a sharp, throbbing pain and a feeling of heaviness suddenly erupted deep in his lower abdomen, as if someone had reached into his stomach and twisted the internal organs hard.

"Hiss--"

The dull pain, which was completely unreasonable, came suddenly and violently, Gavin's forehead instantly broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat.

He stepped his right foot to the side, braced his back against the brick wall, and pressed his right hand firmly against his lower abdomen.

Poisoned?

Was there something wrong with that bowl of ice cream, or was someone secretly casting some kind of Curse?

Gavin's expression changed slightly. He immediately calmed himself and probed deeper into the flow of Magic within his body.

One second later.

He was stunned.

My stomach was completely clean, with no trace of toxins.

His entire body was filled with unobstructed Magic, without any trace of any external Curse.

But when his senses followed the source of the throbbing pain downwards, and he figured out what was happening inside the girl's body, which had been in this state for over half a month—

Gavin froze on the spot.

Having lived two lives, he had guarded against attacks from Dark Wizards, calculated the toxicity of Potions, and even made thorough preparations for the mental impact when the potion retreated.

There was one thing I overlooked.

The Biphasic Transformation Potion reconstructed a complete living human body.

Since it hasn't reverted to its original form for over half a month, the physiological cycle of this young girl's body will naturally arrive on schedule without any delay.

Just as Gavin was reeling from the absurd truth, and a second wave of throbbing pain surged through him—

The boy's Transfiguration, which covered his body, lost its mental support and collapsed with a soft "pop".

Her neat, short black hair grew rapidly along her shoulders and back, reaching her waist, becoming smooth and flowing.

The boy's features softened instantly, revealing once again the pale, aloof face of the black-haired girl.

"Gavin?!"

Cordelia, who was walking beside her, was startled.

The girl's expression changed drastically. She rushed forward to support his arm, and her other hand instinctively reached into her pocket to grab her Wand. She scanned her surroundings warily, thinking that an enemy might be plotting against her.

Cordelia only breathed a sigh of relief after she helped Gavin sit down on the clean Stone Platform outside the side door of the bakery and made sure no one was around.

Only then did she have the energy to check on Gavin's condition.

There were no enemies in sight, nor any signs of Magic going out of control.

Only the black-haired girl, who had reverted to her "little sister" form, sat hunched over on the stone steps, one hand pressed tightly against her lower abdomen, beads of sweat on her forehead, her usually calm black eyes filled with a bewildered disbelief about life.

Cordelia blinked, then nervously knelt down and placed her hands on his knees.

"What happened? Why did the Transfiguration suddenly break? Is there something wrong with your practice?"

Gavin gritted his teeth, took two full breaths, and finally managed to squeeze out a few words, his clear voice tinged with a hoarseness:

"... It has nothing to do with Magic."

Cordelia was taken aback:

"Was it because the ice cream we just ate was dirty and made you sick?"

Gavin tightened his grip on his lower abdomen, closed his eyes, and after a long while, managed to squeeze out a sentence:

"... No, not exactly."

"What is that? Tell me quickly!" Cordelia was almost in tears.

Gavin finally returned from that world, and now, less than half a month later, he's in trouble again.

She really couldn't take it a second time.

"Yes--"

Gavin hardened his heart and closed his eyes in despair.

"It's the one you get every month."

The side alley fell into a deathly silence.

The autumn wind rustled softly through the ivy on the wall.

Cordelia remained crouched in front of the stone steps, her beautiful silver-gray eyes following Gavin's words, landing on the back of his hand that was pressed tightly against his lower abdomen, lingering for a full three seconds.

The girl's eyes widened little by little:

"... ah?!"

The next second.

"Puff--"

Cordelia abruptly lowered her head, raised the back of her hand and pressed it tightly against her lips, her shoulders trembled violently twice, and she let out a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

It turns out that eating cold drinks during my period caused all of this.

So, isn't he himself the real culprit?

Gavin slowly opened his eyelids.

He stared at her expressionlessly, his pale, cold face devoid of color, his eyes clearly conveying:

If you laugh again, I'll really get angry.

Don't mistake this for me being a nice guy!

Cordelia quickly took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed her smile by pursing her lips.

Seeing Gavin's pale face, his long black hair hanging down his shoulders, looking sullen, Cordelia's initial guilt about being the one who "caused the whole thing" instantly turned into heartache and the understanding of someone who had been through it all.

Although Gavin's body had returned to that of a young girl, she was still wearing the same men's shirt and coat she had worn when she left the house, with the collar loosely open.

They look particularly endearing.

Without a word, Cordelia immediately stood up, took off her dark gray hooded Robes with silver patterns, and gently and neatly draped it over Gavin's shoulders.

The wide Robes had its own temperature-regulating Magic Runes, and as soon as he put it on, it enveloped him in a layer of warmth, completely covering the clothes underneath.

Cordelia bent down and personally fastened the silver snap buttons on his collar one by one to his chin, then tucked his long, dark hair that had slipped down his cheeks behind his ears.

Seeing that the first, most intense spasm had subsided slightly and Gavin's breathing had stabilized, Cordelia turned her head and glanced at the side door of the bakery a few steps away, from which steam from Black Tea was rising.

"The store is full of Hogwarts students right now, so don't go in with that face."

Cordelia gently instructed him, reaching out to lightly pat the back of his hand:

"Sit here and don't move. The counter is right inside the side door. I'll go ask the proprietress for a hot water bottle and a cup of hot Black Tea with sugar. I'll be back in a minute. Be a good girl, okay?"

"Um."

Gavin was too exhausted to walk; the irritation and anger surging through his body was so intense that he just wanted to lie down on the spot.

He nodded slightly.

"Go ahead."

Cordelia looked back several times to make sure he was seated properly before quickly pushing open the wooden side door of the bakery and going inside.

The side alley fell silent again.

Gavin leaned against the brick wall beside the Stone Platform, his left hand still pressing on his slightly drooping lower abdomen.

It really hurts so much.

I've sacrificed so much for cultivation.

When he finalized this plan, he never imagined this day would come.

The effect of this Biphasic Transformation Potion is just too realistic.

They've even simulated this thing.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I would never have chosen this path. What's the difference between this and forcing him to have a child?

What a tragedy!

I'm not drinking anymore, never again. Whoever wants to drink can drink.

Once the effects of the drug wear off by night, he'll accept that Baiwo is only a half-finished product.

If all else fails, we can find another solution. He refuses to believe that this is the only way forward.

The temperature-controlled Robes slowly began to warm me, and the excruciating cramps in my lower abdomen finally subsided a little.

Gavin leaned against the brick wall and let out a long sigh of relief, his mind starting to work again.

However, on the other hand...

He's already endured more than half a month of hardship, even suffering like this today. If he gives up now, wouldn't all the suffering he's endured have been for nothing?

Although sunk costs are not involved in decision-making, they are still costs and cannot be ignored.

Think about it again carefully--

Once he masters it, he'll be able to clear the map directly next time.

Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem so unbearable after all.

After all--

Since we're already here...

"For greater things---"

A sudden, sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen.

No, it's still too uncomfortable.

To hell with sunk costs.

Gavin felt a strange, inexplicable irritation rising in his chest, a nausea so intense that even a rock looked awful.

It's best to avoid having anything unintentionally bump into you at this time.

He's very angry right now.

Nobody should mess with him.

Even Dumbledore--

No, even if a god came, we'd still have to give him a good whack.

The thought had barely formed in his mind...

Tap, tap.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps in leather boots came from behind the low ivy wall at the end of the narrow alley.