I Did It

Dumbledore strolled leisurely down the stairs.

He's in a good mood today. Although there was a small mishap in last night's experiment, the result was good.

The Gavin's toad's consciousness could be activated shows that the theory itself is sound; all that's left is to proceed step by step.

He came out of the Headmaster's Office and walked down the Spiral Staircase, stopping to look out the window as he passed the corner of the corridor.

The sun was shining brightly today, making the leaves of the trees in the yard gleam, and several birds hopped around on the branches.

He thought he could go to the kitchen later to get a cup of hot honey tea, then write a note to Gavin asking him to come over in the afternoon, so he could relax a bit more in the morning.

Immediately afterwards, he received a message from Gavin Justin, urging him to go to St. Mungo's as soon as possible.

The boy rushed up, saying things like "Cordelia is in danger," "The House-elf have come knocking," and "Gavin went to St. Mungo's's without even eating," and almost bumped into him.

"Is Cordelia in danger?"

Dumbledore and estimated the time.

He was aware of Cordelia's previous physical condition, but clearly, they still had a month, enough time for them to conduct more experiments and find a final solution.

Furthermore, as her temporary guardian, St. Mungo's would notify him if Cordelia had any problems.

"It seems our Mr. Gu is still a child; it's not even July yet." Dumbledore shook his head helplessly upon hearing the message. "Well, it's understandable to show off when there are results."

Although he said that, he was also worried that something unexpected might happen, so he had Fawkes take it to St. Mungo's's and slowly walked into the courtyard.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the scene before him.

A man and a woman stood in the courtyard, dressed in black Black Robes and hats, clearly the Unspeakable. Their Wand were raised high, pointed at someone blocking their way.

The man's robe was half-soaked with sweat, and he was still catching his breath. One hand was on his knee, and the other was clutching a crumpled letter.

Gavin Gu.

The person behind him was Cordelia Rowle, wrapped in a dark gray Restraint Garment, with a belt tightened from her shoulders to her ankles.

Gavin was using his body to shield Cordelia from the two Unspeakable.

He gazed at the two people before him. "She's not going anywhere."

Dumbledore's "Good morning" caught in his throat. He took a second to assess the situation, and then walked out the next second.

"Please wait a moment," said Dumbledore.

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the courtyard turned their heads. The two Unspeakable didn't lower their Wand, nor did they seem inclined to continue chanting.

Dumbledore walked to the middle of the two opposing sides, first glancing down at Gavin, then nodding to the two Unspeakable with a standard headmaster's smile, gentle yet polite.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and this is my student."

"We know who you are," the Unspeakable woman said, her voice completely flat, "But this has nothing to do with you. The patient has already signed the donation agreement; we are here to carry out the procedure."

"I understand," Dumbledore said, "But I suggest we find a place to sit down and talk first."

"There's nothing to discuss," the Unspeakable said. "The agreement is already—"

"I already said," Dumbledore's tone remained unchanged, but his usual lazy, old-man demeanor suddenly vanished. "Let's find a place to sit down and talk."

The sunlight in the courtyard was still shining warmly, but the two Unspeakable suddenly felt a chill. They looked at each other and clearly understood each other's meaning.

The female Unspeakable frowned and said, "Although you are the chief of Wizengamot, you cannot interfere with our normal procedures, especially since this Obscurial is already on the verge of spiraling out of control."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and looked at Cordelia. He was a little surprised; he hadn't expected something like this to actually happen.

The girl didn't look at him; she was focused on the boy who was blocking her way and panting.

Judging from the girl's expression, Dumbledore immediately realized that her situation was indeed dire. The Unspeakable was right; she was on the verge of exploding, and if no action was taken, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But Dumbledore maintained his smile, turned to the Unspeakable Woman, and said, "I insist that we talk first."

The Unspeakable Woman pondered for a moment, then tucked her Wand into her sleeve and followed Dumbledore to one side of the courtyard.

A dozen minutes later, the two Unspeakable left.

Dumbledore saw them to the door, having just used a perfectly standard set of diplomatic language that left no room for criticism—the underage patient was emotionally unstable, the current situation was not suitable for implementing the agreement, Hogwarts was willing to provide assistance for the follow-up assessment, and so on.

Furthermore, he provided a guarantee in his own name, assuring everyone that no further danger would arise and that he would handle everything properly.

The faces of the two Unspeakable remained unchanged from beginning to end, except that, as they were leaving, the female Unspeakable glanced back at the corner of the courtyard.

Gavin and Cordelia were still standing there.

"Three days," the Unspeakable woman said.

Dumbledore nodded and smiled, "Three days. I will give you an explanation in writing in three days."

The Unspeakable's black robes finally disappeared behind the shade of the trees at the courtyard entrance. Dumbledore stood at the doorway, watching the two figures vanish into thin air, leaving only a patch of dappled shadow.

He took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, glanced at the young couple in the corner of the courtyard, and then turned and walked to the shade of an old beech tree.

He didn't go over and disturb them.

He just stood there, hands behind his back, like an old tree.

By this time, Dumbledore had figured out what had happened: Gavin wanted to save Cordelia, but Cordelia herself signed an agreement to donate her body for Obscurus research.

Cordelia also prevented St. Mungo's from informing her, using the emergency disposition clause in the donation agreement to do all this.

"Young people these days," he sighed with a complex mix of emotions, "I just don't understand them."

After speaking, he looked into the distance with his deep blue eyes, lost in thought.

Gavin's breathing finally calmed down.

After the adrenaline subsided, what remained was not anger or excitement, but a deep sense of lingering fear.

When he burst through the entrance to the St. Mungo's's courtyard, Cordelia had already taken several steps toward the two Unspeakable, who were preparing to Apparition her.

If he had run any slower, or arrived any later—

He dared not think about the consequences.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" he almost demanded.

Cordelia looked at him but did not answer.

"I told you, I'll handle it!"

"Are you angry?" Cordelia asked with a smile.

"Do you even know what the Department of Mysteries is?" Gavin glared at her, clearly annoyed that she was still laughing. "Do you even know what you'll be like inside—"

He paused for a moment. "They won't treat you as a patient; they'll treat you as a research subject, not like I was, but as a research subject—"

Cordelia didn't speak, she just looked at him, something Winky in her eyes.

So you're angry?

She asked again, her body leaning slightly forward Restraint Garment, as if trying to see Gavin's expression.

Gavin's chest heaved violently.

"... Yes! I'm furious! I almost never saw you again, I did so much—" His voice suddenly choked, as if a sentence was blocked by too many things, unable to be squeezed out, "but in the end you—"

Then he couldn't say anything more.

Because Cordelia took a step forward, the Restraint Garment still wrapped around her, the belt digging from her shoulders to her ankles, she could only move a very small step, but that was enough. She tiptoed and lightly touched Gavin's cheek with her lips.

Gavin was stunned.

His face burned upwards from the base of his neck, turning red in an instant, as if someone had turned on a light under his skin.

He stood there, mouth still open, all the words that had been stuck in his throat turning into a cloud of indescribable heat that escaped from the tips of his ears.

"I'm sorry, Gavin." Cordelia stepped back, tilted her head to look at him, and said in a coquettish tone, "Please forgive me, okay?"

Her eyes were curved, and her long hair fell to one side.

The way she ran away after that kiss conveyed a sense of reckless abandon, but a hint of red on the tip of her ear betrayed her true feelings.

The bulky Restraint Garment was still wrapped around her, Obscurus to grow stronger inside her, but she looked at Gavin's feverish face and smiled happily.

"I've actually had a very happy year," she said sincerely, "Because of you."

"Although you're a bit unreliable, always talking nonsense, constantly chanting about Consciousness Space and the eight consciousnesses, regardless of whether others understand you or not."

"He also occasionally does dangerous things, hurting himself and making others worry."

She paused for a moment, then said, "But thank you, I'm already very content."

"Meeting you at the end of my life feels like I've used up all my luck."

"Before, I always thought I would be all alone until I died, and that no one would be sad for me after I was gone."

"But now I know that, besides Dibby, there is at least one other person who truly remembers me, genuinely cares about me, considers me a true friend, and feels anxious, sad, and heartbroken for me."

Sunlight streamed in from behind her, giving her messy silver hair a light golden fringe.

"So let me make one last contribution, okay?" Cordelia coaxed a child. "I feel like the world has been pretty good to me."

Gavin's mind was still processing the sensation on his cheek.

He used half of his brain capacity to maintain his posture, while the other half was repeatedly replaying that moment in his mind, leaving him with no energy to understand what she was saying now.

"Huh?" Gavin was still in a daze.

"Thank you for your companionship and for your hard work. These past six months must have been very difficult for you," Cordelia said softly, looking at him. "But I don't want to be a burden to you anymore. Let me go with them. If there is a next life, in your the East language—I will come back to repay you."

The broken wire in Gavin's mind was reconnected, and he finally understood what Cordelia meant.

"No."

Cordelia looked at him amusedly. "Sweetie, don't be childish, Gavin."

"No!" Gavin's voice suddenly rose, startling the birds on the old beech tree in the corner of the yard into flight.

He took a step forward, "I want you to repay me in this lifetime!"

Cordelia was stunned by these words.

Then her face flushed, but unlike Gavin's instant blush, it was a slower, spreading red that descended from her cheekbones, like someone dropping a drop of paint into water, creating a faint, diffused color.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" she said, a little embarrassed and annoyed.

If it weren't for the Restraint Garment, she would have already started pinching Gavin's soft flesh at the waist.

Gavin looked at her, standing in the sunlight in the center of the courtyard. His robe was still half-dampened by sweat, his hair was a mess, and the letter in his hand was frayed at the edges, but he was smiling, with utter confidence.

"I've succeeded."

Cordelia paused for a moment.

Her hand twitched slightly inside the Restraint Garment, but the belt prevented it from moving much, and her fingertips began to tremble. She wasn't quite sure what Gavin meant.

"You did it? What?" Her voice was very soft.

"The Philosopher's Stone," Gavin said quickly. "I channeled its Magic into the Consciousness Space. Last night I activated the consciousness of a toad. It can be altered. My theory is correct; the relationship between you and the Obscurus can be changed!"

Cordelia's mouth opened, from a slit to an "O," then closed, then opened again; she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

Then she abandoned words, simply looking at him, her eyes brimming with too many emotions at once—

I can't believe it, I can't have any expectations, I can't bring myself to open the door to hope after experiencing so much disappointment.

You mean—

"Yes, you're saved!" Gavin said. "I did it! You'll live a long time."

He spoke as he stood in the sunlight in the center of the courtyard, the light shining from behind him, casting a bright outline around his entire figure.

Beads of sweat still clung to his forehead, each tiny drop glistening in the light.

Cordelia looked at him for a moment, then turned her face to the other side, blinking several times at the old beech tree trunk in front of her, at the rough cracks in the bark.

"Today..." she murmured, fighting back tears that threatened to spill, her voice barely audible, "Am I really not dreaming?"

The Restraint Garment straps were tightly bound to her, but her shoulders were trembling slightly and uncontrollably.

Dumbledore watched this scene from afar, under the shade of a tree.

He pulled his hand out from behind his back, took off his glasses and wiped them—the sunlight was indeed very bright today, so bright that the lenses fogged up—then he put his glasses back on and looked up at the birds that had been startled and then landed back in the treetops.

After that, he put his hands behind his back, turned around, and began to carefully study the inscriptions on a stone tablet that no one else was looking at.