Chatting with Cho was actually quite a pleasant affair.
After they finished lunch, her best friend, Marietta, found an excuse to leave.
Lynn accompanied Cho to the hospital wing, where they collected a dose of Invigoration Draught from Madam Pomfrey.
"Is it hard to drink?"
Lynn looked at the strange expression on Cho's face and asked curiously.
"It's not exactly hard to drink, just... the taste is a bit odd."
"Oh, it's still mint-flavored."
When Cho spoke, Lynn caught a whiff of her breath; it smelled something like mountain mint.
"That's why it feels a bit strange, as if the potion formula was changed."
"Is there a bit of a foul smell too?" Cho breathed into her palm, then shoved it in front of Lynn's nose for him to smell.
"Maybe it's bad breath?" Lynn spoke with some uncertainty, glancing at Cho suspiciously.
"You're the one with bad breath, you jerk, Lynn! See if I don't beat you to death!"
"Girls should be reserved. Don't go hitting people so casually, okay?"
"It's only because you can't speak properly. You deserve a beating."
Cho, catching up in a few steps, punched him twice on the back. It made a thumping sound, but she didn't use much force.
"Hiss—you've cracked my gene lock open."
"I didn't use any strength at all, okay?" Cho saw through Lynn's act at a glance, hugging her arms and walking with a light step.
"You've changed, Cho. You were so gentle when we first met. How did you suddenly transform into—oh, I understand."
"What do you understand now?"
"Girls, right? There are always those few days every month when the mood is bad, right?"
Cho puffed out her cheeks slightly, turned her small head away, and mumbled vaguely, "Even if you guessed right, so what? You aren't allowed to go blabbing about it."
"Actually, I can understand." Lynn began to spout nonsense with a straight face: "Boys also have a few days every month when they're in a bad mood."
"Huh?" Cho, hearing this theory for the first time, looked at Lynn in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Boys go through a 'Testicle Replacement Period' for a few days every month. During these days, they act relatively sensitive and fragile, and occasionally get stomach aches, just like someone is stabbing around inside your belly with scissors. But as long as you make sure to eat two eggs in the morning—boiled eggs are best—then there's no problem. But I didn't eat any today; the house-elves didn't make boiled eggs."
"I had no idea that kind of thing happened. Then Lynn, are you..." The adorably naive Cho actually believed it, and a trace of embarrassed concern flashed across her face.
"I'm fine. I have an Innate Pure Yang Body; my constitution is tough. I'm immune to a hundred poisons and invulnerable to all evils."
Lynn patted his chest, acting as if there was absolutely no problem, though he was about to burst out laughing.
"Then... sorry about just now?"
Cho, having been bluffed, was still a good kid at heart and started worrying about Lynn.
"Sorry for what? You're treating me like a stranger. But Cho, you don't have a stomach ache, do you?"
"No, although I am a little uncomfortable."
As they spoke, they arrived at the foot of Ravenclaw Tower. Cho looked up at the long spiral staircase and her small face fell. "I suddenly don't want to go back to the common room..."
For Ravenclaw students, returning to the common room was actually quite a torture. The Ravenclaw dormitories were in the West Tower of Hogwarts Castle. In terms of height, it was even higher than the Gryffindor common room on the eighth floor, sitting on the same level as the Astronomy Tower. If one had to count stories, it was roughly at the 11th or 12th-floor level.
After graduation, the most profound memory every Ravenclaw student had of their house was—climbing the tower.
Despairingly, Ravenclaw Tower had no shortcuts. The wizarding world did have something similar to elevators—magic-driven lifts, which could be seen in other secret passages of Hogwarts—but they absolutely did not appear here.
"Why did you walk this way? Going to the library to read would have been better than going back..."
"I didn't know... Haha..."
Lynn laughed awkwardly. He really hadn't thought about that just now.
"Then how about..."
"Go to the tent!"
The two exchanged a glance and instantly agreed.
"Come over here, let's put the tent in the garden."
Cho happily took Lynn's hand and led him to a nearby open-air courtyard. This place was arranged as a small garden; such configurations were common throughout Hogwarts Castle, numbering no fewer than ten. In the evening twilight, these places were popular rendezvous spots for couples—provided the weather was suitable, of course.
The omni-tent was pulled out by Lynn and placed in the clearing. The two crawled in through the entrance, activated the camouflage mode, and the interior decor instantly transformed into the appearance of a lounge.
"I want to soak in the hot spring!"
After entering the tent, Cho immediately cheered up.
"Is it really okay for you to soak in the hot spring right now?"
"Isn't there an Adaptation Lamp? If I use that, even if I get in the water, my clothes won't get wet."
"That makes sense. But only the swimming pool room has lockers for changing into swimsuits; the hot spring pool is part of the bathroom suite."
"What the heck~"
Cho pursed her lips unhappily.
"Don't worry, I won't peek. If you really want to, just go soak. I'm going to take a nap. If I don't get enough energy, the afternoon torture will be unbearable."
"What class do you have this afternoon?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." Lynn looked like he had lost the will to live. "Quirrell's class. You don't need to think to know how bad it is. I'm already showing early symptoms of an allergy to garlic."
"Is it that bad?" Cho hadn't had this class in the past two days; she had to wait until Friday.
"There isn't a single senior who's taken the class that doesn't complain about that guy. You'll understand when you go."
Lynn took out the Adaptation Lamp and shone it on Cho, then walked to the resting area on one side of the bath. It was paved with tatami mats, a place for people to rest temporarily after soaking in the hot spring, with cushions that could serve as pillows.
The sound of entering water came from behind, but Lynn didn't strain his ears to listen. having eaten a full lunch, he narrowed his eyes and fell asleep before long.
Lynn had a dream. He dreamed that he met a little orange cat at Hogwarts that had been separated from its mother, so he took on the position of poop-scooper and adopted it. The little orange cat was cute and very greedy—the saying "nine out of ten orange cats are fat, and the last one breaks the bed" was not wrong at all. Under Lynn's careful feeding, the little orange cat quickly evolved into an orange pig. The little orange cat, who was very close to Lynn, loved to lie on his chest when he took his afternoon nap. The feeling of his breathing being suppressed and not being able to catch his breath was too realistic.
It was so realistic that when Lynn opened his eyes due to difficulty breathing, he actually saw a human figure, heavier than the little orange cat, currently resting on his chest, sound asleep.
Wearing a thin sweater, Cho was curled up, sleeping quite peacefully on his chest.
"Let's just consider this payback for that knee pillow."
Unable to sleep, Lynn looked up at the ceiling and used telekinesis to press the room button in the distance. The bathroom switched back to a lounge, and the somewhat hard tatami mats turned into a soft fur rug.
Cho turned over in her sleep, curling her legs into a more comfortable position. After covering her with a blanket, Lynn took out a book and read quietly without moving, not disturbing her nap.
After about an hour, Cho, who was napping nearby, gently opened her eyes. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her small face looked a bit miserable.
"My stomach hurts..."
Cho raised her little head to look at Lynn beside her. It was the first time such a pitiful look had appeared on her face.
"Next time I'll remember to carry a bottle of brown sugar water for you, but today, I didn't prepare anything."
"Otherwise, shall I warm your stomach for you?"
"Pervert, your true nature is exposed, isn't it?"
Cho's cheeks were slightly red. She slowly got up from the floor, pouting her small mouth very high.
"Heaven and earth have a conscience. If I were a pervert, and I didn't peep at you in the hot spring just now, I would have been struck by lightning."
Cho, amused by these words, showed a hint of a smile on her face, but soon she looked distressed again. The stomach ache was truly uncomfortable.
"Give me your hand."
Cho extended her hand. After her somewhat icy fingers were gently held by Lynn, the transmitted warmth made her eyes light up.
"Are all boys' hands as warm as yours?"
"You didn't know before?"
"I haven't held hands with other boys or anything, how would I know?"
"Then that really is my honor, Miss Cho Chang."
"You got off cheap."
Cho turned around and leaned back. The large, heat-filled cushion behind her relaxed her body a lot. Unlike her, whose hands and feet were a bit cold, Lynn belonged to the furnace category. They say children have three fires under their bottoms; Lynn probably had a bit more firewood under his.
Cho hadn't felt much before, but today, she felt this heat was warmer than the fireplace in the common room.
"Hands are not allowed to move around, hear me?"
"Got it. I'm a wooden man right now, motionless, okay?"
Cho lifted a corner of her thin sweater. When that warm hand covered her small belly, the warm heat instantly loosened her furrowed brow. The heat penetrating through her skin was toasty, and an inexplicable sense of security welled up spontaneously.
"Is it a little better?"
Lynn asked quietly, seeing Cho's brow relax.
"It is... quite comfortable." Cho's face was slightly red. "It doesn't seem to hurt as much now."
"Then rest until half an hour before class?"
"Mhm."
Cho responded, then narrowed her eyes.
Lynn, who also began to space out, leaned against the sofa behind him. His gaze drifted upward, passing through the transparent tent, following the outer wall of Hogwarts Castle all the way to the sky where clouds were currently floating. His mind also emptied bit by bit, falling into a daze.
Bored, he began to recall the events of this period. Thinking and thinking, his mind drifted to the changes he had seen after he fed Harley cookies. This experience was quite memorable for him; after all, it was the first time he had helped someone without being chased and beaten in exasperation.
The changes in the Dursley family were obvious to all, but what surprised him most was the change in Snape. In Lynn's memory, Snape had "greasy hair dripping with oil," a "sallow and greasy face," and was "gloomy and dank like a bat." But so far, none of these characteristics appeared on Snape. He didn't even look like a bat; although he was still shrouded in some kind of cold darkness, the feeling he gave off was completely different.
To be honest, Lynn was even looking forward to Snape's Potions class a little. The Wandlore he liked had common connections with Potions in many places. After all, both disciplines were branches of alchemy that studied the fusion of magic in different substances to ultimately birth items with magical power.
Learning Potions well would be a great help to his study of Wandlore.
However, for Harley, the biggest impact on her should be—she stayed away from the idiot who dragged her down and made good friends who were truly beneficial to her.
Lynn felt very indifferent toward Ron, especially that disgusting vibe of "I'm a slacker, so my friends have to be too." It was one thing to lack ambition yourself, but dragging a good friend down to be incompetent together was crossing the line.
Harley's grades were originally decent, but as a result, she was dragged around to play by Ron. Even homework was just copy, copy, copy. Even if Harley wanted to listen to the suggestions Hermione gave, they were eventually tossed aside by Ron.
Lynn vaguely remembered that the year Ron was elected prefect, his report card didn't have a single 'O' (Outstanding). Meanwhile, Harley, who fainted during an exam and missed a History of Magic paper, still achieved an 'O' rating. Passing seven O.W.L.s was nothing; Ordinary Wizarding Levels just tested whether you possessed the most basic self-care abilities of a wizard.
That guy becoming a prefect was absolutely due to Dumbledore frantically opening the back door for him; he certainly couldn't be counted on. Even if the Gryffindor boys were playful, there were plenty with better grades than Ron. It shouldn't have been his turn at all.
And now, Harley was far away from that guy and instead very close to Hermione. Just for this point alone, Lynn felt his help back then was a great act of charity. It wouldn't be excessive for Harley to call him 'Godfather'.
Just as Lynn was spacing out, he seemed to hear someone calling his name, and in this voice, there was a trace of killing intent. Immediately after, his leg hurt, and his eyes snapped open.
"Lynn!!!"
Cho's face was currently bright red. The flush had spread to her ears; her earlobes were so crimson they looked like they were about to bleed.
"Hiss... what's wrong?"
Lynn hadn't quite come back to his senses and asked somewhat foolishly.
"You!" Cho clenched her silvery teeth, her eye sockets moist as if she were about to cry the next second. This instantly frightened Lynn awake.
"Oh... Eh? Hmm?!"
His expression changed continuously in that moment, and his body couldn't help but stiffen.
"If I told you that I was spacing out just now, and none of this was intentional, would you believe me?"
Lynn looked at Cho awkwardly. He suddenly realized that the texture under his hand was a bit wrong. Before, it was a soft, flat lower abdomen, but right now, his palm was touching sturdy fabric, propped up into an arc.
"Don't cry, Cho. I apologize. I really didn't mean it. I was really spacing out just now. I wasn't even aware of it myself. My hand has its own ideas; it has absolutely nothing to do with my brain—"
Lynn shut up. He knew that the current Cho couldn't be coaxed easily. When reason wouldn't work, provide emotional value.
"Actually, I was thinking about you."
He suddenly spoke, resting his chin on Cho's shoulder and blowing moist, warm air by her ear.
"Being a girl must be very hard, right? Every month there are those days where your body is uncomfortable. Your hands are icy, your feet are icy too—the kind that feels colder than being soaked in ice water. This must be very uncomfortable, right?"
"I was just thinking, last year, when I hadn't arrived yet, was there anyone who would bring you a cup of hot tea during those uncomfortable days, hold your hand, and blow warm air on it so you wouldn't feel so bad?"
"I guess there probably wasn't. How could those little boys have such delicate thoughts? They don't even have enough time to play. But girls ought to be properly protected."
"Your stomach doesn't hurt now, does it?"
Cho didn't reply for a long time. After nearly half a minute, she made a very quiet "Mhm" sound.
"Is it much better than before?"
"Hmph~"
Cho's voice was slightly louder. She moved her body slightly but seemed unable to muster any strength.
"How about I take responsibility for your uncomfortable days in the future?"
"Pervert, I don't want that."
Cho bit her lip and glared hatefully at Lynn.
"I really didn't do it on purpose just now. I can swear that there is not a bit of deception or concealment in what I said, otherwise I'll have a Testicle Replacement Period thirty days a month."
Cho suddenly couldn't help but laugh, but the expression only showed for an instant before she retracted it.
Lynn had a sincere face that made people willing to trust him. If you gazed seriously into those clear eyes, in a trance, there was an illusion of diving deep into his pupils and touching a spring pool at the bottom of his heart. That clean gaze seemed to reflect his very heart.
Cho quietly met Lynn's gaze for a few seconds, then gently looked away. Lowering her head slightly, she spoke in a very soft voice: "I'll believe you just this once."
"But how long are you going to keep your hand there?"
Suddenly, Cho looked up somewhat fiercely again and glared at Lynn.
"If I said, because this time was completely unintentional, that's why I only just—I'll shut up now."
"This time really wasn't intentional."
"Alright, I know." Cho puffed out her cheeks slightly. "I'll forgive you this once."
"But next time, I'll definitely do it on purpose."
"You still want a next time?!"
Cho clenched her fist and waved it threateningly.
"Don't you want to know why?"
"No." She curled her lip, not wanting to look at Lynn's face.
"You really don't want to know?" Lynn scratched Cho's small belly.
"Stop it, that tickles~ Fine, tell me."
"Because although I don't eat apples, I really like water honey peaches."
"Pervert! Bastard! Smelly rogue!"
"We still have half an hour."
Cho stopped her struggling body and leaned back gently. "Then, half an hour."
"Lynn, are you very good at tricking girls?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because today I should have ignored you, this pervert, forever."
"Probably because my character model is good and I'm handsome. Handsome people are generally more easily forgiven by girls."
"Shameless!"
"Thank you, but it's not because of that."
Lynn looked at the flowers still blooming in the autumn day in the garden outside. "I seem to, perhaps, probably..."
He extended a finger, and a small flower suddenly bloomed on his fingertip.
"Probably found a little childlike innocence?"
"Or maybe I stole yours just now."
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