After Umbridge's departure, Hogwarts seemed to return to its usual rhythm.
The professors quickly resumed their familiar teaching styles, and the students filled the halls once again with laughter and cheer.
Morning and evening study sessions were canceled, and the old student organizations and clubs resumed their activities.
—In fact, some new clubs even emerged, such as the "Running Club" and the "Free Combat Club."
To Jane Yu, everything appeared perfectly normal.
Yet ever since the dramatic "Muggle Performance" on Parents' Open Day—
She couldn't shake the feeling that the little Slytherins she knew had become... peculiar, as if afflicted by some sort of Muggle-induced aftereffects.
The first person to act strangely was her roommate, Daphne.
"I have an incredibly precious artifact," Daphne whispered, her expression unusually serious. "It can change the world—and save me."
Jane stared at her in bewilderment, half-expecting her roommate to suddenly transform, pulling some ancient family heirloom from her wizard robes, triggering chaos in the wizarding world, and ultimately meeting her demise while entrusting the artifact to a worthy successor.
"I read in a book that this artifact thinks faster than any human, completing its calculations in mere seconds."
"It's said that its answers are always definitive, which makes it invincible in Divination."
"I want to entrust it to you. Besides you, I don't think anyone else can wield it properly, and I can't trust anyone else to discover it."
Jane took a deep breath. Everything seemed to be unfolding according to the worst-case scenario.
She was about to refuse, but Daphne fixed her with a pleading gaze:
"You're the only one who can save me, Yu! If you can activate it and get it to work, my life will be saved!"
Jane sighed and closed her eyes, contemplating a solution.
If she truly couldn't figure out the artifact's secret, she would hand it over to Dumbledore.
She couldn't just stand by and watch her roommate, whom she had lived with for so long, meet an untimely end!
She reached out her hand and felt a hard, rectangular object land in her palm, with various block-like buttons on its surface...
What kind of treasure looks like this?
Realizing something was off, Jane opened her eyes—and was utterly dumbfounded!
—It was a Muggle calculator!
Her face twisted as she recalled Daphne's words about "thinking faster than humans," "definitive answers," and "invincible in Divination"...
She wanted to knock some sense into Daphne, and then into herself, to wake them both up.
Overthinking is a disease, and it needs treatment.
"Please help me, Yu!" Daphne begged tearfully, bowing her head. "Save me! I'm going to fail my Arithmancy class! This is our O.W.L. year! I don't expect to get an 'O,' but at least I can't bring home a 'P,' 'D,' or 'T,' or I'll be the first Slytherin to receive a Howler from my parents!"
Seeing Jane's incredulous gaze, Daphne choked back a sob and continued wailing:
"This calculator might just be a trivial Muggle gadget in most wizards' eyes, but to me, it's as valuable as Merlin himself! It's my hope for passing Arithmancy! I must seize this opportunity before it gets added to the list of banned items for exams! No one else can know about this!"
Watching Daphne's pitiful state, Jane felt as if the world had turned surreal.
It was hard to associate Daphne, a pure-blood witch from the Greengrass family, with a Muggle calculator.
Her instincts told her that if Daphne failed her class, she would merely receive a simple Howler from her parents; but if she passed using the calculator, she might face a much harsher punishment—a parental double-team.
Nevertheless, Jane decided to help. She disassembled and modified the calculator, replacing its circuits with magical runes.
With a dreamy smile on her face, Daphne took the calculator and dove into her Arithmancy assignments.
Jane decided to head to the common room for some fresh air.
She wasn't sure if she was hallucinating due to lack of oxygen.
Otherwise, how could she have witnessed a pure-blood Greengrass passionately kissing a calculator?
...
The Slytherin common room seemed perfectly normal... on the surface.
The green light cast a serene glow on the students reading books, the fireplace crackled warmly, and the squid in the Black Lake outside the window moved leisurely...
It was a picturesque scene of peace and relaxation.
Jane sat down on a sofa, facing Draco Malfoy, who was intently reading Advanced Potion-Making. He appeared to have learned the importance of preparing for next year's curriculum in advance. Meanwhile, Theodore Nott was engrossed in The Fifth Element: Exploration, both of them radiating a thirst for knowledge that made them look like model students.
"Sunk costs... costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered... Rational decision-makers should exclude sunk costs from their considerations..."
Jane wasn't sure if her ears were playing tricks on her.
Otherwise, how could she have heard Draco Malfoy spouting economic jargon?
"It makes sense... My parents' investment in that person is a sunk cost..."
Jane felt that something was definitely off.
"But people aren't always rational," Theodore suddenly interjected, his tone meaningful. "Abandoning sunk costs is like brewing a potion. Even when you know the ingredients are wrong, you still feel compelled to keep brewing instead of starting over."
Draco sighed, the two of them looking as solemn as a pair of old men.
Jane rubbed her eyes and glanced at the books they were reading—
The covers were indeed Advanced Potion-Making and The Fifth Element: Exploration...
But the content inside... did it have anything to do with potions or spells?
She snatched the books from Theodore and Draco, flipping to the first page—
Economics?
Faced with her incredulous stare, Draco let out a series of awkward coughs.
"These are just lowly ideas!" he hastily waved his hands, his pale face tinged with embarrassment. "I despise Muggles with every fiber of my being! But for the sake of our bright future, for the expansion of our business empire, for the wealth of our family, I endure this humiliation..."
He quickly stuffed two copies of The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5 into his robes.
Jane wasn't sure what was inside, but judging by his flustered demeanor...
"Management Principles and International Trade," Theodore explained, answering her unspoken question. "They're books you left behind before you left. He got hooked on them."
Seeing Draco's flushed face and his protests of "I didn't!" and "He's lying!" Jane decided to let it go.
Perhaps it was some sort of family talent; Draco seemed to have inherited certain traits from his ancestors and displayed remarkable aptitude.
But she politely excused herself, deciding to visit the Quidditch pitch for some fresh air to clear her head.
...
But the Quidditch pitch had transformed into something she could never have imagined.
The moment she saw the scene, she realized:
Hogwarts had truly gone mad.
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