Chapter 10: Three Cards a Day, A Life Wish List That Can Be Changed

"Sorry, I was young and frivolous back then!"

Cedric looked sincerely at the shocked Professor McGonagall and bowed his head slightly in apology.

"At the time, I had no idea that writing those three words would cast such a powerful magical ripple," he continued. "If I had known, I never would've written He Who Must Not Be Named. I probably would've just written 'The Mysterious Man' instead. Who knows if there were any Death Eaters lurking nearby who might have sensed it?"

He frowned, clearly still troubled by the thought. The memory had become a knot in his heart.

If any Death Eaters had been present and picked up on Voldemort's name being mentioned, it could've caused serious problems. That moment of childish bravery might have created a hidden danger that could affect the people around him, even now.

"What... what are you apologizing for, exactly?" Professor McGonagall asked, completely stunned. She stood there as motionless as if someone had cast Petrificus Totalus on her.

She had thought—at most—Cedric would apologize for being a bit arrogant or foolish as a child. After all, he had written that wish down when he was just five years old.

But never, never in her wildest imagination did she expect that a five-year-old boy would write down defeating Voldemort as his lifelong wish.

Even more unbelievable? He hadn't just written it—he had pursued it. And now she was staring at a meticulously marked schedule, each page filled with completed tasks. Each tick, each check mark, a testament to his unwavering will.

He had stayed true to that childhood goal. And by the look of it, he was continuing to march toward it with determination.

"Is there something wrong, Professor? Did I overlook something?" Cedric tilted his head slightly, concern showing in his clear eyes. "Should I not have kept those words? Was it wrong?"

"No, no—it's not wrong. You're not wrong at all!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, finally snapping out of her daze.

She stood up and walked over to him with swift, decisive steps. Then, without another word, she embraced him tightly.

"You're better than I ever imagined, Cedric!"

Cedric blinked in surprise. "Really, Professor... you don't need to be so emotional."

But McGonagall said nothing more. In her heart, she thought—

This world already has a destined child…

To her, Cedric was walking a road that no one else would dare to walk. A path defined by sheer impossibility. Yet he did so with courage, strength, and unimaginable self-discipline.

She admired him, even loved him in that teacherly way, but she also knew: fate was cruel. It was set in stone, unchangeable. There was already a chosen one.

And Cedric... Cedric might not be that person.

That realization made her feel a strange sort of guilt. A deep, unspoken apology. She knew he might never succeed, and yet couldn't bring herself to stop him. All of that emotion twisted into a powerful wave of compassion.

So she held him tighter.

"Child," she said softly, "come to Gryffindor. I'll teach you everything I know. I promise."

Suddenly, a familiar mechanical chime echoed inside Cedric's mind.

[Ding! Professor McGonagall has been deeply moved.]

[You have received: +1 bonus talent point, and the Minerva McGonagall Character Template Card.]

Oh my God!

Cedric's eyes widened.

He had expected it would be difficult to impress Professor McGonagall. She and Snape were famously iron-willed. Compared to them, even Filch had turned out to be more emotionally susceptible.

And yet… he hadn't even lied or played tricks. He had simply been sincere, and she had responded with overwhelming warmth.

Excited, Cedric quickly opened the system interface to inspect the new card.

Template Card: Minerva McGonagall

Talents:

Transfiguration (Can be upgraded to S-level)

Quidditch (Can be upgraded to A-level)

First-rate Master Wizard (Magic +5 points, magic cap raised to 90)

Life Wish List:

Item 1: Brave and Righteous Cedric

(Be an outstanding student who earns her approval.)

Reward: Quidditch Talent upgraded to S-level

Item 2: Protect Hogwarts

(Before Voldemort's final defeat, keep the total number of Hogwarts student casualties under 5.)

Reward: Transfiguration Talent upgraded to SS-level

Item 3: Protect Harry Potter

(Ensure Harry survives and avoids danger until Voldemort is defeated.)

Reward: Template slot not consumed

Cedric let out a low whistle.

These goals just got a whole lot harder.

While he still had hope for the first item, the other two were serious long-term challenges.

The second wish was especially daunting. In the original timeline, the Battle of Hogwarts resulted in around fifty student casualties. To fulfill this life wish, something massive would have to change.

And the third?

Protecting Harry sounded manageable—on paper. But it had a time limit. Voldemort's defeat could be years away. For the entire duration, Harry had to stay out of any life-threatening trouble. That wasn't easy—not in the magical world and certainly not with Harry's tendency to attract disaster.

Still, even completing the first wish would give him two S-level talents and a magic power boost of +5. That was a huge gain in itself.

It also hinted at a deeper mechanic in the system. Once his magic surpassed 50 points, it seemed there were special conditions for further growth.

But what intrigued Cedric most... was the first wish.

Of the three, it was the only one that didn't come from the original storyline.

It came from him.

Professor McGonagall had built that wish around Cedric himself. That meant—if a character's relationship with him deepened enough, their life wish list could change to include personal goals related to him.

That was huge.

If a life wish list could be altered by emotional bonds, then the system wasn't static. It was dynamic. Perhaps—even those other two impossible missions—might evolve or shift over time.

Whether for the sake of experimenting, or the rewards, or just understanding the system better...

Cedric knew: this was a breakthrough.

He opened the system panel again.

[Current Talent Points: 3]

[Upgrade Costs — A to S: 1 point | S to SS: 2 points]

[Upgrade Path Activated — A-level Transfiguration → SS-level Transfiguration]

[Title Unlocked: Natural Animagus]

[Title System Activated]

[Legendary Rating: +1]

Then another system alert rang:

[Ding! Due to changes in the protagonist's attributes…]

[Minerva McGonagall's Life Wish List has been updated.]

[Wish 2 reward upgraded — Transfiguration talent now upgraded to SSS-level.]

Cedric stared at the screen, stunned.

It upgraded the reward?

His relationship with Professor McGonagall had grown strong enough that her wish—to protect Hogwarts—had become even more important to her. So much so, the system reflected that emotional weight by increasing the reward from SS to SSS-level!

What insane luck!

And that wasn't even the full potential of what he could do with this.

If he could alter one card's wish list, maybe he could alter all of them.

This changes everything.

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