Amelia helped me more than I expected this time. Especially after I got her to formally promise that no one else would hear about the requests I made. Convincing her to stay silent about something that could be considered illegal wasn't easy, of course — but to my surprise, she agreed faster than I anticipated. Still, she put up a small —and somewhat dignified— resistance.
Finding the Gaunt house wasn't hard once I got the address. And since I had already activated multiple teleportation points across England, getting there only took seconds
The sight was... depressing. Someone had clearly tried to keep the place standing, but it was hopelessly overcome by neglect and time. Not that I cared much about the state of the house; there wasn't much about the Gaunts that truly interested me… well, maybe later I could run some campaign to obtain Merope Gaunt and then face off against Voldemort while his mother rides my cock… but that was a plan for another day.
The important thing was the ring.
I could sense various protective spells and a handful of curses, though nothing I couldn't handle. With my experience, bypassing them was almost trivial. I transformed into a Letifolt to slip in unnoticed. Dark energies tried to lash out at me, but between turning invisible, morphing into a puddle of blood, or just tanking through them, I advanced with little trouble.
I reached a central hall that, curiously, no longer had active security measures. One glance was enough. Ever since I absorbed the power of the Invisibility Cloak, my sensitivity to death magic had increased significantly. And there it was. Though veiled under a layer of dark magic trying to obscure it, I could feel it clearly: the ring.
The Gaunt family ring.
I took it in my hand. It was simple, but carried an old-fashioned air of luxury... and it was brimming with power. The soul fragment inside tried to seduce me desperately. I laughed in its face. That pathetic attempt at temptation wasn't going to work. Not even the curses layered on it could do more than maybe cost me a clone or two — and that's in the worst-case scenario.
I vanished soon after, taking the ring with me. I made sure to leave everything as if nothing had happened: a fake ring in its place, complete with its own customized curses —different, of course— so that any nosy treasure hunters would suffer a little for their greed.
...
As for the second objective… well, that was a bit trickier than just stealing a relic from a ruined house.
Finding free house-elves —or even ones available for purchase— was a nightmare. No one gave them up easily. Still, Amelia came through again, giving me leads, rumors about where I might acquire one, or even places where elves were on the verge of dying alone — abandoned after making mistakes or developing "defects" that made them "useless.
Some were missing arms, legs, blind — one had even lost his magic entirely. It was… bleak. I found them lying in corners, unmoving, not eating, just waiting to die like forgotten trash.
I spoke to several of them. I offered them a second chance. But they were so broken —physically and mentally— they told me in shattered voices that they couldn't do anything, that they were worthless, that it would be better to let them die.
I made deals. I promised I could heal them, give them back the ability to work. And it was like I had given them life itself. They were absurdly grateful — some nearly kissed my feet. One even crawled all the way to my knees. I became their savior, a messiah. Well… there were only three of them, but still. I brought them home, along with four more who were too far gone to even resist. They were so broken and weak I simply picked them up and left.
I had a plan for them.
I healed them as best I could, using my powers and taking them to the [Hospital]. Then, before continuing, I sold them to the merchant and bought them back one by one, so I could register them into the shop system. Yeah, I could've done it with just one, but I'm trying to save money. Elise was a huge expense, and we're only now starting to recover financially.
While I was at it, I also went ahead and changed the gender of all the male elves. Once everything was ready, I headed to the quest board in search of a mission long enough — but not too dangerous
Before I could choose, Gemma approached me with our daughter in her arms. Even though I had left a clone of myself with them the entire time, the girl seemed to prefer my "real" self, and they both wanted to come with me. At first, I refused — but in the end, I gave in.
I chose a moderate mission: it would last between two and three years. It wasn't dangerous, and I could raise my daughter far from everyone else. There, I could watch her grow, educate her calmly, without the whispers or uncomfortable stares. Because yes, even though she was barely a newborn, she had already started identifying people by scent and sound… and had a habit of biting. And no, her bite wasn't gentle at all
So, with my wife, my daughter, and my new house-elves, we began the mission. We appeared in the middle of a forest, and the first thing I did was settle down: I built a comfortable, functional house for my family. A good home.
Then, to everyone's surprise, I stripped. Ready to begin "the action." Gemma instinctively spread her legs on the bed… only to discover that this time, she wasn't the target.
The house-elves had never been so "blessed" by a master as they were about to be now. Though they would soon learn that this "divine favor" came with more workload than a lifetime of scrubbing floors. Because yes, I saved them, restored them, and now I would give them a purpose… a duty they would carry for the rest of their lives… lives they'd likely spend far away from society.
...
In a discreet corner of the French wizarding world, a relatively new bar —currently closed to the public— already had special visitors.
"Bonjour, Apolline. What brings you here?" greeted a young woman with white hair, speaking fluent, elegant French.
"Hello, Silk. Just came to see how things were going," replied a mature woman of striking beauty, accompanied by her younger daughter.
"Hi, Silk!" Gabrielle exclaimed, waving quickly before running off to the cellar, eager to discover what new treats the place was hiding.
"Forgive her… she always gets hungry when she comes here. Though, well, I suppose we could blame your cooks for that," Apolline said with a laugh and a shrug, her expression apologetic. "Put whatever she takes on my tab, as usual.
"It's fine, let her take whatever she wants. And I've told you: you don't have a tab here. Take whatever you like — after all, this place is yours. I'm just the manager… and supplier," Silk replied in her usual tone, calm but firm.
The two women continued chatting. They spoke, of course, about Fleur —who apparently had received permission to leave school for the weekend and would be arriving at any moment. They also mentioned a certain red-haired boy who hadn't been seen again. What Apolline didn't know was that the boy was speaking with her at that very moment… even if it was through one of his clones.
"So... what do you say about coming over for some tea or something?" Apolline asked once again, as she usually did whenever she visited.
"I'm busy," Silk replied without even looking at her, focused on cleaning glasses and organizing beer jars.
"You always say that. It's like you live for this bar... not that it's a bad thing, this place is truly unique. But you should also give yourself a bit of freedom," Apolline insisted, stepping behind the counter, hugging her gently, giving her a wounded look — as if trying to convince her through sheer drama. "What if one day you faint from overworking?"
"If you keep going, I won't know what to tell Alain," Silk replied, calm and steady, never breaking her rhythm. Still, she shot a sidelong glance at the woman hugging her, silently grateful that her current body didn't have a penis... or this would be even more awkward. Veela blood really did make women dangerously attractive
You know I'm completely loyal to my husband," Apolline said teasingly, tightening the hug as if trying to prevent her escape. "I'm just a slightly affectionate friend… and don't change the subject."
"Don't you have other friends? Why always me?" Silk replied, though she already knew the answer. After these months, she understood Apolline perfectly well.
"Yes, I have others. But none like yu— like Red. You two are so weird… so special," she admitted sincerely. "With you, I can feel a different kind of connection. As a hybrid, it's hard to find real empathy among my usual friends. Only those who share something similar can make me feel this close. That's why I'm so drawn to Red… and to you."
Silk —Red's alter ego— didn't know how to respond. This form was, in essence, a test, a game. He didn't want to complicate his personal relationships further, which is why he'd always kept things strictly professional or friendly. But Apolline… Apolline made that hard.
"If you're looking for similar company, there's a place where many people like us gather... Maybe someday you could visit," Silk said, her tone soft but evasive.
"Really? Where?" Apolline asked, genuinely curious, still holding onto her tightly.
"It's not open to outsiders yet. For now, it's strictly family. But I assure you, in a couple of years, that'll change… and you'll see plenty of people as strange as I am there." (Silk)
"Now you've got me excited," Apolline said with a sideways smile, only half-believing what she heard. "And how exactly am I supposed to get in?"
"I repeat: for now, it's family only..." (Silk)
Silk's (Red's) friendship with the Delacours, especially with Apolline, had grown stronger over time, but she still didn't think it was wise to open the doors of that private space just yet. There were things left to prepare.
"Ohhh..." Apolline teased, sliding her arms around Silk's waist. "So tell me, are you about to make me an indecent proposal? Or are you going to sell me off to one of your cousins? Because, look... I love my husband, but if it were you... I might be willing to show a bit more skin in a girls-only bath."
Without further warning, she began kissing Silk's neck playfully — and then launched a sudden, full-force tickle assault... finally trying to crack that stoic expression the girl always wore.
Apolline's hands showed no mercy: stomach, armpits, sides, chest. Red, still within Silk's body, had to summon all his willpower not to break the flawless composure he worked so hard to maintain.
But it wasn't easy.
Between the kisses, the tickles, and the sudden warmth creeping through her body, the box of glass mugs she was carrying slipped from her hands—
Crash!
A disaster.
The fall was so clumsy that they ended up rolling together on the floor, amidst stifled screams, restrained laughter, and shattered glass. Neither had time to react before the bell on the door rang.
That clone —Silk— wasn't made for combat, or for enduring intense emotions. In fact, it barely had any magical power. It was meant as a support avatar...
Apolline ended up on top of Silk, in a more than compromising position: full missionary, clothes slightly disheveled, hands placed in areas Red might have enjoyed... if he'd been in his real body.
Before they could apologize, fix their positions, or simply pretend nothing had happened, two voices cut through the scene like knives:
"MOM!!!" Fleur screamed from the doorway, frozen at the sight of what looked like her mother shamelessly mounting the bar's manager. "Don't cheat on dad with my friends!"
"Mom's playing birdies... making birdies," said Gabrielle from behind a door, whispering just loud enough for everyone to hear