"I consider the proportions to be adequate," I replied, wrapping my arms around her waist. "It just requires an adjustment period."
I lifted her slightly against the trunk of the tree, searching for the angle to resume pushing slowly, but Elise pushed me away sharply as soon as the pressure became evident.
"Don't even dream of it! I have no intention of engaging in relations with this small, defective cavity," she declared, freeing herself from my grip in indignation. "If you intend to continue, you will have to reduce your size to a functional scale... A dimension that allows me to accommodate you without unnecessary friction, just as the natural order dictates," she demanded with her chin held high, looking at me sternly.
"Elise... anatomy doesn't work that way," I replied through laughter. "In reality, the previous situation was the unusual one. What would be expected for an equine specimen of your stature is to receive a male with proportions that match your species. Think of stallion unicorns or other equine males... Reflect on the dimensions they handle."
Upon hearing my argument, Elise seemed to process the idea. Her eyes widened excessively before her face adopted a grimace of profound disgust, sticking her tongue out in absolute repulsion.
"Never! Don't you dare suggest that I would submit to such nonsense! I haven't lost my mind. Attributes must maintain a reasonable scale like yours and allow for room within the passage without pressing against the walls!" she declared with full conviction. "Your member is excessive for this body. Either you adjust the scale or you never taste this appearance again."
"Usually... the demand tends to be the other way around," I murmured resignedly, holding back my laughter as I manipulated my anatomy to reduce its size before the only female in the cosmos demanding more modest dimensions out of pure habit.
Elise bent down to examine the modification, feeling it with a couple of fingers to verify the fit. After testing the proportion, she nodded in approval. I contemplated the scene, unable to suppress a burst of laughter at the absurdity of her logic.
Positioning her once again against the bark of the tree, I slid inside her in a single movement. Elise reacted with an immediate shudder, releasing a drawn-out groan as she clung to the bark, overwhelmed by the sensation. That scale, ultimately, was the one that fit her conception of pleasure.
We began to fuck, this time for real, and Elise was quick to exploit the features of her new physiognomy. Moving her hips fluidly, she surrendered entirely to the carnal dynamic. I set out to show her the benefits of human anatomy: I explored her breasts with my hands and lips, pulled her hair, left the prints of my palms on her buttocks, and devoured her mouth while maintaining the rhythm of the thrusts, filling her with semen time and time again.
Even if her pride prevented her from ever admitting it, the human setup offered distinct sensations that were very enjoyable. After a prolonged period of wild sex, I came inside her one last time just as her pelvic walls contracted in an intense orgasm. Exhausted, we collapsed onto the grass.
"That wasn't bad... though I still prefer our usual dynamic," she commented, gazing up at the foliage before leaning over to lick the sweat from my neck, struggling a bit due to the lack of a more prominent tongue.
"We'll have to get you used to larger dimensions," I teased, letting her carry on.
"Never. It is you humans who have cavities that are far too small. I am not going to do something unpleasant just because your race doesn't know what it's like to have an anatomy fit for reproduction," she declared with disdain.
"Oh, really? And tell me... what would you say if I decided to transform into an equine and take on the attributes of your race? Wasn't that your greatest aspiration? You fulfilled my fantasy of seeing you as a human; I'd like to fulfill yours... But if you abhor large dimensions, how do you expect us to copulate when we are both of the 'superior species'?" I inquired mockingly.
Elise froze on the spot. Her mental processing seemed to short-circuit faced with the paradox; her cheeks flushed deep red. Despite her divine rank, by muting much of her power in my presence, her reactions maintained the freshness of the creature I first met.
"And what if we swap roles? You in human form, and me adopting the equine form... Wouldn't you find it tempting to recreate our story, with each of us being the reflection of the other?" I whispered in her ear.
The mere thought was enough to send a surge of stimulation rushing through Elise, causing an involuntary and immediate reaction in her crotch in the form of an instant orgasm. The raw premise of experiencing such a swap... something so intimate... represented the perfect material for her future mental wanks while floating in the space of her world.
"We could... reduce your scale in that form. Or perhaps use a spatial expansion charm inside me..." she murmured blushing, hiding her face against my chest to listen to my heartbeat and intoxicate herself with my scent.
"My little, illogical Elise... At least you guarantee I will never suffer from an inferiority complex with you," I concluded through laughter, wrapping my arms around her to enjoy the silence of the forest, gazing up at the firmament through the treetops.
This was, ultimately, paradise... and a very prolonged one at that.
...
My main body continued enjoying Elise's company, taking advantage of every moment knowing full well how much it would cost me to convince her to adopt that appearance again. However, she eventually brought our journey in human form to an end. She indulged in experiencing this condition, in knowing she was desired and loved by me in that shape; but she was proud; she would have flown into a rage if I didn't display the same devotion for her genuine state. So I had to lie with her right there, in the thick of the forest, under our "true physiognomies."
Mine retained its anthropomorphic base, but intertwined with the monstrous profile I had unleashed in the past: legs, but combined with a whipping tail, tentacles of boiling blood, majestic wings, and rows of prominent fangs. My hair grew excessively, manifesting a subtle will of its own—the same one Luna had discovered.
After behaving like unleashed beasts and making the forest rumble with the force of our passion, Elise was fully satisfied, though somewhat reluctant for the encounter to come to an end. We parted to resume our respective duties. At the level of existence we had reached, a goodbye like this was as trivial as taking a quick bathroom break. Centuries could pass, and to us, it would feel like little more than a blink of an eye; nothing would alter our bond. Well, at least for Elise; I, having fragmented myself to return to simplicity, was once again experiencing the limitations and advantages of the earthly condition. Even so, it was a separation of just a few days; our contact was permanent.
With the matter concluded, I returned to the Archmage's tower to resume my projects. After a release of such magnitude, my mind was so clear that I needed to channel that energy into work.
My research into Voldemort's soul had yielded valuable fruits. I set the original fragments aside and focused on the duplicated samples. It was ironic to think about the amount of Voldemort's "soul" currently existing in the world. If by some miracle that madman recovered his sanity and attempted to reassemble his soul right now, he would run into a massive surplus that would turn him into a powerful entity. However, he would never do that.
The study of the spiritual was advancing by leaps and bounds thanks to these fragments, to the point that Helena had bought several from me in bulk for her own experiments. Of course, if we wanted to avoid trouble, we had to process them beforehand to excise the essence and sever their connection to the Dark Lord's soul—something that, with Helena's necromantic mastery or a few modifications via the merchant, presented little difficulty.
To maximize the working material, I retrieved Salazar Slytherin's locket from the Black residence. I subjected it to the same procedure as the diadem: I isolated the dark fragment, restored the artifact to its optimal state, and registered its magical properties in the enchanting table's catalog.
As for Helga Hufflepuff's cup... although breaking into Gringotts promised to be an entertaining mini-adventure, I preferred to postpone it until next year, when I would have more efficient methods for the raid.
The next object on the list was the Gaunt ring. I applied the same treatment to it, generating copies through the merchant before disenchanting it. Floating over the altar, I left the attributes of [Summon Spirit (Semi-Divine / Deathly Hallow / Imperfect)], [Death Curse], and [Durability: Resurrection Stone (Semi-Divine / Deathly Hallow)]. Since I already had two of those properties registered, I transferred them to a secondary container in case I needed them later, reserving only the spirit-summoning faculty.
Then, emulating what I had done time ago, I drew a floating mass of blood from my reserves and deposited it on the runic table.
Knowing exactly what to expect and possessing a higher power level than back then—even without being at my absolute peak—the process would prove predictable. Had I possessed the entirety of my original essence, the operation would have been trivial; but under my current conditions, it required a certain degree of caution.
I confirmed the action on the enchantment prompt. A flash resembling lightning struck the suspended blood, and the magical collapse washed over me.
I experienced a sensation that was difficult to pinpoint. I managed to maintain consciousness while perceiving how my own essence attempted to be dragged toward another realm. For a timeless interval, I felt as though I had stepped into that limbo where souls await their passage to the beyond, even reaching past it... but that was merely a shadow my perception could not decipher.
The next moment, the environment regained its stability: I was once again in the Archmage's tower... but I sensed a link to the realm of the dead. The Deathly Hallows possess an innate affinity with the underworld, albeit a limited one. However, by fusing two fragments of those Hallows with my own blood magic, the bond deepened. I had crossed a threshold forbidden to any mortal. For gods or entities bound to death, it might not be anything extraordinary, but in this earthly world, it turned me into a living myth.
I approached a full-length mirror to inspect the aesthetic changes.
There it was. The bony structure and ash-colored complexion on my back and mouth had returned, but the effect had spread. The spectral calcification now covered my chest and abdomen, revealing a skeletal structure without actually exposing the internal organs I seemed not to have. The most impressive part spanned from my throat to my face: the flesh had receded until it molded a skull almost devoid of skin, while my eyes transformed into two purple spheres crisscrossed with cracks. My hair turned an ethereal white; when I ran my hand through it, my fingers passed right through as if it were smoke.
It wasn't a bad look. At the very least, it combined perfectly with Helena's aesthetic... who at that precise moment was rushing toward the tower, sending me a flurry of [messages] after detecting the shift in death energy. I was almost certain she would try to force herself on me as soon as I told her about this. Fortunately, the mystical necrosis had not affected my penis.
At my current level, this metamorphosis represented a mere cosmetic addition rather than an alteration of my true essence. It affected my body solely because the rest of my true power remained separated; if I were to reclaim it, this change would have the equivalent impact of a hair dye. Nonetheless, I had to deal with it due to my temporary limitation. I would have to master the art of concealing this appearance if I planned on reuniting with the girls; showing up like this at Hogwarts would prove disastrous... even within the fief, I would run into trouble. Tonks would kill me before letting me explain myself; she had made that crystal clear the first time around.