— Alright, let's stop here for now, — Victor summed up. — Missy, be so kind as to show our guest out.
The house-elf nodded and, making sure no one intended to stop him this time, stepped toward Abigail.
— Ha-ha-ha-ha! And that's it?! Ha-ha-ha! — Abigail suddenly burst into a loud, hysterical laugh that made the elf freeze in his tracks. — That's all?! Ha-ha-ha! Now you'll wipe my memory and send me back to my cramped cell?! Ha-ha-ha!
Victor stared at her in surprise:
— Where did you get that idea? Not at all. I've already bought a house for you in Italy. Your memories of magic will simply be erased, and you'll live comfortably there on full financial support.
Abigail trembled all over, her long, loose hair falling over her face.
— I hate... — she whispered.
Victor frowned slightly:
— What?
Abigail slowly raised her head and looked straight into his eyes. Her face was a mask of absolute, icy calm, but tears streamed continuously down her cheeks:
— I hate you... I hate the day I met you. You convinced me I was a messiah destined to rid the sick of their suffering. You brainwashed me, made me into what I am today — a cold-blooded killer. Ha-ha-ha! But I didn't complain! Because it finally opened my eyes. I hated my job with all my soul, I hated those bastard patients, but I endured it because I was damn good at what I did. Maybe when I was a foolish young girl, I really was looking for a way to help them... But over all these years, I realized: it's all utterly meaningless!
She caught a ragged breath and continued:
— When I killed my first patient... Remember that cannibal? You convinced me that doing so would save him. And I felt true happiness! Happiness that I would no longer have to listen to his whining, his vivid stories of how he chose his victims, what dishes he cooked out of them, and how he devoured their flesh! I was scared to death by that feeling. But then came the next patient. He had spent years tormenting young girls in his basement, impregnating them and throwing the infants into the trash. I listened to him with a smile on my face, even though my stomach turned inside out... And I killed him too! And then another one, and another, and another!
She paused for a second, breathing heavily:
— When I was finally caught, I had plenty of time to think. And I realized that all of it was your doing. You, a seven-year-old child, made me kill! Not even made me... You simply guided me and showed me who I truly was. But I wasn't angry with you. Because in the moments they died, I felt better than ever before in my life! I genuinely believed you were a demon who came to Earth to punish sinners, choosing me as your holy weapon! I believed I had a great, vital role in this world... And now, learning the truth, it turns out I'm no chosen one at all. I'm just a regular, disposable tool to be used and thrown away when no longer needed!
She burst into a bitter laugh again:
— Ha-ha-ha! Five years... For five years I worshiped you in the psych ward! I blindly believed you would return for me... And you actually came! But again, only to take what you needed and dump me in the trash! My life is over. Either you wipe my memory completely, and I go back to a life and a career I hate to the point of nausea... Or you wipe only this part, and I keep blindly worshiping you. But I want neither! Just kill me instead.
Victor looked at her in silence. Then he took a deep breath and quickly walked off. A few minutes later, he returned.
— Stand up.
Abigail didn't budge or answer.
Victor forcibly lifted her out of the armchair, pressed something into her palm, whispered a few words, and stepped back. Abigail was instantly wrapped in a soft, golden glow.
— Hey! How did you even find it?! — Nicholas exclaimed, displeased.
— Grandmother showed me where it was, — Victor replied calmly.
Nicholas looked at Perenelle in astonishment.
— What? He is our heir! — Perenelle shrugged. — Everything that belongs to us belongs to him.
Nicholas wanted to complain and lose his temper, but thought better of it and kept quiet.
When the light finally faded, a transformed Abigail stood before them. Her body was more toned, fresh, and even more beautiful: she now looked like a young girl of about seventeen or eighteen.
— Here. I won't wipe your memory, and now you can start a new life with a clean slate, — Victor said, retrieving the Philosopher's Stone from her hands.
Abigail looked at her body in amazement, touched her cheeks, and then, noticing a full-length mirror, rushed toward it.
— A-a-a-a-a-h! — to everyone's surprise, she let out a loud squeal, jumping and laughing with joy, before rushing back to Victor and wrapping him in a tight hug. She was only slightly taller than him, so when she hugged him, his face ended up right at her chin. At that moment, for the first time in his life, Victor regretted growing so tall.
— Thank you, Victor! I love you so much! I'm sorry for everything I said — none of it was true! — kissing him straight on the lips, she dashed back to the mirror.
Victor froze in absolute shock. Just a couple of minutes ago she genuinely hated him, and now she's declaring her love?! Isn't that a bit too fast of a change?!
— Don't be so surprised, — Perenelle said with a smile. — You have no idea what it means for a woman to reclaim her youth.
Nicholas nodded in understanding: he still remembered the first time he restored his wife's youth — she hadn't moved away from the mirror for an entire week afterward.
— Alright, Missy... — Victor didn't get to finish before Abigail approached him again, grabbing his arm and pressing it tightly to her chest.
— Victor, can I stay with you? I want to learn more about the world of magic!
— NO! — Adele barked in an instant.
Even though Abigail had grown younger, causing her voluptuous curves to shrink slightly and lose some of the mature woman charm, the danger she posed to men hadn't diminished in the slightest. On the contrary — now she was even more dangerous!
— Go to Italy and live however you want! Actually no, Italy is too close... Better go to the States — you'll definitely become a famous model there! Or even better — Antarctica! Oh, right! You probably want to see penguins, don't you? There are plenty of them there! Go there and freeze to death! — Adele exploded completely. Competing with Hermione and Daphne for her brother's attention was one thing, but how was she supposed to compete with this vixen, literally built to seduce men?!
Perenelle glanced at Adele in surprise, but then looked back at Abigail and immediately understood why the girl had reacted so sharply.
Victor also turned his gaze to his sister's gloomy, jealous face. He was about to agree with her — he really didn't have time to mess around with Abigail... But feeling the incredible softness against his elbow and seeing Abigail's pleading, sweet expression, he made up his mind after all:
— Hm-m... Well, then. I suppose you'll all agree that with my mental issues, I could use a personal psychologist. Purely for therapeutic purposes! And I think...
— CONFINGO!
Abigail sat in the armchair, trying not to move or even breathe. Huddled in a ball and staring at the floor, her whole body trembled slightly. Well, what did you expect? Adele had just given her a vivid practical demonstration of what the word "wizard" actually meant!
Raising her head, Abigail looked at the little girl comfortably nestled on Victor's lap. Meeting Adele's icy, murderous glare, she trembled even harder, seeking help from Victor. But noticing that he was ignoring her entirely, softly stroking his sister's hair with a smile, Abigail nearly passed out.
What on earth was wrong with this guy?! Adele had just unleashed a torrent of flame right at them, ready to burn them alive! Abigail still broke into a cold sweat remembering how the wave of fire had stood before them like an insurmountable wall without even touching their clothes. She realized Victor had protected them... But damn it, what was his reaction afterward?! His so-called sister tried to roast him, and he wasn't even angry or the least bit upset! Instead, he just burst out laughing, hugged her tightly, and started kissing her cheeks!
Casting a quick glance at Perenelle and Nicholas, Abigail noticed that they too were acting completely calm — as if nothing had happened at all.
"Looks like in the magical world, it's considered normal for relatives to try to kill each other," a creepy thought flashed through her mind.
— So, what have you decided? — Perenelle asked.
Victor looked at her. Feeling Adele still trembling in his arms from barely suppressed anger, he held her tighter — just so the girl couldn't pull out her wand again.
— Abigail, are you entirely sure you want to stay with me? Understand this: I've already bought a house for you and will provide you with enough money to live luxuriously. Especially now that you're young again. You can live however you want — partying, traveling, starting a family... Anything you wish, — Victor pointed out one last time the normal life she was turning down.
Abigail answered firmly:
— I want to stay. What you're offering is tempting, of course... But seriously? Choose a boring ordinary life and pass up the chance to immerse myself in this wonderful world full of real magic?! Magic! There's nothing to even think about!
Victor nodded in understanding:
— Missy, be so kind as to prepare a room for Abigail.
The moment he uttered those words, he felt Adele squeeze his body. Victor looked at his sister and sighed:
— Don't look at me like that. I've already made my decision. Even if only a little, I still feel bad about what I did to her as a child. So I think I can grant this request of hers.
Adele was still terribly displeased, but she accepted it nonetheless. Though she would never admit it in a million years, she had felt a bit sorry for Abigail herself when the woman recounted the nightmare Victor had turned her life into back then.
Noticing Abigail's satisfied smile, Victor's expression instantly turned icy:
— Don't celebrate too early. While I admit I'm at fault regarding your past, that doesn't mean I'll indulge your every whim. I don't trust you. So I will be watching you closely. And the moment I realize you're causing trouble... I will simply erase this past sin of mine from the face of the earth. You will vanish. And believe me, there will be no memory wipes or a happy, luxurious life in Italy — I will simply get rid of you.
Toward the end of his speech, he offered a gentle, almost kind smile.
Seeing that gentle smile, Abigail vividly recalled the time when he was just a child:
"Do you hear how he screams? How he suffers? He needs meat... Human meat. I'm sure when you talk to him, you feel him looking at you like a delicacy. It's an illness, Abigail... An illness that can't be cured by any pills. Ah, I feel so sorry for him! If only there was a way to end his suffering..." — a seven-year-old little boy had spoken with a tender, empathetic smile.
— You haven't changed one bit, Victor, — Abigail whispered. — Even though you've grown taller, you're still the same boy who can talk about killing someone with such a genuine, sweet smile. Back then, I didn't get it. I thought you really were worried about that lunatic... Damn, what an idiot I was! Though I can't blame myself: anyone in my shoes wouldn't immediately realize that a little kid had been subtly manipulating them for months into killing someone.
Abigail gave a self-deprecating smirk, then looked at him with complete seriousness:
— I understand you. I'll be good.
Victor nodded in silence. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was already nearly six in the morning. He stood up from the sofa, still holding Adele in his arms:
— Well then, let's go, my little yandere. Big brother will put you to bed.
Adele, held by Victor like a true princess, gave a short nod — she really was desperately sleepy. Hugging her brother's neck tighter, she shot Abigail a proud, triumphant look. Abigail found it slightly annoying, but she merely lowered her head in defeat: she had no desire to anger that terrifying girl. The way she had just tried to burn her alive was firmly burned into her memory.
— Miss Taylor, please follow me! Missy will show you to your room, — the house-elf chimed in.
Abigail looked at the creature before her — or rather, the house-elf — nodded, got up from the armchair, and submissively followed behind.
— Are you really an elf? — she asked softly as they walked.
— Yes, Missy is an elf.
— But aren't elves tall, beautiful, humanoid beings?
— No! That is Muggles embellishing the appearance of elves. No such elves exist, there are only us — house-elves.
— M-m-m... I see.
Perenelle and Nicholas silently watched Abigail and Missy leave.
— Is she really going to stay with us? — Nicholas asked dubiously.
Perenelle nodded:
— If Victor decided to keep her, then so be it.
Nicholas let out a heavy sigh. "Has his wife gotten a bit too into her role as a loving and generous grandmother?" crossed his mind.
— But what is she going to do when the school year starts? Victor can't take her with him to Hogwarts!
Perenelle grew thoughtful.
— Well... she could help me in the workshop, — Nicholas said, lost in thought.
— Ah... — Perenelle slowly turned her gaze to her husband. A dangerous spark flickered in her eyes as she envisioned Abigail's lavish, seductive body with her now young and attractive appearance. Perenelle's face turned instantly cold.
Nicholas realized with horror that he had blurted that out loud, instantly breaking into a cold sweat.
— Oh! I think I forgot something in the workshop... — he squeezed out.
The man scrambled up from the sofa and bolted.
Perenelle watched him go with a chilling stare.
— Run, run, my little rabbit... You need help that much, do you? Well then, I will be more than happy to help you in the workshop, — she purred sinisterly.
Getting to her feet, she casually followed her husband with the same terrifying, cold expression on her face.