— And where is Adele? — Hermione asked.
The girls were at the Flamel manor, giving a detailed report to Perenelle.
— She performed excellently in training, and Victor decided to reward her: he sent her to visit her friend, Luna, — Perenelle replied, scanning the lists carefully. — Thirty-nine people... Well, that is quite good. Not ideal, of course, but a very respectable result. And most importantly — the one Victor wanted to get most of all actually came. Now we can only hope she agrees.
The lists used to check off candidates were needed for more than just a simple tally of guests. Victor, together with Dumbledore, had prioritized all the wizards in advance based on their value: the higher their names were listed, the more important the wizard was. The very top line was occupied by a name Victor had mentioned most often.
— Ayla Brooks? — Daphne read. — And what's so special about her?
Instead of Perenelle, Abigail answered:
— Ayla Brooks, twenty years old. An outstanding innovative alchemist. She combined Muggle technology with alchemy, which turned several influential pureblood families against her and forced the Ministry of Magic to completely crush her developments. If not for the colossal fine she is still paying off to the Ministry, I think Ayla would have left the country long ago for a place where people aren't so critical of such things. Victor wants her to work exclusively for him.
Daphne nodded understandingly. Many purebloods truly couldn't stand it when someone tried to bring Muggle inventions into the magical world.
— And how would you evaluate her? — Perenelle asked, glancing at Abigail.
Abigail paused for a moment in thought:
— Quiet, withdrawn, extremely nervous. It seems everything that happened to her has left a deep mark.
Perenelle nodded sympathetically.
— Were there any troubles at the meeting? — Perenelle inquired.
— Yes, a troublesome character showed up. It seems he is utterly dissatisfied with the wizarding world and doesn't want to return to it. He came to the meeting only for his wife's sake, — Daphne answered. — Because of him, Victor even had to step out to the public himself, or we might have lost some candidates. I think if he still decides to return, we shouldn't hire him: he could sow seeds of doubt among the others. But on the other hand, refusing him would break our own principle of accepting everyone without exception...
A heavy silence hung in Perenelle's office for a moment.
— Why don't we just get rid of him? — Abigail suggested in a casual tone. — Victor mentioned that he works on a construction site... We can arrange an accident.
Daphne and Hermione stared at Abigail in shock and silent astonishment. They knew nothing about her dark past: Victor hadn't told them anything, believing it was Abigail's personal business whether to share such details or not.
Perenelle, however, wasn't surprised in the least. She merely pondered Abigail's proposal for a brief moment, then shook her head:
— We shouldn't. Someone might connect his death to the fact that he openly expressed disagreement with Victor at the meeting. We have no need for extra rumors. Most likely, he simply won't return. But even if he does — perhaps in time he will change his mind. Regardless, you will have to keep a close eye on him. Was there anything else besides this incident?
— No, everything else went smoothly, — Hermione replied.
Perenelle nodded approvingly:
— Well then, you may go and rest. I expect you back the day after tomorrow: we will discuss the questions you will ask the candidates during job interviews and what you should pay special attention to.
— Alright. Goodbye, Madame Flamel!
— Goodbye! See you the day after tomorrow.
Daphne and Hermione said their polite goodbyes and left the office, where the house-elf Missy was already waiting to Disapparate the girls home.
— Abigail, did something happen? You seem a bit out of sorts, — Perenelle asked gently once the girls had left.
Abigail looked at her and tried to smile casually:
— Nothing, I'm completely fine! You're just imagining things.
But Perenelle didn't believe her and simply kept looking straight into her eyes in silence.
Unable to withstand that gaze, Abigail's smile flickered and faded, and she let out a heavy sigh. Walking slowly to the desk, Abigail sank into the armchair opposite Perenelle:
— I just can't get rid of some intrusive thoughts...
— Care to tell me? — the hostess softly offered.
Abigail thought for a moment and decided to open up after all:
— I always treated Victor like a younger brother. In that past life of mine, he was a true ray of sunshine... After endless interactions with crazy scum who savored in detail the filthy shit they had done, I would drop by to see Victor. We would just chat, and thanks to that, my life became at least a little easier... Well, until he started persistently pushing me toward murder, — she paused briefly and lowered her gaze. — But now... my attitude toward him has changed drastically. I've only been around him for a little over a week, but I couldn't understand why I can no longer perceive him as a little brother. At first I thought it was all about his power and authority, but it seems the reason is completely different. I'm starting to like him as a man... And that feels wrong to me.
Perenelle nodded understandingly:
— I understand. In my time, I didn't get used to that right away either.
— Mmm? Got used to what? — Abigail didn't understand.
Perenelle proceeded to explain:
— You have become a young girl again. And this isn't just an abstract reset of age — your body has genuinely, physiologically rejuvenated. Now you are eighteen: your hormones are raging, your libido has awakened, even though you retained the memory and life experience of a mature woman. You no longer look at Victor through the eyes of an adult woman. You look at him as a young girl. And you simply need time to get used to this new physiology. Here is my advice to you: forget how old you used to be. From now on, you are eighteen. Or seventeen.
Abigail frowned:
— That's not so easy to do.
— Like I said: you just need time, — Perenelle smiled.
Abigail nodded gratefully:
— Well... I suppose you're right. Alright, I'll be going. Victor told me to rest and regain my strength: it seems he and Nicolas came up with a way to make me stronger.
She rose from the chair and walked out of the office at a calm pace.
When Abigail left, Perenelle chuckled softly. Victor was definitely in incredible demand among the opposite sex: Daphne, Hermione, Abigail... and, of course, Adele. Although Victor himself didn't admit it yet, considering her merely a younger sister, Perenelle had no doubt: in just a couple of years, Adele wouldn't be satisfied with just the role of a younger sister anymore.
Perenelle was genuinely happy. After all, the more charming girlfriends Victor had — the sooner she would see her great-great-grandchildren!
Victor Disapparated into the manor together with Missy. He gently patted the house-elf on the head:
— Thank you, Missy. Whatever would we do without you?
Missy literally beamed at the praise and glowed happily:
— Missy is very happy to serve Mr. Moss! By the way, Miss Greengrass asked me to pass along: "Tomorrow."
— What about tomorrow? — Victor asked.
The elf merely shrugged her shoulders helplessly:
— I don't know, she said you would understand everything yourself.
Victor paused in thought for a moment, then smirked and shook his head:
— Ah, I see... But well, how fast! Is she really in such a hurry? I still need to prepare. Oh well. Missy, go to grandmother and tell her I asked to prepare a gift: tomorrow morning I am going to meet Daphne's parents.
— Alright! — Missy nodded obediently and vanished instantly.
Victor opened the door to his room, but didn't enter — he merely leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, silently taking in the interior:
— So clean...
Abigail, who occupied the neighboring room — the very one that was actually intended for Adele, though she preferred living in the same room with Victor —, heard his voice and came out into the hallway. Noticing that he was just standing on the threshold without going inside, she stepped closer:
— Is something wrong?
Victor shook his head:
— No, everything's fine. Just... you know, Adele isn't usually known for being particularly tidy: she's always tossing clothes and books all over the place, and then I clean up after her. But today she left in the morning, and the room is still in order... It feels kind of unusual.
Abigail nodded understandingly.
— So, when do we start? — she asked.
Victor finally shifted his gaze to her:
— Actually, I was planning to do it at night when everyone goes to sleep. But since I have plans for tomorrow morning... let's go right now.
Together, they went down into Flamel's underground workshop. Noticing Nicolas inside, Victor frowned slightly.
— Wait here. Don't scare him ahead of time, — Victor said in a low voice.
Abigail didn't quite understand how exactly she could scare the alchemist, but she obeyed and stayed by the entrance.
— So, Nick, did it work out? — Victor asked right from the doorway, glancing briefly at several papers covered in notes on the desk.
— Ha-ha-ha! Of course it worked out! — Nicolas exclaimed joyfully. — Where do you even get all these crazy ideas?! You know, with your imagination and my knowledge, we could turn the entire alchemical world upside down! Here, take this.
He pulled a massive glass jar off the shelf filled with a thick dark-red liquid, inside of which golden sparks flashed now and then. They twisted like tiny glowing worms and instantly vanished into the depths.
Victor took the vessel and examined it with a passionate gleam in his eyes:
— This is simply magnificent. Though I expected nothing less from you.
Nicolas nodded proudly:
— Ye-es, this is another absolute masterpiece of mine! Ah, it's just a pity I won't get to see how it works...
Victor nodded understandingly, though deep down he had never shared those beliefs. Nicolas Flamel strictly followed the rule: "No experiments on living human beings," — and always claimed he would never cross that line in his life.
— But even so, I am ninety-eight percent sure everything will work perfectly, — Nicolas continued. — Alright, give me the jar. I'll lock it away so as not to yield to temptation.
However, Victor had no intention of handing the vessel over. In that exact instant, crimson smoke enveloped the jar, and it vanished without a trace.
Nicolas frowned. Turning around, he finally noticed Abigail standing quietly in the doorway. Suddenly, realization struck him: he darted toward the papers on the desk, but just as his fingers were about to touch the sheets, they suffered the same fate — dissolving into the crimson haze.
— You damned boy! I knew there was something fishy going on! All this time you were being way too polite! Girl, don't listen to him, run! — Nicolas shouted, looking anxiously at Abigail.
— Alright, alright, Nick. You clearly need to get a good rest today, — Victor said with a disarming smile.