After answering a few questions, they asked me to transform again, and so the experiments began. Yes, they were playing with me, but I would let it slide. After all, I had already played with them, and I would do so even more in the future.
We tried many things: from allowing them to touch me to attempting to capture them as a real lethifold would, though without causing any harm. The only exception was Lavender, who seemed far too excited about the idea of being suffocated and devoured alive. I had to help her cover it up until her underwear dried.
The girls also tried using me as clothing. Parvati was the first to start a new animal fashion trend, wrapping herself in my transformed form while I was a lioness, which made her look even more majestic. Then, the others wanted to try it too.
Ginny, in particular, wanted to use me as a skirt while she was transformed into a horse so that it would look like the animal was wearing a dress. I refused outright. She got really angry, but I couldn't allow it… My sister didn't know what she was doing to me. I love her, but I fear loving her too much and never being able to forgive myself.
Luna had the idea of hanging me between two trees and using me as a hammock. She transformed into a hare, and with the sway of my body, she fell asleep instantly.
We played until we were exhausted, and when we returned to the bonfire, we rekindled it. Once ready, I brought out some desserts to put the finishing touch on our fun trip. As we ate, the group conversation resumed.
"It's great to be a magical creature! How did you do it, Red?" asked Tracey excitedly. "Can others do it too? Or now that we're Animagi, is it no longer possible?"
"It's not impossible," I replied, licking my spoon, "but it's already difficult as it is. The magical Animagus method requires a much more advanced level of transformation than a normal Animagus, even with the help of the potion I gave you. I have a way to reduce the difficulty, but it still requires very high control. I don't think you'll be able to do it for a few years, if you work hard. But if you want, you can start studying Transfiguration now to make it easier in the future."
"Really?" said Parvati, excited.
"Could I become a unicorn?" asked Pansy, a bit embarrassed.
"I want to be able to fly," added Luna, thrilled.
"Wait, wait, don't get too excited," I said, stopping their enthusiasm before they started planning to achieve it next week. "That's just one of the requirements. Besides that, an immense amount of magical power is needed—really enormous."
The girls fell silent. Their faces reflected the disappointment of losing their excitement in an instant.
"To help you understand better," I continued, "it's a level of magical power that almost no wizard reaches. Maybe Voldemort or Dumbledore could do it, but for regular wizards, it's nearly impossible."
The atmosphere grew heavy. They all seemed disheartened.
"But of course, there are ways to solve that," I added, smiling at them with compassion. "Now's not the time to think about that. The matter of magical power is something I can take care of if you give me enough time. What's important now is that you're already regular Animagus, and if you want to become magical Animagus, you must first master other forms to adapt your bodies to the changes."
"You can have more than one Animagus form?!" Hermione asked, startled.
"No, but I can make it possible," I replied proudly. The girls looked at me with a mix of doubt, excitement, and anticipation, not taking their eyes off me.
"Will we be like you, having the chance to turn into a deer?" asked Millicent, who didn't seem entirely happy with her Animagus form and wished to obtain another.
"Not exactly. You see, I have a method to gain a second Animagus form—a permanent one, like the first—but I can't do it right now. The cost of a second form is several times greater than the first. Plus, you need to master three to four normal Animagus forms before being able to develop a magical Animagus form. So, I hope you don't get your hopes up too much. I'm not in a position to afford it right now, but if you give me enough time, I can make sure to fulfill your dreams. Just be patient," I said gently.
None of them complained or made it difficult for me. They knew that simply becoming Animagus so easily was already an extraordinary achievement. They didn't fully understand the "price" I was referring to, but their minds imagined it must be something truly unattainable for them.
"Then, if it's so costly, couldn't we do like you and occasionally transform into a deer? That should be easier since it's not a permanent transformation, right?" asked Tracey.
"It's not possible. That transformation isn't obtained like the Animagus process, even though the basics are similar. It's a particular ability I acquired along with the potion. It's useful, but it's highly limited by randomness: each day, I can transform into a deer, a rat, or a dog, but I have no control over which one." (Red)
The girls were surprised. Three Animagus forms, even if they were random, was still impressive. However, among them, it was Susan who discreetly smiled upon hearing that I could transform into a dog. Without saying anything, she continued eating her dessert with more enthusiasm.
"And how did you get all that?" asked Cho, intrigued. "The ability, the potions, the method to turn into a lethifold…"
"Hmm…" I murmured, avoiding answering immediately.
"Come on, Red, tell us. It must have been a great adventure," insisted Tracey, along with the others, who were watching me expectantly.
"I can't tell you," I replied seriously, also using my [Aura of Mystery]. "Maybe in the future, but for now, I can't even give you a hint… I'm sorry." I lowered my head in apology.
"It's okay, Red, don't worry," Hannah said understandingly, seeing my serious expression. But despite her words, the group's intrigue only grew.
"Are you really unable to tell us anything?" Tracey insisted.
"Don't ask if you can't know," Pansy scolded her with a frown, annoyed that she kept questioning me.
"Alright…" I sighed, bringing a hand to my chin, thoughtful. "I think I can tell you something…"
The girls leaned forward attentively.
"To get access to these potions, I had to do something very difficult." (Red)
"How difficult?" Parvati asked, intrigued.
"As difficult as… turning Snape into a girl, making her fall in love with me, and having her become my girlfriend… and that's just part of it." (Red)
"Ugh…" A wave of shivers and disgust swept through the entire group.
All of them grimaced, horrified by the mental image I had just planted in their heads. They hadn't expected to hear something like that, and the thought of Snape transformed into a girl and in love with me left a bad taste in their mouths. The funniest part was that, although they believed I had only used that example to emphasize the impossibility of the feat… the truth was that it had really happened.
Things didn't progress much further after that. We had to return to Hogwarts and spend the rest of Christmas there. Before leaving, I talked to the girls about the importance of keeping their Animagus abilities a secret. I warned them to be cautious around paintings, ghosts, or even Peeves, as they could discover them and expose the truth. I also explained, with some sadness, that some of their forms were not suitable for freely moving around Hogwarts. For example, Parvati, whose Animagus form was that of a lion, would immediately attract attention.
I gave these explanations because I had already heard them murmuring about the possibility of uncovering the Heir of Slytherin and carrying out stealth missions in their Animagus forms. Maybe I was too insistent, but I wanted to help them make the most of this opportunity.
Once everything was clear, I created a clone to take the girls back.
"Ginny, Cho, could you follow me for a moment? I have something else for you," one of my selves said, stepping away from the group and heading toward one of the edges of this space.
The girls were somewhat confused by the sudden separation but didn't protest. Ginny was the first to follow me, and Cho, seeing her reaction, decided to do the same. The rest of the girls remained waiting until the time passed and the teleportation returned them to the lair.
With both of them by my side, we reached the edge of this temporal space. Without hesitation, I placed my hand on the invisible barrier and passed through it. The girls' jaws dropped—they had tried before without success. However, when they hurried to follow me, they discovered that they could cross as well.
We now found ourselves in a completely different setting. We were at the entrance of a grand professional Quidditch stadium. Ginny and Cho's mouths couldn't have opened wider without risking dislocation.
"I told you I'd get you your own stadium, and here it is," I announced with a smile.
The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing. They touched and kicked everything, making sure it wasn't an illusion. Then, both of them looked at me with wide eyes, demanding answers without even saying a word.
I quickly summarized the stadium's nature with a slight lie about its origin. I explained that it was a separate magical space but didn't reveal everything about the [Fief]. I assured them that this would be their future training ground and that they would have full access to it. Additionally, I mentioned that once the rest of the team performed a [Blood Pact], they too would be able to enter.
Thanks to the growth of my abilities, including that of the [Fief] itself, I could now grant entry permissions without needing to be present. Of course, I could limit access to specific areas, such as this stadium, while keeping the rest of the fief secret.
The girls were astonished, if not in complete shock. The idea of having their own stadium was incredible, and when I explained all its special functions and features, they looked like they were about to explode with excitement. Their expressions said it all—they wanted to hop on their brooms and train until exhaustion.
"I think the manager deserves a kiss as a token of appreciation for all the effort he put into this, don't you think?" I said teasingly, looking at Cho.
She blushed immediately, but from the excitement on her face, it seemed like she didn't dislike the idea.
To my surprise, I received a kiss… but not in the way I expected.
Ginny suddenly jumped on me, clinging to my body with her arms and legs as she pressed her lips against mine in a loud, desperate kiss. The suction was so intense that, even though it lasted only a moment, it left me dazed. Then, she let go abruptly and ran off excitedly to grab a broom.
Cho and I were left frozen, unable to process what had just happened. Neither of us had expected Ginny to be THAT excited about the stadium to do something like that. Cho, slightly embarrassed, approached and gave me a kiss on the cheek before following her to fly.
If only it hadn't been Ginny… maybe I would have allowed myself to enjoy it… but now I had an internal crisis.
What I didn't know was that, while flying on her broom, Ginny was smiling in satisfaction. Was she happy about the stadium? Yes. But in reality, what made her happiest was finding the perfect excuse to do something like that without raising suspicion.
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