Chapter 264: 260) Returning from the campaigns
The girls were in the lair, as they had been doing lately. Their mission to find the Heir of Slytherin kept them busy with constant meetings and tasks, so it wasn't unusual for all of them to be there. However, this time something different had happened: I had suddenly appeared and, without warning, I threw myself at Hermione, hugging her tightly.
The other girls, almost all from my group, were surprised by my action. It wasn't that I had never shown affection in public, but this time it was particularly intense. More than just a hug, it seemed like I was rubbing myself against Hermione like a cat marking its territory. My head was resting on her chest, and I kept moving, completely nestled in.
"Red, what's wrong with you?" Hermione asked, clearly annoyed and embarrassed. It wasn't that she didn't know me, but she hated it when I did things like this so suddenly, especially in front of others. That was what irritated her the most—the public nature of the situation.
"I missed you so much," I said, clinging to her even more and continuing my display of affection.
"We saw each other yesterday," she protested, exasperated. It was true that we had been busier lately and weren't spending as much time together as before, but we still saw each other every day.
"It was too long," I replied, not stopping for even a second, even leaning in to smell her. It was a strange sensation—to be away from her and the others for so many years, even though not much time had actually passed in the real world. That was the problem with campaigns. Even though the memory limiter made the transitions more tolerable, having participated in several back-to-back had worsened my sense of disconnection.
"Hehe, Red got all affectionate," Tracey teased, watching us with an amused smile. "He looks like a little puppy."
"Shouldn't you be doing that somewhere else?" Hannah murmured, avoiding eye contact. My actions seemed too intimate, and she was turning as red as a tomato.
"It's so..." Lavender barely managed to murmur before, clearly excited, she pulled out her notebook and started writing rapidly.
The reactions varied. Some laughed at Hermione's state of discomfort as she struggled unsuccessfully to free herself from my embrace. Others, like Hannah, were embarrassed by what they were witnessing. And then there was Pansy, who clenched her teeth and bit her robe in obvious anger.
"Let go of me already, Red!" Hermione finally shouted, unable to endure my nuzzling or everyone's stares any longer.
"Just a few more minutes..." I murmured, with no intention of letting go.
And so it was. Just as I said, I kept hugging her and rubbing against her for a little longer, ignoring her complaints, until I finally decided to let her go. Hermione, however, didn't look happy at all. In fact, her expression as she straightened her clothes said it all: You'll pay for this later.
"Happy now?" she asked sarcastically, crossing her arms as she glared at me.
"More or less," I replied nonchalantly. "I missed you a lot... Well, now for the next one," I announced, immediately jumping towards Hannah.
"What?!" Hannah exclaimed, completely shocked as I wrapped her in a hug similar to the one I had just given Hermione. I immediately started rubbing against her neck and chest while she remained frozen, red as a tomato.
"Red! What are you doing?!" Hermione roared, furious. If tolerating my previous outburst had already been difficult for her, seeing me do the same with another girl completely pushed her limits.
"I missed Hannah too... and all of you," I said casually, ignoring her anger. "And I don't want to use clones for this moment of reconciliation." As I spoke, I kept moving affectionately, while Hannah, completely overwhelmed, remained stiff and unsure of how to react.
"Are you going to rub against every girl here?!" Hermione asked, her face showing a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"Yes," I replied without hesitation, still inhaling the sweet, herbal scent that Hannah gave off.
"I... I have to get ready for class," Tracey said, trying to sneak toward the exit upon seeing where things were going. However, with a simple movement of my hand, a wall of blood blocked the door, cutting off any escape.
The girls present looked at me with concern, realizing that I was completely serious and unwilling to let them leave before accomplishing my goal. However, not all of them seemed upset. In fact, both Lavender and Pansy subtly moved closer, making it clear they were waiting for their turn.
And so time passed. One by one, the girls were hugged, and none were freed until I had completed my "mission." Watching them leave the room while fixing their clothes was quite a sight, leaving other visitors to the den bewildered and full of questions.
Of course, this had consequences. While some girls didn't pay much attention to the incident, others began to suspect that something strange was going on due to my sudden and overwhelming affection. However, the one who made it the most obvious was Hermione. My dear girlfriend gave me a detailed lecture on what I could and couldn't do, her stern gaze making it clear she was at the limit of her patience.
Fortunately, by holding her hand, offering her a few loving words, and giving her a sincere look, I managed to make her abandon the idea of extending her scolding, turning it into nothing more than a warning. Hermione seemed to be putting the pieces together—this wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and she knew something was going on. Although she tried to extract information from me, even resorting to small flirtatious gestures or playing the role of the "difficult girlfriend," she couldn't get any concrete answers.
Despite the peculiarity of the event in the lair, for those who knew me well, it was not as surprising as it might seem. It was already somewhat of a norm that things related to me were never entirely normal. In the end, only two people, Penelope and Lavender, knew the truth about my time travel and the reason behind my behavior. Both were loyal to me and were aware of many of my secrets.
In fact, both cooperated to help me mitigate that sense of emptiness caused by our separation. Penelope allowed me to rest on her chest, pressing me between them with a warmth that could almost be described as divine. Lavender, on the other hand, decided to return the favor, rubbing herself against me with the same enthusiasm I had shown before—perhaps even more—going so far as to desperately lick me all over. Clearly, she desired something more, but I decided to stop her for the moment.
Thus, I managed to reintegrate into my daily school life. I never completely abandoned my academic life, even though my time in the campaigns was extensive. In the end, thanks to the peculiarity of temporal flow, my life in the real world remained intact, even after so many adventures.
…
The most remarkable thing about my return was, without a doubt, the comeback of Professor McGonagall to her classes. I was glad to see her emerge from that temporary depression, although I couldn't say that everything was as it used to be. I attended her lessons but always remained in the farthest corner, avoiding putting pressure on her. And I would say it was the right decision. Although she appeared normal, her attitude toward me was one of cold indifference. If she had the chance, she acted as if I didn't exist, and while that might have bothered anyone, I accepted it without resentment. I knew that Professor McGonagall would not easily overcome what had happened.
What was most difficult for her were not the negative consequences but the positive ones. I had noticed that, in some way, she felt healthier, with renewed energy. Some signs of aging seemed to have diminished—even disappeared. She had not become young again, of course, but she felt as if she had turned back the clock a few years.
And that was the worst part for her. She tried to attribute this improvement to the rest she had taken, telling herself that she needed more vacations, but deep down, she knew she was lying to herself. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the suspicion that this rejuvenation had something to do with what had happened between us. She didn't want to accept it—she couldn't allow such a "sinful" act with a student to make her feel good… very good.
To reassure herself, she decided that it was all due to the release of accumulated stress over the years. She hadn't had any "action" in a very long time, and that sudden release had revitalized her body. That was the limit she was willing to accept—even beginning to consider whether she should seek comfort or perhaps try to pursue a relationship again. She had given up on love a long time ago, dedicating herself entirely to Hogwarts, but now she wondered if her aging body still needed some care. Rumors about a certain new brothel in town fleetingly crossed her mind, but she immediately dismissed them, shaking her head vigorously to clear her thoughts.
However, these thoughts tormented her frequently. The worst moments were when I was present in her classes; at those times, she couldn't help but glance at me out of the corner of her eye, which disturbed her greatly. To compensate, she intensified the pace of her lessons, teaching with an almost overwhelming energy. This turned out to be a nightmare for the other students, as Transfiguration—already a difficult subject—became nearly impossible with a professor seemingly in a constant adrenaline rush.
I could only sigh at her attitude. At least I was comforted by the fact that it hadn't worsened. I even considered requesting permission to be absent from her classes if it would help her feel better. I was relieved not to have had any problems with my parents, but the price I paid was losing the esteem of one of Hogwarts' best professors.
What I didn't know at the time was that my parents had not been informed—not just because of my threats and other precautions, but because my upcoming trip to Castelobruxo had already been planned. As Hogwarts' primary representative, any scandal before the mission would have been disastrous. Although Neville and Hannah had talent, they were only in their second year and still lacked the time and experience needed to give the best impression of our school. Everything had already been decided, and the weight of responsibility fell on me.
…
Meanwhile, one of my clones was in the library, studying Occlumency intensely. After what had happened to me due to the temporal dissonance caused by the campaign, I decided to take action. I still needed to complete more campaigns to earn the necessary rewards to achieve my goals, so finding a solution was essential.
While this clone studied Occlumency, another in the fiefdom was researching rituals and memory spells. Since I possess a kind of natural Occlumency, I had never taken the time to study it in depth or with the same intensity as other magical disciplines. Now I realized that was a mistake. Perhaps, if I had done so earlier, I could have solved this problem long ago.
It was true that, with time, the problem would probably resolve itself, but… how much time would pass between campaigns until it disappeared completely? How affected would I be in the meantime? I couldn't afford that level of uncertainty. That was when I began to develop my ideas. The inspiration came from my rituals and, curiously, from Lockhart's presence. His peculiar methods made me think: if my rituals granted me access to an infinite mental library, could I do something similar with my memory?
I imagined a solution: storing certain memories, sealing and partially forgetting them, but with the ability to access them easily when needed—something similar to Dumbledore's Pensieve. This idea seemed promising, but it also posed a great challenge.
First, I would need to master Occlumency and several memory-related spells. Then, I would have to design a functional and secure system, and finally, experiment with subjects before attempting to implement it in my own mind. I was not reckless enough to risk my consciousness without prior testing.
If I managed to develop this technique, I could face future campaigns without fearing the side effects upon returning, and I would only need to enjoy the rewards obtained. It would be difficult, but the possibility of resolving this obstacle definitively made it worth attempting.
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