Chapter 25: Hufflepuff Table Part 2 "The Return"

Days have passed since that incident, and during them, I acquired some new abilities:

[Help] It's a curious ability that provides me with additional information about the abilities I receive, allowing me to have a better understanding.

[Blood Control (Pain)] It's the same as the previous ones, but with pain.

[Cooking] I obtained it while preparing breakfast for Hermione, something I haven't stopped doing, and its main function is that every time I prepare a dish correctly, I receive special benefits such as +1% mana regeneration, x2 satiety, night vision for 5 minutes, among others. However, I must consume all the food for the effect to take effect, and it's only possible to obtain it during the normal lifespan of the dish. For example, if the soup cools down, it won't have an effect unless it's a cold soup dish.

[Eating] I acquire this ability by tasting the breakfast I prepared, and it's something that has started to make me fear my abilities.

What it does is that the food or drink I consume is instantly digested and absorbed while it's passing through my throat, as long as it's something my body can digest. If I swallow a stone, my ability won't work unless I find a way for my body to digest it.

Although it has its 'disadvantage,' a hunger gauge has been added, which will give me a warning with different percentages, from lower to higher. According to these percentages, my physical capacity will be reduced as follows:

10% hunger: my normal physical capabilities, but I will feel hungry.

20% hunger: physical capabilities -10%.

30% hunger: physical capabilities -20%.

...

100% hunger: physical capabilities -90%.

What left me dismayed is that I can no longer die of hunger. Once it reaches 100%, it plateaus, and my abilities are only at 10% of their normal level, but it will never decrease from there according to the [Help] ability. I could stop eating completely for the rest of my life and still wouldn't perish, though I would have unbearable hunger in addition to my weakness.

I also learned that my [Rest] ability works in the same way. Since I had never gone without proper sleep for an extended period, as it was effortless with the [Sleep] and [Rest] abilities, the meter for this ability never appeared. It only shows up when the value changes. It functions similarly to [Eating], except that 'hunger' is replaced by 'sleep' and 'physical capabilities' are replaced by 'mental capabilities'.

At this point, I realize that I cannot die from lack of food or sleep, but I will end up being a weak idiot if I reach that point.

Two other terrifying things are that I have no limit to the amount I can eat. I have tested it, and if I don't stop and keep eating, my stomach won't expand. I could continue indefinitely, and nothing would happen to me, which seemed great along with the [Cooking] ability, until I realized that the repeated effects don't stack, and I was a bit disappointed.

And the other thing is... since I gained that ability, I haven't needed to use the toilet at all. If I try, I can still do it, although I don't feel the slightest need to. It feels just like the interactions of a video game character with an object in the world. I have gone three full days without going, and I don't feel the slightest discomfort. This started to scare me a little. I know I asked for it to be somewhat like a video game, but I'm starting to become too inhuman. Now I'm practically a perpetual motion machine that could work endlessly.

I also learned that with the [Eating] ability, I can make my clone eat for me. I previously confirmed that it wasn't possible, as the food stayed in its blood-made body but wasn't digested. Now I can let it eat for me if I want, but the effects of the [Cooking] ability are not shared between our bodies. The same goes for the [Rest] ability. Now that it has a meter, if my clone uses the [Sleep] ability, it can fill it up for me. It seems that some things need to be unlocked for my clone to take advantage of them.

And finally, I finally obtained my first ability personally created by me, although it's still impractical, but it's better than nothing. I was able to use blood magic for healing.

Using the energy of blood magic, I have managed to grant vitality and force the body to heal itself rapidly, utilizing the bloody energy within me as a supply. I have found that I could potentially regenerate entire body parts, but at this point, for a human, I would have to constantly supply energy for months without stopping. It also doesn't reduce the lifespan, as the cellular division caused by my 'bloody recovery' does not count towards the maximum number of divisions they possess. These recent findings were discovered through my experimentation on small insects with very short lifespans, so I can't be entirely certain of their viability in humans. Although I haven't noticed any differences when I tried it on my own body, I should still conduct more tests before doing anything drastic.

Putting that aside, I have resumed normal interactions with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, although their occasional strange glances still persist, it's not something significant.

-During noon-

I saw Hermione at the Gryffindor table once again. It seems she has distanced herself from her roommates and has been alone lately. I don't know if it's because she has returned to her bossy attitude from before she knew me, now that she ignores me, or if it's because of me. I will look for a way to help her with that later, even if it has to be from a distance. For now, I will go to another table to avoid making her uncomfortable.

I chose the Hufflepuff table where Tonks was sitting. I haven't told her yet that we might go together to the Department of Aurors, as it will be a surprise, but I plan to ask her for help with something.

When I approached the table, Tonks saw me and stood up to see what I was doing. I continued toward the first-year students and sat next to Susan Bones, just like last time. I know it could be like stumbling twice over the same stone, but I'm a creature of habit. When I sat down, I caught everyone's attention, and seeing me seated next to Susan, many were eager to see what I would do this time.

"Hey Red, why don't you come to say hi?" Tonks said, sitting next to me, trying to ease the atmosphere.

"I saw you coming over here, so it didn't seem necessary. Hello, everyone, long time no see," I greeted, only receiving a few responses. "I know things got a bit complicated last time, but I'd like to start over."

"I... I think that's okay," Susan Bones said, being the first one to speak with me.

Once everyone heard her, they had no reason to refuse, and the interaction became less tense, although we didn't talk much among ourselves. While we were eating, I was talking to Tonks.

"Tonks, can I ask for your help with something?" I asked her in a low voice.

"No, no, and definitely no... you've had enough of your crazy ideas for a while. My heart won't handle it if you want to bring discord to the world. Find someone else," she firmly denied, thinking I had another grand plan.

"No, you're misunderstanding. I don't want to do something that big again for a while either. I want you to help me with my clone."

"What do you want?" she asked, still doubting my intentions.

"I want to try something, and I believe someone with your experience in shape-shifting would be a great help."

"I don't know, you still owe me your help with my practice as you promised. During this time that I've been helping you with your evil plans, we've lost a lot," she complained a bit.

"Alright, we'll resume the training. In fact, I'll give you something that will help with it," I said, referring to my new dishes, especially the one that grants +3% learning capacity and those that restore mana and stamina.

"Well, maybe then I can give you some advice," she reluctantly accepted.

We continued our conversation, but I was interrupted when I felt a hand grabbing my robe and pulling me slightly. When I looked to my right, I realized it was Susan, who seemed embarrassed as she caught my attention without even raising her gaze much to look at me.

"Yes, Susan?" I asked, intrigued.

"Um... uh... Red?" she asked, I think. I didn't quite understand her, and it seemed Tonks and Abbott didn't either, as they were giving her strange looks.

"What do you need?" I tried to understand what she wanted.

"You know... Can you... do that...?" she said, somewhat embarrassed. We were all confused at the table, especially Tonks and I, as we thought of something very bad.

"If you know the rumors were false, right?" I asked, puzzled.

"No, I mean... yes... I know the rumors are false. Dumbledore said so... and I always believed... that I believed they were false," she stumbled on her words, showing embarrassment when talking about the rumors and her opinion about them.

"You believed... that you believed?"(REd)

"I... just forget it," she said, quickly turning around to eat her food and covering one side of her face as if shielding herself from being seen.

Tonks grabbed me and whispered to me, and it seemed Hannah did the same with Susan to question her.

"What did you do to the girl this time? She's not very talkative with others, but she's not so shy that she can't finish a sentence. Did you have another one of your grand ideas with her like with Granger?"(Tonks)

"No... I don't think so, I don't remember if it was like that. I'm surprised too, she didn't talk to me like this the first time we met, and it was a much more awkward situation. Maybe it's... 'the red charm'," I said, receiving a punch from Tonks for my last joke.

After that, we returned to sitting normally, and I could see Hannah approaching me to talk. She seemed somewhat dissatisfied with her friend's behavior.

"My friend wanted to ask if you could do what you did last time you came to the table."

"Ahhh" We understood what she wanted to ask and why she was embarrassed, but we still didn't understand why she wanted that, knowing what it could trigger.

"I think I can," I said as I formed my bloody beard once again. "Jojojo," I chuckled with a deep, resonant voice. "Is this enough? I don't want to do more, it's embarrassing. Last time was a spur-of-the-moment thing," I explained, hoping she wouldn't ask for more, as I feel a lot of embarrassment every time I recall what I did.

"Well... it... doesn't feel like last time," she sighed, disappointed and sad. Meanwhile, Hannah rolled her eyes at how her friend was acting in front of me and tried to change the subject and talk to her.

When she said that, I understood exactly what she meant. During my previous show with her, I had applied some of my auras to ease the atmosphere, particularly the new one I had acquired.

At that moment, while stroking my liquid beard, I began voluntarily emanating my [Paternal Aura] around me. As I did so, Susan, who was talking to Hannah, turned around and looked at me with astonished eyes and a slight smile of satisfaction.

"That's the feeling from last time," Susan said, somewhat happily, drawing the attention of several people who didn't understand what was happening.

My auras affect different people in different ways. My paternal aura doesn't have a very long range, and within that range, the person most affected was Susan, so the others didn't understand what she meant. Some may have noticed that there was something different about me, but they didn't particularly know what.

"I just needed a little warm-up. It took me a while to get into character," I said in a deep voice.

From there, the conversation became much easier. Susan started chatting with me and Tonks because she felt very comfortable with my presence at that moment, and to maintain my role, I even ate while keeping my fake beard on. With Susan actively participating in the conversation, Hannah joined in as well, though it was more me sharing my experience about the rumors, what 'really happened,' and my dealings in Slytherin.

We finished lunch and went our separate ways. Tonks and I went off on our own, while the other two girls went their way. Susan looked pleased and in good spirits, while Hannah seemed to have a judgmental look on her face as she joked with her about her awkward interaction today.

As we walked down the hallway, Tonks talked to me about what had just happened at the table.

"What potion did you give the girl? She practically skipped away in joy after talking to you with your 'beard' and your terrible portrayal of an older man," she teased me, but she also had doubts about what had occurred.

"Did you feel anything different about me at the table after I put on my beard?" I tried to gauge her perception before telling her the truth.

"Some second-hand embarrassment..." she joked, but then she pondered seriously. "But also... I felt like for a moment you resembled my dad. I almost thought you were going to start calling me 'Dora' like he does."

"There it is."(Red)

"You did that? You were making her see her father in you. That's really cruel," she said, very displeased.

"Not her father, what I did was evoke the sense of security and companionship that parents provide. That's why you felt a resemblance to yours—it's just a feeling. I would never do something like what you mentioned, and I also think it's cruel," I explained, causing her angry expression to soften into intrigue as I continued. "I believe she doesn't have much emotional support at home, so when I released that feeling last time, she felt very comfortable. She must not be able to experience it often, which is why she asked me to try it again today to try to feel it once more. That's why she left so content after spending time with me."

"I don't think it's good to repeat it in the future," she said after listening to my analysis.

"Why do you say that? She seemed to enjoy it and had a genuine expression of happiness and satisfaction for a moment."(REd)

"Because I think your ability is like a drug to her. She may feel happy now, but if in the future she can't experience that feeling on her own at home or elsewhere, she will seek you out again to feel it, and it's only a false sensation you provide. You're not her real father; she's just deceiving herself for a brief moment."

"That might be true, but I feel somewhat sorry for her situation and what I did last time. If she asked me again, I would hardly refuse," I replied.

"But you'll only be temporarily satisfying her," she reminded me.

"Only if I stop doing it," I responded.

"You do realize that by saying that, you're indicating that you're willing to have a daughter your age or possibly older than you, right?" she teased.

"It wouldn't be the strangest thing I've said without thinking," I said, recalling my 'family and friends discount.'

We continued chatting about other topics until we left the castle and reached one of the boundaries of the Forbidden Forest. There, we were going to resume practice, but before that, I gave her some of the food I had prepared. Although confused, after I told her that I would help her with the training, she didn't reject it and even praised it a bit once she found out it was prepared by me.

Then we started the practice, and it seemed like Tonks wanted to get back at me because I almost had to recreate the clone due to how badly she battered it. She gave it her all in our combat, not giving me any time to rest, even though she was also reaching her limit. There wasn't a part of me that didn't hurt, and the pressure of having to stay so focused on the fight to defend myself even made it difficult for me to perform activities in class with my real body.

She was also exhausted, though not as injured as I was. Now she was standing in front of me, all sweaty and breathless. Her current appearance was actually starting to excite me a bit more than it should. Truth be told, I was finding her quite attractive. I think my hormones are starting to kick in. But right now, it doesn't matter much because I'm using the clone, who doesn't have all bodily functions available and is also exhausted. On the other hand, my real self was struggling to conceal my erection in class, a new disadvantage discovered about my clone.

We continued with our practice for a while longer. By this time, my real body also came to where we were after an embarrassing afternoon and stayed on the sidelines to avoid Tonks' revenge firsthand.

"Well, I think that's enough for today," she said, breathing heavily and her hand trembling, struggling to hold her wand. "It was good."

"Speak for yourself," I said as I dispelled the battered clone and created another one now that I had regained some blood magic.

"Alright, you wanted my help with something. What is it?" she asked, now with a smile on her face after releasing tensions and resentment towards me.

"Well, let's start with that then." My real body stood beside her, and the clone faced us. "The clone's body is made purely of blood, although with some slight differences. I can manipulate blood, but it's easier for me to control blood that doesn't currently belong to any body. For example, if you were injured, the blood flowing from your wound could be easily manipulated by me, but the blood inside your body is almost impossible for me to control..."

"Thank Merlin for that," she commented, assuming what I would be capable of if I could do it.

"Yeah..." I said, without telling her that as my control over magic increases, I might be able to do it, and that it's more challenging to manipulate the blood of wizards than Muggles due to the resistance of magic, I believe. "Well, the only blood I have more control over, which belongs to a particular individual, is my own, and my clone is made from my own blood. So I wanted to see if, considering my control over it, I could manipulate the blood that makes up its body."

"For what purpose?"

"To change its appearance. If I can manipulate it, I hope to be able to shape its form and make my clone look different from me. I thought as a Metamorphmagus, you could help me with your experience in modifying your body."

"Hmm... interesting," she said, reflecting on my assumptions. "Alright, let's give it a try. Let's see what we can do," she said excitedly, as if she had found another amusing thing to entertain herself with.

We spent until dinner time trying to achieve it, but instead of making progress, we exhausted ourselves and ended up having to create a new clone after accidentally killing it. This experiment is certainly giving me very strange sensations, thanks to our shared senses. The feeling of dying in an experiment was horrible, and Tonks had to console me a bit when I ended up screaming on the floor. Although she insisted we should stop after that, I refused her plea after recovering a bit and begged her to continue, and she eventually agreed.

We realized that we couldn't accomplish it overnight, so we decided to stop rushing and try again tomorrow and in the following days. My idea didn't seem entirely far-fetched after noticing some things during our attempts today. I would also try to do something on my own during the nights when the merchant didn't appear because it is an important part of my plan, and it would be better to have it sooner rather than later.