Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.
Chapter 40– Improvements and Barricades.
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As I sit there, having to continue with the signing and talking again and again, repetitively repeating the same conversations, I can't help but wonder why the fuck I am here. I am glad my Occulemency has reached the stage where I can just make a partition to take care of the masses, and I can just tune it out and not have to answer another stupid question about werewolves or banshees. So, as I leave a part of my mind to that, I take the chance to review all I have done over the past few months to see if there is anything I missed or can improve upon.
A lot has changed for me since killing Rasputin and then getting drunk and taking the virginity of one Nymphadora Tonks, and unleashing a ravenous beast. And not just in one or two areas. What I experienced that night really gave me a shock to the system, and I really thought over every aspect of my life and realised that I needed a complete overhaul because I had not been doing things correctly. I thought I was ready for anything, but I was still not adequately prepared, and I was arrogant in my abilities.
The first thing I realised was that my combat capabilities were very much still below par, and I needed to improve them. However, other than working on my spell repertoire and learning new magics, the only other way to get better was experience, and that would be slow going. And the only place I had to get it was in duelling competitions, but such formatted battles would not lend much to real-life situations. Still, with no other options, I competed. And I did so with gusto and fury in equal measures.
It got to the point that I was dominating my competition and, more often than not, winning the complete tournament—multiple tournaments. Until one day, in Russia, a competitor threw a very dark spell at me, I dodged, but I didn't take kindly to that, and I responded in equal measure. Officials had to stop the entire thing, and medic wizards were called in, and my opponent was rushed to a hospital. I wasn't admonished because he threw the first spell, but they did say I would not be welcome back. However, one of the officials approached me afterwards.
Long story short, he was my in to an underground battling competition that spanned the globe, with matches all over the place. And anything went in these. No magic was restricted. We were placed in a coliseum and told to go at each other, and death was not an issue. I was cautious at first since I was putting my life on the line, but after the first time, I became a regular participant there, and I ended up killing my fair share of wizards and witches.
It didn't bother me any, not after that night with Rasputin. Blood didn't bother me anymore, along with a lot of other stuff I used to dislike. And I didn't have to worry about anyone coming for revenge since we all wore masks and our identities were a secret. Everybody came here for battle or to make it rich. I didn't care about the second thing and focused purely on fighting. Needless to say, I improved.
And then there was another immediate concern that I had to address, which was my mind magic. It really messed me up that night with Rasputin and in more ways than one. Straight off of the bat, I wasn't able to control my own emotions or keep myself in check. And that's because I went straight to the advanced stuff after sorting out my own mind and getting my Gilderoy in check. I focused on the offensiveness since I had Digby Test Dummy Digworth on hand to experiment with. I ignored the basics, and I stopped working on them.
I rectified them. I went back to basics, solidifying my base. Clearing your mind, suppressing emotions and all that good stuff. So that I wouldn't let my feelings get the best of me again and get me in trouble. And then, when that was done, I worked even harder at it, learning how to do even more things like mind partitions and so much more. My mind was impregnable now, I think. And nobody is going to get anything out of me now without some severe torture, but even then, I could shut my mind down to the pain.
Another thing I did was properly get invested in my business. Before, I was just loosely involved, sticking solely to the big-picture stuff and leaving all the little details and finicky problems to Andromeda to resolve. I didn't want to be so uninvolved with my own business anymore. Plus, it would be the height of foolishness to let Andromeda do everything, but she was competent, and so I still left her a lot to do.
However, I did get more involved and started actually listening and giving feedback when Andromeda gave me my morning meetings and updated me. I gave her directions, and we sat down and discussed things. I actually paid attention to the brooms being created and used my influence to ensure certain things. And not only that, but I came up with another thing that will take a whole year to come to fruition, but when it does, it will be amazing.
Also, the idea to promote our new broom using an actual Quidditch game was my idea. And not only that, but I managed to get the team using our brooms to be the Holyhead Harpies, an all-female Quidditch team that very much relies on their members for publicity using their features. Pretty much every teenage magical boy would have a picture of at least one Harpy in their room or under their bed. And I bet a lot of older men as well. I knew a lot of eyes would be on that game, and so I made the most of it.
I got the brooms and approached the club. First, before I made any deals or offers, I got on the broom and showed them the capabilities. I wasn't the greatest flier in the world, but I was still pretty good. Gilderoy was in the Ravenclaw Quidditch team as a seeker back in Hogwarts, and it turns out that was actually something he was good at. And then, they were the ones making me the offer. They wanted the brooms. At the end of the day, I had them using the brooms for a single match, and in return, they would have brooms set aside for them to buy when the time came, as I explained that the brooms would be in limited supply.
They won the games, and afterwards, the players invited me to celebrate. What I didn't take into account was that the players themselves would also get attached to the brooms and also want them. The female players. These were young athletic women in the prime of their lives and having fun, so I ended up in an orgy with all of them, and they got a five percent discount on the brooms. Not really a significant detail, but I like to think about it every once in a while. Or every few hours. It's a happy memory, and it definitely got me to do patronus charm.
Speaking of the Patronus charm, I slo learned that and many other spells and magics over the past few months. I visited multiple bookstores all over the world as I travelled to all of the different competitions, and I would always buy at least one book from every single store. Thankfully, there were translation spells, and I am also able to use my Occlumency to learn other languages by using others' memories, so I had no problem reading the books and learning from them. And I learnt a lot, and not just in the area of combat.
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You might be wondering how the hell did I get all of this done in a couple of months' time. Well, the simple answer is that I stopped wasting time and focused on getting things done. The long answer would be that I started cutting a lot of my time down, ignoring some stuff and refining what I knew. And the first big thing that really let me make the best use of my time was my Occlumency.
With my Occlumency, I wasn't a procrastinator. I didn't laze about and just sat there idly tapping at the table. It focused me and allowed me to pinpoint my learning and do things efficiently. I also used it to sort out my mind. I am talking about my mommy issues. Which is my need for family. Which is my need for love. Which I have because of my orphan past, where I had no one who really cared for me.
Of course, I didn't erase these things or destroy them. They were issues, yes, but they were my issues. I had already gotten messed up because of my forcing myself to watch Raputin's throat divulge its contents, and I didn't need to lose any more of myself. But just because I wasn't getting rid of my issues doesn't mean I was ignoring them. I controlled it and curbed it. It was still there, and I only sated it two or three times a week, one of those times being the weekly meeting with Esther Beufort, the French Gilf. And we have a weekly French connection. Though, sometimes I do have some spontaneous moments, like the time with the Holyhead Harpies.
However, even that two to three times was lessened. Because since I was looking for easy release, I was going to the same place where my fame was known and picking up my female fans, taking them home and then letting them have their way with me, with whatever ulterior motives they had in their mind. And then, afterwards, a thorough check of their minds to figure out if they were planning anything and then I would wipe their minds. End of story.
Except, I was a creature of habit, and someone figured it out. It was during one of my pickups, and I had come back to the office, and in the middle of it, my paramour's skin suddenly rippled. It put me off. And then, my partner realised that she had revealed herself, and there was Nymphadora Tonks riding me once more. She was getting better at Occlumency, and I didn't even realise. Some of the women I spent the night with had Occlumency, and I didn't mind since I could just read their minds while they slept after I tired them out. We didn't stop, even after she revealed herself. And when I questioned her, she said it was fun.
It continued after that. It became somewhat of a game for her, where she would try to get herself picked up by me and sleep with me again. The girl was crazy. She even got so good with her abilities that she didn't reveal herself until after the deed was done. At that point, I decided to just get it over with and spend my nights with her instead of going out looking for partners. I don't have a name for the type of relationship we have, but she regularly sneaks out of Hogwarts to spend her nights with me. And once she got out of Hogwarts, a lot more of her time, though I still do keep up my arrangement with Esther Beaufort.
Of course, being somewhat with her daughter, it didn't feel properly right to continue pursuing Andromeda. I mean, I didn't particularly feel bad about doing it, but logically I knew it was not right, and neither would like it, and it probably wouldn't end well, so I decided to put it to rest. I also stopped using my office for sexual games and use it for actual work now.
I also cut down on time in my life by increasing my repertoire of spells, specifically household magic. There was a magic for everything that was time-consuming, and since I didn't have an elf, I had to take care of them myself. Magic for cleaning, for cooking, for bathing, for brushing, and there was even some magic for defecation though those felt weird, so I didn't use them. I was entirely focused on improving myself. So, yes, things were going good. That was until I got a letter from Filius Flitwick asking to meet.
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I place my cup of Butterbeer back on the table and quickly check the time with a tempus spell. It is close to the time of the meeting, and if Filius doesn't show up soon, then I might leave. I no longer waste time, and I have things I could be doing. Still, this man did help me out in a significant way when it came to getting started on my battle capabilities, and so I can at least give him some of my time.
That is why I am once more waiting in a private room in the back of the Three Broomsticks. Needless to say, Madam Rosmerta was more than a bit surprised when all I did was give her a quick glance over, appreciating her figure, before ignoring her entirely and not speaking to her. It definitely threw her for a loop since usually I would be trying my luck, but I don't have time for that anymore. Not since I started covering up my weaknesses and improving myself.
"Ah, Gilderoy, you are here. Punctual as usual." I hear as the door opens, and I look to see that Filius has finally arrived, entering the room with his usual pomp in his step. "Yes, Filius. Good to see you again. How are you?" I question as he walks in, but I quirk an eyebrow when he doesn't close the door behind him.
"I am fine, thank you. Now, I hope you don't mind, Gilderoy, but I brought along a guest who wants to talk to you." I have an ominous feeling as Flitwick gestures towards the door with his little arm, and right on cue, a tall figure walks in. Albus Dumbledore.
Albus Dumbledore was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His fingers were long and skinny, but you could tell they were skilful. His soul-piercing shade of blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling with both kindness and mischief behind half-moon spectacles, and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.
However, I knew that there was something else underneath the kindly visage he put forth. Something more dangerous. Dumbledore could transform from a benign-looking, bright-eyed old man into a wizard even more terrifying than Lord Voldemort himself, with a face that was a classic portrait of cold fury and an aura of power that made him seem as if he was giving off burning heat. There is a reason Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared.
"Lovely to see you again, young Gilderoy." Right now though, his demeanour was serene and ethereal, and he spoke in a calm, pleasant voice when he greeted me. If I didn't know better, I would just think he is a kindly old headmaster, but I do know better. He is a man that has spearheaded opposition in the last two wars and is not someone to be taken lightly.
"Professor Dumbledore, I did not expect to be meeting you tonight." I quickly began to rise from my seat, going to shake his hand. One must observe the niceties and remember their position. Right now, I am an old student meeting their old headmaster. To act any differently might be suspicious.
"Please, stay seated, my boy. No need to get up for an old man like me." He stays me with a hand, and I quickly sink back into my seat. Like fuck you are an old man. If you are an old man, I am a fucking sperm... That made sense in my head.
"So, not that I don't appreciate your presence, but why are you here? I was under the impression that I would only be meeting Filius today." Best to just get it straight out there and ask. I am not in the wrong here. He is here under false pretences. I think I know what it is about, but I will be darned if I am not going to try and get out of it with all my might.
"Ah, yes, sorry to barge in on you like this, but I am afraid I have something important to ask you." Filius just sits quietly to the side and drinks his Butterbeer as Dumbledore talks. It's pretty apparent that the little man has served his purpose, and now he is just staying to the side. I raise an eyebrow at Dumbledore, trying to urge him to get to the point.
"Anyway, Filius has been filling me in on all your progress. And I was delighted to hear about it. It's not often someone devotes themself to study once more after leaving the halls of Hogwarts." Dumbledore says, completely ignoring my raised eyebrow. This guy is playing up the old man card, and I can't exactly call him out on it.
"Yes, I felt like a change in career. And I approached Filius to broaden my knowledge. My adventures didn't lend much to wizarding combat, and so I needed to bridge the gap in my knowledge." I say, trying to bring the topic to a close so we can move on. Still, I knew from the day of my first duel that Flitwick only taught me because Dumbledore asked him to. This old man has a lot of irons in the fire.
"Yes, yes. I had Filius keep me up to date. It is hard to believe that that young boy that burned his name into the Quidditch pitch field would grow up to be so successful. And I was glad to hear that you won your first competition. Against Piotr Rasputin, was it not?" Dumbledore says, and it is only thanks to my incredible Occlumency that I don't give anything away and continue the conversation smoothly even though I am pretty shook up right now.
"Oh, was that his name? Yes, the Blackwood Duelling competition." I reply simply. Not willing to give much away, though I feel like I did by giving such a short reply.
"Hm, Edward Norma Stick. A humourous name." Filius looks confused here, not understanding the joke. I manage a light chuckle in response. "... Did you know that Piotr Rasputin has not been seen since the day you won against him?"