A week passed in the blink of an eye. Under the command of the Imperius Curse, Leonard didn't even have to think this time. Peter Pettigrew delivered himself right to Leonard's door.
After bringing Peter Pettigrew into the Room of Requirement, Leonard marveled again at just how convenient the Imperius Curse was, while also examining him with Magical Sight.
In his Magical Sight, Peter Pettigrew showed no abnormalities. It seemed that Invigoration Draught, warped by the Philosopher's Stone, looked a bit unsettling but had no obvious aftereffects.
True to his all-or-nothing approach, Leonard also made Peter Pettigrew drink the blood-red Elixir to Induce Euphoria.
This time it was effortless. No threats, no coercion. Leonard simply handed the potion over, and Peter Pettigrew obediently swallowed it.
The moment it went down, a stupid grin spread across Peter Pettigrew's face.
Watching that ugly face break into a smile, Leonard couldn't help rubbing his forehead.
"How does it feel?" he asked, forcing the words out through his discomfort.
"I… I feel so happy," Peter Pettigrew said, looking like he might float off the ground. "Everything around me is wonderful. I can feel my magic boiling, and it's like… like everything is going to go smoothly."
Something about that description immediately felt off to Leonard.
It sounded an awful lot like Felix Felicis, except this stuff seemed even stronger. Peter Pettigrew looked completely drunk on happiness, a blissed-out idiot.
"So Felix Felicis is basically the upgraded version of Elixir to Induce Euphoria?" Leonard muttered, curiosity sparking.
Unfortunately, he still didn't know how to brew Felix Felicis. Even "Potions for the Powerful" from the Restricted Section didn't include its formula.
If he really wanted to learn, he'd probably have to ask Damocles. Damocles would definitely know.
But before that, Leonard decided he deserved to celebrate. Two potions brewed with the Philosopher's Stone's assistance, and neither showed any obvious negative aftereffects.
That meant he had indeed uncovered one of the Philosopher's Stone's uses: warping potions and amplifying their effects.
Still, celebration was not happening with Peter Pettigrew's ugly mug.
Leonard erased all of Peter Pettigrew's memories of himself and the Room of Requirement, then tossed him out and left him to go back on his own.
As for the Imperius Curse, Leonard didn't lift it. Who knew when that ugly bastard might come in handy again.
After sending Peter Pettigrew away, Leonard left the Room of Requirement as well. He went to the kitchens, grabbed a heap of snacks, and headed for the Forbidden Forest.
He avoided Hagrid and Fang with practiced ease. Once he reached the forest's edge, he quickly came across a unicorn.
It was the same unicorn leader, the brave one who had sent her herd away and drawn Voldemort off alone when they encountered him.
"Long time no see," Leonard said, stroking the unicorn leader as she called out right beside his ear.
What reached Leonard, however, wasn't just a simple whinny.
"Long time no see! Did you bring food? Hurry up, give it to me! I want bread! You idiot, why are you so slow? Come on, feed me, feed me…"
The unicorn leader's cry somehow turned into a nonstop stream of words in Leonard's head, and he stared at her in shock.
Human-animal harmony was honestly thanks to the language barrier. If people could actually understand them, something would have gone wrong sooner or later.
How the hell did she cram that entire rant into a single sound? That wasn't communication. That was mind-reading.
And why was this unicorn so rude? Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig, had far better manners.
Leonard looked at the sacred, flawless unicorn leader in front of him and, for the first time, felt like unicorns might not be quite as beautiful as everyone claimed…
"You're really a chatterbox," Leonard said, half laughing, half exasperated, as he handed her a bag of bread. "What a waste of such a good-looking body. Here, this is to pay you back. Take me to the Botanical Garden."
The unicorn leader tilted her head and nuzzled him. "Not bad, not bad. You're really nice."
Then she vanished for a moment with the bread in her mouth. When she returned, she was already chewing, and she gestured for Leonard to get on her back.
Leonard climbed up easily. Once he was settled, the unicorn leader bolted, galloping straight into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
Along the way, Leonard encountered plenty of other forest creatures. This was his first trip back since realizing his talent had evolved, and now the forest was loud with animal voices.
Most of them, thankfully, didn't seem particularly intelligent. Their "voices" were just simple words or short phrases, rarely anything resembling a full sentence, and certainly nothing like the unicorn's endless chatter.
At first, Leonard found it novel. Listening to a squirrel repeat, over and over, "Where are my nuts? Where are my nuts?" even made him want to laugh.
But after enough of those meaningless loops, it started getting on his nerves.
Fortunately, Leonard could turn this talent off. Otherwise, one trip through the Forbidden Forest would have left his ears ringing for days.
Before long, the unicorn leader brought Leonard to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, right beside the Botanical Garden. She stopped, then wandered off to graze lazily, clearly intending to wait until Leonard was ready to go back.
...
Leonard passed through the rebuilt thorn wall and entered the Botanical Garden. He quickly spotted Midgard with Claudia.
"How have things been?" Leonard asked as he walked over, carrying a cloth bag filled with sweets.
Midgard and Claudia both turned at the same time. Claudia's eyes lit up, and she sprang straight into Leonard's arms.
"Leonard, it's been so long," Claudia said, snuggling against him and rubbing her cheek against his. Her face was soft, and she carried a fresh, leafy scent.
The weather had warmed, and Midgard had dressed Claudia in something light and thin. Her pale arms were left bare, bright and eye-catching.
Claudia clung to him without the slightest hesitation, as though she wanted to stick to him completely. It was fine now, but Leonard couldn't help worrying that once she got older and grew more, he might not be able to keep himself in check.
"It has been a long time," Midgard said as she came over. She took the bag of desserts from Leonard with ease, and just as easily coaxed Claudia off him.
Midgard tore the bag open and spread it on the ground like a tablecloth, then laid the sweets out one by one. She tied a napkin around little Claudia, set out utensils, and only then let her start eating.
It was obvious she'd raised Claudia well.
"What have you been up to lately?" Midgard asked casually, watching Claudia eat her pancake obediently. "I haven't seen you around these past few days."