54. Back here.

My room had undergone some drastic changes while I was away. It was now magically expanded, the walls stretching to accommodate new furniture. My four-poster bed had been replaced with the massive king-sized one from home, its familiar comfort making the room feel even more like mine. Some of our furniture had been moved in as well, making the space warm and lived-in. Near the wall, my trunk sat beside one of the Vanishing Cabinets, its polished wood gleaming under the soft lighting.

Yue was seated on the bed, carefully braiding Luna's hair while the girl hummed contentedly. Luna herself was wearing an adorable pink bunnycorn pajama set, the soft fabric making her look even more huggable. Her dreamy expression never wavered, even as she swayed slightly with Yue's gentle tugging.

Rachel was curled up in a cozy chair in the corner, a thick book resting on her lap. Her soft, creamy thighs were folded up under her, barely concealed by her nightgown, but her sharp eyes were focused intently on the pages before her.

Even Serenity was here. She had been introduced to Luna earlier and had, surprisingly, taken to painting her toenails on the floor with an unusual amount of focus. Her short purple hair rested over her shoulders, her chocolate-colored skin glowing in the warm lighting of the room.

"I see you lot have been busy," I remarked, stepping further inside.

Serenity glanced up and smirked. "You were gone a while."

I walked over and leaned down, capturing Serenity's lips in a slow kiss. She melted into it, a soft sigh escaping her as her fingers briefly brushed my chest. Next, I moved to Rachel, who huffed but didn't resist, her fingers curling into my shirt for a moment before she pulled away, pretending to focus back on her book. Yue, of course, eagerly accepted hers, looping her arms around my neck for a moment longer than necessary before letting go, a satisfied smile on her face.

Luna simply sat there, watching expectantly, her large blue eyes full of silent anticipation. I chuckled and leaned down to press a soft kiss against her forehead. A dreamy, pleased look crossed her face as she went back to humming, swaying slightly as Yue continued braiding her hair.

Over the past year, plenty of things had changed. Serenity, Yue, and Rachel were far happier, their past traumas slowly healing. Serenity had finally mastered Occlumency, giving her full control over her poison body, even while sleeping. Yue remained just as clingy and affectionate as ever but had become more expressive, stepping out of her shell. Rachel, too, had changed—no longer suppressing her emotions all the time, her expressions had become more vivid, more real.

"How did it go?" Rachel asked, flipping another page in her book.

"Perfectly. I've got the locket." I smirked slightly. It was already tucked safely away in the Gate of Babylon, alongside the diary and the diadem.

Rachel glanced up. "That just leaves the cup, the ring, and the scar. We don't know if Nagini has been made one yet, and… well, the scar's an issue."

I exhaled sharply, leaning against my desk. "Yeah. The easiest one to go after next is probably the ring. But who knows what kind of protections Voldemort put around that place?"

Rachel flipped another page. "The ring's at the Gaunt shack, right? If we're lucky, the wards have decayed over time."

Yue hummed thoughtfully, tying off the last section of Luna's braid. "Nagini… If she is a Horcrux, we'll have to kill her the moment she shows up."

Serenity, still focused on her nails, muttered, "And the scar? How do you plan to kill something inside Potter?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "No idea yet. Best case, it gets removed naturally if we take out the others. Worst case? We figure it out later."

Rachel closed her book with a soft thump. "What about the cup? Gringotts isn't exactly the easiest place to break into."

I smirked. "We don't have to. After we secure the ring, I'll write another letter to Dumbledore and have him deal with it. Let the old man take care of the Lestrange Vault."

Rachel snorted. "You really like making him participate, huh?"

I shrugged. "Work smarter, not harder. Besides, he always likes sticking his nose where it doesn't belong, so he can stick it in the Lestrange Vault somehow."

Yue giggled, while Serenity just shook her head, amused.

Luna, still swaying slightly, suddenly spoke up. "I've decided I'll be staying here for a sleepover. We're going to have a cuddle party."

Rachel sighed, closing her book again, while Yue beamed innocently, clearly the mastermind behind this plan. Serenity didn't even look surprised.

I pinched the bridge of my nose but couldn't help the smirk that tugged at my lips. "I should've known."

As the conversation continued, I mentally mapped out our next move. The Vanishing Cabinet connected to our house in London made reaching the Gaunt shack easy. If the place was too much trouble to deal with normally, there was always the simplest solution—blow the whole thing to hell and sift through the rubble for the ring.

Serenity, still occupied with her nails, looked up. "You know that ring has some nasty curses on it, right? That withering charm nearly killed Dumbledore in the other timeline."

I nodded. "Yeah, I remember. Voldemort wasn't the type to leave something that valuable unprotected. There's bound to be more than just a decay curse—compulsions, maybe even a direct ward to alert him if someone touches it. But I have a few tricks of my own."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Going to use the Gate to grab it?"

"Exactly. No direct contact, no curses activating. I'll stash it in the Gate and analyze it later. Worst case, we deal with the curses at home instead of in some rundown shack in the middle of nowhere."

Yue hummed approvingly. "That's better than losing a hand."

Serenity clicked her tongue. "No fun. I was hoping to watch you struggle a little."

I shot her a look, and she grinned.

Luna, ever the innocent one, tilted her head. "If the house is so dangerous, why not just destroy the whole house? Maybe then the magic on it will weaken."

"That's what I was thinking." I admitted. "If the place is cursed to hell and back, we might just flatten the whole shack and fish the ring out of the debris."

Rachel leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "So, we're either sneaking in quietly or leveling the place. Either way, sounds fun."

I smirked. "Either way, it wouldn't be long before another Horcrux was in my possession, and this one contained another Deathly Hallow. The Resurrection Stone."

As for how to get the stone from the ring, that was just another question for later. We didn't have access to Basilisk Venom, and I didn't feel like risking the stone against something like Fiendfyre in case I accidentally destroy it.