Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 55

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. A busy start to the week, but I finally finished the chapter I owe from last week. I have already started working on the Pokemon chapter, which should be ready sometime tomorrow.

Chapter 55

12th July

Lucius Malfoy swirled the glass of fire whisky in his hands, contemplating the course of action he had been debating for the past few weeks. Typically, he didn’t enjoy drinking this type of alcohol, but he felt compelled to seek solace in something strong to calm his frayed nerves.

The past year didn’t go as he had expected. The solid foundation he had painstakingly built over the previous decade was starting to crumble. Since Charlus Potter and Sirius Black returned, his influence within the ministry has been steadily dwindling. Despite having allies among the darker families and some of the departments in the ministry, his most important ally, Fudge, had begun to distance himself.

He should have known better than to put so much trust in the minister, given how fickle the man's loyalties could be. Still, it bothered him that Fudge dared to betray him after so much time together, even if the relationship had been more advantageous to him. He was tempted to expose all of the man's dirty secrets to the world in retaliation, but he knew it wouldn’t serve him well. Fudge had discovered some of his secrets during their dealings, which would lead to his imprisonment in Azkaban if they were made public. No, he would have to be patient.

Perhaps he should kill the man and appoint a new puppet as minister. After a brief consideration, he dismissed the idea. No, he couldn’t guarantee his success based on the number of members he could get to vote for him. Although he could get a few more through threats and bribery, it still wasn’t enough. In comparison, it was much easier to campaign for Fudge to become Minister of Magic.

Lucius swallowed the fire whisky and hissed as it burned his throat.

To make matters worse, his position on the Board of Governors was almost completely useless. They no longer had any say in how Hogwarts was run, aside from a few administrative tasks at the ministry. He became enraged whenever he remembered McGonagall and that half-breed getting the better of him.

Now that his power was dwindling, he was starting to feel pretty vindictive. There were a few people on his target list, and the Potters were at the top. They were to blame for so many of his problems, and he was determined to exact his revenge. But he could not go after Charlus Potter directly, but there was always Harry Potter. He grinned, imagining the grandparents' despair the moment they discovered their grandson had died.

He set the glass down on the table and noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

“What are you standing there for, elf?” Lucius demanded, noticing the house elf in the doorway.

Dobby shuffled into the office, twisting his ears nervously. He stood at the desk and bowed so low that his head touched the floor. “Dobby be wondering if the Master is needing anything?”

Irritated, Lucius picked up the glass and threw it at Dobby, which smashed against his head.

Dobby yelped and clutched his head, and some blood began to seep between his fingers.

The elf had been getting on his nerves for the past few weeks. On several occasions, he had caught the elf staring at him. Even though the elf was supposed to be loyal to him, something about the wide, bulbous eyes staring back at him made him paranoid. With the dangerous plan he was hatching, he needed to be cautious about anyone finding out what he was up to. Dobby was unlike most house elves. His frequently bizarre behaviour suggested either that he was insane or that he was more independent than he let on.

Should he dispose of him? It wasn’t like he would miss him, as he had other house elves who were more obedient and didn’t cause him any trouble.

Lucius picked up his cane and gave Dobby a twisted look. “Get over here!”

“Master?” Dobby didn’t immediately obey him; instead, he collapsed to the floor, sniffling and grovelling.

Lucius growled in anger. “Don’t make me repeat myself!”

Dobby crawled over to Lucius, who prodded him with a cane. Lucius pulled his wand from the cane, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at having control over the useless creature. Is this what the Dark Lord felt when he had his servants kneeling at his feet, kissing his robes?

Lucius raised his wand, a curse forming on his lips.

“What are you doing?!”

Lucius looked at his wife, who had entered the room. “Did I say you could interrupt me?”

Narcissa appeared to glide across the room, her hips swaying seductively. Lucius was transfixed by her. She had a grace about her that was evident in all her movements. He didn’t care if it was a practised skill or something she possessed naturally. He had never been able to resist her, and she knew it, judging by the smirk on her lips.

Dobby darted away from him, hiding behind his wife's skirts. Lucius became enraged after witnessing the act of subordination. The bloody elf had always been more attentive to his wife than him, which only fueled his determination to dispose of him even more.

“Why were you trying to hurt Dobby?”

Lucius frowned. "The elf is too disrespectful. He has to learn his place."

"You weren’t just trying to teach him a lesson," Narcissa stated, her eyes narrowing. "You will not kill one of our house elves to satisfy your sick, twisted desires."

Lucius' hands tightened around his wand. "Watch it, wife, or I will show you your place as well."

“I would like to see you try,” Narcissa replied.

She looked down at Dobby with a conflicted expression. After a brief moment of thought, she removed one of her gloves and threw it at him, who caught it instinctively. Dobby stared at the glove in awe before looking up at her.

“Dobby has clothes! Dobby is free!”

"Dobby, the Malfoy family no longer requires your services," Narcissa announced. "I will give you ten seconds to leave our manor, or I will hand you over to my husband."

Dobby didn’t waste any time. He stood up and bowed to her once before vanishing with a crack.

"I didn’t give you permission to set him free." Lucius stood up and stalked over to his wife. He grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up against the wall.

His wife had been annoying him for quite some time. He would have thought differently a few years ago, but that was before he learned about her secret. He wanted to get rid of her, but he realised it would be detrimental to his political career, so he kept up appearances. Since that wasn’t so important anymore, he didn’t feel as restrained.

“Do it,” Narcissa hissed, her eyes gleaming. “I dare you.”

Lucius' hands tightened around his wife's throat, and he kept applying pressure until her eyes bulged and she scratched at his hands, attempting to remove them.

“Mother?” Draco's voice in the hallway distracted him, and he relaxed his grip.

Narcissa was able to free herself and flee for the door. Before leaving his office, she looked back at him, her hand massaging her throat and her eyes filled with rage.

Lucius clenched his teeth, feeling an urge to destroy something. Not only were the elves disrespecting him, but his wife was doing the same. Before he could lose control, he returned to his seat and poured another drink. After swallowing it, he was able to calm down enough to think clearly.

He would deal with his wife later. He opened the drawer and took out the diary he had pulled from his hidden room earlier that morning. With a sinister grin, he allowed himself to succumb to the compulsion and opened it to the front page.

He took out a quill and wrote a short sentence.

Hello. My name is Lucius Malfoy.

He waited for a moment before words appeared beneath his.

Hello, Lucius. My name is Tom. How did you get your hands on my dairy?

This was the weapon he would use to exact vengeance on his enemies, including his damnable wife. She should have never crossed him.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

21st July

Harry etched the final rune onto the blade and held it up to the light to check his work. Seeing there were no obvious mistakes, he nodded in satisfaction and placed the tool on the table.

He wiped the sweat from his face before grabbing a bottle of water and emptying it in a few gulps. He had been working on the knife for the better part of the morning and had not realised how warm it was getting. The south of France was much hotter in the summer than where he had previously lived and he hadn’t adjusted to it yet. He had been thinking of installing some sort of air conditioner for his workshop, whether it be mechanical or magical.

The project was a kitchen knife that didn’t take long to make, but the arrays he added took up the most time, which added several features requested by his client. It was his third commission in two weeks, earning him more guild points and galleons. The latter didn’t matter too much, but if he wanted to work towards ranking up, then he would need the points. Even though none of the commissions were considered artifacts, they were still valuable tools that not everyone could create.

He declared the project complete and retrieved the Source to see the outcome of his efforts.

=============

The host has created a Magically-Enhanced Kitchen Knife.

General Experience: + 4000

Skill Experience: [Blacksmithing, Dexterity, Elder Futhark] + 2000

Dexterity has levelled up to Level 5!

Dexterity has been mastered: General Experience + 20000

The host has unlocked the ambidextrous trait for the Dexterity skill.

Renown has increased + 5

The host’s artisan rank has increased to the 996th position.

The host has completed two workshop tasks:

Complete a commission for the Artisan’s Guild: Workshop Points: + 200

Master a growth skill for the first time: Workshop Points + 500

=============

“This is unexpected,” Harry murmured.

He knew he was close to mastering the Dexterity skill, but he was not expecting the additional trait. While he had been using both hands to wield his wand and to use his spell cards, he hadn’t been completely proficient with them. If he were truly ambidextrous now, it would greatly enhance his combat abilities.

“Let’s test it out.” Harry headed towards the exit.

Harry passed the Vanishing Cabinet, which had been purchased from Borgin and Burkes. He had successfully copied the entire array schematic over the last few weeks and was now confident in his ability to repair the one at Hogwarts when he returned for his second year. If he could get it working, then it would be convenient if he could travel between Hogwarts and home in an instant. Since he was an artisan, he had permission to leave the grounds on the weekends, although he still had to mind his grandparents.

There were still some roadblocks in the way. He couldn’t use them until he was confident the cabinets were safe. For example, he wasn’t sure if there was a maximum distance at which they could operate. What if he got stuck in some kind of limbo while travelling between the two cabinets? He would begin by attempting to send items through and then proceed from there.

Nagini was sunbathing on a boulder he had placed near the entrance. She only used her bed in the workshop at night because she disliked being trapped indoors after being imprisoned by VVoldemort for so long.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Harry asked.

Nagini slowly opened her eyes, her tongue tasting the air. "I was until you bothered me."

Harry snorted. "You have been lazing around all day. Why don’t you make yourself useful?”

Nagini didn’t bother to reply, closing her eyes again.

Harry, curious about something, asked another question before she fell back asleep. "Have you identified Ginny Weasley's magical ability yet? It has been some time since the Weasleys left."

“Not yet. Get some more books on obscure magical abilities, and I may be able to identify the one she possesses. But there is a chance it is something completely new."

Nagini had noticed something unusual about Ginny when they first met. She could detect magical anomalies based solely on the scent of a witch or wizard, and she determined that Ginny had some unknown magical ability, but she didn’t recognise it. Nagini claimed that every magical ability had a distinct signature, and she had encountered many of them during her travels. Because she was unable to recognise the ability, it must be rare.

Harry speculated that this was why Ginny was being targeted by Dumbledore, but the girl had not demonstrated any extraordinary abilities to his knowledge. She was just a normal witch who excelled at Quidditch. However, she hadn’t even started Hogwarts yet, so it is possible it would manifest later.

It was possible that the Weasleys already knew something, as he didn’t have access to all of the details. He was curious, but that was the extent of it. He was too preoccupied with his problems and should leave it to the adults to resolve.

Harry found an empty spot behind his workshop and summoned his wand and a spell card. He spent the next few minutes experimenting with both to determine the scope of his new ability. He discovered that he could wield his wand with both hands, even though he had been casting spells primarily with his left hand since first receiving his wand. The same was true for his spell cards, which he could throw with his left hand with relative accuracy. He still needed some practice to reach his usual level, but he could see how it would improve his combat adaptability.

Harry summoned another spell card and aimed it at the ground a few feet ahead of him.

“Dobby greets the Great Master Harry Potter, sir!”

Harry was startled and barely managed to keep from releasing the card, which would have launched a fireball at the small creature standing in front of him. He appeared out of nowhere. The house elf looked pitiful. He was dressed in a dirty pillow with holes cut out for his arms and legs, and he appeared malnourished. He also had a bloodied head that was still leaking blood. The wound must have been recent.

“Who are you?” Harry asked.

The elf tilted his head. “Dobby is being Dobby. Who else would I be?”

"That isn’t...how did you get here?"

“Dobby apparated here. Dobby wanted to meet the Great Master Harry Potter, sir. You are a great wizard, Dobby be hearing.”

Harry felt a headache coming on. Dobby was overly enthusiastic in his admiration for him. “Just call me Harry.  What happened to you?”

Dobby bounced up and down with excitement, which seemed to be too much for him, as he swayed around like he was drunk. Still, his voice didn’t lack volume or enthusiasm. “Dobby was given clothes! Dobby is being a free elf!”

That was not the reaction he expected from a house-elf who had been given clothes. "Wait a minute, did your owner give you that wound?"

“Former master!”

Harry frowned. Who would do something like that to a house elf? They had to be the worst kind of scum to mistreat one of the nicest sentient magical creatures around.

‘Someone needs to take a look at your wound,” Harry said. "Come up to the house, and I will introduce you to my grandparents."

Dobby didn’t object, following behind him as they made their way up to the house. Aside from treating his injury, Harry wanted Dobby to follow him to figure out how he got here. Were the wards unable to prevent house-elves from entering the property? Beyond that, how did the elf locate him? Someone might have sent him with malicious intent against the Potters.

Harry looked down at the bouncing elf, who was smiling broadly, and shook his head. It was difficult to imagine Dobby posing a threat to anyone.

As he entered the house, he called out to his grandparents. They must have heard the urgency in his voice because they came running from the kitchen with their wands raised.

Minerva paused as she noticed Dobby standing behind him, and she lowered her wand. “Harry, who is this?”

Charlus didn’t lower his wand, but he relaxed slightly. “A friend of yours?”

“No,” Harry said, which caused Dobby's ears to drop. Harry hurried to explain. "At least not yet. "He just appeared in front of me, saying he wanted to meet me."

Minerva shared a look with her husband. “Let’s take care of that head wound before we question him.”

They went into the kitchen and Minerva told Dobby to sit on the chair. She cleaned out his wound before performing a basic healing spell to knit the wound together.

“It’s not the best job, but your magic should do the rest,” Minerva said, straightening.

"Thank you, Great Master Harry Potter sir's granny," Dobby said, bowing his head.

Minerva grimaced and looked at Harry. “I hope you didn’t ask him to call you that.”

“I didn’t do anything. That is how he first addressed me.”

Charlus crouched down and looked at Dobby in the eye, who appeared nervous in front of him. “Now, you are going to explain how you got here. Did someone send you here on a task?”

Dobby shook his head. “Dobby is a free elf.”

“When were you set free?”

“Five minutes ago!”

“Who was your former owner?”

“The Malfoy family,” Dobby answered, shivering.

“Well, that explains the abuse,” Harry muttered.

“Did they not treat you well?” Minerva asked.

“The mistress and boy be nice enough,” Dobby said, biting his finger. “It was she who gave me clothes. The master, though, be a…bad wizard!”

Dobby gasped and jumped out of his chair. He dashed over to the cabinetry and appeared to be about to slam his head into it, but Harry grabbed him before he could cause any harm to himself and led him back to the chair.

“No hurting yourself,” Harry said, squeezing his shoulder. “Since you are a free elf now, then you are allowed to speak bad about your master.”

Dobby nodded frantically. “Dobby forgot. Dobby is used to punishing himself.”

That single sentence revealed how unhappy the house elf must have been. The most heartbreaking thing was how matter-of-factly he said it as if it were expected.

“Well, you don’t have to do that anymore,” Charlus said mildly. “Why did you want to meet my grandson?”

“Master Harry Potter is a great wizard!”

Minerva covered her mouth, concealing a smile. Charlus sighed, looking up at his grandson as if asking why he had brought this problem to him. Harry wanted to protest that he had nothing to do with the house elf's appearance here.

“But how did you know where he lives?” Charlus asked. “Did someone tell you?”

“No. Dobby be seeing Master Harry Potter in Diagon Alley one time. I remember his magical signature and followed it here.”

“Okay, if we are going to be friends,” Harry said, “then you need to call me Harry. No exceptions.”

“You want to be friends with Dobby?” The elf looked up at him in awe before 

considering Harry's proposal. “Dobby will call you Master Harry.”

Harry stared at the elf, noticing the stubborn tilt of his chin. Dobby appeared unwilling to make any further concessions on the subject. “Alright. What are you going to do now that you are a free elf?”

“Dobby be looking for work. Dobby wants to be paid.”

"An unusual elf, but not surprising given your circumstances," Charlus murmured, rising to his feet. "I would appreciate it if you could seek permission before appearing on our property in the future. The Potters have many enemies, and we are very security conscious."

Dobby nodded.

"You need something better than that filthy pillowcase," Minerva stated. "Come with me and we will see what we can find for you. You can have a bath while you are at it."

Dobby followed his grandmother from the kitchen. Harry sat across the table from his grandfather, who had returned to his meal.

“Aren’t there wards to stop Dobby from apparating on our property?” Harry asked curiously. “The wards that were functioning during the lockdown at Hogwarts did the same.”

"There are, but no one bothers to use them because they pose no threat to wizards," Charlus explained. "You must understand that house elves are benevolent creatures by nature, and they cannot be forced to harm others, even if the order conflicts with their master's orders. You could try to trick them into hurting someone indirectly, but their magic is highly intuitive, and the chances are it will not work."

“So they can’t even defend themselves?” If they could, then Dobby wouldn’t be in the state he was in.

Charlus finished his food and wiped his mouth. "I believe it is easier to explain the history of house elves first. They used to be known as Brownies, creatures who would clean people's homes in exchange for food and lodging. At one point, a wizard devised a ritual to enslave their entire race and descendants. The ritual caused the brownies' magic to become erratic and dangerous if they weren’t bonded to a wizard. It worked for the most part, but some things did not stick, such as forcing them to hurt others. Even though he was successful, the wizard was made to appear foolish for two reasons."

Charlus paused to take a sip of water. "For starters, the brownies did not mind being enslaved because it meant they were part of a family that would keep them safe from the dangers of the outside world. Furthermore, they enjoyed serving and cleaning houses because it was in their nature. The wizard believed he had the upper hand over the creatures, but this wasn’t the case.

Harry furrowed his brow, confused over one point. "Why did they require protection? They can apparate wherever they want, so escaping danger shouldn’t have been a problem."

“That’s because they didn’t know how to apparate back then,” Charlus said. "They learned it by watching wizards do it, so they had to rely on their legs to escape danger previously. Now, on to my second point about why the wizard who enslaved the house elves was made to look foolish. "Where do you think the house-elf name came from?"

Harry shrugged.

"Well, the elf part of the name remains a mystery," Charlus admitted. "But the house part stems from the fact that their magic is predominantly centred on household magic, primarily charms but also a bit of transfiguration. They have trouble performing any type of offensive or defensive magic. They were intended to be used as weapons, but they could only be servants in the end."

Harry's mouth dropped open. He never imagined that house elves had such limitations. If they couldn’t defend themselves, it is no surprise they sought refuge in other people's homes for protection. He remembered how, early in his first year, the headmaster assigned him a house-elf to watch over him. He had assumed that Wobny would have protected him with defensive magic, but now that he knew better, it was more likely that he would have apparated him away.

"So they are unable to defend themselves at all?"

Charlus shook his head. "In extreme cases, they can use their magic to protect the families to which they are bonded, but this will cause them significant harm. House elves are unfortunate that their magic leans towards household magic, as they have large magical reserves. That is why they were so widely hunted; some creatures enjoyed feeding on their magic and they were easy prey. Just imagine how powerful they would be if they could use magic like humans.”

Harry nodded. They would be on par with the goblins in being able to protect themselves and create their own functioning society. No one messed with the goblins, even though wizards had tried on numerous occasions.

A few minutes later, Dobby appeared with his grandmother. He had been washed and was now dressed in navy blue shorts, a shirt, and a white tea cosy worn on his head.

Harry laughed as Dobby performed a little twirl to show off his new outfit. He looked like a sailor. There were no clothes of that size in the house, so his grandmother must have transfigured them.

Dobby climbed up onto the chair and Minerva produced a bowl of fruit for the elf. “Don’t use your fingers.”

Dobby picked up the spoon and began eating the fruit, his ears twirling happily. While watching him eat, Harry had a sudden thought.

“Hey, Dobby. How about you come to work for me?" Harry suggested. "I will pay you a good salary and provide you with ample vacation time."

“Dobby can work for Master Potter." The elf squeaked excitedly.

"Well, not me directly," Harry clarified. "I want you to work with my employee, Remus. He has a lot of responsibilities and could use some help."

“Dobby accepts!”

“Great,” Harry said. “Now let’s get down to negotiating your salary.”

Little did he know that this process would take hours as Dobby tried to reduce his salary to a pittance. They eventually arrived at a number that they could both agree on.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

23rd July

“Harry!” Susan rushed over and engulfed him in a big hug. She then gave him a lingering kiss on the lips, which he eagerly returned.

“Ahem.”

Harry released Susan to find her aunt standing there, having exited the floo after her.

“Hi, Amelia,” Harry said, grinning. "Have you caught any bad guys lately?"

Amelia raised an eyebrow. "I am closing in on one right now. He is a thief who dared to steal my niece's heart. What do you think is a suitable punishment for his transgressions?”

“Auntie!” Susan gasped.

Harry pretended to think about it. "You can lock me up and throw away the key. So long as Susan is locked in with me. I am sure we will find something to occupy our time.”

Susan giggled, and Amelia shook her head. “I find my niece’s tastes in boyfriends highly questionable. Perhaps she has been confounded."

Minerva entered the room and greeted them, bringing an end to their banter. 

"Amelia, it’s good to see you again. Do you have time for a cup of tea and a chat?”

“Sure, but I need to discuss something with Charlus first,” Amelia replied. “Is he around?”

“He’s in his office.”

Amelia thanked her and left the parlour. Minerva shifted her focus to the two of them.

“Susan, we will begin your lesson as soon as your aunt leaves. Harry, you go show her around, but I don’t want to catch you doing anything behind closed doors.”

"That is fine," Harry whispered to her as they left the room. “That leaves us plenty of options.”

Susan smiled and grabbed her boyfriend’s hand. Harry led her outside and over to his workshop.

"I am glad we are having some alone time together," Susan said.

"Yeah, there isn’t much privacy at Hogwarts."

“I can’t believe that Daphne doesn’t want to participate in the lessons. Doesn't she want to be an animagus? I can understand why Gabrielle can’t due to her veela heritage, but Daphne doesn’t have an excuse.”

“Daphne said that she finds the process overly complicated and messy,” Harry said, smiling. “Not everyone wants to be an animagus, and not everyone has the gift for it.”

‘Well, fortunately, I do,” Susan cheered.

Nagini had detected her dormant ability, prompting Susan to seek lessons from his grandmother. There was an easier option: ask Sirius to make the potion that would reveal her inner animal, but she preferred the longer path. There were more risks associated with taking shortcuts, and she was in no hurry to become one, especially since she had only recently turned fourteen. Harry had also taken a shortcut, but there was nothing wrong with that when you turn out to be a magical animagus.

"What animal do you think you will become?" Harry asked.

“I don’t know,” Susan admitted. “I wouldn’t mind something like a lioness. They are really fierce. What do you think I will be?”

"Let me think," Harry said, his gaze sweeping across her body. "Since you are compact, cuddly, and fierce when provoked, I believe the badger is the most likely outcome."

Susan smacked his arm. “Please put some more thought into it. Just because I am in Hufflepuff, it doesn’t mean I will be the house mascot.”

“I would love it if you were,” Harry confessed. ‘Then at least you will be around the same size as me.”

Minerva found them an hour later and began teaching Susan while Harry looked on. Susan would begin with meditation to discover her inner animal, which was a lengthy process. Since she was also learning occlumency, the step would take less time, but it could still take months. While they were occupied, Harry discretely took out the Source and turned to the magical emporium page.

He had enough points to get an item he had been considering purchasing. The problem was that it was volatile and could land him in serious trouble depending on his luck. Nonetheless, the temptation to experiment and see what happened was irresistible, like a moth to a flame.

The Fae Stone enabled him to communicate with any individual from the Fae Realm. Before he could think any further, he spent the points, and it appeared in his inventory.

Harry drew a breath. He was committed now, and he needed to see where the stone would lead him.

So, what do you think? Harry is going to speak with someone from the fae realm in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading.