Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 53

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. Harry continues to research the Veela and gives a speech at the ministry.

Chapter 53

Harry placed the book down and picked up another from the stack of books on the table.  The stack never seemed to shrink as he kept adding new ones to it. It was getting close to evening, and he was starting to get hungry again. But he was having a good time learning more about the Veela.

He spent the entire day in the library researching the Veela's history. He only took a brief break to feed himself. Gabrielle's stories had already given him some insight into their race, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Their history was extensive and well-documented, with only their origins shrouded in mystery. It was as if they had lost a part of themselves after emerging from the sea.

He was surprised to discover Veelas and Selkies were distantly related, and he wondered how they came to be bitter adversaries. Their animosity could be traced back to when Veela first appeared. Notably, the merfolk who lived in the Black Lake were Selkies, who were known for being the most unfriendly of all the merfolk.

The term "merfolk" referred to all magical humanoid species that resided underwater. This included Veela before they transitioned to living on land. Veela were originally Sirens, and they share many characteristics with them, such as their harpy form and the ability to enthrall people.

The Sirens, the oldest race among the merpeople, lived in warmer waters and first appeared in the Aegean Sea near the east coast of Greece. The Sirens used their voices to enthral unsuspecting individuals. They were frequently confused with mermaids, who were generally less dangerous and more friendly towards humans. This method of enticing people was similar to Veela's, though Veela's allure manifested differently and directly affected the mind rather than relying on sound.

Harry was fascinated by the evolution of the Veela and sought to understand the reasons behind it. While the exact details of their first appearance are unknown, it is thought to have occurred around 900-600 BC. There were several theories as to why they emerged from the sea, with one prevailing theory suggesting that they lost their voices and were thus shunned by their counterparts. Another popular theory holds that they were cursed by a witch, rendering them unable to thrive in their aquatic environment.

Due to the ambiguity surrounding the time period, it proved difficult to substantiate any of the claims. It is possible that a branch of the Sirens race underwent natural evolutionary divergence over a much longer time period. Given the inclusion of magic, however, this transformation could have been much shorter. The precise cause of their change was secondary; the main focus was on how their physiology had changed. The most obvious difference is that sirens have long, fish-like tails, whereas Veela has evolved to walk on land.

Harry closed the book he was reading and threw it on the table. He was reaching for another book when he was startled by a noise. The empty chair across from him had shifted. He peered under the table and found Luna huddled there, still holding the Crumple-Horned Snorkack in her arms. When she realised she had been discovered, she waved at him.

The Snorkack stared at him, its little button nose twitching furiously. Harry smiled, taken with the cute but strange-looking creature. He likened its appearance to a cross between a hare and a demiguise, with large buck teeth.

"How long have you been down there?" Harry asked. "More importantly, how did you get under there without my noticing?"

Luna cocked her head, which was mirrored by her companion. "You were so engrossed in your books that a herd of Hippogriffs could have stampeded through the library and you wouldn’t have known."

“You’re exaggerating,” Harry retorted. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "My next question is why you are under the table in the first place."

"They are trying to take Cuddles away from me," Luna said solemnly. “They don’t seem to understand that he is now my familiar. I’m not letting him go.”

"This is going to be a problem," Harry grumbled. "Why don’t you come out from beneath the table? You can’t be comfortable down there.”

He held out a hand and pulled her out. She took the seat next to him and looked at the books with interest. "I am supposed to learn more about the Veela while I am here, but I have been too preoccupied with hiding from them."

"Well, I’m not going to give you away," Harry said. "So feel free to hang out here until Gabrielle comes and kicks me out."

Luna smiled and pointed to one of the books. “Can I read this one?”

He nodded, and she took the book. Luna started reading while humming a tune under her breath. Surprisingly, the noise was not distracting but rather added to the tranquil atmosphere of the library.

For the time being, Harry decided to put the dilemma of what to do about the Snorkack aside and return to his reading. He chose a book from the stack that was mostly about sirens. He needed to learn more about them to understand the differences between them and Veela better.

A few minutes later, he came across a particularly interesting entry.

Sirens and Veela both possess a secondary form known as the harpy, yet there are distinct differences between them. Unlike Veela, who embody the fire element and enthral men with their seductive charm, sirens are more aligned with water and exert a more calculated allure. Rather than being interested in humans, sirens view them as territorial threats to be eliminated swiftly and mercilessly. One could aptly compare them to the sun and the moon, with one radiating fiery energy and the other emanating a cold presence.

"Interesting," Harry murmured.

This could explain why sirens were able to use their allure beneath the water rather than just on the surface. The Veela's allure didn’t work in the water because they most likely lost that ability when their affinity changed to the fire element. How could he make use of this information? When Fleur mentioned that their powers didn’t work as well in the water earlier this morning, he had a hunch that this was the right path to pursue.

He had to carry out a few experiments to gather more information.

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

30th June

The following day, Harry and his girlfriends went swimming in the lake. He was there for a reason other than to see them all in swimsuits. He wanted to see what Gabrielle could do with her powers underwater. Despite having plenty of information on the effects of water on Veela, he still wanted to test it for himself.

Harry and Gabrielle dove beneath the water once more, and she immediately tried to blast him with her allure. Even if her allure didn’t affect him, he would still feel the attempt. But he felt nothing, even though they were only a few feet below the water.

Gabrielle tried summoning her Veela flames next without transforming into her harpy form. She didn’t want to show him her transformation, even though he would get better results if she did. Harry didn’t care what she looked like, but he wasn’t going to convince her anytime soon, given how she refused to speak about it.

A small fireball appeared on the hand before sputtering out a moment later. Water didn’t affect her flames in the traditional sense, as they weren’t normal flames, but it still affected her ability to conjure and maintain them. Although he had attributed it to Veela having a fire affinity, he was certain there was a more comprehensive explanation. He made a mental note to keep researching the topic.

They rose to the surface as they were running out of air.

"Do you have enough data yet?" Gabrielle asked, splashing him with water. "I have already tried to summon my allure a dozen times."

“I didn’t really need you to do that many,” Harry admitted. “I got distracted.”

Gabrielle grinned. She lifted her arms above her shoulders, flaunting her body in a white bikini. Harry's gaze moved over her body, focusing on her round breasts, where her nipples had hardened and pushed against the cloth. His gaze followed a bead of water down her stomach before it dipped into her navel. He envied that bead of water so much.

"You’re like a siren, luring me to the depths of the sea," Harry murmured, drawing a smirk from Gabrielle.

Harry was drenched with water from behind, and he turned to scowl at Daphne and Susan, who were giggling at him.

"You looked like you needed to cool off," Susan teased.

They were dressed in swimsuits as well, though theirs were more modest compared to Gabrielle’s. Daphne was dressed in a turquoise one-piece suit that fit her svelte frame perfectly. Susan was also wearing a one-piece swimsuit, but hers was a forest green colour.

“What are you doing?”

Harry turned to see Gabrielle's grandmother standing at the lake's edge. His eyes widened when he saw what she was wearing. Serpahine's bikini made Gabrielle's appear modest in comparison, leaving little to the imagination. He flushed and immediately averted his gaze. He could resist her allure, but that didn’t mean he was immune to such a beautiful woman.

“Why do you have to toy with the boy?" An amused male voice spoke, and it was only then that Harry noticed the man standing beside Seraphine.

The man was a few inches shorter than Seraphine, with short grey hair and a goatee. Standing beside Seraphine, he should have appeared diminished because she outshone everyone, but he had a commanding presence of his own.

“Harry, this is my grand-pere, Andre,” Gabrielle introduced him.

"Hello, sir," Harry swallowed nervously as Andre scrutinised him.

“Now you are the one toying with him.” Seraphine playfully scolded him.

"I was just getting a feel for him," Andre protested. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Harry. We didn’t get a chance to meet earlier, but I am sure we will have plenty of opportunities to talk in the future."

Harry nodded, unsure what else to say. Why did that sound so foreboding?

"Harry, what are you trying to accomplish here?" Seraphine asked again.

“I’m trying to get a sense of how the water affects your powers,” Harry explained.

Seraphine nodded. “You think you can devise a method to dampen our allure through water? That is a logical conclusion to come to, but you're not the first person to try this method.”

Harry shrugged. "They aren’t the same as me."

"I admire your confidence." Seraphine laughed. “How about I help you with your research? Gabrielle is still young, so she won’t be able to give you any valuable data.”

“Grand-mere!” Gabrielle poked out her tongue at the woman.

Seraphine dove into the lake, and Harry followed her beneath the surface. He was a little nervous because the woman was on a completely different level than Gabrielle. If he wasn’t careful, he might get boiled in hot water.

Seraphine summoned two large fireballs in each hand, showing no signs of transforming into her harpy form. Each fireball was approximately the size of a football. Unlike Gabreille's flames, Seraphine's seemed unaffected by the water. The temperature of the water increased noticeably, indicating that the fireballs were generating a significant amount of heat to affect the body of water around him. He knew all too well that Veela flames were more deadly than ordinary flames. He remembered Fleur unleashing her flames on the intruder, which proceeded to consume him alive.

He swam back to the surface when the water became too uncomfortable for him. Seraphine appeared a moment later.

“Did you learn anything?” Seraphine asked.

Harry nodded. “Never piss off Gabrielle in the future.”

Everyone laughed, but he was only half-joking. Those flames were not to be trifled with. Consider a group of Veelas wielding flames at the same time. They could wreak havoc without casting a single spell. Seraphine was the most powerful Veela in the conclave, so her demonstration was extreme, but it was still terrifying.

“Are the flames alive?” Harry asked. “I remember how they worked when Fleur used them on the intruder who attacked her.”

Seraphine smiled. "I still haven’t expressed my gratitude for saving my babies. To answer your question, no, they aren’t alive. The flames do have some sentience and respond to our emotions, but it takes a lot of practice to have complete control over them."

“What about your allure? Given your power, why can’t you unleash it underwater?"

Seraphine shook her head. “It has nothing to do with power. Our allure is completely dampened beneath the water. We don’t know the reason as to why, but others have been attempting to replicate it ever since."

Harry thought he was onto something new, but it turned out that others had done the same. It wasn’t a surprise, as Seraphine stated; it was an obvious conclusion to reach. But he didn’t need to be discouraged because he was just getting started. He didn’t expect the problem to be solved overnight. Besides, just because his line of thought had previously been researched didn’t mean it was a dead end. He needed to investigate it thoroughly to see if he could find the solution.

Harry spent the remainder of the day in the library to do further research. He didn’t find any new and helpful information, but he was already thinking about how he could experiment with some arrays to arrive at the desired result. He needed to expand his area of expertise into elemental arrays, but he also needed a new runic language that was more adept at harnessing elements. He needed to learn Majikkurun, a Japanese runic language that was created specifically for enchanting. It was simply kanji that had been condensed to a specific section of the language and slightly modified to work with enchanting.

He remembered the water prison array that the founders built to imprison Merlin. It was likely that if they had access to Majikkurun, it wouldn’t have needed to be so large. The elements, for some reason, responded better to the language than others, such as Elder Futhark.

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

1st July

His grandparents were waiting for him when he returned from the conclave the next day. They had been busy at Hogwarts, assisting the headmaster with work on the school wards to make the school safer. Susan and Daphne said their goodbyes, with the latter promising to return the next day to help him write his speech.

After spending the last two days immersed in research, he decided to take a break and dedicate his time to crafting for the majority of the day. He honed his whittling skills by making small figures for his girlfriend and experimenting with some of the book's crafting recipes to gain more experience and resources. He had spent a lot of shop points on the skill upgrade, so he wanted to replenish them so that he always had a healthy amount in reserve. There was also the fae communication stone to consider. Although he had no plans to use it anytime soon, it didn’t hurt to keep his options open.

The mundane activity gave him time to reflect on some of the projects that required his attention. Aside from the new artifact, he still needed to improve the two-way mirrors, but he hadn’t spent much time on the project. There was also the vanishing cabinet, which he couldn’t fix until he returned to Hogwarts. He could have removed the cabinet from the school because the club claimed everything as their property, but he had plenty of work to keep him busy over the summer.

Speaking of the vanishing cabinet, he received a visit from Remus later in the afternoon to discuss some business. Harry put down his work and invited the man upstairs for a cup of tea.

“The woman I employed has found a second vanishing cabinet,” Remus stated after they had sat down.

“Already?” Harry asked in surprise. “Where was it?”

“Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.”

“That explains why she found it so fast. How much did it set me back?”

Remus handed Harry a folder, which contained a Gringotts accounting statement detailing his current finances, including expenditures and profits. After making his first real profit with the appraisal scrolls, he opened a separate account from his trust vault. The goblins waived the vault fees because they were buying his appraisal scrolls in bulk and received a discount.

“The cabinet was expensive,” Remus explained, “but Theresa was able to haggle the price down by a few thousand galleons. I gave her a bonus since she did a great job.”

"She deserves it," Harry said. “Is the cabinet up at the house? Is it in working order?”

“Yes to both questions.”

That certainly made his job easier. He now had a working vanishing cabinet, making it easier to replicate the arrays and repair the other one.

"Speaking of Theresa, how come I haven’t met her yet?"

Remus paused, his brow furrowing slightly. “Theresa is an old friend I used to know before I left for America, and she’s perfect for the job. She is also a werewolf."

Remus appeared defensive as if anticipating Harry's disappointment with his chosen employee.

Harry snorted. "There was no need to add that last sentence. I don’t care if she is a werewolf. All that matters is that she does a good job. Is this why you didn’t tell me about her earlier?"

"It is not the primary reason," Remus clarified. "Theresa reached out to me because she was in a difficult situation, and I wasn’t going to refuse her. But she is independent and doesn’t want handouts, so the job came at the perfect time."

"Well, I believe she has already demonstrated her ability to do the job. What about the situation she was in? Was she involved in any criminal activity?"

"No," Remus replied. "But she got mixed up with a werewolf pack led by Greyback. She was under his control, and she had enough of her predicament."

"Well, that is a little concerning. Is Greyback going to come after her?”

"Maybe." Remus shrugged. "I have taken precautions. I arranged for her to live in a house that cannot be traced back to anyone. She will be relatively safe because her job will require her to travel frequently. It’s also why I didn’t bring her to meet you because I didn’t want to endanger you or your grandparents."

“Alright. So long as you have got it under control."

He wasn’t going to get involved if it wasn’t necessary because Remus was an adult who could take care of himself.

Harry kept browsing the page. The appraisal scrolls provided a steady income for him, and since they were consumable items, they would remain profitable for a long time. Furthermore, he was also making profits from his share of the items being sold from the Room of Hidden Things. Remus was in charge of the entire process for the club, but it would take some time to complete all of the sales. He also made a lot of galleons by selling unicorn ingredients to Daniel Greengrass, which the unicorns had given him. The last item, however, perplexed him because it was simply listed as coming from the DMLE.

“What’s this for?” Harry pointed to the entry.

It was twenty thousand galleons. It wasn’t a small sum, and they shouldn’t owe him anything because the proceeds from the basilisk had already been settled.

"That is for the items they discovered in Voldemort's lair," Remus explained. "Even after getting rid of the more questionable items, it still resulted in a huge profit. Since you played a big role in discovering them, they felt it was only fair that you received a share.”

Harry closed the folder and handed it back to Remus. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of parchment.

“Is that what I think it is?” Harry asked, excited.

Remus nodded. “It was found in the treasure room. Peter must have left it there.”

Harry took the Marauders Map with a smile. He didn’t think that he would ever get it back again. He summoned his wand and activated the map to check that it was still working properly. He could see the headmaster in his office and a few other professors scattered around the castle.

Harry handed Remus another list of items he needed before he left. He didn’t know where he could find a book on learning Majikkurun, so he would delegate the task to Theresa.

After finishing his work for the day, he headed back up to the house. As he entered the kitchen, he found his grandmother in the kitchen, adding the final touches to dinner. Tempted by the delicious aroma, Harry couldn't resist snatching a piece of chicken from the bowl. His grandmother swatted his hand away.

“Make yourself useful and set the table,” Minerva said.

Harry did as she instructed and sat down at the table to await dinner.

"Nymphadora will be joining us for dinner," Minerva informed him. "She said you sent her an invitation."

Harry nodded. "I wanted to pick her brain about gem-crafting before I built a crafting station for it. I will need it for my next project."

“That’s a relief." Minerva smiled. "I thought you were adding another girl to your collection."

“She’s seven years older than me,” Harry protested. He grinned slyly as he remembered something Daphne had said to him. "Besides, you can’t blame me for having more than one girl. It’s my demiguise side that is pushing me to find multiple mates."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at him, not looking impressed. "Are you saying that your inner animal is controlling your base instincts? Perhaps you haven’t mastered your form as thoroughly as I believed."

‘That’s not true,” Harry replied. “You can’t dismiss my theory since a magical Aimagus is not something that can be understood since there isn’t any information about them. You’re only a cat, but you have instincts that you still can’t control. Remember that incident at Yuletide with the catnip?”

Minerva’s cheeks reddened. "I said never to bring that incident up again."

“Sure. So long as you don’t continue to pester me about me having three girlfriends. You should be more relaxed and cool, like Grandad."

“Charlus is a walloper.”

Harry snapped his fingers. “That means idiot, right?”

“Who are you calling an idiot?” Charlus entered the kitchen with Tonks following behind him.

Tonks messed up his hair. “Hi, squirt. How is the little genius?”

Harry patted his hair, attempting to straighten it. “I’m fine. What have you been doing?"

“I’m working on a secret project." Tonks grinned. "Aside from that, I have been researching my new artifact and completing commissions. I would like to advance to journeyman as soon as possible to take advantage of the additional benefits."

"Your rank allows you to get a greater discount on materials, right?”

When you reached Journeyman, you received a discount on materials purchased from the guild. That was one of the primary benefits of joining the Artisan's Guild, aside from all the business connections. Tonks needed to find cheaper materials for her area of expertise because they can be expensive. She created enchanted jewellery. The main cost was the gems themselves, which were an expensive commodity, especially if you made a mistake and damaged them. Unlike most other items, gems couldn’t be repaired with a mending charm.

Tonks sat down next to him. “That’s right. My first artifact that corrected my balance has limited commercial value because Metamorphmagus are rare.”

“Why don’t you ask Sirius to reinstate you into the Black family? I’m sure it will include a tidy allowance every year.”

“Neither my mother nor I are interested in being reinstated,” Tonks declared. “The Tonks are a new magical family that one day will be as famous as the Blacks.”

“Or infamous. Maybe it’s better if you don’t have kids.”

“Do you want a beating, brat?”

After dinner, Harry took Tonks to his workshop. When she saw his setup, she exclaimed with admiration.

“I wish I had something like this,” Tonks said. "I have to use the guild's crafting stations, and there isn’t much privacy."

“Well, you are always welcome to use my workshop,” Harry said. “I am going to be adding a gem crafting station. Why don’t you help me set one up in exchange for using it?”

Tonks grabbed his hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake. “You got yourself a deal, partner.”

Harry spent the rest of the evening picking her brain about gem-grafting. He learned how arrays were etched into the gemstones, which was useful knowledge for when he began practising the skill himself. They agreed to set up the station in a few days when she had some free time. 

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

3rd July

Harry fidgeted as he waited in the chambers adjacent to the Wizengamot courtroom. It felt like dozens of butterflies were fluttering in his stomach. Beyond the door, he could hear voices, indicating that those attending the ceremony were beginning to arrive. It wouldn’t be long before he had to stand in front of them and give his acceptance speech.

“Stop fidgeting." Minerva adjusted his robes and smoothed down his hair. "You will be just fine. Everyone here today is here to celebrate your accomplishment."

“Even the Malfoys?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know how they managed to get an invitation,” Susan said from beside him. "Malfoy doesn’t have a seat on the Wizengamot."

"There are more than just Wizengamot members here," Daphne explained. "They were probably invited by one of his cronies."

“Ignore them,” Gabrielle suggested. "Or, better yet, imagine them in their underwear. That should calm you down."

Harry shuddered. "Do you know how old the Wizengamot members are on average? What if I were to imagine Umbridge in her underwear?"

"Eww!" Susan wrinkled her nose in disgust.

The doors opened and his grandfather strode into the chamber with Minister Fudge at his side.

“Are you ready?” Charlus asked.

"As much as I will ever be?" Harry replied.

“Don’t be nervous, Harry,” Fudge said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Public speaking can be intimidating at first, but there is a simple trick that will help you. Imagine everyone in the crowd in their underwear."

The girls grimaced, no longer finding it amusing. Especially since the minister punctuated his remark with a wink. Minerva frowned but didn’t comment on his rude behaviour.

Harry walked out of the chamber and into the courtroom. He had been here once before when his grandfather revealed himself to the world. The Wizengamot members occupied the elevated seats, but they were not the only ones there. The visiting gallery and the centre of the courtroom were packed with witches and wizards. Except for a few exceptions, they wouldn’t normally be permitted entry. However, the ceremony for an Order of Merlin title was different, and the rules were relaxed.

As he made his way up to the stage, he noticed a familiar family of redheads in the crowd. He noticed that their number had increased by two, as two young men, whom he assumed to be the eldest sons, had joined them. Ginny waved at him, seemingly over her shyness. The twins opened their mouths to speak, but their mother silenced them. Harry smiled. Even at such an important event, they were the same.

Minister Fudge raised his hands, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

"We are here to honour Harry Potter for his bravery in preventing a madman from harming our children. I am sure you don’t want to think about what would have happened if the man had gotten his way. As Minister of Magic, I am proud to have such an amazing wizard among the British magical community. He is Europe's youngest wizard to be awarded the Order of Merlin First Class. He truly lives up to the title of The Boy-Who-Lived. Give him a round of applause."

The audience erupted in thunderous applause. Harry was overwhelmed by all of the attention and wished he could sink into the floor. He was nearly blinded by the flashes from the numerous cameras taking pictures of him. He felt a reassuring grip on his arm and turned to see his grandfather smiling at him. That gave him confidence, and he straightened his back.

A wizard appeared on stage, holding a cushion containing the Order of Merlin medal. Fudge lifted it from the cushion and presented it to Harry, who lowered his head so it could be fitted over his head. The medal was a gleaming gold medallion on a chain, with the symbol of a wizard's hat and two crossed wands.

Fudge motioned for Harry to step forward so he could deliver his speech. Harry took a moment to compose himself before starting to speak.

“I feel privileged to be standing here today, accepting this prestigious award. The Order of Merlin has a special place in our culture because it honours those who go above and beyond to help others. Although I am the recipient, this honour belongs to the many people at Hogwarts who have provided unwavering support. I couldn’t have accomplished what I have without their invaluable contributions.

"I appreciate everyone coming to the ceremony today. Aside from having to listen to a speech, there will be food and refreshments served afterwards, which I am sure is the real reason you are here."

The twins yelled from the audience. “Get the speech over with already. We’re hungry.”

The twin's words were met with applause and laughter from the crowd.

Harry smiled and continued. "There was an evil man at Hogwarts who wanted to subjugate the inhabitants in the name of power. These selfish, evil people must not be allowed to exist because they endanger our very way of life. The key to dealing with such people is quite simple. It takes extraordinary acts of courage. Courage can manifest itself in a variety of ways. It doesn’t have to come from being in physical danger. Perhaps it is as simple as standing up for your beliefs or refusing to turn the other cheek when you witness an injustice..."

Harry could almost feel his face cramping from all the nonsense he was spewing, but he persisted, determined to finish the speech. Half an hour later, he escaped into the chamber and collapsed into the chair. He was relieved that it was over. The others followed him inside, congratulating him on such an excellent speech.

Harry waved them off. “Thank Daphne. She was the one who wrote it. All I had to do was stand there and deliver it."

Daphne bowed. “It was nothing.”

Harry stood up and walked over to the fireplace. “I’m getting out of here. I have had enough of the ministry today.”

“Hold on, Harry,” Charlus said. “We need to pay a visit to the Department of Mysteries before we leave.”

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, the Weasleys visit the Potters as someone begins to target one of their own. Who could it be?

Thanks for reading.