Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 50

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. Uh, I have been working fourteen-hour shifts for the last four days, but at least there is only one day to go. Sorry for the delay, but here it is, finally. I can't really guarantee the quality, as I haven’t had much time to edit. The second chapter will also come tomorrow instead of today as a result of the late schedule. 

Chapter 50

Tension filled the air in his grandmother's quarters.

After leading Harry into their quarters, his grandparents had him recount the entire story. He proceeded to explain the night's events, feeling like a scolded child under their withering glares. Naturally, he was not stupid enough to tell them the whole truth. He omitted the fact that he had been apprehended, instead telling them that he had quietly followed Quirrell and Peter to find out where their hideout was located.

"I cannot believe you were so foolish," Minerva finally exclaimed. “When did I raise such a reckless grandchild?"

Harry wanted to point out that she had not raised him, but he decided it was best not to mention it given how angry she appeared.

His grandfather did not seem to be any happier. He appeared to want to reach out and strangle his grandson. “Why didn’t you come to us when you discovered the knight entering the forest?”

"Let us put that aside for the time being," Harry argued. "Right now, we do not have time for this. We need you to go and catch them before they realise I have escaped. Otherwise, they will abandon the hideout, and we will be right back where we started."

“Quiet!” Minerva exclaimed.

Harry fell silent, his gaze fixed on the ground. He was well aware that he would face consequences for his reckless actions tonight. Why did he have to personally reveal the events of the night to his grandparents? He should have thought about sending them an anonymous note instead. But they would have likely recognised his handwriting.

Charlus summoned a patronus and gave it a message to deliver to Madam Bones. He sent yet another message to the headmaster.

"We need to meet with the headmaster," Charlus stated. "Let us go up to the headmaster's office."

Harry followed his grandparents as they made their way up to the seventh floor. Harry was exhausted from the events of the previous few hours and wanted to go to bed. But the night was not over yet, as he had to lead everyone back to Voldemort's lair. His mind was racing with thoughts, replaying details from the night's events over and over as he tried to make sense of it all. He came to a halt after being struck by a terrifying thought.

“What’s the matter?” Minerva asked.

Charlus raised an eyebrow at Harry, irritated that his grandson was wasting time when there was an emergency. But then he noticed Harry's expression and became concerned.

"I just realised I missed something," Harry admitted. "Do you remember how I mentioned overhearing Peter Pettigrew talking with Rupert about working for Dumbledore?"

“What about it?” Minerva approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How long do you think he has been working for Dumbledore?" Harry asked. "Did he have anything to do with my parents' deaths?"

His grandparents were stunned. They had never considered that possibility before.

"I know he is a bad man, but to deliberately plan their deaths," Minerva said quietly. "Surely he would not do something like that. Not to me, his apprentice."

Charlus, on the other hand, was furious. He could not get the idea out of his head now that Harry had planted it there. Knowing how badly Dumbledore wanted to destroy his family, he knew he was perfectly capable of getting his hands dirty to eliminate his son.

"Think about it," Harry suggested. "Sirius used to be the secret keeper, but he gave it up so Peter could become the new keeper. Have you ever wondered why he did that?"

Minerva sighed. "Sirius said he was an obvious target, and no one would ever think of going after Peter. It was supposed to be the perfect plan.”

There was a long silence as they considered the implications.

"We can look into it later," Charlus finally said. "For the time being, we have a more pressing matter."

When they arrived at the office, the headmaster was already seated behind his desk. When Flitwick noticed Harry enter the office behind his grandparents, he sighed.

"Perhaps I am becoming a seer in my old age because I predicted you would be somehow involved in this incident. What is going on, Charlus?"

Charlus wearily rubbed his face. "Just hold on a moment. Madam Bone will be here shortly, and I don't want to have to say everything again."

A few minutes later, the fireplace erupted in a green flame, and Madam Bones' head poked out. She emerged from the floo after obtaining permission and was followed by Shacklebolt and Proudfoot.

"Why are we being called in so late?" Amelia barked, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Harry. "Ah, I see. Harry has caused yet another incident."

"That is hardly fair," Harry objected.

“Quiet!” Amelia took a seat, groaning and rubbing her neck. "All right, what happened?"

"It involves sensitive information involving Voldemort," Charlus explained. "Can you trust your aurors to keep a secret?"

That drew their attention. Amelia considered the two men who had accompanied her before making her decision. "I brought these two because they are two of my most dependable aurors. They know how to keep their lips sealed."

"What is this all about, Charlus?" Flitwick inquired. "If there is another incident at school, I will retire and go live on some remote island somewhere."

Charlus cast a glance at Harry, silently telling him to repeat his version of events. After Harry did so, Amelia cursed up a blue streak. She began speaking aloud after she had calmed down some more as she planned her next move.

"There are four Aurors in the castle right now," Amelia said. "With the remaining Runic Knights in the castle, that should be enough to bring Quirrell and Peter down. I do not want too many people to find out that Voldemort is still alive because it will cause panic. That is, if you are willing to accompany me, Charlus?"

Charlus gave a nod. "I am not going to let them bother my family or anyone else in the castle anymore."

"I will be there as well," Minerva said, glancing at her grandson. "But it is only to keep an eye out for this troublesome child. He will have to show everyone how to get to the hideout."

"We also have to take care of Rupert, who works for Dumbledore," Harry reminded them.

"We can delegate that task to the knights," Amelia said. "Our top priorities are Quirrell and Peter."

The aurors and knights were summoned to the headmaster's office. Apart from Rupert, there were only four knights left in the castle, and they had all arrived fully armoured for battle, even when they weren’t aware of the situation. Harry wondered if they wore the armour to bed and how uncomfortable that would be.

They briefed the newcomers on the situation. After learning about Rupert, one of the Runic Knights, a woman with a long scar on her cheek and fierce brows, stepped forward.

"That scumbag has betrayed the order," she snarled. "I am going to skin him alive. But it pales in comparison to what I intend to do to Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew."

"Calm down, Sheena," an older knight advised. "If he truly betrayed us, he will face justice. I propose that we make haste and go capture them.”

"Voldemort is mine," Charlus declared solemnly. "I want to personally show him what happens when he messes with my family."

"I can take care of Peter," Harry said, his face as serious as his grandfather's. “I need to pay him back for betraying my parents.”

"You will not do such a thing," Minerva said, tapping him on the back of the head. "You will remain outside the hideout while the adults attend to their business."

Harry sagged in his chair. Why did his grandparents have to suck the fun out of his life?

“Let’s get this over with,” Amelia said.

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

They marched out of the castle and down towards the forest. The sound of rustling grass was heard, and everyone became alert, pointing their wands and swords in the direction of the noise.

The light from their wands illuminated a five-foot-long snake. Despite the fact that Nagini had shrunk to a smaller size, Harry recognised her right away.

“Wait!” Harry dashed forward and grabbed the snake. She snaked up his body, wrapping herself around his neck. “This is Nagini. I ran into her in the woods on my way back."

They continued into the forest because no one was interested in a seemingly ordinary snake. After moving through the forest briskly, they arrived at the pond half an hour later.

"How come we did not find this place sooner?" Reena frowned, tapping her sword against her thigh in agitation. "We had to have searched the entire forest within Hogwarts' boundaries.

"Perhaps Peter asked Rupert to overlook this location," Harry speculated.

"That is a plausible scenario," Reena said.

"They cast a spell to part the water," Harry explained. "There is an entrance beneath the boulder."

"Did you happen to notice the type of spell it was?" Charlus asked.

“No. But after exploring the area, I discovered another entrance around the back."

Harry led them around to the back and showed them the small cliff edge above their heads, which was hidden by some trees. Minerva conjured some stone stairs, and Sheena climbed them to investigate the hidden entrance.

"There doesn't seem to be any wards," Reena observed. "However, we must remain cautious."

Harry cocked his head, wondering how she was going to get inside. She tapped the sword against the rock and muttered an incantation. A section of the rock transformed into sand and cascaded over her feet, revealing a hole that led into the tunnel.

“So your swords function as wands as well?” Harry exclaimed.

Reena motioned for him to remain silent. The other knights followed her into the hole to investigate the interior, while the rest waited outside in tense anticipation. His grandparents pushed Harry behind him and raised their wands.

Reena emerged from the tunnel and informed them that the coast was clear.

Amelia nodded before turning to address her aurors. “Proudfoot. You and Ollie will stand guard at the lake's entrance in case Quirrel and Peter manage to elude us. "The rest are following us."

Minerva pushed Harry further into the trees and conjured some chairs for them to sit on. Harry felt a hollow sensation in his stomach as he watched his grandfather enter the tunnel. It had not occurred to him until now that his grandfather was in danger and could be hurt or worse.

Minerva ran a hand through his hair, comforting him as she noticed the expression on his face. “Your grandfather will be fine. He is a powerful wizard. He could face Voldemort in his prime and not come out with a loss. Now that he is just a wraith inhabiting a decaying body, he doesn’t stand a chance against him.”

Harry nodded.

Nagini hissed. "Your grandmother is correct. I sense that your grandfather is a strong wizard. Voldemort's wraith will be forced to flee from its host."

"I can't stop myself from worrying, though.”

They waited for what seemed like an eternity. Just as Harry was about to get up and investigate, his eyes widened when he noticed a black mist emerging from the tunnel, barely visible beneath the moonlit sky. Minerva stood there with her wand raised, but the wraith did not notice them. It flew through the air, deeper into the forest.

Harry sighed with relief. "That takes care of Voldemort for the time being-"

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He had a feeling something was going to happen, so he examined his surroundings with vigilance. He was about to respond when he heard a hiss from beside him. His eyes widened when he noticed a cat standing where his grandmother had previously been. She pounced forward and vanished into the shrubbery.

Harry pursued her, but he quickly lost sight of her. He heard shouts and turned to see his grandfather and the others emerging from the tunnel.

“Pettigrew! Come back here!” Charlus yelled.

Harry ran up to him, about to tell him about his grandmother, when he heard a rustle behind him. He spun around to see the cat emerge, holding a rat in her mouth.

As his grandmother dropped the rat on the ground, Harry summoned his wand and stunned it. His grandmother transformed back and was about to speak when she noticed Harry holding the tip of his wand to the rat's head.

“Harry!” Minerva extended her hand. “That’s enough. He has been apprehended and will face punishment. There is no need to harm him."

Harry had a vice-like grip on the rat, paying little attention to her words. A crimson haze enveloped him, and he was unprepared for the overwhelming surge of rage he felt upon seeing the rat, and he fought the urge to extinguish its wretched existence. A single spell would be enough to put an end to it.

He tensed when a hand was placed on his shoulder. His grandfather's voice spoke to him in his ear. "Your grandmother is correct, Harry. Killing Peter for what he did to your parents will not bring them back. It will only cause more pain."

Kingsley approached him, holding out his hand to the rat. After a brief hesitation, Harry placed the rat in his hands. He spun around and buried his face in his grandfather's chest. As the boy sobbed into his arms, his grandfather wrapped his arms around him. His grandmother joined him, and the three of them held the boy as he succumbed to his anguish. The others moved away to give him privacy, and they stood there for several minutes before he regained his composure.

His grandfather cradled his grandson's face in his hands. "We have captured Peter, and we will eventually capture Voldemort and Dumbledore as well. Nobody is ever going to hurt my family ever again.

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

6th April

Harry was startled awake by the sensation of something jumping onto his bed. Glancing over, he saw his two girlfriends giggling mischievously at him. Suddenly, a sharp hiss filled the room, causing all the two girls to jump in surprise. Nagini poked her head out of the blankets, causing them to scream in fear, and they quickly leapt out of bed.

Nagini had returned to her normal size, about twelve feet long. She had told him that she could change her size to some extent, but that it took effort to maintain it.

“Where did the snake come from?” Daphne exclaimed. After getting over her initial surprise, she didn’t look that afraid of the snake.

"It is a long story," Harry explained. “Her name is Nagini. She will not bite, so you can pet her."

Daphne showed no hesitation in stroking Nagini’s broad head, who hissed in pleasure.

“That’s the spot. Right there.”

Susan was more hesitant than Daphne, but she bravely reached out and stroked Nagini's head as well.

Nagini slithered out of bed and across the floor to the window, where Fawkes and Hedwig were sleeping. She laid herself out and closed her eyes to get some more sleep.

“That is one scary snake,” Susan said, shuddering. “But she is beautiful in her own way.

Daphne smiled. “I approve of the new addition.”

“Are you creating a menagerie in your dorm room?" Susan asked. “Did you ask the other boys for their opinion on the matter? Something tells me they will not be so accepting of Nagini.”

The girls laughed at him but became concerned when they noticed the dark circles under his eyes. They crawled across the bed to embrace him.

"I am sorry for waking you," Daphne said, pressing her cheek against his own. Susan made the same gesture again, and any lingering bad mood from the night before vanished.

“What’s the time?” Harry asked.

“It’s almost eleven,” Susan replied.

“What!? Don’t we have classes?”

Daphne kissed him on the cheek and leaned back against his pillow. "The headmaster announced that there will be no classes today. It is a celebration because Quirrell and Peter Pettigrew have finally been apprehended.”

Susan sat up and looked into his eyes. "Based on how you slept, it seems like you were caught up in another dangerous situation."

"I am not sure what you are talking about," Harry replied.

"Perhaps we should torture the truth out of him," Daphne suggested, her hands reaching out and tickling his sides, making him squirm.

“Stop that,” Harry gasped.

Susan joined in on the tickling. They pinned him down and began torturing him mercilessly. He fought back, reaching out to tickle their ribs in return. They tussled across the bed with shrieks of laughter until Harry inadvertently grabbed Susan's bottom. She squealed, and he quickly removed his hand. In retaliation, she punched his shoulder.

"May we come in right now?" Hermione poked her head through the curtain. Her head abruptly vanished when she witnessed their dishevelled state.

"What are they doing?" Padma peered in, her dark eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Do not stop on my part. This is another opportunity to brush up on your anatomy knowledge."

"You are a pervert," Susan shot back.

“Hurry up and get up." Terry’s head appeared above Padma’s. "We have a day off, and you are squandering it by lying in bed."

"Sleeping in is exactly what you do on your day off," Harry sighed.

When they opened the curtains, they found all of their friends waiting for them. They sat up in bed to make room for their friends to sit down.

“Did you know there was a giant snake lying by the window?" Hannah asked, hiding behind Susan.

“I approve,” Blaise and Tracy said simultaneously.

“They should be in the Slytherin house,” Terry muttered.

"How should we spend today?" Hermione asked. "I believe it is time to begin preparing for the end-of-year exams. They are not far away."

"We still have two months," Hannah grumbled. "Two weeks is more than enough time for me to study."

Hermione ignored her, taking the bag off her shoulders and removing several study journals. She handed them out, and when they opened them, they discovered that they had very detailed study notes from the entire school year.

Hermione's eyes glowed with excitement. "If we want to keep our position as the top students, we need to get started right away."

The rest of the group looked at each other and unanimously rejected her proposal.

"So, what else are we going to do?" Hermione huffed.

“I can’t leave the castle,” Harry grumbled. “My grandparents have grounded me until the end of the school year.”

“That’s right,” Daphne said, crossing her arms. “You still haven’t told us what you did last night.”

Harry groaned as everyone else pressed him for the story. Since they were so persistent, he was forced to tell them what happened. They looked shocked when he told them about his forest escapes, with some details carefully omitted.

Daphne and Susan both smacked his shoulder.

"Why am I being abused so much today?"

"Because you are an idiot," Daphne and Susan both said at the same time. The others were quick to agree. Harry grumbled at their betrayal.

"Where’s Neville?" Harry asked, attempting to change the subject.

“He is down in the greenhouses with Professor Sprout,” Daphne explained. “The plants that were found in Quirrel’s hideout were donated to Hogwarts. The Aurors were up early this morning so they could explore the hideout in-depth.”

“I am surprised you are not down there as well.”

"I was concerned about you," Daphne said, pausing. "Besides, there are no rare plants, so I decided it was not worth my time."

“What about the magical beasts?” Harry asked.

After Peter was captured, his grandparents brought him back to the castle. As a result, he had no idea what had happened to them. Nobody had mentioned the troll that he and Nagini had killed either. He hoped they did not figure out who killed it because he would be in a lot more trouble than he was already.

"They were all set free," Hermione said. "Aside from the acromantula."

“Did they donate anything else?” Harry asked.

He remembered the treasure room where he had obtained the ward breakers. He did not mind if the owners claimed ownership of the items. Many of the objects likely held dark magic, which he didn’t want to mess with.

"Not that we are aware of," Susan replied.

Harry’s stomach growled, making him realise how hungry he was right now.

"Breakfast is already finished," Daphne admitted with a guilty expression. "We should have kept something for you."

“It’s fine,” Harry said dismissively.

His thoughts about eating something gave him an idea of where they could hang out, so he crawled out of bed. "Give me ten minutes to clean up, and I will show you something amazing."

After he took a shower, he retrieved his workshop trunk from his inventory before exiting the bathroom. He placed it on the floor beside his bed and tapped it with his wand to unshrink it.

“What’s this, Harry?” Hermione asked.

He lifted the lid to reveal the ladder. "Why don't we go down and find out?"

The trunk left everyone amazed, prompting them to scramble down the ladder in eager anticipation of discovering where it led. Harry followed them last, climbing down the ladder until his feet hit the ground. There was a short corridor that led to a set of double doors, which had already been opened.

"It is a replica of your workshop," Daphne exclaimed. She was the only one here who had seen his workshop out of all his friends.

"That is right," Harry said, grinning. “When I add more stations to my workshop at home, I will add them to my trunk workshop as well.”

"This must have cost a fortune," Blaise remarked. “I assume that you bought it from the trunk shop in Diagon Alley.”

Harry nodded. "It was expensive, but it was worth every galleon."

After showing them around the first floor, he led them up to the second floor, which housed his bedroom and kitchen. He took some cold chicken from the fridge and started eating it.

"This is a nice place to relax away from Hogwarts," Tracy said as she jumped onto the bed. "However, you should have gotten a trunk with a quidditch pitch in it."

"Please forgive me," Harry said sarcastically. “I will take your opinion into greater consideration next time.”

“As you should!" Tracy grinned.

Later that evening, while sitting in the common room with his friends, Harry received a visitor. When his name was called, he looked up to see that it was Sheena, the knight who had taken part in the raid on Voldemort's hideout.

"May I help you with anything?" Harry asked as Sheena came to a halt in front of him.

"If you do not mind, I would like to speak with you privately," Sheena said.

Harry looked around at his friends, who shrugged, unsure what the knight could want. He stood up and followed her out of the tower and into the corridor.

"I want to thank you for exposing Rupert's deception," Sheena said, bowing. "Many of his crimes have come to light as a result of his interrogation."

"He was working for Dumbledore," Harry said. “Did he say why he was working for him?”

Sheena shook her head. "Even with Veritaserum and a Level 5 Legilimens, we could not find anything about Dumbledore."

"I heard him talking to Pettigrew."

"I watched the memory you submitted, so I believe you," Sheena assured him. "However, Dumbledore must have access to some sort of magic that completely obscures information about him. It is frustrating that we may never understand why Dumbledore wanted Rupert to find the item in the unicorn's grove."

“Did you find the grove?” Harry asked.

He used his occlumency to keep his expression even, not wanting to give anything away. It would be problematic if the knights were able to obtain the item before he could; otherwise, he would be unable to complete the mission assigned to him by the unicorns. Because he was grounded for the time being, he would have to wait until the end of the school year to retrieve it.

"The grove is not difficult to find," Sheena said. “The issue is breaking through the ward. It contains some ancient magic that we have not seen before. We are not going to put our lives in danger for something that is not even ours to take. Sometimes you just have to keep your greed in check and leave things alone.”

"I understand," Harry said, nodding.

Sheena smiled and ruffled his hair. "Does that mean you have given up on obtaining the schematics for the knight's armour?"

“No way.”

Sheena took a card from her pocket and handed it to him. "If you ever want to be a knight, you can attend the yearly recruitment tests once you reach the age of fifteen. I will write you a recommendation letter."

“Why me, though?” Harry asked.

He was not sure what he thought about the offer. Becoming a renowned Artisan was more appealing to him, but it was something to consider.

"I found out you were being trained by Master Footshredder," Sheena said. "I can only think of one reason for him to accept you as a disciple. "You were born to be a knight."

Harry thanked her and they said their goodbyes. He returned to the common room and put the idea out of his mind for the time being. It wasn’t something he needed to worry about for another year.

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

25th June

Harry was traversing the Forbidden Forest in his demiguise form. His destination was the unicorn's grove, where he would finally finish the task assigned to him. He needed to hurry because the Hogwarts Express was leaving in two hours. Fortunately, a demiguise was extremely fast when it sprinted across the ground. He only had to be cautious of any magical creatures who might see him as a snack.

As he ran, he considered his summer plans. There was still so much work to be done. The rest of the school year flew by, with no further incidents to disrupt it.

Peter Pettigrew's trial began a month after he was apprehended. He was found guilty of several heinous crimes. Under Veritaserum, he admitted to betraying Lily and James Potter as well as providing information to Voldemort, which resulted in several deaths during the last war. In addition, his most recent crimes were added to the charges. This included kidnapping Master Karlsson on Quirrell's orders, which resulted in his death.

Amelia Bones decided to keep Voldemort's existence hidden, but it was not easy. She had to steer away from the questions that mentioned the Dark Lord and blame everything on Quirrell. Unfortunately, when questioned about working for Dumbledore, not even the Veritaserum could compel him to answer. So they could not pin any more crimes on Dumbledore. Not that he needed any more, as his current count would see him spend the rest of his life in Azkaban.

Peter was sentenced to be sent through the veil for all of his crimes. The execution took place immediately following the conclusion of the trial. Harry was present at the trial but did not stay for the execution. He had intended to, but when he first saw the Veil of Death, he was immediately repulsed by it. Something about the thing made him nervous, and he found himself leaving the room before he realised it.

Despite having the workshop trunk, he had not spent much time inside it. Because school had been disrupted throughout the year, professors were assigning more homework. He wanted to spend more time with his friends because he would not see most of them during the summer vacation because their families had other plans.

He was not completely idle with his Artisan skills, though. He was already researching his new Artifact, which involved exchanging dozens of letters with Gabrielle. When it came to his second Artifact, he was honestly wondering if he was biting off more than he could chew. Many Artisans had tried and failed to create what they were attempting, and he was likely to be one of those failures.

The Artifact's function would allow a Veela to completely suppress their allure. Usually, the race was not able to completely suppress it until they were in their forties at the earliest, which meant they had to put up with drooling males who would do stupid things to impress them for a long time. Not to mention the men who would try something more despicable due to their lack of self-control. Honestly, he was really doing it primarily for Gabrielle because he did not want her to go through the same ordeal.

Since it needed to be an Artifact that Veela needed to wear, he was looking into adding a jewellery crafting station to his workshop. That would have to wait until he returned home for the summer holidays. Aside from spending time with his girlfriends, he planned to work hard on improving the workshop and his skills.

Aside from that, he wanted to improve his spell card repertoire and their performance. To do that, he was finally studying inscription layering, which involved layering inscriptions on top of each other, which allowed him to do more with them. It was a lot more complicated than he thought and he was taking his time to learn it.

Harry slowed down as he approached his destination. The grove was completely hidden from view, surrounded on all sides by a thick tangle of vines that appeared to be completely interpretable. No witch or wizard, as far as he knew, had ever entered the grove, so he would be the first. The unicorns had entrusted him with the secret, but that did not mean he would be able to do it.

Harry returned to his human form and approached the vine wall. He took a deep breath and extended his hand.

So, what do you think? Finally, the first year at Hogwarts has finished, and the summer holidays are next.

Thanks for reading.