Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 46

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. Headmaster Flitwick pulls a surprise move on the Board of Governors, and Harry returns his attention to making his Artifact.

Chapter 46

Harry watched the Runic Knights as they exited the castle, making their way towards the Forbidden Forest. He didn’t envy their task, as locating Quirrell and Pettigrew in such an expansive forest seemed akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. Furthermore, there were a lot of perilous creatures residing inside its depths, with the Acromantula being a clear example. Would they consider seeking assistance from the Centaurs? Harry doubted they would be inclined to cooperate with humans.

He wished he could go with them, as he still needed to finish the task the unicorns had given him. However, he still had ample time remaining before the end of the school year. Therefore, it might be best if the knights made the forest safer by apprehending and removing the two individuals who posed a threat to Harry. The only uncertainty was whether they would be able to locate them.

Upon hearing the unicorns' request, he was initially hesitant but ultimately succumbed to the allure of obtaining materials from them. The unicorns possessed a high level of intelligence and had devised an ingenious method to communicate with humans. Their horns had the ability to write words with ink, and they displayed a thorough understanding of the English language, which had astounded him when he first witnessed it.

Just as Harry was about to head into the Great Hall for breakfast, Amelia called out to him. Leaving Kingsley behind, she took hold of his arm and guided him away from the others, making sure they had some privacy.

"Harry, I need a favour," Amelia said. "Your grandfather informed me about a potential exit to the outside in Salazar's chambers. In hindsight, we should have asked Salazar directly, but unfortunately, he has already confined himself to his room again. Nevertheless, it is important for us to figure out how to seal off this exit in case Quirrell tries to use it as a means to enter the castle."

"Do you know who Quirrell really is?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Amelia nodded. "Croaker informed me. This is crucial information that I must be aware of, given my position. Although I do agree with them that, for now, it should remain confidential."

"When would you like me to take you to the chamber?"

"Is it alright if we do it after breakfast? Your grandfather will also be there, just in case we run into any difficulties," Amelia said.

"That's fine," Harry replied. He was planning to visit Diagon Alley today, but his stay would be brief, leaving him with plenty of free time.

“Thank you,” Amelia smiled at him. “I will meet you here in an hour.”

Harry nodded before entering the Great Hall.

After breakfast, Harry followed Amelia and his grandfather to the bathroom. There, he opened the entrance to the chambers. They proceeded down to Salazer's secret chamber and the large door that Harry had come across before. He used parseltongue to open it, revealing the tunnel hidden behind.

"Wait here," Charlus said to his grandson. "Amelia and I will explore the tunnel and see where it leads."

The two adults lit their wands and stepped into the tunnel. Harry kept his eyes fixed on them until the glow from their wands grew faint, indicating that the tunnel was of considerable length. After twenty minutes had passed, a loud crashing sound suddenly echoed from within the tunnel, catching him off guard. He squinted into the darkness as if hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever had caused the noise. Were the two okay?

Over the course of the next thirty minutes, he heard the recurring sound growing increasingly louder and nearer each time. It wasn't until the noise was practically upon him that he finally realised its source: they were intentionally causing the tunnel to collapse in order to obstruct the passage. The sheer audacity of their plan struck him—were they not concerned that the whole structure would ultimately come crashing down on top of them?

Harry felt a sense of relief when he noticed their light source off in the distance. He waited as they slowly made their way back to the chamber. They collapsed the tunnel one last time, about twelve feet away from the entrance. Only then were they truly satisfied.

“You could have warned me that you were going to do that,” Harry complained. “I was worried something had happened to you.”

"I'm sorry," Charlus said. "We made the decision to collapse the tunnel only after confirming that it indeed led to the outside."

"There was a door at the other end, and we could sense a breeze blowing through the cracks," Amelia added.

"Based on the distance and direction, it is clear that the tunnel leads directly to the Forbidden Forest," Harry said.

"We made the right call by being cautious then," Charlus replied. "The cave-ins will pose a significant obstacle to anyone attempting to enter. Nonetheless, we should stay vigilant and keep a close watch on it, just in case."

"There is a possibility that the Runic Knights may discover the entrance on the other end." Amelia sighed. “We will cross that bridge when and if we come to it.”

"Harry, please close the door so we can leave," Charlus said. "We still need to visit Diagon Alley."

Harry closed the door and followed his grandfather out of the chamber. He glanced back one last time at the library door before he left. He would return soon to continue exploring the books as Salazar had suggested he explore a particular topic that piqued Harry's interest.

His grandfather brought him to Diagon Alley to meet with Guildmaster Alphonso. Their purpose was to create a patent for the appraisal scroll schematic. This patent would safeguard it from being stolen and replicated by others for personal gain. Although theft couldn't be entirely prevented, the guild's extensive reach ensured that the scroll wouldn't be sold illegally in any shops at major shopping districts. Anyone doing so would face severe repercussions.

Harry chose to capitalize on an additional service offered by the guild. This service involved hiring other Enchanters or Artisans to produce appraisal scrolls in large quantities and distribute them to all major markets worldwide. By leveraging their business connections, the guild would help generate interest in his product, which would result in more sales.

With the assistance of his grandfather, he successfully negotiated a deal that granted him a thirty percent royalty fee for every scroll sold. This deal included a down payment of twenty thousand galleons. Considering that each scroll would sell for ten galleons and the production cost amounted to about a galleon, he stood to profit nearly three galleons per sale. Though this might seem insignificant at first glance, when the sales reached the thousands, the amount of earnings would become quite substantial. He would be earning a lot of galleons without having to lift a finger.

Harry considered asking his grandfather if they could visit the gym again and have another karate training session. Two months had passed since his last visit, and he hadn't anticipated being away for such an extended period of time. However, the lockdown had disrupted his plans.

He decided against asking, as his grandfather appeared in a rush to return to Hogwarts. Perhaps he would try asking to take him next weekend.

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

9th February

Harry placed the quill down and stretched. He was feeling satisfied with his progress over the last few days and now was more confident than ever that he could make the staff functional.

The last few days brought a sense of peace to the castle, as everything returned to normal. With the knights preoccupied with tracking down the two men in the forest, Harry found some respite, allowing him to concentrate on his own interests without needing to worry about another incident occurring.

Harry persisted in his training with the suit Footshredder had given him. However, he was still struggling to focus his magic on specific areas of his body. The goblin assured him that this was a significant step and it would not be an easy thing to achieve. Once he overcomes this obstacle, however, it would become much easier for him.

He refocused his attention on researching his bo-staff. After conducting extensive preliminary research, he had compiled a list of enchantments that he needed if he was going to replicate Gambit's ability. The list was quite extensive, and if the staff had been made of ordinary metal, adding all the enchantments would have posed a risk of ruining it.

Feather

Object Reduction

Object Expansion

Kinetic Charge

Explosive Force

Targetted Direction

Metal Reinforcement

Safety Grip

The bo-staff would have eight main enchantments. However, in order for all of them to work correctly, they would require over two dozen arrays, which would include the typical Obscuring Sequence and the Blood-Binding Sequence.

The Feather Enchantment would slightly decrease the weight of the staff.  Not enough to affect the feeling of wielding the staff, but enough to prevent him from tiring out during a drawn-out battle. The next two enchantments would allow him to reduce the staff to a length of approximately three feet and restore it back to its original length. This way, it would be more convenient to carry around and be more readily available whenever he needed it.

The next three enchantments took center stage, as they held the key to replicating the powerful kinetic force exhibited by Gambit's staff. With the Kinetic Charge and Explosive Force enchantments, he would be able to unleash devastating damage. The mere thought of striking the ground and causing it to shatter filled him with excitement. As for the third enchantment, Targetted Direction, it would enable him to control the direction of the kinetic energy, ensuring that he would not be harmed by his own attack.

Adding metal reinforcement to the staff would increase its durability, a crucial factor given the amount of abuse it would endure. Additionally, the Safety Grip enchantment would enable him to hold the middle part of the staff, minimising the intense vibrations he would feel caused by the powerful forces applied to it when striking something.

He had to ensure that the entire layout was designed in a way that all the arrays worked together seamlessly. Initially, he felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. However, he made a discovery that would greatly assist him in the task.

Upon returning to Salazer's library, he located the books that Salazer had recommended. These books delved into the various applications of parseltongue in magic. He was interested in Parsel Magic, which possessed the remarkable ability to amplify healing and protection spells. He would need to explore it further in the near future. However, what really excited him was the existence of the parseltongue runic language. Although he already knew about the runic language as it had been used in places such as the wards for the bathroom entrance, he had not been able to learn it as the wards were hidden from sight.

After studying it for the past few days, he had learned the new language. The main issue wasn’t learning the language itself, as his parseltongue ability made it a moot point, but how they interacted when used in conjunction with other runic languages when creating arrays. There were a lot of compatibility issues that the books went into, and he had a hard time grasping the complex subject. But he managed to learn the skill for it, which would make things easier for him in the future.

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**Parseltongue Runes 1[50/1000] - The Parseltongue runic language is a rather obscure art, as it can only be understood and used by individuals who possess the ability to speak this noble tongue. There are several advantages to using this language, particularly when it comes to enhancing enchantments related to healing and protection. Additionally, any sequences formed using Parseltongue runes are completely incomprehensible to those who are not speakers, eliminating the need for any supplementary Obscuring Array. However, it is worth noting that this language does present significant compatibility challenges when used alongside other runic languages. By improving one's proficiency in this skill, the host gains a greater understanding of how the language interacts with other runic languages.

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The Parseltongue runic language had limited benefits when it came to enchantments on his staff, but its main advantage lay in its flexibility. It offered greater freedom than the more structured runic languages such as Elder Futhark. This was particularly important for crafting items like the bo-staff, which had a narrow yet lengthy surface area. It would take a complicated layout to be able to add all the arrays seamlessly over such a length.

“Where did you get those books?” Hermione asked.

Harry looked up to see his friends standing over him. They were in the room they called the Duelling Garden, a name they had adopted due to the lack of a better one. The lion in the portrait had liked the name, so they stuck with it. The club was still reviewing the books stored on the chamber's bookshelf. The books held a lot of historical information, although they were only snippets gleaned from Helga’s and Godric’s journals. While Harry had removed any direct mention of the real events that occurred a millennium ago, there were still enough clues to pique their curiosity.

He had told his friends that in order for him to reveal his secrets, they needed to become a Level 3 Occlumens at least. This was not a requirement he had come up with, but rather his grandfather. It was already risky enough that Harry possessed so much knowledge, given that he was only a Level 2 Occlumens. His friends had yet to progress beyond the first level, with the exception of Daphne. Improving their occlumency skills would be a priority for them in the coming months.

There were also books that contained a wealth of knowledge on spells, magical plants, and other esoteric magic. Hermione was already writing a list of spells she believed the club should learn. Meanwhile, Daphne and Neville planned to apply Helga's knowledge of plants to help increase the productivity of their greenhouses at home.

"They were in the Chamber of Secrets," Harry explained. Technically that was the truth. "All the books are written in Parseltongue script, so it would be impossible for you to read them."

"Why didn't you tell us about them sooner?" Daphne asked.

“I thought it would be better to tell you about them and spare you the disappointment. I know how you bookish-types can get when you can’t read a book.”

"I feel like we were just insulted," Terry remarked. "Should we nerds join forces and teach him a lesson?"

"Harry is also a nerd," Padma reminded him. She picked up one of the books and started flipping through the pages. She winced and then closed the book quickly. "You weren't kidding. This script is making me dizzy just trying to read it."

"It's not as if we can complain," Neville said. "We have an abundance of books to read on our own. Surprisingly, some of the information they contain is still relevant to this day. It's truly astonishing."

They sat down with Harry and enthusiastically shared the exciting discoveries they had made. As Harry began packing up his belongings, his mind was preoccupied with something that prevented him from fully focusing on their conversation, despite feeling infected by his friends' enthusiasm.

"The headmaster is probably in a meeting with the Board of Governors at this moment," Daphne said, almost as if she could read his mind.

“Don’t remind me,” Hermione sighed. “It makes my blood boil how Headmaster Flitwick is being blamed for all the incidents at Hogwarts.”

"If he gets fired, who do you think will take his place?" Harry asked.

"Most likely your grandmother, given her experience and the high level of respect she commands,” Daphne answered. “Unless, of course, the likes of Lucius Malfoy decide to install his own puppet as headmaster.'

Harry nodded, resigned to the idea that Flitwick would be fired. Little did he know that things were not going to go as they expected.

As he was about to leave the room, Tracy pulled him aside to speak to him.

“Have you spoken to Blaise yet?” Tracy asked with a troubled expression.

Harry shook his head. “I have tried several times, but he always brushes me off.”

“I get the same response,” Tracy sighed. “It’s frustrating. What exactly happened to him? You can’t even tell me that much?”

“Sorry,” Harry patted her shoulder. “I wish I could. Don’t give up on Blaise, He will come around eventually.

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

"Shall we get the meeting started?" Lucius Malfoy drawled. "Madam Longbottom, would you like to lead the meeting?"

Lucius Malfoy was not usually so gracious, Everyone in the room could feel the smugness radiating off him. The man firmly believed that he had gathered enough votes to remove Flitwick from his position as headmaster. Unlike last time, when Flitwick was chosen, most of the other members were now in agreement with him. The most important aspect was that Madam Longbottom no longer stood against him.

The meeting was being held in a conference room on the seventh floor, where all important meetings with the board took place. The people included in the meeting were the headmaster, the deputy headmistress and the members of the board. The group consisted of twelve prominent citizens from the wizarding community, with Lucius Malfoy and Madam Longbottom serving as the main leaders. The remaining ten members typically deferred to these two when it came to making decisions about the school.

"Very well," Madam Longbottom nodded briskly, causing the vulture on her hat to wobble. She clasped her hands together and directed a sharp gaze at the headmaster. "Firstly, let's address the reason for our presence here today. The board has some major concerns about the safety of the school. We have already lost one student this year and were incredibly fortunate that we didn't lose more. Headmaster Flitwick, could you please explain why you have overseen one of the most catastrophic school years in recent history?”

“That is hardly fair—” Professor McGonagall began, only to be interrupted when Flitwick raised his hand.

"It's true that we've experienced some tumultuous times during my short tenure," Flitwick admitted. "However, I inherited the position from Dumbledore, who left the school in disarray when he took some of the school's belongings. At the time, I was certain that he had done something to the wards as well, as I had a hard time controlling them. It was also during this time that the Enchanted Wall first appeared, an unforeseen occurrence that I could not have anticipated."

"Are you suggesting that Dumbledore was working together with the person responsible for all the incidents in the castle?" Lucius sneered. "Blaming someone who isn't present to defend themselves is a convenient way to shift responsibility."

"I cannot say with certainty whether Dumbledore was involved,” Flitwick stated. “However, it is quite suspicious that the Enchanted Wall appeared immediately after his departure from the castle."

“What did you do when the wall appeared?” Madam Longbottom asked.

"I declared the corridor off limits to students and assigned Professor Babbling to investigate the wall," Flitwick explained. "Since she could not find any ideas as to its purpose, I reached out to the Artisan Guild’s Headquarters for assistance in deciphering it. At that point, I did not consider it necessary to take more drastic measures, like closing the school."

“That would have been a drastic measure given the information you had at the time,” Madam Longbottom acknowledged. “Would you please explain the events of Halloween in detail?”

The questioning persisted for the next hour, and it became evident to Flitwick and Minerva that it was merely a procedural exercise, as the board members had already made their decision before arriving at the castle. Nonetheless, Flitwick maintained composure, and he kept glancing down at the two rolled-up parchments resting on the table in front of him.

“I think we have gathered enough information to come to an informed decision,” Lucius said smoothly. “Let’s have a vote on whether Professor Flitwick should be removed from his position.”

His choice of referring to Flitwick as a professor, rather than a headmaster, was a clear indication of his confidence in the outcome. Furthermore, it showed his utter disrespect for Flitwick. Once all the members had raised their hands, there was unanimous agreement to remove Flitwick from his position as headmaster.

Lucius' lips curled into a slight smile. "The board members have reached a decision. Professor Flitwick, you are hereby relieved—"

"Hold on," Minerva interrupted, "although we have taken note of your decision, it ultimately holds no significance. The Board of Governors lacks the authority to intervene in the school's operations. I'm afraid your time has been wasted by coming here."

"What nonsense is this?" Lucius derided. "The Board of Governors has the ultimate authority to decide who is employed at Hogwarts. It surprises me that you, Professor McGonagall, were not aware of this basic fact."

"I agree with Mr. Malfoy," Madam Longbottom declared. "Minerva, what is the meaning of this?"

“We have discovered new information pertaining to the School Charter,” Minerva explained.

It was thanks to Lady Hogwarts that they had come across the information, and they were going to use it to get rid of the Board of Governors altogether.

Flitwick smiled, pointing to the two parchments on the table. "The School Charter as we know it is not authentic," he explained. "After the founders' passing, Headmaster Dankworth took it upon himself to create his own version of the charter. It was his idea to involve an external group in the running of the school instead of adhering to the founders' original intentions. The original School Charter was hidden away in the castle by the headmaster."

The board members stood up in protest, their voices overlapping as they expressed their outrage. Only Lucius and Madam Longbottom remained seated, but the disbelief on their faces was evident. They had not anticipated such a scheme from the headmaster and were unsure how to react at first.

"You have the audacity to fabricate such a ludicrous story in an attempt to salvage your job," Lucius stated. "The fact that you would stoop to such extremes to undermine the founders' intentions for the school is truly disgraceful. I must admit, Professor McGonagall, I am astounded that you are complicit in this plot. Perhaps we should reconsider your ongoing employment at Hogwarts as well?"

Minerva sent him a scathing glance as if he was nothing but a bug that she could crush beneath her boot. Lucius gritted his teeth at the disrespect.

"Take a look at these two charters," Flitwick said, passing them to the person seated beside him. "Observe the differences between them."

Silence fell as the members of the board read through each charter carefully. It was as the headmaster had mentioned, as there were differences in one particular paragraph in the text. One of the versions had an unmistakable directive that Hogwarts would always remain independent, while the other said something different.

After everyone had read it, Madam Longbottom expressed scepticism. "I hardly see how this is proof of anything," she said. "How can we be sure that you didn't create your own version of the charter?"

The other members nodded in agreement.

"Please direct your attention to the opening paragraph," Flitick declared with confidence, standing up in his seat to underscore his point. "Both charters explicitly state that it cannot be destroyed, altered or removed from the castle. That is why the headmaster at the time made the decision to hide it within the castle instead. To determine which is the authentic copy, we need to try and destroy both copies and see which one remains intact.”

The board members glanced at each other in consideration. It was a compelling argument, as they were all aware that the School charter had a number of protections that prevented it from being messed with. They had no argument they could come up with that wouldn’t make them look like idiots.

Lucius gripped his cane under the table. The half-breed sounded too confident, which meant that he was going to retain his position as headmaster. Furthermore, his position as one of the members would now be useless. He had spent a lot of galleons to secure himself the position, and he was loath to give it up.

"I don't believe a test like that is necessary," Lucius argued. "There's no guarantee that both charters aren't fake, specifically designed by you to deceive us. You might have even enchanted one of them to safeguard your preferred version from being destroyed."

"You're grasping at straws, Mr. Malfoy," Madam Longbottom said, speaking out against him for the first time since the meeting began. "Let's proceed with the test and settle once and for all which is the genuine charter."

It didn't take long to identify the fake charter. One of them was easily burned when one of the board members cast a simple Incendio spell on it. The other charter, which lacked any mention of the Board of Governors, remained completely unaffected by any attack. After the outcome became clear, silence filled the room.

"I believe we have established without question which document is the genuine School Charter," Flitwick stated. "As a result, your involvement in the school's management has come to an end. I will inform Gringotts about this matter and ensure that your access to the Hogwarts account is revoked. I bid you a good day."

Lucius stormed out of the room, completely furious by the outcome. He had been so certain that he was going to remove the half-breed as headmaster. Flitick may be smiling now, but it won’t last for long. No one got the best of Lucius Malfoy. The time had come to devise a plan to bring down the headmaster, along with a few other individuals at the school while he was at it.

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

Dumbledore's brows furrowed as he set the newspaper aside, his mind occupied by the latest news coming from Hogwarts. The amount of revelations on the events transpiring at Hogwarts caught him off guard, and the knowledge that he had been out of the loop irked him. He couldn't help but feel frustrated with Peter for failing to keep him informed, but he understood why the man hadn’t been able to. Hogwarts had been under lockdown, making communication impossible.

Dumbledore was angry that Harry Potter was going to get an Order of Merlin when he was doing the thankless task of trying to save the magical world from dying out. Nobody understood the sacrifices he was making for all of them.

He had received a letter from Peter a day ago that provided him with details about Voldemort's recent activities. The news was deeply unsettling: Peter had kidnapped Master Karlsson, allowing Voldemort to interrogate him in an attempt to extract information. When Voldemort’s efforts to torture the information out of Master Karlsson proved fruitless, it led him to kill him out of frustration.

Dumbledore furrowed his brow while absentmindedly stroking his beard. It wasn't Master Karlsson's plight that concerned him, but rather the unsettling realisation that Peter was carrying out Voldemort's commands without his knowledge. This blatant act of insubordination reeked of trouble, something that Dumbledore could not allow to persist. Perhaps it was high time to summon Peter for a much-needed conversation.

Should he have Peter make another attempt to kidnap Harry Potter at the same time?

Dumbledore cocked his head, as though he had heard something. He reached down and picked up the Elder Wand. He stared at it intently for a moment, before placing it back down on the table.

"No, Harry Potter is not the current priority," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet. "I must focus on setting up the Great Array. There is so much to do and so little time."

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

13th March

Harry entered his workshop with a bag slung over his shoulder. He had been granted special permission to return home for the weekend so he could focus on crafting his first Artifact. There were a couple of reasons as to why he chose his workshop as the place to make it. First of all, he needed access to a blacksmith crafting station, as he was dissatisfied with the bo-staff he had made a few months ago. Additionally, Harry could only earn the workshop points by creating the Artifact in his workshop. It would reward him with an impressive one thousand points, bringing him closer to acquiring his first reward: a trunk workshop.

The last two months had been the most peaceful out of the entire school year, as there were no more dangerous incidents. The only thing that was disappointing was that the Runic Knights did not find out where Quirrell or Pettigrew were hiding out. Which meant they hadn’t found Master Karlsson either. By this point, nobody held out any hope that the man was still alive.

Although the knights didn’t find them, they had still been useful in other ways. During their search, they had managed to exterminate the Acromantula nest dwelling in the forest. Even with their superior numbers, the creatures were no match for the Runic Knights' power and brutal efficiency.

The majority of the knights had returned home after an extensive search of the Forbidden Forest. Some had remained behind, though, and would do so until the end of the school year. The Artisan Guild was really angry about the loss of Master Karlsson and was sparing no expense in trying to bring the men responsible to justice.

Harry had spoken to the knights on several occasions to see if he could purchase a suit of armour, but he had been refused. He needed to become one of them to receive armour, as their production methods were a closely guarded secret.

On a sadder note, the headmaster had to fire Hagrid, or the giant would have faced criminal charges. In addition, he was served a massive fine as well, which would take him years to pay off. It wasn’t all bad news, however, as Hagrid had got a job in Romania at a dragon reserve. The same one that Ron’s older brother worked at apparently. It was the perfect job for the giant, as he could play with dangerous creatures all he wanted and have to worry about hurting children.

Harry entered the blacksmithing room and placed his bag down. He began arranging everything he needed to make the bo-staff and lit the furnace to bring it up to the required temperature.

He rubbed his hands together. “Now, let’s get started.”

So, what do you think? Harry is about to create his first Artifact, and become an official Artisan.

Thanks for reading.