Harry Potter: The Mage's Path Chapter 31

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. I will update Harry's status shortly, but it's a work in progress. I will keep updating it with more information as I go along.

"Which way do we go?" Tonks asked, interrupting Harry's internal debate over which direction to go in.

"I don't know," Harry shook his head in frustration. "I'm not familiar with Knockturn Alley. Where would a kidnapper go if he wanted to escape pursuit?"

"You're assuming they are not delivering them to someone in the alley," Proudfoot pointed out.

"The side streets lead to dead-ends," Tonks said. "I think if I were a kidnapper, I'd keep going straight ahead, deeper into the alley."

"That's assuming they didn't apparate out of here," Harry said.

"You cannot apparate out of the alley," Tonks countered. "Don't forget that the alley is technically located in another dimension, and apparition cannot penetrate through them."

He had forgotten that piece of information. Did that mean he could use ID Escape to teleport out of the alley? Where would he end up? In the courtyard?

"Then we move forward," Harry said decisively, dashing straight ahead. Tonks and Proudfoot followed him closely, their feet pounding on the cobblestone pavement.

There were several street vendors hawking their wares. Harry glimpsed several disreputable individuals, including a Hag holding out a tray of human-looking fingernails. It was a lot different from Diagon Alley and had narrow and twisty streets with a dreary atmosphere. The alley was filled with stores devoted to the dark arts and a haven for criminals and dark creatures. Harry wondered how the Ministry could allow Knockturn Alley to exist when it was so blatantly depraved.

As Harry turned a corner, he caught a glimpse of his quarry just ahead of him. The man stood in front of a two-story squat building that had seen better days. There were several broken windows on the upper floor, as well as peeling paint in several places along the exterior. It appeared to be a warehouse of some kind, with two heavy wooden double doors in the front.

Harry stepped back out of sight when the man turned to survey the street as if he could sense someone was following him. Thankfully, he didn't spot Harry, and he turned his attention back to the building. Taking out his wand, the man tapped on the door in a sequence similar to how someone would access Diagon Alley from the courtyard.

"Where is he, Harry?" Tonks whispered beside him.

"In front of the warehouse," Harry whispered, just as one side of the door opened and the man slipped inside with his sack slung over his shoulders. Aware that the time was almost up, he quickly came up with a plan on the fly. He reached inside his Mokeskin pouch and retrieved his Invisibility Cloak. "Either of you needs to lift me up to the second-floor window. I will cause a distraction, and you guys can come in wands blazing to save the day."

"Are you crazy?" Tonks asked incredulously. "I don't want you to get involved in this. It's time to call in reinforcements. We have no idea what kind of situation we're getting into."

"I agree with Tonks." Proudfoot looked around nervously. "We're now in hostile territory. There's no way to predict what might happen if we aren't careful."

"No time," Harry said urgently. "My instinct tells me that if we don't act now, the victim will never be seen again. I am saving them, even if I have to do it by myself."

Harry rushed forward, ignoring the Aurors' startled exclamations. He stopped beneath the nearest broken window. Tonks reluctantly joined him at this point, and he motioned for her to levitate him up to the window ledge quickly. Several seconds passed before he felt himself lift off the ground, and he clutched onto his cloak even tighter to him, ensuring it would not fall from his grasp. As soon as he got close enough to the window, he grabbed hold of the windowsill and lifted himself up and through the window.

The second floor was shrouded in darkness, but he could see well enough thanks to his enhanced perception. From what he could see, the second floor was merely a walkway that circled the inside of the building with an open area in the middle. This allowed for an unobstructed view down onto the ground floor below.

Harry tried to be as quiet as possible as he crouched down and slipped on his cloak. He crept forward and peeked over the railing to see what was happening. There was a straightforward layout, with a series of paths crisscrossing through a series of tall shelves packed full of various items. In the centre of the room there was an open space, where a table and chairs were set up and two individuals could be seen.

One of them was the kidnapper, and he was talking to another man, and they seemed to be arguing about something. On the floor between them, the sack with the captive inside wiggled violently as they tried to escape. He watched as the other man passed the kidnapper a huge bag that made a clinking sound, which he guessed to be loaded with coins. It looked like the exchange was taking place, so he had to act now.

Harry poked his arm out of his cloak and summoned a fireball, careful to keep it out of sight until the last moment. He judged the distance and determined that the men were within range of his attack. Not that he wanted to actually hit them, as he might hurt the person on the floor. Looking around, he spotted a pile of straw on the floor a few metres away from where they were standing. He decided that would be his target.

Thankfully, from where he was located, they had their backs turned to him, so they couldn't see him launching the fireball, which would add to the confusion. Standing up, Harry took careful aim before throwing the fireball, then quickly ducked behind the railing so he wouldn't be spotted.

He heard the quiet whoosh as the fire ignited the straw, followed by startled shouts as the men noticed the flames. Before they could react further, the doors were blown open and Tonks and Proudfoot entered the fray.

"We are Aurors from the Ministry," Proudfoot shouted. "Put your hands up where we can see them." As the senior Auror, it was obvious he would take the lead in the takedown. Technically, Tonks was still only an Auror in training.

Harry heard the two men curse, followed by the sound of spellfire. It looked like the criminals would not surrender easily. As Tonks and Proudfoot engaged them, he decided it was time to rescue the captive. Harry stood up and rushed towards the stairs, hoping the commotion down below would hide any noise he made. As the two sides exchanged fire with a flurry of spells, he could hear the sound of loud bangs and things breaking as the environment was not conducive to a straightforward fight.

He ran down the steps and crawled on his knees down the closest path to the centre of the room. A sizzling bolt of energy struck the shelving above him. He had to roll forward as a number of objects fell off the shelf and almost fell on him. The invisibility cloak slipped off in the process, exposing him to anyone looking in his direction. He froze as he spotted the two men in front of him who were huddled behind some shelving to shield their bodies. Thankfully, they did not see him as they faced the other direction and were occupied by Tonks and Proudfoot.

Harry spotted the captive on the floor, in the same place as before and still wriggling around in an attempt to escape. He covered himself in the cloak again and warped directly to the location of the sack. As he was about to grab it and drag it backwards, he froze as he heard a series of squeaks and growls. He looked up to discover that many of the objects on the shelving above the men's position had been transformed into several badgers. This must be Tonks' handy work. A true Hufflepuff indeed.

The badgers launched themselves at the men. They reacted quickly, sending several curses at the animals, destroying them as they struck their bodies. However, one managed to get past the spells and clawed one of the men's faces, opening up a gaping wound on his face, causing the man to scream in pain. He dropped his wand, and clutched his head, rolling around on the floor as the badger continued to maul him. The other man carefully aimed his wand and fired a red curse at the badger, which took it out.

If Harry stayed here any longer, he would probably get caught up in the crossfire. Grabbing hold of the sack, he warped to the back of the warehouse. Although he had never warped with a passenger before, he figured it was similar enough to apparition to be doable.

He looked down at the sack and noticed it was tied in a knot with a piece of rope. His fingers tried to loosen it, which was not easy when the bag wriggled around so much.

"Stop moving," Harry whispered harshly, causing the person inside to freeze. "The rope is too difficult to unknot. I am going to cut the top of the bag, so don't move an inch if you don't want to lose a limb or your head."

The person stayed still obediently, and Harry summoned his wand. He aimed carefully and cast a cutting spell at the top of the bag, just below the knotted rope. The spell sliced through the sack easily, and the bag parted, revealing a small head and some black hair tied in a ponytail, and long ears. Harry froze at the unexpected development, watching as the captive wriggled her way out of the bag.

The goblin child was very small, with softer and more refined features compared to that of his older counterparts. He would even say he or she almost looked cute if you ignored the beady black eyes glaring at him malevolently. The goblin had a piece of cloth wrapped around its mouth, so Harry quickly untied it. The goblin opened its mouth to scream, but Harry hastily covered it and raised a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion.

The goblin nodded, showing he understood his signal, and Harry uncovered the goblin's mouth.

Suddenly, he noticed that the sounds of fighting had stopped. The only sound he could hear was the crackle of flames as the distraction he used continued to burn out of control. If he didn't leave soon, the whole building would go up in flames.

"Harry, are you okay?" Tonks shouted, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine," Harry answered. "I have the captive safe in my possession. Have the two men been subdued?"

"One of them escaped," Tonks said, her voice coming closer as she followed his voice. "You were right, there was not enough time. The man the kidnapper was meeting had a device that allowed him to teleport out. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't a portkey. They don't work in the alley."

"Untie me human," the goblin rasped.

Harry nodded and began untying the knot that secured the goblin's hands, no longer in a hurry now that the men were not a threat. Tonks appeared from around the corner, and she stopped in astonishment when she realised who they had just rescued.

"Well, this is certainly going to upset the Goblin Nation," Tonks frowned, watching as the ropes were released and the goblin rubbed its wrists in relief. After that, Harry untied the rope that secured its feet.

"Are you going to put out the fire I started before the warehouse burns to the ground?" Harry asked.

"Proudfoot is taking care of it," Tonks replied, coming down to crouch beside them. "Hello there little guy. My name is Tonks, a trainee Auror with the Ministry. What is your name?"

"I am a she," the goblin growled. "My name is Grelan, and I am the daughter of Rangnok, the Overseer of the Goblin Nation."

Tonks paled before swearing a blue streak. Harry didn't understand what it meant, but it was obviously significant judging by Tonks' reaction.

Grelan turned her head to look at Harry. "What is your name, human? I would like to know the name of the person who rescued me."

"It's Harry Potter," he replied with a smile. "No thanks is necessary. I saw that someone was kidnapped, and I wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing."

"Oh?" Grelan studied him intently. "Are you not disappointed that I am a goblin you rescued and not a human?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Harry asked, puzzled. "I would have rescued you regardless of who you were."

"Then I thank you," Grelan replied with a stoic expression. "My father will reward you for saving me from a cruel fate. I am certain that I would be used as a bargaining chip to ensure my father's compliance. That would not have gone well for me, as he would not place the needs of one individual above the needs of the many, even his own daughter."

"How were you captured?" Harry questioned. "I didn't think Goblins stepped outside of Gringotts that often."

"We don't," Grelan replied. "But I was interested in attending the Adventurers Guild's opening ceremony, and so I decided to go out in disguise along with two of my father's most trusted guards. I don't remember being attacked, so I must have been struck from behind. The next thing I knew was waking up and being lugged around like a piece of garbage."

Proudfoot appeared and showed the same reaction as Tonks at the sight of the goblin child. Tonks relayed the information to him about the goblin's identity. Although he reacted better to the revelation than Tonks did, he still appeared unnerved.

"Right," Proudfoot grunted. "We need to get Grelan back to the bank. The Goblins have probably already started looking for her, and things may escalate if she is not found soon."

Grelan rose to her feet regally like a princess, which she probably was, in Goblin terms at least. "Gringotts will take custody of the kidnapper. We have plenty of methods to extract information from our prisoners."

Proudfoot hesitated, unsure how to proceed. Obviously, he didn't want to upset the Goblins, but he was an Auror, and they needed to open their own investigation on the matter. Taking a moment to think about it, he came up with a plan.

"I will send a patronus with a message to my boss," Proudfoot replied. "I am sure she will agree to Gringott's request in this matter, but I hope we can cooperate to find out who is responsible for this incident."

"Very well," Grelan nodded.

Proudfoot sent the patronus, and they retrieved the kidnapper on the way out of the building. He was stunned and tied up in several conjured ropes. Proudffoot floated the prisoner beside him as they walked back in thedirection of Diagon Alley. The commotion attracted a lot of attention, but Tonks held her wand up, warning off any individual who approached them.

After almost reaching Diagon Alley, Harry heard a shout that caught his attention. He looked ahead to see an intimidating sight that made him go weak in the knees. There was an entire squadron of Goblins rushing towards them, dressed head to toe in silver-plated armour and wielding two-handed axes in their hands. From their fierce expressions, it looked like they would attack first and ask questions later.

"Do you mind talking them down?" Harry asked Grelan nervously. "I would like to keep my limbs and head intact."

"Ditto," Tonks said, looking at the approaching Goblins with apprehension.

"If I must," Grelan nodded. Just as the squadron reached them, she stepped forward. "Halt. Refrain from attacking my companions. These three humans rescued me. They are not my kidnappers."

It was almost comical how such a tiny individual commanded so many fierce warriors. The squadron heeded her words and stopped in their tracks, placing their axes on their backs. A particularly fierce-looking goblin stepped forward, taller than his comrades and sporting a wicked scar bisecting his right eye. "Are you unharmed, my lady?"

"I am unharmed," Grelan replied. She pointed to the unconscious wizard that Proudfoot was levitating beside him. "He is the one who kidnapped me. If it wasn't for these three humans, I would be long gone by now."

"You have my thanks," the goblin bowed, although there was a sour look on his face as if he hated making the gesture. "Greetings, my name is Tarnok. I am sure Ragnok will wish to speak with you and reward you for your heroic actions."

"What happened to my bodyguards?" Grelan asked.

"I am afraid Loggrat has betrayed the Nation," Tarnok snarled, which was echoed by the Goblins standing behind him. "He blindsided Grinraff and aided in your kidnapping. We captured him sneaking out of the alley."

"Good," Grelan nodded in satisfaction, her fangs showing briefly in a smile. "Is Grinraff going to be okay?"

"Apart from feeling ashamed of being caught off guard and a nasty headache," Tarnok shrugged. "He is fine."

"Take the wizard into custody," Grelan commanded. "We must ascertain who is responsible for this crime."

Tarnok snapped his fingers and the squadron surrounded the unconscious wizard and demanded that Proudfoot release the prisoner to him. Proudfoot hesitated, unsure of what to do, when a patronus appeared out of thin air beside him.

"Proudfoot, release the man into the Goblin Nation's custody. We will decide on the cooperation later. Meet me at the entrance to Gringott's," Amelia's voice rang out and the patronus faded away.

Proudfoot handed over the man to the Goblins in obvious relief and followed the other two and the squadron back to the bank. Obviously, a full squadron of Goblins marching through the streets would cause a stir. However, no one dared approach them, as they looked tense and ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

Harry spotted his friends standing with Professor McGonagall, watching with interest. It looked like Hermione was going to rush forward to demand answers from Harry, but the Professor held her shoulder tightly, preventing her from moving.

"Nothing to worry about." Tonks waved at them. "But we may be occupied for a while. You may return without us. I will bring Harry back to Hogwarts later on."

"I will entrust Mr Potter to you. Harry, we will be having a talk when we return to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall looked at him sternly, before ushering her charges away, ignoring Hermione's protest. The Aurors followed them, not shirking their duty in looking after the kids, despite being curious about what was going on.

<====({owo})====>

Harry kicked his heels against the seat, bored out of his mind. Tonks and Proudfoot sat beside him, seemingly not as impatient as he was. After all, they were probably used to waiting around in their line of work. Before they were escorted into a waiting room, they met Amelia briefly outside Gringott's. The Goblins kicked their customers out of the bank and closed its doors. He imagined they were feeling extra paranoid at the moment and doing a full security check. They were interrogated about the events leading up to the rescue. Afterwards, they were led to this waiting room where they had been waiting ever since. He confirmed the quest was completed and received three Charisma for his troubles. Not bad for a few minutes' work.

He reached out and snagged another biscuit from the tray on the table, and munched on it. Fortunately, the Goblins provided refreshments. This proved that even in the midst of an emergency, they did not lose their hospitality.

The door opened, and two menacing-looking guards entered and stood on either side of the doorway.

"Stand and prepare to meet the Overseer of Gringotts, Ragnok the Undefeated," one of the Goblins barked.

"Stand up, Harry," Tonks hissed, grabbing the boy and pushing him to his feet when he was not quick enough. "Remember to give a shallow bow when greeting the Overseer or you may lose your head."

A goblin entered, and he was the biggest goblin he had seen by far, similar in stature to Harry. He was dressed in elaborate gold armour, with a dark cape draped over his shoulders and a sheathed sword attached to his waist. From Harry's point of view, Ragnok looked extremely pissed off, and he hoped the Goblin's ire was not aimed at him. Harry followed the Auror's example and performed a shallow bow, although he was a lot more awkward and unaccustomed to the gesture. Grelan appeared from behind her father and ran over to Harry and grinned at him.

"Take a seat," Ragnok growled and sat down on the seat opposite them after they had taken their seats. "I would rather not have a debt owing to humans, and my honour dictates that I offer you a boon as compensation for saving my daughter. What do you wish for as recompense?"

Harry opened his mouth, about to say Ragnok didn't owe him anything. However, Grelan kicked him, stopping him before he could speak. Had she saved him from offending the Overseer?

"We don't dare put a price on your daughter's life," Tonks said carefully. "We will leave it up to you to choose an appropriate gift as compensation. If Harry hadn't noticed the situation in the first place, your daughter would not have been saved. Not to mention, he played a big part in the rescue itself. So, I think Harry deserves the majority of the reward."

Proudfoot nodded in agreement, taking cues from Tonks. She appeared more experienced in these kinds of political situations. Probably her mother's influence.

"Yes, my daughter has sung your praises," Ragnok focused his attention on Harry. "It seems that the stories that are told about the Boy Who Lived are not just a work of fiction."

"They are fiction," Harry said firmly. "That terrible hyphenated name was assigned to me without consideration for my feelings. I am striving to make a name for myself based on actual accomplishments, not a story created by idiotic wizards."

"An honest wizard," Ragnok nodded in appreciation. "We don't see many of those. As for your compensation, I will have to give the matter more thought. My daughter's life is precious to me, so I have to give equal consideration to the reward you three will receive. I need to get going. Time is money, after all. You may leave whenever you wish."

Ragnok rose from his seat and the others followed suit. "Come, Grelan. It looks like we need extra lessons in situational awareness. You should never have been caught so easily."

Grelan looked reluctant, but followed Ragnok out of the room, waving goodbye to Harry. It crossed his mind to ask about what happened to the kidnapper, and if they had also found out who was behind it, but he decided against it. He doubted he would get an answer, and he didn't need another problem weighing on his mind.

They left the bank where Amelia was waiting for them, accompanied by several Aurors. As she approached him, she scrutinized him closely. "The situation has been explained to me. I would like to ask what you were thinking about going off on your own?"

"I wasn't alone," Harry protested, wrapping an arm around Tonks. "I had my faithful cousin by my side."

"Like I had a choice in the matter?" Tonks rolled her eyes. "I should have stunned you and carried you out of the alley."

"No matter how reckless your actions, I cannot deny that it is impeccable timing on your part," Amelia said with a smile. "Because of the Minister and his cronies, relations between Goblins and humans have been strained recently. Your actions may have staved off a huge conflict with the Goblins."

"Fudge needs to go," Harry said flatly. They already had enough problems without adding another Goblin War to the mix.

"We will need your help ousting him at the next Wizengamot meeting," Amelia agreed. "However, the Minister must know that his days are numbered, so I expect he may try something before then. We need to be prepared for anything."

"Did the Goblins share with you anything about the kidnapper?" Harry asked.

"Some details," Amelia grimaced. "However, it's not something you have to worry about yet. Concentrate on your studies for now. If it becomes a bigger issue, you will probably hear about it."

"Okay," Harry shrugged.

"Let's get you back to Hogwarts before Dumbledore comes here with his beard in a twist," Tonks said.

Harry followed Tonks down the alley, where they were almost stopped by Rita Skeeter, who was looking for a scoop. Tonks pushed her out of the way, frustrating the reporter, and Harry felt her eyes drilling into his back. He was certain she would cause trouble for him in the future.

<====({owo})====>

5th August

It was a few days later that Harry was sitting outside near the Black Lake, practising his Transfiguration. It was a beautiful day outside, and he was taking it easy after another night of grinding in the Peverell Dungeon. He finally reached his goal and increased his Fire Mage class to level thirty, and levelled his job to level twenty-five as well. The experience needed to level his job further increased substantially after reaching that milestone. Thankfully, he got a steep discount on experience for his Fire Mage class at least.

Recently, he had been spending a lot more time with Hermione and Neville, so he was limited to spending his evenings in the Peverell Dungeon. He cleared the fourth floor, which was almost identical to the previous one. However, the fifth floor was different from what he had encountered before, so for the time he decided not to clear it.

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Peverell Dungeon

Boss Floor: Zombified Gryffindor Lieutenant Lv 25.

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In order to prepare for the boss, he wanted to level up the Familiar Mage class and strengthen his familiars first. In addition, he wanted to help Celeste complete her quest, so he would have to get her a suitable weapon, as the spells she had would not be useful in the Wandering Aspen Horror Dungeon.

Honestly, he was probably being too cautious, but he wasn't in a rush to complete the dungeon. In the past couple of weeks, he had made substantial progress, so he could afford to take it easy for a little while.

Harry discovered that the Mage classes involving Transfiguration, Defence, and Charms could be levelled up without killing monsters, by simply practising spells, albeit at a much slower rate. He learned this when he first switched to the Alteration Class when Professor McGonagall gave the teenagers another lesson in Transfiguration.

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Alteration Class 

Level: 3

Governing Attributes: Intelligence, Willpower

Derivative Attributes: Visualisation

Terminology (ORN): Object Resistance Number - Every object has a specific amount of resistance depending on its mass and the materials it is made of. The higher the number, the more magic and intent is needed to transform it.

Description: Transfiguration is a school of magic that involves the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, animal or human being by altering its molecular structure to achieve the desired result. In order to truly master this discipline, one needs to have intelligence, visualisation, intent, and a thorough understanding of Chemistry. This branch of magic can be dangerous if misused, and potentially fatal if there is no one around to correct any mistakes the witch or wizard makes.

Current Status/Bonuses

Intelligence + 8

Willpower + 5

Visualisation + 13%

ORN Requirements - 8%

Perks:

Observation: Added Ability - Molecular Insight: Break down objects into their base raw materials and find the Object Resistance Number.

Alteration Technician: Gain class experience for casting Transfiguration-related spells.

Skills: Transformation

Level-Up Bonuses: Intelligence + 1; Visualisation + 1%; ORN Requirements - 1%.

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With the Alteration Class, he could level it slowly without levelling his main class, which meant he could gain more skills and spells without slowing down the progression with his Fire Mage class. If he was diligent enough, he could level up his Alteration Mage class quickly to thirty and move one step closer to becoming a Novice Mage.

The class gave him the ability to transform objects without the need for a specific spell, although it was cheaper to use them. For now, he would continue using the wand incantation to avoid making Professor McGonagall too suspicious of his sudden increase in talent. However, he couldn't hide it forever.

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Transformation | Active | Level: 3 | Next: 23% | Cost: 1 MP/1 ORN per minute

Description: Transformation is the name given to a branch of Transfiguration that focuses on altering the physical attributes of an object. There are several sub-categories of Transformation: Human Transfiguration, Switching, and Trans-Species Transformations. It requires a lot of power for the transformed object to remain in its altered state for longer.

• Highest Transformation achievable: [12 ORN] [INT/Visualisation Modifier]

• Cost: Variable (1 MP per 1 Object Resistance Number per minute).

• Transformation Speed: +3% [WILL Modifier]

• Speed at transforming new objects: +3% [Visualisation Modifier]

• -12% less cost when using the personalised spell for the objects in question.

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When Harry heard the screech of an owl, he looked up. Seeing the owl heading his way, carrying a small package in its claws, he grinned in anticipation. For quite some time now, he had been waiting for the Dwarfs to send him the materials he needed for the Earth Golem. Now it looked like he was finally about to receive them.

After retrieving the package, he was initially disappointed as it looked too small to hold the materials he had requested. However, when he opened it, he saw several shrunken packages lying inside. He headed back to the castle. There was no way he would reveal what he had to everyone.

"What have you got there?" Celeste asked when he entered his room. Hedwig perked her head up in curiosity when he dumped the shrunken packages on the bed.

"The material for the Golem," Harry smiled. "It's time to build me a tank."

So, what do you think? Next chapter, Harry creates his first Golem and tests it out in the dungeon.

Thanks for reading.