Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy Chapter 16 (Patreon)

  Happy Birthday to me! Here's a present for you, my Patrons!

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy! Time for Christmas with Family! Maybe some more progress and testing as well?

As always Patrons get all chapters early and all one-shots are Pat re on exclusive.

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So without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 16 – Yule Break, the Two Knives

Harry and Penny sat together in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express as it headed back towards London. Both were looking forward to seeing their families and celebrating the Holidays. Harry had brought along both of his prototypes for further testing. But at the moment he was thinking back onto his forced trip to the Hospital Wing via Penny.

-Flashback ~ Hospital Wing-

“What seems to be the problem?” Madam Pomfrey asked as Penny led Harry, by the wrist she still had a death grip on, into the Hospital Wing.

“Harry can’t feel his left pinky, Madam Pomfrey.” Penny told the Mediwitch. “I’m worried he might have some damage to his nerves.”

“Sit down, Mr. Potter, and let me see your left hand.” Pomfrey requested as Harry followed along and sat down before offering his hand. The Mediwitch ran her wand over his hand a few times and then cast a few diagnostic charms on his finger directly. “Hmm, how odd.” She commented as she tapped his pinky a few times with her wand.

“What’s odd?” Harry asked and the Mediwitch looked at him for a moment with questioning eyes.

“There is no Magic in your pinky right now, Mr. Potter.” Pomfrey informed the two students. “It’s the reason you can’t feel it or move it.” She tutted while she went over to her Potions Cabinet and brought back a small vial of transparent blue fluid. “Magic is a part of a Witch or Wizard, without it our bodies don’t function properly. This is usually displayed in the form of Magical Exhaustion; symptoms of which are lethargy, loss of coordination, and in severe cases loss of feeling in the extremities followed by unconsciousness.”

“So he gave his pinky severe Magical Exhaustion?” Penny questioned a look of confusion on her face.

“Interesting…” Harry mused as Pomfrey covered his finger in the Potion by soaking a cotton ball and then dabbing it on his pinky.

“You could have permanently injured yourself for all you knew, Harry. That’s not what I would call interesting!” Penny huffed at him and Harry looked back at her with a smile.

“I disagree, though in future I’ll make sure not to directly test on myself.” Harry promised his friend and Penny gave him a nod of acceptance.

“Magical Exhaustion wears off over time as the Witch or Wizard rests, so this injury wouldn’t have persisted.” Pomfrey informed them before turning a sharp-eyed look on Harry. “Don’t do this to yourself again, Mr. Potter. I don’t want to see you in here from your own hardheadedness.”

“Yes, Madam Pomfrey.” Harry replied as he started to get feeling back in his pinky. It seemed the Potion she’d rubbed onto his finger had worked.

-End Flashback-

“Hey Penny.” Harry spoke up as he formed a Lumos on the tip of his index finger.

“What’s up, Harry?” Penny looked up from her book seeing the Charm on his fingertip. 

“Catch.” Harry grinned as he flicked his finger forward and the Lumos Charm travelled across the short space. Penny smiled as she ‘caught’ the spell on her own index finger. With a grin the Lumos Charm turned blue and was flicked back at him.

“Back at you, Harry.” Penny grinned. Harry caught the Charm next and turned the color to green before tossing it back. The two spent the next hour playing around like this. Changing the Lumos Charm’s color with each pass and eventually a second Lumos Charm was added and then a third. Near the end of their impromptu game they were juggling eight Charms between them, all different colors. Needless to say, this was a rather fun trip for the two of them.

-Platform Nine and Three Quarters-

Harry and Penny were just exiting the Hogwarts Express when they, and everyone else on the platform, noticed one person that stood out quite a lot.

“Harry! Harry! Over here! Welcome back!” Sirius’ yelled from the platform. Harry face-palmed at what his Godfather was doing and wearing.

“Well…someone is feeling the spirit of the season.” Penny giggled as Harry rolled his eyes, though a small smile was on his face.

“I feel like I should have seen this coming…” Harry trailed off with a sigh as everyone on the platform looked at his Godfather. Sirius was wearing robes in Christmas colors, red and green, a large hat with a Christmas Tree on it that twinkled with actual lights, and was holding up a sign that read, ‘Welcome back Harry!’, in bright red and green. “Really Sirius…?” The teen sighed as he and Penny made their way over to the loud, brightly dressed man.

“Hi Harry! Welcome back!” Sirius laughed loudly and Harry just huffed before letting his Godfather pull him into a hug.

“I missed you too Sirius.” Harry playfully grumbled with an overly dramatic eye roll for effect. Sirius only laughed more before releasing his Godson.

“Good to see you again, Penny.” Sirius greeted the blonde with a smile.

“Nice to see too, Sirius.” Penny returned the greeting. Sirius had insisted she call him by his name rather than Mr. Black. According to Sirius it made him feel old.

“We’ll be seeing you for Christmas, yes?” Sirius asked and Penny nodded.

“Yes for a while at least. We always go to Christmas dinner at my grandparent’s home. The whole Clearwater Family, Magic and Mundane, get together every year for it.” Penny informed and Sirius smiled in response; that was the kind of Family he always wished he’d had growing up.

“Then we’ll be seeing you for presents!” Sirius chuckled which Penny smiled at. After farewells had been exchanged Penny headed over to her parents while Sirius and Harry moved off to the side. Sirius then Side-Along Apparated Harry back to Wood End Cottage.

-Christmas Morning-

“Harry! Wake up! It’s Christmas!” Sirius yelled loudly as he burst into Harry’s room, badly startling the boy in question.

“Sirius!” Harry yelled groggily. “Don’t do that!” The boy put on his glasses as he climbed out of his warm bed.

“But it’s Christmas Harry! That means presents! The Tonks’ will be here soon too!” Sirius beamed as he tousled Harry’s bed head and then dashed from the room.

“How is a grown man more excited about Christmas than me?” Harry wondered as he stretched and yawned before heading down towards the living room and kitchen. Having a nice breakfast thanks to Tayla, Harry felt far more awake and sat next to Sirius on the couch looking at the presents under the tree. It wasn’t too long afterwards that a knock came from the door. Sirius got up to answer it and the Tonks’ came inside a few moments later.

“Wotcher, Harry!” Tonks cheered as she pulled him into a hug.

“Hey Tonks.” Harry smiled as he returned the bubbly Metamorph’s hug.

“You ready for presents?” Tonks asked with a grin.

“Yes, though I think Sirius is far more excited than me.” Harry teased, only to be completely ignored by Sirius who was already sat next to the presents and ready to start passing them out.

“Not surprising.” Andromeda laughed as she told Sirius to wait for a bit longer. “He’s always been a child at heart.”

“Oi!” Sirius exclaimed making Andromeda and Ted laugh.

It wasn’t too much longer before the group was joined by Penny, who arrived via the Floo and shortly after her Remus had joined them the same way. It was with much cheer that the group started to exchange gifts, with Sirius happily passing out presents from beneath the tree. Remus had gotten Harry multiple books on Runes and Enchanting, as well as a few of his own recommendations about Magical Creatures. Harry had happily thanked the worn man as he looked through some of them. Sirius had gifted him a Journeyman Alchemist Kit, which Harry had stared at for a good long moment before practically tackling Sirius with a hug. Andromeda and Ted had been all smiles as they handed over their gift to him. Harry understood why as soon as he removed the wrapping paper and saw what it was.

“It’s brilliant.” Harry smiled as he looked at the framed photo of his parents and a young infant Harry. The sight of his parents fawning over his infant self was all the proof anyone would ever need to know how much love Lily and James had for their son. 

The next gift was from Penny, it was a hand-knitted scarf in Ravenclaw colors that almost matched the one he’d made for her last year. Harry smiled as he wrapped it around his neck and thanked Penny for it. A playful ‘I guess this makes us even.’, brought laughter to the group while Penny playfully rolled her eyes at Harry.

“Mine next!” Tonks grinned as her gift was handed to Harry. He tore off the paper and then opened the box to find a book, rather old, on Broom Crafting. Harry pulled the old book out of the box and looked it over. “I remember you said you wanted to figure out how Brooms worked. When I saw that book at the secondhand store in Diagon I figured you’d like it. A lot of those kinds of books aren’t published anymore because the big broom companies have argued against them in the Wizengamot. But they can’t get rid of all the ones already published.”

“This is great Tonks!” Harry smiled happily. He’d been having a devil of a time trying to find a book on the subject through Owl Order. He was one hundred percent sure that the Broom Making companies had put protections onto their finished Brooms to protect their secrets. That was the only reason he hadn’t bought a Broom or two and tried taking them apart already.

Now that Harry, the youngest, had opened his presents the rest of the group started to open theirs. Andromeda rolled her eyes at Sirius when her gift from him turned out to be ‘sexy’ robes for her to wear for Ted. Sirius had laughed good-naturedly and even gotten a thumbs up from Ted in secret. A second gift from both Remus and Sirius had her give them genuine thanks as it was a lovely travelling cloak with Charms to keep her warm, cool, dry, and to keep it from getting dirty.

Ted had received a specially made Wizard’s Chess Set that had the playing styles of several Experts ‘saved’ into it so he could play even without a partner. The man had thanked both Remus and Sirius with a grin. This would certainly make slow days at the office more enjoyable.

Remus had gotten new robes from Andromeda and Ted seeing as most of the man’s clothes were all a bit worn. Remus had thanked them and Sirius had given him his gift next. The ‘gift’ exploded confetti into Remus’ face when he opened the box and Sirius laughed loudly.

“The prank war begins again, Moony!” Sirius laughed and Remus gave a tired shake of the head at his friend before pulling out the ‘real’ gift at the bottom of the box. It was a five hundred Galleon gift certificate to an Apothecary that specialized in brewing and selling ‘rare’ and ‘difficult’ Potions. Remus’ eyes widened at the amount but as soon as he tried to open his mouth Sirius was already shaking his head. “Non-Refundable Moony, you have to use it!” Remus gave Sirius a nod and a smile filled with gratitude. Unbeknownst to Harry, Penny, and even Tonks; this certificate would pay for Remus’ Wolfsbane Potion for a few years straight.

Penny was gifted a Magical Bookmark from Tonks. It could be separated into ten pieces and used to mark places in different books that related to each other. The Bookmark could then color code itself based on the owner’s desires. From Harry she received a book on Career Spellcraft; a tome that Harry had ordered after seeing that Penny was already capable of creating her own spells. It was filled with the basics of multiple Branches of Magic and how spells were often constructed and used for them. Everything from Transfiguration to Healing was covered in the book for any up and coming Spellcrafter.

Tonks had happily opened her gifts and smiled at Sirius and Remus when she pulled out a Color Changing Outfit. It was a set of shirt, pants, and shoes that would change color at the wearer’s desire. This particular set was even the pricier version that could do multiple colors at the same time. With Tonks being Tonks it was almost instantly tie dye and Andromeda just shook her head at her daughter’s antics. From Penny she was gifted a Charmed Bracelet that could be used to detect other Charmed Objects. These little trinkets were most often used to find lost items or to check if an object had Magic cast on it. They were good for avoiding pranks but could also warn of more malicious Curses as well, so long as said Curses weren’t hidden from such detection. Unfortunately they tended to wear out after a year at best. Tonks had put it on immediately while thanking Penny. Then she stared right at Sirius with a smug grin making the Marauder sulk about her ‘cheating’.

“Hope you like it Tonks.” Harry smiled as he handed her his gift. Tonks smiled as she removed the wrapping paper and opened the box. Pulling out what was inside revealed a set of trinkets. Tonks looked them over and Harry explained the function of the first one since Tonks had never seen it. It was a ‘Silent Step’ for her boots so her footsteps wouldn’t make noise. The next trinket was a ‘Hiding Stone’ for whatever she wanted to use it for. Finally a ‘Test Frame’ for her own personal use.

“Thank you, Harry!” Tonks beamed at him as she pulled him into a hug. Harry returned the embrace with a grin and then Sirius finally opened his own gifts.

From Ted and Andromeda a nice set of robes for when he had to be ‘Lord Black’. Thankfully they were much less ‘stuffy’ than more traditional Formal Robes. Sirius was pleased with the more modern ‘Muggle’ cut rather than the older styles that most Lords wore at formal events. From Remus a set of all of Zonko’s newest products since Sirius hadn’t had much time to catch up on the ‘pranking scene’ after coming out of his coma. The fact that the box was stuck to his hands made the Dog Animagus squawk at Remus indignantly.

“You’re the one that restarted the prank war, Padfoot.” Remus smiled pleasantly before Andromeda canceled the Sticking Charm with her wand.

Sirius’ gift from Tonks was a set of tickets good for any one Professional Quidditch Match of the 1993 season. Sirius, a Quidditch Fan since he was a boy, had hugged his surrogate niece and was already making plans to catch a summer game with Harry right after Hogwarts let out.

“Here Sirius, this is from me.” Harry smiled and Sirius happily opened his Godson’s gift. It was a small book but the title made Sirius realize he’d been pranked. ‘How to Woo a Witch, That’s Way Out of Your League’ had Remus, Ted, Tonks and Harry outright laughing. Penny and Andromeda kept their laughter to giggles; but everyone was amused knowing that Sirius and Marlie Reed had been dating for a bit now.

“Ha ha ha, very funny you!” Sirius fake laughed before breaking into a grin at his Godson. “Not too bad there, Harry! We’ll make a proper Marauder out of you yet!”

“Look in the bottom Sirius.” Harry instructed and when Sirius pulled out what was in the bottom he couldn’t help the fond smile that appeared on his face. It was a picture of him and Harry standing outside of Wood End Cottage, they’d had it taken the past summer. Under the picture was emblazoned the words, ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’.

“Thank you, Harry.” Sirius pulled his Godson into a hug and the two held each other for a bit before Sirius pulled back. “I’ll definitely have to get a frame for this. I’m putting it on the mantle.” Harry could only smile at how happy Sirius looked right now surrounded by friends and family.

From there the day progressed with a light lunch and festive games. Tonks and Penny disappeared for a bit, much to the blonde’s confusion as Tonks practically dragged her away. Harry was enjoying looking through some of his new books when Tonks called him upstairs for a bit. Thinking nothing of it, Harry ascended the stairs and only stopped when he realized that he was about to open the same door that he’d been ‘surprised’ with on his birthday.

“No way she’d be able to trick Penny again, right?” Harry mumbled to himself before he shook his head and opened the door. What he saw was not a topless set of young women, but something equally nice. Tonks and Penny were in ‘sexy’ Santa outfits that showed off their midriffs, legs, and some cleavage. Penny was a bit pink in the cheeks but looked fine with the outfit. The brown-eyed blonde was a full head taller than Harry. Her hair reached a bit past her shoulders and thanks to her current outfit Harry was able to see her figure very well. The swell of her breasts, unknown to Harry, marked her as a healthy C-Cup. Her trim waist flared out to wide hips that gave her a slight ‘hourglass’ figure. Combine that with her long legs and Harry could only think that Penny was a very beautiful girl. Tonks had shamelessly increased her bust size so that her own outfit revealed far more cleavage than normal. The Santa hats on their heads completed the look.

“Surprise Harry!” Tonks announced with a grin. Harry just stood there taking in the lovely sight for a bit.

“How did I let you talk me into this?” Penny questioned and Tonks pulled her into a sideways hug with a smile.

“Because you want to show off for Harry?” Tonks teased the younger girl.

“Th-that’s not it!” Penny denied though the glance she threw Harry’s way ‘might’ have brought her denial into question.

“Really?” Tonks laughed as she turned both of them around so that Harry could see them from the back. His eyes were drawn to the short skirts covering their bums before Tonks playfully flipped both her skirt as well as Penny’s.

“Oh…” Harry uttered out as he found out that the outfits apparently came with underwear too. Panties with horizontal green and red stripes filled his vision for a moment before Penny quickly forced her skirt back down. The blonde’s face was now bright red as she slapped at Tonks’ with a whine about Harry being ‘too young’ again.

“Hope you enjoyed your ‘special’ present, Harry!” Tonks laughed as she fended off Penny’s embarrassed slaps. “Give us a bit to change again and we’ll be right down.” Harry nodded; his own cheeks a bit red, with a small happy smile on his face as he closed the door behind him.

‘Tonks and Penny have nice bums.’ Harry thought to himself before shaking his head. It’d be best to get his face back to normal before being seen by Sirius again. His Godfather could spot a successful prank with just a glance after all.

It wasn’t long after that when Harry pulled out his prototypes to show to Sirius, Remus, Ted, and Andromeda. They were all impressed with the Vitris Auri and Sylvuan knife’s ability to weaken and dispel the Charms Harry produced. Pulling a bit of a prank Harry demonstrated the Oulm Circuit knife’s ability by tapping Sirius on the shoulder with it. After the initial surprise at not being able to feel or move his left arm was over, Sirius had laughed and flopped his arm around in amusement.

“What an odd effect.” Remus commented and Harry agreed with him, explaining that it was the same Runic Array just made with different materials. Their talk was interrupted when Sirius swung his unfeeling left arm into Remus’ back with a very fake ‘Sorry Moony, can’t seem to control my arm.’; which had led to Remus pulling out his wand and sticking the offending limb to Sirius’ side with a Sticking Charm.

“Hmm, this Oulm Circuit one could be pretty useful for the Aurors, Harry.” Tonks mused as she held the prototype. “If you could make it a different shape and it still worked the Ministry might want to purchase some for the Aurors to use. We can’t exactly be swinging around knives at people, you know?”

“Not a bad idea…” Harry trailed off as he thought upon the implications of his prototype. A ‘weapon’ that would allow Aurors to render a criminal Witch or Wizard immobile for several minutes would indeed be useful. The fact that it couldn’t be reversed with something like an Enervate Charm or a Finite Charm would make it better than a Stunning Spell or Immobulus Charm too.

“At the very least Madam Bones might be interested in looking at them.” Tonks shrugged. “It would make on scene questioning of suspects easier if they could still talk but couldn’t move their arms and legs.”

“I’ll look into altering its Form when I get back to Hogwarts, Tonks. Thanks for the idea.” Harry smiled at the Metamorph, who was showing her festive spirit with red and green striped hair.

“No problem Harry, I kind of want one of these already.” Tonks chuckled as she watched Sirius unstick his left arm and swing the floppy limb at Remus again.

“Certainly not for pranks, I’d hope.” Andromeda looked at her daughter who only smiled ‘innocently’. “What are we going to do with you, Nymphadora?”

“Not call me that?” Tonks grumbled at the use of her first name. Ted could only smile as his wife and his daughter got into another debate about Nymphadora’s name.

Penny had to leave at around three in the afternoon to go with her parents to the Clearwater Family Christmas Dinner. So with goodbyes, as well as hugs from Tonks and Harry, Penny left via the Floo for the day. Remus tried to leave shortly after their own Christmas Dinner but Sirius had practically forced him to stay the night. The Tonks’ had left around nine that night with another round of goodbyes and hugs. Tonks even kissed Harry’s cheek with a smile and a wink. Harry would be teased again by Sirius for the rest of the night before bed about it too.

All in all Harry found he very much enjoyed his first Family Christmas. The Dursleys had never neglected him; but the cheer of the Season was rather absent between them and Harry. This was the first Family Christmas where the full Spirit of the Season was everywhere for Harry and he was a part of it; wholly and completely. It was no surprise that Harry fell asleep that night with a happy smile on his face.

-End Chapter-

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Aww, a very Merry Christmas! Family, Festivities, and Fun! What more could you ask for? Tonks was up to her mischief again! Penny seems to want to ‘show off’ for Harry! What has become of our Prefect?! But Tonks also has an idea for Harry’s Oulm Circuit prototype. Will that pan out in Harry’s favor in future? We’ll be back at Hogwarts soon, what will become of the Chamber? Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!