Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy Chapter 54 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans! Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Harry Potter and the Artificer Legacy! After a Dementor attack of all things, what can Harry and Family do? Well, an investigation is already being launched by the DMLE, so that will hopefully uncover the wrong doer. Harry will be looking towards his allies to resume preparations against Voldemort. How far along has Voldemort gotten in his schemes and plans?

If you’d like to become a patron and get access to these chapters earlier, just head on over to Pat re on and add a /Kairomaru after the com.

Make sure to thank the patrons that make these stories possible by checking out the Patron Plaque on my profile!

So, without further delay, please enjoy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 54 – Allies, Array, Plots

“I can’t tell you too much, Harry.” Tonks shook her head in the mirror. “It’s an official investigation now, so my oath prevents me from speaking about it. I can say that not much has been figured out yet. Mad-Eye is stalking through the Ministry questioning the most likely suspects and Scrimgeour hasn’t returned from Azkaban with his findings, so no one knows what, if anything, he’s found.”

“That’s already enough, Nym, thank you.” Harry smiled warmly at her through the mirror.

“Don’t do anything crazy, Harry.” Tonks gave him a teasing glare.

“Me?” Harry placed his hand on his chest. “I’d never.”

“Right…” Tonks drawled out before snickering. “I’ll see you once my shift is over tonight.”

“See you tonight, love.” Harry chuckled before the mirror returned to reflecting his face.

With the DMLE involved, things were happening, but Harry wouldn’t be able to find out much. That didn’t change the fact that someone had sent two Dementors after him. Only the Ministry had control over the wraith-like beings, so the order had to have come from within the Ministry itself. Whether it was a hidden Death Eater acting on Voldemort’s orders or someone else with their own goals was the only remaining question. Perhaps it was time to finish up the planning for his next Artifact?

“Where are you headed, Harry?” Sirius blinked when he saw Harry heading for the Floo.

“To visit the Dwarves, I want to ask King Drasurd about something, and to let him know about the Dementor incident.” Harry informed his godfather while putting on his Storage Cloak. “They’re our staunchest allies in this coming fight with the undead tosser, so I’m keeping them updated.”

“Any idea when you’ll be back?” Sirius followed him towards the Floo.

“Not really, but it shouldn’t be too terribly long.” Harry shrugged since he didn’t know how long the conversation with Drasurd might take.

“Alright, try and be home for dinner, if you could?” Sirius chuckled and playfully ruffled Harry’s hair, making the teen stare flatly at him. “Tayla will be sad if you’re not here to eat.”

“I’ll definitely be back in time for dinner.” Harry spoke a little louder than strictly necessary, just to make sure that Tayla heard. He was fairly sure he heard a happy cheer from the House Elf somewhere in the cottage.

-Narag Fenuln-

“Brother Potter, good to see you again.” Drad welcomed Harry to the Dwarven Mine and home.

“Good to see you again, Drad.” Harry returned the greeting as the two clasped each other’s wrist and shook. “It seems that Erdunn has been busy since last I visited.”

“Aye, all thanks to your Earth Shapers.” Drad chuckled heartily as he patted the Enchanted Object attached to his wrist. This was the refined version of the prototype that Harry had made from Dragon Bone and Sage Quartz. The bone had been covered in a thin layer of metal that was inscribed with a focusing sequence of runes. It could now move stone, soil, sand, and clay easily. Separating them from each other was merely a matter of will and knowledge.

“I’m glad they’ve been of help, you’ve expanded both deeper, wider, and upwards too.” Harry had noticed that next to the entrance of the mine a huge mound of rock and stone had been piled up.

The Dwarves were using his Earth Shapers to mold the stone, blend it together and then shape it into their desired forms. It hadn’t taken Harry more than a few moments to realize what they were hoping to accomplish. The further they dug down and outwards underground, the more stone they had to move out of the mines. Instead of getting rid of it, the Dwarves were collecting it, piling it high, molding and shaping it ever higher while making the base of the mound wider as well. The Dwarves of Erdunn were building themselves a new Mountain Hall from the rock they dug out from the mine.

“We couldn’t have hoped to move forward on this project so soon without them.” Drad nodded, his thick beard swaying a little from the motion. “A shame that Sage Quartz is so rare and expensive, we could do with another hundred or so of these.” He grinned while leading Harry towards a section of the building mountain that had already been completed.

The structure was easily identifiable as a fortress, or the beginnings of one at the very least. High walls, built into the mountain that the Dwarves were raising and shaping, all of them built of thick stone. Small windows to allow for return fire against any enemy while providing cover for the Dwarves inside. With interest, Harry noticed some of the intricate Rune work that had been carved and then gilded into the fortress walls. The Dwarves had a set of Runes of their own, and even as a Sworn Brother of Erdunn, Harry wasn’t privy to them. But they also liked to obscure their Runecraft among the designs they placed onto the walls. Intricate patterns and large stone faces of past Dwarven Kings and Heroes were common from what he’d learned, which made hiding their arrays easier. If Harry had to guess, the main functions of the arrays on the walls would be for durability, obscuration, and perhaps as a ward to keep others from simply apparating or using Portkeys to get into the fortress.

“Nice place you’ve built.” Harry joked as they walked through the main gate and were shortly within the small mountain itself.

“It is, isn’t it?” Drad laughed with a deep rumble. “Never thought I’d see the day when we Dwarves would have a Mountain Hall once again.” He led the way down a flight of steps and past a section of fully-armored guard standing before a large set of iron-banded wooden doors. Harry marveled at the way Drad simply opened both doors without using Magic. For being shorter than an average human man, the Dwarves had far greater physical strength. Each of those large doors had to weigh at least one-hundred-fifty kilograms.

“Brother Potter, it is good to see you again.” Drasurd smiled at Harry from behind a large worktable. “Thank you for bringing him to me, Drad.”

“Not a problem, father.” Drad nodded to his father and King. “I’ll return to my work; the mountain won’t build itself after all.” He gave what looked like a salute of some kind to Drasurd before leaving the room and closing the massive doors behind him.

“You said in your mirror call that you had something that you wanted to discuss with me, Brother Potter?” Drasurd cleared off a section of the worktable as he spoke.

“Yes,” Harry reached into his Storage Cloak and pulled out a worn tome. “I would not presume to ask you much about the Sword of Erdunn or how it was forged. Those are Dwarven Smithing Secrets and I know I’m not privy to such knowledge.” He flipped the tome open to the bookmarked page. “However, I wanted to get your opinion on a particular array that I believe you are familiar with.” Harry set the old book on the cleared space that Drasurd had made.

“Ah…I see.” Drasurd let out a chuckle as he looked over the pages the book had been opened to. “The Consume Array, yes, we’ve made use of it successfully, but not this particular version.”

“I’d thought not,” Harry sighed at the confirmation. “I suspect that you used a Dwarven version to make the Sword of Erdunn. With your own Runic Alphabet and all, so that others couldn’t copy it.”

“Very astute, Harry.” Drasurd nodded to the teen. “Though to be fair, the Sword of Erdunn is the only successful piece that was made with it. Even our version is very finicky in its application and work. A single small mistake renders the whole process a failure that must be restarted from scratch.”

“That sounds right…” Harry exhaled slowly at the information. “I knew that it would be a difficult bit of rune work, to say the least, but hearing that even you have had only a single success makes this sound nearly impossible.”

“Are you going to give up on it?” Drasurd questioned the Artificer with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course not, I’ll just keep trying until it works.” Harry waved off the mere thought of giving up just because something seemed incredibly difficult.

“Spoken like a true Dwarf!” Drasurd gave off a bellowing laugh, slapping the top of the worktable a few times. “That’s the spirit, Harry! If you don’t succeed the first time, try again, and again, and again, until you figure it out. Things that are hard to achieve or create are worth more to us when we finally succeed. If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing right. I believe is the saying.”

“On that there is no doubt.” Harry couldn’t help but laugh as well. The two craftsmen sat down to look over the worn tome that Harry had brought.

“This part here stood out as a bit odd to me.” Drasurd pointed to a section of the Consume Array in the book. “It seems as though it would make the item in question constantly draw in whatever it was in contact with. That’s a flaw that could quickly get out of hand once it started. A Consume Array should only take in things that will make it stronger, not just whatever it touches.” The old Dwarf King shared some of his centuries of wisdom and experience with Harry.

“Hmm, that makes more sense.” Harry nodded as he followed Drasurd’s logic. “If I remove that section though, I’d have to create something new to fill it.” He paused as he looked at how the sequence was tied into the array. “Damn, could they make it any more difficult? A replacement sequence is going to have to be written into it in such a precise manner. No wonder it fails so easily and completely if the array is made of connections like this.”

“Yes, the Consume Array is an unwieldy bit of Runecraft.” Drasurd grimaced behind his beard. “The fact that you also need to find a way to etch it in a workable manner onto the item itself only exacerbates the problems.”

“Ah shite…you’re completely right about that.” Harry groaned as he now had to not only find a way to rewrite the flawed part of the Array in the book, but he’d have to find a way to etch the runes into the item so that they weren’t separated in any way, shape, or form. Any break in the sequence would be an automatic failure.

“What exactly do you plan to use as materials for this project, if I might ask?” Drasurd looked at Harry curiously.

“I was hoping to use Adamantite, but that may not be possible now.” Harry looked between the book and Drasurd. “Adamantite is a pain to produce since the transmutation is still almost a coinflip every time I attempt it. I can easily produce a lesser grade, flawed Adamantite, but that stuff is just a really durable metal. The Magic practically seeps out of it and leaves it inert.”

“No good for forging an Artifact.” Drasurd shook his head and ran his hand through his beard. “I’d suggest potentially trying for Orichalcum, but that’s even harder to transmute from what I understand.”

“Harder to transmute and you can’t trust the stuff on the open market either.” Harry grumbled at what he’d learned from Flamel the last time he’d spoken to the old Alchemist. “Orichalcum that’s being put up for sale is always flawed. It won’t hold its properties for more than a few months at most. So, I couldn’t even make an Enchanted Object from it with any longevity. For an Artifact, I’d need to transmute it myself anyway.”

“Once Adamantite is formed, it can only be changed in shape and form by incredibly high heat and a strong hammering arm. So, you couldn’t even increase its size with Magic to make it easier to etch runes before returning it to its original size.” Drasurd hummed thoughtfully as he tried to think of a workaround for the conflicting materials and array.

“I could try blending metals into an alloy, or perhaps layering them, but alloys would have to be tested over and over again to determine their full properties. Layering could also be a problem as the parts could be to disparate from each other and refuse to come together properly.” Harry set aside the idea of making alloys for later though, since it could be an interesting project.

“Using an untested alloy for an important project is foolhardy.” Drasurd shook his head at the idea. “If you could make the array work with another material that was compatible with the Adamantite, the layering idea may work. But finding a material and a way to integrate it may take just as long as making and testing alloys.”

“If only the array wasn’t shaped like this.” Harry traced his finger over the circular array in the book. “I understand why it is, but it’s making things far more difficult.”

“I doubt it would work as you intend it to if you altered it’s structure.” Drasurd considered Harry’s words. “At that point it wouldn’t be able to take in things to make itself stronger. You’d have to activate the array, consume whatever you wanted to impart on the item, and that would have to be something incredibly potent, before deactivating the array to make that effect permanent. But once you deactivate a Consume Array it can never be reactivated. This is all assuming that it could even work if you altered the structure of the array so much.” The Dwarf King shook his head at all of the ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ of his thought process. That was far too many variables to safely work with.

“That’s a lot of potential, but no concrete evidence that it would work in the slightest.” Harry murmured as he held his chin in thought. “I’d be going in blind, to say the least.”

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Drasurd remarked as he thought about it more. “Even if it worked as I described, so much as touching the item could cause irreparable harm to you or anyone else as long as the array is active.”

“That’s another level of difficulty to contend with.” Harry nearly glared at the book and the example of the Consume Array within it. It wasn’t just complex rune work; it was outright dangerous if even the slightest thing went wrong during activation. “I’ll try and work out something for the array structure first, I think.” He mused for a long moment before speaking again. “If I could even make it a single, long line that worked once, that may be useful in its own way.”

“What would you hope to consume with a single-use array?” Drasurd looked at the sworn brother of his people curiously.

“Something that produces frost and chill.” Harry vaguely replied as he recalled the frozen grass he’d run across when the Dementors had appeared. “I have a material that would amplify and focus such effects that I’d like to use.”

-Ministry of Magic-

“I’m telling you, Amelia, I did not sign any requisition for Dementors.” Cornelius said for what had to be the tenth time since Amelia had come to see him today.

“Someone had the ability to either order or coerce two Dementors to leave Azkaban and apparently go after Lord Black and Artificer Potter.” Amelia restated once more. “Giving the Dementors orders is something that can only be done through a requisition. Unless someone at Azkaban is somehow powerful enough to override the binding on the Dementors, then it wasn’t coercion.”

“I never saw any requisition form cross my desk, Amelia, I promise you that. I read every single paper before I sign it to check for anything untoward. I assure you that no such order crossed my desk.” Fudge explained his side once more. “Even if I had signed a requisition order, to actually go to Azkaban and fetch the Dementors would require copies of the form to be filed with both the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and your own Department. Surely, you’ve already checked for the copies and interviewed the staff that handle such things?”

“We have, and that’s only made us more suspicious.” Amelia confirmed with a serious expression. “No one recalls handling any such paperwork. No one recalls taking anyone to Azkaban or off the island either. And no one, not even the Warden of Azkaban, recalls anyone showing up to give orders for two Dementors to leave the island.” The Head of the DMLE looked the Minister in the eyes and hoped he’d put the pieces together himself. This complete lack of memory in so many essential people screamed of someone covering their tracks.

“You…you think Memory Charms are involved?” Fudge stared at Amelia with wide eyes. Sweat broke out on the Minister’s brow as he pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbed at his forehead. “Oh dear…this isn’t good, how could this have happened?” For employees of the Ministry to be memory charmed on the premises was unthinkable. It would break the trust of all the workers and have schisms forming almost immediately. Cornelius could practically see the cracks forming in his administration already. “How sure are you that it wasn’t coercion of some kind?” He was grasping at straws and he knew it.

“Minister, while I don’t know the exact geas that binds the Dementors to the service of the Ministry, I do know that it hasn’t been overridden since it was set back in 1718. When the Ministry took over the island that Azkaban sits on and decided to make it into a prison, the Dementors were bound in service to the Ministry as guards. Not even Voldemort…” She almost rolled her eyes when Fudge flinched. “Attempted to coerce the Dementors back in the Seventies. Who do you see as potentially having the power to override a geas that has been in place for over two-hundred-seventy years?”

“I…I don’t know.” Fudge admitted while wiping at his forehead with his handkerchief. “You said you found evidence that the Dementors had indeed been involved?”

“Yes, two of them showed marks consistent with spellfire on their robes and skin.” Amelia confirmed with a nod while pointing at a few pictures that were part of the file she’d brought with her. “They left, went to the residence of Lord Black and Artificer Potter, and were then repelled by an overpowered Patronus Charm. What we don’t know is who sent them there and how they got the authority to do so. But we do know they were very thorough in covering their tracks.”

Cornelius Oswald Fudge once more lamented that his administration had a scandal going on. When he’d taken over after Minister Bagnold, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone, he’d had the backing of many of the Pureblood Families, his first term had gone swimmingly well. He had advice from Dumbledore or Lucius if he felt he needed it. There had been no major disruptions and his re-election had been secured easily. But now? In just the last year there had been lawsuits, criminal conspiracy, and even the attacks at the World Cup.

‘When did it all get so complicated?’ Fudge lamented in his own mind at what he foresaw as the abrupt end of his career.

-Malfoy Manor ~ Wiltshire-

“How goes the material acquisition, Lucius?” Voldemort spoke with a slight hiss as he looked down at the kneeling man.

“My Lord, we’ve already acquired almost half of all the materials you’ve requested. I estimate it won’t be too much longer before we have all of them to the exact quantities that you’ve specified.” Lucius was happy to deliver what he considered good news to the Dark Lord.

“I see,” Voldemort mused quietly for a moment. Nagini could be seen slithering in the shadows behind the throne-like chair that the Dark Lord sat in. “Lucius, tell me, what would you say our current forces lack?”

“My Lord?” Lucius only tilted his head to look at the man. He dared not raise it, lest he be punished for his imprudence.

“Answer the question, Lucius.” Voldemort glared at the Head of the Malfoy Family.

“Intelligence, my lord, and true loyalty to you and your cause.” Lucius answered in a rush. He didn’t want another round of torment visited upon him.

“Exactly my own thoughts, Lucius.” Voldemort had a slight upturn of his lips, though it couldn’t be called a grin. “These men are good enough for simple tasks, but we lack the true power of the Death Eaters as we are now.” He turned his red eyes to the ceiling for a short moment. “With the loss of Barty to the Ministry, I’m left with only you from the old days.” Left unsaid was the fact that there were a few Purebloods from the old days that had already been brought back into service. Voldemort considered them the same as the dumb muscle he’d had gathered for his use. When the likes of the Heads of the Crabbe Family or the Goyle Family were included in a group, what more could it be called other than dumb muscle? “Lucius, how many of these men do you think can actually fight with a wand?”

“No more than twenty, my lord.” Lucius immediately gave his appraisal of the men he and Barty had gathered.

“I suspected as much.” Voldemort hissed in displeasure. “I can work great Magics all that I desire, but with such incompetence surrounding me, it may still be for naught.” He would not be hindered by the lack of intelligence and skill that these fools represented. “I think it is time to retrieve my truly loyal, Lucius. My Inner Circle that faithfully served me and refused to disavow me even on the pain of Azkaban.”

“My Lord, do you mean to storm Azkaban?” Lucius questioned with his eyes on the floor so that Voldemort wouldn’t see them widen in shock.

“My truly loyal followers will need time to recover, Lucius.” Voldemort silenced the blonde man instantly. “I’d like them to be at their best by the time I work the great Magic that I have planned.”

“Shall I call for Severus, my lord?” Lucius asked from his kneeled position.

“Was that not obvious?” Voldemort hissed and Lucius flinched at the sharp tone. “Go, tell Severus that his Lord calls for him, I do not wish to be kept waiting.”

“At once, my lord!” Lucius stood, but kept his head bowed as he backed out of the room. His pride was practically in tatters nowadays, being forced to grovel and kneel in his own home. But there was nothing he could do about it. He’d choose to wait for the day when the Dark Lord set the world to rights and the Magical ruled over the Non-Magical. Then Lucius would be left to his own devices as Voldemort focused on the world at large.

‘Perhaps I’ll even take the Dementors while I’m there?’ Voldemort considered in the privacy of his mind. He’d been hesitant to go anywhere near Azkaban during his last rise to power. He’d had no need of the prison since his followers were not only free, but several where respected Purebloods. ‘If what Rookwood told me is true, the geas that binds the Dementors to the Ministry can be overpowered.’ Truly, the former Unspeakable Augustus Rookwood had been one of his best and most loyal subordinates back in the Seventies. The Ministry had been no threat, he would’ve been able to topple it at a whim once Dumbledore and his Order were dealt with. ‘If it hadn’t been for that blasted prophecy and Potter!’ He raged to himself for a moment.

“Ah…but perhaps I can deal with two things at once?” Voldemort chuckled mirthlessly; a chill seemed to fill the large room he was in. “Yaxley stated that someone sent two Dementors after Potter and Black already. They failed, but perhaps it was only a matter of numbers?” He had a sinister look in his almost glowing red eyes. How would his hated nemesis deal with ten Dementors, or twenty, or all one-hundred? “I’ll have to have a message passed to Yaxley to make my visit to Azkaban easier.” The crackdown that the DMLE had put on the Ministry made it harder for his subordinates that still worked there to communicate freely. He blamed that wretched Bones’ woman for that. She’d be dealt with just like the rest of her family had been for daring to stand in his way. Having to send messages along and wait for his subordinates to respond angered the Dark Lord, but for now it was necessary.

-Penny-

“Hmm, a bit more tweaking…” Penny nodded as she looked over her previous array. It had come along quite well since she’d started. The Anti-Magic Field could now span a diameter of four meters without losing its effect. The strengthening of the field had to be considered before any increase in size, but Penny was starting to see a consistent connection. “If I can crack this, then I should be able to set up an Anti-Magic Field of a much greater size without losing potency of effect.” The dark-blonde mumbled to herself as she looked over what she could change to test her latest idea.

“You know…you’re picking up some of Harry’s habits.” Fleur giggled at Penny from behind.

“Fleur?” Penny turned and blinked at her friend. “Wait…what time is it?” She turned to look at the clock and saw that it was just after one in the afternoon. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Fleur.” She stood up quickly with a flush on her cheeks. “I got so wrapped up in my research that I lost track of time.” She was late to go to lunch with Fleur now and the Veela had apparently come out back to fetch her.

“Like I said,” Fleur smiled warmly at Penny. “Picking up Harry’s habits.” She pulled Penny into a hug and smiled when it was returned. “Making progress?”

“Yes, though it’s still a bit slow.” Penny smiled happily at the silvery-blonde. “I’m starting to notice some consistencies though, and I think I’ll make a breakthrough once I run a few more trials.”

“Wonderful, tell me about it over lunch.” Fleur’s melodious laughter made Penny giggle too. “We could’ve invited Harry, but he went to visit the Dwarves today.”

“I’m glad he’s at least asking for more experienced Smiths’ thoughts and opinions now.” Penny stretched as she locked up her little work area in the backyard of her parent’s home. “We can worry a little less, I think?” She looked at Fleur to gauge the other girl’s thoughts.

“Perhaps a bit?” Fleur held her thumb and index finger a tiny bit apart to show how much less they could worry.

“Optimistic, aren’t you?” Penny chuckled at her friend.

“Oh very.” Fleur teased with a brilliant smile.

-Narag Fenuln-

“Hmm?” Harry perked up out of nowhere.

“You alright, harry?” Drasurd questioned with a look.

“I just got the sudden feeling that someone was making a joke at my expense.” Harry tried to explain the feeling he’d just had. “It was probably nothing.”

“That or your women.” Drasurd laughed heartily at the teen.

“Or that.” Harry admitted with a smile and a laugh of his own.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Things are shaken up by the Dementor attack and the ensuing investigation!

Harry visits the Dwarves to ask for Drasurd’s advice and opinion on his next project.

The Dwarves are certainly building themselves up now! If you don’t have a mountain, make one! You have an ever-expanding mine and new Magic Items that let you shape and form any kind of earth to your liking! Put them to good use!

Voldemort is plotting his first big move! Would he really wrest control of the Dementors from the Ministry and send the entire hoard after Harry?

We all know he would….

What is the next ritual that Voldemort is planning to perform?

Who will complete their project first, Harry or Voldemort?

Keep reading to find out!

Current Mana Levels

Harry – 22,406

Tonks – 21,064

Penelope – 15,990

Fleur – 16,512

Until I get your reviews, later!