Arch Mage, the Path of Magic Chapter 27 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is here with another chapter of Arch Mage, the Path of Magic! Harry has to sneak back into Hogwarts without being discovered after sneaking out and going on a visit to Beauxbatons to see Fleur. Surely if he can sneak out then he can sneak back in, right? Third Year draws to a close and Harry makes his first attempt at the next stage in his long-termlong term Potions project. The prodigious Spellcrafter also has some summer plans to look forward to as well! What could they be?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 27 – A Sneaky Return, End of Third Year

-Beauxbatons ~ Sunday Morning-

Harry slowly returned to the waking world after a good night’s sleep. He was warm, comfortable, and honestly wouldn’t mind staying in bed a while longer. It was only about a five-hour flight back to London anyway, he could afford to be lazy this morning.

The fact that he was snuggled up with Fleur certainly didn’t put him in a hurry to get out of bed.

After spending all of Saturday together, Fleur had insisted that Harry not sleep in some cabin or hut that he’d thrown together with some transfiguration. She knew that a Wizard of Harry’s caliber could easily follow her anywhere within Beauxbatons, so she’d had him turn invisible, silence himself, and then Harry had simply used his Float spell to let Fleur lead him past the ward on the floor that led to the female dorms. Said ward would activate the instant a male tried to cross it and would instantly bar their way with both a physical gate, an invisible wall, and a loud alarm.

If a boy were to step past the ward line.

Harry’s feet had never touched the floor at all.

So it was that last night, Harry had gotten to see Fleur in a simple, airy nightgown as she slid into her bed in her dorm room, before the Veela had lifted the blanket and told him to join her. Harry had transfigured his clothing into pajamas with a thought and slipped into the offered space.

Veela didn’t have the same notions and rules on what was considered ‘proper’ when it came to sharing a bed, especially for non-sexual things. A Veela would sleep next to a boy or a man just as easily as they would another girl or woman if it wasn’t intimate in any way. Sleep was just sleep, after all. If it was intimate, then they became much more selective about who they shared a bed with. It was merely one of many differences between sapient species in the Magical World.

“Mmm…” Fleur made a soft noise as she started to wake up. Her arm that was around Harry’s shoulders softly pulled him closer, seemingly out of reflex. This pushed Harry’s face further into her bosom, not that he minded. Fleur’s breasts were large, soft, and warm, making them rather nice to use as a pillow. Fleur’s blue eyes slowly opened and she smiled as she saw Harry’s messy hair and felt the weight of his head on her tits. “Good morning, Harry.”

“Good morning, Fleur.” Harry replied, still not moving from his current position.

Fleur let a gentle giggle pass her lips as Harry lay with her in bed. “We’ll have to get up for breakfast soon enough.”

Harry let out a disinterested hum and his arm that was around her waist briefly tightened before relaxing again. “Dun wanna…” His words were muffled as he buried his face into her nightgown-clad breasts. He was a teenager, sue him for being interested in gorgeous girl like Fleur.

“But we must, mon chéri.” Fleur teased him as her free hand gently combed through his dark hair.

“Fine…” Harry sighed, but still made no attempts to move.

The melodic giggles from Fleur at Harry’s reluctance to move filled the air of her dorm room. She honestly wasn’t in much of a hurry to move either, finding Harry to be a warm ‘teddy bear’ to hug as she slept. Her fingers continued to gently comb through Harry’s hair as they lay together in her bed and just let time pass slowly.

Eventually the two did get up, the call of nature not allowing them to put it off forever.

“Getting your own bathroom is nice.” Harry said as he watched Fleur getting her school robes from her armoire.

“The best students get more privileges, including a dorm room with an attached bath.” Fleur explained with a grin. “It’s motivation for every student, of every year, to do their absolute best.”

Harry briefly wondered if Hogwarts had something equivalent with the Prefects, the Head Girl, and the Head Boy. They all took on more responsibility than regular students, so it stood to reason that they had to get some extra benefits out of it.

Fleur went first, both because it was her en suite and because Harry had insisted on it. What Harry wasn’t expecting was for Fleur to walk out of the bathroom several minutes later in nothing but a towel, a wave of Veela Fire passing through her long silvery-blonde hair to dry it perfectly. “Your turn, Harry.” She smiled at him as if the cotton towel, which was snugly hugging her every curve, wasn’t the only thing keeping her modesty.

“Right.” Harry replied after a second to burn the image into his mind forever. He quickly entered the bathroom and tossed his clothing aside before using the shower. After getting clean, Harry simply willed it and every drop of water leapt off his skin and hair to flow away down the drain. He looked at his clothing and waved his hand once. The pajamas transfigured into a replica of the Beauxbatons male uniform. A second later and they shivered before going still again, only now they were completely clean as Harry’s Magic had removed all dirt, dust, and other such things that clung to clothing after being worn for a full day. “All done, Fleur…” Harry’s eyes went wide as his voice trailed off.

“I’ll be done in just a moment.” Fleur smiled at him from the stool in front of her vanity. The fact that she was in nothing but her bra and panties didn’t seem to bother her.

Harry reflexively swallowed as he took in the sight. ‘Lacey…’ He thought of Fleur’s choice of underwear.

Fleur finished combing her long hair and stood up from the vanity, not bothering with makeup of any kind. She put on her powder blue school robes while Harry watched on, nearly dumbfounded at how comfortable and at ease Fleur was with him. “Ready?” She held out her hand to him.

“Yeah…” Harry shook his head once and took Fleur’s hand, becoming invisible, silent, and floating a few inches off the floor a second later. ‘Another cultural difference between humans and Veela, I suppose.’ He really was learning quite a lot on his (illegal) trip to Beauxbatons.

The two ate breakfast together in the Dining Chamber, Harry grinning at the singing Wood Nymphs as they serenaded the students. Fleur smiled at Harry and explained the tradition of how the Wood Nymphs came to be at Beauxbatons as they ate.

All to soon, in both Harry and Fleur’s opinion, it was time for Harry to leave.

-Beauxbatons ~ Rear Gardens-

“It’s been a lovely weekend, Harry.” Fleur graced him with a gorgeous smile.

“Thanks for showing me so much, Fleur. I learned a lot while I was here.” Harry smiled back at her, thankful for her time.

Fleur giggled lightly. “Was that supposed to be a double entendre, Harry?”

“Hm?” Harry blinked before he realized his phrasing. “Ah, well… I’m not going to say that I didn’t enjoy what I saw.”

“You better not.” Fleur teased him with a sexy smirk. “Next time you visit you should try to do it through the proper channels.” She smiled at him warmly.

Harry grinned back at her. “But this way is so much more fun!”

Fleur couldn’t help but laugh at Harry’s mischievousness. “It is a bit more exciting; I suppose.” She gave him a warm hug and kissed his cheek. “Have a good flight and be safe.”

“I’ll do my best.” Harry returned the hug for a long moment before pulling away. “One more thing.” With a finger pointing at the ground, dirt lifted up from between some of the flowers nearby. Harry molded it into the shape he wanted and then changed it’s Identity to clear crystal. It was now a small, hollow, diamond-shaped charm. It didn’t remain empty for long though as Harry focused and a flame sparked to life within the crystal. With a smile, Harry summoned a long stalk from one of the plants to himself and spun it into a chain with his Magic, once more changing its Identity to permanently make it a thin metal chain. Looping the chain through the top of the charm, Harry presented it to Fleur with a smile. “Here.”

“Harry…” Fleur smiled, even as her cheeks turned a little pink, and gratefully accepted the necklace that Harry had just made. “It’s beautiful.” She looked at the necklace and crystal charm fondly, only to blink as she saw the flames moving inside. “That’s…”

“A single ember of Primal Fire.” Harry confirmed with a smile of his own. “Kept safe within an Unbreakable crystal charm, and fueled by the ambient Magic that naturally permeates the world. I hope you like it.”

Fleur kissed both of his cheeks and hugged him again. “I love it, Harry.” With a gorgeous smile, Fleur turned her back and with her free hand pulled her long silvery hair to one side, revealing her neck. “Will you put it on for me?”

“Of course.” Harry gently took the necklace from Fleur and detached the simple clasp he’d made. Gently putting the chain around Fleur’s delicate neck, Harry clasped it back together. “All done.”

Fleur let her hair fall back into place and conjured a mirror with a flick of her wand. The mirror floated in the air as Fleur admired her new necklace. “It’s amazing, Harry.” She undid her conjuration and the mirror vanished. “But why did you make this for me?”

“Just because.” Harry answered with a gentle grin.

Fleur swore she felt her heart skip a beat. “Thank you, Harry. I’ll treasure it.” She gently placed her hand over the crystal charm.

“You’re welcome, Fleur.” Harry said, happy that she liked it so much. “That ember wont’ be able to make you stronger, but it should produce a little essence of fire to help you recover your Magic reserves a little faster after spell use.” He unshrunk his Firebolt and threw his leg over it. “See you later!”

“See you soon, Harry.” Fleur smiled at him beautifully before he vanished from her sight with invisibility and then a sound like a gust of wind was heard and Fleur knew Harry was flying away at speed. She held the crystal charm in her palm with a soft look filled with affection. “Just because, huh? You silly, wonderful man.” She made sure to tuck her new favorite possession into her Beauxbatons robe so that no one else would see it. If any other Veela knew that she was carrying even a tiny ember of the Flame of Creation, they’d definitely want it for themselves. ‘It feels warm.’ Fleur had a small, gentle smile on her lips as she headed back towards Beauxbatons with the charm resting against her chest.

-London ~ Five Hours Later-

“Finally got back.” Harry muttered quietly to himself as he descended into the small back area of the Leaky Cauldron. He dismounted his Firebolt and stood to the side when he saw the door start to open. A pair of Witches tapped the bricks and the wall moved aside to let them into Diagon Alley. Harry silenced himself and followed after them before the wall could start closing. ‘That shop should do fine.’ Harry slipped into a store that had a few patrons milling about and keeping the shopkeeper’s attention.

“Welcome!” The shopkeeper called out when the bell over the door rang, but he didn’t turn away from his conversation with the Wizard he was trying to make a sale to.

Harry quickly located the fireplace and saw the container of Floo Powder on the small mantle. Taking a pinch, and leaving a Knut behind to pay for it in the little box next to the canister, he tossed the powder into the flames and watched them turn green. “Three Broomsticks.” Harry said as he stepped into the green flames. The fire flared up for a second, whisking Harry away, before settling and turning back to the normal orange red flames.

-Three Broomsticks ~ Hogsmeade-

The fireplace flared with green flames for a moment but no one stepped through them to enter the famous pub.

“Hm?” Madam Rosmerta looked over at the fireplace. “Did I miss a customer?”

“I’ll check out your Floo connection for you, Rosie!” One of her customers offered with a grin. “Free of charge for a lovely Witch, of course.”

Madam Rosmerta playfully scoffed at the Wizard. “Patrick, you haven’t worked for the Ministry for ten years.”

“I still know all the tricks!” Patrick laughed as he held up his pint of Fire Whiskey.

Among the laughter and revelry, no one noticed the door open just enough for someone of Harry’s size to slip out.

“Back to my dorm room.” Harry grinned as he flew towards Hogwarts, and more specifically, Ravenclaw Tower.

He opened the window with barely more than a thought and looked inside. As expected, no one was around. Given this was his dorm room, no one should be, but if his absence had been noticed, then it was always possible someone could’ve been looking for him. Harry flew in and landed on the floor without a sound, quickly removing his invisibility, he put his Firebolt in his trunk, and then looked at himself in the small mirror hung up on one wall.

“Alright, I don’t look like I just came off a five-hour flight at least.” Harry remarked on his reflection before heading for the door. He needed a quick bathroom break and then he would head down to the Great Hall for dinner.

-Great Hall ~ Dinner-

“Harry!” Luna nearly tackled Harry as soon as she saw him. “I missed you!”

Harry chuckled and hugged Luna back. “I didn’t go anywhere, I was just busy, Luna.” He told her as they both sat down side by side. He quickly started taking the food he wanted and made his plate. “So, did I miss anything while I was preoccupied, Hermione?” Harry asked his best friend with a smile.

Hermione sighed at him. “You know how you get on my case about studying too much?” She was obviously pointing out that locking himself away for most of the weekend to work on his extracurricular projects was the same thing as her over studying. “I think you need to take your own advice.”

“Did you want a hug too, Hermione?” Harry shot her a grin.

“I didn’t say that…” Hermione didn’t get to finish as she was pulled into a hug. “Harry!” Her cheeks turned red as she enjoyed the hug more than she should’ve.

Harry let Hermione go with a chuckle.

Conversation picked up and Harry learned that nothing of note had happened at Hogwarts in the time he’d been away. Luna and Hermione were both making more progress on ‘simplicity’ and were eager to show him after dinner, something that Harry readily agreed to.

At the end of dinner, and before the trio of Ravenclaws left the Great Hall, they were stopped by Daphne, Tracy, and Astoria.

“Harry.” Daphne gave him a look.

“Daphne.” Harry returned.

“Harry!” Astoria hugged her surrogate big brother with a smile. “You were busy all weekend!” He got a little pout from the First Year girl for that.

“Tori… I was trying to be mad at Harry.” Daphne sighed at her little sister.

Tracy couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. “Y-You were trying to…to be…so serious!” The laughter made Daphne blush a little and swat at her best friend.

“I know what’ll make you feel better!” Harry used his Magic to pull Daphne into arms reach and hugged her next. “Hug!”

“Harry! You let go!” Daphne’s face couldn’t get much redder, but she still briefly returned the hug.

Astoria giggled as she got into it. “Group hug!” She hugged both Harry and Daphne.

Luna joined a second later with a smile. “Group hug.”

Hermione and Tracy were both laughing now, holding onto each other for support.

“I’m so gonna hex you, Harry.” Daphne threatened as she was in the middle of the group hug.

“Worth it!” Harry chuckled at Daphne’s glare that was the complete opposite of her red cheeks.

Harry didn’t let any of the Hexes that Daphne threw at him land, even as the Slytherin girl cast a dozen of them and grumbled at him the whole time the group walked together. The three Ravenclaws bid the three Slytherins a good evening before they had to split up to head to their dorms for the night.

-Beauxbatons ~ Night-

Fleur smiled softly as she lay in her bed, looking at the necklace that Harry had given her this morning. It glowed softly in the dark of her room, letting off a gentle light as it rested on the small nightstand next to her bed.

“Such a wonderful man you are, Harry.” Fleur murmured quietly as she admired the ember of Primal Fire safely held within the crystal charm. One day, she planned on being able to conjure the Flame of Creation herself. Such an accomplishment would surely increase her chances of becoming the Matriarch of her Veela Enclave. But until she figured out how to do it as easily as Harry did, it was just another goal that she set for herself. “Perhaps the key lies in my interpretation of Magic, as Harry said?” Fleur fell asleep that night thinking about Harry’s words and her own interpretation of Magic.

-Monday Afternoon ~ Greenhouses-

“Time to harvest, Harry?” Neville asked his friend with a smile as Harry was collected the seeds from his cultivars.

“You know it, Neville.” Harry said with a chuckle. “Now that I have the seeds to start the second generation of cultivars, I can make use of these carefully grown plants for my first attempt at my project.”

Neville nodded as he gently pruned his Thunder Ginko while wearing thick rubber gloves. “I hope it works out for you, Harry.” He snipped one new offshoot off one of the branches of the swaying tree, not getting a slight electroshock thanks to the gloves.

Neville wanted the rare, exotic Magical tree to focus on growing leaves and the current branches, rather than sprouting more and more branches that would make more and more leaves. The tree needed a near perfect balance of growth and pruning so that it’s harvestable Potions ingredients had the utmost potency, rather than a deteriorated potency from having to spread the nutrients and Magic it developed to so many parts.

“Your Thunder Ginko looks like it’s doing well too.” Harry looked at the swaying tree sapling with his Mage Sight spell. The little tree had a more robust concentration of Magic compared to the last time he’d looked at it.

“It’s getting there.” Neville smiled at Harry, happy to have a buddy to talk Herbology with. “I have to make sure to balance out its growth with proper pruning. I want it to produce the best ingredients when it’s old enough.”

Harry nodded in understanding. “How long will that be?” He didn’t really know much about the Thunder Ginko beyond what Neville had told him.

“Another year, probably closer to two years.” Neville gave a half-smile, clearly wanting to be able to harvest the ingredients he desired, but knowing he still had years of work ahead of him.

“If anyone can do it, it’s gonna be you, Nev.” Harry encouraged his friend with a confident nod.

Neville smiled back, a real smile, as he nodded too. “Thanks, Harry.”

-Harry’s Dorm Room ~ Evening-

Harry set up his cauldron, tools, and his ingredients on a table that he’d transfigured from a desk that he’d borrowed from one of the many abandoned classrooms scattered throughout Hogwarts. It was time to start his first attempt on his Potions project.

“First, we set the water to boil.” Harry ignited a strong flame beneath his cauldron that was half-filled with water already. “Now, dice the Boom Berry into small pieces no larger than a half centimeter. I should need exactly two-hundred-thirty grams…” Harry set to work preparing his first ingredient for the cauldron.

After adding the Boom Berry, Harry carefully added in the exact amount to the boiling water in the cauldron and stirred it three times clockwise, four times counterclockwise, seven times clockwise, and then eight times counterclockwise. Once the stirring was done, he began preparing the Moondew to add to the cauldron. Exactly three-hundred-forty-one grams of Moondew went into the water and Boom Berry mixture. It was then mixed in alternating stirs as well: four, eight, twelve and then left to boil for a bit longer as Harry prepped the next ingredient.

The entire time that he was prepping the ingredients, Harry had his Mage Sight spell active, showing him the Magic within the harvested cultivars. Being able to see the Magic, combined with his own intuitive understanding of Magic itself, let Harry know the exact way to prep each ingredient and the best way to cut, smash, squeeze, or shred them to get the most potent effect out of each. It was also what was helping him nail the proper stirring technique to blend and mix his concoction together.

“Looks good.” Harry nodded as he observed the Magic within the cauldron as he lowered the heat to let it simmer. “I just need it stirred clockwise and counterclockwise every eight hours until it reduces to about half its current volume. After that will be the hardest part…one-hundred-twenty-eight stirs, then half that in the opposing direction, then half of that in the first direction, halving that each time until I get to one stir and then taking it off the fire and pouring the reduction into a safe container to let it cool and solidify.” The fact that that wasn’t the end of the process that Harry had worked out spoke to the complexity of his project. He was lucky that a self-stirring rod could be used for the stirring every eight hours portion otherwise his schedule would have a conflict.

This first brewing method would take eight days to complete and Harry still wasn’t one-hundred percent sure that it would work out and produce what he was aiming for.

-Knockturn Alley ~ Next Day-

Crack

A sound like a mix of glass breaking and rocks being crushed rang throughout the air as the wards erected around a shabby, old, rundown shop were brought down forcefully.

“Aurors! This is a Ministry raid! We have a warrant!” Auror John Dawlish bellowed out as he and the rest of the large group of Aurors marched onto the property.

An anonymous tip had come in about illegal potions being made and sold from this supposedly abandoned shop. After a two week stakeout, it was clear that something was indeed happening from the old shop and regularly at that. A quick undercover operation as a buyer, by newly promoted Auror Tonks, had confirmed that the people within the building were operating a black market shop. That was all the proof they needed to get a warrant and raid the place.

A few loud cries and curses were heard from within the shop as the front and back doors were both forced open at the same time.

Crack

A muted snapping sound was heard.

“Shit! I can’t Apparate!” A Wizard’s voice came from within the dingy old building.

The muted snap was a telltale sound of a failed Apparation when under an Anti-Apparation Hex. Said Hex covered a designated area for a limited time and prevented all Apparation. It was standard protocol on Ministry raids to cast it before breaking down any wards.

“This is the Aurors! Throw down you wands and come out with your hands raised!” Auror Proudfoot called out into the shop.

The only sound heard in response was the shattering of glass and the scrambled and hurried footsteps of the ones hiding within the old building.

“They’re trying to get rid of the evidence!” Auror Robards declared, very familiar with the sounds of criminals trying to hide their misdeeds. “Protego!” He cast in front of himself and led the way down the narrow hall towards where the noise was coming from. Three other Aurors followed behind him, wands at the ready.

“Depulso!” A Banishing Charm slammed into Robard’s Protego, but the Shield Charm held.

“Stupefy!” One of the Aurors cast over Robard’s shoulder, a jet of red light rushing down the hall, but only hitting the dirty wall and leaving a mark. The Wizard that had cast the Banishing Charm had ducked back into the room he’d been hiding in.

“Deprimo!” A different man stuck his wand around the corner and blasted a hole into the floor in front of the Aurors. The red robed group had to stop for a second or risk falling through the floor.

“Reparo!” The second Auror in the group cast and the floor put itself back together.

“Revelio!” The third Auror cast. “There’s one on the left and two on the right, a fourth is in the basement!”

“Depulso!”

“Stupefy!”

“Bombarda!”

“Diffindo!”

Spells began to fly as the criminals fought with law enforcement. Chunks of the wall and floor of the old building were blasted off or had slashes through them in short order.

While the firefight was going on upstairs, Tonks and a handful of other Aurors had invaded the basement to apprehend the last suspect.

“Throw down your wand!” Auror Savage ordered the Wizard that was clearly attempting to vanish or destroy all of the potion making equipment.

The panicked Wizard did the opposite of throwing down his wand and cast a spell instead. “Expulso!”

“Protego!” Another Auror cast, blocking the concussive explosion of the spell. Expulso used kinetic force to blast everything around it, rather than a fiery explosion like Confringo would cause.

“Stupefy!”

“Stupefy!”

“Stupefy!”

Tonks and the other Aurors cast at the Wizard who flicked his wand at the table still loaded with cauldrons, beakers, and other Potions equipment and ingredients. The table shot upwards, knocking everything on it to the ground in a huge mess, and put itself between the Stunning spells and the Wizard. The table was marked by the red sparks of the three spells before the Wizard hiding behind it cast again.

“Oppungo!” The table went rocketing forward towards the Aurors.

Auror Hestia Jones pointed her wand at the incoming table. “Diminuendo!” A white smoke-like spell hit the flying table and shrunk it down to only a about eight centimeters in size, the tiny table missing the Aurors entirely before shattering against the basement wall.

“Immobulus!” Tonks cast and the Wizard sopped moving, seemingly frozen in place.

“Expelliarmus!” Auror Savage cast and the Wizard’s wand went flying form his hand.

“Stupefy!” The final Auror cast and knocked the Wizard unconscious.

Tonks canceled her spell and the suspect crumpled to the floor. “Alright, let’s secure him quickly!” They could all still hear the spell fire upstairs.

The Wizard was bound in ropes from an Incarcerous spell and then levitated into the air as Auror Savage prepared to take the suspect out of the basement. The rest of the group would be watching over them as they got out of the house since securing a captured suspect took precedence over joining the ongoing fire fight.

Ssssss

The hissing sound that reached the ears of the four Aurors was quickly joined by an acrid, burning smell. All four looked back at where the sound was coming from only to see the spilled cauldrons and various ingredients letting off a thick cloud of multicolored steam and smoke.

“Oh shit!” Hestia cursed as they all tried to rush for the stairs.

A white light filled the basement, this was followed by flames of various colors as the reaction exploded powerfully. While the other three Aurors had tried to reach the stairs, Tonks had, for whatever reason, thrown her hands forward, not even thinking to grab her wand that she’d holstered as they were securing the Wizard.

‘CHANGE!!!’ Tonks screamed in her head, throwing all of her will and intent behind her Magic, remembering her interpretation and Harry’s lessons over the course of the teen’s Yule Break from Hogwarts.

BOOM

The explosion rocked the old building, sending those upstairs falling and stumbling as everything shook.

The Aurors, or at least the more experienced ones, got their bearings back first and were on the suspects quickly.

“Expelliarmus Tria!”

“Stupefy Tria Maxima!”

With two modified spells, the three staggered Wizards upstairs were disarmed and knocked unconscious.

In the basement at the same time, Auror Hestia Jones could barely believe her eyes. The explosion that had rocked the house and sent her and the other two Aurors sprawling hadn’t reached them. They weren’t burning or being torn up by shrapnel either. Her friend, Nymphadora Tonks, a fellow Hufflepuff from the same Year at Hogwarts, had both of her hands outstretched and a dark metal wall was between them and where the explosion had originated.

“T-Tonks…?” Hestia managed to get out in her shock. Aside from the fact that they hadn’t been killed by the sudden and unexpected explosion, the other thing that shocked Hestia was that Tonks didn’t have her wand in hand to cast such an obviously large Transfiguration spell. Her friend’s hands were both empty and held palm out towards where the explosion had happened.

“No way…” Savage uttered out, looking at the large metal wall that had popped up out of nowhere. “Was that…wandless?!”

The final Auror could only gape at what he was seeing. His mouth moved a few times, but no sound came out.

“Is everybody okay?” Tonks questioned as she turned to look back at her fellow Aurors. She’d never cast a spell that powerful so fast in her life! Transfiguration had always been her second or third best Branch of Magic, in fact. ‘I didn’t think… I just did it.’ Tonks realized that she’d fully eliminated the process of using her Magic beyond directing it to do something. There was no motion, no incantation, no wand, no guiding her Magic along. She’d simply willed the world in front of her to change…and it had! “There’s going to be no living with Harry once he finds out about this…” She sighed, a small laugh escaping her as her heart started to slow down from the adrenaline rush of the situation.

Hestia stood up and took the two steps needed to reach Tonks. “We’re all fine, Tonks. Thanks to you…” She still couldn’t believe what she was seeing in front of her. That wall was either solid iron or steel and had to be incredibly thick to not even move from the force of the explosion.

“What did you transfigure? The floor?” Savage questioned looking between the unconscious Wizard and the metal wall.

Tonks shook her head slowly one time, still a little shocked at her own wandless Magic. “The air.”

“You turned air into a metal wall that large and thick? In less than a fraction of a second?” The fourth Auror didn’t sound like he believed it, even though he was also staring right at the truth in front of him. “Conjuration…no…all Transfiguration takes a second or so, usually…”

“Is anyone alive down there?!” Auror Robards called down into the basement.

“We’re alive, sir!” Hestia called out. “Suspect is secure and Auror Tonks protected us from the explosion!”

“Get out of the basement! On the double! The building took some structural damage from that blast!” Robards ordered and the four Aurors and one suspect were quickly heading up the stairs.

“This old place was barely standing already.” Savage grimaced, seeing parts of the ratty building had fallen in from the second floor.

Once everyone was out of the abandoned shop and accounted for, the four suspects were taken to the Ministry for processing by some of the Aurors, while the rest stayed behind to prop up the building with spells and keep it from falling any further. They needed to preserve the crime scene as much as possible after all.

The reports from the basement would cause quite a stir within the Auror Office once word of Tonks’s powerful and fast wandless Magic got around.

Tonks knew that she couldn’t talk about an ongoing investigation with her family. But she wondered just how fast this case would be reported on in the Daily Prophet and what her parents, Sirius, and Harry would have to say about it.

Having just been promoted from Junior Auror to full Auror, Tonks would admit to liking the sound of a possible medal for her actions that had saved the lives of her fellow Aurors. That had been mentioned by both Robards and Dawlish after they’d been told what had happened in the basement. It wasn’t every day that a ‘newbie’ like her was awarded an actual medal after all.

-Eight Days Later ~ Hogwarts-

“One-hundred-seventeen… One-hundred-eighteen… One-hundred-nineteen…” Harry was stirring the cauldron while adding in the final ingredient to the concoction: Honey Water. The ingredient would lose all of its efficacy if it was boiled or simmered for very long, and it was acting as a partial binder for the liquid within the cauldron. With every stir more Honey Water was mixed into the potion. “One-hundred-twenty-five… One-hundred-twenty-six… One-hundred-twenty-seven… One-hundred-twenty-eight.” Harry stopped adding the Honey Water as he reached the final stir. “Good, that’s all the ingredients. Now…I just have to finish the stirring.” He started stirring in the opposite direction, counting them off to make sure he didn’t make a mistake. “One… Two… Three… Four…” This bout of stirring required sixty-four stirs in one direction. The next round would be thirty-two stirs in the opposite direction. “So on and so forth… I just have to do it.”

A few minutes later and the concoction was fully stirred and Harry set the stirring rod aside. “The color seems right and the Magic is settled into one solid color too.” He poured the cauldron into a wide crystal bowl that wouldn’t contaminate his creation. “The consistency seems right for being reduced so much.” It was like a smooth, if thick, chocolate milk. “Now I just have to wait for it to be mostly solidified and then I can mold it into the proper shape. I wonder how many I’ll get out of this first batch and if they’ll be any good?” Harry couldn’t wait to test out his new creation.

-Harry’s Practice Room ~ Next Day-

“So, what did you want to show us?” Daphne asked after closing the door behind her. “You seemed pretty excited.”

That would be a bit of an understatement.

Harry had nearly been vibrating as he asked her to come by the ‘Practice Room’ after classes.

“She’s right, you are really excited, Harry.” Astoria agreed with her sister.

Luna nodded with a bright smile. “It’s nice!”

“You didn’t do something crazy again, did you, Harry?” Hermione looked at him with eyes that said she already knew that he had. The little smile on her lips told him that she was still interested to see what he’d done.

“Crazy? No.” Harry denied, even as a wide smile spread across his face. “Brilliant? Yes!” He opened up a small wooden box to show them four round balls that looked like chocolates.

“You made chocolate?” Astoria grinned happily at what she thought was a treat.

Harry laughed and patted her head. “They look like chocolates, but they’re something much better!”

“Gourmet chocolates?” Luna guessed next.

“No, Luna.” Harry smiled and gave her a one-armed hug.

Hermione and Daphne looked at the four small balls curiously, trying to puzzle out what they might be.

“Alright, I’ll admit when I’m stumped.” Daphne sighed a little at not being able to figure out what Harry was showing them. “What are they?”

“They’re called dānyào in the myths of China.” Harry grinned brightly. “Ancient magical medicines that could have a range of effects such as boosting magical power, healing wounds, curing poisons, purifying or strengthening the body, and other things depending on how they were made!” He was back to nearly vibrating again. “I checked throughout all the books and tomes I could get my hands on regarding Potions from the Far East, and only found them mentioned in vague terms or as hypothetical creations. So, unless none of those countries have decided to admit that these pills are real over the last several centuries, I’ve actually created something that was just a myth before!”

All four girls now looked shocked, staring at what still looked almost like chocolate balls to them.

Hermione managed to speak up first. “Harry… What do these da…dan…danyo… What do these pills do?” She gave up on trying to correctly pronounce the name.

“These aren’t spectacular or anything, but they will heal injuries just as fast as any potion, and they can heal both internal and external injuries while promoting blood production and immune system function!” Harry was still excited, even as he admitted that his pills weren’t quite to the level of the legendary medicines spoken of in Chinese myths. “Now that I’ve figured out that I can make them, improving them is the next step! Well, that, and making more varieties over time. I’ll need to do some more research to make ones that have different effects.”

Daphne was now heavily interested in Harry’s new creations. They did fit perfectly with her desire to become a Healer in the future. “Harry, can I help with these? Please? They seem like they could help grow and develop the Healing Arts even further going forward.”

“Sure, Daphne, I was going to ask for help with them anyway.” Harry smiled at his friend brightly. “I can’t devote all of my time to Healing Magic, after all. A lot of other Magics and spells need to be researched and created.” He laughed and handed a single pill to each of the girls. “If you’re ever hurt, take the pill. Just swallow it whole. You should be good as new for most minor injuries and even a bad injury should be healed at least partially.”

“Thank you, Harry!” Luna hugged him tightly.

“Thank you!” Astoria joined in the hug as well.

“Thank you very much, Harry.” Hermione gave him a warm smile before looking at the pill again. “Is it safe to keep it anywhere?”

“Yeah, it’s not going to go bad. You might want to keep it in a small bag or something though, just so you don’t drop it by accident.” Harry explained with a smile.

“Do you have notes on these?” Daphne asked, though a part of her wondered if she’d even be able to understand them. These pills seemed like very advanced applications of Potions knowledge.

Harry nodded to Daphne. “I do. But I’ll need to get the pills looked over and verified by licensed Healers before I can share too much.”

“I understand.” Daphne really wanted to learn this new path that Harry had seemingly opened for future Healers, but even at her age she knew how quickly credit for something new could be stolen. That fraud Lockhart from last year had proven that entire events could be stolen from others. It was about the only thing he’d taught any of the students at Hogwarts.

The end of the school year was already fast approaching, so Harry was likely to wait until the summer break to get his newest creation/discovery verified by professional Healers. It was amazing how fast time could fly by, given that it was already June.

-Hogwarts Express ~ Return Trip to London-

“Are you ever going to have a lazy summer, Harry?” Daphne questioned with a small grin.

“I can be lazy between things.” Harry waved her off with a grin of his own.

Hermione shook her head once. “You’re planning to get your pills tested and verified by St. Mungos. You have the Junior Dueling League throughout the summer. You’re planning to go abroad over the summer break. You’re also planning to test for another Mastery and you mentioned going to the Quidditch World Cup too! When are you even going to have time to sit down, much less be lazy?” It was a very full schedule for the summer.

Astoria and Luna would’ve chimed in, but both of them were too busy enjoying the sweets that Harry had bought them from the trolley.

“The Mastery Test is only going to take part of a day.” Harry waved that off without concern. “Getting my Defense Against the Dark Arts Mastery shouldn’t be any harder than getting my Charms Mastery was.”

“Maybe you could be a Professor’s Assistant since we can never seem to keep a Professor for more than a single year? At least we’d all be guaranteed to learn something from you.” Daphne actually laughed at the idea of Harry teaching DADA.

“Only if I get paid.” Harry said with faux shrewdness, barely suppressing his own laughter.

Hermione giggled at Harry, but a brief idea of Professor Potter asking her to stay behind after class flitted through her head and made her cover her face to try and hide her blush. Deciding that she needed a distraction, she moved the conversation along. “What about the Junior Dueling League and the trip abroad?”

Harry thought for a moment before answering. “I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out to deal with both of them.” He shrugged, certain that between his family, some kind of schedule that worked could be made. “The verification of the pills will be done independently by St. Mungos’ Potions and Alchemy Lab, so I have no say in that at all anyway.”

The rattling of the compartment door got their attention and Tracy entered the compartment from going to chat with a few other friends earlier. “Hey! You little gluttons! You’ve already eaten most of the candy!” She pointed at Astoria and Luna accusingly. “Save some for me!”

“Nope!” Astoria laughed and tried to stuff some of the candy into the pockets of her robe.

“You’re going to get it now, Tori!” Tracy wiggled her fingers and quickly started to tickle Astoria. “Hand over the candy!”

“Nuh uh!” Astoria denied through her laughter.

Daphne rolled her eyes, even if her smile ruined her attempt to seem annoyed, and just watched as her sister who had once been so weak and may not have lived a very long life at all, was now laughing happily as she played with Tracy. Her eyes drifted over to Harry and filled with warmth. ‘All thanks to you, Harry.’

Harry had an eventful summer planned out, but none of them knew what lay beyond it in their upcoming Fourth Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

-End Chapter-

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Fleur and Harry wake up all warm and comfortable next to each other. So cute!

Nothing sexual happened, of course. Harry’s still a bit too young for such things. But he’s still a teenager and very much likes cuddling up to Fleur and her gorgeous body.

Harry even made Fleur a gift before he left Beauxbatons! One filled with a single little ember of Primal Fire! Quite the gift for a fire-aligned being like a Veela!

Tonks goes on a raid with the Ministry as a newly promoted ‘full’ Auror! Things go a bit sideways though, and she stops thinking entirely and just DOES! Turns out that Harry is correct and overthinking slows down Magic casting speed.

Tonks: “There’ll be no living with him after this…” Kek!

We finally see the results of Harry’s Herbology and Potions project! He made a low grade version of a Wuxia Pill! Hah! Harry says: “No more thick, vile tasting, sludge-like potions! I’ve got pills that you can just swallow for the same effects!” *Salesman smile*

Did Hermione just have a naughty thought on the train?! *Pretends to faint*

Harry has a rather heavy schedule this summer, but keeping busy often makes time go by quicker, right?

I know you all have been waiting for Fourth Year! Heh! It’s fast approaching!

Will it play out like in Canon at all?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!