Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 48

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. An unusual piece of furniture piques Harry’s interest in the Room of Hidden Things, and he finally earns enough points for the Workshop Trunk.

Chapter 48

20th March

Harry exited the floo into his grandmother's office with ease. He had made progress in controlling his momentum when exiting the floo, and no longer made a fool of himself. After stepping to the side, his godfather followed him out.

Fawkes called out a greeting from his perch by the window. Tired of spending time in the headmaster's office, he opted to hang out with Minerva instead.

"You certainly took your time," Minerva said from her seat behind the desk. “I trust you didn't encounter any incidents while you were out and about?”

“You worry too much, Minnie,” Sirius said, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder. "He didn't even need me to accompany him. Didn't you hear? Harry is a badass now. He can take care of himself.”

“Even against the likes of Dumbledore?” Minerva raised a brow.

“There are a few moves I would like to try on him,” Harry grinned. “I wouldn’t even feel bad for beating up an old geriatric.”

Sirius barked out a laugh. “I would love to see that.”

“Yes, how amusing,” Minerva said, unimpressed. Standing up, she reached out and gently touched a minor cut on Harry's cheek. “How did you get this?”

"From sparring with my teacher," Harry said. “He was so impressed by the improvement to my physique compared to the last time I took his class that he felt compelled to put me to the test.”

Because he couldn't use his Velocier skill to fight his teacher, he lost badly. At least he got permission to train with a staff next time. Finally, he would learn how to fight using Bojutsu.

Since he had attained the status of an Artisan, there were some perks that came along with it. One of these benefits was that he had permission to leave the school on weekends, as long as an adult accompanied him. Although he could occasionally do this before, now he could do it every weekend.

He enjoyed getting out of the castle, as sometimes the students were unbearable. Lauren wrote an article about him becoming the youngest Artisan in Europe in the entire guild's history. That had brought even more attention to him, which caused him to avoid places like the Great Hall more and more. Had he known this would happen, he might have become something mundane. Maybe a janitor like Filch.

Every day, he received more and more mail, but now he was receiving it from people other than his fans. He had to spend a lot of time reading and responding to them. His friends came to his rescue, and he paid them for it. He didn’t want to take them for granted.

Several Artisans wrote to him, congratulating him on his achievement. Some even offered him advice, which he appreciated. He enjoyed reading these the most. But there were some that sounded suspicious, asking him probing questions about his methods and any ideas he had. He chucked those letters in the bin.

Even with his friend's help, dealing with the mail was overwhelming. He needed a more permanent solution and came up with a solution. All he had to do now was find the right person.

Harry was receiving a lot of attention from Quidditch as well. They had just had another match against Ravenclaw. Gryffindor had won by a landslide after Harry caught the Snitch. They were only twenty points behind Slytherin in the standings now, with one game still left to play.

Oliver had kicked Marcus off the team for refusing to play previously, and now Harry was the permanent Seeker. While his grandmother initially opposed the idea, she eventually gave in. She hoped Gryffindor would win the cup.

“Maybe I should go speak to this teacher,” Minerva frowned. “Sirius, why didn’t you heal the cut?”

“I told him not to,” Harry grinned. “It’s my badge of honour.”

“Boys,” Minerva rolled her eyes. “Perhaps I should go with you next time so there is someone reliable to watch over you.”

“Are you saying I’m not responsible?” Sirius pouted.

“Sure you are,’ Minerva patted his cheek. “When your immaturity doesn’t get in the way.”

Harry snickered. "Does that mean he's never responsible?"

“I am leaving,” Sirius cried. “The two of you are ganging up on me.”

“Thank you for taking me, Sirius,” Harry said, giving his godfather a hug.

“No problem,” Sirius replied, walking to the fireplace and grabbing some floo powder from the mantelpiece. “See you later.”

Sirius disappeared, and Harry turned back to his grandmother. “Is grandfather still busy at the Ministry?”

Minerva nodded, “Lucius Malfoy is on the warpath. He is using all his connections to get a new policy introduced that brings Hogwarts under the Ministry’s control.”

“Do you think he will achieve it?”

“No. Even without your grandfather in the way, he will fail,” Minerva reassured him. “Hogwarts predates the Ministry and is like an independent country in some regards.”

“Not for a lack of trying, though,” Harry pointed out. “Hogwarts only regained its independence when the original School Charter emerged.”

“We won’t lose it again,” Minerva replied.

Harry doubted that it would be that easy. All it would take is another selfish headmaster to come along and misplace the charter, and they would face the same issue all over again.

"Looks like Fudge isn't working with Lucius this time.”

"It's because of your grandfather and the alliance," Minerva explained. "And to a certain extent, you as well. Your popularity is at an all-time high, so Fudge is trying to use you to strengthen his position. He is a canny politician who understands that the power dynamics within the Wizengamot are changing. Although I suspect Lucius is still attempting to influence him with galleons, he may distance himself from the man in the future."

While he didn’t like the Minister, at least he wasn’t working against him. He already had too much drama in his life.

Harry approached Fawkes and gently stroked his feathers. He cooed, nudging Harry persistently for more attention.

“Hello, Fawkes. I see you have been lazing away while I was out of the castle. Will you finally tell me why you can't take me places with your flame travel?"

Fawkes sent him a look of reproach.

“I can understand why you don’t want to be used as a courier service, but I think there must be a deeper reason you aren’t willing to take me places.”

Fawkes huffed and looked away from Harry. He thought the phoenix would not answer him at first, but then he sent Harry a series of images, which took some time to interpret.

Harry gasped as soon as he realised what Fawkes was trying to communicate. Harry hugged him, feeling sorry for him and guilty for ever bringing the subject up.

“What’s the matter, Harry?” His grandmother asked.

“Fawkes said there was something wrong with him,” Harry sighed. “Ever since he broke free of the Dark Artifact, it really hurts him whenever he flames travels somewhere. He is concerned that I may experience the same pain if he brings me along with him.”

Minerva walked over and petted Fawkes. “That's a concern. But didn’t he have a burning day soon after escaping from Dumbledore? That should have fixed any issues.”

Harry frowned. “I don’t know what to think. I would have never imagined that a bond like ours could exist. It goes deeper than a mere familiar bond."

“Well, it’s not like you need him to take you places,’ Minerva said. “While it may be more convenient than other methods, it doesn't mean they are slow themselves.”

“You're right. I was just being selfish,” Harry admitted. “Fawkes, you should have told me sooner. There's no need for you to keep it to yourself."

Fawkes nodded, before sticking his head in Harry’s pocket, searching for sweets.

“Get out of it, rascal,” Harry laughed. He retrieved a bag of fruit candy from his pocket and offered one to Fawkes.

Harry said goodbye to his grandmother and left her office. His plans for the rest of the day were up in the air. Daphne and Susan were spending time together with the other girls. With no males present, he shuddered at the thought of what they would discuss. Could he do something with the boys?

Another idea came to him. He turned around and climbed to the seventh floor to the Room of Requirement. Since the commotion had subsided, the club members could now use the room once more. The Room of Hidden Things had changed significantly since they finished sorting the items, and all the cursed objects were removed. The room now appeared empty, save for a few damaged pieces of furniture and a handful of items that piqued his curiosity.

Tonks had finished checking the books for curses and were now safe to read. They added a library room to the Room of Requirement and displayed all the books on bookshelves.

Harry entered the Room of Hidden Things and walked over to a cabinet set against the wall. It was a rickety-looking piece of furniture, but it served an important purpose. Curiosity led him to use an appraisal scroll on the item, primarily driven by his fascination with the intricately etched arrays.

The Artifact was called the Vanishing Cabinet, and it allowed a person to travel between two places when paired with another cabinet. Even the protective wards of Hogwarts couldn't stop them. When he asked the house-elves about the cabinet, they told him they had moved here the previous school year after Peeves damaged it.

There were a couple of issues he had to resolve before he could use it. He needed another Vanishing Cabinet, but because of their rarity, this would not be easy to find. Many wizards and witches used them during the first war to escape from the Death Eaters. Despite their effectiveness, the Death Eaters destroyed any they came across to stop them from being used again.

A second problem was that the Vanishing Cabinet needed repairing. Some runes were completely destroyed or were badly damaged. He would either have to inscribe the runes again or find a repair spell that could do the task for him. He had tried using the Reparo Charm, but that had been a complete failure.

To repair the object, the spell used the caster's magic to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. The less you know about the item, the more magic it would cost to fix it. After nearly exhausting his magical reserves, he had no results. Either he would have to find a more powerful repairing charm, or he would have to figure out the cabinet's array schematics and fix it by himself.

Once he had two working vanishing cabinets, he could leave one here and place the other anywhere. He didn’t know if there was a limit to the range, but he assumed that there were no limits. A sudden thought arose in his mind. If he had access to this when Hogwarts was in lockdown, would he have been able to use it to bypass the wards?

Harry took out a parchment and started copying the cabinet's arrays onto it. Although there were parts missing, if he could see the overall design, then he might fill in the gaps. Unlike most Artifacts, this array had no Obscuring Sequence to hide its secrets, but it was intricate. If he were to guess how long this thing would take to make, he would say two days at least. Did the method to produce it disappear or did people stop buying them because there wasn't a war going on anymore?

Harry stood up and checked the time after he had finished tracing most of the runes. He would come back and continue working it over the next few days.

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

27th March

The following Saturday, Remus met him in his grandmother's office to accompany him back home for the weekend. He and Sirius had planned to keep an eye on him while he worked in his workshop. Once they reached home, Remus followed him, curious to see his workshop.

“So, what are you up to these days?” Harry asked.

Remus playfully nudged him. “Are you asking me if I have a job? I work at a restaurant in London. Because the shifts are flexible, I may take several days off around the full moon.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“It pays the bills. Sirius thinks I don’t need a job, and that he can just give me an allowance.”

“You sound like a mistress he keeps on the side,” Harry grinned.

Remus laughed. “Yes, that is exactly what I thought. The subject of my job has been a constant source of friction between us for years, but he has never won the argument."

“I have a job that you may be interested in,” Harry informed him.

Remus reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing him to a halt. This allowed him to lock eyes with Harry. “Did Sirius put you up to this?”

“No,” Harry said. “I need someone to handle my business interests and other areas of my life like my mail, so you will be my personal manager. My grandparents don't have time to do it themselves, and I don't want to worry about the bothersome details. I want to focus on school and making things.”

“I have no experience in managing somebody’s affairs.”

“Experience isn't necessary,” Harry said. “I know you are intelligent, and I need someone whom I can trust.”

“It doesn’t sound like a full-time job,” Remus argued.

“Not right now,” Harry shrugged. “But it will be soon. The guild handles the business with my appraisal scrolls, but I am considering opening my own store in the future.”

Despite Remus' attempts to disguise it, Harry could tell that the offer tempted him. It sounded more interesting than working at a restaurant after all.

“I will pay you four thousand galleons a month,” Harry offered, trying to close the deal. “I bet you don’t get anywhere that amount working at a restaurant.”

“That’s too much,” Remus said, holding up his hands in protest. “That is what a senior professor like your grandfather makes at Hogwarts. I will only take half of the salary until I become a full-time manager.”

“Deal,” Harry reached out and shook his hand.

Remus would still likely earn more than working at a restaurant, even with his salary halved. Since Harry made twice that much from royalties alone, the galleons weren't much to him, and they would only increase as the appraisal scrolls expanded into the American market.

“I will have to iron out the details with your grandparents,” Remus said. “Since you're still a minor, you can’t sign an employee contract.”

"Alright.”

“I have something to give you before I forget,” Remus said, taking out a small handheld mirror from his pocket. He handed it to Harry, who peered at it with curiosity. As he flipped it over, he discovered a complex array engraved onto its surface.

“What is this?” Harry asked.

“This is a two-way mirror,” Remus explained. “It belonged to your father. The mirror connects to another, allowing you to talk with the receiver as if they were standing right in front of you. Sirius has the other mirror."

“This is so cool,” Harry said, tracing the array. “Why is there no Obscuring Sequence to protect the array’s design?”

“There were only two ever produced,” Remus replied. “It was something your mother made for James’ seventeenth birthday, and never considered marketing it.”

Harry’s eyes widened. "I did not know that she had an interest in Enchanting."

“She dabbled in it, but it didn’t interest her as much as Charms and Potions.”

Harry clutched the mirror to his chest, overcome with a mixture of emotions. Having something made by his mother filled him with a bittersweet sense of joy. Because of their mutual interest, he felt a connection with her that surpassed anything he had felt previously.

What had she been thinking of when she created it? What inspired her? The mirror was a representation of the love she had for her boyfriend. His father was the luckiest guy in the world to have been with his mother. It amazed him she could create something so easily, even though it was not her primary field of study.

The mirror motivated him to make some Artifacts for his girlfriends, so he knew where to begin. But he didn’t know if it was even possible, as it had never been done before. He would have to do some research.

Remus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder in comfort as he observed the range of emotions visible on his face. “Why don’t you try it out? The password is Padfoot.”

Harry nodded. Holding the mirror to his face, he said the password. A few seconds later, Sirius appeared in the mirror.

“Didn't I see your ugly mug up at the house a minute ago?” Sirius joked.

“I don’t know,” Harry said. "I swear I saw a mongrel rummaging through the trash. Was that you?”

“Funny.” Sirius grinned. “What do you think of the gift? It will be impossible for you to forget my handsome face as I will bother you at all hours of the day."

“Do that, and I will stick the mirror down one of the boy’s toilets and keep it switched on,” Harry retorted. “I'm sure you'll be treated to some beautiful scenery."

Sirius grimaced. “I concede defeat.”

Harry smiled. “Thank you for the gift. Is it worth studying and making more of them?”

“It’s up to you. But if I were you, I would improve upon the design so it’s more useful. Lily wasn’t interested in improving upon it.”

It wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't an Artifact, but it could generate a lot of income if he improved it.

After turning off the mirror, Harry continued on to his workshop. After giving Remus a tour, he got to work.

Over the weekend, his goal was to build an additional room, install another crafting station, and gain the equivalent skill. It would be a woodworking crafting station this time. Even after constructing the workshop, he hadn’t learned a woodworking skill, so he figured it needed to be something more specialised to obtain it.

There were quite a few commissions at the Artisan’s Guild that involved woodworking. The commissions ranged from crafting items with minor enchantments to making an Artifact. There were only two Artisans in the guild who specialised in the craft, so there was a backlog of commissions.

To improve his rank within the guild, he had to complete commissioned tasks. He needed to have made three Artifacts and earned a thousand guild points to become a Journeyman. That would come with several additional benefits. The guild only had two other Artisans with that rank, and both joined after Harry did.

He wanted to earn the remaining points needed to acquire the Workshop Trunk. Once he had it, he could access his workshop from anywhere.

Harry spent the rest of the day building the room and installing the crafting station. Unlike the others, he had most of the supplies needed on hand. He would use most of the power tools to do the big projects, which is why he wanted electrical outlets for the workshop. He purchased additional tools required for smaller and more intricate projects.

He had to make the room even bigger than his blacksmithing room in order to fit all his tools inside. He arranged the bigger equipment along the walls, and he set up a table in the centre so he could design his creations and work on smaller projects. There were also several bins filled with pieces of wood he would use for his projects.

Once he had completed his task, he retrieved the Source and read the new message.

==========

The Host has completed a task

Task #8 - Build crafting stations for the workshop (ongoing).

General experience earned + 1000

Reward: Wood Blemish Eraser

Progress to level 11: 18800/76800

Level 11 Unlocks

Feature: Increased range of items in the Magic Emporium.

Item: The Double Tier Array Schematic.

The Host has completed a Workshop Task

Build a Woodworking station: 200 points.

Current Points: 4500

Workshop Level: 1 Next [/5000]

==========

Wood Blemish Eraser (Artifact)

The eraser removes blemishes from all kinds of wood materials, including magical wood that is almost impossible to treat. Rub the eraser over the affected area, and the blemish will vanish almost instantly. It can also be used to smooth out any imperfections made by the host while crafting an item, although the effect is limited. The eraser is permanent and will never run out.

==========

This was certainly a unique Artefact, but its use was limited. He only needed to purchase wood that was free from any blemishes. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to complain about receiving another free Artifact.

Harry called it a night and retreated to the house for dinner. Tomorrow, his primary goal would be to focus on learning the Woodworking skill. If he worked quickly enough, he could earn the required points for the Workshop Trunk by the end of the day.

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

28th March

Harry got up early the next morning and returned to his workshop. He selected a piece of basswood from the bin, along with a set of carving knives. Different knives were necessary depending on how you wanted to cut and shape the wood. Taking a seat at the table, he stared at the wood, trying to decide what to create for his first project. As a beginner, it didn't matter what he created, as the final product would likely be crude.

After deciding to go with Hedwig first, he began cutting slivers out of the wood. Since he wasn't confident with anything else, he started with an owl shape with closed wings, as the alternative seemed too complicated at this point. Although he was extremely dexterous, he doubted that his artistic ability was up to par.

After spending thirty minutes carving the piece, he came to realise just how accurate that statement was in practice. Even though he had only shaped half the wood, it already looked lopsided. Achieving a figurine with the precise dimensions would probably require multiple attempts and a generous dose of patience. He finished the figurine anyway, since it was good practice.

After completing it, the owl ornament looked even worse than before, and he wasn't able to earn the woodworking skill. Grumbling, he set it aside, attributing it to a valuable learning experience. He carved four additional figurines until he achieved a result that satisfied him. The Source acknowledged his effort and rewarded him with a new skill.

==========

The host has created an owl figurine.

General Experience: + 150

Skill Experience: [Dexterity, Whittling] + 75

==========

The host has learned a new skill!

**Whittling 1 [75/1000] - Whittling is the process of carving off bits of wood in order to shape the material into a variety of ornamental products and accessories. It takes keen eyesight, steady hands, and a lot of patience to master this disciplined art. By increasing the skill level, it becomes easier to visualise the final result and make fewer mistakes.

=========

Whittling recipes have been added to the Crafting Book.

The Host has completed a Workshop Task.

Learn the Whittling skill: 100 points.

Current Points: 4600

Workshop Level: 1 Next [5000]

=========

Even though he suspected it would be this way, the skill surprised him. As woodworking could be considered as part of the Construction skill, like carpentry for instance, it wasn't surprising that there wasn't a specific skill for it, and he gained a more specialised skill instead.

Because some enchantments work better with natural materials like wood, woodworking was considered an Artisan skill. Let's take the Vanishing Cabinet as an example. An object of that size would lack the ability to hold so many intricate arrays, so it needed a natural material that could hold more magic. The cabinet was crafted from a rare and expensive type of wood imbued with magical properties.

Harry examined the figurine. Should he show it to Hedwig? After considering it for a moment, he decided against it. Once his skills improved, he could create an even better figurine. In addition, he could also make figures for Fawkes and the people closest to him. Maybe he should add a small enchantment to them as well.

For the moment, he looked at the Whittling recipes in the Crafting Book. In order to earn more shop points and points for his workshop, he would focus on crafting items featured in the book.

By the end of the day, he fell short of earning the Workshop Trunk by two hundred points. He would have to return next weekend to earn the rest.

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

3rd April

Harry's eyes fluttered open, and a smile graced his face. Finally, he had completed the second stage for Level 2 Occlumency. It was a double blessing for him today, as he also received his Workshop Trunk.

Closing his eyes, he delved back into his subconsciousness and observed the surrounding environment. The void had consolidated, shrinking into a smaller and more manageable space. There were tens of thousands of twinkling lights that looked like stars in the night sky. After completing the second stage, his memories appeared. Now that he had them, the next step was to build a setting to house them.

With a thought, he formed a solid mass from the void and shaped it into a miniature replica of his workshop. He added definition, colour and depth to it, giving him the ability to enter inside the building. Manipulating his subconscious had become a breeze after consolidating it.

The last stage of Level 2 Occlumency was to gather his memories and organise them into different categories. This would be a long and painful process, as he would have to examine every memory, and some would be a lot harder than others. As a result of organising his memories, his memory would improve significantly, which would help with his grades in boring subjects like History of Magic.

Once he completed this stage, he would be an Occlumens Level 3, and he would move on to constructing a place that would hold his memories and protect them against intruders. That was still a long way off, though.

As soon as he exited his mind, he retrieved the Source and opened his inventory. One slot contained a trunk symbol. When he selected it, a description appeared on the adjacent page.

============

Workshop Trunk

A trunk that has an expanded space inside of it. The Workshop is perfectly replicated, complete with all the necessary crafting stations, equipment, and materials. Regarding the latter, if they are used in one workshop, they disappear from both workshops since their inventories are shared. It looks like a normal trunk from the outside and is only accessible by the host. While it is protected against various forms of damage, it is not indestructible. The trunk is equipped with a console that monitors the trunk's health and alerts the host when he is under attack.

===========

He had checked out the trunk earlier, and it worked as advertised. The Workshop Trunk was just as functional as his real one, complete with the ability to use electricity. In addition, his second-floor bedroom was replicated, so he could sleep there whenever he liked.

He could access his workshop from anywhere, whether he was at Hogwarts or elsewhere. If he needed a place to hide, he could enter his trunk, and no one would know he was there. He only wished he could show it to his friends.

Harry paused. He had no reason not to tell them about the trunk. Expanded trunks with living spaces were nothing new, as there was a shop that made them in Diagon Alley. The only problem is that even the smallest ones were prohibitively expensive to make, which is why they weren't more popular. If you needed somewhere to sleep when out travelling, then a magical tent was a much cheaper option.

There was nothing inside the trunk that would give away the secret as well. Although his friends may ask why he had such an expensive item made, his obsession with his profession could explain it. He would have to think about the idea some more.

==========

5th April

When Harry emerged from the bathroom after taking his customary shower before bed, Hedwig made a noise that alerted him to something amiss. She was perched on the stand by the window, a recent addition that made it easier for her to stay closer to him. Fawkes had his own stand next to her, where he was currently asleep.

“What's the matter, Hedwig?”

She stared fixedly out the window, which looked out onto the Hogwarts' grounds. Walking over to the window, he searched for the cause of her interest. With only a sliver of moonlight, it took him a moment to make out the individual in the darkness. The man was headed for the Forbidden Forest.

Although he couldn’t recognise the man, he did recognise the armour. It was one of the Runic Knights. There were only a few knights who had stayed behind to continue the search for Quirrell and Peter. Why was the man entering the forest by himself? To his knowledge, the knights never entered alone—they always preferred to team up with at least one other knight.

Despite knowing it was stupid, he was determined to follow the man to see what he was doing. As long as he used his Animagus form and was careful, nothing should go wrong, right?

Harry took some clothes out of his dresser and hurriedly put them on. He made his way downstairs into the common room. He was able to leave uncontested since there was still some time before curfew. But there were Aurors still patrolling the castle, and he didn’t want to catch their attention. He changed into his Animagus form, turned invisible,  and ran through the castle to the ground floor.

Leaving the castle, he dashed towards the Forbidden Forest. Although the man had a head start on him, he knew where the man entered the forest from.

After a few minutes, he found the man. He held a torch in one hand, providing some illumination to navigate the forest. Even though the knight didn’t appear to be in a hurry, he glanced around furtively, as if he was up to something. He concealed himself behind trees and foliage even though he knew he was invisible.

For the next half hour, Harry followed him deeper into the forest. The sounds of multiple beasts reached his ears, prompting him to move even more cautiously. The beasts made him a lot more nervous than any human did, as they could probably sense his presence more easily.

Just as he was trying to decide it was worth it to keep following him, he stopped inside a small clearing. What was he doing in this place?

There was a small rustling sound, and a figure emerged from a bush. Harry came close to revealing himself when he let out a surprised squeak.

What was Peter Pettigrew doing here?

So, what do you think? Harry has found Peter Pettigrew, but what is he up to?

Thanks for reading.