DISCLAIMER! This Harry Potter story was written for fun. All rights belong to the wonderful lady (JK Rowling) who gave the world Harry Potter to read and enjoy. New Movie is coming in April! Hurrah! Yeah, for Fanfiction – a great place to stretch your imagination and enjoy someone else's creativity too! The is the sequel to The Potter Cartouche.
Chapter 23 Harry's ProtectionsHarry rose from the chair in the Common Room and headed toward the door out of Gryffindor Tower. Neville didn't try to follow; Harry's face was focused on something else, and he believed that his friend needed time alone. As soon as Harry left the dormitory, he vanished from sight, sound, and smell. When he reached the door of his private classroom, he checked that no one was in the hallways before slipping inside the room and closing the door behind him. The 'torches' on the wall ignited once the door was closed and Harry saw the table, chairs, and bookcases that he had used last year.
He pulled his book bag from his shoulder and sat it on the table. Then he pulled a chair close and sat down before pulling out his notebook and biro. Taking the ink pen and opening the notebook to a clean page, Harry wrote ideas about making protective runes for his friends.
'Rings declare alliances too much. How about medallions on a necklace around their neck? Or bracelets around their wrist or ankle? That'll be less obvious to anyone watching them. What spells – shields, powerful shields, warm cold invisible? I need to talk to someone I trust.'
"Dobby," Harry called out and his house-elf appeared.
"Yes, Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes?" asked the house-elf when he appeared beside his wizard.
"Hey. Uh…that's a long name for me, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes."
Deciding to take a different tact with addressing that problem, Harry said, "And you'll use up all your magic if you keep calling me that long name every time you speak to me. Can we compromise on a shorter name that you'll use?"
Dobby frowned and asked, "Does Dobby must use short name all times?"
"No. That wouldn't be fair of me. How about you use the long name once and then just call me 'Harry' after that in any conversation?"
"Dobby could never call Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes just 'Harry'. Maybe 'Mr Harry Freshgold Potter'?"
"How about just 'Mr Harry'?"
"Dobby nodded and then added, "Dobby do but…when Dobby uses different parts of Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes name, it be signal."
"That's a great idea Dobby. What'cha got in mind?"
"If Dobby greets you as 'Mr Harry Freshgold Potter', that mean Dobby has news from Bloodyhook-CrazyAxe from bank of goblins.
"Bloodhook will like that name," Harry said. "What else?
"Dobby say 'Mr Harry Heir Potter' be something from Lady LongDragon or Headmaster Duelling Master or other professors."
"That's good."
"And if Dobby ever pops into room screaming 'Harry', that mean castle on fire, dragons at door, werewolves coming down the chimney, and trolls digging up into dungeons."
"End of the world, eh?" asked Harry as Dobby nodded vigorously.
"Now, that's settled, I need your advice," Harry said. The elf sat down on the floor and felt a few tears flow in happiness but then got back on his feet and listened closely to his wizard.
"I'm angry that I didn't think to make a ring or necklace for Hagrid to wear before he went to see the dragons in Egypt. If he'd had my shield, maybe he would have survived. I don't want anything to happen to any of my friends so I'm going to make few protections for them."
"Maybe sometimes it better to die than to live with all the pains and scars of dragon's fire," Dobby replied. "Mr Harry Potter must read about dragon fire sometimes. Wizards lose arms and legs most times when fight dragons. Scars badly bad on body and face. Most wizards leap into nothingness when they see what dragon fire does to them."
Staring at Dobby for a moment, Harry took a deep breath and said, "Wizards are idiots for dealing with dragons then."
The elf again nodded his head in agreement but listened as his wizard outlined his ideas about making bracelets for his friends with shields on them.
"That be good idea, but Mr Harry must tell Headmaster Bennet and get written permissions from parents of friends before giving them such things."
"Can't I give them a bracelet as a gift?"
Tilting his head and entering lecture mode, Dobby said, "But if Mr Harry gives them magic saves their lives or kill them, then Mr Harry responsible."
"You didn't stop me when I made these things for me to wear."
"Youse be making for you to wear and learn how they work. Dobby can't smack your posterior with stinging hexes like you five years old, Mr Master of Runes."
"Okay. That gives me something to think about."
"And also think about who you give and not give bracelets. Mr Green Nevilles be your brother and Lady LongDragon like her boys being protected. But does you give ones to Weasels? To Deans and Seamuses? To Notts and Greengrass Beauty Queen?"
Harry frowned and said, "You're making this hard, Dobby."
"That be Dobby's job – keep Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes alive and thinking about actions. Sometimes being Gryffindor not best. Need be Slytherin."
The elf continued saying, "Whole Hogwarts want one of Mr Harry's rings now. How many letters does you get if people think you giving rings and bracelets away? Does Ragnock feel bad because you not give him one?"
"Okay, okay," Harry said to surrender the argument. "I'll start by talking to Lady Longbottom about something for Neville."
"Talk with Nevilles and Lady LongDragon togethers," Dobby said. "Dobby arrange for tomorrow. But don't tell anyone else."
"And then who?"
Dobby frowned and said, "Speaks with Professor Carter. He be trying to be good head of house of lazy lions, and he can advise you about going to Headmaster Master of Duels. And youse must talk to Professor Charms about gifts to Ragnock and Bloodyhook-CrazyAxe. Goblins talk about erecting statues of Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes."
"What?" asked Harry, growing uncomfortable.
"Ragnock commissioned portrait of Freshgold to hang in his cavern above bag of gold with blood of enemy – great honour. And there be fights with blood in duelling chambers in Gringotts about which goblin gets to name pups after Mr Harry Freshgold Potter Heir Potter Master of Runes. Many names now – Harry, Harold, Potter, Potty, Freshgold, Goldie, Runic – all be names being tossed about Gringotts for pups that hatch next year. Bloodhook wins and will name pup 'Harry' be it boy or girl. Great honour among goblins."
Bemused that a baby goblin would be named for him, Harry sat quietly while Dobby popped out and back with a pitcher of cool water and a mug for his wizard.
"Mr Harry drinks some water and thinks," Dobby said. "Goblins honour Mr Harry and it make you uncomfortable, but this gives you chance to help all wizards be better with goblins. And you be good wizard to want to protect friends, but we must do it like baking biscuits."
Harry glanced at his elf with questions in his eyes and Dobby explained, "First we measure all ingredients. Then we mix sugars with butter and eggs and spices before we add any flours. Then make rolling roller flat dough and use cutters to cuts up shapes. Finally, bake in ovens at best heat to bake biscuits."
"And if I added the flour before mixing the sugar with the butter, I'd have a mess," Harry agreed. "I'll go slow."
"Professor Charms be best to talk to about what ingredients to add to your biscuits," Dobby said and made Harry laugh.
"Let me head to bed," Harry said, packing his book bag.
"Dobby goes to kitchens and bakes biscuits…must bake tonight!" the determined elf announced.
CHANGE SCENE: Talk with Augusta and Neville"Harry, your elf said you need to speak with me this afternoon," Augusta said as her grandson and his 'brother' entered her office.
"Yes," Harry replied. "Can we have privacy please?"
"So, this isn't a school matter?"
"No, ma'am," replied Harry.
"He hasn't said anything to me," Neville informed his grandmother as Augusta ordered the portraits to sleep for the next few minutes and a tea tray appeared with a pot, three cups and an overly full plate of biscuits.
"The elves outdid themselves with baking last night," Augusta remarked and helped herself to several biscuits and a cup of tea. "Now, what are we to deal with today?"
In a moderate tone that hid his grief, Harry explained how badly he felt about not having insisted that Hagrid have a medallion or bracelet to protect him from the fire that killed him in Alexandria.
"If the trip had not been so rushed, I am certain you would have thought of a ring or medallion for Hagrid to wear," Augusta said. "Dumbledore and Hagrid left the same day the headmaster gave his permission so that Hagrid could have a day to just visit with the dragon keepers and observe the dragons."
Then Harry explained his idea to make bracelets or medallions to protect his friends here at Hogwarts before he admitted that Dobby had talked him down from setting out to save the world last night by pointing out the legal repercussions, the need for parental and Headmaster Bennet's permission, and the potential flood of requests that would flow in if people discovered the news of his gifts.
Neville snickered and imitated Dobby's voice to say, "Mr Great Harry Potters be not saving world tonight."
"Yeah, something like that," Harry admitted.
"That elf is a treasure," Augusta said. "Don't you dare sell him to anyone."
"Oh no! Dobby's not a possession. He's a member of my family!" Harry insisted. "Ragnock tried to buy him once already and I told him no."
Augusta sighed and sat back in her chair, "You refused the king of the goblins a request?"
"Gran, remember Harry's wedding gift for Ragnock's ugly daughter is a bag of gold covered with an enemy's blood," Neville glanced at Harry who shrugged. "With Severus Snape's blood on it. And last I heard from Dobby, that bag sits in a place of honour in the king's throne room for all his visitors to see."
"Dobby says it is a great honour," the young wizard confirmed.
Augusta cleared her throat and said, "Goblins are dangerous, Harry. Don't ever forget that."
The witch sat up and said, "But your elf is correct about getting all the necessary permissions, and I want you to get confidentiality agreements too."
Neville asked, "What kind of protections do you want to put into a ring for me?"
"Something to shield him from people with ill-intent," explained Harry.
The boy grinned as he teased, "Of course, that'll give some people the wrong impression about our relationship."
Harry and Augusta snorted and waved off the teenager's attempt at a joke, as Harry explained, "I want to make a bracelet to wear on your wrist or around your ankle. Rings are too visible, and they mean alliances. We're brothers so that's not a problem but I want to treat my friends equally."
"An ankle bracelet is perfect," Augusta said. "Hidden by the socks and trouser legs of a wizard's robes. For a young witch, it would need to be attractive for the times her ankles are displayed. But they'll never be noticed by an attacker until it's too late."
Neville snorted and said, "I want the bracelet when you're ready Harry, but I don't want to tell anyone about it."
"Why not, Neville?" asked his grandmother.
"With a six-layered runic array around my ankle…every grifter and wizard with bad intentions would be after me."
Harry nodded and said, "So I'll make it unplottable, hidden, or something no one else can find."
"That's not possible, Harry," Lady Longbottom said before Neville laughed.
Pointing at his friend, Neville said, "Now, you've done it. That's a challenge if I've heard one and remember, Harry Potter accomplishes the impossible every morning before breakfast."
Grimacing as she reached for another biscuit, Augusta said, "Look at the runes used in wards and for invisibility."
"And I'm going to talk to Professors Flitwick and Carter about what to protect against," Harry announced.
"Very well. You have my permission to make an artefact to protect Neville," Lady Longbottom said. "And when you're ready to give it to Neville, I'll inform Headmaster Bennet and Professor Carter. But don't give any to anyone else until we talk with Bennet and Carter."
The two wizards left her office and Augusta called an elf to remove the tea tray.
'I'm glad I stay busy every day casting magic and walking about,' she thought. 'Otherwise, these elves would have me as fat as a cow.'
SCENERY CHANGE: Two Professors Share Their IdeasThe discussion with Professors Carter and Flitwick was arranged for that same evening. Harry didn't realize that the professors gave him some preference when he asked to talk with them. He didn't abuse the privilege and always had a serious subject to discuss when he asked for their time. Tonight, his request didn't surprise either professor.
First Harry explained his anger at himself for not sending some artefact with Hagrid to protect him. "If I'd sent something with Hagrid, he might have survived."
"Mr Potter, the arrangements were very rushed, and no one thought about sending Hagrid with any protections. He'd survived here at Hogwarts for fifty years without a wand," Flitwick stated to reassure the young wizard, echoing Lady Longbottom's reasoning earlier in the day. Harry didn't correct the half-goblin professor about Hagrid's wand hidden inside his umbrella and continued to listen.
"How can we help you, Mr Potter?" asked Professor Carter.
"You both have been in fights and duels in your lives and careers. I want to create a runic array that will protect my friends…my brother Neville Longbottom."
"The Deputy Headmistress is aware?"
"Yes, and as Neville's guardian, she gave me permission to provide him something."
Carter and Flitwick exchanged glances before Carter asked, "The headmaster?"
"She said she will speak with him before I give it to Neville to wear."
Thereafter followed the reminder that the parents or guardians of any student would have to provide permission before any artefacts were gifted. And a repeat of the stricture that Headmaster Bennet would have to be informed and provide his approval for each artefact as well. Flitwick echoed Augusta again saying, "And confidentiality agreements that will last for as long as you are a student at Hogwarts."
"Yes, sir," Harry replied. "I have been instructed on those matters by my guardian and my house-elf."
"The elf will keep him in line," Flitwick assured Carter. "Best tutor the wizard could have."
"What is your purpose with this artefact you want to make?"
"I want to protect my friends from another wizard firing curses at them in the back, kidnapping them, or poisoning them."
"How can you tell if a potion is to cure an illness or poison someone?"
"And perhaps an Auror needs to apparate a child out of danger," added Carter. "I don't see a problem with the shield you have unless the child is injured and needs medical attention."
Flitwick added, "Is there a rune about judging intent? Something to distinguish ill-intent. How would magic judge ill intentions versus good intentions?
Harry asked, "Intent? What do you mean professor?"
"There are many arguments about dark and light magic," Professor Carter said. "But I always take a step back from that and look at what the spell caster is using the spell for. The spell to create water would be considered dark if you use it to torture or drown someone. And the dark spells to control another person might do some good if the person is threatening to kill someone. An imperious curse cast on a wizard holding child hostage would be considered 'good intent'."
"The concept of intention should be taught in DADA classes beginning in the first year," Flitwick said. "Transfiguration warns against attempting to transfigure another person in all seven years at Hogwarts."
"Professor Grayson warned us against using transfiguration on any living creature until we're Masters of Transfiguration. And Neville swears plants can feel things too, so he doesn't want us to transfigure any plants without a lot of thought and practice on leaves that have already been harvested."
After a moment of thought, Harry added, "I'll look for runes about intention."
Carter snorted and said, "Discuss that with Professor Tofty or Professor Smithers."
Then Flitwick added, "Maybe Professor Babbling can offer some ideas. She's coming around to worshipping the ground you walk on. And Gringotts can test this artefact in some cavern they're excavating somewhere."
"And, Mr Potter, perhaps you shouldn't make these protective artefacts too complicated," Professor Carter continued.
Now, Harry gave the head of Gryffindor House his full attention and as the wizard explained, "Perhaps all you need is just that powerful shield, something to call for help, and judging the attacker's intention."
Flitwick nodded in agreement, "Not everything needs to be one of the impossible runic arrays with six layers."
"Muggles call it the Kiss Principle," Harry replied as he came to understand his professors.
"Kiss?" asked Flitwick.
"Keep It Simple Stupid – K.I.S.S. means to not overcomplicate things."
SCENERY CHANGE
Waiting outside the fifth-year class for the students to depart, Harry kept his hands clasped behind his back. As the students from all four years came out of the classroom, they noticed the Master of Runes standing there and a few whispered to each other while most simply nodded their heads and hurried to their next class or places to study. Daphne Greengrass came out with her books in her arms today and smiled at Harry but kept walking. Sticking his head inside the room, Harry asked, "Professor Babbling, I need your advice on something."
Bathsheba Babbling still struggled with her feelings regarding Mr Potter and his innovation for runes but she was first and foremost an educator and here was one of her students asking for help.
"Come in, Mr Potter. I have twenty minutes before I have to be in a meeting," Bathsheba said, motioning toward a chair. She was aware of the magic around her classroom and felt the castle raise several privacy wards that would prevent anyone from listening outside the door.
"I wanted your help with the idea of intent in magic…in runes."
"I don't understand," confessed Babbling. "Elucidate."
"Are there any runes that you know that are about someone's intent to do ill or good for another person?
"There are runes about theft in Norse runes and graverobbers in Egyptian hieroglyphics," she said to begin pulling information from her mind and sharing it. "The Babylonians and Sumerians hated thieves too. They feared the loss of food as much as they did gold."
"Food must have been just as important as money back then."
They continued talking for a time before she pinned him down, asking, "What are you trying to accomplish?"
Nodding, Harry explained his hope to make an artefact that would protect his friends from anyone with ill intent and wanted to explore runes that might invoke that concept. Thinking for only a moment, Bathsheba smirked and drew a book from her desk.
"Mr Potter, you revolutionized runes and showed me that sheet of muggle paper with ink drawings and words can be used to make a power runic array that can't exist. That bloody six-layer array made with words."
Professor Babbling laid a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary on the desk where the young wizard sat. "This is the runic encyclopaedia for you. In a year or two, when things calm down, we can test if anyone else can do what you do and then begin an orderly change in the world."
"A year or two?" Harry asked. Smiling, Bathsheba assured the teenager that 24 months was not an eternity.
"The only problem I see is how to test the artefact," she said after learning he didn't plan to make a six-layer artefact. "Your shield with magnifiers on it to increase the power would be good. Have you thought about reflection?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have the shield act as a mirror for any wizard or witch casts a spell with ill-intent. Their spell will fly back into their face and their wand will register the spell as being their own so your friend can't be blamed for what happens."
"That's great!"
"And you wanted to call for help?" she asked and when he nodded. "I believe a house-elf would be best to call. Persons such as yourself usually have an elf doing all kinds of tasks for them. If someone with ill-intent fires a spell at you, your elf would be there instantly, inside the shield and ready to pop you away. If you're incapacitated, the elf would move you to the infirmary or Saint Mungos," Babbling said.
Harry wrote several ideas down in his notebook and Babbling continued, "I have one request, Mr Potter."
"Sure Professor."
"Don't tell everyone about this. Every day, I get letters about speaking to groups or individuals about you and the writer always hints about revealing your secrets, which I wouldn't do even if I could," Babbling said. "I don't want to deal with a thousand letters a day asking for rings that provide protection like this."
"Lady Longbottom made that a condition for me making these experiments."
SCENE CHANGE: Protection and TestingHarry spent his free time for a day looking up words in the dictionary and writing out his interpretation of the meanings. He was satisfied with his understanding of 'ill-intent' and 'shield x10 surround' as he wrote them on a sheet of paper. He questioned 'reflect' and 'call elf' both open-ended terms that needed more definition. He was pleased with the 'at need' variable he would use as the cap of his next artefact.
'If I use 'call my elf', would it call Dobby or the elf of the person wearing the artefact? And what if Neville doesn't have an elf?'
'Reflect could send the curse cast at Neville in any direction and hit innocent bystanders,' he thought. 'What about 'reflection'?'
Looking up the word in the dictionary he found 'throwing back light, heat, or sound without absorbing it'.
'That should do it. This I'll test on myself,' Harry decided as he made a single item array with a sheet of paper. A medallion was created and when Harry cast the charm for warm or cold at the medallion, the spell reflected back on his person. He continued with a cheering charm and then the mouth cleaning charm, both spells were reflected back on him.
Calling Dobby for ideas, he explained his concern about 'call elf' but the little elf explained that the magic of the word – again the intent – meant that the elf closest to the wearer would be called and save the wizard or witch.
After considering Dobby's answer, Harry asked, "What if he doesn't have an elf?"
Dobby paused for a minute, excused himself to talk to other elves, and came back with a definitive answer, "If wizard need elf to rescue them, elf without family will come to rescue and bond wizard. Elf never let anything bad happen to their wizard if they have command to rescue in time of troubles."
"Are there a lot of elves without wizards?"
"Dobby can't say more," the little elf replied without looking at his Mr Harry Freshgold Potter. And being the decent fellow that he was, Harry didn't press his friend for more information.
Using his paper infused with magic by Hogwarts, and biro, Harry folded the paper just twice to make the four panels needed for a traditional four-layer (brother) array. On the first panel, in a cartouche drawn on the paper, he wrote 'detect ill-intent'. On the second panel, he wrote 'shield surround x10 reflection to caster'. On the third panel, he wrote, 'call elf'. And on the top panel, he drew the simple rune for 'cap' along with the words 'at need'.
Using a piece of his Freshgold and a white chunk of limestone, he lined the items up and tapped his wand with the image of a bracelet with a clasp in his mind. The artefact appeared and it was a thick gold strand with a few white stones.
TESTING SCENE
Bloodhook was glad to provide the testing grounds for the small bracelet that Freshgold sent to him. With several irate trolls in a cavern, he was pleased to report that the beasts all died from self-inflicted wounds when they attacked him with giant clubs to only hit themselves in the head.
His report ended with a peculiar note, 'And the nanny elf I had as a pup kept popping inside the shield the whole time, fussing about me being killed before my pup hatched. She was not pleased.'
Snickering, Harry went to talk to Neville and Lady Longbottom with the ankle bracelet for his brother to wear. As he walked along, he thought, 'Dobby and I will need to talk to the elves that are picked for Neville's rescue team and get them to practice a few times.'
End Chapter