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 14: More of August 1994

Runes and Wards, GOLD GOLD…too much Gold! and Rings

Harry Potter was hindered by the book on the rules for advanced runes that concluded, 'And the Master of Runes Shall always use the Fourth layer of the Rune's Plate to Cap the Array with a Blessing from Magic.'

He looked at his notes and could find nothing beyond references to four layers for the depth of the runes that could be created. Revising through his textbooks and the reference books on hand, he found nothing beyond four layers.

'But how do you put the layers together?' he wondered as he turned to the fifth-year textbook. A series of diagrams began with two sandstone plates with runes carved inside the cartouche on each plate. The next drawing showed one plate placed on top of the other, with a final diagram showing the two plates fused and activated by the touch of a wizard's wand.

Harry sat back and thought about the picture of two sandstone plates fusing. 'How would that be different than two sheets of paper, one on top of the other?'

There were no large runic arrays available for review at Longbottom Manor, so Harry revised his current knowledge of runes. He returned to the library, and there Maximus Longbottom welcomed the guest in his family home, asking about his experiments with runes. They had a friendly and informative conversation, and then Harry asked, "Sir Maximus, why are runic arrays limited to four layers?"

"Well, theoretically, layers of arrays could be limitless, but practical magic limits us to four because there's never been a spell developed that can cut a block of stone into more than four plates."

"What do you mean about cutting a block of stone? Can't you just stack sandstone plates on top of each other?"

The portrait replied, "No. There's a requirement in magic that the surface of the plate where you carve your cartouche and runes will only fuse with the bottom of the brother plate cut apart by magic."

Harry wasn't sure he understood until the portrait talked about magic, mandating that the grain of the stone had to match precisely for the magic to connect with the multiple plates together.

"And magic limits us to four plates from any block of stone," Maximus continued. "In my day, they tried cutting a huge block into four thick plates and then attempted to cut each block into four more layers, but the whole plate would shatter when the spell to cut the stone was applied again."

Harry asked Dobby for a stack of dinner plates that appeared on the table in the library, and the portrait told the young wizard that the four-layer runic array would only work with four sandstone plates purposefully made for use as a Runic array.

"Yes, but I wanted to ask questions about positions for the plates, order…"

Maximus agreed to answer the wizard's questions, and after twenty minutes, Harry was very disturbed by what he'd learned. A set of four plates had to be used in their original order from bottom to top and with the same orientation left to right, or the entire array would fail.

"So, the single plates we use at Hogwarts are impossible to stack on top of each other and fuse into a working array."

"Correct," Maximus announced. "Single plates are relatively inexpensive, but two brother plates are about ten times more expensive, a set of three brother plates are about fifty times more expensive, and a set of four brother plates are at least one hundred times more expensive."

Watching the young wizard consider this information, Maximus said, "You'll not get to carve a four-layer array until you're testing to become a Runes Master."

But Harry pressed ahead with his questions, "Does a four-layer array multiple the power of the array?"

"Well, the first three layers multiple the power but the top layer must cap off the array, or it throws the magic out into the world," Maximus replied. "Think about the pyramids in Egypt; they're not runic arrays, but they were capped to seal the magics inside the stones underneath them. When thieves stole the golden caps, the magic was released into the world, and the paradise that was Egypt was lost for all time."

"So, how do wizards get powerful wards set with runes if you're limited to a four-layer array?"

"You create sister runic arrays that are linked together through their caps. The runic array that ended my life was a sister array to the seven hundred or so arrays that powered the ministry under London. The building was new at the time…built underneath a large factory that someone named Lovegood bought and gave to the government for the new offices in the capital but hidden from the mudbloods."

Ignoring the portrait's use of that word, Harry continued, "And theoretically, as you say, a five-layer array would be geometrically more powerful."

"Theoretically, yes. But it's not possible to make one," Maximus replied. "If you want to study theory, that's a different practice than the application in the real world."

Harry grinned and explained his definition of the 'real world' being the mundane world to the portrait.

"I did not realise you were from the mudbloods, Potter. How is it you are a guest in this pureblood house?" asked the portrait, suddenly growing distant. "I believe I must rest now."

Harry stared at the portrait as the figure pretended to sleep while still making noises as if he were sniffing the air and caught the scent of a 'mudblood'. Shaking his head, Harry called Dobby and asked him to return the plates to the kitchen with his thanks.

He whispered, "Where's Neville?"

Being an expert on his Mr Harry Potter, Dobby pointed toward the stairs without saying anything. Once he returned the plates to the kitchen with thanks from Mr Harry Potter, the little elf spoke to the head elf who popped into the library to find the portrait of Maximus Longbottom empty. The old wizard had slipped out to spread the word that a mudblood was within Longbottom Manor. Shaking her head, the elf popped her fingers and made the portrait return to his picture frame and put him to sleep. Then she froze the picture frame and assured Dobby the 'old wizard' wouldn't wake up or tell any tales.

"Shelly speaks with Missy Augusta about Mr Maximus when she rested after Hogwarts this year. He sleeps until next year and maybe spends a month in the attic with spiders and owls."

"Dobby taking notes on Shelly running Longbottom Manor!" the little elf declared as he pulled out a muggle notebook and biro where he wrote down ideas. Intrigued by the items used, the Longbottom elf asked about the notebook and the muggle quill.

Finding Neville in the greenhouse with a dozen pots to move, Harry set about helping without magic. Neville nodded and said, "Working in the greenhouse, I do things without magic most of the time. Using too much magic just encourages the magic plants to grow too much this time of year, and you have to spend more time cutting them back with the muggle tools."

"And it's good to use your muscles too," Harry added.

They worked silently for a time before Neville asked, "What do you think school will be like this year?"

"A lot better, but we still have to deal with the bigots."

Neville nodded and said, "I never heard the word mud-you-know until I was introduced to other magical kids when I was eight years old. Gran told me never to use it but that too many people still thought that way."

Harry asked, "Does Ron think that way?"

"Oh yeah," Neville replied. "He called Hermione a 'mud…well, you know, all the time when you weren't around."

"They may never change, but it isn't going to stop me from learning about magic," Harry swore. "Magic is magic – it isn't a bloodline."

"No, I agree, but please calm down. You're levitating the pots again," Neville teased his friend.

Later that same afternoon, Harry noticed the portrait of Maximus Longbottom was sleeping but decided to return to the duelling chamber to work on his runic arrays. Seeing that he was almost out of muggle paper soaked in magic, he called Dobby and asked about getting into Hogwarts to retrieve more from the Room of Requirements.

"Dobby has muggle papers soaking in Mr Harry Potter's vaults at Gringotts. Bank be magical enough to fill papers with magic," the elf replied. "And Dobby founds Mr Harry Potters's family Grimoire in the Potter heirloom vaults too."

"Where in the vault was it? That one time I was there, I only saw the money."

"That be's your student vaults, Mr Harry Potters. You have a family money vault, a family heirloom vault, a Freshgold vault, and a basilisk vault. That gold moves to the muggle banks once a month by Bloodhook and Mr Samuel Abbot."

"Dobby, ask Bloodhook if I can visit with him in a couple of days," Harry asked. "I need to understand a little bit about how much money I have now."

SCENE CHANGE: Rings of Power

Harry spent some time revising his notes on making the different rings that threw things at his opponents – rocks and silver knives. Each ring was an effective hammer to bludgeon an enemy in a fight, and the hammer could keep going for up to 100 blasts.

'I guess my rings are overkill, but they make me feel safer. A hundred stones hitting the basilisk a hundred times would have made it retreat. A pack of werewolves would run from a hundred silver knives coming at them a hundred times.' Glancing around at the duelling chamber, Harry realised, 'I need to know more about what wizards attack with. I can't count on always getting in the first shot.'

Now, he pulled out a sheet of paper and folded it in half. 'This is like the two layers I saw in the fifth-year textbook. Inside would be one cartouche, and outside would be another. And if I folded it again, I would have four sides that I can use for cartouches.'

With the biro, he marked top, 3, 2, 1 leaving the sections above or below unmarked. 'So, with a folded sheet of paper, I have four sides for cartouches, and four sides left blank – if I follow the rules.'

He stared at the paper for a minute and wondered if it was that simple to make a four-layer runic array with his magical paper. 'I can make gold from marble chips with my runic array, so why not a four-layer array with a folded sheet of paper?'

He documented his ideas in a notebook (the one labelled Potter Grimoire Supplement) and even included the sheet of paper he'd marked up with 1-2-3-top. Then he took a sheet of paper soaked in magic, folded it once, and drew two cartouches, the one on the bottom for making gold and the one on the top to magnify the spell. This was his proof of concept for the folded paper working. He pulled out the gold nugget to spark the runic array and a bag of marble chips for the target, placed the items in order to make the fresh gold, and pressed his wand against the variety.

CHANGE SCENE: Dobby's Headache

'Dobby! Come quick!' the elf heard his Mr Harry Freshgold Potters calling him and popped away from the vegetable garden outside Longbottom Manor and into the duelling chamber where he found his wizard up to his knees in gold nuggets.

"What be Mr Harry Freshgold Potters be trying now?" Dobby asked while he immediately scanned the wizard and determined he was not hurt in any way, his magical core had not been drained, and his laughter was because he was happy, not hysterical.

"I was experimenting with runes, of course!" Harry replied. "Can you bag this and take it to Bloodhook, please?"

"Dobby do, but Mr Harry Freshgold Potters do not do more experiments until Dobby back and holding him down on floor!" the elf insisted vehemently. Once he had all the gold nuggets bagged, Dobby scowled and said, "There's be ten-ten-ten-tens gold nuggets. Goblins slobber and dance for ten-tens days for certain!"

The elf left behind a small bag with ten golden nuggets inside – instead of the one nugget.

'Maybe I overdid it on the gold,' Harry thought. 'Naw, I gotta pay the goblins to take care of Sirius Black so it'll all be used.'

Folding another sheet of paper, Harry contemplated a four-layer array to make a ring to throw stones and silver knives while also throwing up a shield again and again.

'But I need the shield to be all around me if I'm attacked from all sides…and how about the attack weapons throwing out in all directions too?'

Writing down his ideas, he knew he had to learn more about fighting rather than duelling once again. At least thirty minutes passed before Dobby reappeared looking frazzled, so Harry knelt and hugged the elf to refill his magical core. Then he asked, "What's wrong, Dobby?"

"Bloodhooks slobbers…he slobbers on Dobby's clean shirt," the elf cried, wiping his runny nose on Harry's sleeve. "Goblins run into the room, dump gold on the floor, and swim in it. All ten-ten-ten-tens nuggets of gold fly through airs as goblins get nudey-naked and swim in Mr Harry Freshgold Potters gold. Dobby hides eyes too late."

Knowing Dobby's fear of seeing such things – and agreeing with the elf about seeing the goblins without their suits of clothes – Harry hugged his elf again and assured him that the goblins wouldn't care if Dobby had an unintended peek. To distract the elf, Harry explained about creating the layered runic array by folding a sheet of paper.

"And I think I can make a four-layer runic array the same way," Harry said before showing the elf the paper folded twice.

Dobby examined the paper and asked, "If Mr Harry Freshgold Potters wants to fold paper more, will it be more layers?"

"More than four? Hey, that's a great idea, Dobby!" exclaimed Harry, who experimented with folding the paper three times and counting eight sides of the paper that could be used for cartouches. The elf sat on the floor to rest for a minute, and this took Harry's attention away from his 'paper'. He called for a Longbottom elf and asked for some berries for Dobby.

A small bowl appeared in Harry's hand, and he knelt to hold the bowl to Dobby's lips as the elf ate the berries to restore his full strength. In only a minute, the elf apologised, "Dobby be sorry to be tired. But nudey-naked goblins scare Dobby."

Harry snorted and said, "I understand Dobs. And there's nothing wrong with you being tired."

"Dobby thinking Bloodhook and Ironstream and King Ragnock not be happy after goblin nudey-naked slobber dance in middle of afternoon. They fuss at Mr Harry Freshgold Potters," Dobby informed his wizard.

Harry grinned and agreed, "They'll put me into detention for certain!"

While Dobby rested and continued to speculate on the different forms of retaliation the goblins might take against Freshgold, Harry wrote a four-layer runic array on a folded sheet of paper to make a ring with 100 stones, 100 silver knives and 10 shields. He studied the textbook for the rules about 'caps' on the top of a four-layered runic array and copied the one that meant 'fire at will'. Harry Potter made his new ring with a golden nugget from the bag of gold he'd made for Gringotts and a limestone pebble. The primary difference from the first rings he'd made had three stones on the top of the ring.

Resisting the temptation to test the ring, he put it into his book bag and went back up the stairs for supper with Neville. They planned to revise all their summer homework one last time.

SCENE CHANGE: Breakfast the Following Morning

Below the fold on the front page, The Daily Prophet had an article about goblin debauchery – a magical couple leaving their account manager and walking toward the bank's lobby caught a glimpse of goblins disrobing and leaping into a mountain of gold. The witch was reported saying, "A naked goblin is a very frightening thing! And they were chewing on gold and slobbering over everything."

Her husband added, "But they certainly know how to dance!"

Neville laughed about the article until he saw Harry's face while reading the article. Then he asked, "Hey there, Potter…any clue what might have caused a goblin orgy in the middle of the afternoon?"

Dobby popped into the dining room with an official Gringotts letter that he placed beside the young wizard's cup of tea. The look of dread on Harry's face only grew while Neville snickered. Harry complained, "This might not be funny, Longbottom!"

"Of course, it's funny! Unless they're after your head – which I sincerely doubt." Neville watched his friend stare at the letter and finally said, "Want me to read it?"

"No, I'll read it," Harry said, reaching for the heavy parchment. He opened the letter and read it silently before taking a deep breath. "Not my beheading, but I do have to appear before King Ragnock this morning and apologise for disrupting the regular business day in the kingdom."

"The kingdom? You did something to disrupt the entire kingdom? Not the bank?" Neville asked before beginning to laugh even harder. "I'm going to hide in my greenhouse. Please try not to get your head removed. I'd hate to explain that to Gran."

"Oi! Head staying attached…got it," Harry said absently.

SCENE CHANGE: Apologies and Excavation at Gringotts

With permission from Bloodhook, Dobby popped Freshgold into the elf receiving room. The air in the room smelled like the disinfectant used in the infirmary at Hogwarts, so Harry felt a bit safer. The lone goblin in the room was Bloodhook, and he looked tired, but he grinned and bowed to the two young wizards before he said, "May your enemies weep blood to sweeten the taste of your gold, Wizard Freshgold! Without doubt, this morning, you are the most popular client in all of Gringotts! The healers in our maternity ward in our hospital already plan to name a new cavern, 'Freshgold's Den'.

Dobby glanced at his wizard and asked, "Maternitys wing?"

"Yes, Dobby, in about fourteen months, there will be new pups born to every mated couple in the bank. Quite a few weddings will occur in the next week to ensure that all pups have a full name. And fathers and mothers shall raise many goblets of ale to toast Freshgold for making certain their ugly daughters are married!"

"Uh…Freshgold's Den?" asked Harry.

The goblin's grin grew wider before he explained, "You're the cause of the births in fourteen months…indirectly of course…and more than a few of the pups will be called Freshgold until they are old enough to earn a blood name."

Harry blushed, and Dobby hid his eyes to keep from laughing or crying – Harry wasn't sure which emotion affected the house-elf.

"My father and mother will give me a sibling…something they thought was long past possible. And later this week, I shall marry Sage, the most hideous daughter of the king, and our child will be named 'Freshgold's Bounty' until he earns a blood name."

As his account manager turned to lead the wizards from the receiving room, Harry called out, "What if it's a girl?"

Bloodhook stopped and turned back to stare wide-eyed as though he'd never considered having female offspring before he exclaimed, "Freshgold, I shall demand you stand as name-father for my pup if it is female. She will be incredibly ugly because her mother is hideous, and I have no redeeming qualities in my looks. The dowry for her hand will break me unless it is you who helps to pay for her wedding in fifty or seventy years…no, my daughter shall never marry some worthless goblin!"

Dobby sighed, looked at his Mr Harry Freshgold Potter with a stern expression, and growled, "Dobby, hide your wand when we return to Longbottom Manor! No more playing with spells!"

As they walked deeper into the bank, both wizards noticed that many goblins appeared tired and worn, while the human employees of the bank all hid smirks from their goblin co-workers. King Ragnock and his advisors looked tired but languid in the royal cavern. The advisors hissed but then laughed as they whispered ribald comments to one another.

The king sighed and waved Harry forward with only three advisors, Bloodhook, the elf, and two young wizards. He said, "Freshgold, what possessed you to send such a huge deposit of gold at one time yesterday? Shall I chop you into bits and feed you to the dragons?"

Harry panicked for a moment before the king laughed and said, "The humans have an expression that I have always enjoyed but seldom used. Payback is a dragon in heat."

"Freshgold, you are a true Gryffindor who rushes into things without thinking them through," came a new voice. Harry turned to find Professor Filius Flitwick standing beside Bloodhook.

"Professor! I hope your gold has your enemy's blood to flavour it," greeted Harry, his clumsy greeting caused King Ragnock, his advisors, and Bloodhook to groan.

"Indeed, Freshgold, there has been virtual blood spilt all summer from the tales I have heard from my goblin kinfolk," replied the half-goblin (or half-human) professor. "After a long talk with my king about your impetuous mindset, I determined that I had to be here and ask why you sent so much fresh gold at one time yesterday afternoon? You were told how new gold affects the senses of goblins, and so much at one time, sent the entire nation into a slobber and dance frenzy that culminated in…well…something not suitable to explain to a teenage wizard."

Thinking quick, Harry replied, "I…uh…made the gold with my magic. I couldn't leave it in the duelling chamber at Longbottom Manor."

"The smell of so much fresh gold filled the halls and caverns at once," Bloodhook explained. "Every goblin had to taste, slobber and dance. The celebration lasted for several hours."

Flitwick asked for confirmation, "Freshgold, did you say your magic made this gold?"

"Yeah…it's in my family Grimoire, so that's all I have to say about it," Harry replied.

Bloodhook added, "Cousin, Freshgold's magic is a great asset to Gringotts. His Majesty calls him as our greatest ally at this time."

"At a terrible cost," Ragnock announced. "What will we do with so many pups at one time in fourteen months? We'll be out of room for goblins in Britain in only one hundred years."

Dobby spoke up and said, "King Rag-of-rocks now has a weapon he can use to take any goblin hold he wants to make his tribe bigger. Freshgold gives goblins a weapon no other tribe has."

"What do you mean, elf?"

Pointing at Harry, Dobby said, "If King Rag-of-rocks wants more mountains for caverns where some goblins say 'No!', he gets Freshgold to make ten-ten-ten-tens of gold. Any elf can deliver gold to that goblinses receiving room, and while all goblinses slobbers and dances nudey-naked, Rag-of-rocks send his warriors to take over enemy holes in the ground."

"But my warriors will be just as affected once they are in the bank," the king pointed out.

"Goblinses be stupid – almost as stupid as wizards – just put wizardses charm for bubblehead air around each goblinses head," Dobby explained. "They not be dancing nudey-naked."

Harry glanced at King Ragnock, who was tight-lipped for a moment before turning to his advisors and throwing his goblet at them and then a whole pitcher of ale at their heads. "A house-elf sees the immediate potential of using Freshgold's great secret to help me rule the goblin world! None of you sees it! And a house-elf sees it immediately! You're worthless!"

Turning back to Harry, Ragnock asked, "Freshgold, how much for the elf?"

Dobby shook with fear for a moment before Harry picked him up to hold and reply, "Dobby's not for sale at any price, Your Majesty; he's part of my family. We'll be glad to share his wisdom with you without charge when he can."

The little elf cried and wiped his nose on Harry's sleeve once again while Professor Flitwick snickered and said, "Mr Potter, if we have to write a paper about a new goblin war this school year, I am going to need lots of help in the greenhouse not to name names about the wizard and the elf who caused it!"

Dobby whispered something to Harry, who thought before he told the elf to say it out loud. Ragnock paid close attention to the elf's words, as Dobby explained, "Rag-of-rocks can use Freshgold Sneaky Sneak attack once or twice onlys before other goblinses close elf receivings rooms."

Once again, Ragnock picked up goblets to throw at his advisors with insults for their lack of intelligence.

SCENE CHANGE: Testing the New Ring

With Professor Flitwick present and the cavern filled with goodwill for the moment, Harry asked, "Bloodhook, I have a ring I need to test…want to test and see how well it works."

Bloodhook, Flitwick and Ragnock looked at Harry. Dobby muttered but remained relatively quiet as Bloodhook asked, "What kind of ring did you find this time?"

"I made this one," replied Harry.

"Mr Potter, what magics are you using to make rings?" shouted Flitwick. "That's tasks for a seventh-year student, and you're not even in your fourth year yet!"

"It's something in my Grimoire."

"But you are not old enough to open the family vault and look through the Potter Grimoire!" Flitwick argued, his voice growing louder.

Nodding his head, Harry agreed but added, "I'm creating new magic and writing it all down in a Potter Family Grimoire Supplement."

Turning to Bloodhook, Flitwick cursed, "Why did you tell him about that?"

Harry spoke up and said, "Oi! Leave my account manager alone. It was Great Evil Tonks who told me to name one of my books as a 'supplement'; she wanted to make certain my magic was protected."

"Great Evil…you know Great Evil Tonks?" asked Flitwick.

"She's one of my attorneys…and so is Less Evil," Harry replied.

Flitwick grabbed one of the goblets thrown about the room, filled it with ale and gulped it down. Then he filled the goblet a second time and drank it slowly.

"Cousin, all is well," Bloodhook assured the Hogwarts professor. Harry allowed them to speak of things that did not matter for several minutes.

Then he said, "I'd like to test this ring in a duelling chamber that you won't care if I destroy a wall…or two."

"Professor Flitwick, I know there's a lot I have to learn about duelling and how to fight a wizard – not duel. And I need to learn about shields, how they work," Harry confessed. "But I had to have things to protect me at Hogwarts. Every year, there's been a dark lord, basilisk, Dementors and criminals showing up and threatening me."

The charm's professor sighed and said, "Hogwarts will be better this year. We have new classes; Dumbledore isn't in power, and the new headmaster is a duelling master. Professor Sprout helped Deputy Longbottom find great professors, and we'll not put up with bullies or bigots this year."

"I hope you're right, professor," Harry said. "But I still want to test my ring."

Bloodhook asked, "Can I see the ring you want to try out?"

Dobby spoke up and said, "Mr Harry Freshgold Potter's ring be safe for wizard to use. It be very strong, but Mr Harry Freshgold Potter be safe using it."

"It's okay, Dobby. They can look at the ring," Harry said before he handed over the newest ring. Bloodhook's eyes grew large while examining the ring with a few spells cast with his knife.

"What do you see?" Flitwick asked before Bloodhook handed over the ring. But the goblin didn't look back at the wizard; he kept his eye on the half-human who stared, grinned for a moment, and then began to frown as he too used a knife to cast spells on the ring.

"Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe Freshgold! Sturrdel!" cursed Flitwick. "How the gryhiglzehwe did you make a four-layer runic array to create this ring? You can't even buy four brother plates until you're a candidate for mastery in runes! This is beyond NEWET level work, Potter!"

Ragnock beckoned Flitwick to bring him the ring, and the goblin king passed his knife over the object several times before turning to the half-human, "Filius Flitwick, talk to your new headmaster and add a duelling class and a fighting class for Freshgold into the curriculum beginning this year. Freshgold's choices prove that he was not raised among wizards and used what he knew – as is appropriate. The young wizard is too valuable to leave him ignorant of the spells to expect from his opponents."

Holding up the ring, Ragnock said, "This isn't the first ring you've made, I imagine, Freshgold. Always! Always ask Flitwick or Bloodhook for advice about these things… please."

The king turned to the elf and snarled, "Dobby Potter Elf, your wizard has the curiosity of a niffler, the power of a dragon, and the creativity of a goblin enchanter. Do your best to keep him alive…please!"

Dobby nodded his head and moved to stand next to Harry, his little hand clasping his wizard's robes.

"Come along, Freshgold, we'll go to the excavation site for a new cavern and let you blow out a wall," Bloodhook said, with Flitwick following close behind. During a long ride in a vault cart with a windshield and roof to protect the passengers from the sound and wind whipping past them, Harry noticed they travelled along a rough-hewn tunnel that led them many kilometres from London. Bloodhook and Harry discussed his vault balances after Flitwick used a spell to close his ears. (The professor was busy constructing an argument for getting the class approved to convince Dumbledore. Then considering the new headmaster, Flitwick threw that argument out and started anew.)

"Will there be enough money to pay for the care of my godfather?"

"And about five more godfathers," Bloodhook replied. "Gringotts London is working with Gringotts Paris about clearing and maintaining a Black family villa in the south of France where your godfather will be safe from the British Aurors, any relatives, or reporters. Goblins and healers can help him."

"Good," Harry said. "I haven't asked Great Evil about her plans lately, but I know she cares about him."

"Family is important to Blacks and Potters and goblins," Bloodhook added.

They were underneath Wiltshire County by this time (the cart travelled very fast), and magic kept it on the tracks and safely brought it to a stop. Three caverns were being constructed here. After consulting with the site manager, Bloodhook led Harry, Dobby and Flitwick into the newest cavern, about thirty feet high and forty feet wide and deep.

Three curious goblins followed to watch the wizard's magic at work. Pointing at the far wall, Bloodhook said, "Let's see what…."

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

After six sets of rocks banging into the far wall, Harry stopped while Dobby used elven magic to disperse the dust. The elf said, "Holes and lots of rocks fall down. Ceiling cracked in two places."

Glancing at the site manager who had joined them, Bloodhook motioned for Harry to let go again.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

When Harry stopped this time, it took several minutes for the dust to be cleared, and several large boulders had fallen from the cavern ceiling. Flitwick asked, "Are you tired, Mr Potter? That was two dozen blasting spells of greater power than I've ever seen."

"Nope, not tired. The ring doesn't pull any power from my core."

"Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe!" cursed Flitwick for the second time in a single day.

When they approached the far wall, after ensuring the ceiling was stable and would not fall on their heads, Bloodstone smirked, the site manager began cursing, and Flitwick had to sit down on the shattered stones. The stones from Harry Potter's ring had advanced the cavern almost three feet in under two minutes.

"How many times can that ring do this spell?" asked the site manager.

Dobby sighed and said, "Ten-tens time. Then ten-tens times more…and then ten-tens times again."

"What else can this ring do?" asked Bloodhook.

"I added silver knives to fight off werewolves or any other wizard and a shield.

"Come back over here," Flitwick said. Then the professor pulled out his goblin knife and conjured a dozen werewolf dummies spread across the width of the chamber.

"On three, I'll animate them to charge us," the professor informed Harry.

Bloodhook smirked, recognising the goblin lesson about to be imparted on Freshgold. Harry stood in front of the three goblins with Dobby clutching his robes. Werewolves scared elves as severely as they did wizards.

Flitwick intended to catch Freshgold off guard by not counting down from one. The half-human shouted out, "Three!"

The duelling dummies shaped like werewolves leapt forward, snarling! The young wizard's left hand moved from right to left to right to left. Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Harry looked satisfied as the last dummy collapsed with 100 silver knives buried in the torso, head, and limbs. More than a thousand silver knives were buried in the bedrock behind the dummies.

"Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe," muttered Bloodhook, mesmerised by the young wizard's smooth movements, the force of the attack, and the number of silver knives buried into the wall of stone.

"Indeed, Sturrdel," said the site manager.

Flitwick hurried forward, anxious to examine the dummies and the damage done to them. There were times when conjured silver was not pure enough to put down a wolf permanently. After his detailed look at the first three dummies, he vanished the remains of the rest of them and added, "Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe!"

The dummies were only as tough as werewolves, and silver was a magical item that sliced through them like a hot knife through warm butter. The goblins were impressed to see so many knives buried in the hard rock rather than blunted and bent.

"What else you got on the ring, wizard?" asked the site manager.

"Just a shield," Harry replied.

"Throw it up," Flitwick called his location. "I'll see if I can pierce it or dispel it from this side of the shield."

Harry's ring threw out a shield that almost shimmered in the air of the cavern. And Harry, Dobby, Bloodhook and the site manager watched as Flitwick threw several spells at the other side of the shield but had to jump to the side, fall and roll, and throw up his shield as every bit reflected at the caster with full force.

"Sturrdel-gryhiglzehwe," the site manager said and spit. "He says it's 'just a shield'…wizard has so much power, he can shield the killing curse if need be."

"No," replied Dobby. "Not yet."

Harry cancelled the shield, and Professor Flitwick hurried back, asking, "All I saw was a solid wall of magic! I couldn't touch that shield with anything."

"We could see you and watched you dance and fall," Bloodhook explained.

"Amazing! It was a solid wall on my side of the shield! What shield did you use, Mr Potter?

"Uh…just 'shield'," Harry replied.

Slight Change of Scene

Fairy Cave Quarry in Wiltshire reported several tremors that afternoon. In the nearby Malfoy quarry where sandstone plates from cut from the stone, the tremors were felt more violently because they were magical in origin, though no one knew this at the time. More than forty-four brother plate sets cracked along with dozens of three brother and two brother plates. Two pallets of a thousand single plates fell over, shattering weeks of work.

End of Chapter.