After the mithraite crystal jumped into the Gauntlet, Harry almost missed the full changes, his attention drawn by the brilliant flares of both the mithraite crystal and the Philosopher's Stone, which had surrounded the frigid Soul Gem in fiery light.

The immediate change was the slight ripple that seemed to flow through the mithril, emanating from the new crystal. In each wake, the Gauntlet seemed a touch healthier.

The green of the basilisk venom, and the rough pitted texture from the dementors were steadily cleansed, restoring the mithril to its original pearly silver.

At the same time, the beige alchemy stones slowly shrank, soon being fully absorbed into the Gauntlet. Soon, barely visible under the light of its three gemstones, Harry was able to see the Gauntlet as it had been years ago.

But, despite that change, the slight mist emitted by the mithril that had lingered ever since he'd added the Soul Gem, remained. If anything, it seemed like it had grown far stronger, now noticeably floating off the magical metal.

Then, as his arm's stump suddenly throbbed with pain, Harry couldn't shake the vivid images of a dark and eerie graveyard. It was only the resilient presence of mithrilium guarding his thoughts that managed to free him, just as the nightmarish figure of Voldemort rose from his cauldron.

Now free, it was clear that the unsettling episode had been triggered by his Gauntlet. Judging from the small layer of ice that was equally spreading across his table, the Soul Gem was fighting back, unleashing its full dementor aura.

Instinctively, Harry drew back, pulling a weeping Nicholas with him. Having some experience with the Empathovoric powers of the dementors, he feared their shared pain was helping fuel the Soul Gem.

But, before anything could grow out of hand, a bright burst of cool blue flames surged over the Gauntlet. Once his eyes recovered, he couldn't help blinking just a few more times, ensuring his eyes weren't lying.

All three gemstones had dimmed, allowing the full change to be visible. The Gauntlet had transformed into a true mediaeval knight's gauntlet, thicker and reinforced with new interlocking plates.

These plates seemed to have naturally moulded around the three gemstones, partially embedding and protecting them within the fresh layers of mithril while leaving their tops free to emit their various energies.

One plate, covering all four knuckles, stood out prominently, providing additional protection to the Soul Gem and mithraite crystal embedded within. Harry could see how it would also safeguard his hand during a punch.

Yet, its most distinctive feature was the faint red tint, transitioning from the dark red of Voldemort to the lighter red of Tom Riddle. This tint was a remnant from the two curses the Gauntlet had absorbed, now employed for protection.

The plates on top had taken on a subdued version of the damaging pitted texture the dementors' aura had caused, but now it seemed deliberate. While it merely seemed like an aesthetical detail, a quick glance with his magesight revealed the truth.

The combined gemstones, with the Soul Gem now under control, had directed its anti-magic aura to the back of the Gauntlet. This created a shroud that would prove corrosive to any magic in its radius.

This did result in the noticeable pitting in areas, a deliberate sacrifice to harness its newfound power while preserving the rest of the mithril in its pristine state.

Having ensured the Soul Gem wouldn't attack them again, Harry turned to his distressed mentor, Nicholas, and inquired softly, "Nicholas, are you okay?"

Nicholas, his usually composed demeanour shaken, replied with a strained voice, "Yes, yes I think I am. Don't pay me any mind. I just hadn't realised Perenelle's death had hit me so hard, having it brought back so suddenly caught me off guard." He cleared his throat and managed a faint smile, "Please, do carry on."

Taking his mentor's word for it, Harry cautiously reached out for the Gauntlet, finding it unresponsive to his touch. Taking that as a good sign, he picked it up, before bringing it to his left stump.

Sensing his intentions, he was treated to the sight of the entire Gauntlet blurring for a second, turning into a left hand version. It changed again as it drew even closer, although in a more sedate fashion.

The Gauntlet seemed to reach out, expanding outwards as it merged with the mithril shell that had been covering his injury. But he didn't expect the bright hot pain that suddenly struck his amputated arm, as the Gauntlet firmly fixed itself upon his arm.

Despite its power, the Gauntlet eventually failed to dispel Voldemort's dark severing curse, merely confining it deep within his flesh. But blinking the pain away, Harry found it within him to smile.

For, clutching his head in pain, was his Gauntlet, seamlessly acting as a new left hand.


Sitting heavily in a worn leather armchair, Nicholas felt every line on his face etched deep with the weight of centuries. His usually sharp eyes, which had seen more than most could fathom, were clouded with sorrow and fatigue.

He knew that time was catching up with him, despite all his efforts to stave off the effects of ageing. The Elixir of Life would prevent the body ageing, along with healing most injuries, but it couldn't undo its effects. It also came at a cruel cost, as Nicholas' body had grown used to the strength his immortality had brought it.

Despite his countless other elixirs and magical enhancements, he could feel his age catching up with him. The shock of forcibly reliving Perenelle's death only exacerbated the issue. With a weary sigh, he decided to take a rest, to gather his strength for what lay ahead.

"Harry, I'm going to lie down for a while. Get yourself familiar with that new arm, and you can catch me up on it later."

Looking up from where he'd been running his hand down the armoured plates that made up his forearm, Harry's eyes narrowed in concern.

"Are you okay, Nicholas? You're not ill or anything?"

Chuckling, Nicholas shook his head at the youth. "I'm old, that's my problem. This mortal body wasn't meant to live over six centuries, and your Soul Gem gave quite a shock to my system. But I'm just tired, I'll be right as rain after a nap."

Trusting his mentor to be honest about such things, Harry let the matter drop. Especially when he had such an intriguing object to fill his attention. Even an hour later, Harry still caught himself marvelling at his new hand.

While its sense of touch was far weaker than he'd been used to, like he was constantly wearing a thick glove. Truth be told, it was a frightening concept, knowing he'd never fully regain his own hand. But, when his new arm came with a multitude of benefits, it was easy to push that fear aside.

First and foremost, he could understand the Gauntlet in ways he'd never imagined. The flow of information had even been so immense the mithrilium in his head had placed itself as a barrier against it.

It left him in a strange position, as he knew he had the information available, it just wasn't stored in his own memory. But, if he wanted something to happen, his mithrilium would translate his meaning, before passing it onto the Gauntlet.

This translation went anywhere from giving his arm an incredibly smooth movement, to activating the Philosopher's Stone by accident.

But even without the abilities of the Gauntlet, his new arm was still a marvel.

Even just flexing his fingers came with a sense of power, as its raw strength surpassed that of his biological arm, which had its own strength boosted from the ritual he'd taken the year before.

He had also been surprised to find the mithraite crystal had integrated the tools he had connected to his arm's previous shell. Once he'd realised the shell had been absorbed into the Gauntlet arm, he'd feared he'd lost the tools to metaspace.

But he needn't have worried. Where those tools had floated intangibly around the mithril shell, they were now stored within the crystal. It seemed this ritual-enhanced crystal possessed an unnatural capacity for storage, unmatched by the limitations of ordinary mithraite

Of course, unlike the crystals holding his armour, the Gauntlet crystal would only create items into his hand. Besides which, he wasn't fond of putting all his eggs into one basket.

He'd nevertheless put a copy of his armour into the crystal, but he'd decided to keep important objects outside the Gauntlet. The last thing he wanted was to lose the Gauntlet, and with it every single weapon he had.

But, that didn't stop him adding metaphysical tethers to almost everything, in particular one of his magic sabers. Given it was his spare saber, he had tried feeding it into his Gauntlet, only for the other mithraite crystals to be left behind to clatter on the floor.

The saber his Gauntlet had summoned had also been completely non-functional, with its dual energy cores lacking the runes they needed to work. It had taken some work to repair the damage, enough to make it clear he didn't want it to be a regular occurrence.

His compromise was to make the entire saber intangible, and float around his Gauntlet. It was a very similar method to what he'd used on his tools, just with a touch more care.

While he didn't think it had happened, he'd eventually realised once his mithril was made metaphysical, he essentially lost track of it. He knew for a fact his first shield was somewhere in the Caribbean sea, after its tether had been broken against an island ward.

But as he'd started linking more tools to his previous arm shell, he grew concerned about the possibility of him forgetting what he'd tethered. Technically, a forgotten item wouldn't be lost, he just wouldn't know to recall them. Of course, for his tools he figured the two seconds it would take to recreate them was fine.

The worry came from the possibility of forgetting something important, like his saber. It was unlikely to happen naturally, but mind magic was a powerful thing, and even a normal concussion could disrupt his memory.

Those concerns had been eased when he'd focused on the tools that had been linked to his arm shell, having accurately guessed they'd transferred to his Gauntlet. The moment the thought had crossed his mind, the mithrilium in his head had helpfully recalled the half-dozen minor tools, pulling the information from the mithraite crystal.

As always, he couldn't quite describe it, even to himself. But it was as if the very idea and concept behind each tool had been shown to his mind's eye. Once he'd tentatively added his saber to the mix, he was satisfied he wouldn't easily forget it.

It was like the mithrilium kept the concept of the saber floating on the edge of his consciousness, never enough to be distracting or even noticed, but equally available to him.

What was important to take out of it was, he couldn't forget what he'd tethered to the Gauntlet.

He'd then taken his time to form a variety of basic mithril weapons, which he swiftly fed into the Gauntlet. Just as he didn't want to lose his Gauntlet and lose all his weapons, he didn't want the reverse to be true either.

Not that he planned on ever losing the Gauntlet of course. Even if he were to disregard the Gauntlet's formidable power, it held the last act of Perenelle Flamel, a legacy he was determined not to disrespect her memory by losing it.

Nevertheless, he'd collapsed first a sword and shield into the Mithraite Crystal, followed by a spear and dagger. Then he'd gotten more creative, feeding it a versatile mithril rope, and even a few single use grenades.

But, they wouldn't be his primary options, more like a backup plan. Before the Goblet of Fire, he'd always assumed he could create any weapon as he needed it, and then he'd had his mithril creation blocked.

What he'd stored in the Gauntlet could be summoned instantly, without drawing on his own power or abilities. He would hope they'd never be needed, since they'd never be stronger than what he'd normally use.

For that was the very first lesson he'd learned against Voldemort, back in his first year, his mithril alone wasn't enough. His view had started with its vulnerability to dark magic, but he'd easily pushed it out of mind.

He still believed his mithril was extremely powerful, especially once he'd learned to augment his creations. But Nicholas had shown him different magical metals existed, which could surpass his mithril in different situations.

That didn't mean his mithril was weak, far from it. But Harry could no longer allow himself to ignore the truth. With that thought in mind, he'd decided he wasn't going to ignore how his repeated attempts at divination had all told him he needed a shield any longer.

After Nicholas had left for his nap, he'd even blindly picked a random book, running his fingers along the spines until he felt one that seemed right.

Plucking it out, he'd made it open to a random page, and thrown a new dart at it. When he'd opened his eyes, he'd first regretted his choice of blindly picking a book, when he recognised the chosen book as a particularly important one.

But the dart had nevertheless fallen upon a particular passage, with the words having instantly caught his attention:

'In the annals of magical history, HMS Warrior, a renowned 19th-century ship, stood for its pioneering use of enchanted iron plating, layered over the standard base of reinforced wood. Together it created an impregnable shield against both magical and muggle threats.'

He knew he could be mistaken, as divination was renowned for its inaccuracy, but he felt the mention of layering materials was the true message. However, he didn't have all the materials he needed readily accessible, something he hoped the goblins would help with.

But, even the thought of venturing out without a powerful shield already in place made his heart race and his palms grow clammy, unwilling to have a repeat performance of Crouch Jr's surprise attack after the graveyard.

So, he'd settled on the slightly wasteful option of creating two shields, the first of which would be a more ordinary mithril one, augmented with mithraite and runes. He'd then be able to have it on him for his trip to Gringotts, where it would only need to work for his brief time in public.

But, he hadn't started designing the second shield, as he didn't know what materials the goblins would or could give him. With luck, they'd actually help him build that shield, given their own experience with weapon forging.

Even with that plan in place, he'd needed to wait until Nicholas awoke, so he'd devoted his remaining time to practising recalling and storing his basic mithril items from the Gauntlet.

Whenever Harry created anything mithril, the pure silver mithril would run like liquid, growing into its shape. The entire process hardly took any time, even as raw material seamlessly formed into existence.

However, when recalling a similar item from the Gauntlet, the process looked remarkably different. Instead, it was as though the item materialised instantly, but in an ethereal form, invisible to the naked eye.

Then, the mithraite crystal would gleam, and Harry's emerald magic would surge forth, forming a shimmering wave that cascaded over the item. As the wave swept along, the item would slowly materialise, unveiled in its wake.

Including the slight flick of his wrist he needed to activate the recall, the entire process took a bit longer, but with the added benefit of being pre-made. When creating his mithril, he'd always need to keep a firm result in mind, otherwise he'd need to start again.

Just as he'd recalled his spear again, he spotted an awakened Nicholas leaning against the doorway.

"New ability? I don't remember you being able to do that before."

Harry couldn't help but grin. "Yeah, I figured out how to add items directly into the Mithraite Crystal on the Gauntlet. Makes it quicker to access what I need."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but didn't reply how Harry had expected. "Perenelle called it the Eidolon Core when we were designing its ritual. She normally named projects randomly, so I didn't think much of it, but maybe she foresaw what it could do."

Harry nodded, his curiosity piqued. "Eidolon Core? That's the name for a Greek phantom isn't it?"

Nicholas chuckled softly, a distant look in his eyes. "Yes, it is. An eidolon is a lingering spirit, not quite as aware as a ghost. They often hold onto items they died with, so some ancient wizards used them as a repository for preserving and accessing ethereal remnants of items or memories.

"The wizarding wing of the library of Alexandria uses such spirits to keep copies of their books safe. The idea of using a spirit for such a task fell out of favour of course, especially as slaves were being killed and forced into becoming an eidolon."

"Do… do you think Perenelle's an eidolon inside this crystal?" Harry asked in concern, looking down at the gemstone in worry.

Seeing Harry's distress, Nicholas instantly waved his concerns away. "No, she isn't. The ritual to power that stone wouldn't have taken if her spirit had lingered. But its name does seem quite fitting, doesn't it?"

Relieved, Harry kept his focus on the crystal, thoughtfully eyeing the preserved flame of Perenelle's magic. "I think I like the name Eidolon Core, it's only right it gets its own name too."

"Oh, don't let my reminiscing affect you! If you want to name it something else, go ahead. Neither me nor Perenelle expected you to keep that name, it was just something she used for note keeping." Nicholas hastened to explain.

"No, it's a good name, I've already decided." Harry firmly announced, before storing the spear and holding his Gauntlet aloft, before dramatically announcing, "Behold, for I pronounce thee the Eidolon Core, Keeper of the Mithril, the light that glows in the darkness!"

To his surprise, there was a near blinding flash from the gemstone, instantly followed by the unearthly sound of crystal unbreaking. He then numbly felt himself collapse, as his magic was steadily drained, until the world gave a jolt and everything was fine.

Opening his eyes and finding himself back upright and unmoved, Harry gave a slight stumble, staring at his Gauntlet in shock. While it seemed like the previous moment had been undone somehow, the exhaustion lingered, clinging to his very bones.

"I'm glad you haven't lost your flair for dramatics, you've certainly spent far too much time with Albus." Nicholas chuckled, seemingly unconcerned and nodding his head in approval.

"That light and stuff wasn't me, it seemed like it was the core." Harry replied, unable to take his eyes away from the dim crystal. "It reacted to what I said, but that wasn't anything it should be able to do by itself."

"Well… are you sure it hasn't just adopted your own sense of flair? It is a strong concentration of your own magic."

"No, it cannot be. This wasn't just some light magic, it was something more. Can you not feel it? That tinge of power still in the air?"

Now frowning, Nicholas drew his wand and ran a series of diagnostic charms, increasing in intensity with each cast. He finished by drawing a series of runes that Harry knew were far beyond him, with each rune linking together to tell Nicolas something.

Finally, Nicholas lowered his wand, releasing a shocked "Oh my." Now that his mentor's face now matched the shock Harry had felt, his fears only grew.

"What, what is it? What did it do?" Harry urged, more than a bit unsettled.

"It seems Harry, you've done the impossible, again. Tell me, what do you know of Named objects?" Nicholas pondered, clearly lost in thought.

"I don't think I've ever heard of it… I mean, obviously I know some objects have names, but I thought that was just a sentimental thing." Harry stammered.

"It does, normally. But every so often something special happens, a touch of the Divine." Here Nicholas raised his finger accusingly upwards, as if he could see the divine through the ceiling. "When that happens, the Named object becomes more individual than item, it becomes an artefact.

"You'd recognise most of the historical Named artefacts I'd bet, although the most famous around here is likely Thor's hammer Mjolnir. If you want an example closer to home, does 'The Elder Wand' ring any bells, ey? But it's not meant to work as it just did."

"What, so my Eidolon Core is as strong as the Elder Wand?"

"Merlin no! To start with, that wand is even older than I, your newly born artefact isn't going to compare. But, it's likely a step closer to that wand that it was a few minutes ago."

Turning back to the crystal, and Looking with his mage sight, Harry could tell Nicholas was right. It was hard to detect given the stone was already considerably strong, but there was a depth to it there hadn't been before.

Just looking at it was like a mirror, almost a perfect reflection of himself. It wasn't an entirely new sensation, seeing as all his mithril contained his magic. But there was a deeper connection within the Eidolon Core that had always been missing.

Running his finger across the smooth crystal, he wasn't able to sense anything beyond that, however his finger had disturbed a visible aura. A strange glow that orbited the teardrop shape without ever touching.

"So, what happens now?" Harry asked, completely lost.

"Now? Now you have an artefact, plus my stone and your Soul Gem could likely be counted too if you Named them too. It simply shouldn't be possible for mortal men like us to Name an artefact, especially without being in a consecrated temple."

"Why a temple? What's so special about it?"

"It's the home of a god's power. Their very presence permeates the building, and it's usually them who Names artefacts devoted to them."

"You mean, like how my mithril ward protects this cottage? In my room full of mithril, Naming an object made from my own magic and holding my exact signature?" Harry asked wryly, looking around his room.

"That… would make a fair deal of sense. You could attempt to Name another object, but be careful. Named objects were meant to hold the essence of the namer, making them stronger at the cost of making the namer vulnerable.

"For some perspective, there's a legend that suggests Thor met his demise when Mjolnir was shattered in battle. I wouldn't think you'd be quite that vulnerable, but this is uncharted territory… When you can, visit the goblins. They have a long history of dealing in Named artefacts, and their expertise in this area is unmatched."

Nodding, Harry easily agreed. "I was planning on visiting the goblins anyway, since I was they would help me make a powerful shield. But I think I'll try Naming something else first, to prove it wasn't a fluke."

"Oh? You have something in mind already."

Rather than reply, Harry held up his false hand, giving Nicholas a good look at it.

"Another stone I take it? If it is true that it needs your personal connection, I don't think either would work."

"No, not another stone, the Gauntlet itself. It already practically has its own name, so it's about time it has its own, right?"

Stunned, Nicholas sat back, running a hand through his wizened hair. "It will be interesting to see how that works, but think of the implications. Do you want to put more of your power into that?"

"I understand, but look at it another way. If I Name my Gauntlet, it will truly be mine, right? Dedicated to me, or in my honour or whatever. There must be some strong magic I could cast on such an artefact, something that would further protect it."

"Point. Tell you what, how about we sleep on the problem? I doubt a few hours will change your apparent ability to Name an artefact, and we'll be able to look at it with clear heads. Incidentally, did you plan to just keep calling it the Gauntlet?"

"I was thinking of changing it actually. It's grown since then, not just a container for your Philosopher's Stone. So I was thinking it should be known as the 'The Perenellion Gauntlet'."

Getting slightly teary, Nicholas looked at Harry in joy. "Perenellion… after my Perenelle? That's a wonderful name, you have a great heart lad. Let nobody ever tell you otherwise." Drying his eyes, Nicholas patted Harry fondly on the shoulder, before leading him out the room.

"Now, you need some food put into you, I can tell you haven't been eating well."


Harry found it surprisingly pleasant to take a break and enjoy a sandwich with Nicholas. The simple act of sitting down and sharing a meal brought a sense of peace that had eluded him for a long while.

"So, about your plans with the goblins, do you have any specific materials in mind?" Nicholas prompted.

"Not really." Harry shrugged, "Honestly, I was hoping they'd be willing to negotiate and make the entire thing for me. They owe me after that bismuth kiln broke.

"But I'm also considering creating a lighter shield for my Gauntlet, which I did want your help with. Do you think your sigils would interact well with my mithril?"

Nicholas leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "Sigils, eh? Typically, they're summoned in mid-air, as that's how they were designed... However, you've mentioned that your mithril is quite similar. If you haven't tried it already, I'd suggest giving it a shot. Just remember, sigils tend to react explosively if they collapse"

Harry nodded, before carefully recalling the first shield sigil Nicholas had taught him. Once in mind, he summoned it, and the upside-down triangle blazed to life between them. Afterward, he dismissed the sigil and began forming it once more.

As he held the magic in front of him, shaping the sigil's design, Harry decided to flood it with his magic and let it cool. To his relieved surprise, his improvised alteration of the sigil led to his mithril solidifying first try.

His elation was short-lived though, as gravity took its toll, causing the sigil pattern to break into individual rune segments that clattered onto the table. Harry stared at them in disapproval.

"No worries. If anything, it'll be easier to recreate the sigil now that you have the parts. We can construct it directly on the table." Nicholas reassured him, already beginning to piece together the accidental puzzle Harry had created.

However, even after they rebuilt the complete sigil, Harry's mithril proved incapable of summoning the actual sigil shield.

"Well, that is disappointing." Nicholas admitted, frowning down at the mithril. "But what if you try to form the sigil directly into the mithril? If my hunch is correct, the mithril should act as the conduit, making it easier to manifest the sigil."

It required some adjustments, with faint mithril wires connecting the entire sigil pattern into a single, coherent piece. But breathing deeply, Harry began. Instead of drawing the sigil, he willed his magic into the mithril sigil, which, to his relief, burst to life and summoned the sigil.

Plucking up a nearby apple, Nicholas tossed it onto the sigil shield, which easily held the apple aloft, even as both apple and mithril started smoking worryingly.

It didn't take long for the sigil to splutter pathetically, before fizzling out of existence, the half burned apple splattering onto the mithril below.

"Well… at least it did form correctly." Nicholas commented.

"Oh it worked great, I'll be able to boil any rogue apples in my way." Harry retorted, leaning over to inspect the now inert mithril.

"Look at this, the wires are completely destroyed. Hopefully, that's the only reason it failed."

"That could very well be it, although even I wouldn't have thought your mithril being overwhelmed should've been a problem."

By the time Tonks arrived home from the office, late at night she found Harry and Nicholas still at the table. She couldn't help laughing as they very seriously put together a strange puzzle on top of a circular shield, especially as several identical puzzle pieces were littering the table and floor.

"Oh, Tonks! Home already?" Harry asked, looking up in surprise.

"Well yes, same as most days. You see, once I'm there long enough, they let me go home." Tonks returned dryly, indicating the darkened windows.

"Good heavens, it can't be this late already, surely?" Nicholas cried, staring at the windows in puzzlement.

"Have you two been down here making a mess all day? What's the matter, did you run out of room in your workshop?"

Sheepishly, Harry rubbed the back of his neck, even as he set about disposing of the spare mithril runes. "Actually, we came down here for lunch. I guess we just forgot to go upstairs again."

"Nerds."


Random note for the week; I've actually been on board the HMS Warrior mentioned in this chapter, and on the dock they have an example of its armour. Getting to actually see that thickness gave me the start of a magical shield design, and now years later, I got to write the beginning of that shield!