Dear Harry,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I'm glad Grandfather has been keeping busy working with you, it's the most energetic I've seen him. I also wanted to write to you and share a few things that have been happening on my end.
Firstly, my Grandmother's loss is deeply felt in our family, but I find solace in the knowledge that she lived an exceedingly long and fulfilling life.
On a lighter note, I wanted to tell you about the Veela duelling tournament that just took place this solstice. It was a spectacular event, and I wish you could have been here to witness it.
The duelling tournament isn't like the one we partook in for the Triwizard Tournament. This duel is to divine the strongest Veela, who often becomes the Pythia.
Normally, I'll rank within the 200s, but this year with your amulet, I ranked 32nd! I tell you, if you had given me this amulet at the start of the year, I would be the winner of our last duel.
So, I hope the shield I enchanted for you ends up serving you just as well. I even used your amulet in the enchanting, which should prove helpful in your adventures. It is my hope this shield will save you from any more pain.
I hope we can meet again soon, Harry. Until then, please take care of yourself and know that you are in my thoughts.
Warmest regards,
Your cousin,
Fleur Delacour
Already, despite having the shield base for a few minutes, Harry found himself mentally thanking Nicholas. The wooden shield Fleur had enchanted was a marvel, despite its balsa wood origins.
The wood had gone from its pale brown, to the golden colour of morning sunlight. It even shimmered, like it was constantly bathed in sunlight, despite the cloudy sky above them.
But, he hadn't gotten it for the aesthetics. Wielding a transfigured hammer, Harry swung it with all his might at the shield on the ground, which merely rebounded the force back into the hammer.
He could tell it wouldn't hold up well against magical attacks, but then that was what the mithril would be for. But, before Harry would try and incorporate the wooden base, he wanted to test Nicholas' sigil. Just in case the man had done something wrong and it exploded.
So, he'd followed the instructions Nicholas had provided to form the new sigil, making sure the bars forming the sigil stuck out from the metal base, and hooked it up to his new overdrive generator. Then, giddy with expectation, he triggered the shield.
Immediately, he could feel the overdrive generator flicker, before the geometric sigil exploded into existence above the mithril shield. The mithril itself began glowing with an eerie green light, which was easily missed under the heavy emerald sigil.
Where a standard sigil consisted of a few basic hollow geometric runes, this sigil looked almost solid, with each rune so close together they became indistinguishable.
It grew even harder to understand, as clumps of earth were drawn from the ground to stick to the sigil. Eventually, the sigil was completely buried within garden turf and stones.
Looking at it reminded Harry heavily of the earth golems Cedric could summon, just on a smaller scale. Checking back in with the mithril, he confirmed the sigil wasn't currently creating any issues.
From the stress the overdrive generator was under, Harry wouldn't want to run too many shield charms alongside the sigil. That was disappointing, and a problem that couldn't be easily fixed.
Although most shield charms and the sigil itself could handle far more magic, the mithril would grow unstable, returning to its liquid mithrilium state. The existing overdrive generator was already pushing the mithril shield to its limits, with some leeway for safety.
But, Harry had to remind himself, the important part was the sigil worked as intended. With its constraints, he'd likely keep the sigil in reserve, but then given its destructive nature it wouldn't be regularly used anyway.
"What's the matter?" Nicholas asked, coming over after seeing his sigil activate, "It works, does it not?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, it works great. Haven't actively tested it, but no explosions so far. No, I was thinking about how I won't be able to use this sigil all the time. Between its power draw, and what it does to the ground, I'll need to save it for emergencies."
"Yes… Was that not always the assumption? Forgive me Harry, but it seems to me you are going around this the wrong way. Your shield will work perfectly fine without this sigil. You have already identified the failings of your last design, and have improved upon it.
"This sigil, it is and always will be the emergency option. Unless you are being attacked by true divine magick, your usual shield charms will be enough. You should be incredibly proud of what you've already done, and take comfort in the fact we've accounted for as many variables as possible." Nicholas chastised, looking at Harry comfortingly.
"Besides, I thought your plan was to use this shield so you can talk to the goblins? It's likely they could greatly improve upon this design. In which case you hopefully won't even get an opportunity to use this shield."
Still dejected, Harry still appreciated Nicholas' wisdom. "Yeah… Yeah you're right. In which case, do you want to try the dementor cloak ritual now, then? I'd say getting that right is a higher risk than putting the shield together."
"If that's your wish. You'll have to tell me your plan though, I must admit I still don't quite understand how you intend to do it."
That caused Harry to blink in bewilderment for a moment. Nicholas had let Harry take the lead in the past, but it had always been with the understanding of mentoring. For Nicholas to blatantly admit Harry likely knew more was unnerving.
It almost made Harry want to call the ritual off, overcome with worry. He felt like his safety net had been snatched out from under him, at perhaps the worst possible time.
But his desire to upgrade his coat was just stronger than his worry. He hadn't been able to wear his armoured coat to the Graveyard, which had heavily contributed to his vulnerability.
Yet, even under the strict terms of the Triwizard Tournament, he'd been able to sneak his Dementor's Cloak into the first task, due to its undetectability. Even if the Cloak lost its other numerous abilities, giving his trench coat that same undetectability would prove itself worthwhile.
"Okay then, I'll do my best. So, firstly I want to transfer the cloak's magic permeability, that's the utmost priority. After that, I want it's Empathovoric powers, and then it's Cryogenesis. So, I thought I'd either try and transfer the abilities one at a time, or give each ability some type of weight within the countervail ritual."
Nicholas nodded along, before finally giving his own insights. "Giving them a weight would be best, I don't know how stable the cloak will be once you start removing elements from it. I'll trust in the order you've given them, but I confess, I still don't know how you intend to do this?"
"Well, my hope is that by using chalk made from dementor ash, it'll create a natural sympathetic bond. The cloak's permeability from magic would likely make it hard to use in a ritual, but as the chalk will have that bond, they should find each other.
"From there, I'm going to place a mithraite crystal in the coat, which will be used to help pull the abilities into itself. According to the goblins, these crystals will take in 'anything that strengthens itself'. After that, I'll use a whole bunch of power to get the ritual going, and sacrifice some more dementor ash."
Finished, Harry anxiously looked at Nicholas, hoping the man would then know what to do. The way he was subconsciously stroking his wispy beard certainly gave Harry some hope, especially given their esoteric plans.
"Yes… Yes, that sounds like it should work. Where are you planning on doing it though? While your coat's last ritual worked fine in this garden, I doubt young Albus will want his family garden destroyed by that much dementor ash."
For that, Harry had no answer. It hadn't even occurred to him about finding a ritual location, something he definitely should've put some thought behind.
Even outside the environmental damage such a ritual might inflict, a warm summer garden simply wouldn't be productive to a cloak of darkness and the cold.
"Some type of cave perhaps? Somewhere cold and dark." Harry suggested.
"Maybe, but I was thinking we'd instead do this in the Hogwarts highlands. Exposed to the cold air, unyielding stone, and best of all nobody nearby to get hurt."
It didn't take long for Harry to regret following Nicholas' suggestion. Even in the middle of Summer, the mountain range they'd found themselves in was bitingly cold, and that was with the sun still raised.
They wouldn't be starting the ritual until midnight, which was still a few hours away. Fawkes had been kind enough to flame the pair and their golden cauldron to the mountain, but had almost immediately left.
That left the two trudging around the mountain top, trying to find an appropriate place. Finally, on something of an outcropping, Nicholas had brandished his wand and worked his magic.
Despite knowing his mentor had spent numerous centuries refining his knowledge and magic, it was still easy to forget just how much power Nicholas Flamel could wield.
The entire mountain top reshaped itself, clearing a full platform with natural walls to block the wind. If it weren't for the unnaturally smooth surface that had been left behind, its magical origins were almost impossible to notice.
Best of all, Nicholas had transfigured the entire mountain top in such a way that he'd left the ritual area without a single trace of magic. From the smirk adorning the man's face, Nicholas was enjoying Harry's astonished expression.
"Well then Harry, I trust you are ready to do your bit now?" Nicholas called, not quite hiding his heavy breathing.
Still, Harry wordlessly began inscribing the first layer of the countervail ritual. The ashy chalk wasn't the easiest to draw with, but he managed all the same. Much like the original ritual, he'd drawn two large circles, with a smaller circle forming the top of a triangle.
He placed the golden cauldron within that topmost triangle, where it would work as the fuel source, before placing his coat and dementor's cloak in the other circles.
At the same time, Nicholas had used a separate coloured ash chalk to draw lines between, adding the appropriate runes where necessary. Soon, they were ready to begin, as Harry embedded two mithraite crystals into the collar of his trench coat.
Despite all their careful theory, Harry still found the actual setup of the ritual relatively anti-climatic, but that didn't stop the hairs at the back of his neck sticking up.
Their simple chalk lines had created a massive magical powder keg that could either do exactly what he wanted… or reduce the entire mountain to rubble. When it came to this level of unknown magic, anything was possible.
The potential power from sacrificing the gold from the cauldron was enough to be a concern alone, nevermind the completely unknown reaction of the dementor's ash.
Which was not to say either student or mentor were being reckless. They had both agreed the risks were minimal, comparative to a standard countervail ritual. What they'd considered the most likely disaster was the dementor's cloak simply ripping itself apart, maybe taking the dragonskin trench coat with it.
However, that didn't stop the heavy beat of adrenaline as Harry called for the ritual to begin, his Gauntlet raised to conduct the ritual. Nicholas stood just behind him, hand tightly clamped on his shoulder, ready to apparate away should the need arise.
As Harry felt his own magic trigger the powerful ritual, he realised they'd already stepped beyond a point of no-return, something that usually happened far later in a ritual. It meant he'd need to keep his mind cleared, pushing aside his many conflicting emotions, leaving nothing but the desire to see the ritual through.
Other than maintaining the ritual's flow, Harry had little to do but stand there, putting all his faith in the runes Nicholas had laid down. But, he could feel the weight of magic unbalancing the ritual, only for the golden cauldron to erupt in flames and level the magical equilibrium.
His first coat had finished in a matter of seconds, but already several minutes had passed, as the magic continued to circulate. It was clear the dementor's cloak wasn't happy about the ritual, presenting an unnatural resistance, but one Harry wasn't too concerned about.
The amount of magic they'd called forth was pushing heavily against them, giving their exposed skin some welcome warmth. Even though Harry had long closed his eyes to better focus, he started to see a dull light through his eyelids, indicating something was visually changing.
Eventually, there was a snapping sensation, and the ritual closed in on itself. Where they'd drawn the ritual, the chalk had seemingly been banished from existence, while an ashen outline was all that was left of the cloak.
But, to Harry's great relief, his trench coat was visually unharmed, despite the scorch marks around it. Summoning it to him, he tenderly ran his hands across it, using the gesture to inspect it with his magic.
Immediately, he could tell the ritual hadn't failed, as his magic struggled to even identify he was holding anything. However, it was clear its dragonhide properties had remained untouched, although the undetectable expansion charms on the pockets had clearly collapsed.
The coat had also gained the deep draping hood from the Dementor's Cloak, which he hadn't expected at all. It also seemed to be emitting a lesser version of the dementor's mist, although it was hard to see in the already freezing air.
"I take it the ritual worked, then." Nicholas called, voice shaky. "Because, I'll tell you now, I never want to try this again."
"Apparently. I'll need to spend more time to figure out how well it worked, but the important stuff worked… Will you be alright with casting the expansion charms again once we get home?"
Once home, they'd both mutually agreed to take the next day off, to recover from the ritual.
Rather than go to sleep, Harry had instantly taken to wearing his upgraded coat, getting his first surprise with how comfortable it had become. Its inside had gained a light silky texture, and also provided a welcome chill against the oppressive summer heatwave, which were both a great improvement.
He was also quite glad it hadn't copied over the full oppressive aura that had made the full cloak difficult to wear long-term. That aura hadn't gone entirely, but now seemed more focused on outside threats.
The next day, whilst taking it easy, they'd also discovered the coat hadn't been able to support the expansion charms anymore, with the coat's new magical permeability proving too weak to support such a 'heavy' charm.
But, that hadn't stopped Tonks from making small leather pockets, which she'd then sown within the existing coat pockets. Those pockets were easily capable of sustaining the charm, while working exactly the same.
And as long as Harry closed the trench coat's pocket flaps, the leather pockets would even become masked by the coat's magical undetectability. He had been very disappointed when he'd closed the coat around him and he hadn't also become fully undetectable.
According to Nicholas, when he'd closed the coat around him, his magical signature had become slightly blurry to look at, but he hadn't gained the full undetectability.
But, Harry had quickly realised it would work great with his Invisibility Cloak. While the Invisibility Cloak was notoriously difficult to detect, skilled mages like Dumbledore and Moody could discern the magical void it left behind.
Harry hoped that his coat's permeability could blur the void left by the Invisibility Cloak, both working together to provide additional layers of concealment.
His trench coat had even kept its ability to turn itself invisible, from its dragon-skin coat upgrade, so he could even safely wear it over the Invisibility Cloak without comically revealing himself.
He'd gone so long without using his coat's invisibility, he'd had a brief moment of worry when he could get it to work, right as his coat snapped itself invisible.
But, his joy lasted just long enough for him to look in a mirror, and realised the cloak's invisibility had at some point suffered. When he stayed still, the coat vanished completely, but any movement was just barely visible.
It was like the coat shimmered slightly, becoming just a touch less transparent while in motion. While that realisation had significantly dampened Harry's excitement, he reminded himself it was still a step in the right direction. His worst case scenario was that he'd stick to the shadow's whilst invisible.
He'd awoken the next morning fully intent on putting his newest shield together for the first time, only for him to walk into the kitchen and receive a large "Happy Birthday!" The sudden cheerful exclamation nearly made him draw his wand.
Turning towards the table, Harry was stunned at the unexpected sight. Tonks and Nicholas' presence was understandable, but Dumbledore had made a rare appearance. However, the true surprise was his godfather, Sirius, who was bouncing in his chair.
Harry had to blink in surprise, taking a moment to process the situation. Birthdays hadn't been a big deal for him in years, and this one had crept up on him unnoticed. He had been so immersed in his magical projects and the recent ritual that the days had slipped past without him realising.
"Happy birthday, Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning madly, as he jumped to his feet to enthusiastically hug Harry.
"Surprise!" Tonks added, her hair changing colours in excitement.
Dumbledore, wearing his signature twinkle, nodded warmly. "A very happy birthday to you, my boy."
Nicholas, looking amused, raised his glass in a silent toast.
The room was filled with such a warm and celebratory atmosphere that Harry couldn't help but smile, his initial shock giving way to a genuine appreciation for the unexpected gesture.
"Sirius!" Eagerly accepting his godfather's embrace. They'd technically only been apart for a few weeks, but it felt longer, especially given the poor headspace Harry had been in at the time.
The intensity and warmth of Sirius' hug also helped banish his recent sense of guilt. His mind kept recalling how, just a few days ago, Tonks unearthed the forgotten Firebolt from his emptied pockets, and how neglectful he'd felt.
"Thanks, everyone," Harry said, a touch of gratitude in his voice. "This is...unexpected."
"We thought it was about time you had a proper celebration," Sirius said, clapping Harry on the back before pulling back. "Now, blow out the candles and make a wish. We've got a cake and everything!"
A small smile played on his lips as he approached the cake, ready to make a wish and embrace the unexpected joy. Eating cake first thing in the morning made for an unusual breakfast, but it was very enjoyable.
After the cake, they'd moved onto the gift-giving. Reaching into his robe, Dumbledore produced a large, ornate gold leaf book.
'Arcane Arms and Mythic Might: An Esoteric Examination of Magical Weapons, By Arionel Dumbledore.'
"Given your current fascination with physical weapons, I felt you'd appreciate my ancestor's findings. Few have ever been able to match Arionel's… fascination with the ancient wonders. If nothing else, it should give you some ideas for your own creations."
With the Fanfic alerts still dead, I'll still push the new Discord server as the best way of keeping up with this story.
Discord: vUHyMWjDRJ (Take this link code, and then inside discord go to add server, join a server, and paste it there)