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Chapter 11

Albus Dumbledore kneeled down on the ground and examined the array carefully. It took him two weeks of painstaking work to inscribe it onto the surface of the stone plinth. However, he still returned periodically to check its accuracy. The consequences of getting it wrong would be catastrophic.

The array was not the only one of its kind. There were thirty-three more arrays identical to this one scattered across Great Britain. Checking them all took a lot of time, considering his responsibilities at Hogwarts and the Ministry. However, now that he was free of those duties, he could finish the last fifteen arrays. Following that, he only had to activate the country-sized Great Array. His magnificent work would be finished and he would save Magical Britain from disappearing. As a result of his achievements, he would be recognised as being greater than Merlin himself.

Dumbledore stood up, his old joints protesting vehemently, letting him know that he was no longer a young man. He was running out of time. Forty years ago, when he first began this project, he had no idea it would take this long to finish it.

One contributing factor was that the entire array had to be completely accurate, without a single deviation. The scope of the Great Array was massively complex, which meant there was more room for error. It led to him discarding so many arrays over the years and starting from scratch. Thankfully, after so many mistakes, he got better at inscribing the arrays.

Another factor was resources. To complete each array, it took a small fortune and a number of rare materials. Thankfully, after gathering so many allies over the years, he had obtained the necessary funds to come this far, and he still had enough for a few more arrays. It is a shame that he couldn't add the Potter's wealth to his coffers, as it would solve the monetary issues altogether. It looked like he would have to get creative to obtain the rest of the funds needed to finish the project.

He was no remarkable prodigy in enchanting, and he didn't design the array itself. It was a piece of theoretical work by a witch in the late sixteenth century that he stumbled upon. The witch was unknown to the wider academic community, but he considered her a true genius. If her work was correct, then Magical Britain would have access to an unlimited source of magic. It was not a task he could entrust to someone else, and he didn't want anyone else sharing credit for the accomplishment.

There was no one else who understood the threat posed to their country more than himself. As time went on, magic itself was slowly and inevitably disappearing from the world. The rifts that connected the world to the magic realm were vanishing. If they closed completely, then magic would disappear from the world in a few short years. It was already showing its effects in the number of Squibs being born in the magical families. They still had their Magical Conduit, but it was closed off to them, and no one else could explain why it was happening. He knew the reason, as he was not one to bury his head in the sand and hope the situation resolved itself.

So he was forced down this path. A radical solution that would lead to so many Muggle deaths, but what were their lives worth against the loss of magic and witches and wizards? As far as he was concerned, it was a small sacrifice to make.

Dumbledore walked over to Fawkes and examined him critically. The Phoenix would have another burning day soon, which meant he would not be able to move around so freely. The most common types of magical travel such as Apparation, Portkeys and Floo Travel could be traced by the Ministry. Although he was far more adept than others at hiding his traces, it was not guaranteed. He only had to point to Flitwick discovering his secret as an example.

Considering that the Aurors were searching for him, it would be wise to stay hidden for a time until Fawkes was able to flame travel again.

There was so much left to do. Voldemort was still in Albania, plotting his return. Before his departure from Hogwarts, he had tried to convince Nicholas to give him the Philosopher's Stone to use as bait for a trap for the wraith, but the ancient wizard refused.

He wanted to get rid of Nicholas and his wife at some point, as they might discover his secret before it was ready. However, he was still uncertain about his success. The Flamels were powerful in their own right, and they knew more about magic than anyone else in the world. There would have to be a great deal of care taken when planning their deaths.

Finally, he had to get the boy back. Not only was he the key to eliminating Voldemort, but he still needed to rid himself of the last Potter to satisfy his vengeance. Nothing else was more important to him. But it would have to wait for now and the boy was not going anywhere. When the time was right, he would get his hands on him.

Sirius Black looked around as he entered the bar, searching for a distraction after another difficult day filled with bad memories. Honestly, he should probably just return home and consume enough alcohol to get shit-faced drunk and pass out. Women and alcohol were his two vices, and they never failed to chase away the pain, at least until the sun rose the next morning.

The interior was dim, and he got some stares from the inhabitants. He had never been here before, but Remus had suggested the bar as a nice quiet place to have a drink and potentially hook up with women for the night.

Sirius spotted a potential candidate sitting at the bar. She wore a red dress that showed a lot of skin, and she looked as though she had problems of her own. There was something odd about her manner suggesting that she wasn't interested in casual sex, which was a contradiction considering what she was wearing. Taking a seat next to her, he put on his most charming smile.

"You look as miserable as I feel," Sirius said as an introduction. "Want to go somewhere and chase away our misery together?"

"Does that pick-up line ever work?" The woman turned and looked at him. She was a brunette with stunning green eyes, and Sirius felt his heart stutter. They reminded him so much of Lily that he almost ran out of the bar. Those eyes haunt him forever. He found it to be a painful reminder of her death, as well as his shame that he had feelings for the wife of his best friend.

"Sometimes," Sirius shrugged, turning to the bartender. "Can I get bourbon? Neat."

"Coming right up," the bartender said.

"Can I get you anything?" Sirius asked. He was feeling a bit lost at the moment. The woman had thrown him off his game.

"Are you already giving up on me?" The woman asked with a wry smile. "Did something scare you off?"

"Your eyes," Sirius said, paying the bartender after receiving his drink.

"Reminding you of a lost love who got away?" She asked lightly.

"She was never mine," Sirius said, staring into the glass of amber liquid. "She belonged to my best friend and I would never have come between them. Then they had to die, those selfish bastards."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the woman reached out and patted his hand. 'My name is Lauren Raleigh. My life story is not as tragic as yours. My husband cheated on me a year ago. I kicked him out, but I'm still struggling to get over it. I thought I could come here to hook up with someone for some meaningless sex to get over it."

"I am Sirius Black. And it won't work," Sirius said bluntly. He silently cursed himself for being so honest. It would not lead to a night of fun for either of them.

"I already realised that," Lauren sighed. "But I couldn't be bothered to get up and leave. Now I have to fend off every creep that approaches me in this bar."

"Ouch," Sirius grimaced.

"Well, you are the least objectionable if that's any consolation."

"It's not," Sirius whined. "I came here for the same reason as you. Why am I wasting time with you when I know you aren't interested in meaningless sex?"

"Well, the night is still young," Lauren smiled.

For the next half hour, they talked and got to know each other better. Sirius was enjoying himself more than he cared to admit. He didn't usually choose his bed partners for polite conversation. The drink remained untouched as he became more interested in the woman. It had nothing to do with her eyes reminding him of Lily. In fact, he considered that a negative, which was unreasonable.

"Sirius!" a voice shouted from the entrance, and Sirius sighed in resignation.

"Who's that?" Lauren asked curiously.

"My babysitter," Sirius said, turning as Remus ran up to him. "What did you want, Remus? You don't have to worry about me. Look, I haven't even been drinking."

"It's not that," Remus leaned down and hissed. "Listen, I read the newspapers back in England. The Daily Prophet."

Lauren showed a visible reaction to that name, although they didn't see it.

"What has happened?" Sirius asked.

"Harry is alive," Remus almost screamed.

"What?" Sirius whispered. He must have heard it wrong.

"Harry is alive," Remus repeated slowly. "Dumbledore lied about Harry dying that night and had him hidden away for some specific reason. He fled the castle because he is now a wanted criminal."

"Where is Harry?" Sirius grabbed Remus by his collar.

"He is with Minnie," Remus said, using their favourite nickname for the old Potter Matriarch. "Beyond that, nobody knows."

"We need to return to England," Sirius declared, a feeling of elation welling up in him. A ray of light shone down on him from above, piercing the darkness in an instant. He stood up, shooting an apologetic look at Lauren. The last half hour was magical, but his godson took priority over everything else.

"Are you talking about Harry Potter?" Lauren asked curiously, causing the two men to freeze.

The two men looked at each other for a moment before grabbing her and shepherding her out of the bar. They walked her to a nearby deserted alley. She looked nervous for a moment, but raised her chin in defiance, expecting a confrontation.

"Who are you?" Sirius asked angrily.

"I thought it would be obvious," Lauren said. "I'm a witch."

"Did you go to that bar specifically for me?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"Are you serious?" Lauren rolled her eyes. "That bar is a local hangout for magicals in Manhattan. I didn't even know who you were until you mentioned Harry and the Daily Prophet."

"Why are you reading the Daily Prophet?" Remus questioned.

"I'm a journalist that reports on international magical news," Lauren replied. "The Daily Prophet is one of many papers I read to stay informed."

Sirius searched her face but didn't see any signs of deceit. Relaxing, he rubbed a hand over his face. "Sorry for being so suspicious. But the news that Harry is alive has thrown me for a loop. I really enjoyed our time together, as brief as it was, but I need to return to Britain and contact Minnie."

"Can I come with you?" Lauren asked impulsively.

"Why do you need to come with us?" Remus asked sharply. "Are you looking for a scoop on Harry?"

Lauren shook her head rapidly, looking upset. "I am currently on leave from the newspaper I work for. I have received death threats from a local crime syndicate. It would be better for my health if I get out of the city for a while."

Sirius hesitated, but if there was a chance she would be hurt, he wouldn't leave her behind. "It's fine with me. We need to sort out our apartment, pack a few things, and purchase an international portkey back to England. Let's get going."

Hang on, Harry. Sirius Black is making his glorious return.

15th August

Harry finished inscribing the array and laid the runic pen down on the table. Standing up, he walked over to the window and looked out over the backyard. It had only been two days, and already he was going stir-crazy. While he had runes to keep him distracted, it was still difficult to sit there all day and inscribe runes. The repetition was driving him crazy.

Retrieving the book, he looked at the messages waiting for him and smiled. Still, he couldn't deny that the diligent work that he had put in was worth it.

The host has inscribed thirty-two Basic Reinforcement Arrays.

General Exp: + 450

Skill Exp: [Calligraphy 3, Dexterity 1, Elder Futhark 1] + 225

Progress to level 7: 2414/4800

Harry noticed immediately that he had received less experience than he had imagined. Could it be that he could only inscribe the array so many times before not receiving any more? Calculating quickly from the first array he completed, he realised that he could only get experience for the first ten arrays. He would have to inscribe another one to continue gaining experience. Since he was interested in using the Incombustible Array for his workshop, he would work on that next.

He couldn't say it was a waste of time, as he got plenty of practice inscribing runes, and had already learned a lot to speed up the process. The Basic Reinforcement Array was already perfected, and he could now inscribe it with his eyes closed. The only thing he had to worry about now was transferring the array onto another surface, specifically the wood. The object's mass and size had to be taken into account. The array would have to be large enough to reinforce the entire thing, otherwise, it could lead to vulnerabilities, or the entire thing not working. You also had to take in the material you were working with into account as well since every object had a limit as to how much magic could be channelled through them. It is fortunate that wood is an excellent conductor, so two arrays would not cause issues.

Harry had the choice of inscribing the two arrays separately or combining them together to form an Intermediate Array. It was a step up from a simple Basic Array. The benefit of combining the two arrays was that it was more efficient at channelling magic. This could be of importance for objects that didn't have a lot of magical conductivity. However, it was a lot more complex, and not something he was capable of doing at the moment.

He went downstairs and into the dining room for lunch. He grunted when his grandparents greeted him, sitting down at the table and loading a plate.

"Excuse me, is that any way to greet your grandparents?" Charlus demanded.

"I'm grounded. You have forbidden me to contact Gabrielle and Daphne remember? I'm just adding the two of you to the list. A proper penance, suffering in silence, don't you think?"

"Very well," Minerva said calmly, laying a hand on her husband's arm when he was about to rise from his seat. "Charlus, have you sent a response to Harry's godfather? He has returned to the country, hasn't he?"

"Not yet," Charlus replied, relaxing back into his seat as he caught onto her game. "I don't see the point, since he won't be able to speak to Harry until the week is finished.

Harry was confused. He had a godfather? Opening his mouth to ask, he caught the smug expression on his grandparents' faces and glared at them.

"Not funny," Harry said. "Besides, I don't know him. For all I know, he could be an asshole."

"Watch your language. Do you want me to add another week to your grounding?" Minerva threatened.

Harry shut up, concentrating on eating his lunch. Going back to living in the junk shop sounded more appealing by the minute. At least he would have the freedom to do what he wanted. While he grumbled to himself, an owl arrived at the window and hooted at them from behind the pane of glass.

Charlus stood up and opened the window, and the owl flew inside. He retrieved the letter from the owl. "There's an aviary in the attic, with an entrance for owls," he informed the bird. "It is stocked with food and water, and you can rest there if you need it."

The owl hooted in thanks and flew out the window.

"Whose is it from?" Minerva asked.

"It's another letter from Sirius," Charlus chuckled. "He is demanding to see Harry. The boy was always impatient."

"I suppose we can let him come here," Minerva sighed. "I miss him. He and Remus left Britain after that Halloween night."

"How did he find you here?" Harry asked, forgetting his annoyance.

"Post Owls can find people anywhere as long as they have a name," Charlus replied. "It's part of their magic."

"Hang on," Harry said in confusion. "Everyone knows I have been alive for two days. How come I haven't been flooded with mail? Or you for that matter?"

"Because we have wards set up to screen mail," Minerva explained. "We can choose who is permitted to send us mail, and Sirius is on that short list."

"I will send a reply and invite Sirius and Remus to dinner," Charlus said, cleaning up his dishes and placing them in the sink.

"Aren't you going to allow his lady friend to come?" Minerva asked.

"Not until I meet her for myself and determine if she poses a threat. Sirius always had no sense when it comes to women."

"That's not true," Minerva replied sadly. "He just had the misfortune of falling for the wrong woman."

Charlus looked at his wife curiously but didn't question her. She would know better than him. He disappeared when Sirius was sixteen, so he had missed out a lot in the ensuing eighteen years.

"Are you speaking to us again?" Minerva asked her grandson after Charlus left the room.

Harry shrugged. "If you are hoping that being grounded will teach me a lesson, you're going to be disappointed. If I didn't act when I did, Fleur would have died.

Minerva got up from her seat and sat down next to him. "Do you know how terrified I was when I heard you ran into such a dangerous situation?"

Harry felt guilty. He knew he was blessed to have such good grandparents, so causing them to worry was the last thing he wanted. "What do you want me to do? Ignore the premonitions and let people die?"

"It's not your responsibility," Minerva said gently, running a hand through his hair.

"That doesn't make sense." Harry shook his head to remove her hand, annoyed it was now a mess. Why did she enjoy playing with his hair? "You told me that a person's Animagus form reflects one's personality. What does that say about me when my form is a Demiguise which is known to have premonitions? The form chose me for a reason."

Minerva was stumped, unable to argue with his reasoning. Still, she didn't have to be happy about it. If her grandson was going to get himself into further danger, she would need to make sure he knew how to defend himself. She would not let anything happen to him.

"Harry!"

Harry had no time to react when the dark-haired man emerged from the fireplace and engulfed him in a hug. Another man appeared in a burst of green fire. He had sandy hair and scarring on his face. Harry gave him a look, silently begging him to get this stranger off him. The man smiled and pulled the dark-haired man away from him.

"I sure hope you are my godfather," Harry said bluntly, pointing at the sandy-haired man.

"Oi, I'm your godfather," the other shouted. "Sirius Black is thy name. I am handsome, debonair, and a threat to all ladies of all ages."

"Do I have to neuter you?" Minerva walked into the room.

"Minnie," Sirius cried, running to hug her. "Let's get married. We have to do what's best for Harry. It has nothing to do with me finding you so captivating. You don't look like you have aged a day since I last saw you."

"Get your hands off my wife, you flea-bitten mongrel," Charlus stepped into the room, causing the two men to recoil in shock.

"Gramps," Sirius stepped forward and poked Charlus. "How are you alive?"

"I would like to know that as well," the other man said.

"Hello, Remus," Charlus said. "It's a pleasure to see you again. As for my presumed demise, it's a long story."

"Well, we have plenty of time to hear it," Sirius said, before turning back to Harry. "You don't know how happy I am to see you alive. This is Remus. He was another friend of your parents."

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said politely.

"I will repeat Sirius' sentiment," Remus said, walking forward to shake Harry's hand. "It's incredible to see you alive and well."

"Enough mushiness," Sirius said, taking a small object out of his pocket. He summoned his wand and tapped it, and it grew into a long-wrapped package. "Here is your present for your thirteenth birthday from the both of us."

"Thank you," Harry said, reaching out to grab it. Sirius visibly vibrated with excitement as Harry unwrapped the present to reveal a Quidditch broom.

Harry began examining it carefully, interested in how it operated. It must take a specific technique to be able to fit the runes on the broom. He didn't know what every function it had, but it must be a very complex series of arrays to manage sustained flight. Maybe he could use an Appraisal Scroll on it. Then again, it would only list the names of the specific arrays it contained and not their schematics.

"It's a Nimbus 2000," Sirius burst out, unable to contain his excitement any longer. "The best Quidditch broom out on the market currently. You used to love to fly..."

"This is going to be awesome to take apart and see how it works," Harry said with enthusiasm, not even paying attention to what Sirius was saying. "I wonder if they have some sort of way to conceal their runes. It would make sense since it is a highly competitive market."

Sirius stared at him speechless. He turned to the others with such a disappointed expression that the adults broke out into laughter. Remus found it particularly funny, but also a bit sad. Sirius came here thinking he would be like James, interested in Quidditch and playing around. Unfortunately, Harry seemed to be more like Lily, who was a very intelligent witch interested in pursuing her studies. It looked like Harry had already chosen a specific field of interest for himself, and was pursuing it with enthusiasm.

He was glad to see Sirius so animated after all this time. Sirius took it harder than most when James and Lily died, as well as his godson. Not only was James his best friend, and Harry his godson, but he also had romantic feelings for Lily. Sirius would never admit to it, though. At least not to him.

"Harry," Sirius said weakly. "This broom is for you to learn to fly. If you want to take apart a Quidditch broom, I will buy you another one."

Harry looked at him like he was insane. "Why would I want to fly on this thing? Do I look crazy?"

Sirius staggered, looking like he had taken a physical blow. Remus patted him on the back in consolation.

"Harry," Charlus said. "It won't be easy to uncover its secrets. Besides, the Nimbus company would have patented the entire Array Cluster, so you couldn't use it anyway."

"Oh, I don't want to use it," Harry said. "I was interested in how it worked. So they patent the entire thing? What about their rune sequences?"

"I would imagine that they used a combination of sequences that are already publicly available and some patented sequences," Remus said helpfully. "They may have created their own as well."

"Let's go to the dining room," Minerva suggested.

They entered the dining room and sat down to eat the meal Minerva had prepared. It was roast chicken, with servings of roast vegetables and potato gratin. The adults started to eat the delicious meal, conversing easily, as if they had only spoken yesterday. Harry was content to listen to the adults talk. He noticed that they stayed away from one specific topic, and that was how his grandfather was still alive. It is something that he has asked them about before, but they refused to answer him. Stupid adults.

"So, Harry," Sirius leaned forward in interest. "Do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"No," Harry said in exasperation.

"Now, grandson," Charlus said with mock seriousness. "There is no need to lie. You already have several girls hanging around you. If I am seeing things correctly, there are currently two girls who may have already staked a claim on Harry."

"Really?" Sirius asked, almost bouncing in excitement. "So he takes after his godfather. I am proud that I want to shed tears of happiness. Having more than one girlfriend is the ultimate goal of any playboy."

"Don't speak nonsense," Minerva said sharply. "Harry doesn't need more than one girl."

"Well, that's not exactly true," Charlus said. "The Potter family is in danger of disappearing. I wouldn't mind if he married more than one witch. It's not technically illegal."

"There's also the fact that he is my heir," Sirius said with a grin.

"What the hell?" Harry asked, feeling completely lost.

20th August

Harry was outside Friday morning, having finally regained his freedom and eager to resume building his workshop. Over the past five days, he perfected the Incombustible Array. He had earned some nice experience and levelled his Dexterity to level two finally, and he immediately noticed a difference. Harry was able to inscribe more quickly without making any mistakes, which resulted in an increase in production.

He needed to pour concrete for the foundation walls. At first, he considered adding rune arrays to them as well. However, he realised that it would be a lot more challenging to inscribe the array onto stone.

Harry had purchased a new runic pen for the specific task of inscribing onto wood. He would start practising inscribing the two arrays on a wood plank when he was finished with the foundation. Stone was more challenging to inscribe on and would take more time to practice. Besides, he could add runic arrays to the foundation walls later. It would be easier to add them after the fact since the foundation didn't have so many individual parts. Also, the Incombustible Array wasn't needed, so the process should be faster.

Daphne and Gabrielle would visit later today, so he hoped to be finished by then. He was woken up this morning by their owls hooting at the window. They hadn't wasted any time inviting themselves to come around, although he wasn't unhappy with their presumption. He missed them over the last week. It was funny how he used to hate interacting with girls, but now he enjoyed their company.

Sirius and Remus had been coming over every day and he had gradually gotten to know them. Sirius was not as manic as he seemed and he was sure the man hid some deep wounds from his past. Harry wouldn't probe too deeply into that point. But he was fun to be around, although he wasn't enthused about his godfather's propensity to prank him. He would get revenge on the mutt one of these days.

The fact that Sirius was an Animagus was a pleasant surprise. It gave them something to talk about, although his godfather was jealous that he was a magical animal. Sirius was often mistaken for a Grim, but it turned out he was just an ordinary dog that resembled the mythological creature.

Remus was nice to talk to about his ambitions to become an Artisan, and he gave him some helpful advice on how to achieve it. He suggested registering at the Artisan Guild in Diagon Alley. Although the local branch was in decline, the guild master who operated it was apparently a good guy. The sooner he registered, the easier it would be for him to apply for patents for any rune sequences, arrays or products he created. This would enable him to gain protection from others looking to take advantage of him.

Harry carried the cement bags out of the shed and started mixing the concrete. He had cheated somewhat and roped Sirius and Remus into helping him since he had not much time left before leaving for Hogwarts. Remus looked at his measurements, and the two men had built a rebar frame to reinforce the foundation. Next, they built a concrete skeleton to hold the cement, so he only needed to pour the mixture and cast the Harden Spell on it so it could set quickly. He just hoped the Source would not penalise him for getting help from others.

"How are you doing?" Charlus asked, looking at the process with interest.

"All right," Harry said after finishing the first layer of concrete.

"Do you need help?" Charlus asked.

"Sure," Harry shrugged.

They worked together on mixing cement and building the foundation wall. With two hands, it was a lot faster, and soon one side of the workshop's foundation wall was complete. They paused to observe their progress with satisfaction.

"It's going to be difficult to finish this before leaving for Hogwarts," Charlus pointed out.

"I will certainly try, but it's not like I can use the workshop while at Hogwarts," Harry said. "The shed will do for now. I still need Gabrielle to get that Enchanter to build the arrays into the building. It will save me the effort of having to add plumbing and wiring to the building."

"Hmm," Charlus grunted. "Well, you will have to shelf the project for tomorrow. You will go with your grandmother and the Greengrass family to Diagon Alley to get your supplies. Sirius and Remus are going as well for your protection."

"Damn it," Harry said. "It better not be too busy."

"That's wishful thinking," Charlus grinned, before turning serious. "Your grandmother will take you to Gringotts to get the Potter Heir ring from the family vault. Sirius will also give you one for the Black family."

"Why do I have to be the Heir of two families?" Harry asked. "It sounds troublesome."

"It's part of the responsibility of being part of one of the ancient wizarding families I'm afraid," Charlus grimaced. "I used to hate it as well, but there came a point when I realised that I had a responsibility to not only my family but the wizarding world as a whole."

"Great," Harry said sarcastically. "By the way, why do you sometimes call me Hadrian?"

"It's your real name," Charlus said. "Harry is your informal name. You will use Hadrian on more formal occasions. Your family and friends will still know you as Harry."

Harry liked Hadrian as a name. Maybe he should use it more. It might be a wise idea to get the girls' opinions on the matter.

"Let's get back to work."

Thinking about stuff like family responsibilities gave him a headache.

So, what do you think? Harry will go to Diagon Alley next chapter to get his school supplies and tries to avoid getting mobbed by the wizarding population.

Thanks for reading.