AN: some of you might notice that my spelling is not uniform in the writing. I must apologize, English is not my first Language. I am an American. We have not spoken proper English in centuries. That said… when I write Harry Potter… I try to use English over American whenever I can. This causes my words to be spelled funnily to some. And when I am gripped by my muse… I lose control and mix my English with my American.

I am told have been misspelling Tish's race. they are the Kyree. my bad.

I am sorry.

Enjoy.

SPRB

Once back in the Work Room, Harry drew out the two meters of ironwood. It was a 'straight' piece. Harry took measurements for it, and placed it in the lathe after adjusting the machine so that he would start in the centre and work his way to one end before he flipped it and started to shape the other side. As it was eight centimetres thick… he shaved it down to six. It was still too big for his hand to comfortably fit around it, but he wanted a margin of safety.

Once he had it uniform size, he slowed the spin and allowed his hand to rub over the smooth spinning wood. He poured his magic into it, trying to get an image of the finished product.

Using the scratch-all, the stylus he used to score the Blackthorn, he measured and marked zones that 'wanted' runes. He would get Hermione to draw the runes he wanted when she came to finish her baby.

Tish, having crawled under his workbench, was out of his way while she watched him work.

When he got the staff to where he thought it should be, he pulled her out, and swung her about like he saw during one of Dudley's Kung-fu movies.

He nodded and set it in the vice, before he turned to the helm that was not for her. He ran his thumb along the edges. "Dobby. Please ask Soran to find his way here. I have a surprise for him."

He then inspected her Helm. He frowned, before he set aside and began to lay out her harness. She couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but his magic was in play and he was focused on his work.

"And done with the metal work." He held up the thirteen piece linked plate chest piece. He stepped over her back to drape it across her chest. "What do you think?"

Tish focused her will and a ball of air slammed into the wall. :Now you just need to assemble the leather straps.:

"Of course it will be fully adjustable by tomorrow night. And only because I need to the Staff…" he set the chest plate on Hermione's bench, before he picked up her helm.

He knelt and held it out. She put her her into it. It started just before her nose, allowing her to sniff and track, but protected it from damage. The brow was perfectly placed, as the centre of the dome curled around her ears to hug the back of her skull. The design gave her saber fangs but let her eat as needed.

She shook her head, scratched her ear, then rolled over and came to her feet. : Okay. Damn good crafting. How are you going to fix it to my head? It's a bit loose when I shake and scratch.:

"Well… first option…" he held up a six inch nail.

She gave him a flat glare.

"I was going to use a runic matrix to cushion and stick both Helms. But I need Hermione's help with the Runes. Can you get it off…"

She sat, cocked her head, and with her hind foot, kicked it off.

"Good, so that means that you only need to find a place to store it if it is not in your pocket."

"You wanted to see me?" Soran was in the doorway.

Harry tossed his Helm to him. "Something for you. Shift over and try it. It's not finished, but I am just trying to get an idea for how it fits."

Soran shrugged, shifted and turned his head into the face mask… and released it. He shook his head, blinked at Harry and growled. $ Could be tighter on the nose, but it is just loose enough to rattle. Almost perfect."$

Soran switched back to human… only now he had silver freckles along his cheekbones. "Where did it go?"

"It's on the Dragon." Hermione swatted his head as she headed to her workbench. "Turn back."

Soran rubbed where had popped him, as he frowned, before he did as told. The Helm reappeared.

Harry smiled at the Drake. "Now remove it."

The drake turned his head to his right foreleg and gripped it in the talons and it came away. Soran made the switch again. "Nice piece. My magic is based on self enhancement. I have a set of gauntlets for hand to hand combat and such… but…" he looked at the mask/helm in his hand.

"It's not finished yet. I am needing a little help from Hermione… but I should have it finished by tomorrow night." Harry took it back and set it on the shelf over the bench. "I would like to see your gauntlets some time…" He turned back to his Mate. "You never said, so I have to ask… Do you breathe fire like the big beasts?"

"Not before my first Century…" he got a funny look on his face. "Why?"

"When I was Crafting it, I was picturing it with Runes at the nose guard… give you a short burst of flame… and yes Tish… I can do the same thing with yours, but it would clog up the sniffer."

Tish whined and tucked her forelegs over her nose.

"If that's all you needed…" Soran turned to leave.

"For now." Harry Stepped up beside Hermione and rubbed his head against hers, while purring. "How goes?"

"I got the Gun working and everything, but the wood is rejecting my attempts to place the core." She huffed, before turning to him, and rubbing the top of her head, before her kitty ears along his jaw.

He nodded. "I need more rune work than just his Helm." He drew her to his bench where he placed the Staff horizontal. "I need runes here and here and the same on the other side." He pointed to two six inch sections. "Need to make it unbreakable, the ends heavier when I swing it, and the like. I just need you to mark the glyphs, I will take it from there. I want to rune his Helm with runes from the hairdryer…but with a booster. I am picturing him focusing for a second snorting a two foot tongue of flame. Both his Helm and hers need sticky runes, and cushioning charms. If you can get something to lessen impacts too would be great. Just mark them."

"You have been busy." She stroked his jaw again.

He returned to her bench. "Okay beautiful, what's your problem…" He poured his magic over the wood and steel. What he saw was not just a pistol like in the pictures of pirate weapons.

First he disassembled what she had cobbled together. Then he put it back into the vice, wrapped in leather, as he took first the finest sandpaper. After smoothing it a bit, he took a marker and traced a design across and around the grip. He had a steady hand, but he didn't have the gift of Dean. Then using a scratch-all he traced the lines, twice, before he took the smallest chisel and got it deep enough to twist a platinum wire cage about the Sapphire and twist a harness around the grip. He then gouged out a fine channel in base of the barrel bed. Using a wooden dowel, smaller than the Sphinx hair, he wrapped it around the stick, and pressed it into the groove, making sure that the hair touched sides of the groove, from the grip to the tip.

Then he reassembled the pistol. He dry fired it, to make sure that it worked so far. He then began to pour his magic into it, as he pictured her standing at his back… or over him… protecting him, healing him, saving his Family and Loved ones.

The Focus sang as the wire tightened around the grip, the jewel glinted, and the piece cried out for its Mama… its Mistress.

And Hermione was there instantly, cradling and cooing over the piece of Art in her arms.

"Harry, what is…" she traced the wire binding the grip. She then took it in hand… "Okay I see."

"You still have to seal the wood and whatever you do to the metal. You have a hungry angry baby there. I don't know if that is the balance and trajectory you want. That is between the two of you."

"She is a bit heavier in the butt I can bead a sight on her barrel to counter it. She is longer than I was thinking… are you completely finished with her?"

"If you want further filigree on her forehead stock…think about what glyphs you want or just random design… I will fill it and polish it for you. Try her as a wand."

Hermione put it through its paces. "She is a bit heavy… and big… but she is a battle wand… my battle wand."

"Yes. Are you going to place her with your peacemaker?" Harry smiled at the witch stroking the weapon.

Hermione tried drawing from the far hip… but found the pistol/wand preferred to be under the pouch hanging off the wide belt Hermione was wearing Pirate style.

Harry looked at his bench and noticed that it was covered in books on runes and the like. He shook his head before turning to the Kree Harness… and noticed a distortion where her spell had been launched from. He rubbed his fingers over it.

: It's because you crafted it to collect her Mana… not release it.: a sleepy voice in his head…

He looked around the room.

: Your other Focus. Beware Bargains with the Eldritch. Even when you Profit, you Lose.:

Harry looked at his chest. The Golden Bird eye was looking at him.

"Ahm… Hello?"

:We are going to have to get your Mind Speech Gift active, if only for ten feet line of sight.:

Harry felt as if he was in the presence of McGonagall.

: I thank you for the Comparison. I have been asleep since my real self made the deal. It has been so long I don't even remember what the Deal was.: The Eye turned to look at the breastplate. : You need to craft a Focus point… something that will allow both your power and hers to … Sensing great power in you… do you have a family or personal crest? It would give her…:

But Harry was already moving to the forge, to bring it up to temperature.

He pulled the harness off and hung it on the hook, before he stuck the wand in the flap so the eye could see everything.

A different billet of metal jumped from the rack and he stuck it in the coal. Once the block of metal turned red enough, Harry fished it out and hammered it flat. Once again he allowed the tools to tell him what he needed to do. When he relaxed his mind… he never noticed that three more billets joined the first.

The first was a small, quarter inch thick kite shield. He somehow imprinted the image of a four window shield crest. The Top left was a raring Thestral. Top right was a Staff crossed by two wands all over a sword down the centre. The Bottom Left had a clay vase and jug. The last had a Lion's head on a Snakes Body… roaring at the watcher.

When he put it back into the fire, he walked over and dismantled the chestplate from the harness, and brought it to the anvil…

He removed the device and placed it on the cold plate. Taking a punch, he 'tacked' the three points of the kite shield crest in place on the breastplate. Three strikes each… driving his magic through the Punch with each blow of the Hammer. He took up the Plate in the Tongs, and chanting under his breath… he quenched it again.

Thunder boomed outside.

Harry took the plate back to Hermione's bench and hit the rune to call for a Hertasi.

"Sir." the white and shaded Lizard phased out of the shadows.

"Yes. I am needing leather. Rabbit if you got it. Twelve skins if you have it, fur on half… at least. Thank you."

: Rabbit?: Tish asked from under the far workbench.

"Softer, easier to work with, but not as forgiving." He turned to look at her… and saw the plate of nuts and berries. "And snack time." He grabbed a handful from right next to Hermione and she didn't even notice. He waited for her to lift the marker before bumping her elbow. "Hermione, take a break or I burn a book."

She snapped around, palest she has been since they stepped off the Express. "You Wouldn't."

"Unless you take a thirty minute break, eat, drink…hit the loo." Harry smiled softly at the witch. "Or I can start with Hogwarts, A History."

"You Bloody Bounder!" she swatted his chest, but she capped the marker and dipped the water. "What are you working on now?"

"I don't really know. My magic was itching until I tossed three things of steel cable into the fire and twisted them tight." He finished his handful of nuts before he allowed the haze to reclaim him…

SPRB

When Smythe came to chase Harry out at sundown, Harry was wiping off three perfect ten inch twisted cable Damascus kriss daggers. One was hilted in green jade wrapped in silver. One was hilted with the end of an aged humerus knob. The last was using a Femur knob… only the knob was carved into a horse skull… no… a Thestral. He then sheathed them in hand sewn leather sheaths.

"Master Smythe. Just Finishing up. I am going to need another day to finish my Staff. Hermione has marked out the Runes, and…"

The short man glared at the three new blades on the bench. "And what are you going to do about those? Our items here are not cheap!"

"Something tells me that you are not wanting just coin for this." Harry wiped his hands clean.

"Trogg has finished with his preparation of the tiles and even has the layout, but he doesn't have any idea of how to get to where the tiles aaend and his bracers begin. I could do it…but I don't want to. Next Month I am holding my advanced Workshop… and you are leading it."

Harry sighed. 'At least it's not Halloween.'

But his thoughts were heard.

SPRB

(All Speech is in Goblin.)

The next morning Barchoke entered his office and found a package waiting for him. He opened it to find three daggers of a non-english design.

"Hey Barchoke.

This weekend we were tasked with crafting bespoke Foci. Over the course of the last two days my magic got away from me and I ended up crafting more than I should have. These three are not compatible with my magic, if you can believe it. The Green stone hilted and the Yellow bone hilted blades are for the two lasses that you and Ashraq are keeping in reserve for me. The White Bone Hilted blade is for the King as I have yet to be able to deliver his Throne Accessory.

This coming weekend or the Next, Hermione and I are planning to come to Gringotts before we travel to Hogwarts and reclaim our prize.

Please make the Arrangements.

Anything further on gifts for his Under-the-Mountain-ship?

HJP

P.S. Please make arrangements for us with his Wand-ness as well. Need him to Inspect our New Foci. Feel free to have him inspect these as well… but he might be Wood based only.

-

Barchoke swore violently.

The Yellow bone hilted blade was a good gift for the Bones Heiress.

The wrapped Jade would be for the Greengrass Heiress.

He pulled out three gift boxes, thin panels of wood, twelve inches by four by four. He laid each blade in one, before he wrapped Bones's in a Yellow Ribbon, Wrote a card, and dropped it in his Out Box. The Gringotts Mail system was almost perfect.

He tucked the White Bone handled blade into his vest.( He double checked.) Before he grabbed the last box, the letter, and ran to Ashraq's office as only a Goblin seeking to share the Pain can run.

As he burst into the tweed wearing Manager's office, the other Goblin just glared at him. "What did he do now?"

Barchoke grinned evilly as he passed the letter over.

The bald Goblin sneered. "He didn't." The gift box, stamped with the Gringotts seal, was passed over and peeked into. "He did. And the other…"

"Sent to the Heiress. With a note." Barchoke grinned. And as soon as you write your note and mail the Box… we will go see His… how did the boy put it?"

Ashraq snorted. As he scratched out a quick note, folded it into the box, and wrapped the whole thing with a green ribbon. He tossed it into his out box and followed his younger counter part to the Boardroom the Lord of Gringotts used as a throne room.

The Board was meeting to discuss the business of the Day and Week.

Ragnok sneered as the two of them walked in. "Let me guess… he didn't like it." the purple silk wearing Goblin expressed his displeasure.

"Not exactly, your…" Barchoke opened the letter to read it. "Under the Mountain shop." He inhaled. "He finds the gift to out way his to you. He has declared War. His first Proposed 'Return Volley' won't be ready for at least another month. So he sent something for you to cut your teeth on. A personally Crafted Gift." He pulled the box from his pocket and passed it to the Page.

The Page delivered the Box to the Chief…who eased it open and peered in. "The Brat is either knowing of our Custom… or really…"

He lifted out the blade and ran his fingers over it. "What is this carving?" The Chief glared at the two.

"At first glance, it looks like a Horse Skull… but on closer inspection, it is a Thestral Head." Barchoke swallowed. "The Potters were once known as the Peverels."

The Chief drew the blade. He twisted it to catch the light. "You say that this him declaring War on me?"

"Sir." Ashraq cleared his throat. "He is Lord Potter and Lord Black. He is insane. He found your gift to him out weighing the Axe he sent to you. And now he plans to out gift you in a war of gifts. He is sending you this personally forged blade, as his first retaliation. And already he has a plan to shame you for even trying to show him up."

Ragnok sneered as he twirled the dagger about. "This Human will know the Shame of picking a fight with a Goblin. I doubt that a Craft would be of value to him…"

"No my lord." Barchoke bowed his head. "Before he broke the unfaithful, and reclaimed their Relics, his Word, he already held over two hundred of veris value. In fact, that Axe that started this whole thing, was from his Vault. Our Reclamation of over fifty Crafts were items that held little Value to him. Gripsaq is carrying a Crafted dagger that he found greater value in gifting to the old Dragon Bait than hoarding. And if my Sources are Correct… he is the current Owner of Godric's Folly."

The Gathered Board members hissed and drew back.

"It's Worse than that…" Barchoke sneered. "And my Oaths as House Potter's Manager holds My tongue for now."

Ragnok sneered… before he started to chuckle. "Okay Lord Potter. I will see your Dagger…" he looked at it again… "Your Blood Blade, and I will raise you. Council. I leave things in your hands. Disappoint me and you will lose them… before you lose your head." He stood, pocketing the sheathed dagger as he hefted the Axe… "I am going to the Quarry."

TBC