Harry led the Busty redhead teen into the Craft Hall.
"No!" The small man shambles up to the Lad. "You are not Crafting anything else until the Advanced Workshop!"
"I am not here for me … my Lady Bones here just joined. The Headmistress appears to accept Her Pedigree as good enough for Admission. I am bringing another in two weeks. A Daughter of Bathory. Two of those Daggers I crafted earlier… one went to each Witch."
"Bones. A Necromancer by breeding…" Smythe walked around her. "Grymscythe will have the basics for her new focus. I will need to see her Staff before we find her Core." He touched the Knife in her Robes… "This one is pleased with your match… but she is unblooded. Your Blood magic Instructor will teach you the Right way to do that."
"Oy! Potter!" Star stepped out of the Tunnel leading to the work rooms. "Got a few minutes? I need some help with my Foci. Trogg said that you might be able to help."
Harry looked at the Master.
"Leave the Iron wood. You have until the Dinner Bell."
Harry nodded, and drew out a two metre staff, and plated on the flagstone floor, before leading the witch to the man dressed in silks and Feathers. "I thought you were using and abusing Steel-lotus and Kyra?"
"No… Steel-lotus has a time of the month where she can't stand the sight or touch of anything Male." Star led the way to his workshop. "She won't have anything to do with me for about a week, then she is sexually abusive the other three weeks. In truth I need that week to recoup and recover." He looked at the shocked redhead beside Harry. "Hello. They call me Star." He offered his hand.
"This is Susan Bones." Harry Potter smiled. "My Second Female. When we marry sometime in the future, she will be Lady Bones… consort of Potter." Harry smiled at Susan. "Star is a Tayledras. Think of them as a semi-nomadic tribe of Earth Healers. They travel the Wilds of the World, healing the Damage of the Mage Wars. They also help with the damage Muggles do in their ignorant Arrogance."
"You say the completely wrong words and yet are correct." Star stepped into a small workshop, with the forge blazing and the kiln melting a mix of Alchemy. "I am trying to make a chain-whip-mace thingy. I can see it, I have drawn it…. But the metal work…"
"And the crucible is the metal for the Head?" Harry pulled Maggie out and twirled her into her cane form and tucked her into the front Pouch, with the eye poking out. He hung the harness on a hook by the forge and put on the apron.
"Yes. I have the mold carved into the sand… going for two halves and…" Star pointed.
"Do you trust me?" Harry looked at the man. "When I draw on my Magic and craft… something happens. But every item I have crafted has bonded with its user almost perfectly."
"Have at it."
"So I see you have two feet of chain… and the head planned out… what about the Handle?"
He pointed at a Femur of a large flightless bird, and a jet black pearl… six centimetres in diametre.
Harry nodded. "Susan, would you and Tish please sit outside the door, please. I don't want to accidentally get your Magic Signature trapped in this. Or Worse. You."
Tish turned and pranced outside the Door. :Ever hear the phrase 'More Magic than Brains'? Our Lord is an understatement of an Example.: She sat and watched the lad as he looked at the chain…
Harry's eyes glazed over before pulled out Maggie and reshaped the length of the chain into a single block by twisting it into a mockery of a cable. He then tossed the block into the forge, before he took two lengths of cable and tossed them in too. He stirred the brewing metal before he gathered a pair of Chrome Orbs from the racks. He set the orbs into the half molds, before he lifted the crucible and poured the blackish bronze liquid metal into the molds. He set the crucible back in the kiln, before turning the heat down. He pulled the three 'cables' from the fire, and twisted the three into one. Once they were as one, he laid them in the anvil and began signing. It was not in a language that anyone watching recognized…
"What is that fool boy doing now!" Smythe stomped up. He peered in.
:Tossed what Star had done back into the fires before he combined them into into a large twisted length and now he is signing, but I don't recognise the language.: Tish looked sideways at the Master.
"That's because that's Low Dwarven." The Master sneered. "Even Dwarves don't use it unless they are Working. I am going to Regret claiming him as my Apprentice."
"Why do I have the thought that you are not going to dismiss him?" Sue smirked at the Master
"Because, should he survive the Year… I will have an Apprentice who will carry my Craft to the next level."
It took twenty minutes of pounding and singing in a deep voice, to craft the two feet of cable the size of his wrist into a Damascus Chain just short of six feet. Tossed the chain one last time into the fire, as he took his tongs and removed the chrome orbs from the cooling mold, and set them aside.
He pulled the chain from the Fires, and dropped them into the hot oil. Once they had cooled enough, he dropped them in the acid. He did this all wandlessly… or rather with no wand in hand… but Maggie was standing in the centre of the Room, watching.
Harry turned to look at the cubit long femur, and placed it in the Lathe. He smoothed and sanded the bone down to just smaller than Star's grip. He then transferred it to the vice before he turned to Star…and Summoned a lump of Amber from under the man's tunic. The hardened lumb of tree sap was placed in the Lathe and shaped into a near perfect sphere. He then placed the sphere of sap into the indent of the cooling metal, before he flipped the other half on top, poured flame across the molding sand for a count of five.
He turned back to the femur. The Knob he carved into a raptor claw, and used the carving to open the bone and clean it out. Once all of the marrow was out, and vanished, he lifted the crucible and filled the bone with the metal… but there was more metal than there was room inside the bone.
So he poured it out on the workbench… back and forth. Until the ceramic cup was empty. While singing.
The claw-hand was animated to grip the pearl, as he wound a fine chain that his singing formed from the drizzle from the crucible. The small tight chain formed a grip around the bone shaft, before it linked into itself and then shrunk as it cooled. Harry never touched it during this part.
The chain was pulled from the acid and rinsed off. The pattern was like stars in the night sky. One end fused into the Bone of the Haft.
Harry opened the mold and took a rasp and file to the four bladed mace head with a center sphere heart of amber. He polished the dark bronze metal until it flowed darkly. The loose end of the heavy chain lunged across the room to bite into the back of the Mace head.
Harry nodded, before he shook his head. "Okay… now you just need to bond with her." He set the chain bound haft into Star's dominant hand, before his Kris dagger appeared in his hand and he slashed Star's palm.
The blood seeped into the chain grip and coated the bone haft. The Black pearl burned with a black fire as the Amber sphere burned with a clear flame. Then the heavy chain began to be absorbed into the Haft. Once the Mace head was merged with the Bone Haft, Star gasped and released the weapon to inspect his hand.
The palm was undamaged.
"I asked you, do you trust me?" Harry handed the weapon back to the man, having caught it when he dropped it.
"I thought I did, then you cut me." Star traced the line where he had been cut. He swallowed. "I think I will be trying to learn about what you just gave me."
"I would wrap the Haft in silk or leather. The chain only needs to touch your skin, but holding it all directly can hurt the hand and even cause your skin to be slashed. I felt like she was going to be like Maggie and my Staff combined… but I think she will need to awaken slowly. I don't know if she is usable by Others or what, but I do know that once I leave this room, I can never hold her again unless you want me to avenge you." He clapped the man on the Shoulder. "And now I am hungry. If you want, talk to Dobby about something to drink tonight. It will help with the bonding aftermath." He resheathed the Kris, traded the apron for the Harness and collected Maggie on his way out.
"And what are you going to do for me next month!" Susan wrapped an arm around his left arm. "I am thinking about something silver with horns and jeweled eyes."
"Maybe for Valentine's Day." Harry smiled at her. "I seem to be crafting things that can come awake. It's just a matter of time for me to craft something that decides to try to take over the world. Horns and jeweled eyes for a Necromancer… I am not seeing puppies and rainbows."
"Well I have a month and a half to change your mind." She giggled.
Tish just padded in his wake.
SPRB.
As Harry, Sue, Hermione, Trogg, Lefa, Chapa, Soran, Star, and Rhal sat around the table, eating the food that Dobby had collected for them, Tish was under the table, worrying a whole chicken. So she saw the hooved feet arrive behind Harry.
"You are the Human who exploded the Arena," a voice with a Greek accent grumbled behind Harry. "You also are the apprentice of the Craftmaster."
Harry leaned backwards to look up into the fanged teeth of a bovine head. "I will neither confirm or deny that." Harry stone faced.
"I would like to commission you to craft my mate a Focus. She uses a trident."
"If I was the Apprentice, you would first need to okay it with my Master." Harry sat up. "I would need her to be in the Workshop if I was to do any Crafting, and you are the Only Minotaur student. That's if I was the Crafter you are looking for." He cut his slab of ham. "Now, if she were to make it next year and the Master signs off, I think the craftsman you are looking for might be able to help. Now… my advice as an observer, she needs to gather items that resonate with her core." He took a bite.
"Why did you say that?" Soran was eating a whole turkey.
"Because everything I have finished, for the Humans, has a nasty chance of awakening." Harry sighed. "Maggie is awake. The Battle Staff is stirring like Norbert in her egg, and I don't want to think about Hermione's baby. Now Star's new girlfriend is sleeping for now. And Susan is asking for me to Craft her something with horns and jeweled eyes."
Trogg grunted his curiosity.
"She is a Necromancer. The Headmistress was drooling to get her into the Academy… and Only number three is a bigger draw."
Trogg's grunting laughter earned him a slap across the back of his head. It only made him laugh harder.
"What are they?" Susan whispered to Hermione.
"They call themselves the Grunn. Those who don't know better call them Ogre Mages. Trogg is the only one single warrior who can match Harry in terms of power. Among their culture, a male is ranked by how many females it takes to corral them. Some females have multiple males, and some like Trogg have two females. Males are warriors, females are the Ruling Caste. Trogg, having both Lefa and Chapa, marks him as a Champion of the People, and so he needed to go on a Quest for training to better protect the People."
"And the reason he was laughing at Harry?"
"Think about it. I was the Female bringing Harry to heel and we just went to get a second female and a third is on her way."
"So Harry is a warrior who is so strong that he needs three Females to wrangle him." Susan whispered. "So he is in a position of Pride to the Grunn, and I am respected because my male needs two if not three Females to keep him from slaughtering everyone."
"Pretty much."
"Good to know." Sue turned back to her dinner.
SPRB
True to her word, Harry's life calmer as the classes ramped up.
Two weeks later, he had to send Fawkes with a note for Daphne, as he didn't have time to go get her himself. Two hours later, she arrived at the Gate. A little wild around the eyes.
"The werewolf was the only sane person in that house!" She shrieked at Harry. "The Man-child chases any tail that catches his eye… Including his Own!" She inhaled shakingly. "The two muggles chase one another around the House half naked and catch each other in the most indecent of places and activities!" She tried to regain her composure. "And that little hairball that shares my name is practicing her stalking of her prey… anyone is fair game!"
"Okay. Well, good news." Harry patted her hand that gripped his wrist. "Anyone who threatens you here, you get to kill… or at least bleed."
"And that's good news?" Daphne glared at him.
"Well yes." Harry nodded. "It means that everyone here is aware of the price of overstepping their bounds. And as my third female, Trogg will make sure you are safe when I can't. Now there are a few who think I need to be taken down a notch… and you are an easy looking target. But I don't think we need to worry too much. Your classes will be a cross of mine and Hermione's."
"Hey Scarhead!" A male of South American decent stepped out of a hallway behind the two of them. "I see you have another Slut. I think I will just kill you and take her myself." He began to Purr as his yellow eyes ran over Greengrass.
"You are the Daughter of Bathory." Harry looked at the Witch. "How are you going to deal with this… pleb
calling you a Slut?"
"You mean I can do whatever I want to do to Malfoy but couldn't?"
"Yes. We need to establish your rank and why you are my third Female."
"Third. Yeah, right. I have seen those sluts. I like the Blondes." the purring rose.
Daphne smirked as she stalked closer to the male. "And who are you?"
"Jacques. Youngest in my tribe to be Blooded in over a century." He grinned at her, his teeth were pearly white with elongated canines.
"Interesting." She smiled at him. "And I have a surprise for you…" her green hilted blade flashed in the low light, "I choose who gets to touch me. You have been warned. If you hurry… you might get it reattached before you bleed out." She wiped her blade off on his tunic shoulder, before she strolled back to Harry's side.
"And you go from Ice Queen to Bloody Queen." Harry took her fingers and kissed her knuckles. "Milady. Our Quarters are this way."
SPRB
The British Arcane users fell into a routine and before they knew it… October was ending.
The Headmistress, the Blood Magic Instructor, and Grymsmythe had requested Harry to join them. Hermione and Tish had accompanied him and were placed under a Ward Dome, as Ward joined them.
They had Harry strip and leave everything with Hermione. He was shown to a Blood Circle that was drawn in his own blood that he had given freely to the Blood Mage.
Shortly after sundown, they began to chant…
The Circle flared up and Harry's flesh was pinned to the large marble plate. As the chanting rose in volume, Harry's flesh rippled across his body and flowed to the scar on his Forehead.
Then Harry began to scream…before another voice joined him… and the skin over his right eye ripped open and a smoky face rose up and was gathered into a glass bottle and stoppered…
Everything was quiet… the air was still and heavy…
Ward raised his hand to drop the ward matrix in the room when Adriana gathered everything she had, and shunted everything up into the Collector for the Wards and Heartstone of the Academy.
Only the Wards, Collector, and the Heartstone were designed for Healer-Adepts and below.
Everything that was in Harry's core was released all at once.
SPRB
Into the Night, a beam of light shot into the Heavens, burning through the Storm surrounding the Academy and into the void above.
It caused a shock wave on the Ether layer around the world.
Everyone who had magic, from the Greatest Wizards and Mages to the Gutter Wizards and Hedge Witches felt the quake.
Only five people in England knew immediately what had caused it.
TBC