"Aaaahhhhh!" Harry yelled out completely overwhelmed that he may have made a True Artifact and not even known it for months! Tonks' laughter was soon joined by Sirius' while Andromeda and Penny chided them both for laughing about the situation. Healer Marlie only smiled seeing her patient in such good cheer and obviously on the road to a full recovery. She didn't know much about Artifacts or Artificers, but she was fairly certain that Harry would probably be the youngest ever if he'd already made one.
While this revelry was happening in the hidden workshop another pair was making plans of their own.
"He'll be gone for the week, Master I can retrieve the Stone tonight." Quirrel mumbled to seemingly empty air.
"Ssseee that you dooo." Hissed a voice from nowhere.
"Yes Master." Quirrel replied as he paced around his quarters.
In another part of the castle Dumbledore sat patiently after having already 'left' for the International Confederation of Wizards meeting he'd announced on Friday to the school.
"And so the trap is set, Tom. It is time we met face to face again." Dumbledore murmured as he watched a device that was tied to the door on the third floor corridor. If only he could figure out how Tom had managed to survive that Halloween night, he could end this madness here and now and hopefully leave a brighter future behind for the next generation.
It was the third day of the Easter break when Harry found himself standing in an out of the way room on the ground floor of Hogwarts. Standing with him was McGonagall, in her role as Deputy Headmistress, Flitwick, as his Head of House, as well as Tonks and Penny. The group had just been joined by no less than five people that had been guided to the room by Hagrid. The gentle giant had given Harry a smile and a nod of reassurance before he'd left and now introductions were about to start.
"Good day, Ladies and Gentleman, on behalf of all of us I'd like to welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." McGonagall welcomed their five guests, two women and three men, who all gave their thanks at being welcomed.
"We're pleased to be here, Deputy Headmistress." The oldest member of the group of five replied. He was an ancient-looking man that could make Dumbledore seem youthful by comparison. "I'm Lorenzo Trevisan, currently Head of Italy's Enchanter Guild; I've held the Title of Artificer for ninety four years and have four True Artifacts to my name." The old wizard introduced himself. "I'll let the others introduce themselves before we have the potential Artifact brought out and begin the examination."
"Interesting to be walking the halls of such a long-standing institution." The next person commented with a smile. She was an older woman that could possibly be just a bit older than McGonagall; it was hard to tell with Wizards and Witches, though she held a darker complexion than his Transfiguration Professor. "I'm Elena Diaz; I've held the Title of Artificer for thirty one years and have two True Artifacts to my name."
"Glad to be here. Forgive me if my English is a bit rough, it's my third language." The next member of the group of five responded. He was dark-skinned, African most likely, and spoke with an accent. He was also one of the youngest, comparatively, of the group. "My name is Salim Bel, an Artificer for the Moroccan Ministry of Magic. I've held the Title of Artificer for eighteen years and have one True Artifact to my name."
"Thank you for the welcome." The largest man of the group of five nodded. He was tall and had wide shoulders with some muscle on him. Harry thought he possibly had a Russian accent. "I'm Artem Demina, I work as an Artificer for the Russian Ministry; I've held the Title of Artificer for forty one years and have two True Artifacts to my name."
"Good day, I look forward to seeing what this young man has created." The final member of the group of five smiled gently. She was Asian and quite pretty, possibly the youngest, though Salim may still actually be the youngest since Harry couldn't tell. "My name is Tajiri Mio, or in the western form, Mio Tajiri. I'm a freelance Artificer in Japan that takes commissions for Enchanting. I also consult with the Japanese Ministry when they find strange Magical Items they can't decipher; I've held the Title of Artificer for twenty one years and have two True Artifacts to my name."
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice." McGonagall thanked with a small nod. "I realize the Artificers of the Enchanter Guilds are often busy people and hope you haven't been inconvenienced."
"Not at all, anything that gets me away from the parchment work." Lorenzo chuckled getting an agreeing nod from Elena and Artem. "Now, let's see what the young man has made."
With a nod from McGonagall and a reassuring smile from both Tonks and Penny, Harry walked over to the corner of the room and removed the cloth that McGonagall had conjured. With a slight application of his Magic the Rune Safe became Feather-Light for him and he carried it to the middle of the room. Harry stepped back a few steps as the five Artificers looked at the Safe from where they stood.
"Interesting, I've not seen an Artifact Safe before." Salim commented as his eyes roved over the iron box.
"May we, Mr. Potter?" Lorenzo asked as he gestured towards the Rune Safe.
"Of course, Master Trevisan." Harry nodded before he stepped forward quickly and pulled open the door. Seeing the looks from the Artificers Harry quickly explained. "The door will only open for me. It's part of the Runic Array and can't be changed or disabled."
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