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Harry Potter: The Artisan's Path Chapter 27 [Edited]
🕑 Added 2023-07-13 09:53:49 +0000 UTCHi all,
Here’s the next chapter. The poll for next week’s chapters will be up shortly.
Chapter 27
28th October
The radio played and Harry hummed along to the song as he worked. The room reverberated with the sound of The Weird Sisters' song, "Do the Hippogriff." He still hadn't got a Muggle radio, so he used his grandmother's wizarding radio. Growing up, he had never been exposed to Muggle music that much, which is why he didn't have a specific genre or band that interested him.
Harry was secluded in the leatherworking room. Now that he was free from distractions and had all day to himself, it was time to craft his leather gauntlets. At first, he considered crafting a bandolier to wear across his chest but realised it was impractical, as it couldn't be worn with robes. He only needed one receptacle to hold his spell cards since he planned to enchant the gauntlet.
Would it make the design more complicated? Yes, of course. He needed to design an array that would allow him to summon spell cards to hand, as well as specify which card he needed.
Firstly, he needed to determine the appropriate size for his gauntlet. He considered creating a mould to obtain an accurate measurement but found it to be too labour-intensive and opted for an easier method instead. He wrapped a piece of string around both his wrist and forearm to measure them. This measurement would determine the gauntlet's circumference. To determine its length, he measured the space between the two points between his wrist and forearm.
Now that he had the measurements, he drew his design down on paper. He decided not to do anything outlandish with his first pair of gauntlets—a simple base design in a cylindrical shape. He made only one modification: tapering off the gauntlet to a point at his forearm, solely for aesthetic purposes. Once he had each individual piece, he cut them out.
Off to the side, Fawkes and Hedwig watched the entire process with interest. He brought their perches down from his room so they could spend time with him while he worked. He still hadn't crafted a pair of perches for the workshop itself. Something Fawkes reminds him of constantly. Hey, he was busy. Fawkes wasn't impressed with that excuse.
He spread a piece of leather on the table. It was twelve ounces thick, so it was fairly dense. He transferred the patterns onto the leather by tracing them with a marker pen. He used a ballpoint pen to mark the leather where the holes for the stitches would be.
As he cut the pieces out of the leather, his thoughts drifted back to yesterday after the events in the Chamber of Secrets.
His grandfather surprised him by accepting the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He wasn't expecting his grandfather to be interested in it; perhaps he was bored. Apart from his involvement with the wizengamot, he had little to keep himself occupied. Of course, he had to apply for the job officially first, but Headmaster Flitwick jumped at the chance to hire such a capable wizard. Besides, it saved him time having to find another person to fill the role. Now he had two grandparents at Hogwarts. He didn't know how to feel about it.
Amelia took him down to the Chamber of Secrets again and brought a specialist to harvest the Basilisk's body parts. Even so, it was a challenge to skin one. Harry had brought out the Absolute Skinning Knife he had acquired, which made the job easier. The man was interested in obtaining one himself but was disappointed when Harry said it was one of a kind.
Hogwarts would reopen next Monday, and the train would leave Sunday morning. Amelia was correct when she said that Fudge wasn't willing to keep it closed now that the obvious threat was over. Professor Quirrel was still missing, even after the castle and grounds were searched extensively. Amelia still had his map, and her Aurors frequently scanned it to see if they could locate him. Maybe he left the grounds. Harry would not assume anything and be vigilant. Quirrell was dangerous.
Harry returned the unused leather to the rack. One of the racks was filled with Basilisk skin, but there wasn't nearly enough room to hold all the skins he obtained from the beast, so he kept the rest in his inventory. He planned to use it at some point to craft some armour, or something similar, but he would wait until he had more experience in leatherworking.
The next step involved making the leather more manageable. To achieve this, he softened it by applying a fine mist of water, thereby increasing its pliability.
Harry carved a pattern into the leather pieces. His drawing skills certainly helped with this process. He chose a simple quilted pattern, a serpentine shape. It looked like a series of interconnected diamonds tilted slightly.
Next, he bevelled the edges of each piece with an edge beveller. He used it along the bottom and top of each perimeter to give them a more distinctive profile. It was easier to do when the leather was damp.
He grabbed the wood slicker tool to burnish a rounded profile into the edges. This process involved using heat and friction to solidify the edges, so they retained their shape. He applied more water as he did so, to ensure that the fibres compressed together easier. This was a time-consuming task and took thirty minutes.
He had to be patient. Leather-working was still completely new to him, and he got most of the instructions from a book purchased from Tanners Leathers. Until he was more proficient, he needed to take his time.
Next, he had to create holes in the leather for assembly. He used a mallet and hole punch and worked around the edges, carefully making each hole in the leather. After he finished that, he cased the leather again. This time he used a sponge to saturate the leather, then left it to dry for a few minutes.
He grabbed the pieces and brought them to the dye table. He chose a dark brown water-based dye for the colour scheme. Using a sponge, he coated the leather with a liberal amount then wiped away the excess with a cloth. This ensured an even coating on every piece.
Giving them some time to dry, Harry read through the leatherworking book to make sure he hadn't missed a step. Also, he wanted to know what to do next.
After the drying was finished, he added a leather finish to seal in the colours. It would add a glossy sheen to the gauntlets. He had to wait for them to dry again.
He wasn't planning to construct the whole gauntlet yet because he still needed to add the receptacle atop it where his spell cards would be stored. This piece would be crafted with leather from a magical beast since he would inscribe the array onto it. He still needed to research the array itself, and he had gathered books on publicly available sequences that he could use to design it. That would be the most challenging part of the entire project.
Fawkes interrupted his thoughts by expressing his desire for sweets.
"You're being totally unreasonable," Harry grumbled. He grabbed a piece of fruit candy from a bag and handed it to the Phoenix. "You didn't mention payment when you offered to come along for the adventure."
Fawkes looked away in contempt. Hedwig had her head tucked under her wing, tired of watching him work. Despite all the noise, she slept soundly.
After the pieces dried, he placed them back on the crafting table. There wasn't much left to do now. He grabbed the metal eyelets and hammered them into each hole. They would protect the holes from wear and tear.
It was time for assembly. Each gauntlet had two separate pieces, so it was easy to assemble. He placed the two pieces together and grabbed some leather laces. He threaded it through the holes but kept it loose. He wanted to wear it on his arm to see if it fit properly.
Sliding the gauntlet onto his left arm, he tightened the laces until it was secure. He waved his arm around, to get the feel of wearing it. The leather was soft enough not to feel stiff and unwieldy. He looked like a total badass wearing it. The quilted design and dark leather of this item may give the impression of simplicity, but it still looked amazing. However, what truly matters is that it fulfils a practical purpose.
Fawkes trilled in approval.
Harry bowed. "It was nothing."
The symbol in his hand heated up, letting him know he had received a message. He summoned the book and opened it.
======
The host has learned the Leatherworking skill.
*Leatherworking 1 [80/4000] - Leatherworking is the art of producing leather goods using several skills such as stitching, cutting, and edge finishing. Depending on the quality of the materials, and the host's skills, incredible pieces can be created. The higher the skill level, the easier it is to design and craft more ambitious projects.
The Host has completed a Workshop Task
Acquire the Leatherworking skill: 100 points
Current Points: 300
Workshop Level: 1 Next [5000]
======
"Now that the basic design has been made, I need to design the card mechanism and the array to operate it."
It wasn't going to be easy, although his Elder Futhark skill would help him create a design that utilised a variety of sequences. The only problem was that he only had access to basic sequences, so the design may be overly complicated. Nevertheless, he had to make do with what he had.
October 31st
Harry spent the next few days designing the mechanism and the array. First of all, he needed to design the mechanism itself. He ran through a number of designs, before settling on an enclosed receptacle with a tiny slot at the bottom. This is the place from which the spell cards would emerge. But it needed to be closed off so that it could only open when a card passed through the slot.
The spell card shot through the slot and down his arm. He had to remember to keep his arm straight so it didn't prevent his hand from grabbing the card. He would rely on his dexterity skill to catch them, but he would need to practice.
The array was more complicated. There were several aspects he had to consider to make the gauntlet work properly. First of all, he needed the receptacle lid to open smoothly every time he summoned a card. He had to trigger it alongside the card itself, so he had to combine the two different sequences.
The biggest problem was summoning the correct spell card. He already had five different types, and that would only increase as time passed. How could he retrieve the correct card when they were confined and stacked in a small area?
The solution was complicated, but he came up with something that should work in theory. He combined a switching sequence with two other sequences. Think of it as a chain of actions that follow each other. The switching sequence would transfer the required card to the bottom of the stack, the receptacle lid would open, and the card would shoot out.
He still needed to incorporate a command into the array to choose the correct spell card. He toyed with the idea of finding a voice-activated sequence, but couldn't find anything like it. Besides, the array was already getting too complex already, so he needed to keep it simple.
Then he got inspiration when he considered his wand holster. The array inside it allowed the wizard to flick their wrist to summon their wand. It was based on movement. Could he design a system of hand signs that linked to a specific spell card, and summon them at will? It was another complicated solution, but better than any idea he had so far.
Unfortunately, the wand holster had an obscuring sequence on it, so he couldn't research the array to get an easy design to use. Fortunately, after exploring second-hand bookstores in Diagon Alley, he found a book that showed him how an earlier version of the wand holster's array worked.
He designed his own system, tagging spell cards with a special dye that held its own unique magical signature. He tied that signature to specific hand movements. Unfortunately, the complexity of all the functions it needed to work was too much.
He needed to separate the arrays into two separate ones and combine them together. It was called an Intermediate Array. It's not just that two arrays have been combined, but also because the nature of the array changed. He had to reconfigure the whole thing until it could be used, which took an entire day.
Lastly, he added the obscure sequence and blood-binding sequence. The latter would ensure that the gauntlets were only usable by him.
It's time to inscribe the array," Harry muttered, wiping away sweat from his forehead.
"You can do it Harry," Gabrielle encouraged him. She sat in the corner with Fawkes on her lap. It was the weekend, and the last day they would spend together for some time, so she didn't mind watching him work to keep herself entertained.
He took a square piece of leather and laid it on the table. Inscribing runes onto leather was difficult. It was not as sturdy as wood, but that actually made some aspects of it even harder. He had to be careful not to penetrate through to the other side of the leather. It would lead to a broken array, meaning that the array would not work, or there might even be an explosion as a result.
Two hours later, Harry laid down the runic pen and breathed a sigh of relief. Inscribing an Intermediate Array was not easy. In order to ease the soreness in his hands, he stretched them out. He took a short break and started on the other one.
Once the two arrays were inscribed, he shaped the leather and attached it to the middle of the gauntlet. This created a small raised storage space for them. The last thing he did was inject his magic into the magic storage sequence to power the array. It was much more powerful than the ones on the Spell Card, so it would stay charged for longer.
After everything was done, he raised them into the air and inspected them. Damn, he was good. His first project had succeeded. He now had a delivery system for his spell cards. No more fumbling around in his pocket. After checking it over one final time to ensure everything was in order, he declared the project complete so the Source would give him some experience points.
Gabrielle ran over and hugged him. "They look amazing, Harry."
"Thanks, Gabi," Harry kissed her. He placed the gauntlets down on the table and grabbed the spell cards from his pocket. During the past few days, he crafted more spell cards. After the Chamber of Secrets, his cards took a hit. Each gauntlet holds twenty spell cards. He could have added more space, but it would have made them bulkier.
He wanted to read the messages from the Source, but couldn't do so while Gabrielle was present.
"Why don't you try them out?" Gabrielle suggested.
"Alright," Harry led her back into the workshop.
The hand movement to summon the Blackout card was a closed fist. Harry held his right arm out and clenched his fist. It may be too simple, and cause the gauntlet to misfire. He could always adjust them later if need be.
A card shot out and Harry quickly snatched it out of the air. He moved the spell card into his default throwing position. He held it between two fingers and threw it. The card activated a second later, shrouding part of the workshop in darkness.
"How come your reflexes are so fast," Gabrielle asked. "I could barely see the card emerge from the gauntlet."
"I have always had fast reflexes," Harry shrugged. "Hey, why don't we go back up to the house and show my grandparents?"
Afterwards, Harry checked out his messages when he had some free time to himself.
=======
The host has constructed an Enchanted Leather Gauntlet. Due to the degree of workmanship, it can be considered a Fake Artifact.
General Exp: + 1000
Skill Exp: [Leatherworking, Dexterity, Calligraphy, Elder Futhark] + 500
Progress to level 10: 4930/38400
The Dexterity skill has levelled up to 3.
The Elder Futhark skill has levelled up to 2
The host has completed a Workshop Task.
Create a Fake Artifact: 500 points
Current Points: 800
Workshop Level: 1 Next [5000]
Renown + 50
=======
"All right," Harry murmured. "I got a lot of experience making gauntlets."
What was a fake artifact? He had never heard the term before, but he assumed it meant that it wasn't good enough to be a real artifact. It came as no surprise, given that it was only designed as a delivery device for his spell cards. To qualify as a genuine artifact, an object needs to have a more meaningful purpose and be unique enough that someone else couldn't replicate it easily.
His dexterity skill had also improved. He had anticipated needing more time to practice before becoming adept at catching spell cards. However, the level-up had a significant effect on improving his hand speed.
Harry considered naming the gauntlets, but there wasn't really any need to, as they were not anything amazing. He would save that privilege for when he created his first true artifact.
October 31st
Harry emerged from the building with his grandfather beside him. The platform was crowded as usual. He immediately searched for Daphne. He didn't see her, so he assumed she was on the train searching for a seat.
"I see Daniel Greengrass," Charlus said. "I need to talk to him about something.
Charlus walked off and Harry made his way over to the Hogwarts Express. A sound stopped him in his tracks. He looked over and saw Neville Longbottom with his grandmother. They had their backs turned, so they didn't see him. She held Neville's arm in a tight grip, and she loomed over him. They appeared to be having an intense discussion.
Harry frowned, taking a step forward. He realised the sound he had heard was Neville groaning in distress. His grandmother hurt him. Before he could reach them, she released Neville and walked away.
"Are you okay, Neville?" Harry asked.
Neville spun around. He gripped his right arm with his left hand. "Heir Potter-Black. I'm fine."
Before he could press him, Neville climbed aboard the train. Harry felt guilty. After finding the letter, he assured himself he had plenty of time to approach Neville and offer him his help. But he hadn't accounted for Hogwarts shutting down for a week. It had completely slipped his mind that Neville would have to return home and face his grandmother.
He still had the letter Neville dropped in his inventory. It was the most secure place. He didn't want to lose it and risk someone finding it. He imagined Neville would be mortified if he knew Harry had it.
"I need to do something about his situation soon," Harry whispered.
"Do what, Harry?"
"Nothing!" Harry exclaimed as he turned around. Susan enveloped him in a hug, while Hannah waved to him from behind her.
"How's it going?" Harry grinned. "Have a nice vacation."
Susan made a face. "It's not easy to enjoy it when your aunt is away from the house most of the day."
"I was there to keep you company," Hannah pointed out to her.
"Yay. Lucky me," Susan said with heavy sarcasm.
"How rude," Hannah gasped.
"Come on, let's find the others," Harry said.
Harry lifted their trunks onto the train and climbed aboard. They walked down the corridor, looking for their friends. When he noticed Neville sitting alone in a compartment, he almost stopped to talk to him.
Later, he promised himself.
They found the others already seated in the compartment towards the back of the train. Harry opened the door and let the girls in first.
Daphne was the first thing he noticed. He let go of the trunk and hugged her.
"Harry," Daphne said, kissing his cheek. "I hope you didn't get into any trouble."
Harry flinched. How did she know? He turned and picked up the nearest trunk. "Let me place the trunks on the rack."
"Harry," Daphne said, a warning in her tone.
Harry ignored her, hoping she would forget about it. He greeted Hermione, Tracy, Padma and Terry. After stowing away the trunks, he sat next to his girlfriend.
Daphne's gaze bore into him, refusing to let the matter go.
"You may as well admit to your crime," Hermione said. "There is no point in delaying your suffering."
The others laughed at his predicament.
Harry sighed. "I see how it is. You spend a week at Daphne's house only to become a traitor."
Hermione poked her tongue at him.
There was no escape from explaining his adventure to his girlfriend. He was sure it would come out sooner or later.
"So, you heard about the Basilisk being slain, right?" Harry asked.
"We wouldn't be on our way back to Hogwarts if it wasn't dead," Terry said in amusement.
"Well, I may have been there when the Aurors faced off against it," Harry said, not looking in Daphne's direction. He waited for the explosion.
"Harry," Daphne said sweetly. "Tell me you are kidding."
"Nope," Harry replied cheerfully, moving away from her. However, there was little room as Tracy sat on the other side. "In fact, I dealt the killing blow."
There was a moment of silence as the group digested that statement.
"Tell me what happened," Daphne demanded.
Harry told them everything from the point where Amelia Bones asked him to assist her in gaining access to the Chamber of Secrets.
"Auntie didn't tell me," Susan complained.
The group was gripped by the story as Harry described the battle in the chamber. Daphne reached out and gripped his hand as he told the story. At least she wasn't angry at him.
"That's incredible," Hermione murmured. "Weren't you scared?"
"A little," Harry replied. "But I had my grandfather there, and the Aurors. Imagine if I had faced the Basilisk and the statues alone."
"I don't want to imagine it," Tracy shuddered. "A Basilisk is a nightmare."
"So, Quirrel really was the culprit," Terry said.
"Harry was right all along," Susan smiled at Harry. "I'm glad he is gone. "
"Don't be so sure," Harry warned. "Just because they couldn't find him doesn't mean he isn't lurking somewhere."
"Wouldn't he show up on the map?" Daphne asked.
"The Chamber of Secrets didn't," Harry reminded her. "The Room of Requirement doesn't either. It is not impossible to consider that the man may have discovered yet another hidden room that is not visible on the map."
Everyone shared uneasy looks. Hogwarts wouldn't feel safe until Quirrell was found.
"Let's talk about something more pleasant," Tracy said. "What did everyone get up to?"
Everyone shared what they had done while Hogwarts was closed, but it wasn't as exciting as Harry's adventures. He also demonstrated his gauntlets by rolling up his sleeve.
"You made the gauntlets," Daphne said as she leaned closer. "They look amazing. Does the gauntlet work as intended?"
"Was there any doubt?" Harry asked. The others wanted to see, so Harry demonstrated himself by summoning a spell card to his hand.
"Are you intending to patent it?" Padma asked. "I imagine the gauntlet and spell cards combined would be worth a lot. Especially if you keep producing more spell cards."
"No," Harry answered. "I don't want to risk it falling into the wrong hands. I will patent it, just so someone doesn't steal it from me and claim it as their own. Besides, spell cards are easy enough to make for real experts that there is no point patenting them."
The door slid open, revealing his grandfather.
"Hello grandfather," Harry said. "Checking up on me?"
Charlus travelled to Hogwarts with Harry. He did not trust the school to keep his grandson safe. Like Harry, he still believed Quirrell was hidden somewhere on Hogwarts grounds.
"I feel if I don't, you will get into some mischief." Charlus sighed. "I have met some of you. Who are the others in your group? "
Harry introduced him to Terry and Padma. After spending some time talking with them, Charlus exited the compartment once more.
"Harry, why is your grandfather on the train?" Daphne asked.
"Didn't I tell you?" Harry smiled. "He is the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher."
"Really?" Hermione asked, bouncing in her seat. "Is he any good?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know how skilled he is at teaching. But in terms of ability, he is up there with Dumbledore."
Everyone was certainly impressed by that.
After a couple of hours had passed, Harry decided to speak to Neville. He could with good conscience let the abuse continue. He told the other he was heading to the bathroom and exited the compartment.
Neville was still alone in the compartment. Harry opened the door and stepped inside. In preparation for the conversation, he had placed the letter in his pocket.
"Is there anything you need, Heir Potter-Black?" Neville asked. He hunched over in his seat as if protecting himself from something.
"Call me Hadrian," Harry sat down. He took a deep breath and retrieved the parchment from his pocket. This conversation would be uncomfortable either way, so there was no point in putting it off.
"You dropped this when we had our flying lesson," Harry said, handing him the parchment.
Neville looked down at the parchment in a state of shock. He stammered. "You knew all this time? Did you tell anyone?"
"No," Harry replied. "I didn't think it was my place to say anything. But the letter's contents are concerning. It was my grandfather's belief that Madam Longbottom would attempt to reestablish the Potter family's alliance. I was initially suspicious of you because it seemed like you would be instructed to get close to me."
Neville clenched his hands around the parchment. "Are you no longer suspicious of me?"
"It's obvious that you don't want anything to do with your grandmother's plans," Harry said. "She is clearly unhappy that you are not doing as she instructed. How badly has she hurt you?"
"It's none of your business," Neville said harshly.
"That is true, but no one should have to suffer in an abusive relationship. How come Madam Pomfrey didn't pick up on it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Madam Pomfrey does a check-up on all the students within the first two months of the new school year."
"It doesn't matter if you belong to a pureblood family. Gran just needs to send Pomfrey my medical records and she cannot question it. These documents can be tampered with, making it is easy for families seeking to conceal evidence of child abuse."
"That's crazy. Is there anyone else you can turn to?" Harry asked.
"My grandmother is the Longbottom Regent until I reach my majority," Neville said. "She is my guardian until then."
"Your parents?" Harry asked delicately.
"They're out of the picture," Neville said. "Now if you don't mind, I want to be alone."
Harry stood up. "I promise not to tell anyone. If you need anything, you just need to ask. Also, if you want to join our group, you are welcome to."
The entire conversation was a train wreck. Harry felt he hadn't handled it well. If only he had not promised to tell anyone. Daphne would probably be the better person to handle this situation.
6th November
Over the next week, the students settled back into classes without issue. The tension still lingered among the students, who remained on edge due to the recent events that had unfolded. It is no surprise that the loss of two lives would have such an impact on them.
Tonks showed off her new artifact. It was a necklace that corrected her balance issues, which was not an easy feat to achieve. It earned her a promotion to an Apprentice Artisan. With the ability to now take guild commissions, her future career after Hogwarts appeared secure. Harry showed off his gauntlets and was impressed by the craftsmanship.
It was the weekend again, and the club was looking forward to spending another day sorting through the Room of Hidden Things. However, a letter arrived that slightly altered their plans.
"I got a letter from Hagrid," Harry said to his three friends at the Gryffindor table. "He invited me and others to his hut. Said he had something special to show me as thanks for indirectly helping him get his suspension removed."
"Well, I would like to visit him," Daphne said. "Let's grab the others and head down there."
After breakfast, they gathered the others and headed outside and across the grounds. Once they were close to Hagrid's cabin, they heard the distinctive sound of horses neighing. Quickening their pace, they rounded the cabin and saw a breathtaking sight.
"Wow," Hermione said.
Harry stared in amazement. "Gabrielle would love to see this."
In front of them were several unicorn herds. A corral had been built to hold them, although there was ample space for them to wander freely.
"Hello, Harry," Hagrid's huge form stepped out of the cabin and approached them. "Are these all yer friends?"
"That's right. Let me introduce you to them."
After introductions, Harry asked Hagrid what was going on. Unicorns were usually shy and reclusive creatures. Why would they allow themselves to be confined like that?
"Ah, it's bad business I'm afraid," Hagrid said gruffly. "There's something hunting unicorns in the forest. They are in such a panic that they showed up at my cabin yesterday. Know they can trust me, they do."
So, what do you think? It seems like the unicorns are smart by escaping the forest. But will something crawl out of there and attack them in their new habitat?
Thanks for reading.
Comments
GamerFiction
He will have another method to sneak in undetected.
Crystal
My thought was the ROR could make a room to the outside. But I guess he would have to sneak back in.😅
Crystal
Well like we talked about before, you know I love a good word count lol I personally don't think you need to worry about it😅 we're all here cause we like it so much.
GamerFiction
If only Quirrel didn't need some unicorn blood. Kind of hard to get when stuck in the ROR. 🤔
GamerFiction
It's hard to balance how much time I should spend between advancing the plot and the slower character moments, as well as adding the crafting aspect into it. What will be my word count after the first year of Hogwarts? Should I even worry about it? I do agree that character interactions need to happen more, but that is the weak point that I am trying to fix. I just kind of skimmed over the week Gabrielle and Harry spent together. So it looks like Harry was being a tad selfish, which is not really the case. You bring up some good points.
Crystal
I think Quirrell will be in the ROR as instructed by moldyshorts. Nobody's been there since the attack. From the book, the room won't open if somebody's in there. Will they figure it out? Did Quirrellmort make sure it only opens to him? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z! Lol Hopefully Tonks and Harry's spell cards can help them get the safety. Just a guess.
Crystal
I'm liking the story. I do think there are monologues where actual scenes could be. I've noticed it in other chapters too. For example I would have liked to see Harry show his grandparents his gauntlets. They could have taken him on an outing(Just them three. Or even planned it for another day since he was spending time with Gabrielle.)to reward him for his accomplishments with the gauntlets and helping with the Basilisk. I think Charlus was upset because he broke the curse so his family wouldn't be foolish heroics and get themselves killed. He could have expressed this to Harry while still being proud. And with Harry's personality in this story I think he'd tell him he'd weigh the pros and cons, and do what was right and safe for him etc. And all three could have had a moment. I think we missed out on the bonding and connection they need as a new family. Even when he showed them the leather working room it was a monologue. I think other characters and scenes could be fleshed out more too. Another example. Gabrielle. I know she knows how important Harry's work is to him. But I can't even imagine her sitting there for over 3 hours with not a peep. She's 12? 13? When Harry took his break she could have demanded they spend maybe an hour outside under the shade of a tree just talking/cuddling. Something. It's their last day together and I haven't seen them do much over this break or have meaningful conversation. And when they are together I've only seen them do what interests Harry. This is all my opinion and I hope you take it as the constructive criticism it is. I really do like the story and your new ideas. It just feels a little rushed and like an outline sometimes.
