"I'll sign the Secrecy Contract and bind my people to it in regards to your creations Harry." Drasurd promised the young Wizard that had already done so much for his people.
From there Harry, Sirius, and Drasurd had spent the next two hours going over the Secrecy Contract that Sirius had drawn up by a legal professional. Sirius had also spent the equivalent of nine percent of the Black Family fortune to buy an iron mine. The land the mine sat on had belonged to another Magical Family that had long abandoned the site. The Wizards and Witches of that Family had fallen on hard times since the war against Grindelwald. Now they were more than happy to restore their wealth by selling a piece of land they didn't even use.
Drasurd had barely kept his emotions in check when Sirius had said that the Dwarves could work there to mine iron ore and any other metals they found. The Dwarf King felt real hope for the returned prosperity of his people. For the first time since they'd been driven to the edge of the Magical World the Dwarves had a real chance, Mining, Smithing, and Crafting! These were the true callings of the Dwarves! His people could finally have their respect and dignity back!
Needless to say all parties involved had happily signed the Contract. That night the Dwarves had celebrated for the first time in far too long. They had a real chance to secure their future now! They had their Ancestral Sword back. They had steady, respectable work for good wages! The only thing they were still missing from before they'd been all but exiled was a Mountain Hall. For some reason Drasurd was fairly certain that the Dwarves would even get that back with their continued brotherhood with Harry Potter.
September was nearing its end and Harry was happy. With the Dwarves taking care of the Ministry Commission of 'Auror Batons', Harry had much more free time to work on his other ideas. Test Frames were also being made and sold in the storefront in Diurn Alley. Harry had taken out an ad in the Daily Prophet. This was to bring attention to the new store. 'Potter & Erdunn Creations' as the store was called, had a fairly large advert on the second page of the last three copies of the Daily Prophet. Test Frames could now be purchased just by going to the store and buying one. This freed up a lot of Harry's time and the teen Artificer was more than happy to work on his Artifact Sword or some of his other ideas.
"So if I etch each link with the same Array, I should get the same effect even if a link or multiple links are broken." Harry murmured to himself as he looked over the chain he was working on. With the Dwarves help Harry had gotten a decent amount of Magical Iron to work and experiment with. He'd had an idea to alter his 'Mana Severing' Runic Array and cross it with the 'Auror Baton's' temporary 'Mana Drain' Array. If his idea panned out, and all the sequences he'd written out so far had no reason not to, then he'd have a new item that could be used for both restraint and possibly defense. "As long as the 'Control Sequence' works properly, of course." Harry mused as he once again looked over his notes and various Runic Sequences. When he was done he'd have an Item that could render a Wizard or Witch, and potentially anything that used Magic to cause an external effect, powerless. This would be an Item he'd be keeping exclusively to himself, for obvious reasons. With that Harry took out his etching tool and set to work on the short length of chain that would be his first test of his new 'Mana Bane' Array.
-Albania-
"M-Master…Your loyal s-servant has come." A huddled Wizard trembled as he kneeled before a shabby looking man. The man's eyes were red and his face gaunt. He moved with slightly jerky motions and a strange smell came from him constantly.
"Stop that whimpering, Flint." The shabby man hissed out. "I already know why you've finally sought me out. The Main Line of the Flint Family has cast out its lesser members to save what little gold they have left. They go about their lives while I languish in this state. They will know my displeasure once I am restored to my former glory."
"Y-Yes, My Lord." Stephen Flint, a member of one of the Pureblood Flint Family's branches, stuttered out. Even weakened and possessing someone his master, Lord Voldemort, was terrifying.
"Find me another Squib, Flint." Voldemort hissed out as the body he was currently inhabiting spasmed strongly. "This one won't last much longer."
"Yes, My Lord." Stephen bowed and quickly Apparated to the nearest Magical Village.
"Barely useful for anything." Voldemort hissed out his frustration. He was furious at being reduced to this state. His time possessing and draining the magic from Quirrel had strengthened him greatly from the mere smoke and vapor he'd been. When Dumbledore, Voldemort sneered at the mere thought of his old Professor, had trapped and ambushed him in that chamber at the end of his blasted trap-filled corridor. He'd managed to escape by tossing the near dead body of Quirrel at the old man. But now Dumbledore was aware of just how much he'd recovered. That would let the old fool plan for his eventual return. For now Voldemort had bigger concerns. He was strong enough to possess and drain the magic from Squibs by force, but each subsequent 'host' lasted less and less time. This meant that he was gaining strength, which was good, but also that he'd need a much more 'permanent' solution to his lack of a physical body. "Time…I just need more time." The weakened Dark Lord muttered under his breath as he waited for his servant to return with his next 'host'.
-Hogwarts ~ Second Week of October-
"No way." Harry breathed out as he looked at the package that had been sent to him from the Dwarves. Inside was a piece of metal, created and refined by the Dwarves as a 'Thank you' gift to him for improving their quality of life. According to the letter, written to him by King Erdunn, this was a material that only the Dwarves knew how to make!
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