"I'm staying to make sure you don't do something dangerous as a test." Penny informed him and Harry nodded. She hadn't been overly pleased about him wanting to hire test subjects either. But she'd relented as it was better than him testing his prototypes on himself. Harry had even promised to do the tests as close to the Hospital Wing as possible if it would put her at ease. Speaking of he needed to set up the first tests of the Auror Baton soon, now that Penny was 'on board'.
"I appreciate your concern, Penny, thank you." Harry smiled at her and Penny gave him a small smile in return. Harry took out his Adamantite Etching Tool and set to work on the hand and a half broadsword he'd forged. As he etched the Runes into the metal he had a good feeling about this prototype. By the time evening had fallen Harry had finished etching the Array and the Circuit Lines along the blade. After a break for dinner Harry and Penny returned to the workshop and Harry made enough Vitris Auri to fill in the Array and Circuit Lines. He wanted to wait for it to cool and solidify so that he could test it right away. Unfortunately curfew was getting close and Penny wouldn't allow him to break the rules as he wanted.
On their way back towards Ravenclaw Tower they overheard Filch complaining about one of the girls' bathrooms on the second floor flooding, again. The Caretaker was grumbling and muttering about this being the fifth time this year so Penny and Harry made sure to stay out of the man's sight. Filch was unpleasant normally, give the grizzled old man a reason to be angry and he'd invent reasons to try and punish a student.
-The Next Afternoon-
Harry grinned widely as he lifted his prototype sword in his hands and checked over the Array and Circuits. Everything looked good, the Runes were perfect and the Circuits were properly spaced. All in all Harry was very happy with this prototype. Now all that was left was to test it. With a thought a large Lumos Charm appeared in the air before Harry. Checking to make sure Penny was far enough away, which she was as she waved to him from next to the wall; Harry made a slow swing through the Lumos Charm. The ball of light blinked out as soon as the blade passed through it. Harry stood there for a moment and then cheered.
"It worked! Yes!" Harry exclaimed happily.
"Congratulations Harry!" Penny smiled brightly at him. She was happy to see Harry succeed on something he'd been working on for so long.
"That's another step in the right direction!" Harry grinned as he checked over the Runes and Circuits again. He had to make sure there was no damage from the prototype using its effect after all. It wouldn't really be a success if one use destroyed the sword. Seeing that everything looked undamaged Harry summoned another Lumos Charm and dispelled it with a stab from the prototype sword. "So slashing and stabbing both work; that's good to know."
"How many tests will you put this one through?" Penny inquired as Harry checked over the sword again for any damages.
"Several, mostly to check its durability and make sure the Runes and Circuits hold up. Though I'll also try cutting different spells too; it would be kind of a lame creation if it could only put out Lumos Charms." Harry chuckled as he placed the sword down. "You said you might have had a way to avoid the monster's petrification, right?"
"Yes, after some in-depth study of Cockatrices, I've found out that breaking the line of sight with one nullifies its 'Petrifying Gaze'. Most people that have slain one wore some kind of enchanted eye protection to block out the Cockatrice's ability. If we had something similar we shouldn't have to worry about the monster's gaze." Penny informed him as she showed him her notes on the subject.
"I could probably make something like that with a bit of time." Harry mused as he looked over the historical accounts of Wizards and Witches that had brought down Cockatrices in the past. Even without their gaze they were still fast, strong, and armed with razor sharp, poisonous talons. They definitely earned their XXXX danger rating. If Slytherin's monster was indeed some kind of hybrid of Cockatrice and Magical Snake then it would pay to be prepared.
-That Weekend-
Harry grinned at the small turnout for his tests. About ten students had gathered in an unused classroom down the hall from the Hospital Wing. At one Galleon per test Harry was burning some money for testing, but Penny wouldn't let him test on students, even willing ones, without proper compensation for potential injury.
"Thank you all for coming." Harry welcomed the ten students. He didn't know any of them personally, but he had two girls and eight boys. None from Slytherin, but four from Hufflepuff, five from Gryffindor, and two from Ravenclaw; so it was a good mix of people. "You're all here today to help me test out my newest Item." Harry grinned as he held up the Auror Baton prototype. "This is a prototype for an Item I hope to sell to the Aurors to aid them in their work. It should do nothing more than make whatever limb is struck with it unable to move for a time."
"That's it?" One of the Gryffindors asked.
"That's it." Harry nodded to him.
"It'll wear off, right?" One of the girls asked; a Hufflepuff judging by her uniform.
"Yes, the effect is only temporary, if you feel uncomfortable tell me and we will make the short trip to the Hospital Wing." Harry replied and all ten of the students nodded. Harry moved over to the first student and gently tapped him with the Baton.
✨ Want to read the next chapters early?
Unlock 20+ advance chapters and get exclusive perks by joining my Patreon!
🔗 Join here: 👉 NIXERION
---
💎 Patreon Tiers
🥉 Tier 1 — $10
📖 Access to 20 advance chapters
🥈 Tier 2 — $20
📚 Access to 30 advance chapters
🎁 Extra exclusive benefits
---
🔥 Patreon Benefits
📚 Read 40+ advance chapters early
👥 Join a private fan community
📝 Access exclusive unreleased novels
🚫 Enjoy a 100% ad-free reading experience