"With all the Aurors here I got a few ideas to potentially make their jobs a bit easier." Harry admitted as he sat down and moved one of the discs in front of him. "If I can work out the 'failed' knife's Array and give it a different Form, I might have my first Professional customer with the Auror department."
"What about the discs?" Penny asked while looking at them and seeing the lines of Runes on them.
"One time use Trinkets, they're meant to burn out as part of their activation." Harry remarked as he held the disc in front of him. "I've basically put the Runic Form of about a dozen different 'Dispelling' Charms on them. Place them on a Warded Object, like a door or building, and then activate them and they should, in theory anyway, break the Ward. Though to be honest it might only be temporary for large-scale Warded areas like Family Manors or the Ministry."
"That would still be a great help to the Aurors, Harry." Penny praised the Artificer. "A lot of times criminals are able to escape because they Ward their hiding places and the Aurors are forced to determine what Wards are in place and then they have to break them. The criminals usually have enough time to escape before the Aurors get passed the Wards."
"Yeah, I remember Tonks telling us about that. She's kind of the reason I want to make this stuff to begin with. I want to make her job easier and if possible I want her to be safer." Harry mused, his face set in a fond grin as he thought about the bubbly Metamorph. Penny smiled at Harry for his thoughtfulness; trust the young Artificer to be thinking about those close to him when he decided to pursue a completely new topic of research.
"If you want we can go see Hagrid later." Penny offered and Harry shook his head.
"Nah, we should at least ask him about the hybrid possibility. If anyone at Hogwarts would know it would probably be him." Harry nodded as he stood up and followed Penny out of the hidden workshop. The pair made their way through the castle and across the grounds unimpeded. Knocking on the door to the large wooden hut led to the barking of Fang, which Harry was used to from his occasional visits.
"Fang, back! Back you ruddy coward!" Hagrid hollered from inside and the door opened to show the large, hairy man.
"Harry, Penny great ter see ya!" Hagrid greeted as he smiled at the pair. "Come in. come in. Bit chilly ter be standing outside." The pair entered the warm, cozy hut and sat at the large table. Fang was quick to place his large head in Penny's lap and get his ears scratched by the blonde.
"Hagrid we were wondering about what Colin Creevey said about what he saw when he was petrified." Harry started and Hagrid sat down with a kettle of tea prepared.
"I've been looking into what Slytherin's Monster could potentially be but, as you no doubt know, a petrifying gaze is a very rare trait. Then Harry brought up the idea that the monster may be some kind of hybrid. So we thought we'd come talk to you about the possibility since you know so much about Magical Creatures." Penny informed the giant man of the situation.
"Aww, yer two are gonna make me blush." Hagrid smiled brightly at them for the praise to his knowledge.
"Well it's true." Harry smiled at his large friend. "Any ideas on a potential hybrid that could have a petrifying gaze and still be some kind of Magical Snake?"
"Hrmm, that's a difficult question." Hagrid mumbled. "Breedin' two different creatures together doesn't always result in what ye might be wanting. Only a few creatures have a gaze like that. To cross it with a Magical Snake would be difficult." He mused with a thoughtful look on his face. "One of the only Magical Snakes to have a Magical Ability related to its eyes is the Basilisk, but a single look from them kills instead of petrifies."
"Could it be some kind of hybrid of a Basilisk and another Magical Snake?" Penny questioned and Hagrid looked deep in thought.
"That'd be possible, but very difficult." Hagrid spoke while thinking. "Slytherin was a Parselmouth though; he could have potentially talked two different snakes into breedin'."
"Basilisks are classified as Class Five Magical Creatures, Wizard Killers, aren't they? A single Basilisk would be a horrifying monster to stash away. But how would this 'Heir' keep it from killing them with a look?" Harry wondered.
"A good question, Harry." Hagrid nodded. "My pet Aragog was blamed for the death of poor Myrtle back when the Chamber was last opened, but Aragog never hurt no one."
"Aragog?" Penny questioned and Harry was almost afraid to ask.
"My pet Acromantula. Misunderstood creatures they are, they're intelligent when raised by people." Hagrid explained and both Harry and Penny paled.
"So they killed Aragog for the death of the student?" Harry asked and Hagrid shook his head.
"No, Aragog lives in the Forbidden Forest with his family." Hagrid informed them. "He was so lonely that I got him a wife a few years later."
"Hagrid, Acromantulas are illegal to keep without a license." Penny stated and Hagrid nodded.
"I don't keep them; they just live in the forest. S'long as Aragog is alive they won't leave the forest or hurt nobody." Hagrid assured but that didn't make Harry or Penny feel any better.
"So we're still not sure what kind of beast Slytherin left in the chamber." Harry tried to get the conversation back on topic. "Just that it can petrify with its gaze, has bright yellow eyes, and is possibly a hybrid of Magical Snake. None of which helps us identify it."
"There are just too many possibilities." Hagrid apologized while shaking his head. Penny and Harry stayed to chat with the Groundskeeper for a while longer. They found out that Hagrid had been expelled the last time the Chamber had been opened and Aragog had indeed been blamed for the death of the student, Myrtle
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