A wonderful necklace

One afternoon, after a training session with Xuanzang, Harry decided to spend some time in the hidden Potter vault.

He realised that he hadn't spent any significant time there ever since he discovered it. He was a bit ashamed by that, because it was the legacy of his family. The other reason was that, after Xuanzang intense physical training, he simply didn't have the energy to return to the manor grounds.

As he went through the possessions of his family, he came across the journal of a gemstone researcher. It attracted his attention because from what he could tell, he was the only one to have studied them extensively. The other Potters who studied materials from the land focused more on various rocks, ceramics and metals.

"Whoa" Harry exclaimed, impressed by what was written.

He had heard things in passing somewhere, about the meaning of flowers, or gemstones. It turned out that gemstones really did have some magical properties. But their effects by themselves were too small to be effective. They needed a complex enchantment while being linked to a person, ward or wardstone, to be of any use.

"Some gemstones have nifty effects" he whispered. "Promoting positive feelings while reducing negative ones, refreshing and enhancing the body and the mind, protecting and giving good luck..."

Along with the diary were some jewelry made by that ancestor. Said ancestor had tried, and succeeded, in making various support items to help the Potters from the following generations. However, his work had been neglected because of the high expenses. Aquiring costly gemstones, to have them damaged or destroyed in experiments, hadn't been well received by the rest of the family.

Thus, the rest of the family had missed the useful items he had left behind. One of them was an enchanted necklace, made of a silver chain, and a disc of moonstone with an amethyst crystal at the center. It was made specifically as an aid for studies, something Harry really needed with all the extra studies he had, especially with his new interest in runes and hextech.

After diner, he gathered the casters in his room and showed them the items of his ancestor. After all, it would be troublesome if they were flawed and he suffered because of it.

"You can be proud of your ancestor, Harry" Semiramis said as she gazed intently at the apparel in her hands. "It is well made. A little lacking in aesthetic however."

"The rune work is crude, but effective" Scathach added. "I don't see any problems with you using it, but for the time being, not without supervision. I will be looking after you during that time in case there are unforseen issues" she finished with a pleased face.

"Thanks Scathach" he replied with hidden trepidation. "I wonder if Rowena Ravenclaw used a similar idea when she made her rumored diadem..." he whispered to himself.

"It is possible" Semiramis replied, surprising him. "If she did, she was definitly ahead of her peers in magical knowledge."

"Hey!" Harry suddenly exclaimed. "Now that we're talking about old famous witches and wizards, did you have Merlin and Morgana in your world among the famous human magic users?"

"Yes" Scathach replied. "Thought, this world's versions of Merlin and Morgana weren't nearly as powerful as ours."

"Really?"

"Our world's magic users are roughly as powerful as yours, but compared to our world where magic declined as time passed, here, magic improved. So, witches and wizards, as a whole, are stronger than their ancestors, and in our world, the magic users were more powerful than here" Scathach explained.

"Your best witches and wizards wouldn't compare to legends such as ourselves" Semiramis added in a haughty tone. "Even in our reduced form, I can tell we are still among the greatest magic users of the world..." she trailed of as her gaze intensified on him, mesmerizing him while making him feel uncomfortable. "And you are on the way to reach our height. I look forward to what you will become in the future."

The way she said it, the way she looked at him, and the little smile that formed on her lip. All those combined were enough to render him speechless, as his face turned as red as an embarrassed and angry Weasley, and blood rushed south. Semiramis melodious little laugh at his reaction while leaving the room didn't help.

"So" Scathach resumed with a hint of unease, "compared to today, your Merlin and Morgana were not as powerful as you imagine. I would say that the 3 most powerful magic users of this century, meaning Grindelwald, Dumbledore and Voldemort, are easily on their level. Still, for people from nearly 1000 years ago, that level of power and ability must have been quite impressive and humbling."

"I see. While they are definitly worthy of respect, we've probably been overestimating them a bit much."

"Speaking of Merlin, it seems like the general population of witches and wizards have forgotten that Merlin was a slytherin and not a blood purist. The Order of Merlin, which is an award for great achievement today, was a muggle rights organisation. And slytherin house took pride in his achievements. I think it's something you should remind some of your peers over the course of the year."

Harry nodded in agreement, astonished, and slightly ashamed to not have known that much about such a well known and revered figure. He really regretted not having put much efforts in getting to know the wizarding world.

The following few days, Harry's studying pace was slightly increased. The casters monitored his health meticulously. As such, they also noticed that his learning speed had improved. With the confirmation that the necklace functionned as intended, they pushed Harry to his limits. At least as much as possible without it backfiring.

During those days, Scathach was also wearing down on Harry's reluctance to get more physically involved with her. There was a limit to how much a healthy teenager could restrain himself in the presence of a gorgeous and willing girl.