Chapter 1
A/N: Hooooo boy. So. I'm sitting there minding my own business when WHAM. I get the urge to write. And not just your standard fanfiction, oh no. I get the urge to write a Life is a Game fanfiction. I've read through many of these, and very very few are complete. They build up and get sooo good that I end up finishing them in a night. Maybe you're like me. Maybe you came here on a whim. Maybe you'll finish this whole story in a night as well. Best of luck regardless. My grammar is gonna be terrible and I use a lot of commas. If you wanna Beta for me then please PM me. I'll list out a few things but most of the options will be explained in paragraph format for this chapter to avoid too much monotony. This will eventually lead to Godlike!Harry
This game will run a lot like Skyrim in the sense of skill ranks, and a lot like D&D in the freedom of those skills and even a bit of Lore. I am also an avid LARPer and may incorporate some of that in here as well. If the system doesn't make sense, PLEASE TELL ME. Just don't flame.
And away we go.
Chapter 1: Guides to Character Creation
Our raven-haired hero had done it. He had defeated Voldemort; or at least he hoped he did. The blinding white surrounding him and the lack of any of the things that Dumbledore said would happen happening was a bit disheartening and was starting to make Harry believe that the old man was full of shite.
Then something changed. A small speck of black formed in front of Harry. His limbs that he previously could not feel began to respond to his wishes again and as if through a sludge he moved toward that speck with all his willpower. I mean, wouldn't you if you had spent what felt like a few days staring at blazing white nothingness? Repeatedly he kicked his arms and legs, urging himself toward that speck which ever so slowly grew until…
"Fuuuuuck…" Harry swore as the speck suddenly zoomed forward and the darkness consumed his surroundings, pulling at his spirit in a way that felt oddly like 3rd year with the Dementors pressing on him from all around. Just without all the cold and terrible memories. The sensation of falling he could do without though.
With a thud that sounded like it should have hurt the still-young Potter boy found himself on his back in a dimly lit room. The glow seemed to be coming from the most dizzying array of runes he had ever seen. Even Hermione's over-achieving Ancient Runes homework barely matched a single thousandth of what he was surrounded by. The floor and walls were covered as well with the multi-colored symbols, he noticed as he started to get up.
"Welcome" Harry leapt up and whirled around at the voice with his hand twitching to reach for his wand which was not there. It was here he noticed that he was not in the same clothes he had died in, but he thanked everything he could think of that he at least had some black sweatpants on as in front of him was a vaguely humanoid shape. Seemingly made of the same material as the room and with the same runes engraved all over, this was the first… thing that Harry had seen in what felt like too long. A quick look around revealed that the design seemed to center around a circle next to where the creature-thing was standing. This was the only bare patch of ground that he could see.
"Who… What… Where am I?" Harry asked, mind whirling faster than his body had a moment ago as he tried to formulate the most important question first.
"You are Harry Potter, a Wizard and Chosen, and as far as where? Why you are here" the being responded in what was now recognizable as a feminine voice. The area where there would be eyes on a regular human seemed to crinkle in amusement, but it was hard to tell in the light.
"And who are you? What is this place?" Harry said with a bit of irritation. The thing had answered his questions albeit in a very smartass way.
"I am Tyran, and this place is the Center" was the response. The Runic Construct (for Harry could think of no better classification for what he was seeing) took a few steps forward and seemed to suddenly appear next to him. Fingers that were much smoother and more delicate than might have been assumed were roaming across his chest and back as Tyran seemed to examine something unseen.
"You do seem to have the ability, but I have never seen it in one with such a young soul. I am interested to see what will occur" Tyran spoke as if to itself.
Harry attempted to grab a hand and stop the intrusion of his personal space but even with his exceptional reflexes he could not catch them, no matter how often he tried.
Tyran seemed to develop an annoyed expression, "Oh do stop thrashing about, or this will take forever" then chuckled at the joke that only it understood. The sound was oddly like a mix of all the chuckles he had ever heard overlapping.
"Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on. What is the Center? What is a Chosen? What are you? AND WILL YOU STOP GROPING ME?!" Harry Potter was officially getting annoyed. Almost a week it felt like had passed since he took an Avada Kedavra to the chest and was left floating in nothingness. Now some weird Construct was feeling him up like a doctor performing an exam. The last straw being when the creature grabbed his bits and bum at the same time in a grip that did not feel safe to jerk away from, delicate hands or not.
"Almost done" was the only reply. The hands moved lower but luckily only spent half the time on his legs and feet.
"There. Assessment complete. And a quite admirable specimen you are even by Chosen standards. If a bit scrawnier than I would have thought" Harry sputtered at the comment as even with no true facial features Tyran seemed to be sporting a smirk.
"Now to answer your endless questions" rough approximations of chairs seemed to rise from the floor and Harry sat down in frustration with Tyran mimicking the motion "This place, the Center, is the true Center of Magic. It is a Between Plane. It is neither here nor there, nor in any specific time. It simply is. With it we may access the different Planes of Existence. The title of Chosen is given to one touched by Fate and allows them access to the Center under the right circumstances. Each Center has a Guide, in this case me, that will manipulate the energies to allow the Chosen to return to the Plane that they are from"
"So you can get me home? Excellent. Let's go" Harry said as he stood up and began walking to the area in the floor that had no symbols. It made the most sense to him.
"Don't you want to find out what you're in for?" Tyran said with a hint of amusement as it followed him, the chairs reforming into the floor.
"Nope, I just want to get back and defeat Voldemort. It might already be too late" Harry said from inside the Circle, hopping from foot to foot with a sense of impatience.
"Well. I am your guide. You can always come back with questions before you delve into the Options. Now to go over this real quick. You will be going back…" Tyran began to explain to a Harry that was now tapping his foot.
"This isn't a game you know" our Hero ironically stated "People's lives are at stake"
The disconcerting laughter of Tyran echoed all around Harry as the room began to glow bright.
"Yes, it is, my Chosen" was the last he heard as the light began to spin wildly around Harry.
*****20 minutes later*****
Disbelievingly, Harry stared at the golden letters floating in front of him with his hands over his ears as a loud booming and decidedly masculine voice read them aloud.
"Welcome to the Game of Wizard's, Chosen. Fate has deemed that since you were unable to complete the Task that was assigned to you, therefore playing a game with her good grace, you would be given a second chance at life. Only this time truly as a Game!"
Further Explanation? -
"In this game you will be given advantages that the average creature of your type would not have access to. This will include a game menu with such helpful things as World Options, Character Menu, Heads Up Display, Pause Game, Save Game option, and even such minor tweaks as Character Customization! Isn't that exciting?!
Now, please press continue to reach Options"
Continue -
"What the hell? What. The. Hell. What. The. Flying. Fuck. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" Harry ranted to the open area for a few minutes, with different variations of this. "TYRAN!" He finally screamed.
"Yes, Chosen?" came that same voice as before, along with the creepy chuckle.
"What is this?" A pointed finger matched the question, but it suddenly highlighted the Further Explanation? - that was before him and before the could get an answer the letters spun rapidly and rearranged.
"Fate has smiled upon you! You were given the Task of destroying Voldemort and his horcruxes. Of this task you were able to complete eighty seven percent before ultimately failing. Why, you ask? It is simple. Despite knowing that you had to destroy all the Horcruxes, and despite knowing that you could destroy these with Basilisk venom, you decided to trust in a meddling old fool. You had already destroyed the Horcrux in your head in your 12th year of life when an incredibly large Legend level Basilisk bit you through the arm and sent the sweet Horcrux destroying liquid coursing through your tiny body. I mean honestly. And at the urging of someone who was merely present during the Prophecy and not the all-knowing Fate that wrote the damn thing, you willingly stepped in front of a Killing Curse from the one you were supposed to destroy. Thus we are here, or rather you are here, with a second chance to not fuck up. Good luck!" The voice that read this passage got decidedly snarkier and more childlike as the reading went on until at the end it returned to the same layout as before but with no disembodied voice reading it out.
"Welcome back, Chosen. I do hope the explanation was enlightening" came Tyran's voice from the darkness.
"I'm… I'm in a game? Was I always in a game?" Harry asked. His voice came out as little more than a breath as he questioned his existence.
"No, no. It is merely Fate's way of messing with you this time. There are Chosen who have had it way worse than you. This is a blessing truly. The Game option is actually quite fun from what I'm told" the Construct reassured the young man. "Do you believe me now though? That this is a game? And one that I believe will lead you to a much happier existence"
Harry simply sat as much as the out-of-body experience he was trapped in would allow and stared up at the words in front of him. His mind was both numb and hyperactive as it reassessed all of his memories. Choices he wished he had made; things he wish he had done.
"Does the story stay the same? Major events and such?" He eventually asked, as the small seed of determination planted itself within him.
"For the most part, but I do believe that at least a semi-standard rule of causality applies. As such, if you were to free Sirius early I believe all of your subsequent school years would be different. Similarly if you manipulate events in such a way that key ones do not happen it will lead to a vastly different outcome." Harry nodded his head, listening and committing to memory even if he did not quite understand.
He racked his brain a bit more, determination still growing within him, but came up short. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"Merely that you should enjoy the second chance that has been given. Not many people get them you know" Tyran stated with finality, and Harry felt his hand come up and point at Continue-
The world spun again, and Harry found himself looking at a small list in front of him aptly titled World Options.
Controls-
Game Options-
Character Selection and Customization-
Continue-
Appropriately deciding to start at the top Harry clicked controls and was prepared this time for the swirl of large golden lettering. Reading through the different options he decided on Reality as the chosen set as moving his character around via a screen and keyboard did not seem… well to be honest it seemed shitty as did the other 2 options of Auto and Controller. He remembered what it was like watching Dudley play the Playstation 1 this past summer and did not envy that as his new life.
Upon his selection, Harry was brought back to the options screen but with Controls- now giving off additional light and small golden particles. He correctly assumed this meant that his selection went through and moved on to Game Options. This screen seemed to be an On/Off selection screen with simple explanations included.
-Notifications On/Off (This will notify you of recent changes to your character).
-Heads Up Display On/Off/Customize (An overlay to your standard field of vision that will display Health, Magicka, Stamina, a Minimap and Compass, and Currently Equipped Items)
-Questing System On/Off (An additional option to your everyday tasks! This option will provide additional incentives and rewards for things you do throughout your life as a Wizard!)
-Inventory System On/Off (Wizards know Expansion Charms, but Fate knows sheer ridiculousness. No longer will you be burdened by your belongings. Instead they can be easily retrieved from a simple screen that can be accessed by thinking "Inventory" with intent)
-Skill System On/Off (A Dynamic skill system which allows you to track and more easily increase the skills you use in the world. Not all actions are within the skill system, but if you practice it hard enough it can in fact be a skill. Levelling up will provide points to this system as well beyond its usual benefits)
-Save Game On/Off (Allows for the saving of one's game. This will allow you to backtrack if you get lost or even killed)
-Autosave On/Off (Will automatically save the game before Key Events such as The Descent into the Chamber of Secrets will save in Myrtle's Bathroom)
-World Awareness On/Off (Want the world to know you're playing a game with their lives? Simply turn this option to On and the whole world will know of your recent failure to do your Task and will react accordingly!)
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as he read the last Game Option. Quickly setting everything to On but making sure that World Awareness was firmly set to off he moved on to Character Selection and Customization- and was met with the surprising view of his previous years of school's versions of himself and a few even older than that, all naked. Seeing a side-by-side comparison of how he looked in previous years was a little weird, but he was soon distracted by the overwhelmingly long list of character options. It seemed every Wizard on earth was an option, which was kind of funny in a way and he spent a few minutes getting comfortable with the scroll feature briefly reading a few names that meant nothing to him. Seeing that there was a search option he tried a few methods to put down his name before discovering that there was a small keyboard in front of him similar to a typewriter and then had a thought. He put Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore down and very quickly deleted that as the models changed to a very naked timeline of his headmaster.
"Wait…" Harry said in a whisper and soon was grinning ear to ear as he saw that females were an option too, picking a few random names on the list. Deciding to honor his friend's privacies he did not select anyone he knew and felt that somehow the anonymity of it all made it okay. Deciding if he was going to play someone's life it might as well be his own, he quickly selected Harry J. Potter and moved on.
The next section that the letters swirled to was options such as Eye Height, Jawline, Hair Color, and quite a few other options. Quickly deducing how it all worked Harry also discovered that he could see how each option affected his future self. It took him a solid 2 hours to decide how he wanted to change himself since he was given the option to. Certain options like musculature had a description stating that this Option Menu only determined things that could not be naturally changed by hard work, and that musculature and the like simply determined how his body responded to things like workouts and bulking up. A few of the options tinged his cheeks pink but he manipulated them anyways. In the end he ended up with a better build, a few tweaks to his facial structure that helped differentiate him from his father a bit. He kept his eye color the same but opted for a deep red hair color to honor his mother. Even he admitted that he was damn good looking by the end of it.
With a swirl of letters Harry's jaw dropped as he saw just what kind of boon Fate had given him, in the form of a stats system. There was a brief description at the top that he read aloud.
"Stats are an abstract way of measuring your power and have a basic effect on the appropriate skills for every 5 Points and your chance to resist negative effects. They are rated on a scale with 10 as the average for an of-age Wizard, except for Magic where the average is 25, and there being a hard cap of 100. Factors such as age, heritage, and conditioning can adjust these. Currently there are few wizards in the 30s ranges and even less in the 50s. Below is a listing of your previous Stats before your untimely demise. In the interest of fairness we have allotted you 30 extra points to spend to help start you off, but our levelling system allows for the eventual increase of all of these except luck through levelling up at a rate and consistency that would make even Merlin jealous. The stats below are the stats you had as a young impressionable 11 year old hoodlum with the numbers of your just-before-dying-uselessly self there as a frame of reference and growth"
Below that there was a listing:
Strength- 3 (9)
Dexterity- 14 (34)
Constitution- 4 (52)
Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses) (6)
Intelligence- 3 (14)
Willpower- 9 (70)
Magic- 2 (+15) (45)
Charisma- 3 (10)
Luck- 31
A bit confused by some of the numbers he was seeing, Harry thought for a moment before smiling. This time, he would get everything he ever wanted out of life. He brought Charisma up to 18 along with Intelligence and clicked Next before he could second guess himself. Almost immediately Harry felt like he understood more of what he had read previously, and he grinned, not realizing the grin had a distinctly more pronounced charm to it. Quickly he read the next description.
"Perks are advantages one gets through simple genetics and circumstance. Disadvantages are the same. You are given 20 Points to disperse how you please amongst the Perks which cost between 2 and 10 points with the ability to get more points through the Disadvantages" Harry read through it another time just to be sure he understood. Again they opted to apply what he had previously, and he realized this was going to be a very difficult section as the perks listed what they cost, and the Disadvantages what they awarded.
Perks:
Fated Luck (5 points): Fate has deemed your actions as "Must Happen" and therefore circumstances often go in your favor, until they don't. +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.
Natural Athlete (6 Points): You have always been good at sports, and this Perk helps. +3 to Strength, Perception, Endurance, and Agility during Sports.
Magical Powerhouse (10 points): Magic flows through you easily. +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.
Leader (4 Points): You are a natural born leader, and your peers recognize that. +10 to Charisma when influencing others to follow you.
Flyer (4 Points): Flight comes naturally to you. +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.
Parselmouth (0 Points): You had a piece of Voldemort in your skull for quite a while. You were bound to pick up something right? +35 to Parseltongue.
Disadvantages:
Poor Eyesight (+3 Points): You suffer from defects in your eyes, resulting in needing correctional lenses. -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.
Chosen One (+6 Points): Fate has made you her bitch. -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.
Harry debated for a bit, and with another mental nudge to get everything he wants out of life this go around tweaked a few things. He dropped Leader, as his points spending already made his bonus higher than it would have been for the formation of the DA. He also dropped Natural Athlete as the points that it offered just weren't worth it especially if her could get those upgraded through simple training unlike before. Unfortunately neither of his disadvantages were removable as apparently the game thought those 2 were iconic to him. Or at least that's what the notification stated. Instead he picked up 4 new Perks and the connotations of these made him grin.
Family Heritage (4 Points): People say like Father like Son, but in your case its both. You come from 2 gifted parents and some of their skills have carried over. +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.
Puberty = Truck (2 Points): This Perk is for those who need a bit of a growth spurt. Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.
Linguist (2 Points): You're good with languages. +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.
Represent (2 Points): Who needs a Public Relations Agent? Not you. +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.
And with that Harry motioned to the Next button and was brought back to his original lettering layout. All the options were now glimmering except for Continue- and Harry cracked his neck in anticipation and for relief. He had spent what felt like 4 hours staring up and tall lettering. With a shiver of excitement he moved on. Above him the lettering shimmered and reformed and Harry grinned again.
"Please choose the School Year you wish to begin your journey at. Bear in mind that if you do not begin at a certain year, all previous year's events remain unaffected. The school year you choose will change your physical age" said the booming disembodied voice that Harry heard earlier. And without a trace of the childishness of before. With a bit of thought, Harry decided that 3rd year would allow for the most changes while still having the major events that cemented the beginning friendships between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was also his least crazy year when he thought back on it and would let him get settled in and trained up before he took the Triwizard Tournament by storm. Plus he chose the Puberty Perk for a reason, as he saw his models get an upgrade in his eyes.
And with that thought everything went black.
A/N: Not bad for a first chapter! Came out a little quick, only took me a couple hours to write. I'm sure there are errors, but I've went ahead and posted it just to see what the reactions would be to a new Life is a Game fanfic. I'll do my best to get regular updates out and I'm starting on the next few chapters immediately.
Patch 1.0.1: Changed Magic to Magicka to avoid confusion between the resource and the stat.
Patch 1.0.2: Revamped the whole freakin system. Made it more Morrowind with the stat system as I have a plan for that in Chapter 2 when Skills are fully introduced.
Thanks everyone!
Chapter 2: Back-Alley Bribes
The first thing Harry noticed when he woke up was the dull, bruise-like pain in his arm, and the bump on his head. A second thud echoed through his body from his right bicep and his head got smacked against a hard surface for what must be a second time.
Cloth Armor skill increased by 1! It is now 33! 1 Skill Boon available!
"Wake up! Mom said to get you into the kitchen working on dinner!" came the unforgettable voice of his whale cousin Dudley Dick, Harry heard it from under the coat he had covered his head with.
"Piss off, you fat fu…" Harry began to say, still a bit drowsy from what must have been interdimensional travel of some sort, before his widening eyes met his cousin's equally widening eyes. A quick glance around showed that he was in the back of Vernon's new car and the pain must have come from his cousin punching him as a form of 'shaking him awake'.
"MOOOOOM!" Dudley's fat behind waddled to the front door of the house and Harry realized that Day 1 of his summer had already gotten off to a fantastic start. With his mind slowly waking up, and the cat now firmly thrown from the bag and into the fire Harry grinned. The changes had already taken place for the most part even if it was a slight miscalculation that the changes wouldn't be retroactive to how he had looked before. It'd be easy enough to explain in a few months to people who hadn't seen him in a while but to people who saw the results like night and day? It was rather alarming. A spark of inspiration hit Harry and he was now doggedly determined to get the heck out of here as quickly as possible.
"I will not stand for this sort of freakishness in my house! Change it back! Change it all back!" Vernon fumed as he stared at a boy that was different enough to the one he picked up from that blasted train station just this morning that without the vibrant and distinct green eyes Vernon would be damned to guess that it was Harry on the first try. It had gotten off to a great start when the freak had dozed off early and not even Dudley's friendly punches could wake him on the car ride home. They had left him in the car simply out of a desire to put off having his presence around for as long as possible. Then the boy walked in the house with a swagger, hair freshly red, cheekbones slightly higher, chin a bit stronger, looking like some sort of superstar's kid. It could almost be mistaken for someone else if they weren't all sure that he looked as normal as one of his kind could look when they picked him up this morning. "Change it back this instance boy or I swear I will call the Yard"
"The police? Uncle how would you explain having a strange new boy in your home from the train station with bruises on his arm and a clear desire to not be here, a room with enough locks on it to keep out a bear, and a cat flap that still has the remains of some cans you left me before I went to Hogwarts?"
Vernon sputtered for a moment as he considered it before turning to glare at his wife, "well he's your bloody nephew you deal with it. I need a drink" and with that he walked over to his decanters and poured himself a hearty 3 fingers of bourbon before plopping himself in front of the telly and turning it to the local news.
"You heard your Uncle boy; you need to change this back right now. We did not agree to have some sort of… whatever you are waltzing about our home!" Petunias voice got steadily more forceful as the red of Harry's new hair along with the green eyes brought back memories she had tried to put away for a long time.
"I can't and I won't. I already explained it, I received a letter about my inheritance before school let out and it warned me of some recent changes to my physique that would be happening. They didn't tell me that it would be so sudden just that I should go to the bank when it happens. And the hair was the result of a last minute potion I was brewing with my friends that we thought hadn't worked initially" The lie came easily to him, a lot easier than it would have previously and he wondered if the new Charisma score had helped with that. He wanted to get out of here and this was enough of a shock to his magic wary relatives that he was trying to twist the situation to his advantage early.
Quest started! Flee the Dursleys! Reward: 1 Skill point, 1 Home Token, 1 Stat point, and 200 Experience points.
The notification had nearly made him flinch as he met his Aunt's unblinking glare, he was surprisingly able to hear it over the TV with no issue as well as read it in the corner of his eye with no problem. That setting was very useful. His rough plan was to get out, get to the Leaky Cauldron and have a thorough thinking session over how he was going to handle living life as a game.
"Fine. Just… Fine. Go up to your room and this will be discussed later" came Petunia's almost disturbingly levelheaded response as she opted against the ongoing staring contest.
"Good, that will give me a chance to brew up a fix for this hair style" Harry said with a disarming grin, knowing that the mention of potion-making would irk his Uncle.
"Now listen here boy. There will be no Bubble Bubble Toil and Bullshit from you" Vernon said with not even a twitch of his moustache as he watched the local weather woman tell them it was going to be hot as hell this week. "And what is this about an inheritance? We didn't receive any notice of that"
Hook, line, time for the sinker.
"I just found out this past week but apparently my father left me a sizeable inheritance, I'm to collect it from the bank as soon as I can" Harry said with an air of innocence.
"Well that's bloody perfect then. You can finally start paying us back for all the freeloading you've done. When does this bank of yours close?" There was finally a gleam of interest in his Uncle's eyes as they turned to glance at the boy.
"I think they said that it was open all day" was all Harry got to say before Petunia cut in.
"Yes and staffed by those disgusting little creatures, if I remember right. Goblins I think Lily called them. Freakish little things" the words were accompanied by a disgusted shake of her head atop the long neck "Is their money even worth anything to us normal people? I remember Lily trading pounds for little coins the couple of times I wasn't allowed to stay home on those horrid trips to that Alley"
Harry hadn't considered it before but he supposed it made sense that his Aunt would have seen a fair bit more of the magical world than she ever let on. This was perfect.
"Last I checked the conversion rate was 5 Pounds to a Galleon" Harry gave the best number he knew to be true, even if it was a bit of a future number "I think they mentioned that I had a couple thousand in my inheritance"
Harry didn't clarify what the couple thousand pertained to, whether it was Galleons or Pounds, but judging from the urgent wiggle his Uncle gave as he got out of the couch it must have been enough regardless. Our young Hero of course knew exactly how much was in his Trust Vault, he had used a bit of the funds when the Golden Trio was on the run and at Hermione's urging had asked for a full accounting.
"Alright boy I'll take you to your bloody bank. But I expect a payment of 500 Pounds a month for this summer's expenses" Vernon said as he grabbed his keys.
"Yes Uncle"
Diagon was unsurprisingly quiet, just a few shoppers looking to pick up welcome home gifts and groceries for their returning family. Harry saw a pale blonde that he was sure was Malfoy Senior disappear into the entrance of Knockturn, presumably to pawn off a few more of his non-desirables before the raids that he remembered Mr. Weasley continuing this summer. Borgin and Burke's must be loaded with all sorts of unique and Dark items as many families were targeted and Harry resolved to at least browse their selection this summer to see what he could pick up. It's a shame though, he would have liked his Uncle to meet the man if only to see the ultimate clash of Wizard and Muggle.
Speaking of his Uncle he didn't know someone could pull of Tough Guy and Scared Witless at the same time but then again, he didn't expect the man to come with him either. Money was a powerful motivator. It required a minor tweak to his plans, but he counted on the Goblins to at least maintain a modicum of secrecy.
They ascended the stairs of the grand Bank and his Uncle was staring up at the massive building in disbelief. Inside they quickly found an unattended teller and Harry began the ultimate gamble.
"Hello, I'd like to talk to someone about my vault please" Harry began, slipping a bit of confidence in voice.
"Key." Was the terse response.
"Right here." Harry said, as he slipped the golden key across the table. Vernon finally paid attention as he eyed the key hungrily. The whole Bank oozed opulence even if the whole setting also oozed Freak. The guards at the front had almost made him jump when he made his way into the bank and their poleaxes banged against the marble.
"Right. And what transaction can I perform today" the teller said with a glance between the large fat man standing over the small boy. Humans all looked weird, but the fat man was the weirdest the teller had seen in a while.
"I'd like to convert the whole lot to Pounds" Harry stated with a bit more confidence. His Uncle whirled to look at him as the beginnings of a grin formed beneath his walrus moustache.
"Understood. The total of that will come out to £122,861 Pound Sterling" and there was a brief pause before Vernon began choking on air. The Boy was rich indeed!
Harry tapped his chin and looked at his Uncle "Uncle Vernon, let's go over to those tables there while we wait" and the man blindly followed as his mind wrapped around what basically amounted to 6 years salary for him simply sitting in a Bank with the freaks.
They found 2 seats and sat, and green eyes met blue.
"You don't like me Uncle. That much is clear. You haven't for a long time and the feeling is mutual. So when I offer this simply remember that it's the best you can get from me as I'd be more than willing to let the money sit as Galleons and that will do you little good as you need a Wizard to access the Alley. And my key to access the vault. And my signature to finalize the transaction. So I am willing to cut ties if you are. Right here. Right now. I pay you £25,000 flat and you sign some papers, leave my trunk which is still in the boot, and drive away with no regrets" Harry said this all evenly and with little emotion. His plan hinged on the greed and desire to be rid of Freaks that the man before him held.
Vernon met his eyes and almost said no before he remembered the price tag of his new car and thought of a few things he wanted to improve around the house, and a vacation.
"Deal"
Screeeeeee! The tires of Vernon's new car spun wildly as he whooped out the window into the slowly cooling afternoon air. Harry was a shrinking form in the sideview and the new suitcase of money beside him was a much better driving companion. With a racecar-esque turn around a corner Harry finally grinned as the man he hated was finally gone. And he was free. Glancing over his shoulder at the Leaky Cauldron Harry stepped inside and was met with the non-descript but still magical interior. He nodded to Tom and secured a room for the night before turning with a grin and a swish of his wand as he levitated his trunk up the stairs. Emancipation was amazing.
***Flashback***
Harry sauntered up to the counter after the brief discussion with Vernon. The Goblin simply slid over a briefcase of money.
"Before we finalize this I was wondering if Gringotts has access to the forms for Emancipation, Master Teller" To which the Goblin nodded in the affirmative and pointed to a different line. Signing for the money and hefting the briefcase Harry made his way over to the other line and retrieved a copy of the seven-page form and a quill.
Taking these over to his Uncle Harry set the briefcase against the back of the seat, sat in front of it, and set the form between them. With a quick read over the contents he filled out the pertinent magical information such as date of birth and astrological sign and had his Uncle sign and initial the few areas that needed his attendance. The quill was bulky and awkward, but the large man made it work. After verifying the contents at the same line the form came from and two instances of taking it back to the tables and tweaking the information. This part made Harry nervous as he wasn't sure even that sizeable sum of money would keep his Uncle from reneging on the deal at the last minute to spite him.
With the form finally filled and submitted Harry followed Vernon to the car where the agreed upon money was exchanged for school trunk and owl cage. With an awkward stare the two parted ways for good.
***End Flashback***
The Emancipation form was something that Harry had found out about in his previous life. A 4th year Hufflepuff that had gotten knocked up during a midnight tryst had unfortunately felt the pressure from her family to get married and the news of it all had made its rounds in the Hogwarts grapevine. A quick inquiry about it in the summer before 6th year had piqued his interest but it was unnecessary at that point as he had already passed his OWLs.
Now though? Now it gave him options, and a million questions as his ears rang repeatedly with notifications.
Congrats! You have escaped the Dursleys and completed your quest. Reward: 1 Skill point, 1 Home Token, 1 Stat point, and 200 Experience points.
Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 2. 4 Skill points awarded. 17 Skill Points unspent. One Home Token unused. 3 Skill Boons unused. 2 Stat Points unused. 1 Feat Point unused.
Congrats! You are level 2! Inventory Unlocked. Guide Unlocked. Character Sheet Unlocked.
Congrats! You're a free man! The negative effect Trace has been removed.
Congrats! You're a man with influence! And Money! Inheritance has been unlocked, please collect from your nearest Gringotts Teller.
Opportunity! Timed Event unlocked. Fully explore the Alley by the end of the Summer to receive a hidden reward!
Opportunity! Timed Event unlocked. Master 10 spells by the end of the Summer to receive a unique reward!
And thus the reason he was sitting in his rented room, rolls of parchment left over from his school year spread out around him as he discovered one of the most frustrating aspects of his new existence.
Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards.
Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards.
Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards.
Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards.
Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards.
Wadding up the parchment he chucked it against the wall and gripped the sides of his head in frustration. There had to be a better way to organize all of the recent things that had happened when it him it.
'Pause' he thought to himself. Nothing happened. He tried a few more times and still nothing happened. If not for the recent very annoying notifications and the physical incapability to even spell the word Magicka. He threw his hands up in frustration.
"aaaaagh why didn't I let Tyran explain this shit?" He grumbled to himself. Then he twitched. And twitched again. Looking down he saw a miniature version of Tyran walking on his leg.
"Hello again, Chosen" came the voice which did not seem to be affected by the being's size. Amazingly it jumped off his leg and grew to the normal size that he first encountered it at.
"Pause" Tyran said with conviction and suddenly the world grayed out except for the two of them.
"How did you do that?" came the whisper of our raven-haired bespectacled well-meaning nincompoop of a hero.
"I told you before, you have to think it with intent. In my case my voice is your thoughts. Only you can hear me" Across from him was another chair that Tyran took for itself "Are you enjoying yourself so far? Fate was laughing so hard when you got yourself emancipated 2 years early. She thought that it might happen, but her money was on 4th year"
"Wait I thought Fate was all knowing?" Harry asked as he examined the motes of dust in the air. His arms and legs went through anything that he meant to touch which he played around with at the table for a moment, but the chair seemed to still work normally.
Tyran smiled with unmistakable fondness, "She usually is. In the interest of giving you a fair swing of things though she has chosen to remain a little further away from meddling with your life this time around. Certain events will still happen as I'm sure you saw with your Chosen One Disadvantage. Now, I can only be with you in the tutorial level. This Diagon Alley as it were. So there isn't much time and we still have much to go over hence why I chose to Pause the world while we discuss a few basics"
"What do you mean? Tutorial?" Harry scratched his head as he propped his feet up on the table
Tyran smacked his feet off the table before responding "Yes, the Tutorial. Here you will learn what it means to be living life as a game, we will go over some of the advantages and disadvantages of this life and I will answer any and all questions as best as I can"
With a motion to continue Tyran said aloud and with conviction "Character Sheet" and a large parchment unfurled in the air in front of Harry, causing him to make an odd eep noise and tumble backwards.
Chuckling Tyran pointed at the sheet. "This is you. Literally everything that the game governs, or affects is on this sheet. It won't tell you how many pimples you have but it will let you know if there's an Active Effect that is causing an extreme growth for example"
With a hum of acknowledgement Harry's eyes roamed the sheet, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Well, as ordinary as a 7 foot by 4 foot sheet of parchment floating in a grayed out world and detailing a disturbing amount of information can be. Scratching his head in frustration, he looked back at Tyran "Help?"
"Certainly. At the top you will see basic numbers. Your name of course, your class and level. Your Health which is the total amount of life force remaining in your body, your Magicka which is the total amount of magical energies within you, and your Stamina which represents a tangible number to the amount of physical effort you can exert at one time. Below that are your stats and any current modifiers. If you see next to Perception you have a +10 symbol to represent the bonus from poor eyesight as your glasses are on. Take them off and it will change to a -8. Similarly you will see your Magic boosted from your various perks. These numbers can and will change as you grow and train but take the most time to change. For example, your strength is currently 5 as you have grown some since the First-Year sheet you saw in the Options. If you were to focus on the skill Weightlifting which is a purely strength-based skill, then as you increase in levels of that skill you will see benefits to your Strength, and perhaps even your Constitution depending on the method of training up to a certain point. It is a very fluid system. But Mastery of the skill will not make you the strongest man alive. It is the same reason that even the best Weightlifters are not necessarily the hardest hitters. Strength needs skill to be guided. Also each skill offers diminishing returns at each Rank of the skill; Apprentice for 1-25, Journeyman for 26-50, Expert for 51-75, and Master for 75-100 but offer bonuses at each rank." Harry paid apt attention to the description. He needed to, as he knew that he would be working diligently to level everything as quickly as possible in order to defeat Voldemort.
With a flourish, the Character Sheet shimmered and rolled up "You will also discover skills as you progress through the world, either from books or from sheer force of will, or even secrets buried throughout the world. What I mean by force of will is that if you were to braid someone's hair it would not confer a bonus as there is currently no Hair Styling skill on your Character Sheet. Certainly there are skilled people of that vocation. If you were to braid hair 50 times, you might unlock the skill. Once the skill is unlocked it becomes much easier to get a few more levels in it. True mastery of a skill takes immense time and effort as I'm sure you will see"
Tyran stood up and stepped onto the table, beginning to shrink again the Construct reformed into a bracelet covered in the dizzying arrays of Runes that Harry remembered from the Center before zooming through the air and securing itself around his wrist. "Now let us begin with the basics Chosen and renotify you of the Accomplishments you have already achieved so that you may receive your bonuses accordingly. We may not change the events of previous years, but Fate felt that you could benefit from the bonuses, and as it stands even a basic 2nd year would beat you until these are added"
Congrats! You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. +2 to Magic. Access to Hogwarts Granted.
Congrats! You joined the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team. +2 to Broom Handling, +10 to Quidditch +25 Reputation with Gryffindor House
Congrats! You have become the youngest Seeker in a Century! +5 to Broom Handling, +5 to Quidditch
"What would be the difference between Quidditch and Broom Handling?" Harry asked as the Notification sounded in his head.
"Quidditch is the basic ability to catch, throw, and block a Quaffle. It also determines strength and accuracy when hitting a Bludger, and the way that a Snitch might react around you. It's also a Unique skill in that if you were to play Keeper or Beater your skill level would change accordingly to allow growth in that Position. It is this way with many sports." Tyran explained helpfully.
Congrats! You have passed the Philosopher Trials. +5 to Chess, +1 to Broom Handling, +2 to Potions, +1 to Alchemy.
Congrats! You have won the House Cup! +75 to Reputation with Gryffindor House. -25 to Reputation with other Houses.
Congrats! You have dueled with Malfoy! Must have felt great to have indulged in childish rivalries right? +1 to Dueling, +1 to Parseltongue. -1000 Reputation with Hogwarts.
"Wow… 1000? Its amazing that Gryffindor didn't hate me too…" Harry mumbled.
Tyran felt the need to respond anyways, "Well classifications like Hogwarts or Ravenclaw apply to the nameless of that Faction, people you have not interacted with enough to be warranted their own Reputation ranking"
Congrats! You have discovered Lockhart's Lies and given him his just desserts! Obliviate Spell Learned. Hair Style Spell Learned.
Congrats! You have discovered the lost Chamber of Secrets! Access to Chamber of Secrets Granted. New Save Point discovered. New Instance discovered. +10 Parseltongue.
"Instance? Save Point?" Harry inquired.
"Yes. There are places in this world where you can enter an Instance. This is one of the things only a Chosen can do, where they enter a pocket plane much like the Center that exists outside of Time and where you can do some training" Tyran elaborated.
Congrats! You have destroyed Tom Riddle's Diary. +5 to Parseltongue. +10 to Dark Arts. Life Debt with Ginerva Molly Weasley earned.
"Whoa whoa whoa, Life Debt?" the young hero asked the Construct.
"Yes. If in enough risk of losing Life or Magic, then a Life Debt can form between the savior and the one they saved. Their Magic views yours as superior and will bow in subservience to you. Basically if you activate this you pretty much own young Ginerva until such time as you release her or her magic reestablishes its independence. If you do nothing with it then it may go away, but if memory serves her desire to be with you activated the debt on its own" the red and black Runic being tapped its temple a couple times as if in thought but let the listing continue.
Congrats! You have defeated Salazar Slytherin's Legendary Basilisk. +40 Parseltongue. Parseltongue Language Mastered! 4 Skill Boons available. +5 to Dark Arts. Sword of Godric Gryffindor added to Inventory. Basilisk Materials added to Inventory. +5000 Galleons. +10000 Exp.
Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 6. Skill points awarded. 85 Skill Points unspent. One Home Token unused. 8 Skill Boons unused. 12 Stat Points unused. 3 Feat Points unused.
"I will explain Feats, Skill Boons and Stat Points when we level you up" Tyran supplied before the inevitable questions.
Congrats! You are Level 3! Feat Screen unlocked. Class Specialization unlocked.
"Fucking hell… That was a lot" Harry stated bluntly. There was a soft thud as he flopped back into the seat behind him and the world regained color.
-Fin-
Chapter 3: Diagon Alley, Inheritance, Levelling Up.
The large character sheet stood open in front of Harry. Next to all his stats stood plus signs. Currently he was scratching his head in annoyance as he thought about what would help him. Tyran resided on his wrist in the elaborate bracelet form. His Inventory had much more in it than it did before. It was all very confusing, and long. It was also explained that only Magical skills offered Boons which were additional bonuses on top of the intrinsic bonus of having the skill leveled. He had already applied the Skill Boons he had available which wasn't many compared to the list of skills he had available. But he had 85 points. He could walk into 3rd year ready to receive his Mastery in Transfiguration if he were so inclined. He was also baffled at what was a skill and what was not, as DADA was not. But Tyran explained that the spells involved were of other generalizations of magic and that the class was more about arming yourself with Defensive Spells, Counters to spells which fell under the category of the spell that caused the negative effect, and knowledge of Dark Magical Creatures. And apparently even though he knew of some skills not on this list such as Ancient Runes, he would need to receive at least a basic understand of the skill in this life and essentially learn it fresh. His current bonuses were a rough estimation of his previous skills prior to the age of 13 from Primary school and 2 years of Hogwarts education.
Then Feats were offered, and he had to choose those too and they were basically Perks in and of themselves. With a sigh he started again at the top and read through.
Harry James Potter
Age: 13
Class and Level: Apprentice Wizard 6
Health: 105
Magicka: 270
Stamina: 165
Stats
Strength- 3
Dexterity- 14
Constitution- 4
Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses)
Intelligence- 18
Willpower- 9
Magic- 4 (+15)
Charisma- 18
Perks:
Fated Luck: +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.
Magical Powerhouse: +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.
Flyer: +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.
Parselmouth: +35 to Parseltongue.
Family Heritage: +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.
Puberty = Truck: Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.
Linguist: +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.
Represent: +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.
Disadvantages:
Poor Eyesight: -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.
Chosen One: -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.
Feats
Magic Skills
Transfiguration – 15
Herbology – 10
Charms – 15
Potions – 14
Astrology – 11
Defensive Spells – 20
Care of Magical Creatures – 5
Dark Arts – 18
Alchemy – 1
Physical Skills
Quidditch – 2 Keeper, 2 Beater, 6 Chaser, 45 Seeker
Boon Seeker: You are able to track the Snitch more readily! Snitch will give an indicator when it is about to change direction.
Running – 16
Weightlifting – 4
Swimming – 3
Acrobatics – 18
Climbing – 15
Sword – 8
Cloth Armor – 33
Boon: Regular Clothes Shmegular Clothes. Any cloth is armor! +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide +2 per slot.
Social Skills
Diplomacy – 10
Intimidation – 1
Performance – 2
Etiquette – 1
Flirting – 4
Sense Intention – 10
Chess – 12
Stealth Skills
Disguise – 3
Sleight of Hand – 5
Lying – 6
Escaping – 21
Stealth – 24
Hybrid Skills
Dueling – 4
Broom Handling – 51
Boon: You have a need for speed and your broom realizes it. +10 MPH to max speed regardless of model!
Boon: While on a Broomstick, gain +10 to Dodge!
Mental Skills
Parseltongue – 100
Boon: Snakes have a predisposition of +2000 Reputation when you reveal yourself as a Speaker
Boon: Spells with a 'Sss' sound may be cast in Parseltongue for +5 Difficulty Rating to overcome
Boon: The nuances of Parseltongue make other languages seem easy. +1 to Learning if it involves Languages.
Boon Mastery: May have a magical snake as a Familiar that does not count against your familiar slot.
English – 70
History – 15
Science – 9
Mathematics – 10
Class Specialization Apprentice chosen: +5% Exp Gain. +2 Learning. Unlocks Specializations Sorcerer, Mage, and Archmage at further levels.
Tyran's voice now seemed to come out of his mind instead of seeming to be spoken aloud, and it was through this that he knew he had also had a Class Specialization available that would allow him to streamline a little in the long run but did not offer many bonuses. He chose with the most general one that seemed to imply the best long-term bonuses and went with Apprentice. Battlemage was too combat oriented, with the further specialization of Warlock, Spell-blade, and Eldritch Knight at further levels but had offered increased abilities with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor in his Inventory. Arcane Trickster was far too passive as well even though the ? for further specialization did tempt him a bit. It helped that Tyran also explained that any bonuses the Specializations could provide could be found elsewhere but Harry didn't get much else out of him regarding that.
For the stats, Harry wanted to round out his character a bit and chose to bring Strength, Constitution, and Magic up to 8 points. The bonuses he had to Magic were useful, but he wanted them to augment an already impressive pool instead of just be the reason he had a decent pool to begin with. With confirmation that it was allowed Harry also chose to save the 85 points he had for now and perhaps spend them before school once he finished the Tutorial.
3 Feat points though. That was what was currently stumping Harry. Feat Points were earned through quests and every odd level. He regretted not choosing 2nd year now as apparently if he had gotten the Chamber of Secrets quest instead of simply an after the fact bonus, he might have earned a lot more benefits. Each odd level unlocked between 1 and 3 Feats for purchase with previous level Feats still able to be earned. He had 6 options available and had already chosen 1 to augment the Apprentice and Magical Powerhouse bonus.
The Wand Chooses the Wizard but the Wizard Chooses the Spell: +3 to Learning when it involves spells. This gave him a +10 to learn new spells. That was immense according to Tyran as no other Wizard or Witch had a Character Sheet or Perks or Feats though, so Harry knew that this time around he would end up much stronger than any of his peers. Hermione might still give him a run for his money though. Learning affected the rate at which he would receive skill experience so he knew he would be picking up a language or two before long as the Apprentice bonus added to his Linguist Perk and Parseltongue Boon as well.
Browsing through the remaining 5 options he eventually decided on 2 more for now, again with a focus on long-term growth and the knowledge that he could pick up 1 more before school as he was hellbent on getting to Level 7 before then.
Magical Aura: Your magic radiates around you, impressing those with the ability to sense it and offering defensive capabilities. +5 Damage Reduction to Spells. +10 to Social Skills against sensitive targets.
Motion of the Potion: Potions no longer require a 3 second Drinking Action. When he had initially saw this perk Harry wondered what the heck it meant but Tyran explained that all potions would require him to essentially remove himself from combat for 3 seconds to drink it. It was one of a few ways that people outside of the Game System had an advantage over him, so he opted to remove that advantage as soon as he could. And essentially being able to 'think' about the potion to drink it from his Inventory Hotbar was very useful and discrete as he thought of the Polyjuice he utilized in 2nd year.
With another glance at the available options Harry finally stood up and headed to the bed for a well-deserved rest, only to see an odd menu floating above it.
Wait
Rest
"Ah, you have found another perk of the Gamer System. Essentially you no longer have a true need for sleep. Mental wear and tear is still taken into account though and your mind will still receive the full benefits of resting even if you only rest the minimum 1 hour" Harry's grin reached new levels at Tyran's helpful input. The Guide was truly becoming intuitive to his questions. Harry selected decided to rest until 6 AM before going exploring. Finally!
Strolling down Charing Cross Road was a truly impressive young man. Red hair, medium auburn in color, down to his ears and stylized in a manner that looked windblown. Broad shoulders for his age and a rather impressive swagger to his step the boy would normally catch the eye of any girl his age and maybe even a few years older if not for the ragged clothes he wore. But considering no one could see the multitude of clothes currently residing in his Inventory this was exactly what Harry wanted as he swung the door of the Leaky Cauldron open and quickly made his way through to his room which he knew he would need to rent again on his way back down.
It was currently 11 AM and young Harry had just spent a few hours in the Muggle world with about £20,000 still converted from his deal with Vernon. In the interest of enjoying his newfound freedom he had sprung for a nice haircut from a girl named Hannah that went full makeover on him. At her recommendation he had then went to a string of stores nearby that had been more than happy for the young man to spend his money.
He now had clothes that were current, stylish and well-made. Once up in his room he quickly utilized the Inventory System to put his old clothes away and adorn himself in new trainers, some well-fitting gray jeans and underwear, a maroon button-up short sleeve under a new gray vest and some prescription contacts. Luckily the menu prevented any annoyances of learning to put the contacts in.
Checking himself in the menu, Harry decided that he very much appreciated what 8 strength looked like on a 13-year-old him as the arms of the shirt were able to show off his newly pronounced biceps and forearms. Stats like strength didn't need to show him off as a musclebound idiot which he appreciated as thanks to Tyran he was now able to see the feature under strength that decided how much muscle would be apparent. The slider would steadily grow as he upped the stat but would never force him to look immensely large as the look never appealed to him. This was doubly good as Harry fully intended to maximize as many stats as he could this go-around.
Descending the stairs again he approached Tom the Barkeep, "Hello, I'd like to extend my stay 3 days as I still have some business in the Alley. How much would I owe?"
Tom glanced at the boy, so different from the one he met a couple years ago "Well it would only cost 1 Galleon and 4 Sickles for 3 more nights. Is it wise to be away from home so long though Mr. Potter? Haven't you heard about Black?"
With a grimace Harry realized he had forgotten that Sirius escaped this summer. He had known it but forgot the effect it would have on his now being essentially homeless. Thankfully Tom mistook the grimace as the boy simply displaying his distaste for the man who betrayed his parents.
"I have. I doubt an escapee would have the means to track me down to Diagon so soon after his escape though. I plan to be safe and sound by Thursday" Harry explained with a charming smile that Tom matched as best at the toothless man could as a nod and money were exchanged.
With that business done, Harry made his way into Diagon Alley and through it straight to the Bank of Gringotts. The people of the alley, mostly housewives and servants on errands, sent a few appreciative glances at the well-dressed boy though a few of the more traditional witches scoffed at his lack of robes. He would fix that soon. Their scoffs turned to disguised coughs though as he had his scar on full display and they realized just who they were scoffing at. Harry intended to seize control of his fame this time and that unfortunately meant letting the rest of the world know that he was Harry James Fucking Potter. A few flashes of light as he passed the Teen Witch Weekly booth meant that he would be getting some good publicity he hoped.
Once inside the bank he pulled up short as floating above the head of all of the tellers were golden exclamation points. Tyran explained that it was simply to show he had a pending reward acceptance from them for a recent achievement and reminded Harry that he was here for his inheritance from the quest with Vernon.
Quickly recovering he walked up to the closest teller and received directions to an office a little closer to the entrance to the cart tunnels. Once there he knocked on the office labelled Inheritances, Wills, and Heir Logistical Offices. This led to a large hallway labelled with doors all in alphabetical orders. A human woman stood to the side.
"Hello, my name is Clarissa. Please follow the hall to your Family office and a Goblin will be with you shortly" she said this with a charming smile that Harry matched. The woman gawked as he walked by and his scar got noticed. Yup, definitely a front-page feature.
The Potter office, though he had no frame of reference, seemed well appointed if a bit unused. There was a small layer of dust on some of the belongings, but Harry knew from experience that any magic cast in Gringotts usually led to trouble so instead of the seat he perused the desk. From his past he knew that families rented an office within Gringotts for family matters such as this as it made all the logistic business with vault keys and record keeping much easier. There was even a mail slot that transported any documents put inside directly to the office at the Ministry that handled similar matters.
Soon enough a Goblin walked in and took a seat in front of the desk and Harry behind it "I won't take much of your time Master Goblin, I'm simply here to receive access to my family vault. I also have need to purchase a Portkey to Hogsmeade as I intend to spend the rest of my summer in that area. Would you be able to assist me?"
The Goblin smiled and responded "Certainly, Lord Potter. Gringotts found it as a surprise that your accounts suddenly became active early yesterday afternoon, but my tellers tell me that you had a very convincing argument with your Muggle relatives. We can head to the vault now and I will have an assistant get the Portkey ready. When do you need it to activate?"
Again from his past Harry knew that any domestic Portkeys were simple enough to purchase and figured that based on his conversation with Tyran that the tutorial would only last 3 world days he would be best off to have a plan on where to head afterwards. He ruled out going to the Weasleys or the Grangers as they would simply worry too much about him and he needed autonomy for the rest of the summer. It was sheer luck that he hadn't been accosted by someone from Hogwarts or the Ministry thus far but figured that since he didn't blow up his aunt this summer he might be flying under the radar at the moment. This was also why he didn't take the Knight Bus as he didn't trust Stan Shunpike.
"I would like it voice activated with the phrase 'Hoggy Warty'" There was always safety in options.
"Certainly" With a few choice words in Gobbledygook to a smaller Goblin outside they headed to the cart tunnels through a side door and soon were speeding below London at breakneck speed.
"Are there any useful words in Gobbledygook that a Human might benefit from knowing?" Harry asked carefully as they zoomed around a turn and passed through the Thief's Downfall. He was hoping to get a baseline translation to perhaps unlock the skill, but he had no idea how careful they were with their language.
Luckily the Goblin seemed amicable and taught him the word for teller, vault, and gold but this wasn't enough to prompt anything from the system. Maybe there was a primer he could get somewhere that would unlock it for him.
Soon enough they stopped in front of an area just below where he knew the Lestrange vault to be and they quickly made their way past the greenish dragon that guarded the vault door.
Inside the vault was magnificent. Gold was piled high, a few effects from the Potter Manor were stacked in the corner but he knew the rest was lost when the building burnt up. There was a section in the front that belonged to his parents and had 2 school trunks and 2 regular trunks of various things. Double checking to ensure that the Goblin was waiting on the other side of the closed vault door Harry nodded to himself.
"Tyran can you explain the Inventory System and Crafting System again?" Harry asked.
"Why yes I can, Chosen." With the sound of a throat clearing Tyran began, "The Inventory System is one of the most powerful aspects of the Gamer. Unlike some systems that correlate a gravity effect upon the user based on the amount of stuff within his Inventory this system is free. The storage space directly correlates with the amount of Magic a user has but there is a sort and search feature in case it gets cluttered. Currently you have 800 slots. Each item of a certain type takes up a slot and duplicates stack infinitely. So you will have Galleons in one slot, Sickles in another, and Knuts in a 3rd but those items stack infinitely. The true strength of the Inventory System comes from the ability to have items stored inside other items. If you were to fill a trunk with books, then the trunk would take up 1 slot. The trunk would need to be removed from the Inventory to access the books and the trunk may not be magically enhanced storage. This is a minor balancing feature but also prevents any extradimensional errors involved with storing magical areas inside magical areas. This only applies to the Inventory System as there is conflict to conventional magics in this area. The Inventory System is applied to any pockets or storage on your person such as pouches, pockets, hidden stashes in a boot and such and there is no size requirement to moving items in and out of storage. This prevents you from losing access to your Inventory except in the most extreme of cases. You may also set up a Hotbar of items. These slots again correlate to your Magic. You have 8 slots currently. Items placed on the Hotbar may be accessed with a thought similar to a Switching Spell and will appear as a wandless version of such a Spell to an onlooker"
His mind still spinning even after hear this explanation again Harry committed as much of it to memory as he could before Tyran began again, "The Crafting System is equally impressive in its strengths for the Gamer. Once a basic understanding of an item is acquired, either through Study, Use, or Dismantle the Gamer may attempt to craft a similar item from Materials he acquired from the world. These materials may be acquired from Monsters, Quests, Dismantle, or from Shops. The Crafting System utilizes a chance of success based on quality of Materials, appropriate Skill, and a dash of Luck. Critical successes lead to Masterwork items that are of a higher bonus than an item of equal Material and Skill. The strength of this System comes from the lack of time to create an item. What may take a Master 4 days to complete will still only take you but a few seconds at the appropriate Crafting Station. Polyjuice Potion for example would only take a few seconds despite the month-long brewing process"
Now some may say that Harry Potter was dumb. And many would have been right. But our new and improved Harry had an Intelligence of 18 which was much higher than his previous life. As such he looked around the room with renewed interest. Quickly depositing almost 95% of the Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts into his Inventory he moved over to the trunks and stored those too. He grabbed all the weapons and armor that were displayed but there wasn't much in the vault unfortunately, just a few decorative daggers, swords, and ceremonial armor. The jewelry and gems were useful though as he intended to see about Enchanting as a Skill as soon as he could.
All in all he was the proud owner of almost 10,500,000 Galleons worth of money which was much more than he would need in a few lifetimes living normally. He knew that interest would still deposit here and knew enough of his family's logistics to know how much it needed to keep running. He could come back here in a couple years and make another sizeable withdrawal if the need ever came up. With one last glance around for any other items worth taking he grabbed a few of the old wardrobes stored from ancestors. The styles were lame, but the cloth had been preserved well enough to be dismantled. Unfortunately many of his ancestors had a predisposition for expanded pockets and he couldn't take as many as he liked. Joining the Goblin outside they zoomed back up to the surface and Harry now knew the words for dragon, wizard, wand, Sickle, Knut, and Galleon. Still no prompt though which sort of bummed our hero out.
On the surface he thanked the Goblin and put on his family ring. He was interested to see that it was Magical according to the game.
Potter Lordship Ring: Grants Access to Potter Wards. Detects Poisons. +5 Diplomacy.
"My word is that Harry Potter? Look at that ring. Look at the hair. He has his Lordship?" whispers such as these followed Harry out of the bank. There were a few high society types who recognized him and his ring from his father and grandfather. It seemed he was making waves today. Lord Potter would bet his Inventory that he received at least a letter from Dumbledore today he was sure.
Quickly he headed down the street to Twillfit and Tattings to purchase school robes, formal robes, dress robes, and casual robes. He spared no expense and had enough full sets in his Inventory to make even a Malfoy nod his head in respect. Leaving the shop he had on a stylish Acromantula Silk Robe over his previous outfit. Once he saw how useful the cloth was, he quickly bought a few bolts for when his Crafting Skill was levelled. The material was notoriously hard to come by though.
There was now a small crowd in the street as he made his way across the cobblestones to Magical Menagerie where he bought a young Boomslang who he named Kijani. This meant green in Swahili according to the Snake and was what his captor had called him. Harry knew the skin it shed could be used for Polyjuice and any fangs it lost would be helpful for potions as well. The small green snake curled up inside on of his pockets with a promise not to bite him if he reached into it. Regardless he chose not to jostle the snake much as he made his way over to Flourish and Blotts with the intent to utilize another of the Gamer bonuses.
"Books carry knowledge, and many a bibliophile has devoted their life to the symbols and words carried in its bindings. The Gamer has no time for that and will instead benefit from a quick perusal of its pages. Skill books will glow gold, but any book may be read in this manner" Tyran had explained earlier today.
Inside the store Harry started laughing to himself as all around him were books glowing gold. It became apparent though that much of the gold around him was multiple copies of the same book. Grabbing a Charms text off the shelf he quickly flipped through the pages and smiled as Tyran's voice rang out in his head.
+1 Charms
Looking around he quickly made short work of the remaining golden books. There were some about many subjects and his skill list received a decided lengthening once he was done.
+8 Charms
+7 Transfiguration
+4 Defensive Spells. Protego Learned. Maxima Spell Variant Learned
+2 Dueling
+2 Astrology
+4 Divination
+6 Ancient Runes
+8 Arithmancy
+1 Alchemy
+1 Enchanting Harry smiled as he put the primer away, this would be a good skill to put some points into he decided but moved on to the next section.
+8 Care of Magical Creatures
+6 Potions
+12 Herbology
+2 Quidditch, All Positions
+1 Sword
+3 Etiquette
+2 Performance
+1 Chess
+1 Broom Handling With those sections Harry rubbed his slightly hurting head and then saw a section that made him chuckle a bit. Oh he would show Fleur what a leetle boy could do.
+4 French
+2 Gobbledygook
+8 German
Sporting a now splitting headache Harry left the store and immediately wished he hadn't. Outside stood Minister Fudge, and an escort of 4 Aurors. Quickly Harry paused and put 10 Points in Etiquette. He would need the additional knowledge to get out of this with his plan intact.
"Ah, hello Mr. Potter. I'm glad to have caught up to you, you've had a very busy day it seems" Fudge chuckled nervously as he stepped forward and held out his hand. Harry turned with him and smiled at the camera as they shook hands and began walking towards the Leaky Cauldron.
"Hello indeed Minister Fudge. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry said as they strolled down the streets. The Aurors kept up and watched the now rather large crowd intently.
"I was merely passing through when I heard you were in the Alley. I'm here on official Ministry business you see, but I couldn't help but be worried for your safety. Have you read the Prophet recently?" The green bowler hat rotated in the pudgy man's hand as Harry formulated a good response.
"I have. Unfortunate business that Azkaban was unable to hold the man responsible for so much tragedy, including my own" Harry took a quick turn down a side street. He didn't want Fudge to pressure him to Floo anywhere.
A nervous chuckle, "Right, right. We have our best Aurors tracking Black through the country now. There are some promising leads in the North Scotland area"
"Well that seems a far reach from local London. I only intend to stay within the Alley for a few more days. Lordship business you see" Harry flashed his ring "I recently came into my inheritance and there's quite a few things I'm getting caught up on. Perhaps we can grab some lunch here and I can pick your brain on a few matters? My treat of course" They came to a stop in front of a nice restaurant that served traditional English fair and had quite the selection of brews according to Mr. Weasley.
Fudge's grin grew as he thought of himself as confidante to the Boy-Who-Lived and Harry knew that he had the man placated for the moment.
Bidding farewell to the portly and now slightly tipsy man Harry walked towards the Leaky with an intent to grab a Gamer nap before he got sidetracked again. Luckily no one else approached him and now rested and secure in his room he made some preparations. He grabbed the trunks out of his inventory and placed them on the floor. Deciding to start with his Father's he opened the general trunk and rummaged through it. He didn't look in these much at the Bank beyond a simple glance to confirm they weren't expanded but it looked like even his Father felt that was unnecessary on most trunks. Confirming it was simply some clothes, he kept a tie, some cufflinks, and a watch but Dismantled the rest into Materials and the trunk soon followed.
+3 Tailoring
+1 Trunk Making
The school trunk rewarded him a bit more though. Inside were all his Dad's school books which were quickly perused as they were not available at the bookstore which seemed to only carry current subjects and authors.
+7 Transfiguration. 1 Skill Boon Available
+3 Charms. 1 Skill Boon Available
+4 Defensive Spells. 1 Skill Boon Available.
+3 Astrology
+4 Potions
Harry even lucked out and saw an older edition of the Gryffindor Playbook and netted a +3 Quiddtich, All Positions +4 Chaser from reading it. He set that one into his Inventory with the intent to give to Oliver this year. There was also a book titled Guide to Being an Heir: For Dipshits that had a hilarious footnote inside from Sirius. Apparently, the Black scion had had the book commissioned with the least helpful information he could find including 'If you meet a young lady, and she tickles the fancy, put your dick on the table and tell her you fancy a tickle'. It was well worth the -1 Etiquette, how dare you in Harry's opinion. During the Dismantle process he found out that there had been a hidden drawer inside, and a book titled Marauder's Playbook fell out. This net a whopping +20 Pranking and +10 Animagus Transformation that Harry really enjoyed. He set the book aside for Sirius.
Mother's trunk Harry quickly determined that his Mom had been a bit of a diary fiend. Luckily, she was studious enough that in addition to some rare Charms and Potions books he was able to net quite a few more points. Though he didn't need to know that his mom was a 30B when he Dismantled the clothes.
+3 Charms. 1 Skill Boon Available.
+2 Potions. 1 Skill Boon Available.
+1 Transfiguration. 1 Skill Boon Available.
+2 Ancient Runes
+2 Arithmancy
+4 Defensive Spells
+4 Divination
+1 Care of Magical Creatures
+2 Herbology
+1 Dark Arts. Sectumsempra Spell Learned Harry gave a start at this but realized that there was a note written in the same handwriting he remembered from his 6th year Potions book. Snape had given her a copy of his Sectumsempra Spell with a note that said, 'JUST IN CASE'.
A quick look through her regular trunk and he chose to leave this one alone, as inside was her Wedding dress still in a Muggle protective bag. Checking the time, Harry went downstairs for a quick bite but soon came back up to the room and chose to Rest until 6 AM again. Tomorrow was a new day.
A/N: Dang. Over 5k words in this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed finally getting a full glimpse at Harry's character sheet. I apologize for all the weird capitalization, there are some things that are a bit … more than they typically would be and I'm trying to make that apparent. Hopefully I can keep it all straight. I'll start on Chapter 4 soon for you all, but its gonna be a busy work week so it may be a few days before anything is posted.
A quick side-note as Harry will dive right into it this year at Hogwarts, I intend to have him dating around for a while. Hence the flirting skill. I strongly doubt it will end up as a Harem as those are so tedious and unbelievable but there may be some Lemons involved down the line as Harry continues to grow and impress the people around him. If you have any requests of dates please let me know!
Til next time!