"Books! The greatest weapons in the world!" When Harry sees this, he becomes intrigued and asks what it's supposed to mean. What follows is a Harry that can wield mankind's greatest power… A power the Dark Lord uses, but doesn't exactly know.
Disclaimer: Any and all familiar-looking things that seem like you've seen them somewhere before are not owned or affiliated with me. These things may include, but are not limited to: the various works of J.K. Rowling; the Doctor Who, Supernatural, Assassin's Creed, Dragon Ball (Z, GT and Super), and Disney franchises. Others may be mentioned, and they are all owned and created by their own various owners, not me.
Words. Such fascinating things, they are. A bunch of funny little lines in strange patterns, vibrations in the air, but capable of so much. Sticks and stone may break your bones, but words can save, or end, hundreds of lives. They have a magic all their own, but often go overlooked. If one learns to wield them effectively…
Why, they might just save the world!
Harry walked down the empty street on a hot and lazy Sunday afternoon away from Privet Drive. This summer had been far from the best for him. First with the sudden death of Cedric (that he had mostly put behind him by now), then with the total block of communication about Voldemort from anyone with empty reassurances like "keep your head down, don't cause trouble" were starting to grate on him. Even Sirius, Marauder Extraordinaire, was telling him to not cause trouble. There was something very wrong with that, judging by all the stories he'd heard about the man.
So, tired as he was of stewing in his own frustration and helplessness, he had made up his mind to visit one of his old childhood haunts: the library. It was always a welcome place of solace away from all the Dursleys, since Dudley would never set foot in it and he always stayed there after school. Even just an hour whenever he could, was enough to let him relax and breathe. The librarian always kept an eye on him, but never got invasive about it. Harry would have no clue what to look for to read now, since all the kid's books would likely be intensely boing now.
Finally making it to the library, he stopped to stare for just a moment. The place had been heavily renovated in the past 5 years since he was last here. There was no longer a feel of a dusty old library any more, it was more of a modernized look. Brighter and more recently polished woods made up every desk surface, and the window panes were no longer fogged and scratched. It made a much lighter and airy mood, more friendly to the average bookworm. Part of him missed the old, darker, moodier atmosphere, but it was a welcome and refreshing change to be in such a warm place.
Warm though it was, it was still Sunday, and the library was still sparsely occupied. That suited Harry just fine, as he would prefer to read the day away in relative silence and solitude. He went over to the fantasy section on a whim, just to compare and maybe get some ideas for new things to try with actual magic. Well, maybe it was more to get lost in a good story, but that's how he'd justify it.
On arrival to the designated section, however, he noticed a large poster with a quote: "You want weapons? We're in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!" He stood there, staring at it, trying to make sense of what it was supposed to mean. Apparently for some time, as he was roused from his thoughts by a polite cough from what he could only assume was the librarian. Said librarian wore a plain pinstriped suit, had brown hair combed forward fashionably, and he wore black square-rim glasses. Underneath was a blue button-up collared shirt, with what appeared to be a second, brown shirt of the same style underneath.
"Need any help, lad?" said his Scottish-tinged voice.
"Oh, er, sorry Mr…," Harry glanced at his nametag (John Smith), "Smith. I was just trying to figure out what was meant by that quote on the wall there," he replied, pointing it out.
"Ah, I see now! Well, what've you been able to puzzle out so far?" asked the Librarian with a smile and a clever glint in his eye.
"Erm, well, it's the books part that's got me mixed up, sir. What makes books so… powerful?"
"Oh, books are wonderful! So much bigger on the inside, they can have whole worlds, even their own entire universe! Not to mention all the wonderful things you can learn. But it's not really the books that the basic part, see," said Smith with a passion.
"Huh? Then, what is it?" Harry asked, looking confused.
"It's the words in them that really do it, lad. I could tell you everything that happens in a book with just a few sentences, and you'd not care a bit about it. But these books tell such wonderful stories, create such marvelous characters, that you will never forget about them. With just ink on a page, the writer can make you feel for the people in them, even though you've never met or seen them in real life."
Harry turned back to the quote again and thought on the impromptu speech he'd been given. "Huh. I… guess I never really thought about it that way."
Mr. John Smith chuckled. "Yeah, not many do. But words can do so much good in the world, change so many things..."
"Yeah, they really can, can't they?" Harry said, more to himself than the Librarian.
"Well, kid, I guess we're all just stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?"
Harry paused for a moment. "Why would you-?" He turned to the other man, only to find himself alone. "Where… did he go? Hello?" he called. There was no reply.
"Ok, that was… odd. But…," Harry turned to the quote on the wall again, "he did have a good point…"
And in that moment, like a butterfly flapping its wings, a small and insignificant choice was made that caused an ever-so-slight, yet monumental change to the future.
Harry thought to himself, Maybe I should learn how to use this 'power of words' like he said. Wouldn't hurt to try, at least.
A/N: I was pretty heavy on the hints for it, but anyone know who Mr. John Smith the Librarian was a reference/cameo for? Make your own head-fanon for it if you want, he's unlikely to make another appearance unless it's for an omake or something. Thanks for reading, and please:
REVIEW!