Thanks to my beta - writhen heart for her help.
The idea of Hogwarts being online is inspired by Hato-ryou-chan's story - Completely Random Happenstance. Go and read it, it's a brilliant story.
Sirius Black locked his bedroom door and sank to the floor, clutching a packet of frozen peas to his chest. He took a couple of deep breaths before pulling the t-shirt from his body, wincing as his hands brushed against what would soon become a large bruise on his ribs, and wrapped the t-shirt around the frozen bag. He carefully pressed the bag to his face, ignoring the pain that shot through him at the touch.
Holding it with one hand, Sirius walked over to his desk and opened his laptop. A quick sweep of his messages and Facebook both proved to be of no interest, and he loaded World of Wizardry.
He watched as the loading bar moved across the page for a few minutes until the log-in screen appeared and he signed in. After a minute, his Avatar appeared on the screen.
Switching hands to hold the bag to his face, he plugged the mouse into the side of the laptop and clicked the character. The background changed into that of the boys' seventh year dorms. His avatar, Padfoot, had just started his seventh year at Hogwarts, and the sorting would take place in half an hour.
Sirius was never usually on at this time of the day, but his class schedule had changed due to his parents meddling, and his arguments over it had resulted in a punishment.
Not that the time he played mattered, it wasn't like he had any friends in the game to talk to, he usually kept to himself. Also, he realised it would be fun to watch the sorting again.
'Active Players on Servers 1 through 10 have all been merged into the new server.'
Sirius read the message that popped up fifteen minutes before the sorting. Owls had swooped down to each player with the owl post. Sirius never usually got any, apart from in-game notices from admin and the game makers.
He had a little while to wait, so he clicked on the message to read it.
'To our long-term players.
Enter our competition to win a golden opportunity - the chance to become part of the game.
Have you ever wanted to explore Hogwarts yourself as though you were walking through the halls? Have you ever wanted to experience the sorting as though you were the one sitting on the famous sorting stool, wearing the sorting hat? Would you like to visit Diagon Alley, and buy your first wand, your textbooks, your owl, rat or toad? Have you ever wanted to explore the castle, seeing it through your own eyes?
Would you like to make the game your reality?
For more information, please visit the Headmaster's Office to apply to be part of World of Wizardry.'
Sirius read the message through about five times trying to make sense of it. Did it actually mean being in the game? He decided to check it out after the sorting. He had to have read it wrong. Surely they weren't going to put people inside the game.
Were they?
He sighed, got up from his laptop and opened the window, leaning out and grabbing a drink from the box outside. In this weather, he kept things cold on the flat roof outside the room. Better than going downstairs where his parents would scream at him. He took his seat again and waited.
...oOo...
"Mum, dad, I had an idea for Hogwarts," a dark-haired boy shouted, running through the house with a notebook.
"Have you done your homework, James?" Charlus Potter asked his son.
"I have, I finished. Look, this is Gryffindor," James said, pushing a notebook in his father's face. "It's red and gold and this -" he pointed to a shield he had drawn. "- this is a lion. It's the house symbol."
Charlus looked over the detailed drawing of what looked like a sitting room.
"It's the Common room," James explained, watching his dad's expression. "I've done one for Ravenclaw too," he said, flipping the page over.
"Is the animal a raven?" Charlus asked, and James scoffed.
"Course not, it's an eagle," James replied. "Eagles are cooler."
Charlus smiled as his nine year old son explained the four houses to him. Charlus took the pages out of the notebook. His son had come up with some brilliant ideas, and he would add them into the game he was creating.
...oOo...
"Dad, I noticed there is a glitch with the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. It's a new NPC every year. Why is that?"
Dorea and Charlus both frowned. "Are you sure?" Dorea asked.
James nodded. "Discussion on the forums is that the position is cursed by a Dark Wizard so no Professor lasts more than a year."
Dorea made a note on the pad in front of her. "We'll look into it," she said. "Now, how was your first day back?"
"You would think the first day back would allow us to at least get used to being back. Instead they piled us with work. I wanted to watch the sorting tonight."
"Well, if you get on with your work now, you can watch the sorting in a couple of hours," Charlus said. James sighed and headed into the living room, throwing his bag onto the sofa and switching on the TV.
"Isn't fifteen a bit old for Spongebob?" Dorea asked as she brought James in a drink.
James shrugged before pulling out his new schoolbooks and getting to work. The rule in the house was no gaming until the homework for that day was done and he had so many ideas to show his parents.
...oOo...
"He's not going to wake up, Mr Potter. I'm sorry, but the chances of him waking are slim to none. He's been in the coma for over a year now."
Charlus watched the doctor walk away and turned to his wife.
"We're going ahead with the plan," Dorea whispered, tears in her eyes. "We put him in World of Wizardry. This is James' game. He designed most of it. It's his world. It's his chance to still have a life, because he's not going to wake up."
Charlus nodded, and looked at the eighteen year old laying in the hospital bed. Wires connected him to various machines and the occasional beep broke the silence.
"We'll get everything set up first, then we'll run the competition," Charlus said.
...oOo...
Remus Lupin carefully rolled over in his bed. His body was aching and he was struggling to move now. He could do the basic things, but getting out of bed proved to be difficult even with help. It was impossible to do alone.
He had to recover from the holiday his parents had taken him on. They had spent a week in Rome. It was all his parents could afford, but Remus didn't mind. He had loved the week there, only wishing he was well enough to truly enjoy it.
It took him a minute to sit up and fix the cushions. His mother insisted he call her whenever he needed anything at all, but he still tried to do the little things for himself. He pulled the table over his lap, the wheels slid under the bed and he switched his laptop on.
He checked the time and smiled. He was just in time to watch the sorting take place. The sorting was a monthly event for new players to be put into houses. He sent his avatar to take a seat at the Ravenclaw table.
He watched an owl swoop down with a couple of letters and decided to read them before the sorting started.
After reading, and the sorting, Remus sent his character to the Headmasters Office. His heart was pounding.
To be part of World of Wizardry would be amazing.
Remus looked through the questionnaire that appeared on the screen as he walked in. He read the top carefully, stating that they would indeed be part of the game itself.
This was his chance. He slowly began filling in the fields.
John Lupin walked into his son's room to find the boy asleep sitting up. He went to close the laptop but his eyes fell on the questionnaire. He took a read through, his eyes widening at the thought of his son being able to live.
He read through twice more before sitting on the end of the bed, the laptop turned towards him and he began the very slow process of filling in the questionnaire in more detail, outlining Remus' condition and how long his son had left to live.
John didn't want to lose his son, but it was either this game thing he had just read about, or death. He had seen on the news a bit about this game, and once he sent the application, he turned the laptop off, helped his son lay down properly to sleep and headed downstairs to his wife so they could look into World of Wizardry in more detail.
...oOo...
Charlus and Dorea had letters with appointments set up. They watched as teenagers and adults all turned up requesting to be put in the World of Wizardry.
There were a few applications they knew they would be accepting in on the spot.
They welcomed John Lupin into the office, and he explained how ill his son was, unable to make the journey himself. He told them that Remus didn't have much time, but before the illness, he was lively. Eager to learn, and spent every minute on World of Wizardry.
By the time he left, his son's application was moved straight into the yes pile.
It was a little while before a dark-haired boy walked in and took a seat. He talked about how amazing the game was, how he was part of the second server until the severs merged. Sirius Black made no mention of the black eye he had or the arm that was in a cast.
The Potter's didn't question why Sirius winced every time he shifted in his seat, and his good hand seemed to gravitate towards his lower ribs. Sirius had explained it all in his application, and though he tried to maintain a calm demeanour, he looked reluctant to leave.
Dorea's eyes met her husband's, and he nodded in agreement.
"Sirius, we want to put you in the programme early. Our son is in there alone... well, there are teachers, but he's not got anyone his own age. Would you like to go in a few days early to keep him company?"
Sirius' face lit up, and he jumped up from his chair, and quickly threw his good arm around Dorea. He reached his left arm out to shake Charlus' as the right was broken.
"Yes, thank you so much," Sirius said, to them. "I can't even think of what to say to tell you how grateful... I'll do good in there."
Dorea looked at the ecstatic boy in front of her.
"I don't doubt you at all, Sirius. If you go into the waiting room, we'll have someone come and collect you."
Once Sirius left, Charlus looked at his wife.
"Better let Albus know to expect an early student."
"He's not going to be happy about that," Dorea sighed.
"I know. He wanted the school to be empty so he could get into his role as headmaster," Charlus added.
"I just couldn't let that boy go home, did you see those bruises? The broken arm. I couldn't send him back to that."
"I know, Dorea."
...oOo...
The days passed quickly and the Potters prepared for those that were joining. They managed to sort out Professors by offering the chance to old teachers who were too old to teach or too ill to continue. Over the month, they slowly found enough people to fill the world out. Most of the applicants they chose were those that had a shorter life, or a difficult life and needed to escape. Anyone under eighteen needed parental permission as well as a doctor's review.
Then there was the competition running in-game itself, to complete a series of tasks and quests to win a place. There would be two winners from each combined server, providing the winner was over eighteen, and one winner from each of the newer servers.
The rules stated that the winner must be someone who had played World of Witchcraft for at least a year, so they knew what they were agreeing to.
...oOo...
"Okay, we have our first set of students," Dorea said, placing the applications and photos across the desk. "I have a good feeling about this group."
Charlus glanced through the photos they had taken for the files.
"Do they all have the legal documents signed?" Charlus asked.
Dorea checked each file for ages.
"Most of them are already eighteen... those that aren't, have the forms. There's one girl missing hers, we can offer her to start next year."
"So these will be in the same year as James?" Charlus asked, looking through the many pictures.
Dorea nodded. "Remus Lupin has the shortest lifespan, so I suggest we get these in first and work our way back through the rest."
"Get Albus to send out the Hogwarts letters," Charlus said.
That afternoon, the Hogwarts letters were sent out first class to those who had been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
...oOo...
James woke up and looked around him. He found himself laying in a bed. He got up, worried about where he was. He remembered leaving College, and then...
Nothing.
He came out of the room.
"James?" Came his mum's voice, and he spun around, trying to find her.
"It's okay, love, everything will be explained soon, can you head downstairs and to the Great Hall?" The voice said, echoing around the halls.
James obeyed his mother's voice and he found himself outside of a hall that he had helped design. He walked into the room to find two characters that looked like his parents. He could tell that they weren't really there, they looked more like the original avatars from the game.
"James, I know you don't like to be kept waiting, and you have no time for anyone who doesn't get to the point, so we're going to tell you the truth," Charlus began.
"You were in a car accident, son. You're in a coma and you're not going to wake up. We put you in the game. The programme that you wanted to test out, but we weren't able to take anyone out of it... that's where you are."
James' mouth dropped open in shock.
"You've been in a coma for over a year now," Charlus continued.
"You won't be alone here," Dorea explained. "We've decided to open this for others. We have people who are dying, people with cancer and people who are so alone coming to this world too. Once we've done all that, we'll be there with you. You know we always planned to send people into the game, but I didn't think it would be you going in."
"So... I'm more or less dead back in the real world?" James whispered, not sure how to feel about the whole situation. He was waiting to feel happy for being there in the magical world, or upset that he wasn't in the real world anymore.
"The pair nodded. "You were, that's why we put you through the game machine. We're so sorry, love, we didn't know what else to do. You helped create this world, we thought that maybe you'd rather be part of it than dead," Dorea replied. James could hear she was crying, even if her game avatar wasn't showing it.
"You'll come and see me often, right?" James begged.
They nodded. "The teachers are already there. Most of them are old and retired, and looking forward to this giving them many more years to live. You'll get a couple of years of schooling before you start work."
James nodded.
"Now, for privacy reasons, the only place family members with avatars can visit are the Grounds themselves, the entrance Hall, the Great Hall and the hallways leading towards the Headmasters Office. There is also a little private sitting room for just this reason," Charlus said.
"You'll be able to feel things too, as you would in real life. Pain, love, happiness. Remember James, you are actually in the game now. The code healed you. You can have a real life," Dorea told him.
"I'll miss you," James whispered.
"We'll follow in one day, we promise," Charlus said. "I've always fancied a shot at being an Auror after all. Let us get this working properly first, and soon we'll be in there with you. You can always OWL us. We're setting the OWLS us to a printer. The letters will be printed and sent to the family member requested. They can write back, so write to us."
James grinned, wiping away the tears.
"I will. When do the others get here?"
"Professor McGonagall will have a list of students that will appear in St. Mungo's the day before they are due to travel to Hogwarts on the train. We have one boy that we were concerned about. We couldn't send him home, his parents were abusive so he'll be in the Hospital Wing tomorrow."
"Great. Are there any girls?" he asked.
"A few," Charlus replied and James could hear the smirk in his voice. "Now, this body is your own. We can heal most things through the computer, but not everything, so take care of yourself."
Dora looked down at a book on the table.
"There is a copy of this book for each student who arrives. It will automatically be placed on each bed as the students are sorted. I'm making you head boy, and there is a girl who left school with high grades, I'll have her as the head girl. We'll get a couple of prefects there too. The younger years take more paperwork so they'll be a few more weeks and they'll be looking to you and the other sixth years to lead them."
"I will," James answered. "I'll look out for everyone. It feels weird without my glasses, can I have them back?"
"But you don't need them," Dorea said.
James looked at his father.
"Of course. We'll change them for plain glass first. They'll be with you tomorrow."
...oOo...
Sirius Black woke in a very comfortable bed. He lay there as long as possible, his eyes closed just savouring the silence. No parents screaming, no butler banging around, glaring at him. No threats, no violence.
Just the smell of food.
Sirius quickly sat up, determined to find the source of the food.
"I knew you were awake," a voice said, and Sirius turned to see a guy with dark hair and glasses carrying a couple of plates over to a table on the other side of the room.
"So, are you Sirius Black?"
Sirius nodded.
"Great, my parents... they run this, they told me to look out for you, so here I am. I'm James Potter."
Sirius nodded. "Weren't you in a coma?" He asked, frowning.
"Yeah. Chances of me waking up were slim to none. My parents sent me through here, they could use the computers to heal me and make me wake up. That's why they started this off earlier than planned - so I'd be able to live." James looked sad for a moment, before a grin covered his face. "So, were there any gorgeous redheads waiting to join this?"
"If you're talking about blokes, I saw a pair of twins."
James slumped back. "You didn't notice any girls?"
"Wasn't looking at the girls, James."
"Oh. More for me," James said, smiling again. "Let's eat, we've got to go to Diagon Alley and get our wands."
"James... if coming in here can fix my broken arm, why are you wearing glasses?"
James grinned. "For the ladies, they love them. Plus I tried not wearing them but felt odd without them."
Sirius laughed.
...oOo...
"Forget the redheaded twins," Sirius mumbled from the Gryffindor table. His eyes were locked onto the few students waiting to be sorted. "I think I'm in love."
"Me too," James said, staring at a redhead.
"Remus Lupin," Professor McGonagall called.
Sirius watched him walk over to the stool and turn around, and he couldn't breathe. This guy was perfect.
"Gryffindor," the hat shouted, and Remus headed over to the table, and slid into the seat next to Sirius.
"Welcome to Gryffindor," Sirius said.
"Thanks. I was Ravenclaw before, so it'll be strange to be in red and gold."
"I think red and gold would look good on you," Sirius replied.
"Oh. Thanks," Remus answered, blushing.
Lily spotted the blush and looked at Sirius.
"So, Sirius, where are you from?" She asked in hoping to divert his attention from a blushing Remus.
"I'm from London," Sirius said, before clamming up, worried she'd ask why he was there. They didn't need to know how weak he had been around his family.
Remus' face stayed red for a while. Apart from sneaking a look at Sirius every so often, he used the rest of the sorting to inspect the items on the table, examining a goblet and the plates.
...oOo...
Most of the new students went to bed, apart from a small group.
James passed out bottles to everyone, and raised his in the air.
"To our new lives. To being alive, being safe. New friendships and relationships. To World of Wizardry and all the new opportunities it brings us."
Remus tried not to focus on the way Sirius Black's hand found his on the word relationship, and they both brought the bottles to their lips.
He couldn't wait to learn about this new world that was now his home. He would write to his parents the next day to tell them all about the sorting. He wouldn't mention Sirius Black holding his hand, even though it made his heart beat fast. He just wanted them to know that he was better. That he was walking around and happy.
And that he missed them.
They watched as James presented Lily with a flower, and saw him whisper to her. Her excited expression dropped to one of disbelief and she pointed her wand at the flower he held out to her.
"Incendio," Lily said.
The flower caught on fire and shrivelled up. Lily stood up and glared down at James.
"Truly, you are the world's biggest prat!" With that, she stormed up the stairs without a backward glance.
"Boys, I'm in love," James announced, watching her retreating form. "I'm going to marry that girl."
"This is going to be an interesting new life," Sirius said, slipping his arm around Remus' waist, and smiling when the other boy didn't pull away or resist.
"Here's to us Gryffindors," James said, raising his bottle again, and the remaining students followed suit.
3829 Words
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Challenges/Competitions:
The Hunger Games: Fanfic Style Competition II - Round 3. Prompts (5) Word: divert, Emotion: ecstatic, Dialogue: "She's not going to be happy about that." (pronouns are changeable), Weapon: fire, Genre: Sci-Fi
Harry Potter Chapter Challenge - The Order of the Phoenix: 37. Write about something unbelievable.
Take a Lyric Competition - Prompt: 'But I didn't think it would be you'
The Lottery Competition: (7) Owl, (8) Travel, (15) "Truly, you are the world's biggest prat!", (25) James Potter, (33) Hogwarts, (36) Goblet,