Any material that could potentially be considered infringement of copyrights and trademarks should be considered the property of their respective creators or owners. You are reading this of your own freewill, so please refrain from doing so if you don't like graphic violence, explicit sexuality, vulgar language, polyamorous relationships, or usage of drugs. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you can leave a review or PM me. Also, if you would kindly review, favorite, follow, and/or share the story with communities, I would greatly appreciate it.
A/N: In this story, first year students at Hogwarts are the same age as freshmen in high school. This means that Harry, as a younger than average fourth year, will be turning eighteen before school starts (so that the romance isn't cringe inducing). I have also decided to update the world timeline of Harry Potter by thirty years, bringing it into the 'present' day.
Act One: Prologue
(Unknown Location; July 31st, 1998)
Harry Potter stared at the world around him, blinking in confusion. He was surrounded by shadowy darkness, facing the floating words, You Are Dead, written in eerie crimson ink. Grayed out below that were the words:
You Are Dead
Reload Last Checkpoint
Return to Title Screen
He couldn't believe what he was reading, or what it meant for him either.
"I sacrificed so much blood, sweat, and tears... and for what? A bloody game?" he muttered softly, still reeling from the shock of experiencing death. He'd accepted that he needed to die, and walked into the forbidden forest to face off against Lord Voldemort one final time. And in the end, it didn't even really matter. All of the conflicts and stress that he fought against for these past seventeen, almost eighteen, years was meaningless.
He cried for a few minutes, allowing his emotions to run their course while he continued thinking about what it was that he needed to do next. His hand wavered over Return to Title Screen, which glowed an even brighter red. It was nearly blinding in its radiance, yet he refused to look away from it. Then all the floating, luminescent ink swirled about before forming several more lines of words:
New Game
Load Save
Settings
Only the first and third choices were colored-in, meaning that he could actually select them. After ignoring a single prompt that asked him if he wanted to overwrite his last Checkpoint, he read a small box appeared soon after with this message.
Edit Name: (Harry James Potter)?
Edit Date: (June 31st, 1998)?
WARNING: CONSCIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF FUTURE EVENTS WILL BE LOCKED FOR GAMEPLAY PURPOSES!
Are You Sure You Want to Start a New Game?
He was certain that he wanted to start a new game, because that was the only choice left to him. But, the thought of losing that edge made him a bit nervous. But he just squared his shoulders.
But the date... well, that was definitely something that he was going to change... "Four years ought to do the trick..."
(Britain; July 1st, 2020)
Harry Potter was lying in his bed at Number Four, Privet Drive, counting the cracks in his ceiling. This was becoming something of a habit of his, now that he was back living with his extended family again. It was much too early in the morning for him to be moving about the house, but far too late for him to be able to get any sleep.
Insomnia was a bitch.
Lack of sleep had been ailing him recently, ever since the hectic last few days he'd had at school. The whole fiasco was clouding his mind, with images of Lupin as a werewolf or hundreds of dementors coming for his face constantly plaguing his dreams. He just couldn't sleep anymore.
In fact, his lack of sleep was having such a strong impact on him that he was seeing things. Right in the center of his vision at all times, no matter where he was looking, there was a slowly spinning, translucent lightning bolt (much like the scar on his forehead). Right under the symbol was the word Loading. He wasn't entirely sure how long this odd phenomenon had been going on, but he was feeling just lazy enough to humor it.
As sunlight started filtering its way through his curtains, the lightning bolt and accompanying word began expanding, before they promptly exploded into a shower of silent fireworks that he was sure only he would have been able to see. As the fireworks faded out of view, a holographic menu was left floating before his eyes.
Project Wizard
Have you ever felt like the world was too chaotic and disorderly? Have you ever felt like you lacked the freedom and agency to affect such a world? Well, congratulations! Your life has been transformed into a videogame! Unfortunately, a side effect of this new development is that you will have to relearn every skill or spell you have ever learned up to this point; be prepared for a very difficult next few weeks.
Would you like to take the Tutorial?
Yes
No
Puzzling at the options provided to him, he, more out of curiosity than anything else, shrugged and clicked Yes, which oddly provided some haptic feedback.
After all, if he was going to be dealing with this for the rest of his life, as he had a strange feeling was going to be the case, he might as well get a good handle on it. Besides, he didn't really know all that much about videogames, and a tutorial was probably the best way to learn.
The phantasmagorical screen minimized into a lightning bolt icon that was spinning, just above the word Loading. Then the icon, which had stayed in the exact center of his vision no matter where he looked, faded away. It didn't appear to be a physically present thing, because it had no reflection in his mirror, which didn't make him feel any better about the fact that he could see it.
Quest Unlocked: Tutorial
Objective 1: Explore Your Main Menu!
Completion Reward: 100 EXP
HINT: First, explore the menus available to you. To open up your Main Menu, simply think the words 'Main Menu' with note that there are many features that will be kept from you until you meet their requirements.
Blinking, the young wizard looked around his bedroom for signs of anything out of the normal. It was a little delayed, but a rushing feeling washed over him, the drums of war pounded in his chest, and some text overlaid parts of reality, something that he was vaguely sure that only he would be able to see.
Frowning at the fact that some things were going to remain hidden to him, he sighed and decided to just go along with it, for the time being. After all, it wasn't like he was going to be able to get rid of this videogame nonsense anytime soon. Without further ado, he did as he was instructed, and was presented with the following:
Main Menu
Status
Inventory
Journal
Data
Settings
After a brief moment wherein he took in all the different things for him to choose from, he idly moved his attention away form the menu to the world around him; he noticed that most of the sounds that he was used to, such as the ticking of a clock, the humming of the air conditioner, or the whirring of a fan, were all dulled. The colors of the world outside the menu were all faded, and the clock on his wall was ticking far slower than it had been before he opened the menu up.
"Interesting..." he muttered, to nobody in particular, before clicking the very first option available to him.
Status Submenu
Character & Condition
Attributes & Traits
Skills / Styles / Techniques
Abilities & Perks
Titles
Harry, in knowing that time was moving far slower than before, knew that he could take his time exploring the possibilities of his newfound power. Even more curious than before, he started working his way through all of the tabs.
Character
Name: Harry James Potter, Age: 16
Race: Human, ?
Level: 0, EXP: (0/100)
Title: The Boy-Who-Lived
Alignment: True Neutral
Threat Level: Delta
Condition
HP [Health Points]: 29/40(-10); 4(-1) HP/Minute
SP [Stamina Points]: 26/40(-10); 4(-1, -75%) SP/Minute
MP [Magic Points]: 19/20; 20 MP/Minute
Consumption: (80/100)
Hygiene: (93/100)
Waste: (100/100)
Energy: (20/100)
Social: (50/100)
Fun: (2/100)
Money (Wallet): 0 G
Money (Account): 29,785 G
Prestige: 5
Piety: 0
Mood: -15
Renown: 500
Active Effects:
Exhaustion: -1 END; -3 Mood
Insomnia: -50% SP Regen; -2 Mood
Parasomnia: -25% SP Regen; -2 Mood
Unhappy: -8 Mood
Title [Boy-Who-Lived]: +50 Luck, +450 Renown
He skimmed over all the annoying goddamn HINTS that kept blocking the actual information he was looking for, before pushing past them. Why did this feel like he was reading a training manual?
When he opened up the next tab, he was shown that he could allocate up to thirty points however he wanted across all twelve attributes. A hint box opened up and said that all attributes could be further trained and improved over time organically, but they would also majorly increase every time he leveled up (based on the ratio of attributes he used throughout the level he was ascending from). So, if he theoretically leveled up after running a marathon, he would increase his Endurance and Agility attributes.
He didn't bother reading any of the hints that popped up on that page, however.
After putting his points where he thought he would get the most use out of them, he ended up with it looking like this:
Attributes Tab
Strength: 4(-1)=3
Endurance: 4
Agility: 4
Dexterity: 4
Intelligence: 6
Spirit: 0
Wisdom: 2
Willpower: 2
Charisma: 4(*5)=20
Guile: 0
Perception: 0
Luck: 0 (+50)=50
Traits
Class: (Undecided)
Focus: (Undecided)
Type: (Undecided)
Seeing that he had to decide his traits, he began selecting each...
Decide Your Class!
Saber
Lancer
Rider
Archer
Berserker
Caster
Assassin
Hint: Your Class will unlock certain Ability and Perk trees, and lock you out of others. It will also give Attribute bonuses and penalties.
Decide Your Focus!
Diplomacy: Negotiation and pleasing people.
Martial: Skill at warfare and combat.
Stewardship: Management of the demesne.
Intrigue: Skill at manipulation and scheming.
Learning: Self Explanatory.
Hint: Your Focus will unlock certain Ability and Perk trees, and lock you out of others. You can reassign your Focus once every moon. It will also give Attribute bonuses and penalties.
Decide Your Type!
Fire
Water / Ice
Air / Flying
Earth (Rock & Ground)
Electromagnetic
Plant
Steel
Poison / Toxin
Bug
Fighting
Dark / Demonic
Psychic / Psionic
Ghost / Undead
Dragon
Fairy / Moon
HINT: All types have strengths and weaknesses, like an enormous game of rock-paper-scissors. Fire burns grass, grass absorbs water, water puts out fire, etc. Your Type(s) will unlock certain ability trees, and lock you out of others. Multiple Types will be available as you progress through the game, which will further unlock more specialized Ability and Perk trees. Types can also impact the effectiveness of certain actions you take.
There were no descriptions of what each class entailed, but he had a pretty good idea as to what each of them did. In the end, he decided that being a Caster would be his best bet. A message popped up once he made his choice, telling him that his Class would install once he Leveled Up.
Looking them all over, while also thinking about how he would need to relearn all of the skills that he had up until this morning, he ended up choosing Learning. After all, he would be able to change it at some point, probably. Another message popped up, telling him that his Focus would install once he Leveled Up.
He was having a very hard time choosing a Type for himself, but he ended up choosing Dragon, since that seemed like they would give him the most options in the future. He would have loved to be Psychic or Fairy as well, but those didn't seem like nearly as good of a choice.
A final message popped up, telling him that his type choice would be installed as soon as he Leveled Up. He was beginning to see a trend there...
Abilities:
N/A
Perks:
Magical Blood: Allows the User to Actualize Mysteries
Wand-Wizard: Allows the User to Cast Spells, and Wand Based Magic Uses 50% Less MP
Gamer Perspective: Sleeping Grants Well Rested Bonus (Increasing Gained EXP By 10%) and Heals Temporary Status Effects
Corrupted Blood: The User's Blood is Poisonous to Enemies and Restorative to Allies; Gained From Interaction With a Basilisk and Phoenix
Parseltongue (Incomplete): Allows the User to Speak to Snakes
HINT: You can gain more perks and abilities as rewards for Leveling-Up, completing difficult Tasks, increasing Attributes and Skills, or doing other noteworthy things.
Skills:
General
Household Management (0/100): Child-rearing, Cleaning, Cooking, and Gardening
Riding (0/100)
Speechcraft (0/100)
Stealth Arts (0/100)
Sword Arts (0/100)
Rowling-Verse
Care For Magical Creatures (0/100)
Charms (0/100)
Herbology (0/100)
Magic Dueling (0/100)
Potioneering (0/100)
Transfiguration (0/100)
Titles
Child of Prophesy: The Binds of Fate Will Run Their Course
Boy-Who-Lived: +50 Luck, +450 Renown
Shining Knight: 5X Charisma With Females
Basilisk Slayer: Critical Hits Deal 5X More Damage
Dementor Banisher: Emotive Magic is 100X More Effective
HINT: Achievements unlock Titles, which come with game changing perks. Some actions may re-lock Titles...
He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about any of that, but there was no way for him to turn his titles off, so he had to just go along with it, and just make sure that he didn't end up accidentally taking advantage of Shining Knight. However, Child of Prophesy sure seemed ominous...
Next he returned to the Main Menu and clicked on the second choice.
Inventory Submenu:
Apparel:
1 Underwear: [Dirty][Ripped][Hand-Me-Downs], HP: (70/100); DT: 0, DR: 0; CHA -3
HINT: The Inventory Submenu will expand with more tabs as is needed. Certain conditional modifiers of items can lead to decreased effectiveness and further penalties.
That's all that he had on his person, which was kind of sad. Then, a realization struck him like a bolt of lightning: his glasses weren't in his inventory because he wasn't wearing them. However, he was capable of reading everything in the menu with perfect clarity. This meant that he wasn't actually seeing any of these menus with his eyes at all. He didn't know exactly what it meant, but he could tell that it was pretty significant.
Mulling that epiphany over for a few seconds, he realized that he wouldn't be able to do anything with that information for the time being, so he might as well continue on with the Tutorial.
Journal Submenu
Repertoire: Complete list of spells and techniques that you have acquired, along with mastery levels for each.
Codex: Contains a beastiary, herbiary, dossier, and encyclopedia on anything or anyone that you come across on your Odyssey.
Recipe Book: Contains every crafting recipe that you discover.
Logbook: Contains all of your quests, missions, goals, activities, objectives, aspirations, and diversions.
Navigation: Contains an actively updating map of the world around you.
Journal Submenu: Navigation Tab
Desmesne: Potter Manor (Destroyed), Godric's Hollow Cottage (Destroyed)
HINT: Allied Territory is blue, enemy territory is red, contested territory is purple, and neutral territory is grey. Territory ownership is important for myriad reasons: you and your allies can only respawn at hospitals if 'incapacitation' occurs in allied territory; you cannot fast-travel to or from enemy territory (or any location and landmark that you have still yet to discover), and units allied with the owners of the land gain military bonuses. Keep in mind that De Jure ownership and De Facto ownership are not the same thing; rights of ownership are important to many magical rituals and political machinations. As you explore the world, Blackmap will fade away, but Fog of War will rest on all parts of the map that you cannot perceive at the moment. Your perception will also dictate your ability to detect enemy or neutral units, hidden treasures and secrets, and other such things of note.
Reputation
Hogwarts Staff: 6
Gryffindor: 7
Hufflepuff: 5
Ravenclaw: 4
Slytherin: 3
Wizarding Britain: 9
Order of the Phoenix: 10
Death Eaters: 1
Weasley Family: 8
Diagon Alley Shopkeepers Guild: 6
HINT: Your Reputation is broken down by individual groups and factions, with your reputation made up of the average of all the members' opinions of you, on a scale of 1-10 (1 Despises You, 2 Hates You, 3 Dislikes You, 4 Unfriendly Towards You, 5 Ambivalent Towards You, 6 Friendly Towards You, 7 Likes You, 8 Loves You, 9 Reveres You, 10 Worships You)
Data Submenu
Save Game
Save Select
Load Game
ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted!
Okay, so he wouldn't be able to do anything with the save state of his game, which meant that he probably wouldn't be able to go backwards in time or survive dying. Good thing to know.
Finally he came upon the final submenu, and his jaw promptly dropped open when he came across everything that it entailed.
Setting Submenu
Gameplay
Audio
Video
Cheats
Gameplay Settings:
Easy Mode: Multiple Save Slots, Slow-Motion Quick-Access Wheel, Auto-Aim, Aim-Assist, Slow Enemy Detection, Low Enemy Search Persistence, No Enemy Reinforcements, High Resource Regeneration, Increased Resource Replenishment, Low Enemy Damage Dealt, No Group Attack, Low Enemy Attack Speeds, Low Enemy Accuracy, High Likelihood of Enemy Panicking, High Storage Capacity, High Item Spawn Rates, High Potion Affect/Effect Rate, Low Chase Tenacity.
Impossible Mode (Activated): No Save Slots, Real-Time Quick-Access Wheel, No Auto-Aim, No Aim-Assist, Instant Enemy Detection, Indefinite Enemy Searches, High Enemy Reinforcements, No Resource Regeneration, Paltry Resource Replenishment, High Enemy Damage Dealt, Large Group Attacks, High Enemy Attack Speeds, High Enemy Accuracy, No Enemy Panics, Enemy Resource Regeneration, Low Storage Capacity, Low Item Spawn Rates, Low Potion Affect/Effect Rates, High Chase Tenacity.
Survival Mode (Activated): Adds Hunger, Thirst, Hygiene, Bladder, Bowels, and Sleep-Needs System. Adds Stamina Fatigue, Magical Exhaustion, and Resuscitation System. Adds Diseases, Injuries, Limb Condition, and Immune-Deficiency System. Adds Drug and Potion Addiction, Tolerance, and Withdrawal System. Adds Need-Based-Item Penalty and Debuff System. Adds Atmospheric Status System. Adds Over-Encumbered Penalty System.
Amalgamation Universe (Activated): ?
Fanfic Mode: (Dark/Light) Dumbledore, (Evil/Good) Weasleys, (Abusive/Acceptable) Dursleys. NOTE: Fanfic Toggles Are Permanent.
Harry took a moment to stare in horror at the descriptions of Impossible and Survival Modes, before gawking at Fanfic Mode, and the many implications therein. He was curious about what Amalgamation Universe did, but he didn't feel like worrying over that at the moment, not when...
"With the flip of a switch I can change the actual characters of the most powerful wizard in the world, and two different families?" he asked himself, still horrified at the thought of an evil Dumbledore. He swore in that moment to leave them all on Light, Good, and Acceptable respectively. Sure, he was a little worried about their free will, but something told him that they were just characters in a story anyway-his story.
He promptly made sure that Dumbledore was Light, the Weasleys were good, and the Dursleys were acceptable. But when he tried to change the difficulties away from Survival and Impossible modes...
ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted! ERROR! Memory Functions Are Corrupted!
There was nothing for him to change in the Video Settings tab whatsoever, but the Audio Settings tab had an interesting option. He activated the soundtrack, which should make things more interesting in the future, though he had its volume at a much lower level than everything else.
But then he came upon the final tab from his Settings.
Cheats Tab!
N/A
He stared at the lack Cheats available to him in astonishment, realizing that he would be able to break a game that was pretty much already broken, before exiting out of the menus until he was back to just sitting on his bed.
Objective Completed: Explore the Menu Systems
Completion Reward: 25 EXP! Current EXP: 25/100
Objective Unlocked: Complete Your Chore List
Sub-Objective Unlocked: Cook Breakfast
Sub-Objective Unlocked: Mow the Lawn
And it was at precisely that moment that he heard a tapping on the glass of his window, instantly catching his attention. Hedwig was back from her late night flight, likely having gotten herself a nice meal.
As he opened the window and let her back into his bedroom, she jumped onto his outstretched hand and stared up at him with her petulant eyes.
"What the fuck is going on, Hedwig?" was all he could muster the strength of will to say.