Notes:
OOPS.
My hand slipped.
There was many a thing Ron had expected during his life.
Dying young was, unfortunately, one of these things.
Why? You ask, and he would (never) answer, It's a bloody miracle the second wizarding war had a break when it did.
(A miracle he wasn't born into a world that Voldemort ruled over.)
I was one, when Harry offed You-Know-Who.
(He'd been born the same year his uncles had died. A shining light, his mum said. A light for her to see in the darkness of grief.)
Obviously, I don't remember. I do remember the years of hearing about 'the Boy-Who-Lived'; about some kid who was our hero.
I met him ten years later, and he honestly was nothing like those bloody books and fairy tales everyone told everyone, loudly and in hushed whispers.
(Harry doesn't know that some parents used his name to scare their children into being good little boys and girls, and they bloody well better be, or he'd off em like he did He-Who-Must-Not-Be named.
Ron, being the only one of Harry's very, very small group of friends that had been born and raised in the magical community, managed to keep him ignorant of that.)
So yeah. Ron had expected some kind of early death during his life; he'd never really thought the war had been over anyway.
(No thanks to his paranoid Great Uncle. Bilius was a bloody good chess player, though. Ron had beat him, and he'd proclaimed himself well and truly done for (since Ron had been nine, at the time, and that was rather humiliating, to say the least) and gave Ron his chess set.
Ron didn't know the significance at the time. He still doesn't to this day.)
I wasn't sure when I'd die. There've been loads of times when it could've happened. First year, Second year… All the bloody years, really. Merlin's beard.
(Ron knew he had to be at least fairly lucky, to have escaped death as many times as he had during their 'adventures'.)
So yeah. Maybe I did expect to die young. What of it? Harry did to, you know. S'pose most people don't; dunno why, seems bloody obvious to me.
(Far, far too obvious. But then, that had been their lives. Outsiders might be horrified; but Ron, Harry and Hermione? It was just par for the course.)
(Ron wasn't bloody stupid though. Yeah, maybe a bit dense, but if he had the chance to do things again?
He'd leave Hermione out of it, best he could.)
Wasn't expecting it to be that bloody snake though.
(Nagini, she'd (It was a she right?) lunged for them. Neville'd been too late – 'Mione and him were done for.
Well. At least me, anyway.
(He'd covered her as best he could. He vaguely remembers the snake biting, and Hermione's profuse sobbing.
He'd leave her out of it.)
Wait. I'm thinking, right? If I was dead, That wouldn't be happening, I'd wager.
Blinking, (He could blink?) Ron gained his sight back. What had been simply black nothingness, now was a white expanse, a cavernous room.
He blinked again, and the area changed to one he recognised.
The trapdoor. He noticed. I'm in Fluffy's room. Third floor corridor. The hell?
Spinning around slowly on the spot, Ron took notice of his options. Before he could decide anything though, a voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Well, if it ain't my great nephew." The voice spoke, rough and gruff and yet somehow warm and comforting.
He spun back around, to see a man he hadn't seen since he was ten.
"Uncle Bilius." He replied in greeting, oddly unsurprised.
Ron looked around again. "Where are we?"
The old man rolled his eyes. "Well, where d'ya think, Ronald?" He asked, rhetorically. "Limbo, ain't it?" His uncle looked around, confused. "Some room in 'Ogwarts, I'd wager." Ron stared. "Limbo?" Bilius looked upwards, as if exasperated. "Yeah, Limbo. Place between life an' death, if I ain't so mistaken." He looked at Ron. "Bit of an odd place for transitioning, though I suppose it makes sense for ya."
Ron blinked. "Makes sense?" He echoed.
"Did'ya lose all common sense when 'Ah left?" He demanded. "Blimey! First fam'ly member that cares enough for me ta be the one to talk to yeh, and y've lost yer bleedin' logic." He complained. "What 'appened to that kid who beat a Chess Master when 'e was littler than I were when I started learnin'? What 'appened to yeh common sense?"
Ron grew angry. "My bloody common sense is where I left it – when I wasn't dead."
There was a pause, then the old man laughed; a good, large belly-laugh that lasted a good while. The man shook his head. "Ya chose a right old codger to grow up like, didn't ya?"
Ron looked at him, confused. "Yeh remind me of myself when I was your age. Short tempered, not the brightest with emotions, but loyal to a fault. I didn't 'ave that great walloping of self-esteem issues and the jealousy that comes with though. Interfered with ya friendships that did, didn't it?"
Ron was reluctant to admit he was right, but he felt a sense of calmness he had never felt while alive. There was a pause. "This place is messing with my head, isn't it?"
His Uncle grinned. "Don't want ya messin' up the place – or your choice, thinkin' about it."
There was another, longer pause.
"My choice?" Ron inquired.
Bilius nodded, once, an incline of his head. "Yer choice." He repeated. "Yeh can go on, or yeh can live a new life. If ya choose the second – well. I'll let'cha see what that's all 'bout."
He's being as bloody vague as the Headmaster was on his better days. Ron grumbled to himself.
As if he could hear Ron's thoughts, His Great Uncle smiled. "I gotta go soon – us dead people 'ave a lot more to do than you livin' lot give us credit for. But I need ta tell ya this – the trapdoor'll lead you on, but the exit – well. That's the Exit, ain't it?" And with that, and a blink of Ron's eyes later, his dead relative was gone.
"Well. Bugger." Ron muttered to himself. What kind of choice is this? "Won't even tell me what I'll get myself into if I do chose a new life." For a moment, he thinks. If I go down the trapdoor – which isn't ominous about my fate if I do, bloody hell – I'll see my friends and family when they all kick the bucket too, right? And I suppose there's already a few of them there now, including Bilius. No idea who's died already though.
But instead of the option that would give him peace, peace for eternity with friends and family once they arrive, Ron hesitated.
What if it lets me do this again?
(Because that's the question, isn't it? Whether it will send him home – if slightly different – or it will send him to some other life, unknowing and not remembering his last.)
Ron nods to himself, a decision made.
(For better, or for worse? We shall see.)
He turns around, walks towards the Exit door. With one last look, one final goodbye, he leaves the trapdoor behind.
(He starts his Next Adventure. Headmaster may have been barmy as all hell, but he wasn't wrong about this.)
The door closes shut behind him, and the room fades to a white expanse.
(It fades to blue, then shuts off. Black, and void. Ron wasn't there to see it. He wouldn't have recognised what it was, even if he were – pureblooded he is, and all that entails.)
Ron blinks to awareness, staring up at the orange ceiling of his room at the burrow.
Bloody hell he mentally groans. My head feels like it's been wacked one too many times with a bludger.
Wait.
Ron looks around – and notices the ceiling isn't actually orange; that must have just been memory talking. No, it's grey – the whole room is grey and tones of grey, black and white.
(It's greyscale, but then Hogwarts doesn't teach 'muggle' subjects; so how would he know that?)
Ron looks around. He notes the differences between this room and his room – a chest where one isn't, no bed (What had he been lying on?), his stack of comics now a… weird, muggle machine (that was it, right? Hermione had been teaching him…) with buttons and things – A computer, Ronald. Her voice says, annoyed yet somehow infinitely fond – and various other small changes.
Ron stands, and walks over to the 'computer'. Warily, he pokes at one of the buttons, and the thing whirrs to life, making him back away slightly.
When it is up and running, Ron sits down in front of it, on the floor, and stares at the… screen? Screen.
Options.
It says, a neat kind of writing he'd never seen, all the letters exact and matching.
(Print. It was print.)
He continues reading.
Options:
Difficulty.
Extras.
Language.
Play style.
Frowning, he thinks, Difficulty? Play style? What on Merlin's bloody –
Before he could finish that thought, A floating bit of parchment obscures his view. Swearing, Ron jumps back, startled, the parchment always staying in the direct centre of his view.
Once adjusted, Ron reads the parchment.
Gaming for Wizards; A helpful guide by !%%&$£%&
Blinking, he tried to read the last word, but after a minute or so gave up.
It was just a mess of things he didn't understand, muggle symbols by the look of them.
Shaking his head, he moved on.
This floating bit of parchment is known as an 'alert'. For you, [Ronald Weasley] these will always be enabled, as you are a [pureblood noob] and therefore have literally zero knowledge of video games. Christ, this is going to be ridiculous, isn't it? Teaching you what most kids in the muggle world have at least a slight grip on; in that they at least know vaguely what a video game is in the first place!
Never mind all that. Sorry. Let's move on. Since this is all voice-commanded, just say 'next' to see the rest of this guide.
Ron did so, and did so, reading each page and trying his best to absorb all the information he had a nagging feeling he'd need to know.
It took a while (Hours, days, minutes, months, centuries, nanoseconds) but he was finallydone, and he knew the basics of the system.
Nodding to himself, he said "Close" and the message went away silently, there one moment and gone the next.
Ron went back to the options menu, and selected difficulty.
Casual.
Easy.
Normal.
Hard.
Hardcore.
Realistic.
Real life.
Ron read through all of the descriptions, and immediately excluded hard, and all those afterwards.
The options were then greyed out, no longer available unless unlocked.
(The guide had been incredibly useful. Now he knew what he was doing, at least. Far more than what he'd known originally.)
Deciding that Casual was too easy (and too much of a copout) that option greyed out as well, and he got a message in the top left of his peripheral vision saying You gained an Achievement! Say [Open] to know what it was.
Ignoring the message for now, and feeling a little bit like a cheat, he picked easy.
(Ron figured he could bring it up to normal, once he'd gotten the hang of everything. And since his life was in danger, here, he figured it wasn't too cowardly.)
Exiting the menu, he called out "Open" and the message disappeared. Like before, in front of him in the centre of his vision something appeared. It wasn't parchment; since that was for alerts. Instead, it was a book, and it flipped through it's pages until it got to the one on Achievements.
You have unlocked [1] Achievement(s).
The Achievements are greyed out and unknown until you unlock them. We have been told it can take many games until all have been revealed.
Unlocked Achievements [1]:
No Time For Downtime.
Description;
Well done! You aren't a complete coward, and actually want some form of challenge in your life. There is no reward for this, aside from the knowledge that you didn't choose the easy way out.
Requirements;
Grey out 'Casual' in the options, difficulty menu.
Locked Achievements: [?]
Nodding to himself, Ron closed down the menu. The book closed, then shrunk down and disappeared in a flash of golden sparks.
Ron returned to the menu.
Options:
Difficulty
Extras.
Language.
Play style.
Understanding that difficulty would be greyed out once he'd selected it before starting, he moved onto play style, which is what he had been told was the best thing to got to straight after.
He clicked on play style, and was confronted with a few options.
Action/RPG
Strategy/RPG
Action/Strategy
There were more, but they had been greyed out. Noticing the little star thing next to all of them, he wondered what that meant.
An alert blocked his view again.
Blinking at the closeness of it, it took a few seconds to adjust.
Ron then read the words on the parchment.
Oh, right. Forgot to mention that in my guide, sorry. So, these little 'star things' *; they're called asterisks and are there when something might need explaining; since you chose easy level, they will always be there even after you've read them for the first time, in case you forget or something.
Ron nodded, and the alert dissipated into the air.
Obviously, Ron ignored the ones that didn't have 'strategy' in the title.
(The others were greyed out.)
Strategy/RPG*
*Strategy RPG is a combination of Strategy; a game style requiring, well, strategic know-how and is a good choice for those good at strategy games such as, for example, chess.
RPG is 'role-play games' in that your character has stats and abilities, and will level up. You will also have traits; which as you level can be bought back and swapped out or gained. You can change them at any time you have enough points to, but every five levels you will gain ten points (more or less, depending on stats) that let you do what you will. There are also quests; which will grant you rewards and EXP – experience; which you can put into stats. Skill/Ability Points are gained every two levels, depending on stats the amount gained will change. Traits can also effect skill/ability point and experience gain. Points, either ability or trait, can be found simply by exploring or completing major quests/events. Events are spontaneous quests that you cannot sign up for but will instead stumble across. Jobs are similar to quests, except you only gain money and experience in Skills. Skills are your skills; ability to fight, cook, speak other languages, etc. Abilities are special skills; in that they cannot be learnt, only bought through levelling or finding ability/skill points scattered throughout instances. Instances are the open areas which you will be in in each part of the game; for you the first instance is the Burrow; the first base is Ron's Room; the first medic is Mrs. Weasley/Mum, and the first teachers are your older brothers, and your Dad/Mr. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley is also the shop for general items and the food vendor; she can also give jobs and quests and teach cooking and ways to look after your household. Mr. Weasley is the shop for muggle items, and some other (technically) illegal things. He can teach enchanting (After book one ends, during the Summer) and Vaguely Muggle Knowledge (Some is true, some is not. +5 to Muggle Knowhow skill per lesson.)
There are 1000 levels per skill, 10 per ability, and infinite per stat.
On easy level, you may respawn at your Base, or in the Medic area if necessary. You will carry gained skill/ability/traits and experience (with a -100 to the experience) between respawns. All things will carry across save games, aside from items/done quests.
Ron deliberated for a moment, then read the other option. Deciding he'd had enough action for one life, and the bonuses of the RPG genre were better, he chose Strategy/RPG.
The other options were greyed out, and he was booted back to the options menu.
Seeing only language and extras left, he quickly set language to British English and entered the Extras section.
Extras are things you unlock during the game after completing specific tasks, much like Achievements. They are enabled through the options menu during gameplay.
Shrugging, Ron exited that menu, knowing he could do nothing there for now.
After doing so, the computer poofed out of existence, and his comic book stack was back where it should be.
Seeing the trunk had a large padlock on it, and the other menu places were greyed out or otherwise unavailable, (Including the Player Character menu; but then since he'd picked RPG and one of the benefits was picking your own Avatar he wasn't surprised) he walked to the door and placed his hand on the handle.
An alert popped into view.
Would you like to start a new game, or load an old save?
Load was greyed out, as he had expected, so he selected new game.
Stepping through the door, he found himself in the bathroom, set up how his mother would set it up when she was giving them all haircuts.
Walking towards the mirror, he was given the option to change his appearance. Shrugging, as he'd never much cared really, but was intrigued all the same, he clicked yes.
He was presented with a ridiculous amount of options, and baulked until he saw the basic character creation menu. Clicking on that, the options were lessened.
Not much, but at least there weren't any options for nose salion (That was probably wrong, but he didn't care) or any other bloody strange option he didn't get.
There was a section for bonuses from his current build/body type/appearance, and to be brutally honest they weren't great.
Gangly frame.
Body Type/Build. Description:
Tall, ain't 'cha? Big boned, but not broad shouldered, you don't really seem to fit your body until you become of age.
- 3 to co-ordination (lessens by one per two years.)
- 3 to certain activities until age = 17 (Quiditch, spell casting, potioneering, basically any activity that requires co-ordination. +2 to Keeping – all that extra arm length has to be good for something, right?)
-2 to Attractiveness, + 1 when over age = 17
Gives; Height Advantage, Clumsiness, Good Reach, Easily Spottable, Not Much Fits.
Ron sighed, knowing all of these disadvantages – having had them most of his life. (He hadn't really thought about the advantages though. It was something to think about now, since he could change it.)
Averagely Average;
Description.
Not the best looking, but not too shabby neither. Decidedly average appearance.
+/- 0 to Attractiveness.
Gives; Blend In*, Who Was That Again?*
Ron, confused by the bonuses, asked for them to be explained.
Blend In*
Well, ain't you average?
Gives; +2 to Hide In Plain Sight ability, gives Hide In Plain Sight ability. Doesn't Level.
Hide In Plain Sight;
Ability. Description:
Considering your looks, it's not odd that you can disappear amongst the crowd.
Gives; + 5 to stealth in public places. At level 4/8, gain buff. +5 per level.
Who Was That Again?*
Ability. Description:
Either your looks, or your family background decrees that it would take more than a glance to remember your face. Or recognise it.
Gives; +2 to stealth in restricted areas. -5% chance to be caught doing things that are… untoward. Each level adds +2 and -5%. At level 5 and 10, a new buff is added.
Ron was both surprised and confused by these bonuses; he'd always been very recognisable, considering his red hair and pretty much everything else about him made it obvious he was a Weasley.
Looking at the next one, he realised why.
Distinctive Heritage.
You sir, are definitely related to who you're related to.
Subclass; Weasleys' Son.
You are your family's child; red hair, freckles, that annoying mark on your nose that looks like dirt. Definitely a Weasley.
Negates*; Blend In, Who Was That Again?
*Only active when in the Wizarding World of Great Britain.
Gives*; Instant Recognition, Ginger? Soulless.
*The former is only active in the wizarding world of Great Britain. The latter is only recognised by those with 'Gingers? Soulless.', the companion trait.
Ron, now a little angry, demanded explanation.
Gingers? Soulless.
A muggle belief few hold – mostly used as a joke. Those who have 'Gingers? Soulless' believe it wholeheartedly.
The idea that if you have red hair, you have no soul. It's stupid, I know, but there you are.
Ron sighed, and looked at his other options.
It took a few, lengths of time he doesn't know – it could have been seconds, it could have been days – until he'd decided.
Tall Frame, Balanced Build.
Build/Body Type. Description;
Not so shabby. You're tall, but you aren't gangly, thank Merlin. Your balanced build means you will start out doing decently in each area.
+1 to co-ordination (You need it, considering how often you'd whack people in the face without it.)
-2 to stealth. (You're at least a head taller than most. Pretty easy to spot, that is.)
+1 to attractiveness, then +3 when Str/End/Vit is above 50, or you are over age = 20. (Tall, and broad shouldered, it seems you managed to inherit the Weasley's good looks, rather than their Gangly-ness. Thank Merlin.)
Gives; Height Advantage, Good Reach, Easily Spottable, Some Stuff Fits.
Averagely Average;
Appearance. Description.
Not the best looking, but not too shabby neither. Decidedly average appearance.
+/- 0 to Attractiveness.
Gives; Blend In*, Who Was That Again?*
Ron was perfectly fine with this; it would help them during seventh year if things pan out similarly and they have to hide in the muggle world.
(But not camping again, Merlin not camping.)
Now, for the hard part. Does he sacrifice his recognisability – which comes in handy sometimes – for the ability to be more… useful, when it comes to their… adventures?
Yeah. Alright.
Indistinctive Heritage.
Subclass; Trait; Prewitt Puer.
Your light brown, almost ginger hair isn't all that recognisable as a Weasley trait, or a trait at all, for that matter. Good on you, your averageness is astounding.
+/- 0 to attractiveness.
Gives; none.
Negates; none.
Though it doesn't give him anything, it doesn't negate anything either, so Ron's fine with using his mother's heritage rather than his dad's.
Sighing, he says "Done" and the window closes.
Blinking at his reflection in the mirror, which looks similar yet different, he couldn't really tell what his heritage was.
"Good." Ron said to himself. "Right. Bloody hell, what's next?"
Before he could do anything, an alert popped up.
Right, you've done the thing. Good. Now, select your Stats, your traits and starting abilities – but be careful! You need to balance out your starting traits; you can have as many as you can afford of the ones requiring level 0, but you have to have at least three negative/balanced traits, and at least one negative trait. It's to stop the game from being to easy, even on easy difficulty. At least you get wholly good traits; higher levels lock them out! Good luck; and remember, at the end, an alert will pop up detailing your Character, and afterwards you will be able to access the Char. Sheet; where you will be able to access all the things later. Cool? Cool.
The alert went away after he'd read it, and Ron went over to the chair in which he'd had many a hair-cut. However, that was not it's purpose right now. Instead, a menu popped up – the detailed stats chooser.
Ron shrugged, and checked what he started out with.
Ron Weasley. Lvl. 0. EXP – 1000. EXP – 50 / stat.
Each stat requires 100 general EXP to level, and 50 EXP of its type to level.
Ron frowned. That might be a problem.
You have enough to level up to ten in one, or seven in each with some left over. You can, of course, lean towards certain stats. MP and HP are different types of stats; you may level them with only EXP of the general sort. The guide should have told you what each entails.
Ron nodded. He was fairly certain he understood the stats system.
Str: 3 Int: 2 Wiz: 4 Vit: 5 Chr: 2 End: 4 Lck: 6 MP: 100 HP: 200
These are general stat levels for someone of your age (10, nearly 11). Your Luck is higher than most, and Int is on the lower side of average. Vit. Above average, but not over much. 3-4 is average. Some children, such as [Harry Potter] will have, say, Str:5 and End:8, because of their life situation, but have Vit:2, because of it as well.
Ron nodded. Makes sense.
Your Int. is low because a) a lack of need/drive to improve, and b) self-esteem issues.
Your Chr. Is low, because a) you have a temper and b) one of your traits is affecting it.
Annoyed, Ron moved on.
Hint: I would check the Traits/Skills/Abilites sheets first; some give boosts while other's have requirements.
Nodding, Ron did so. The first one he went to was the trait section; define himself before defining what he could do and all that.
Traits.
Trait points; 20.
Early game traits cost little; but good traits cost more than balanced, and balanced cost more than negative. Get me? Good.
Owned Traits;
Prewitt Puer [Caused by; Appearance.]
Light Is Good, Dark is Bad* [Can't buy back; requirements not met]
Dumbledore's Wo/Man [Group trait; many others have this, including [Harry Potter] and [The Weasley Family]] [Can't buy back; requirements not met.]
Stubborn [buy back – 6 points.]
Slimy Slytherins* [buy back – 6 points]
Goody Gryffindors* [buy back – 5 points]
Hufflepuff? Schmufflepuff.* [buy back – 3 points]
Self-Righteousness. [buy back – 5 points.]
Loyal – To A Fault [Locked trait. Caused by; avatar – Ron Weasley.]
Self-esteem? Yeah, you have Issues.* [Locked trait, caused by; Family Situation]
Jealously Juvenile* [Linked trait. Caused by: Self-Esteem? Yeah, You have Issues]
No Tones Of Grey* [Linked trait. Caused by 'Light is Good, Dark is Bad.']
Chess Master [Locked Trait. Caused by; Avatar – Ron Weasley.]
Strategic Mindset [Locked Trait. Caused by; Chess Master.]
Emotional Range Of A Teaspoon* [Linked Trait. Caused by; Strategic Mindset, Chess Master.]
Casanova? Ha!* [Linked Trait. Caused by; Emotional Range Of A teaspoon]
Bloody Hell!* [Locked Trait. Caused by; Avatar – Ron Weasley.]
Arachnophobia [Locked trait; caused by – Fred & George Weasley]
At this age, most traits have not developed yet. Many traits are locked until after age = 14; as, according to the – ahem, according to your previous life, that is when you went through puberty. Lovely. That'll be fun for you a second time, eh?
Available traits, Lvl 0:
Child prodigy.
Balanced. Definition:
You are such a whiz kid, wow!
+5 to Int; however gain linked trait Know-It-All. +1 to Wiz, unless in dire situations. +10 to Theoretical Knowledge Skill, -10 to Practical Application. [shared trait; you have discovered [Hermione Granger] has this.]
Cost – 3 points.
Fate's Plaything.
Balanced, I guess. Description.
Never knew what to do with your life? Never fear! Fate either likes you, or has it in for you. We aren't really sure. +15/-15 bonus on Luck Rolls; however, gain the linked traits; Danger Magnet, Nine Lives, Danger? Schmanger, Destiny's Chosen. Gain Prophecy. [Shared trait; you have discovered [Harry Potter, Voldemort] have this trait.]
Cost – Free.
Ron blinked. Those actually made a lot of sense, now that he thought about it.
Emotional Understanding.
Good. Description;
Your parents raised you well, it seems. Your emotional range is more of a soup ladle, now!
Gain; +1 to Charisma. +1 to skill; Sympathy.
Negates; Emotional Range Of A Teaspoon.
Costs = 5 points.
Sighing, Ron picked that one, because he figured if Hermione wasn't there, he might need to be a bit better about that whole thing. Grimacing, he noted the 15 points remaining. Rather than spend them on traits, he bought back Self-Righteousness, and Slimy Slytherins – Because Harry could have been one, and there's no way he's abandoning him if he is this time around. And the Self-Righteousness had to have something to do with his various stupid choices throughout the years.
They were gone now, and since (sadly) most of his traits were either balanced, or negative, (he could figure out what they meant on his own, thanks) he didn't have to worry about buying negative ones.
Quickly, he picked up Quick Learner and, more to cheer him up from the fact that he couldn't get rid of his fear of spiders than anything else, gained natural flyer.
(The first is self-explanatory, and the second simply gave him better flying skills and a higher skill gain for related skills, such as Quiditch.)
Sitting at a sad 0 trait points, and no way to redeem them, Ron moved on to abilities.
Noting his lack of any, and feeling slightly miffed, Ron decided on some cheap ones (as he'd seen some he might want at level one).
He picked parseltounge, though it made him feel uncomfortable, just so that secret conversations were actually possible in Hogwarts (at least, between him and Harry. It'd be dead useful making plans and not getting caught doing so – something that had happened far too much in Ron's last life for his liking.)
Ron really wasn't sure of the differences between traits and abilities, but it doesn't matter, truthfully.
Shrugging, he chose Controllable Accidental Magic – mainly because he'd felt slightly embarrassed at making it snow that one time, in the middle of the great hall. (It said it was shared, but he didn't know who by. Doesn't matter.)
Ron noticed Uncontrollable Accidental Magic – saw that Harry had that and Emotional Accidental Magic, and Accidental Magic Regardless Of Age (Which, apparently, he'd also had – so he simply took that one as well.)
To be honest, that explained a lot. Ron sniggered.
Knowing he could get the rest at a later date, he hesitated between the last two.
Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he chose Sentient Wand – in that, his wand would come to his rescue at times it's needed, shooting off spells and saving the day.
(Ron had thought it funny. That was literally the only reason.)
Done here, Ron went to skills.
Not particularly caring, or wanting to, he put some points in learning skills – simply so the Hermione conscience nagging him to do well at school this time around, since it wouldn't do to be outdone by a bunch of firstees (ignoring he'd be one – since he'd lived through all of this previously, sort of) would it?
(The conscience wasn't really Hermione, obviously, but it sounded like her and was nagging him to do schoolwork. He might be crazy, who knows?)
So yeah. He put some points into Knowledge Inhaling, meaning he'd gain knowledge quicker, and Schoolwork? Schmoolwork. Which simply made it easier.
Once he was done with the knowledge based ones, he put some points into fighting skills, like Duelling, etc. etc.
Once he was done with all that, he honestly didn't have that many left.
Shrugging, he put the remainder into Strategy and Spellcasting, Flying and People Reading.
He figured that last one was about understanding how people work, or maybe seeing their character sheet. Either way, it would make it easier to judge a person properly.
Nodding to himself, he went back to his stats sheet, and found himself shocked.
Ron Weasley. Lvl. 0. EXP – 1000. EXP – 50 / stat.
Each stat requires 100 general EXP to level, and 50 EXP of its type to level.
You have enough to level up to ten in one, or seven in each with some left over. You can, of course, lean towards certain stats. MP and HP are different types of stats; you may level them with only EXP of the general sort.
Str: 4 Int: 4 Wiz: 5 Vit: 5 Chr: 4 End: 5 Lck: 6 MP: 100 HP: 200
Att. (Attractiveness) is locked until past age = 14. According to Word Of God, that is when everyone in the Harry Potter universe goes through puberty, apparently.
Due to appearance; Will start at +1, unless prerequisite requirements have been met for +3. Can change throughout the years. If not, when age = of age, you will gain +3.
Ron sighs. He rolls his eyes, then puts his points into the stats.
Str: 5 Int: 5 Wiz: 6 Vit: 6 Chr: 5 End: 6 Lck: 8 MP: 250 HP: 250
Ron nods to himself. "Seems alright." He mutters, then closes the menu. He feels himself booted out of the room, back to staring at the door with an alert in front of his face and his hand on the doorknob.
Would you like to start the game?
"Yeah. Yes." Ron says, the Alert going at 'yes'.
Would you like to do the tutorial? That will be the first ten years of your life.
Ron grimaces.
You may shorten it; and have the year from after your Uncle Bilius' funeral to when you turn eleven. Is this preferable?
Ron was still grimacing at the reminder, but nodded his acceptance.
Short Tutorial; Easy Mode; Strategy/RPG; Custom Character.
Enter Player's Name:
Ron blinked, then spoke, hesitantly (He'd always thought 'Ronald' never suited him. At least he could change that now.)
"Ron Bilius Weasley?"
The alert changed.
Is 'Ron Bilius Weasley' Correct?
"Yes."
Then The game shall start, in five, four, three, two…
One.
Ron lurched forwards, pulled through the door by some unseen force, and felt himself falling, falling through the endless void.
He landed, there was a sickening crack! And all went black.
Ron blinked himself to awareness, groaning at the sudden light. A whispered "nox" put it out, but he still flopped his arm over his eyes.
"Ronnie?" A quiet, warm voice asked.
Ron sat up, fast as possible, because the last time he'd heard his Mum's voice was when he'd seen her battling two or three death eaters, on her way to helping Ginny with Bellatrix Lestrange.
(Ron didn't want to think about their chances. After all, his mother was here, looking decades younger, and all Bellatrix was to Ginny was a whisper in the night and a face in the newspaper, detailing captured Death Eaters.)
A hand reached out and gently helped him into a sitting position. "You gave us quite the fright." His mum told him. "And Fred and George – they've been spoken to about it. They say they're sorry."
Ron remembers this; years ago, not long after his Uncle's funeral, Fred and George had played some prank or another, that ended with Ron falling out of a tree, and being saved by a combination of his mother, his father, and accidental magic.
She smiled warmly at him, radiating home and safety. When she pulled him into a hug, he didn't resist – because, well. Even if he seems to be dealing, he did die, and he's seen family and friends die, and now he's no longer dead, that's weighing down on him strongly.
(He was so much smaller than he remembered; it was a strange feeling.)
He didn't realise he'd been silently crying until his mum wiped his tears away. She looked at him, sadly. "That must have been scary for you, musn't it?" She asked.
The world bled to grey scale, and Ron looked around wildly.
He noticed a small menu below his mother's face, a list of options of what to say.
"Pause." He said, and the menu was replaced by the main menu screen.
"Help; Dialogue."
Dialogue choices. Throughout the game, you will be presented with conversation. Currently, dialogue is set as unrealistic; in that you can only talk to one person at a time, and have a list of premade choices. You can turn this off, and have it realistic, or on a roll; using your charisma level. Realistic will allow Charisma checks for Persuasion, Intimidate, Lie, Convince, Argue, Put Down, Demand, and more.
Do you want to change Dialogue Method?
Ron nodded, "Yes", because that was far too weird.
He'd like to actually talk to people, you know?
Understood. Realistic, or Charisma Check?
"Realistic" He demanded.
Realistic Dialogue chosen. Have fun!
All menus closed, and his mother seemed to be waiting patiently for his response.
"A little." He said. "I mean, I almost – you know." His mother patted him on the head. "The key word there is 'almost', dear. You'll be fine now; just rest for me, would you Ronnie?"
Mentally, he grimaced at the childhood nick-name, but outwardly, he nodded, smiling slightly. "Sure, mum."
Ignored discomfort at 'Childhood Nick-name'
'The Twins' are now 1% more likely to use this, but 2% less likely to call you 'Ickle Ronnie-kins'. Choose your poison, eh?
Ron blinked in surprise. Uh… alright?
An alert blocked his view. In the background, he noticed his mum leave the room, and realised that it would be best to pause before dealing with anything – the greyscale world stopped time from passing, Ron believed.
So, you have a title, eh?
Certain people will call you certain things; those are personal titles, or Relationship Names; Such as, on opposing ends of the spectrum, [Lavender Brown] would call you 'Won-Won', and [Draco Malfoy] would call you 'Weasel.', on occasions when not insulting you with other less-than-flattering names.
Depending on mood, Relationship Names may vary; Mrs. Weasley may call you 'Ronnie' when worried, but 'Ron Bilius Weasley!' when angry.
Normal Titles, are ones you gain throughout play, based on Achievements, Quests, Skills, Abilities, etc. They are gained through others knowing you have done these things. For example, [Harry Potter] is 'The-Boy-Who-Lived', for his survival of the Killing Curse at a young age.
You don't currently have titles other than 'The Player', for the fact you are playing the game, and 'Ronnie', from your family, and 'Ickle Ronnie-kins' from the Twins, Fred and George.
You cannot currently swap out titles. You cannot currently swap out trophies. You cannot currently swap out boasts. When you have an Inventory (Currently; your wardrobe, not secure and low-level; too low level for the previously mentioned things) of the correct level, you may change them.
Ron nodded, again, and closed down the Alert just in time for his brothers to enter.
George came first, and then…
Fred.
(Ron didn't look at the one who'd died; but then they were identical so looking at either hurt.)
The twins took his silence and avoidance as, well, silent treatment, and perched on available things to perch on.
"We're – ah – sorry, Ronnie-kins." George said. "Yeah. Sorry, Ron." Fred added.
Bloody hell, how am I supposed to pretend to be mad at them when this happened years ago, and one of them is dead in my past life?
Ron shook his head. "Uh. Alright."
The two looked surprised, and they should do, because that probably wasn't what they were expecting.
Ron continued. "S'not the first time anyway."
Reminder – Success!
Given twins; 'guilt of past actions' for: 5 hours.*
*Lacking because of an under-developed sense of empathy. That is because of age.
The twelve year olds winced, simultaneously.
"Mum – uh." Fred started, haltingly. George continued for him. "She sat us down about that too." He told Ron. "Said – said we needed to make it up. Since we can't fix the – spiders, thing, or the – the broken arm," They glanced at each other. Fred continued. "We figured we could – show you some tricks. You know? Stuff – useful stuff for your first year. Simple spells, and all that." "Stuff that'd have been mighty useful to know when we were firstees." George chimed in.
The world turned to greyscale, and the Twins were highlighted in a white glow.
An alert popped up in front of him.
Due to prior events, the twins have offered you Firstees' Street Smarts; the first class of the game! In it, you'll learn some handy knowledge about the school, such as secret passages, which portraits are helpful and which aren't, you'll gain some neat spells such as 'point me', 'lumos' and 'nox', 'finite', 'finite incantatum' and, of course (it is the twins, after all) some prank spells and creative, but mostly useless spells. If you gain a high enough RS – relationship status – with them, (In this case 'Worthy Brother O' Theirs') they may, with a good Charisma roll, let you in on the secrets of the map.
What map, you ask? Well, you'll find out, won't you?
This class is the first class, and so therefore isn't able to be declined.
Just say yes.
"Yes." Ron said with both finality, and wariness; how would the twins teach him anyway? He wasn't looking to be a test subject, no way.
"Great!" Fred and George said happily. "That'll get mum off our backs." Fred added. "You'll need a wand though…" George pointed out. Fred seemed to deliberate, for a moment, before nodding and turning to Ron. "Say, how about a test? Your first one, mind, and it's an easy one at that. Find Charlie's first wand, keep Charlie's wand, and then hide Charlie's wand where we won't find it. How does that sound, Brother o' mine?"
Quest gained!
The Wand Thief.
The twins have tasked you with finding, and 'borrowing' Charlie's wand. Can you do it? Or will you fail?
This quest has extra rewards. If you finish in the time limit, you will gain RS with 'Fred' and 'George' 'Weasley', and 10 EXP!
Do you accept, or do you wish to do this without the extra pressure?
Ron was relieved, honestly. See, he knew exactly where Charlie's old wand was kept – and, thankfully, knew where to hide it.
"I accept the extra challenge" Ron replied.
Quest Accepted. Quest Journal unlocked! Class Schedule unlocked! Job List unlocked!
There are three ways you can access these. From your base, there will be a book that holds them; from your Portable Inventory [currently lvl 1; muggle pockets] or from the main menu. The main menu one is locked during Story Mode – after accessing the Hogwarts instance. There are three instances prior; The Burrow, Diagon Alley and Kings Cross Station. You may spend as much time as you wish in those areas; that is the tutorial. When you move to Hogwarts, that is the end of your tutorial.
Ron nodded. The way it tells me this stuff seems random, but I'll take it.
The alert closed.
The world bled back to colour and the twins gained shared evil grins.
"You have 24 hours; starting now, little brother." Fred told him. "But rest first; after all, if mum catches you out of bed, you're done for."
Ron grimaced. Talk about dropping him in the deep end!
The twins left the room. 'Pause', Ron thought, and grinned to himself when the world bled to grey and time stopped around him. "Brilliant."
Least I don't have to look crazy whenever I call up a menu, eh? Ron thought to himself, chuckling. Bloody useful, that.
Ron blinked, as this was the first time he'd gotten a proper look at the in-game main menu. There were a few more options; including the options menu, character sheet, inventory, save, load, and, ominously enough, quit.
Grimacing, Ron ignored 'quit', and figured he didn't need to look in options, or load, but figured a save would be a good idea. "Save" He called out.
Game saved in slot one;
Ron Weasley; The Burrow. Tutorial. Lvl. 0.
Ron nodded, then closed that menu.
Dismissing the main menu, Ron got up and stretched, then looked around his room.
It looked pretty much the same as always; which was a little embarrassing that he'd never changed his childhood room, even when he was a teenager.
Shrugging, Ron riffled through his stuff to see if he could find anything useful.
Looting Mode; Activated.
When this is activated, containers containing valuables, or quest items, glow gold. Items of note that are not in containers glow silver. Dangerous items glow bronze, and quest items glow platinum. Good luck seeing the difference.
Simply Magic items glow purple, and Muggle items glow orange.
Good? Good.
The message dissipated when he'd just about finished reading it. Before he could become annoyed, he looked around and was surprised at the amount of gold and silver in his room.
Checking through the gold containers first, he found some things he knew he didn't own.
+14 knuts!
+2 sickles!
+3 knuts!
+4 galleons!
Incredibly surprised at the last one, he noticed the messages appearing in the top left of his vision.
Luck roll granted! Boost to loot gained!
Luck roll granted! Boost to loot gained!
Luck roll failed! Boost to loot declined!
Luck roll granted! Major Boost to loot granted!
Ron grinned. This is bloody brilliant! I'm certainly going to take advantage of this!
Ron felt almost giddy, before calming down. "Well." He mused to himself. "So long as it's not stealing."
(It's not like there'd be many containers he can just take from like this. But to start of a fair few gallons richer than before? Not bad, not bad at all.)
Ron went back to looting. He didn't gain much more aside from money, but that was more than he'd had before so Ron was happy enough.
Raiding his closet netted him 'equipment'. Ron opened his inventory.
Inventory.
In your inventory, is where you will find the items you are carrying, and what you have equipped. Currently, you have two slots – one for the pocket in your robe, the other the pocket in your trousers. Different items gain you inventory slots – from basic muggle pockets, all the way to Hermione's Experimental Bead Purse; which has an infinite amount of space.
Currently carrying ½ slots;
Wizarding Currency; 6 galleons, 3 sickles, and 15 knuts.
None.
Currently equipped:
Sleeping Robe – Wizards dress weirdly, don't they? +10 to HP per hour slept. +1 to carrying capacity.
Sleeping Trousers – Why do these have a pocket? Christ, I'll never get you people. +1 to carrying capacity.
Found in Room:
Hand-me-down robe – bit short around the ankles, bit tight around the waist. Fraying at the seams. -1 to Att. (if above age = 14), -1 to Chr. +2 carrying capacity.
Ratty trainers – these have been dragged through the mud one too many times for a reparo to fix them easy. -4% to walking/running speed, removes sprint.
Normal trousers – the only good pair you own. No bonuses.
Ron grimaced, and put them on. He noticed the timer in the top right go down by a few minutes.
As in all Strategy games, actions and choices take turns. In this case 'turns' are 'time'. During battle, that is different; but we're not there quite yet, Mr. Weasley.
Ron sighed.
Finally ready, Ron went to exit his room.
Do you want to leave the Base and start the day?
[you have; 1 quest; 1 class (unavailable). If you're caught; you will be sent back to base, and loose an hour. Ready?]
Ron took a deep breath. "Ready."
Good.
The door opened, and his eyes were hit with a blinding, bright light.
Notes:
I had major inspiration, then ran out. This is what i wrote instead of what i said i'd write, because it wouldn't leave me alone. I may not continue, but I'll try my best. (ugh, why do I put so much work on my plate ffs Cesca-)