Author's Notes:
For all of the readers who know me, this story is a rewrite, like all the Harry Potter fanfictions I've posted so far. So it's story I had written back in 2004, and that I had published on a HP fan community. It was a side-story of sorts, set in the same AU as my other stories, introducing another main OC, who came in contact with Harry and his friends at some point.
The main idea was to write a first person POV, for a change, with a touch of humour and a lot of musical references, since I'm not only a geek, I'm also die-hard heavy metal fan. So I was trying a mix of both universes. And it did look good at the time. I got a few good reviews by my regular readers. But as I read it now, I realise they were being kind. it's not that it was bad. I still like it very much, right now, as I read it to work on it. But how could they forgive me for this? :)
it was, as I said, 2004 and my english, though not bad, was just dreadful for this kind of stuff. Not in terms of grammar or vocabulary, but in terms of style. The formulas I used were awful. The humour was pushy and the romance was cheesy! I guess my readers were very nice people!
So, as I have started to completely re-work my "Hogwarts" saga, I thought I could include this one into the process and re-work it as well. Since it is separated from the others, I can start to post it, right now.
So, ladies and gentlemen, witches and wizards, let me proudly (well, so far...) present... THE SPELLJAMMER CHRONICLES: Awakening, formerly known as Magical Jam. Like the title suggests, this is the first of a series of stories about my main character.
It starts, in terms of timeline, in the year right after Harry Potter's seventh year, in my AU. The next episodes will feature my OC as a grown up. It's shorter than the Hogwarts' titles, but it's also supposed to be funnier. You'll keep me informed on that front, will you?
I'm posting the prologue, right now, and I'll try to post the first revised Chapter before I go on vacation for the rest of the month. Hope you'll like it.
See ya!
Prologue… it's only about me!
Let me clear up something right now, before I tell you my story. A short word of warning...
If you're expecting a world-changing story, you can turn away, right now and be at peace with yourself, you won't be missing much. Basically, this is a story about me being a teenager. Well not all of it. But I was a teenager when that story took place, a teenager with some (who am I kidding… a LOT of) stupid teenager traits, so even if I had been saving the world, back then, well… It couldn't be anything else than a comedy, honestly, or at least, something trying to be a comedy.
Before you ask, no, I didn't save the world. Did not. Period.
About the world saving bit, the thing is that I was in school with that guy... You know that wizard with... the glasses and the... jet black hair and a scar on the forehead… That's right! Potter… Harry Potter. See? I don't even need to give out his name, you all know the guy.
Harry Potter saved our world from the threat of Voldemort (yeah, I said it, but then again, this was years ago, so it's okay to speak about it, now). And it happens that I was in my fifth year just while he was having his last one in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (that will be henceforth called simply Hogwarts for the purpose of not writing down unnecessary words). The guy was a hero as a toddler, he grew up to be even more awesome, and went into adulthood as a living legend.
Since he had kicked the majority of the Dark Forces' butts during his school years, I basically was left with little to do, in terms of heroics, whether I wanted to go there or not. The world can only need that much saving each year, right?
So this is not a story about saving the world. It is not even about saving my life… As I said, it's about being a teenager in a school of Magic, rid of trouble… ish.
That story begins in my sixth year, Harry having left Hogwarts to live whatever adventures he was off to live after defeating Evil (see the Author's published fan fictions to find out which adventures I'm referring to). Harry would eventually return to Hogwarts as a teacher (not so long after that, actually since my little brother would have classes with him). But that's not the point.
But even if Harry is absent from my story, there is something interesting in comparing my life to his. It may help people to understand the kind of guy I am. And since I do have a few interesting stories to tell about my life, I feel I had to clarify that. So I'll start by planting the scenery during Harry's seventh year, so you can see exactly how things stood between me and Harry.
Oh! I realize that you don't even know my name. See that kind of thing? It's really revealing of the discreet kind of guy I am, and of course, the fact that our author *turns out to screen* thinks he's funny hiding my name from everyone. Maybe you're expecting me to be someone you know. Maybe you expect me to be a person you've already heard of in Harry Potter's circle of acquaintance, while you heard about his adventures. You think this will be a story from an unexpected character's point of view. But it's not.
My name is Alec Ramsay, and I was a Gryffindor student.
*I told you this author was just playing around. This is a story from a complete unknown character's point of view.*
You've never seen me before, I guess. Oh, wait: maybe once. Have you seen that picture of the Quidditch Cup, dating from some years ago? Just before the Triwizard Tournament's year. This year, Harry had won the Cup with the Squad of Oliver Wood. And there is a picture in the Hall, like for all the previous years. Well, the hysterical fan, waving a banner so wildly that you can't even see his face… is me.
So I was in Fifth year, when Harry Potter faced Voldemort and his followers one last time. I was two years behind him, so I was a little too young to be of real use, and I was unlikely to be endangered, actually. I like to say I've slipped through the darkest hours of our world without losing any feather on the ride. But the school years had been really interesting, thanks to Harry Potter. Note the understatement.
I'm not the kind of guy who will criticize the way the world has been saved. Nope. That year, Harry had faced a rebellion of students led by Draco Malfoy, countered it, organized a counter attack with the Order of the Phoenix, found Voldemort in the fortress of Salazar Slytherin, and defeated him in single combat. The day I have a list of achievements that full for a seventeen year old boy, I'll open my mouth on the method used.
So, yeah, Harry and his friends had foiled an attempt of the Slytherins to take over Hogwarts. And when the dust settled, the culprits had been thrown out of Hogwarts as quickly as if Dumbledore himself was chasing them. Well, in fact, he was kind of chasing them. But, during his cleansing of Hogwarts, I felt Harry had missed a spot. He left one behind that I would have liked to see expelled... But more on that later.
After this huge victory over Voldemort, Harry returned to Hogwarts to finish his school year. And I remember that at this time, he was relishing the simple fact of hanging out with his friends. Most times, he was seen with two people.
Ron Weasley, the Quidditch Keeper and brother to Ginny, a girl I had a crush on for a long time before she went out with Michael Corner (Don't you think Michael Corner is a stupid name?). But I'm digressing… Ron Weasley. Some of us called him Ron Granger when we were sure he wasn't listening. Especially since he had finally confessed his love for Hermione Granger, who was something of a 'How to become Head Girl' guide on two feet. Speaking of feet, Ron was at hers, absolutely and completely, and if they ever got get married, it would have seemed more logical for him to change his name… We were stupid, I know…
Hermione Granger. What I found fascinating with Hermione was her brains. She was able to get through anything. She had helped me once with some homework. I felt like I was less of an idiot after that. Curious this effect she has on people. One second she sounds like you're an idiot, and you hate that. But when she's explaining herself, you realize that you HAVE been an idiot, and that now, you're less of one.
And those two people, at the end of seventh year, were always stuck together. They were so relieved to have survived the Second War that they were enjoying every second of their time together.
I'm not a romantic. Not. Period. But I found that cute.
And next to them, in the picture, all the time, you had Harry Potter. Thoughtful. You could tell by his eyes that he was. And it wasn't hard to guess what he thought about: Fate, the fact his mission was accomplished, the people he had lost… He was relieved that his best friends had made it through the war, focusing on them because he refused to think of the thousands of other lives he had saved.
And one evening, as I caught a glimpse of the golden trio, I got some revelation. Looking straight at Harry Potter, I got distracted by some sound on my right. I looked there and then I saw it. What I called from this day the Potter effect.
There was that girl from Sixth year that I didn't know. She was looking at Harry with bright eyes, and sighing.
That was that day that I realized that finding a girlfriend in Hogwarts would be absolutely Mission Impossible for me, after Harry Potter had gone through the school.
That was not a huge revelation. I hadn't got the sight of the true meaning of life. That was just egoistic thinking, and harmless envy. Yes, harmless, because I never wanted to get revenge on Harry Potter for that. I mean, that guy deserved his "Harry Potter Effect". He wasn't even trying to be the new girl's fantasy. He was just … him. And I had realized that for the girls that would stay behind him, Harry Potter would be the new standard for guys.
*Sees all the male readers wince in sympathy at that* I know, right?
Alright, I may have blackened the picture a bit. Things weren't that desperate for me. But it did somehow illustrate the way I stood regarding my life, at this time, and even now, I keep that simple truth in mind at all times.
I'm not Harry Potter.
But when you go to study in Hogwarts, you don't need to be Harry Potter to have fun, or to get into trouble. And boy, did I get into trouble! Quite a lot, actually. And my sixth year in Hogwarts wasn't the least of it, considering.
Again, I didn't save the world, but I found myself faced with situations in which I would often ask myself 'what would Harry Potter do in my position?' And the trouble was that each time, the answer was always 'you think Harry Potter would have gotten in that position?'
And the truth, the painful, disturbing truth was: No, probably not.
My name is Alec Ramsay, and this is my story. The story of a Spelljammer. If you're willing to take the ride with me through my chronicle, expect music, school stuff, some randomness and serious dose of sarcasm along the way. Fasten your seat belts, folks, because here we go.
