Chapter 1- Introducing the game

Harry was in Diagon alley with Hagrid. Hagrid said he needed to get something and left him to his own resources in some interesting shop. He had managed to get all his school supplies and was now wandering the store in search of something to do before he could go to Hogwarts, for the holidays. He had enough gold he believed to at least buy something interesting to do. He was going through rows of books on the side of the store when he swore he heard something whispering to him.

'Come, come here, play a game of ones greatest fears.'

He shook his head in attempt to get rid of the chilling voice. 'I must be losing it' harry muttered to himself.

'The game where the losers die and winners find vast knowledge.'

Harry's weak attempt at shaking his head to rid the voice was getting him nowhere and a sudden curiosity peaked. He automatically was drawn to the voice. It was chilling, goosebumps across his arms but it was beautiful and velvet. Smooth and without fault.

'Come, come here. To seek out ones fear, one's dream and ones desires. Come here.'

Harry ungracefully moved towards the voice. He believed it was coming from a few rows over. He saw a rectangular box, it was flat and it reminded him of Dudley's board game, monopoly. He reached out to touch it, when a gruff voice spoke from behind him.

"You touch it, you buy it." The shopkeeper said giving harry a fright.

"Oh sorry." Harry took his hand away. He wanted to know what was inside of it, so badly. He wasn't somebody to be so curious but the voice, he wanted the voice. He wanted to know about it.

"How much?" harry asked turning towards the stout man. He was old and haggard. A rough face full of wrinkles, a large almost square nose took up most of his face. His eyes were blue but gave the impression of being black. They reminded harry of the snake he let lose at the zoo. Dark and small. Full of secrets.

"Um, 15 gallons." He replied, his eyebrows in surprise that the boy wanted it.

"I'll take it." Harry said searching through his pockets to find some coins. He counted them out before grabbing the box and left the store. He waited outside until Hagrid came back, in tow a white snowy owl. For him, for his birthday. It was the first present he had ever gotten for his birthday. He was so distracted about the day and the owl that he forgot about the box and the voice from it. He ignored all about the store actually until he got to platform nine and three quarters.

Harry was far more distracted by, his owl Hedwig, a name he came across when reading a history of magic, along with reading his other books. Unpacking and repacking his suitcase. And all round being excited. He forgot about the box.

Uncle Vernon had dropped Harry off, between platforms 9 and 10 and was rather cruel about the whole ordeal. He just left cackling with laughter. He tried to ask people in the station for help but none of which had ever heard of Hogwarts. Most of them walked away from the 'irritating' boy muttering about wasting time, others laughed thinking it was some sort of joke and one was actually concerned about his mental wellbeing. Harry was trying not to panic but there was only ten minutes before the train left. Was there something Hagrid forgot to tell him, anything at all. Harry tried to think back, did he say something. Nothing he could recall.

He stood there for a bit looking at the clock and counting down the seconds when he caught a few words from a group of red heads.

'Packed with muggles of course-'

Harry pushed his trolley closer to the group trying to hear what they were saying from what harry had gathered from his time in Diagon alley that only witches and wizards would call, averagely normal, non-magical people, muggles.

Harry watched what looked like the oldest boy, move swiftly towards platforms nine and ten. Harry tried hard to see what he had done but there was a sudden swarm of tourists and had missed it. He didn't really want to ask for help. He didn't usually have to since he spent a lot of time at the Dursleys instead of other places. Well there was the zoo but harry doubted he would be allowed to go there again.

"Excuse me but how do you manage to get on to the platform nine and three quarters." He asked the plump woman who looked as if she knew what she was doing.

"Hello dear. New as well so is Ron." She said gesturing to her son. He was taller than Harry and rather gangly. He also had quite the collection of freckles on his face, most on his rather long nose, along with large feet and hands. "Now to get on the platform all you have to do is run towards the barrier."

"Er-okay," said Harry.

Turning his trolley to face the barrier and made a slight run towards the very solid brick wall. He was about a foot away and waited for the sudden impact of the wall. He didn't realise he had closed his eyes until he opened them to see a scarlet train engine. The place was quite a sight. There was a sign over head saying 'Hogwarts express 11 o'clock. He dodged the people and then managed to get on the train. The place was packed with people especially families fare welling their children. He had managed to find an empty compartment at the end of the train. He also got some assistance from the twin boys whose mother had helped him. They reacted oddly though when they discovered that he was Harry Potter. It was rather strange.

The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red headed boy came in.

"Anyone sitting there?" He asked. "Everywhere else is full."

Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. The smudge his mother talking about still there.

"Hey Ron."

The twins were back.

"Listen we're going down the middle of the train, lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right." Mumbled Ron.

"Harry," Said the other twin. "Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George weasly. And this is ron our brother. See you later then."

Bye," Ron and harry said in unison as the twins left.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron asked bluntly. And they both fell into conversation.

Ron and harry had eaten most of the food from the trolley with wrappers around the compartment and Ron was just about to show Harry a spell that the twins had told him about when a bushy brown haired girl, with beaver like teeth came in.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," She said in a bossy tone.

They both shook their heads but it seemed the girl seemed to have noticed Ron's wand .

"Oh you're doing magic, let's see it then." She sat down and Ron looked stunned.

"Er- alright." Ron cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daises, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow." He flicked his wand but nothing appeared to happen. the girls had started talking quickly and sounding all knowledgeable.

They managed to introduce themselves but she was quickly on some rant again.

"Anyway do you mind if I sit here?" She finally asked. The two boys nodded confused. Not only did she speak fast and such knowledgeable facts but they had no idea what she what she was talking about.

The whispering started again then.

'Play me. Play me. Past, future, present. I can answer. I can tell. I can predict. Just play me. Play me.

Harry was entranced with the voice. he moved towards his trunk and he managed to get it out of his trunk under his clothing.

"Do you want to play a game?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.

"Uh- okay." Ron baffled at why he would suggest a game.

"Alright." Hermione also as baffled as Ron.

"Okay." Harry lifted the wooden top and placed it on the ground. Inside were pieces. There was an owl, a chess piece of a horse and a strange ball. They were made of stone and beautifully carved. There was no colour or life to them though.

In the middle of the board there was what looked like strange hole. The board itself though had many squares surrounding all moving around the board and around the squares and hole was what looked like a blue liquid. Or was it some sort of gas? The whole thing was beautiful.

"How do we play?" Ron asked.

"Maybe we should look at the instructions." Hermione said reaching into the box to try and find some sort of paper but came out empty.

"Well that's stupid." Ron responded. "We can't play if we don't know how. What's the aim of the game."

The hole in the centre lit up with blue fluorescent writing. It was cursive and elegant but sent chills down there spins. It was creepy. It acted like it wasn't an inanimate object.

'Instruction 1' the writing showed. 'You have to select a piece. Do this now.'

"I want the chess piece." Ron said

"Maybe we ought to think-"

"You can have the owl if you want Hermione, because there smart and all, how else would they be able to deliver the post." Ron cut her off.

"That wasn't what I was going to say, I was going to suggest that maybe we shouldn't play."

"I'll have the ball thingy." Harry said.

"It's actually a snitch they have them in quidditch." Ron told harry.

"Stop, think about this first. This is a magical game. It could be dangerous. Where did you say you got this game from harry." Hermione said. Ron cut harry off before he could reply though.

"Don't worry it'll be fine Hermione, what could go wrong."

"Well I don't know but…"

"Don't worry it's only a game."

"Alright I'll have the owl." Hermione said snatching it from the board.

"Good. Now what's the next instruction?"

The hole lit up again with the writing.

'Warning- when you start you can't stop. This game comes with sacrifice.'

"It's just trying to scare us. Nothing will happen it's only a board game."

Hermione and harry nodded in understanding. But harry couldn't help remembering the voice. The words dispersed and new ones came up.

'You can't tell anyone- deadly consequences otherwise.' The trio once again nodded in mere understanding rather than in agreement.

'Instruction 2- Roll the dice and wait for more instructions.'

"See it's not that bad" Ron consoled Hermione. "Now who wants to go first." Looking towards harry and Hermione to see if they wanted to. Neither responded.

"I'll go first, now where is that dice." Ron looked over the board before finding it. instead though of having dots or numbers it was blank. It was just straight white.

"What bloody di has nothing on it?" Ron asked no one in particular. He chucked it on the board. The di fell and the black hole lit up with blue writing again.

"What does it say Ron." Hermione asked harry also leaned in curious.

'You are new. The first task is easy. You must be sorted in to houses.' The writing disappeared.

"What sort of game is it when you have to all do the same things yet not play individually?" Harry asked.

"A game against the board not each other. Oh well thought that's pretty easy anyway."

"How did it know we were new?" Hermione asked. The boys shrugged.

There was a knock at the door interpreting Hermione's train of thought.

"Hey Ron, I was just coming to say that you should get into you robes, we're almost there." Percy weasly said before quickly leaving, obviously doing his prefect rounds.

"Yeah we probably should." Harry muttered to Ron. Ron nodded in agreement. When Hermione let out a gasp.

"It's gone. The game, it's gone."

"Oh well it didn't seem like a very good game. It just has a mind of its own. My dad says don't trust something if you don't know where it keeps his brain. Well I think that's what he says." Ron said while going through his bag to find his robes.

"No need to worry Hermione, but, do you, ah, mind stepping out so we can get changed." Harry said, looking at the already changed Hermione.

"Oh, oh alright, well I still need to find Neville's toad so I'll talk to you later anyway. I can't believe I forgot about that toad." She muttered until she had left the compartment.

I skimmed over this because it was things people sort of already know but I promise next chapter will be more detailed