In video game fanfictions characters always seem to go for the easiest option. This troubles me. I like danger and excitement.
Harry panted, swinging his head around wildly while the gigantic blue letters floated in front of him. His heart was racing. Had he apparated? He tried to apparate back to the tower but felt the familiar pressure of the Hogwarts charms stopping him. He called out to the room.
'Hello? Is anyone there?'
No one answered him. He was in the currently empty Hogwarts entry hallway, halfway up the oaken stairs. It was a magnificent room with fantastic images of strange creatures etched in the wood, twisted candleholders that held dozens of bright candles, marble statues of old wizards, wands pointing to the sky, of man and centaur united in friendship, one of a crying woman holding a dagger to her chest. Gentle music played in the background. He had no clue how he had apparated here through the barriers but it wasn't where he should be. He had to get to his friends and help them and find someone to stop Bellatrix.
He turned heel and started running up the stairs and collided head first with a previously invisible blue barrier that had formed over the exit.
He fell to the floor, red thick blood gushing out of his nose and splattering onto the floor.
He twisted over, facing down and leaning on his elbows, and drew Dumbledore's wand out and pointed it at his own face.
'Episkey.' With a loud crack his nose set back into place. He was really glad he had that spell. He'd had a lot of cracks and falls in Quidditch, it was a brilliant charm to use. It didn't fix anything other than the skin and connective things but it would hold you together even if you were breaking apart.
He carefully got up and swayed, still feeling dizzy. He blinked several times till his vision cleared and then looked at the barrier.
It had vanished again, except for a spot in the middle where his blood covered shining blue light. It responded to touch? He kicked at the air at the bottom of the barrier. A wave of blue spread from where he kicked. Perhaps it was some death eater curse? He had to find an exit anyway, his friends needed him. Damn this barrier.
He swung his fist at the barrier hard, trying to force his way through. His hand bounced off the barrier with little impact on it beyond making a ripple of blue spread out and hurting his hand. He took a deep breath, flicked his arms out in a calming motion, letting his worries fall out. He had to work out if there was an exit.
He stuck the wand out and flicked it in a wavey motion. 'Aquamenti' From the tip gushed a jet of water that he swung around the area. The blue barrier started to glow all around him as it was covered with water, on the stairs up and down, on every exit, even above and below him. There was no easy escape that he could see. He had coated every available surface in water and the room glowed bright blue now from every direction.
He turned back to the letters again.
'NEUES SPIEL'
'SPIEL LADEN'
'OPTIONEN'
'MITWIRKENDE'
It looked like some sort of foreign language. Maybe some kind of riddle only death eaters could solve? He was good at riddles. He'd try reading it out first.
'Neues spiel-'
The bottom three letters vanished from sight and the NEUES SPIEL letters grew in size, flashing brightly. Harry quickly summoned up a shield, ready for attack. None came. The letters vanished with a puff, and the music in the background stopped. Harry swung his head around. The barriers around him still held.
He looked back. In front of him the water that had barred his way had fallen to the ground. The statue in front him were starting to change, their stone bodies turning to flesh. He watched wand at the ready.
They were him. There were seven of the statues each versions of him at a different age. He glanced over each while noting their features.
One was a very young ten year old version of him wearing nothing but underwear and cringing away from some threat, with floating purple letters above it that said MUGGEL. Muggle? That was pretty insulting.
The second was an eleven year old year old version of him wearing a muggle shirt and shorts that couldn't seem to keep a grip on his wand and kept dropping it, with floating purple letters above him that said SCHLAMMBLUT. He had no clue what that meant.
The third was a twelve year old version wearing a tattered oversized mangy pink robe that could hold its wand but seemed to want to pick his own nose with it. Blue letters next to it said TIERWESEN. 'TeeharWeeson.' He said. No clue.
The fourth was a thirteen year old version of him that had a steady grip of its wand, holding it in front of him to ward off some thread, wearing a normal black Hogwarts robe. Green letters that floated by his head said HALBBLUT. Half blood maybe?
The fifth was a fourteen year old version of him that confidently held his wand, ready for a fight, and wore a prefect's badge as well as a well made Hogwarts robe. Glowing yellow letters that floated above him said REINBLUTIG. He also had no idea what that meant.
The sixth was a fifteen year old version of him, about his own age, whose wand glowed with power and magic, wearing a fine cut black robe and a headboy badge. Glowing orange letters said ZAUBERER for this one. That was not at all clear.
The sixth was an older version of him, a year or two older, he wasn't sure. He wore a hip length brown jacket with a purple waist coat, sharp and snappy black trousers, and held a broomstick in one hand, a wand in the other. The statue's eyes tightened with deadly purpose. Intense glowing red letters next to him said MERLIN. That was clear enough.
Harry spoke. 'Hello, why are you me?'
The status all turned to him and started babbling at him in some harsh sounding language. He tried to understand them but nothing they said made sense. He waved his hand at them. 'Ok shut up. You're not helping. You can't make me understand your babble just by speaking louder.' The statues looked ashamed for a moment and then went back to their poses, occasionally glancing at him.
He looked over the statues. Maybe this was some sort of Hogwarts defence system? It would transform him into one of them so he could be stronger? There was no way of knowing. He had to get out of this trap so he had to make a decision even if he didn't know. He had to know now, for Ginny, for Hermione, for Ron. He gripped his wand tightly and spoke.
'Merlin.'
German translations.
'NEUES SPIEL'=New Game
'SPIEL LADEN'=Load Game
'OPTIONEN'=Otpions
'MITWIRKENDE'=Cast
Muggel=Muggle
Schlammblut=Mud-blood,
Tierwesen= Monster
Halbblut=Half-blood
REINBLUTIG=Pure-blood
ZAUBERER=Wizard
Merlin needs no translations.
Reviews are appreciated.
