The Game Man
It was the Hogsmead weekend that everyone had been waiting for. The students of Hogwarts had been on the edge of their seats with anticipation all year. Not since the return of the Triwizard tournament had an event been so anticipated. Yes, Potter and Weasley were opening another game house, another Black Arcade.
…
The first Black Arcade had come out only two years after the fall of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Still riding high on his fame Harry Potter along with business partner George Weasley had opened up a house of games, named in honor of Harry's deceased godfather and dedicated to the ideals he stood for, that being fun and frivolity.
Most people didn't know what to think when they first entered the Black Arcade. It was unlike anything any of the Purebloods had ever seen and unsurprisingly it was the children who were the first to get into the swing of things. They'd never seen video games before and the spent knut after knut learning to play. Parents didn't really mind, it was just a knut after all and that was usually worth three or four restarts. Children loved it because it was bloody wicked, or so one young man had said.
The genius behind the games had been a couple Muggleborn named Dave and Shawn who had been bored at Hogwarts and decided to try and recreate their video games from home. It had been a great success, in school anyway, but after school when they had been ready to enter the real world they found that things hadn't really changed much since the defeat of the Dark Lord. It was still purebloods hiring purebloods and before long they found themselves on the street and desperate.
It had been poor luck, or a sign of providence, that when they had turned to a life of crime their first victim turned out to be Harry Potter in disguise. He had been out and about, hiding in plain sight and they had tried and failed to mug him. They were incredibly surprised when he didn't hold it against them and asked if they would like to accompany him to dinner.
They were so shocked they almost missed the opportunity but after a little coaxing they agreed. No matter what they had read before they were completely unprepared for the real deal that was Harry Potter. He was polite and quiet, he listened more than he spoke, and when he said he understood them they truly believed he did.
Reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts, Harry showed an interest in their video game created with magic. So much to their surprise they found themselves in warm beds with full belly's that night, and a workshop in Black Manor the next morning to recreate the game they had created at school. Harry was thrilled when they finished and asked if they could make another one, a different one. They were more than happy to comply.
And that was how it began, from copying old video game ideas from the muggle world to just making up their own. It wasn't long before they had a dozen different games and that was when Harry had dropped his big idea on them. They were flabbergasted at first but they quickly started nodding. The magical world had never seen anything like it and with Harry Potter behind the project it was almost guaranteed success.
The advertising started two months before opening. The handbills were bright, colorful, and very prominently displayed the name Harry Potter. He was the hook, the thing that would draw people in. For the grand opening the street was packed, in the front were every child and the adults behind them all waiting impatiently for the appearance of Harry Potter.
There was a roaring cheer when he did appear in a display of pyrotechnics that had everyone bouncing off the walls in anticipation.
"To start off with I'd like to ask how many of you read anything on our little adverts besides my name."
A surprisingly small number of hands were raised, more surprisingly it was the children where most of the hands in the air came from.
"Shame on the lot of you" he said not unkindly which got a chuckle from the crowd.
"What we have here," he said gesturing behind him, "is something you've never seen before. And entire building dedicated to fun and time wasting. Not since Weasleys Wizard Wheezed has there been such a grand waste of space and time than right here."
The audience laughed his self-depreciating humor, just like Harry Potter said some.
"Ah but you all didn't come here to listen to me yammer on, Welcome to the Black Arcade" and with another flash of fireworks the doors burst open and people started piling in.
He had been right too, no one that day had ever seen anything like it but they warmed up to the concept quickly. While the children immediately took to the video style games there were also more traditional games, chess, checkers, all played against a board that played back which got progressively better each time you beat it.
There was even a flying tunnel for those who couldn't fly at home with special brooms all enchanted by Harry Potter himself as well as the challenge tunnel, a flying obstacle course said to have been inspired by Harry Potter's adventures. In the first week alone they were financially in the black and making money hand over fist. Every trip to Diagon Alley usually included at least a brief stop at the Black Arcade.
So when news got out some ten years later that another was being built, people were understandably excited.
…
When Harry Potter mounted the stage outside the Full Moon Arcade the cheer was deafening. He was older now, maybe a bit taller, more broad in the shoulder, but he still retained that same youthful vigor that people remembered and had come to associate with him. When he raised his hands the crowd fell silent, such was their respect and admiration for him even more than a decade after.
"My friends" he started, smiling kindly, "Today we embark on a new chapter in the book of Fun."
This statement brought raucous applause and he waited patiently for it to die down.
"It's been ten years since George Weasley and myself opened Black Arcade. And I can proudly say we have not been sitting round on our butts just counting the money. Most days anyway" he said and the audience laughed. "What you see before you is a decade's long dream finally made reality. What we have learned through Black Arcade has been used on this the Full Moon Arcade, to make it bigger and better than its predecessor."
Pause for cheers.
"All your old favorite games are still here as well as a couple dozen new ones, and let's not forget the life sized wizard's chess boards, inspired by our own dear Headmistress McGonagall."
Said Headmistress was blushing like a cherry when the audience all turned and applauded her.
"But, there is an extra surprise we hope you will all enjoy, I'm wearing them right now" he said and the proceeded to slide down the stairs, stopping inches from the ground, "we call them floats, we put them on the bottom of your shoes and instead of walking you float" he said, doing a couple spins just for fun.
The crowd was impressed and excited.
"But, you didn't all come here just to listen to me yammer. Welcome to the Full Moon Arcade."
The fireworks for this one practically blasted the doors off their hinges and a massive crackling dragon soared into the sky and exploded into a massive colorful display.
…
They spotted the figure in the dark cloak the minute he walked in. He would have needed a sign stating 'Minion of the dark lord, fear me' to be any more obvious in what he was doing. From their private table George Weasley watched as his partner surveyed the crowd.
"Trouble just walked in" said George.
"Your sister just walked in" said Harry fearfully.
"No, the other trouble" said George, reaching about in his coat pocket for something.
Harry looked puzzled for a moment then, "Oh, the Dark thingy and or his minions."
"That's the one" said George, finally pulling from his pocket a small telescope.
"What this all about?" said Minerva McGonagall who sat by the last occupant at the table, Professor of transfiguration, Hermione Granger.
"Oh nothing much, just some guests we were expecting finally arrived" said Harry, pulling a compact mirror from his pocket and flipping it open, "Amanda."
"Yes Mr. Potter" came the reply from the mirror a moment later.
"Grab that shady fellow who just came in and throw him in the box, we'll deal with him later."
"Yes Sir" came the reply and Harry slapped the mirror shut.
"Just what is going on Harry" demanded Hermione, looking concerned.
"When George and I decided to open up Full Moon here we suspected that dark lord everyone is talking about these days would show up and cause trouble."
"And?" she prompted.
"We took precautions" he said then turned to George who was currently looking through the telescope, "See anything?"
"The streets are empty and I mean empty, not a soul to be seen anywhere."
"Of course not, their all in here" said McGonagall looking out at the massive throng that filled the building.
The Full Moon Arcade was exactly as Harry had described it, bigger and better than the original. The game floor was easily three times larger and was settled next to two life size wizards chess boards which allowed people to step into place of certain pieces and serve in their place, rather like another such set from years ago. Past these were the Fly Tower and Cyclone Tunnel course where special brooms could be flown, freely in the tower and racing through the obstacle course. In separate rooms was a team based game called flash tag where special wands fired special beams of light to tag people. This was one of the new things and it was clearly going to be a favorite in the coming months by the look of things.
Of course in the middle of all of this was the float pond where people could fully enjoy the new bit of magic they received upon entry while listening to music played by the DJ who was by far the most energetic person Minerva McGonagall had ever seen. Now if she could only remember his name.
"Ah ha, there they are" announced George.
"Lemme see" said Harry, taking the telescope and peering through.
What he saw was about what he expected. The street empty save for seven men walking purposefully in their direction. The one at the center wore was a fairly handsome man that Harry didn't recognize but assumed was likely the Dark lord as the others all wore masks. The masks were an improvement over the old death eater masks as each one was some sort of demon and unique from every other.
"I like their masks" said Harry.
"Let me see" demanded Hermione, snatching at the telescope.
Harry was quicker of course and slapped it shut before giving a sharp clockwise turn and setting it down in the middle of the table. A moment later an image appeared floating above it, showing what Harry had just been looking at.
"How'd you do that?" said Hermione.
"Magic" said Harry, and was punch in the arm for it.
"An ingenious bit of magic Mr. Potter" complimented McGonagall.
"This one was yours wasn't it George?"
"Think so" he said, "hard to remember sometimes who came up with what."
"True enough" agreed Harry, "This however, was all me" he said, pulling a small square mirror from his pocket and setting it down on the table.
"And what does this do?" asked Hermione.
"Controls the welcome wagon" said Harry with an impish grin.
"Might want to fire it up" said George, "because it looks like he's about to fire us up."
Harry looked at the holographic projection and saw that the Dark whatsit was conjuring up a very powerful bit of fire. Pressing on a bit of the mirror a square lit up red and on the hologram the dark lord was doused with a powerful jet of water. Harry and George snickered at the sight.
"Boy does he look mad" said George.
"It's only gonna get worse from here fella" said Harry, pressing a few more buttons on the mirror.
A dozen jets of water struck all the assembled men outside, sending them sprawling into the mud. George was laughing and pounding the table with his fists.
"Who knew dark lord slaying could be this much fun" he croaked.
"Slaying? I'd hardly call this slaying" stated Hermione, "You're just making him madder."
"Oh that's not all we're doing" said Harry, pressing yet another button on his mirror keyboard.
Outside, small metal balls planted in the ground, now in the mud, came to life, sending millions of volts surging through the water and into the unfortunate conductors sitting in the water. The dark lord and his six men twitched frantically as the electricity surged through them, superheating their insides, cooking them while they were still alive. Smoke had begun to poor from their mouths and ears before Harry turned the fatal Taser off.
The twitching bodies fell lifeless to the ground, their masks hiding the hideously contorted faces, all except the dark lord who had fortunately fell face first into the mud where he now lay.
"Well, that takes care of that" said Harry, sliding his mirror back into his pocket.
George nodded in agreement, McGonagall looked impressed, and Hermione was gaping in shock.
"But, that can't be, I mean, what just happened?"
"I killed a dark lord" said Harry simply.
"But, how, how'd you even know he'd come, how'd you know he'd try and set the building on fire?" It couldn't be that easy, it just couldn't.
"We didn't" said George.
"We didn't" agreed Harry, "We strongly suspected he would come and with that in mind prepared a counter for every possible thing would could think of that he was likely to do. This was actually much easier than I expected this to go either but eh, I'm not complaining."
"But, I just, you can't" her mind was stuck in a loop, it couldn't be that easy.
"Whoop, hold on, looks like he's pullin a runner on us" said George, staring hard at the holographic display.
The smoke had cleared and some manner of incorporeal mist was accumulating above the still form of the dark lord, a mist both Harry and Hermione recognized all too well.
"Son of a bitch" said Harry standing up and pulling something easily the length of his leg from behind his chair, "excuse me."
"What was that he was carrying?" queried McGonagall as they all watched Harry head outside.
"Soul eating sword" said George.
The women watched stupefied as Harry approached the coalescing mist, drew a Japanese style sword from its sheath and stabbed it into the center of the cloud. The mist shivered a bit and was then sucked into the blade of the sword. Its task complete the sword was returned to its sheath and Harry returned, not even breathing hard.
"Now, that that's all settled, I believe Hermione here owes me something" he said with a devilish grin.
"What? What are you talking about" she asked suspiciously.
"You remember after your big breakup with Ron, that night we were together at Grimmauld Place?"
The cherry blush that painted her cheeks said it all, "Yes" she mumbled.
"Do you remember what you said I'd have to do for a repeat performance" he asked with a smug grin.
"Slay another dark lord" she said resigned.
"George, Minerva, if you'll excuse us" he said taking Hermione by the hand and leading her away, "Oh Minerva, I'll try and return her some time tomorrow, though I can't really say what condition she'll be in."
The two at the table tittered as a red faced Hermione was gently led through the crowd and out of sight by a very smug Harry.
"Well, for a grand opening I'd say that went quite well" said George.
"Indeed" agreed Minerva.
"Cheers?"
"Cheers."
