AN

Hey all, so I'm sorry there are some delays with the chapters, I'm a pretty sporadic writer. Because of this (and a still-developing process for keeping on top of what I've already said/plan to put in the story later) there may be inconsistencies in the story. If you notice any, please let me know - some I may be aware of but many I may not, and I frequently lose track of them.

Chapter 10

With all the levels he'd gained down in the Chamber, Harry now found himself to be the player with the highest level around. Admittedly the level range was limited because he was still in the instanced part of the game for beginners, but still. Many other players now eyed him curiously because of his unique attire - they were all still wearing the starter uniform, with a few variations. So far nobody had actually asked him where he got it though, he supposed it had something to do with his appearance and the fact that with the coat on, he looked a little intimidating. Not to mention the green was a rather Slytherin color, so some of the looks he was getting were a little distrustful even. It didn't dampen his mood at all, if anything it made him even more amused - nobody would guess who he was when he looked like this.

Despite his getting sidetracked, Harry was still in the front of the pack with his progression of the introductory section. Mostly because the majority of players joining them tonight were non-magicals who took longer in the classrooms to learn the spells, and had longer lessons in general. As a wizard, the game only needed to offer him tidbits of information rather than much more, especially as he wasn't really learning any new spells just yet. It was likely to change later on, but for now he kept ahead of the pack.

In truth, Harry was still getting used to his appearance as UNO. It was strange having his hair fall differently to what he was used to, feeling slightly smoother too. It was longer even than when he was in his fourth year. His wand too took a little getting used to - only because the feel of it in his hand wasn't as smooth as his real wand, and was a little bit thinner. He could cast with it alright, but it would take a little longer before it stopped feeling off to him.

Attending classes and casting spells helped him adjust to his wand though, but did nothing for his hair. It was just unnerving when he turned his head and saw the smooth strands out of the corner of his eyes, because of their length and relative straightness, they sometimes brushed against his face. He couldn't imagine how Hermione handled her bushy hair - it tickled something fierce when his own got in his face and hers always seemed to be doing the same.

It didn't stop him from progressing though, and soon UNO had attended a handful of classes. The Magical History class was probably the toughest, as it had talked about the recent war. While the game kept it short, it was longer than his previous classes and on a touchy subject to boot. Harry couldn't help but be pleased though - despite how hard it was to sit through that class, Hermione had ensured that the truth was getting out to the public. The truth of who Tom Riddle was, and of how the Magical World had been taken advantage of by a man who used their delusions of superiority against them.

Leaving the classroom, he understood then why there were a few people lingering outside the door talking. Clearly magicals, they'd been given a lot to think about from that class.

One of the loiterers spotted him and Harry recognised him as Marcus, one of Hermione's team, a tester like him who was here to play through and lead the way for the other players. While Harry wasn't recognisable as his avatar, he stood out because of his garb - only someone like Harry would manage to find something like that so early in the game.

"Hey UNO. What did you think of the class?" The brown haired tester nodded towards the Magical History classroom. "It was definitely more than I was expecting for the introductory class." Marcus continued.

"I'm glad they're getting the truth out there." Harry told him, thoughtful on the subject. "It is unnerving to hear it, but misinformation practically ruled the Magical World until recently. Its important that we start getting the truth out there, stop accepting cover-ups and letting people lie all the time." The Daily Prophet had fostered so much resentment and fear, spread so many lies and that just wasn't acceptable. "Voldemort thrived in the environment that the magical people provided for him before now. We can't allow that to happen again." If nothing else, using the name Voldemort convinced the tester of who he was talking to; few people said that name without reacting in some way.

"I get what you mean. I know that there was the short exposé on Voldemort after the war was over, but its important that it make the history books, you know? If we pretend this stuff never happened, it ultimately will again." They didn't want to keep allowing Dark Lords to come to power like they had with Grindelwald and Voldemort.

"Anyway, I'd better carry on - I'll see you around." Harry waved his goodbyes and continued on, eager to proceed with the game and get out of the intro.

With his quest log telling him that his school day was over, Harry headed to the Great Hall for some dinner and then up to the common room. Thankfully as a wizard he didn't have much in the way of homework, except for potions where he had to explain what the difference was in cutting, chopping and dicing an ingredient. It turned out he wasn't alone with homework though, for when he later made it up to his common room, he found players already camped out in front of the fire trying to work on the homework parchments.

The scene was so reminiscent of so many days as a student with Ron and Hermione that Harry froze for a moment, staring. He was forced to move when someone else came in through the portrait hole and found him blocking the way. An apology slipped out more out of habit than conscious intent but Harry moved out of the way all the same, the interruption jolting him out of his reverie. Those days were gone, and the students in the common room weren't the friends he knew. Hsrry moved off to the boy's dorms; he'd do his homework in the morning.

The next day dawned early, for Harry, though only a few minutes had passed in reality. He worked on his homework in his bed first, before heading down to the Great Hall. Attending breakfast gave him his next class of the day: charms, which would bring with it a familiar face.

As Professor Flitwick taught the class the value of properly pronouncing a spell (with the story of the guy who spelt a buffalo onto his chest instead of its intended effect) Harry wondered if Hermione had somehow charmed the Hogwarts staff into the game - it was exactly like them down to the lessons they were teaching and their mannerisms. Flitwick even fell off his stack of books when he introduced UNO! Not that UNO had the history that Harry Potter did, but still.

By the time he stepped out of charms class the feeling of slightly unnerving familiarity to his real Hogwarts years was just starting to fade. Fortunately the last of it disappeared as he was distracted barely two steps out of the classroom.

Harry was pleasantly surprised to see what could only be George. Clearly not intending to hide himself, the WWW proprietor had managed to charm his robe orange and had named his avatar 'Gred'. Harry couldn't tell if he was in the game as a staff member or as a player - though he knew the creative wizard had been consulted with the game creation, Harry hadn't seen much of him personally.

Still trying to get a gauge on whether the ginger was playing or working - or both - UNO made his way over. It was unlikely that as a player he'd be able to get robes like that, Harry couldn't really talk given that he was walking around in high-level snakeskin gear himself.

To add to his questions, George seemed to know who he was just by looking at him (though the older wizard knew him well enough to put the clues together so it was no surprise really, only that it happened so fast). George didn't give him away though, even as he grinned widely at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders boisterously. "UNO my man!" He all but shouted in Harry's ear. "How are you doing this fine day? Might I interest you in some wares to spice things up a bit?" The awfully orange-clad wizard opened up his robes and his UI brought up a shopfront window to trade on.

Laughing, UNO closed the window and shook his head, slipping out of the Weasley's grasp as he did so. "No thanks, I'm causing enough trouble without the help so far." He indicated his garb with a wide grin.

"So I see my good man!" George exclaimed. "Let me know if you change your mind. The shop is available once you reach the Atrium but until then you'll see me around Hogwarts, or there's owl-order forms about too." Harry could just imagine how much trouble the other wizard had gotten into with this stunt - but then magic and mayhem did rather go hand in hand as he well knew.

"So you're working here?" Harry asked, unable to take trying to figure it out on his own. Guessing anything with the twins, even just George alone, was a near impossible task.

"Nah, I'm a player. I just managed to get on before everyone else." George admitted unrepentantly, as if Hermione wouldn't scream him to require a new set of ears if she found out.

"Of course you've managed to break the rules already. As if I'd ever beat your record." Harry retorted, feigning disgruntlement.

"Nah I think the only time you beat me on that was in your second year. You were in trouble before you even made it to the school!" The prankster laughed at him. "Even we never managed that!" Not for lack of trying with their train-ride antics though.

"Yeah yeah." Harry retorted grumpily, recalling how much trouble he'd gotten into for that. He'd never understood the twins - he was fine with getting into trouble for a good cause, but playing pranks and enduring the endless detentions that the twins had? He wasn't sure he could hack it. Saying that though Harry had managed to spend plenty of time in detention without even the satisfaction of enjoying what got him there in the first place, so he supposed there was more appeal to doing things that'd get him into trouble. Flaunting the rules had always felt different to Harry than pranking, but perhaps he'd just been too serious in the past. The result had been the same in many cases, and the pranks had brought smiles to faces, so it was a worthy enough cause. Even if those pranks had sent Mrs Weasley on a rampage on many an occasion.

Yes, he was beginning to see the appeal of such things. Going against the grain rather was what he was good at, after all.

Deciding to change the subject, the orange clad wizard folded his arms over his chest and nodded towards the Charms classroom. "So how're classes treating ya? I didn't bother with them myself - popped in a few to see what they were like, but otherwise? If I didn't attend them in the real Hogwarts why would I bother in here?"

Disinclined to contradict that logic, Harry just shook his head in amusement at his friend. He knew full well that Fred and George had worked hard at school - just never where anyone could see them.

"Well, you didn't miss much. It's a lot like the real Hogwarts, but better in many cases. Easier as a real wizard too. A lot of it is the same though - just came out from Flitwick teaching about proper pronunciation and all that." Talk about a flashback to first year.

George laughed, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. UNO eyed that grin warily, but couldn't help but demand an explanation for it.

"Flitwick tells that story to every first year class." The orange wizard explained. "Of course, Fred and I just had to try it - you know how it is, Bill and Charlie coming home talking about it of course we would - we used dad's wand to do it. Darn thing near trampled the kitchen to pieces before mum managed to banish the thing away. She wasn't impressed, that was for sure. Dad was though - turns out that the spell is actually pretty tough so getting any result at all was pretty impressive." Of course Mr Weasley had always supported them in their mayhem, from behind his wife's back most of the time of course.

Unable to help but laugh at the story, Harry couldn't imagine such a thing happening when he was a kid. Letting loose a rampaging buffalo in a house - never mind the Burrow, cramped and cluttered as it was!

Even though such days were long past - with the loss of Fred and Molly's heartbreak, George was able to smile past it. Harry too smiled - those fond memories were too humorous to look back on with the sorrow that shaded them. So much had changed, but that sadness didn't need to linger. Their loved ones were waiting for them, of that he was certain.

"You know, we should get together in the game sometime, once I'm out of the intro." Harry suggested, a very wide grin spreading across his face, the sight of which unnerved several players coming out of the charms classroom. "We could have a lot of fun, I think." Perhaps he really should take a page out of George's book (not something he would ever have thought he'd do before now). The answering grin on George's face scared a few passing students so Harry took that as a positive sign.

Harry was enjoying the anonymity the game gave him, but he naturally made waves - so he may as well enjoy it and George lived to cause trouble. He could only imagine the mayhem they'd get up to if they hung out togethe.

"Anyway, you better get going mate - you'll never make it out to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes at this rate!" George exclaimed, shooing the younger wizard away. "Best hurry on to class!" He mocked, trying to sound like a teacher.

"I'd best hurry up then." Harry replied with a laugh, obediently trotting off towards his next classroom.