Disclaimer: Usually I write out this very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am making no money whatsoever from the writing of this FanFiction.
Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, foul language, alternate universe (i.e. kiss HP canon goodbye), angst, drama, starts pre-Hogwarts Era, and who knows what else.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter Eleven: Contrariness
Friday, November 19, 2021 8:28 AM
Albus stood in front of his office window staring down at the castle grounds as Aurora Sinistra led the diminutive Harry Potter off of the grounds; the young professor escorting the child to Diagon Alley so that he could purchase his school supplies. The wizard's shoulders sagged as he thought back to his interactions with the young child and felt again the weight of the mistake he'd made in placing the child with his only remaining blood relatives. A sigh escaped his lips as he wondered again what the child had experienced over the past two years while his soul had been trapped somewhere outside of his body and worried about the apparent insanity that the poor boy had developed due to the separation of body and soul.
The child's insistence that life was some sort of game he had to complete was disturbing and Dumbledore had not missed the skeptical look in Harry's eyes the night before as he'd tried to explain things properly to the boy. At the same time, the old wizard had been utterly fascinated with the mutations that Harry's magic had undergone since waking up. The child accessed his magic completely without any understanding of what it was and what it did and somehow forced it to physically manifest itself in order to interact with his environment.
Poppy had told him that the boy had vanished the clothes she'd given him that morning and then somehow made them appear on his body simply by touching the strange floating pages the boy created out of pure magic. Each time Albus found himself fascinated by the anomalies surrounding Harry Potter, the old man would feel guilt because it had been his mistakes that had led to the child's magic and mind becoming so twisted. He only prayed that Merlin and the Lady of the Lake would see fit to guide the child back to reality sometime soon or their world was doomed.
Sighing again, Albus turned away from the window as Aurora and the boy disappeared from view and returned to his desk to finish up the never ending piles of paperwork that were waiting for his attention.
Friday, November 19, 2021 8:36 AM
Harry coughed and shook off the nausea that had taken hold of him the moment the professor had transported them from just outside the school grounds to an empty alley in the middle of who-knew-where even as he jumped clumsily away from her. Even though the woman had frowningly proclaimed that the method of travel they had just used was similar to the Teleport function in SAO when Harry asked, he found that that couldn't be further from the truth. Harry would take teleportation over the so called apparation any day; he did not like feeling like he was being squished and stretched out through a straw.
"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?"
"I'm fine," Harry assured his soon to be professor as he shook off the last of the effects of the strange form of transport.
She nodded and pulled him over to a section of the wall directly across from the grimy back door of a pub called the Leaky Cauldron; the woman completely ignoring his discomfort with the physical contact. She then removed a wooden rod (a device that he'd learned was called a wand) from her pocket and tapped one of the stones on the wall with the tip. Watching the wall peel itself out of the way brick by brick was rather fascinating but the long winding street that had been hiding behind the wall was rather boring.
It was also fairly crowded and reminded Harry of some of the shadier parts of Hajimari no Machi where low level players sold low quality goods for high prices in the hopes of getting rich quick by tricking the more naïve players or those desperate enough not to care that they were being cheated.
"Stay close to me, child," Professor Sinistra warned in a soft whisper as she clamped a hand on his shoulder once more, causing him to tense as he disliked people he didn't really know grabbing him. "Do not give anyone your name and do not wander off on your own. Not all witches and wizards are good people and your name will stir up more trouble than we need right now."
"Got it."
"Good. Our first destination is Gringotts Bank, the large white building up ahead where the street splits," Professor Sinistra continued with a slightly louder voice as she guided Harry along the street with the hand she kept on his shoulder. "Gringotts is run by goblins and it is important that you do not insult them as they are rather unfriendly creatures that can make your life miserable should you annoy them."
"Will they attack in hordes and do they have any weaknesses that can be easily exploited if they do decide to attack us once we enter the bank? Can they be killed easily or do you need a special weapon?"
"No, they will confiscate your vault and all of your money and make your life difficult. Their only true weakness is their love for gold and treasure and their pride and you are not allowed to kill them. The last thing we need is for you to incite another goblin rebellion because you dared to attack one or more of them."
"I won't attack anyone that doesn't attack me first," Harry stated flatly as he glanced up at the witch briefly.
"Somehow that doesn't sound as reassuring as you might have meant it to be," Professor Sinistra muttered under her breath as they reached the bank and climbed up the short flight of stairs leading to the entrance. "Please remain silent while I handle matters with the goblins; if you have any questions, I will answer them once we are finished with our business at the bank."
"Yes, ma'am."
Harry's first glimpse of a goblin had him wondering if the game's monster designer had lacked any true imagination because they looked nothing like the ugly and fear inducing Grim Goblins that had been found in the dungeons on floor sixty-eight of Aincrad. In fact, aside from being rather short and stocky, having very little hair, and having grayish-brown tinged skin the goblins could have easily passed as short humans with an unusual facial structure. The sharp looking axes, pikes, and swords they carried were of far more interest to the eleven year old and Harry wondered what Agil would make of some of the heavier looking war axes.
Recalling that Agil wasn't around and would probably never have the chance to appraise any of the weapons being openly carried by the goblin guards in the bank sent another wave of grief through Harry and he almost tripped over his feet when the tears he was holding back by sheer willpower clouded his vision. It took him several minutes to get his emotions under control and once he did it was to find himself being steered down a rough tunnel to a mining cart by the professor who in turn was being led by a goblin.
If not for his inner turmoil, Harry might have appreciated the cart ride since it was the closest thing to an amusement park ride he'd ever been on. At the end of the ride, he was more than a little confused when Professor Sinistra had given him a push into the vault the goblin had opened. The woman simply told him that it was his job to collect the money he would need to buy his supplies and that it wasn't appropriate for her to enter his vault without permission. That, of course, raised the question of how and when he'd been given a vault and why there was already so much wealth tucked inside of it when he hadn't earned any money in the new game as far as he knew.
He opened his mouth to ask those questions only to recall that the professor had asked him to hold his questions until they were finished. Sighing, Harry walked up to the nearest pile of gold, silver and bronze coins and watched as they briefly shimmered before vanishing as his Inventory collected the money. He missed the gaping expression on the goblin escort's face as he opened the Menu to confirm receipt of the money in his Inventory and noted that the form of currency used in this game had not been defined and added that question to the list of questions he needed to ask the woman. Hoping the several thousand coins he'd picked up would be enough to purchase all of his supplies; Harry backed away from the remaining piles and exited the vault.
On their way back up to the lobby of the bank, Harry caught the goblin eyeing him with an unreadable expression several times and when he recalled Professor Sinistra's warnings about the goblins being unpleasant and quick to cause trouble over any insult, he shifted nervously. He worried that he might have offended the creature somehow and prayed that it was something that could be smoothed over. Recalling that Professor Sinistra had also said that gold and treasure were one of the only weaknesses that goblins had, Harry opened his Inventory and withdrew a single gold coin (still uncertain of how much it was worth) and offered the coin to the goblin once they climbed out of the cart along with a murmured thank you for his services.
Professor Sinistra bustled him out of the bank at that point, leaving behind a very confused and suspicious goblin as no wizard had ever tipped a goblin for the cart ride before (though a number of muggleborns often thanked them thinking that they'd fall over backwards for treating them with common courtesy). The goblin would then immediately dash off to see one of the managers to give his report on the strangeness that surrounded the Boy-Who-Lived. Outside of the bank, Harry was being led down the steps by an exasperated Sinistra.
"I thought I told you not to cause trouble?"
"I wasn't trying to cause trouble, the goblin was giving me funny looks and you said their weakness was gold so I gave him a piece of gold in the hopes that whatever I'd done to offend him wouldn't get me in trouble. How was I supposed to know that I wasn't supposed to do that? I never received a guide book for this stupid game so I'm walking blind here and if you want me to follow the rules, I first need to know those rules. You also told me to save my questions until we were done."
"This is not a game, child, this is life and you are going to get yourself killed or incarcerated if you don't learn to think before you act. In the mean time, ask your questions and I will do my best to answer them for you."
"Why did I already have a vault at the bank? Where did the money inside of it come from? What kind of currency are the coins supposed to be and how much are they worth? What can I expect to pay for the supplies I need and do I need to return to the bank to withdraw more money if I didn't take out enough?"
"The vault and a good portion of the money previously belonged to your parents and as their only child it now belongs to you. Some of the money was also awarded to you by the Ministry for your defeat of You-Know-Who as a child and the rest was left to you by a handful of witches and wizards upon their deaths because they'd had no remaining family and wished to give you their thanks for what you had done the night your parents died."
"Wizarding money is made up of gold galleons, silver sickles, and bronze knuts; one galleon is equal to seventeen sickles, one sickle is equal to twenty-nine knuts, and for reference one galleon is roughly equal to five pounds sterling. The total cost of your supplies should fall somewhere between thirty and fifty galleons at most, unless you waste money on useless frivolities. And yes, you will need to return to the bank if you wish to withdraw more funds."
By the time the professor finished answering Harry's questions, they'd reached their first store; a luggage store in order to purchase a trunk. Harry disliked the idea of having to carry around a trunk and had immediately questioned the store clerk about Bags of Holding instead since his Inventory was currently limited in space and mostly full with the Items that had been brought over with him from SAO. Learning that the new game had a bag with near unlimited space and no weight limits was enough to interest Harry and he readily purchased a messenger bag made from dragon hide that was a deep copper in color, lined inside with heavy canvas, and spelled with what the clerk called an Undetectable Expansion Charm, a Feather Weight Charm, and an Anti-theft Charm.
Professor Sinistra had pursed her lips and nearly scowled over Harry's stubbornness but let the purchase stand since he had paid the twelve galleons for the bag before she could intervene (seven galleons more than he'd have needed to pay for a standard school trunk). The rest of their shopping trip took about three hours (two hours longer than necessary) as Harry carefully inspected and appraised each piece of equipment before he even considered purchasing it. He refused to buy anything that would easily break after a few uses because it could get him seriously injured or it could get him killed since he wasn't certain on whether or not his status as an Immortal Object had carried over to the new game since the Player Classification on his new Stat Page for the current game was listed as unsorted.
There'd been a brief scene in the book store when Harry determinedly stood his ground in the face of the woman's disapproval over the number and types of books he'd decided to purchase that were not on the book list that had been provided for him. He refused to back down though; he needed the information the books could potentially provide if he hoped to beat this latest game and find the others. He didn't see what the big deal was anyway; it was supposedly his own money that he was spending so he should be able to decide how he was to spend that money. She finally threw her arms up in defeat and stomped away to wait for him by the door so she could take him to get his wand next.
"That is everything," Professor Sinistra declared in a tone filled with more than a little relief as Harry placed his wand in his Inventory and paid the man who ran the store (being fitted for said wand had been a rather trying experience that Harry preferred to forget). "Unless, of course, you are interested in purchasing a pet?"
"Is having a pet a requirement or a personal preference? Is there any advantage in having a pet? Are there any specific Skills required in order to obtain or raise a pet?"
"Pets are strictly optional and aside from the sentimental value they represent, most pets do not give a student any advantage over those students that don't have a pet. However, taking an owl as a pet does allow you to send and receive mail without having to depend on whether or not one of the school's owls are available to send out any letters you might wish to write. So, you might say that it is advantageous to own an owl if you intend to send out regular correspondence. The only skills required are common sense and the ability to feed your pet and clean up after it when necessary."
Five minutes later, Harry was drifting up and down the rows of cages and tanks in the Magical Menagerie while Professor Sinistra waited for him outside of the stop. He wasn't certain he really wanted an owl but the idea of having a loyal companion appealed to the lonely boy (since he had no idea how long he'd be trapped in this new game and had no intentions of befriending anyone). He was nearing the back of the store where the birds were kept when his attention was caught by a creature half hidden behind a branch in a large terrarium that was twice Harry's height and as wide as he was tall.
What little he could see of the creature was a bright iridescent scarlet in color and covered in an interesting combination of scales and feathers. As he moved closer to the glass cage, he watched as what looked like an eagle's foot covered with tiny scarlet scales and tipped with sharp silver talons languidly stretched out before disappearing beneath the bulk of the body once more. Curious, Harry leaned to the left in order to get a better look at the creature only for it to suddenly lift its head from where it had been hidden beneath another leafy branch and stare right at Harry with glittering black eyes that were filled with intelligence.
The creature had what looked like the head of an eagle covered with scarlet colored thumbnail sized scales with what looked like soft, downy feathers growing out from underneath them (much like the rest of the body). The creature's head was connected to a long sinuous and serpentine neck that vividly reminded Harry of the three wyverns he'd faced in SAO and topped with a long silver and scarlet feathered crest (similar to a cockatoo's, only much longer).
"Beautiful creature, is she not?" the store clerk declared as he stepped up beside Harry once he'd seen what had caught his attention and in the hopes of steering him towards another animal in an effort to make a sale. "She is a dwarf occamy from southern India; very rare and very difficult to catch."
"This one was hatched from the only surviving egg in a clutch of occamy eggs that had been illegally imported into the country just over a year ago. Legends state that only a powerful wizard can tame an occamy because they are drawn to powerful magic but most believe that is a myth since there have been rumors of a squib hatching out and raising a small colony of the creatures in Japan. Best set your sights on a different critter though, boy; she's a right nasty piece of work and out of your price range I would imagine."
As if to put lie to the man's declaration, the sinuous creature stretched out and slowly walked out from behind the branch that had been blocking the bulk of her body to lean against the glass as she continued to hold Harry's gaze. The little female then began to croon softly as she spread out her wings and tilted her head to the side as if to ask Harry if he liked what he saw. He took the opportunity she provided to note that she was close to two feet in length from the tip of her beak to the tip of her scarlet and silver feathered tail with her body thickening near the center where her legs met her body. Harry smiled at the creature's antics all the while wondering if it would be classified as a bird, a serpent, or a type of wyvern given the blend of body parts and structure.
"She's the most beautiful creature I have ever seen," Harry breathed as he inspected the silvery scales that ran down the creature's belly; his words and appreciating glance eliciting a crooning hum of approval and satisfaction from the occamy. "How much are you asking for her?"
"I can't in good conscience sell her to you as you are far too young to care for…"
"How much?"
"Three hundred galleons and your parents would need to be the ones to actually purchase her on your behalf."
"My parents are dead and I was given permission by a Hogwarts' professor to purchase a companion before I return to the castle in order to start my lessons. I'll take her."
"I don't think…"
"There is no need for you to think. I am here to purchase a companion and she is the companion I have chosen to purchase. I have the amount you are asking plus enough to purchase any supplies needed to care for her and that is all you need to know."
"Fine but if she claws your eyes out and dines on your heart while you scream don't come running to me for a refund," the clerk grouched irritably as he rang up the sale and irritably accepted Harry's money.
Harry ignored the NPC's dire pronouncements as he gathered up a depressingly thin guide book on how to care for his new pet, a sturdy perch for her to sit on, and a dozen white feeder rats (non-magical) after checking the guide book to see what kind of diet occamies ate. The clerk had then grabbed a travel cage and a pair of thick gloves before he unlocked the door to the cage in order to transfer the creature into the cage. The occamy dodged the man's hands and dove out of the glass enclosure before she flew herself up to Harry's left shoulder, promptly wrapped her tail around Harry's neck, and propped her head on top of Harry's head.
The clerk stared at Harry for a full minute before he shook his head and walked away muttering under his breath about insane brats and annoying creatures giving him headaches.
"You certainly made quite an impression on the man, beautiful," Harry declared with a soft laugh as he stepped outside of the store where Professor Sinistra was waiting for him.
The woman took one look at Harry's new companion and stuttered, "Th…that's not an owl!"
"Correct, she's much better than any old owl in my opinion."
"Only owls, cats, or toads are permitted as pets at the school," Professor Sinistra protested.
"I'm not returning her and if I am not allowed to keep her with me, then I will not return to the school with you. You did not mention a restriction on the type of companion I could purchase before you sent me into the store alone and she is the only companion I found suitable and I refuse to be told what kind of creature I can or can't be allowed to keep."
"I don't get paid enough to deal with your stubbornness," Professor Sinistra deadpanned as she reached up to massage her temples as if to ward off a headache. "Headmaster Dumbledore can deal with you and your new pet. One word of precaution; bring her to my classes and I will deduct house points and assign detentions as I will not allow her presence to disrupt my classes. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, professor."
"Good. We're officially finished here."
As the woman grabbed hold of his wrist and dragged him back towards the entrance to the market place, the soft crooning of the occamy filled his ears and soothed some of the aching loneliness that had filled him since he'd woken up several days earlier. Unconsciously, Harry began humming softly in response; his boyish tones easily harmonizing with those of the occamy as her crooning swelled in volume in response to his hums; their impromptu duet drawing attention from nearby witches and wizards that either stared at him in disbelief or ran in fear once they realized he was carrying an unfettered occamy on his shoulder.
Ten minutes later, the two of them were once more standing just outside of the gates of Hogwarts and Harry was once again trying not to vomit from the unpleasant mode of transportation the woman used. Being stretched out like a rubber band and pulled through a straw the size of a shish kabob skewer was never fun as far as Harry was concerned. The occamy hadn't enjoyed the experience either if her irritated hisses were anything to go by.
They were met on the steps leading up into the castle turned school by Professor McGonagall (one of the NPCs that had supposedly taught his parents) and Headmaster Dumbledore. Both NPCs had paled slightly the moment they got a good look at the creature seated on Harry's shoulder but neither of them remarked upon the occamy's presence to Harry's surprise; he would have expected at one of them to make a fuss about the non-standard pet based upon the reaction the occamy's presence had solicited from Professor Sinistra.
"Please follow me, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall instructed as she flicked her eyes to the occamy's head where it was once again propped on Harry's head before gesturing for him to follow her into the castle. "I will be taking you to be sorted into a house before you join the rest of the students for lunch. After the meal, your new Head of House will see to it that you are settled in your assigned dorm, provide you with a class schedule, and introduce you to one or more students of his or her choice who will help you catch up on the curriculum that you missed while you were indisposed."
"Thank you for taking me to gather my supplies, Professor Sinistra; it was a most informative expedition," Harry stated as he opened his Menu and ended his party with the dark haired woman before accepting the automated party invitation from Professor McGonagall.
As he stepped into the castle, he heard the woman loudly start complaining to the Headmaster, "Never again, Albus! The entire trip was a nightmare! He spoke of killing goblins, he stubbornly refused to get a trunk, questioned the quality of each and every piece of equipment he purchased, demanded to be allowed to purchase a ridiculous number of non-school related books, and you saw the creature he came out of the store with!"
"It sounds like you had a productive morning, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall dryly quipped with a trace of amusement coloring her voice.
"It was a trying morning but I suppose I can't complain too loudly knowing that the end result was finding my beautiful friend here. I had not expected to find such a lovely companion when I had left this morning; do you know if occamies are related to wyverns or dragons in this world?"
"I am not aware of a connection between those creatures; your best bet would be to ask Professor Kettleburn, who is the professor of the Care of Magical Creatures class or Hagrid, who is the school's gamekeeper."
"Thank you for the suggestions, I will seek out one of them first chance I get. Can you tell me more about the houses you and the others keep mentioning?"
"You're welcome, Mr. Potter, it is always nice to see our students taking an interest in learning; even if the subject in question is rather obscure," Professor McGonagall replied with the slightest upturning of her mouth that Harry thought might be her attempt at a smile. "As for the school houses, there are a total of four houses into which all students are sorted based up their personalities and they are called…"
Harry listened attentively as McGonagall explained how the house system worked and what would be expected of him once he'd been sorted into a house. She then went on to list the school rules that he would be expected to follow (which included a few that only applied to his pet since her species was well known to be highly aggressive) and the typical punishments he could expect to face for breaking the various rules. It was a lot of information to take in and Harry hoped that the book that had been recommended by the store clerk, Hogwarts; A History, would have the same information so that he could use it as a reference later on.
By the time she'd finished speaking, the two of them were standing in front of a six foot tall gargoyle that jumped to the side when the older woman provided the proper password. Behind the gargoyle was a spiral staircase that moved much like an escalator the moment the two of them stepped onto the stairs. At the top, there was a door that led into a large office where they found Headmaster Dumbledore sitting behind a large desk piled high with paperwork. Harry briefly wondered how the man had gotten there first before he figured that there were bound to be shortcuts within the castle (unless the man had multiple avatars that were distributed throughout the castle so that he could be everywhere at once).
Letting his eyes sweep through the room, he noticed that there were several tables with spindly legs positioned up against the walls (their surfaces filled with an assortment of strange silver gadgets) and a large bookshelf stuffed full of old tomes behind the desk. To the right of the door he'd entered through was a large free standing cabinet (its doors currently closed) while to the left was a tall perch upon which sat what looked like a red swan. If Harry had not seen the occamy first, he'd have been tempted to call the red bird one of the most beautiful creatures in this new world.
Unfortunately for the bird, Harry's new companion was far more beautiful in his eyes. When the red bird showed an immediate interest in Harry, the occamy lifted her head and gave out a single warning hiss that had the bird immediately losing all interest in the eleven year old. Ah, beautiful is the jealous type, Harry thought to himself as he ran a hand over the occamy's feathered tail-tip that was tapping out an irritated tempo against his neck. I'll have to remember that, least I upset her needlessly by showing any interest in the other creatures and pets that reside in the castle.
"Have a seat, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall instructed as she pointed to a stool sitting in front of the desk.
Harry sat down and frowned when the woman picked up a tattered old hat and placed it over his head; dislodging the occamy in the process (the sinuous creature letting out another irritated hiss as she moved down onto his lap). He growled softly when the hat sank down to his shoulders and he would have ripped it off of his head if not for the small voice that began speaking to him. Confused, he tilted his head to one side and carefully listened to the unseen speaker.
"Well now, isn't this a surprise; I rarely ever sort students once the term has started. And oh what a child you are. You will shake our world right to its foundations; I have no doubts about that. Hmm, but before you can turn the world on its ears, I must first determine where you belong."
"What do you mean? Who are you?"
"I am the sorting hat and it is my job to place you in the house that best suits you. You are ambitious and cunning enough to do well in Slytherin but you'd soon terrify the entire house the first time they attempted to pull you into their inner house politics. You are loyal and hardworking enough for Hufflepuff but your loyalty is too hard to win and you would be easily annoyed by their excessive friendliness and end up alienating them when you continued to rebuff them."
"You are intelligent but dislike having your privacy invaded and you'd feel trapped in Ravenclaw as you'd be surrounded by an entire house of avid researchers that would wish to analyze every little thing about you which would have you lashing out more so than you already do. I guess that means there is only one place left for me to put you. Do try not to tear down the entire school when you start shaking the foundations of the world, Mr. Potter."
Harry was still trying to puzzle out what the hat meant when he heard it call out Gryffindor loud enough for the other two people in the office to hear. The hat was removed from his head a moment later and he found Professor McGonagall giving him a small smile that held a trace of smugness in it that confused him. He only had a brief second to take in the new red and gold trim his clothes were now sporting before the ancient wizard that ran the school spoke up and broke the silence.
"Congratulations, Harry, my boy, I'm certain that you'll make a fine Gryffindor," Dumbledore intoned while his blue eyes twinkled. "Do you have any questions that you'd like to have answered right now? No? Then let us head down to the Great Hall so that you might join your peers for the afternoon meal."
Game Terminology:
Aincrad – An Incarnating Radius (the name of the Castle that is SAO)
SAO – Sword Art Online
10-16-15: Minor edits made to chapter to fix spelling/grammar mistakes and removed unnecessary author's notes.