Author's Note: I do not take anonymous requests. I can't even keep up with my own plot bunnies y'all.
Anyways I was reading the DQM+ manga on my semi-quarantine and got hit with this plot bug.
Chapter 1: A Call to Action
Cedric was dead, and it was his fault. Voldemort was after him, not the kindhearted Hufflepuff who had only ever helped him, even when he was competing against him.
It wasn't fair.
Harry James Potter contemplated the inherent unfairness of life as he stared at the ceiling of the spare bedroom at Number 4 Privet Drive only a few days after returning on the Hogwarts Express.
"But then again..." he said aloud, "Nothing in my life has ever really been fair has it?"
"Then you're pretty wise for a teenager with an attitude problem."
He jumped up in bed, scrambled for his wand under his pillow and leveled it at...a weird round creature with a lot of fur just sitting on the dresser (which had two stuck drawers already and did not need that kind of weight on it). It was a strange silver color with a black face and oddly enough purple feet.
"Ya know kid? If I thought you could get more than a Firebolt off I'd almost be intimidated. Except for the fumbling. But you've got guts I suppose, and a level of jadedness I find refreshing compared to who those fluffy pricks from the other Kingdoms have picked out for things in the past."
The three foot tall stuffed animal looking creature fluttered down on comically small wings.
"So I've got a proposition for ya buddy. Name's Wagabou, innate cosmic spirit of the Ygg-Tree that makes up the Kingdom of Greatroost. And my tree slash kingdom has a problem. Warriors, heroes, mages, and most importantly Monster Masters have been disappearing the last few years and the Tournament of the Starry Night is coming upon us. My proposition is I take you to my kingdom, which is in another dimension, you play the hero by training up and alongside a killer team of magical creatures, and then when you win the Monster Fighting tournament I use the magical wish to get me some answers on what's going on and you a massive power boost to kill what ever in the Nine Hells is stinking up this dimension full of Dark Magic. Capisce?"
Harry's brain took a minute to catch up, and even then he knew he needed to delay for more time, "Is your dimension New York City or something?"
"Oh we got a Joker on our hands here don't we? Look kid when you're a nine-hundred year old demigod with dimension hopping capabilities you get bored in the down season between catastrophes alright? So what if my favorite show is the Sopranos? Which..." his eyes clouded over, "Doesn't air for another few years here, damn shame. Could have picked up a box set if I'd shown up and grabbed your son, but he wouldn't have the hutzpah to be the kind of fighter I wanted. He'd have been more like Terry or Cobi over at Greattree and Greatlog in the last two disasters. Uggh, child soldiers just because they'll be a little bit more malleable and the pureness helps with monster taming. Completely amoral is what I call that stunt."
Thinking back to his own life Harry found himself somewhat agreeing with the creature, which made him more amenable to continuing the conversation."
He shifted to sit with his legs over the edge of the bed, much more casually.
"So you're going to have to explain a lot more than that for me to say yes, like how and when will I get back to help out here in my world."
He'd read Narnia at Hermione's insistence in second year. He knew the genre he was getting into here. As long as he wasn't crowned king he should be able to come back.
"Eh you'll have about a year or two in my dimension but that'll put you back here at the very tail end of your summer depending on how long past the tournament you might decide to linger, that's another reason why I picked you this summer. It's the one where you were most free while also being at your most experienced without totally ruining the fight against this Darkness over here."
"So are you all knowing or something?"
"So I get to peer into the worlds I travel to before I jump in and it's kinda like a highlight reel or when you fast forward-wait nope DVDs aren't big yet. Eh you know those little binoculars with the flippy thing and the pictures inside? It's like that. If I had grabbed you last year you'd have missed that Quibbit match and next year you'd well honestly we're changing the timeline by getting you some skills so I can tell you, you would have been pissed at me if I grabbed you next year instead of this one when you could have been stronger for what's coming your world's way."
The strange mix of abrasiveness and blunt morality was weirdly endearing to Harry, possibly due to how frustratingly vague people were with him about Voldemort and himself at times he thought upon minor reflection.
"So I go with you, and become a Monster Master? Is that what you called it? And...you left out the middle part between that and winning some monster fighting tournament."
"So you travel to different places more directly connected to my dimension, recruiting magical creatures from all around, then you train or breed those magical creatures, and if you make new ones you train those too, then you fight in the tournament and bam! Magical wish like a djinn!"
"So the wish would make me stronger?"
"Well it could probably top you off, to be honest if you are out there using your magic and skills to help you as you recruit and train monsters you'll probably just get really strong on your own anyways, kiddo."
Harry ran his fingers through his messy hair, "More powerful to take the fight to Voldemort..." He thought of Cedric, of what he could have done if he had had more pow-another thought crossed his mind.
"Cedric wasn't the last was he? Just the first? If I don't get stronger now I lose more people? More friends die?"
Wagabou shuffled his feet a little, "Yeah kid, not gonna futz the explanation there. Your future ain't roses it's a lot of daisies. You won't be pushing them up at least, but yeah lots of others will."
Now both hands came up to ruffle his hair as he thought about it, "Bloody hell, now that you've told me that I can't say no at all!" Harry stood up and started throwing his old school books into his trunk.
"I'll have somewhere to store this right? On Greatroost? And I can take Hedwig even though I won't put her in danger she can stay with my things when I'm out recruiting?"
Wagabou nodded, "Yeah kid, I can handle that. And I wish I had a way to let you go out and get some more supplies here, I'm sure that'd help you a lot, but I can only do these portals back and forth once a year in my dimension's time and if I am not back in a few hours the timeline's unsync and who knows when we'd show up in Greatroost."
Harry nodded himself, "Never enough time unless you have a time turner, I'd kill for Hermione's old one right now."
A few minutes later he'd managed to make it so his trunk didn't have anything except for his essentials.
Broom, robes and comfortable travel clothing, the coursebooks that would actually be useful like Standard Books of Spells, Defense Against the Dark Arts books (sans Lockhart novellas), and a few other subjects like Transfiguration, Charms, and he'd even brought along some Potions and Herbology books on the off chance there'd be some similar ingredients in the other world. He also brought his collapsable cauldron and kit along. A few other miscellaneous items that he thought might help such as his dragonhide work gloves made it in as well.
"Terrific kid, we're just waiting for one more thing, I let a friend in this dimension know I was coming and he's gonna bring you along something you let at his place."
"Something I left at who-"
With a flash of red flames Fawkes was gracefully descending upon Harry's bed.
Holding in his talons a burgundy and gold sheath holding an artifact that Harry knew well.
"The Sword of Gryffindor?" He said in wonder, reaching out to grab it.
"Yeah Fawkes here owes me a favor or two from taking a member of that family he's so found of in during the War of the Roses, Wulfric was quite the goodfella, damn fine Monster Master. So inspired by Fawkes saving him and bringing him to me that his own iconic monster of his team was a lesser phoenix. Anyways you're changing into some better clothes right? You're a wizard and an MM candidate, we ain't taking you in front of the king in pajamas."
Harry blushed, "Oh! Right...umm I think I still have my robes and pads from the Triwizard Tournament in here somewhere."
The teen rifled back through his trunk and soon was changed into his repaired outfit from the Tournament. Padded red Buckram fabric sweater, his fingerless dragonhide gloves, rather durable magically made black sneakers, the trousers were black with Hogwarts golden stripes down the side made of fireproofed Nevertangle Wool, and finishing off the ensemble was the knee-length terrycloth and leather activewear robe with its hood and front lacing.
He'd been wearing parts of this when he faced Voldemort and when Cedric...he shook the thought off. Now that Fawkes was here and had given him the sword he was completely sure of this decision. He had to go off to this creature to get stronger. And as he repacked his trunk and saw his old books he thought to himself that maybe he could get just a little bit smarter about things too.
Of course he'd need Hermione to help him catch up on that homework when he got back. He highly doubted that any downtime he had would be used on homework on this adventure.
"Alright!" Harry said as he strapped the sword to his waist under his robe and pocketed his wand. He grabbed onto his trunk and Hedwig swooped over to his shoulder.
"How are we doing this?"
Wagabou spun around in delight and pulled open one of the stuck drawers, mysteriously now unstuck, "Got my portal in here, kid! Just step in!"
And with that the creature hopped in and disappeared in a flash of blue light.
"Um..." Harry looked at Hedwig who looked straight back at him, then turned to look at Fawkes he gave an encouraging nod.
"Power to fight the darkness..." he muttered under his breath as he stepped in and was overtaken by blue light.