Rise of the (dark) Wizard *
Votes:
1. IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII III
2. IIIII IIIII IIIII I
3. IIIII
IMPORTANT NOTE:
I will be posting Harry's Stats Sheet -a shortened version with the stats he's actually gathered and a simplified version of his personality- at the bottom of this chapter. For those whom wish to see it. When it is posted, it includes what he's learned in the chapter it's posted beneath. (Which is determined by your Voted choice.)
Enjoy~
A brief thought of making them forget he even existed passed through his mind, but it was quickly joined by the desire to make thempay! They'd hurt him! They'd treated him like a slave! It wasn't fair!
The anger boiled to the surface, and the only thing he could think of was how he wanted them to fear him, the same way they'd always made him afraid!
He glared fiercely at his Aunt, and suddenly the kitchen felt cold, frigid. Downright arctic.
A whimper escaped his aunt, and the newspaper his uncle was reading started to shake so much he nearly tore it in half.
The lights flickered.
"Never. Hurt. Me. AGAIN!"he screamed at her, and the air went frantic with static electricity.
A vase exploded and the screaming of his aunt and uncle rang in his ears! The light above them flickered and died.
His stomach gave a rumble and he turned towards the finished bacon he'd just cooked and grabbed a handful of it.
It was with some delight he noticed the outraged look on his uncle's face as he took food he had not been allowed to take, and he impudently stuffed one of them into his mouthjustto prove he could!
Just as his uncle looked about to get up, the broken light sparked once more, and he thought the better of it.
"I earned this!" he said angrily, waving the bacon at them. It would have been funny, if it wasn't so terrifying.
He gave them one last glare, and rushed towards the door, making sure to slam it on the way out.
*BANG*
He was finally free!
Harry's hands were still shaking as he settled down on his favorite bench in the park.
It was a half-hidden wooden bench, behind a tall stone fence, surrounded by bushes and hidden by a great old oak tree.
In the morning the sun shone and warmed it up in the colder hours, and mid-day and evening, the grand tree provided shade from the worst of the heat.
He could even take cover from the rain under it, if he really had to.
And the path to get to the place was so overgrown and forgotten that no one really ventured out here in the summer anymore, and only a few during the less overgrown winter.
Today was going to be a nice, warm day. He could already feel the sun's beams heating the air, bouncing off the wall behind him and making him feel all nice and warm.
There was a light breeze, but that would help keep him cool during the hottest hours, if it kept blowing like this anyway.
He sniffed the bacon, and took a nice, bit bite -savoring the flavor of the rare treat as he leaned back and basked in the sun.
It tasted like Victory.
He thought back to how he'd handled his aunt and uncle and smiled a vindictive smile.
'Serves them right', he thought as he munched on another deliciously chewy bacon.*
The delightful treat was few, and quickly gone. But they'd tidy him over until dinner. It was heavier food than what he was usually given, and far more filling than dried bread.
Noticing a slight dryness to this throat, he half-walked, half-snuck out from his hidey-hole and over to the public drinking fountain to quickly quench his thirst.
The water from the fountain tasted almost as great as the bacon itself had, but he had the feeling that everything would taste good, on a day like this.
He looked around him at the few kids playing in the playground, and the semi-tame squirrels that people were so found of feeding.*
And now that he was feeling full and content, he was starting to wonder if he could manage to repeat what he had done -and use his Powers on someone other than his family. It might be a convenient skill to have, should they try something bad against him again...
'Alright', he thought, mentally rolling up his sleeves, 'Let's do this!'
'But sneaky! So I don't get caught!'
Harry watched yet another squirrel flee in terror and raised his hands high above his head and whooped in Victory.
"Yes! That's TEN!"
He slid down a nearby tree, panting slightly. Using his Powers did take a lot of energy, and after a while it also made him feel hungry.
He'd stared with small insects -assuming smaller would be easier. But that hadn't worked out so well, and made him wonder if insects could even feel fear, or if he just couldn't tell the difference.
Then a squirrel had come up to him, begging for food he didn't have, and he decided to upgrade to small animals. Which, in this park, meant squirrels
It hadn't been easy to learn how to control it, and it didn't always work either. And he wasn'tentirelysure what he was doing, and most the time that it did work, it seemed to be caused by either pure chance...or something startling him.
But he was tenacious. He needed this to work!
As far as he could tell, it was easier when his emotions were running high; Like being scared or angry or something. Like when he thought about uncle Vernon looming over him. That worked best of all.
His cousin beating him up might have worked if he was close by and threatened Harry... But Dudley was never alone, and Harry had not managed to target more than a single squirrel at the time yet. So he didn't dare to try that yet.
But it felt like he was getting better every time he tried it. Even if it was taxing.
He yawned and leaned back against the tree.
The sun was nice and high in the sky, he was hidden well in the bushed here, and he just felt so very,verytired.
Maybe just as mall nap...
"So then, I was like, 'Daddy I NEED it!' and he was all, like... 'but sugarplum..."
Harry rubbed his eyes as his sleep was interrupted by an annoying girl -not much older than himself- that threw herself down on a bench next to the bushes he was sleeping in, talking loudly on her undoubtedly new cellphone, and popping gum.
"Hahaha, well of course I got it! Daddy can never say no when I turn on the waterworks!"
Harry rolled his eyes at the girl, before yawning silently.
He stretched and got up, moving to the other side of the bushes that hid him from her view. He should probably continue his training -it was still some time left before dinner, and he wanted to make sure he could master this skill before he got home... or at least use it with some amount of skill. He realized that one day would not be enough to fully master his Powers -no matter how hard he tried.
Harry turned towards a new Squirrel that had relaxed sometime after he fell asleep, and he gleefully watched as it fled in terror.
'Run from my mighty powers! Mwahahahaha!',he thought to himself and stifled a giggle. If only he could do the same to Dudley...
But he was definitely getting better at this!
His concentration was yet again broken as the girl squealed a loud-pitched squeal of delight, and went on to rave about some famous singer and concert tickets, before she quickly hung up.
Good. Then maybe she'd leave.
He focused on a squirrel again -one of the few that didn't flee at the sight of him yet-, but was once again interrupted by a loud beeping sound that scared away the squirrel he'd been aiming for, along with all other wildlife within hearing distance.
Peeking through the bush, he realized she'd taken out what looked like a brand new gameboy and was playing some game on it.
Envy seeped into his very bones as he watched the spoiled girl playing that fun game, while he himself was barely even getting fed at home -forget about toys! And he even had tostealmoney from his aunt to eat enough to survive!
And now she was interrupting his practice with the Powers -the only thing that could save him from a life of slavery and pain!
The resentful anger built inside him, and suddenly an idea flashed into his head.
He was getting better at scaring the squirrels. Maybe it was time to move on to bigger and more human targets!
He still had to be able to scare his aunt and uncle after all. And they were not squirrels.
He hid himself in the bushes and focused every ounce of Power he had, pouring his anger and jealousy and dislike of this girl into it, and-
"AAAAAAHHHHH! DADDDDYYYYYYY!"
He blinked and watched the girl drop her precious toy and run off like the devil was on her heels, not even looking back to see what had caused the sudden onset of fear.
A vindictive smile tugged at his lips.
Then he laughed. And laughed. And couldn't for the time of his stop laughing. And maybe it wasn't nice to laugh at her, but she totally deserved it!
And she looked funny!
He clutched his stomach and laughed until he wept.
Ah... Watching that spoiled brat flee from nothing like that truly made his day.
He wiped away a tear and mirth and sat down on the ground, feeling a bit faint. Scaring her had taken a lot out of him, and his stomach reminded him that he had not eaten anything beyond a few strips of bacon all day.
It was nothing he hadn't experienced before, but it made his good mood sink non the less.
Then he noticed the abandoned gameing-machine on the ground near the bench the girl had sat on, and quickly snatched it up. Luckily most of the children had gone home by now, so no one was there to see him pick it up.
Well... It wasn't like she needed it! Her daddy would just buy her a new one anyway, just like his aunt did when Dudley broke or lost one of his precious toys. *
He pocketed the gameboy and walked towards his favorite hiding spot.
The sun was nice and warm -even this late in the day-, and he had a brand new gameboy to play with. Plus, he was getting better at using his new Powers with every try! More or less...
So even if he struggled to figure out how exactly his powers worked, and his hunger made it increasingly harder to concentrate, it had, all in all, been a very good day.
It was almost too bad he had to go home at some point...
Harry realized he needed to find out more about this strange Powers he had.
He could do one thing, but only that one thing. And it didn't always work either, which was a troubling problem.
What if he really, really needed it, and it didn't work?!
Harry placed his arms behind his head and leaned back to watch the sun sink slowly towards the low end of the horizon.
Chewing thoughtfully on a piece of grass, he considered his options.
Well... He certainly couldn't ask his aunt and uncle, he knew that!
Even in the highly unlikely case they actually knew anything about it, they sure as Hell wouldn't tell him!
Now, normally he'd just ask a teacher. If there was something he didn't understand, or was curious about. But he wasn't sure it was the best idea, to be fair. In part because it was summer vacation still, and he had no clue where teachers stayed when school was out.
Plus... non of the teachers seemed to like him very much. He was pretty sure they believed the rumors about him his aunt spread about him being a delinquent.
They always looked at him as if they were expecting him to do bad things and stir up trouble, and they usually blamed him for everything Dudley did... So, no. They were not an option.
But the only other adult he knew was that crazy cat-lady that sometimes babysat him, and he sincerely doubted she knew anything at all that wasn't about cats. So she was out.
And he didn't exactly have a friend to ask either...
He thought about it for a while.
That only left one place, that he could think of:
The Library.
He tilted his head skywards and scrounged his little face cutely as he thought about it.
It made the most sense, really. All things considered...
They had lots of books, for one thing. And the school issued all students with a library card for the school's library -which was open in the summer. Although not for as long as it was when school was still in session.
And school-books knew all kinds of smart things. Surely they knew about the strange Powers he had too, right?!
It also helped that he wouldn't have to try and get his aunt and uncle into helping him, or signing papers or forms to get him a card. A task like that would be impossible, he was sure of that.
He'd never actually used the library before, but it couldn't be that hard, could it? He was sure he'd figure it out somehow.
Then his gaze wandered up -or rather over- to the sun again. And he realized something.
Shit!
It was way past dinnertime, and close to bedtime he'd wager. And the library was definitely not open this late! In fact, he shouldn't be out this late!
But he hesitated to go back home. After what he'd done to the Dursley's, he was sure they were hopping mad at him!
And if they were, he really, really needed to be able to use the Powers to get them to not...kill him!
He felt faint, and a painful knot tightened in his stomach.
'I think I'm gonna be sick'
It had seemed such a good idea at the time, but that was when he was mad and didn't have his family want to murder him!
He swallowed again as he watched the sun move ever closer to the horizon, making the shadows long and the air slightly chilly.
He shuddered, but got of the ground.
He dragged up whatever courage he had, and put on a brave face.
It was time to go face the music...
He just hoped it wasn't a funeral march.
The second he came through the door, he realized that something had changed. Something deep and irrevocable.
Tho he couldn't quite place his finger on what.
His aunt was setting the table. But as Harry walked through the door she dropped the cutlery she was holding, and hurriedly picked it up, placing it on the table rather than walking past him to get new, clean ones.
She briefly looked up at him, and just as quickly lowered her gaze, focusing on her task.
He could smell the scent of a prematurely prepared Sunday Roast on a Thursday, and he felt a jolt of glee that it hadn't been him that made it!
Vernon was hiding his face behind the newspaper, and was only looking up to glare daggers at him, before quickly raising the paper back up like a shield.
Harry couldn't help but smile.
Just as he'd taken off his shoes, before he got the chance to ask if he could have just a tiny bit of the leftovers, he found himself staring at a Tupperware box filled with food, and a large bottle of water.
"Here! G...go eat it in your...in your room!" she said, eyes hard yet flickering from side to side with an emotion Harry could not identify.
"Thank you, aunt Petunia," he said, hiding his surprise as he headed towards the cupboard under the stairs.
"Not much of a room tho," he muttered. Behind him a sound like a dropped glass was heard. He was surprised it didn't shatter. Not that he cared.
Harry had barely settled down inside his cupboard before he heard the heavy, but abnormally quick, steps of his uncle stomp towards his cupboard, and the all-too-familiar 'click' of the deadbolt outside.
And suddenly he wondered why he'd even gone in here in the first place. Habit, he supposed. And he wanted to relax and eat the food. But it somehow felt like a trap now.
Then he turned his attention towards the plastic box in his hands -filled with meat, veggies, and Yorkshire pudding, all topped with delicious-smelling brown sauce, and he smiled.
It didn't matter. Not right now.
He had unusually delicious food. He had a place to sleep. And he had entertainment in the form of a brand new gameboy! What more could he want?
The next morning Harry woke up with a sleepy smile on his lips, and a familiar ache in his back.
He stretched his back and arms as much as the tight space would allow, and thought back on his most wonderful dream!
He'd sat on a throne of pure gold, -just like the one he'd seen the Queen sit on for a picture once! And he'd have a crown on his head, and it wasn't heavy at all, but very light and nice and warm. Just like a soft winter cap!
And his aunt and uncle buzzed around him and cooked and cleaned and fixed the garden -that for some reason was inside his throne room- and they lookedvery unhappy and wore the same ragshe had always been made to wear!
He was himself playing his brand new Gameboy, while the spoiled little girl was cowering in a corner and crying for her daddy, and promised him aaaaall her toys if he'd just make the scary feeling go away.
And when he generously agreed, it started raining toys and candy!
Of course, this all happened in a big castle -like the ones he'd seen a drawing of in History Class-, and there was a red and blue-clad plumber hopping around and trying to stomp on Dudley's head.*
But dreams were always a bit weird like that. That's what made them dreams.
The lock were slid open with it's usual 'click', but for once there was no yelling from the outside. Nor any hammering on the door to get up.
"Breakfast," was the only sound he heard. It was grunted out by the large man as he passed by him.
Although Harry would be hard-pressed to tell whether it was meant as an invitation to eat breakfast, or as his usual order to make it.
Either way he figured out he should get moving and get out of the cramped closet space he was still forced to sleep in.
There is an old saying about how you can't teach old dogs new trick. This is, in fact, a simplification.
Thereal saying should be that it's much harder to teach an old dog new tricks... but it can be done.
And Vernon Dursley was aparticularly stubborn old dog. One small show of his Powers were clearly not going to do the trick.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Start cooking!" Vernon commanded.
It seemed that a good nights sleep had dulled his memory, and made him back into his old, horrible self again. Making Harry frown unhappy.
More out of habit, than of any real decision, Harry headed towards the kitchen bench to take out the things that he needed to start cooking. Just like he had done every day of his life, for as long as he could remember.
Except...
Except there was something in Vernon's eyes. In his body language... And, far more visibly, in the slight shaking of his hands as they held the newspaper.
Harry wish he knew what his uncle was thinking, and what all those small signs meant, but he lacked the knowledge of how humans work, and so couldn't quite figure out what it all meant.
What he did know, however, was to listen to his intuition. And his intuition told him that if he gave in now, he'd be a slave to the Dursley's for the rest of his life. A horrifying prospect.
"No," he said, crossing his arms, trying to sound more certain than he was.
The change from yesterday were fresh in his mind, and he refused to go back to the before-time! Freedom was an addictive taste, and he wanted to cling to every last piece he could find.
"No?!" Vernon said with incredulous anger coloring his voice, making it sound as terrible as his glaring pig-eyes and the horrid red-blue color his face turned when he got ready to give someone a good dressing down.
Clearly encouraged by his anger, Vernon rose up to tower above the small kid, in all his walrus glory.
"Now listen here, boy! -"
"No! You listen!" Harry shouted back, pulling on the many, many hours of hard work and practice from yesterday to fill the man with fear.
"I am not your slave! And I will not be treated as such!"
Harry let the fear of his uncle wash over him like a storm even as he turned into anger and rage.
Then he poured his righteous rage into whatever Powers he had and advanced on his sweaty, shaking uncle.
His uncle took a step back, wiping his forehead with a white napkin.
"From now on, you will do your own cooking! And cleaning! And...and everything else!" he barely paused before he recalled something else.
An overhead light flickered.
"And I'll have real food to eat! Cooked by an adult! Every day! At least...at least twice a day! Like a normal boy!"
Sweat-drops formed on his brow as he poured even more anger into his Powers, and was rewarded by a small whimpering sound from his uncle, as well as from someone behind him. He turned the fear of whatever was back there into even more Power and threw it into the room.
A spark flew from the light.
"Cuz if you don't, if you treat me like a freak-"he spat the word out, "-I'll show you just howfreakish I CAN be!"
The light above flashed like a strobe light, and went out in a shower of sparks, and his shadow grew large and ominous.
His uncle sank to the floor in a dead faint.
And, as he turned around to see who might have been listening in, he noticed his aunt on the floor as well. A small puddle formed beneath where she had been standing.
"Oh, eeeewwwwww!" he said, and scrounged up his face.
Then his stomach growled, and he felt faint again. Very faint. And very hungry.
Apparently, using his Powers like that had taken a lot out of him. But he couldn't allow himself to rest until he was safely out of the house.
He quickly rushed over to the fridge, silently cursing at the fact there was no food there that didn't have to be cooked.
He turned around again.
He had no clue how long his aunt and uncle would be out, but he couldn't risk them being out for too long. And his cousin might decide to get up any minute and see why nobody was bringing him any food to eat in bed.
He looked through the cupboards, but quickly realized it was shopping-daytoday. Which meant Dudley had most likely eaten everything remotely edible that he didn't have to cook.
He had almost despaired of getting any food at all when he noticed the coin-jar his aunt kept the spare change in, sitting innocently on a shelf in the closet, and he quickly scooped up a few pounds worth of change.
With some luck, she'd never even notice it was gone.
It wouldn't last him long tho, but it should at least get him through the day, and maybe tomorrow, if he was careful.
He cast one last look at his passed out uncle and aunt -'oh, poop. I didn't kill them? No. She groaned. Need to get out! Now!'
He rushed out the door and towards his hiding-place in the overgrown area of Little Wiggling Public Park, and took a moment to catch his breath.
He would calm himself down here, and then get something to eat. Maybe even the chicken-and-onion pastry that always smelled so good, and that he'd never been allowed to eat.
He might not be able to heat it in the microwave like Dudley did, but it was marked as pre-cooked food, and he was pretty sure he could eat it raw.
He could decide what to do after that.
As he got up from his sunny bench -his new gameboy safely tucked in his pocket, and his tummy full and nice- he felt the bad mood from earlier evaporate like mist as he realized what day it was today.
Today was the day he'd find out what his strange, mysterious powers was!
He pulled out the card that had so far never left the pocket of his backpack and looked at it.
The library card was a plain white color, and have a whole row of small stripes, with tiny, tiny numbers above them, and the school's name printed in big letters above it, along with the school symbol.
The school issued one to all their students, but for some reason it had never really occurred Harry to go here before. He personally blamed the Dursley's hate of him doing better in school than his blob of a near-illiterate cousin.
He took a deep breath and pushed one of the big, white doors open.
As he tentatively entered the large room he almost gasped in surprised at just howdifferent from the rest of the school the library was!
All of the hallways and classrooms were white, white, and more white. And the outside was covered in faded, red bricks. All of it very square and not inventive or fun at all.
The library, by contrast, was filled with colors!
There were freestanding white shelves with green tops, and a black hole to climb through to get to the other side!
There were nice blue chairs, and shelves blooming from the wall in yellow and green -with strong red metal things holding them up.
And right there on the wall straight ahead, there was a great big tree made from paper that reached all the way up to the roof!
He looked around at all the books, and he wondered which of them that might be the books he needed. The books that would tell him all about his mystical, strange Powers.
It was probably amongst the big-kids books, he thought, so that's where he went first.
He picked up a book that had a neat robotic arm on the cover, opened it to a random page and tried to read it.
"Pe...people who loo...loose limp...limbs...now have in...inc...in-cre-cre-di-ble... in-cre-di-ble..." Harry struggled through the sentence, then looked at the title.
"B-ay-oh-nic... Bay-O-nic limbs... What's Bayonic?" Harry put down the book disheartened.
How could he find the answers he was looking for if he didn't even know how read properly? If he didn't even understand the words?!
He wiped away a tear with the back of his hand, suddenly regretting how he'd never paid attention in class, just because he'd be punished if he'd do better than his stupid, pig-in-a-wig cousin.
"What's wrong, child?" a kindly old voice spoke up.
As he lifted his gaze towards the speaker, he felt his eyes fly open in surprise. She looked nothing like a teacher at all!
The librarian of Surrey Primary School was a kind-looking old woman, who'd chosen to keep her somewhat less than stylish curls, and allowed her blond hair to grow grandmother-white.
Paired with her tendency to wear old-fashioned dresses -no doubt popular in her youth-, she looked exactly like he'd always thought the nice grandmother in the fairy-tales they sometimes read in class would look like!
Harry forced himself to blink away any tears.
He didn't want to impose, but then, he did need help... It would be stupid not to ask for it when she was there...
"I..." he swallowed, not wanting to admit how bad he was at reading. "It's just... Some of the longer words are difficult. And...and...And what's Byonic?!"
The librarian hid a smile behind her hand, and looked at at the book he held.
'How do Bionic Limbs Work'.
She could have answered him straight away, of course. But this was a school. And it would be better for him in the future if he learned how to look things up himself instead of relying on adults all the time.
Based on the rags he wore, and the rips and tears in his clothes that had been mended by someone who either didn't care how it looked, or didn't know how to properly mend them, the librarian suspected any adults in his life was either not present, or didn't care enough to answer the questions this -mostly likely brilliant- child had.*
"Come with me, and I'll show you something really neat," she said with a playful glimmer in her eye.
" M'kay," Harry said, and put the book back on the shelf to follow her.
"This here is a children's dictionary. That means it can tell you what all the big words in the books mean, by using smaller words that's much easier for young children to understand," she smiled as she handed him the book, and he struggled to hold it for it's sheer size and weight.
"Here. Let me show you how it works!" she said, and helped him carry it over to the nearest table.
A quick glance around told her that no one else would be in need of her services, so she pulled out a chair and sat down next to him, moving her hand to the book.
"Now let's say you want to look up the word Bionic..."
Harry beamed up at the nice old lady who's help him learn so much in such a short time.
"Thank you!" he said, and he meant it.
The Librarian smiled and patted his back gently. She worried a little at how he stiffened at her friendly touch, but she knew there was nothing she could do about it beyond telling the principal of her suspicions.
She did, however, make sure to tell the poor boy that he could always come to her if he had any questions at all. She'd always be happy to answer them. Even the silly ones, she assured.
Harry thanked her again, and his eyes shone with emotion as he thought of how nice it was possible for someone to be.
"Oh, yes. I should tell you that this summer the school library is working in conjunction -that means together with- the National Education Committee,* to encourage children to read more. And since we have a very limited option here, your library card will also work at Little Wiggling Public Library this summer, and -if it proves successful- the whole year!"
"Really?!" Harry looked excitedly up at her. The Public Library was huge! At least compared to this one. He bet they had a thousand books or more!
"Really," she said with a soft smile. Then she remembered something.
"Oh! But you can only borrow two books at any one time. And you have to return both books before borrowing a new one. If you ask me they're just worried children aren't responsible enough to not lose or destroy their precious books. But I just know you'll be responsible, won't you?" she said with a friendly twinkle in her eye.
Harry could almost feel the imaginary pinching of his cheeks -just like aunt Marge did with Dudley sometimes. It was the way she said it.
"Of course! I'll be super-careful and everything! Oh, thank you! This is great!"Harry said with a big grin, clutching the book to his chest.
Then he paused.
"Is...is it still okay if I come here a bit first tho? I...I'm not a very good reader yet,"he admitted, the last part barely more than a mutter, but she heard him.
"Of course you can!" she beamed at him.
There were very few children here during summer, and she was happy to see one who had finally caught the book-bug that had been the reason she decided to work in a library to begin with.
"Tell you what," she said, "If you promise to work hard and study, and there's no other children around that needs me, I'll be happy to help you learn how to read better;" she offered, feeling a bit sorry for the kid.
The lack of parental guidance was painfully obvious, but she couldn't tell if it was intentional neglect, or if his parents were just poor and had to work long hours that left the kid alone a lot.
"Really?! Oh, thank you!" Harry very nearly hugged her, but he was still a bit wary of touch.
"Really," the kind old lady said, as she gently patted his hand.
That was the beginning on a long month filled with daily trips to the library to learn how to read well.
At least... read well enough that he could -with some work- read his way through the adult books he might find at the big library.
He absolutely loved the stories the librarian helped him to read! He'd never before experienced such wonderful and -dare he say it?...Magical things!
He read all about Little Lord Fauntleroy of course. And of all the wonderful things his grand-papa had at his estate. And the wonderful and kind things one could do if one was to be an Earl, even a very young one. And all the ways one could help people with so much money and power.
And he read of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and of the joyful life as an outlaw in the great, big Sherwood Forrest!
He briefly imagined how wonderful it would be ifhe could live out in the great Sherwood Forrest, with Robin and Marrian, and John Little and Friar Tuck -and all the other colorful characters in the book!
He'd roast his food over a campfire, and sleep in cute little houses built high up in the trees. He'd dance with the Nobel Lady Marion, and learn Staff fighting from Will Scarlet and all the rest!
And he bet there were lots of animals he could talk to as well! Just like in Bambi!*
Although any real thought about going to live in the woods was shot down by the thought that he didn't even knowwhere the Sherwood Forrestwas, much less how to get there.
And he didn't know how to make a fire, or shoot a bow or...or....anything!
His face sank into a cute little pout just thinking about it.
He was pretty sure they wouldn't take him in if he didn't know how to survive in the forest. The book had been pretty insistent that everyone in their camp pulled their own weight, and everyone had a job to do, and they did it very well.
Besides... Harry didn't want to appear ungrateful or lazy when he got there. What would Robin say?!
He sighed and put the idea on the shelf, along with the book. At least for now. There was still so much to learn first!
He read about kind godmothers, evil witches, and poor street children who escaped evil adult men. Of princesses with hair long enough to climb, and cats that sang, and allkinds of amazing things he'd never known existed!
But it was when he read 'Matilda' that he finally realized it was time for him to move on.
She was incredibly smart for one thing.
To think! She was only 4 years old, and already reading more difficult books thathe did! And she read a lot!
And Matilda also had strange powers, just like him!
He wondered if she was real too... or if she was just made-up like the talking mice in Cinderella, or the Spirit in the Magical Lamp. (And hadn't that been a disappointment to learn!)
But he felt he had a good enough understanding of letters and words to try some of thebiggerbooks now. The adult ones. The kind of which this school had non.
And at any rate, he was getting impatient about learning how to use his new skills! It was Important after all. With capital I.
He'd practiced as much as he could of course, but it was difficult to learn when he didn't really know what to do, or how to do it.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. And the situation with the Dursley's were getting worse by the day. Something had to be done! But what?
So he thanked the librarian for all her kind help, and set off to face thereal challenge:
Little Wiggling Public Library.
Harry stepped up to the clear glass doors attached to the grey-bricked, square building that was Little Wiggling Public Library.
It was not much to look at from the outside, but he just knew untold secrets and mystical powers hid within!
He hesitated only for a second, taking a deep, calming breath. Then he bravely pulled open the big doors -struggling a little bit with the weight, but managing. And then he was finally inside.
A short hallway and then...!
His face drooped in disappointment as he looked around.
There was no nice, big tree on the wall. And everything was white and light wood, just like in class.
And there was no small plastic tube to climb through the shelves in, nor any brightly colored shelves and chairs and nests.
But then he saw a glimpse of green towards hidden behind some shelves towards the back, and let out a relieved sigh. Maybe that was where the caves and the trees were?
He supposed it made sense, now that he thought about it. They probably couldn't fit all the nice, brightly colored things that the school library had, what with all the books and all.
And he didn't know much about books, especially not adult books. Maybe they needed the white walls and the pale wood shelves to grow strong and wonderful?
And therewere books here. Many books! A quad-zillion of books! More than he'dever seen before! And they were all packed so tightly into their shelves that they couldn't possibly have room to even breathe!
...did books breathe? He thought about it for a second, then dismissed it as unimportant. Maybe he'd look it up after he'd figured out his Powers.
He pulled himself together and bravely walked up to the big desk in the center of the library, behind which a cheerfully plump middle-aged woman with reddish-blond hair and really big glasses. She was currently looking very busy typing away on a big PC.
But after waiting for her to finish for what must have been a whole minute, he finally gave up and decided to catch her attention instead.
"Um... Excuse me M'am..." he said, peering over the table that served as a front desk. Thankfully it wasn't very high, and he could see over it just fine.
"Why, hello there, dearie. Have you lost your mommy then?" she said, looking around the library, noting there were a few women in today, but no one who seemed like they'd lost track of their kid. Not that everyone had one she could see. This boy might be with any number of them.
The library wasn't terribly big, but he supposed one could lose someone... what with all the shelves and all.
She seemed nice, but a little weird. It was almost like grownups acted with Dudley and other kids, now that he thought about it. But in a nice way!
"Uh, no... I was... I was looking for some books... Specific books," he hurried to add the last one.
"And what kind of books would such a big, smart boy as you be looking for today then?" she asked with a cheerful smile.
And Harry felt himself blushing, and a warm feeling spread inside him at what might be the first compliment he'd ever received. He decided it was a nice feeling. He wouldn't mind experiencing it more often.
However, he focused on his task.
"Do you have books about how to make magical, amazing things happen?"
"Oh, there's the fantasy section, down that aisle,"
But Harry had already seen some young adult fantasy books, and the school-librarian had told him they weren't about real magic.. Or even real people. It was all make-believe with Fantasy books.
"No, I mean... Make them happen for REAL!"
The librarian smiled at the cute boy thinking magic was real. Or maybe he had seen some science or special effects on tv... or, on second thought...
"Do you mean like Occultism -real magic? Or like Science -that seems like real magic, but is really just science that most people don't yet know about?"
"Um..."
Seeing the boy hesitate she pulled out a blank sheet and quickly drew a map of the library for him. Making sure to add in the different sections and their names, and then she even added a small note on the back as to what they each were meant to contain.
"Here you go, munchkin. I made the letters all nice and big! And there's such a nice bean-bag house in the children's department, right over there, that you can sit and decide on. I'm sorry, munchkin, but I'm afraid I have to help the lady behind you now, alright?" she said, and Harry turned to see a very impatient-looking blond woman behind him, holding a pair of children's books in her hand. *
"Thank you m'am," Harry said quickly, and went to hide in the little, safe cave-house to make his choice.
It took him several trips to the various sections -and a few more trips to the front desk to have the Librarian explain what all the other different sections was for, and to add the new ones he liked to his little map- but he felt he was finally getting somewhere.
Fantasy was, of course, very interesting. But the librarian had said it wasn't really real. He'd checked, and it was nothing like the Occulism section here, which seemed more like school books than a story. Which he supposed must mean it was about real magic, seeing as it was written almost like a school book.
Although the librarian here didn't sound like she really believe that was real either. And her attempt to explain something about beliefs and religion that was not religion but magic-based religion only served to confuse him further. Especially since she used fairytale books he hadn't read as a reference, while pointing out it was nothing at all like fairytales.
But as far as he could tell, it was the realest real magic that the library had. Even if it might not be really real...
And then there was a whole section about nature, and how to survive and live out in the forest and wilderness -just like Robin Hood!
There were even were a book about how to shoot with a bow and arrow! Just like Robin did!
...although the librarian explained that he'd have to be much, much bigger and stronger before he could hope to use a real bow. Which honestly was a bit disappointing.
But the books has so many other interesting things! Like how to track animals and set traps for them -he bet Robin and his Merry Men would love to have someone who knew that! And how to make some super-survival food from fat that he couldn't pronounce the name of yet, and how to make a fishing rod and how to fish with a spear, and all kinds of neat stuff to survive by himself!
Some books even covered living in the city without money!
And then lastly there was the Psy-COL-o-gy books.
Most of those books used really long and difficult words, however. Although there were some that looked a little easier to read than the rest. Made for 'the uneducated masses' -whateverthat meant.
And the librarian had promised him that even if they might seem a bit difficult at first, those were the books that would teach him all about how to understand other people -like his aunt and uncle and the weirdly nice librarians-, and it would even help him understand why humans do what they do -and even predict what they might do next!
And he really, really wanted to understand why his aunt treated him so bad, while the librarians were so nice! And why the teachers were so suspicious even if he'd never done anything that broke the rules, and why the old cat-lady kept looking at him with that weird, sad look, and why Dudley always got better toys than him!
And then there was a small, tiny book there with the name Dark Psychology 101, that told him how people could trick him into doing something, and how he could use the same tricks on other, to makethemdo whathe wanted them to do!
He'd have to read at least one Psy-ko-lo-gy book first, of course, to understand the Dark side of it, but it seemed very useful.
He honestly wished he could just read them all, but he couldn't stay out for very long, least his aunt and uncle got evenmorepissed off than they had been lately. And if he didn't find a way to control them soon, he worried what they might do.
He also didn't think that he could use his Powers to keep scaring them. For one thing he didn't always manage to use them when he wanted too. He wasn't sure what he was doing wrong, or how to make it work better, but he really needed to find out.
And then, when he thought about it now, he remembered how his aunt and uncle hated his 'freakishness' and wanted everything to be normal. Which made him wonder if they might have loved him if he was more 'normal'... Or at least not hated him quite so much.
What if he learned how to be more normal?
He didn't think there was any books onhow to be normal, but there was some subject thatwere normal! Like Science!
They learned it in class, so it had to be. And he remembered the time when aunt Petunia bragged to her friends about her third cousin twice removed that was some kind of super-educated Scientist with letters behind his name.
What if he became a super-awesome scientist with letters behind his names? His aunt and uncle wouldsurely love him then! ...right? Or at least hate him less.
And if they didn't, then...then... poo to them!
Because he'd be a super-awesome scientist with letters behind his name, and have a super-awesome job, and a super-awesome place to live and...and he'd be so much better than them at everything, that his aunt and uncle would beg him to come back and...and... be awesomeso they could brag about it! So there!
Just as he had selected a few basic books to look through before deciding which to bring home with him, however, he came upon a book left at a table named 'How to become a Straight A Student', which caught his attention.
At a quick glance it seemed likely to help him learn better. And when he flipped through it with his other books, he saw that the book would not only help him get better grades and understand his schoolwork better, but he'd also learn how to remember really big words and words foreign languages, and math and formulas and other stuff too! And it would also teach him to commit what he was learning in other books to memory faster and better, with less work!
It seemed incredibly practical, especially if he wanted to do well in school or study science, but then he remembered that he could only take one book home with him... And he wasn't entierly sure if this book was as good as the books on Science and Psychology and the Occult stuff he had found.
Now that he had narrowed down the choices to one book from each category, he really should find which was the best book of all!
It was all very interesting topics of course, but what hereallywanted to know -had wanted to know for some time, was...
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1. ...WHY his family was so mean to him, and why the librarian was so nice! Why did people to the things they did? And was there any way to make them be nicer to him? And what was that about people controlling other people? The psychology book would surely be the best choice!
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2. ...WHAT was that strange Power he had? Matilda called it her 'Powers', but Matilda wasn't real, he knew that now. The librarian thought it might be something she called 'Magic', even if she didn't seem to believe he could do what he said. But what was it really? And how could he learn to control it? He'd read enough books to know not ALL of them were real... but he was sure there was SOME books that were! And therefore he decided upon the most promising of the Occult books!
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3. ...HOW could he make his family love him? Or was it too late? But it was all he'd ever wanted... He knew his aunt kept bragging of her third cousin twice removed that was a Scientist of some kind. And if he studied to become a Scientist himself, then surely his aunt and uncle would love him...Right? And even if they didn't, he was pretty sure it was a very great and important thing, to be a scientist. And he wouldn't need his aunt and uncle at ALL if he was a super-awesome scientist! So there! Science it was!
Happy with his choice he started to put away all the other books, until then he suddenly remembered he could borrow two books, and not just one!
And so he decided to...
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A) ...borrowing a second book on the topic he had already chosen. It seemed smarter to learn a lot about one thing, than a little bit about many.
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B) ...borrowing that book he'd seen about studying better. It would make school and study of other topics easier, and he was sure some of the more complicated books would be hard to read if he didn't know how. He'd most likely get better grades without even trying as well, if he knew how to study smart.
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C) ...borrow the book about how to survive out in the woods. So that maybe one day, he could leave the Dursley's and go live with Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and all the talking animals. Just in case.
* 'Magus' was originally a name for a member of the Persian (Zoroastrian) clergy, but came to mean 'magician, sorcerer' in both Greek and Latin. It is a neutral term, and mostly poetic.
'Veneficus' originally referred to brewers of poisons, love philters, and the like, and generally has a negative connotation.
Both names effectively translates as Wizard/Sorcerer. It's a small difference base on origin, but an important one. Although Harry is, naturally, always in flux, thus his nature may just as easily change later as stay on the amoral side of things. Depending entirely on where the Future takes him, and which 'Voice' he hears the loudest. (As determined by Readers Vote.)
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*If your not British, this may befuddle you, depending on where you're from. Some countries seem to make a habit of making bacon crunchy, but British bacon tend to be soft and chewy when finished cooking.
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*Never been to Surrey, but the squirrels in Hyde Park is sneaky little thieves with zero fear, that will climb up your leg and steal the chips you're eating right out of your hand. But I imagine it might look cuter if they don't steal YOUR chips. lol
(For my american readers: When I say 'chips' I mean what Americans call 'french fries,' which is not the same as crisps. Although they'd probably steal those too. I HAVE seen people feed them that as well.)
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*I'm leaving the timeline for this fic a bit...open... Because Harry's adventures may take him through any number of other timelines as he meets other people, and they may or may not match the Harry Potter universe.
(Tho I'll admit that for all it's popularity during the 90s, Gameboy may be a bit outdated today, but there ARE a large Retro fan-base, so they COULD still exist -and Mario in some version or other is a game that's never quite gone out of fashion even today, and likely never will.)
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*IF he had been a kind or moralistic person, he'd return the Gameboy, fyi. But as he is on the side of amoral, he decided to keep it.
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*The librarian is judging him based on A) his clothes, and her long experience with seeing children from bad homes -many tend to find refuge in the library to avoid having to go home to an abusive family, or an empty house-, and B) the book he's reading. (Which is why she thinks he's intelligent. She can't know he picked it randomly, because the robot arm on the cover looked sorta cool.)
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*Yeah, at his age, or maybe I was older, I distinctly remembered I was totally going to play with the elves and the fairies in the forest -and some parts of the forest was totally magical, and Cleopatra and Egypt clearly existed not very long ago.
A note on things he says later: Ever watched 'Kids say the darnest things' on YouTube? Try it. Kids do NOT think like adults. At all. (And I aim for realism, to the best of my abilities.)
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*Yeah, I totally made that up. I have NO clue who governs and control the schools in Britain or any other country. But it's always a comity or board of directors or something, innit?
Trust me: Children do not always know reality from fantasy, and it can take a lot to break that illusion. Especially since adults tend to think it's cute, and hesitate to tell them it's all make-believe.
(Admit it: How often have you been told Santa Clause is real as a child, or if you're older and have children yourself; How often have you told them he's real? *Raises an eyebrow* Yeah. That's what I thought.)
Harry will eventually figure it out, but thus far he knows nothing about the real world, and have only recently begun to read books at all, especially fiction books -a thing his aunt and uncle certainly don't have in their house. (Not with how much dudley hates 'boring' things like reading.)
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*You have never heard true condescension until you've heard an adult who loves children talk to a child. Seriously.
Adults tend to act like children can't string two sentences together -and with the language most adults use to talk to them, it's no wonder western children struggle to learn the language properly.
(As opposed to Japanese -possible Asian in general- children, who's parents never use baby-talk, but speak to them in full, complex sentences and expect them to understand complex things like how to see what someone else is feel, and act sympathetic towards them. Consequently, they learn quickly. Just like kids who read adult books, like Hermione. They also gain an impressive amount of social skills that western kids could never hope to match. Unlike Hermione.)
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Harry's Character Sheet can be found here: /works/36277258
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NOTE: I HATE fanfiction net!
It takes me longer to POST the fic than to WRITE it!
If anyone knows how to contact their customer service, or -better yet- make them fix the coding that makes copy+pasteing F*** up so much!
I would update more often if it didn't take me FOUR hours JUST to post it! _