Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other references in this Fanfic.
A/N: Hello to all my readers! This is a long one so you can just skip down if you like.
But first some answers to your questions.
First: I'll start by going over a misconception that some of you might be having. Sociopaths still have emotions. They just experience them differently and not as strongly. Sociopaths have also been known to make connection with others. And as I said, sociopaths can still feel happy, the only difference is that it is twisted and fleeting. Which is why most tend to live in the moment and do things that give them a rush like drugs, sex, etc.
Charles displays some of these characteristics, since he had a bond with his parents who even still influence him. He also lives in the moment and likes unexpected things. He can still feel happy, but it is only for brief instances, most of the time he is unfeeling.
I hope this helps.
Second: I want to thank everyone that pointed out the mix-up with DEX. Sometime it slips past me.
Third: Some were wonder why Hermione has more HP and MP. The answer is actually really simple. Unlike Charles, her attributes are distributed automatically and without Gamer's Body they naturally go to where a normal person's would go, VIT and INT. She's elven so she can't raise STR, DEX, WIZ, or LUK above her natural limit without manually putting in the points there. I thought it was obvious, since she they are roughly the same level, and those points must go somewhere right.
Fourth: So the reason why he didn't add his points to WIS in the last chapter is because that would be unwise. To anyone that has played games, you know that you just don't spend all of your points if you could help it, since you don't know when you might need them for something else later on. Same reasoning, it's better to wait until you have enough points since it will get harder to get later on.
Fifth: Certain dates, such as the eclipse and full moon will naturally give some buffs to certain spells, as well as special events or quests.
Finally: He will still keep to his muggle roots and learn non-magical subjects. Some of which will transfer or combine with its magical equivalent. So, learning more about chemistry would help level his potions. Or mathematics to his Arithmancy.
Here's another chapter for those that have that fiction addiction ;)
Chapter 5
(Week 4)
Crash!
The bludger smashed through the flying target. Tiny pieces of porcelain rained down on the Quidditch field.
A whistle sounded announcing that the test was over.
I flew down to the ground then dismounted to face the Ravenclaws Captain, a seventh-year student named Robert Wales. He had short brown hair and dark eyes, a whistle hanging off his neck.
"So, how'd I do?" I asked.
"You managed to hit all 10 targets in 49 seconds on a broom that isn't even fit to sweep the floors. What do you think?" the Captain was grinning like loon, "Jesus, first that Potter kid that Wood's been trying to hide and now you. Just what are they feeding first years."
"Does this mean I made the team?"
"Well, there's still three more candidates for beater, but to be honest I don't think they can do anything to impress half as much as you?" Robert said as he placed a hand on my shoulder and led me to a bench where the rest of the official team was sitting watching the tryouts.
"Damn kid, that's some arm you got."
"They might as well just hand us the Quidditch Cup this year!"
"Rein it in a little though, you're making the rest of us look bad?"
They all took turns clasping me in the back trying to welcome me as I took my seat on the bench.
"Okay, so all we need now is another Beater and a Seeker," Robert said.
I watched the end of the tryouts with calculating eyes. My eyes were able to keep track of the snitch easily. I could have been Seeker if I wanted to but, there just wasn't enough violence in chasing a golden ball through the air. Plus, I really felt a need to hit Harry and Draco in the face with a bludger. There excessive squabbling had become an annoyance as of late.
[Quest: Going for the Gold] Complete!
[You earned 7,000 experience.]
[Increased closeness with Ravenclaw House]
[Random Item Dice]
[Your level went up by 1.]
I opened my inventory when nothing had appeared and saw that one of the empty windows was now occupied. The random dice looked like an obsidian twenty-sided dice with glowing blue numbers. I would have to test it out later, since the Captain had started to talk again.
"A round of applause for all of our new teammates!" he said as he began to clap his hands, quickly followed by the others, "I have a good feeling for this year, and not just because I'm Captain!"
"Booo!"
"You suck!"
"The Captain's a wanker!"
"Alright. Alright. You made your point. Still I really think we have a shot this year, especially with our new Beater!"
More clapping and slaps on the back.
"Which reminds me, I'll have a talk with Flitwick about getting you a proper broom. I'm sure that McGonagall already did the same for Potter so there shouldn't be any trouble. As to everyone else, remember training starts at 6 AM sharp."
(Scene change)
"You bloody prat! I can't believe you actually made the team!" Terry announced as soon as I walked into the common room with the rest of the Team.
The boy rushed to me and tried to get me into a headlock, but I was too strong for that, so he just hanged on my neck awkwardly.
"You just cost me 5 Sickles!"
"You bet on me making the team?"
Padma stepped forward, "We bet if you get sent to the Hospital wing. Also, thanks for winning me 5 Sickles."
"You guys are just the worst," I said rolling my eyes as I escaped the hold and instead put Terry in a headlock. Playing along was important to blending in with normal people.
"Ack- O-okay, I give. I give," Terry said slapping my forearm indicating to let him go, which I did.
"So what position did you get?"
"Beater."
"Cough. Cough. I believe you," Terry admitted rubbing his neck.
"We should do something to celebrate."
(Room of Requirements)
After I finally managed to escape from Ravenclaw Tower I made it to the Room of Requirements.
Finally, I had enough points. I called up my status window.
I've been hording my points since I didn't know when I would find myself in a situation where I would need a sudden boost to my attributes.
Charles Bell
Class: The Gamer
Level: LV 12 Next Level: 0.17%
HP: 220/220
MP: 300/300
STR: 18
DEX: 20
VIT: 17
INT: 25
WIS: 17
LUK: 13
Points: 35
Money: 3,350 G/ 7 S/ 9 K
Inventory: 109/120
Without hesitation I put all of my points into WIS.
Charles Bell
Class: The Gamer
Level: LV 12 Next Level: 0.17%
HP: 220/220
MP: 300/300
STR: 18
DEX: 20
VIT: 17
INT: 25
WIS: 52
LUK: 13
Points: 0
Money: 3,350 G/ 7 S/ 9 K
Inventory: 109/120
My hand involuntarily went to my head as a buzzing sensation appeared, likely a result of increasing my WIS so suddenly. I closed my eyes and waited until the pain disappeared.
[You have gained the skill [Sage's Wisdom] after raising WIS above 50.]
[Sage's Wisdom] (Passive) MAX LV.
Those who consider wisdom a virtue have a different way of thinking. Their thoughts also affect their mental strength.
Effect: 300% increased mana recovery.
Effect: 300% increased magic defense.
"Oh wow. This looks like a really useful skill. So how much is that?"
If I remembered correctly then I gained 1% for every 10 WIS I had.
MP Regeneration: 15%
Magic Resistance: 15%
That means that with my current mana I regenerated 45 MP per minute, and only had to wait 7 minutes to refill up my total reserves.
This was better than I thought. Plus, the added magic resistance would come in handy against other magic users like that zombie wizard.
It wasn't just that though, I could feel myself getting smarter. Suddenly things that used to confuse me became bright as day.
"So, that's what she meant by 'I'm fine.' Hmmm, I guess I really did get that question on my mid-term wrong, probably shouldn't have slashed Mrs. Keel's tires then. So, the Dean did know I banged his daughter, that explains why he hated me."
An hour went by in a flash as I went over all my past experiences now that the veil had been lifted from my eyes. People suddenly seemed to make sense again.
Finally, there was one last thing to test.
Whipping out my wand I shouted the simplest spell I knew, "Lumos."
A beam of light exited from the wand's tip, but unlike every other time that I had cast it, it didn't die out prematurely.
"Haha, I did it."
I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. I could finally use magic.
(Scene change)
Taking a sip of orange juice, I continued my observation of Pansy Parkinson from the Ravenclaw table. I had a number of opened books around me as I scribbled in a notebook.
However, that was just for show as I was really using [Observe] and my newly acquired insight to gather information. Once I was finished this book would contain blackmail material on everyone in the school.
[Observe] had finally reached level 15 after a week of continual use, allowing me to see a target's health, mana, weakness, attributes, status, background, emotions, and even a small insight to what they were thinking at the moment. I was sure that if I leveled it enough, it would even start to give me passcodes to things too.
'Huh, so she's afraid of cockroaches and her family also own an illegal potion's ingredient farm. Very useful,' I thought scribbling away, 'I could use this to my advantage and finally get a foothold into Slytherin.'
Currently there seemed to be some unseen cold war between the first-year Slytherin girls with both Pansy and Daphne fighting for supremacy.
The children from Pureblood families contained the juiciest secrets as one would expect, but even ordinary people had some secrets that others didn't want others to know.
Take for example our lovely little bookworm at the Gryffindor table that was nose deep into a book. Thanks to [Observe] I was able to find out that my efforts to befriend her had result in her acquiring feelings for me. This would no doubt make it much easier to manipulate her in the future.
Though it wasn't just her who had love problems, as almost everyone in school seemed to like someone else. There was a complex web of emotions at Hogwarts and thanks to my gift I had full insight. A few words here, a couple rumors there, and I could bring down anyone to their knees without having to even lift my wand.
Yes, putting all my point into WIS was truly paying off.
Still most of this information was off limits until I could handle any retaliation that the offended party might throw my way.
Getting up I closed the book and stealthily placed it in my inventory as I gathered the other texts.
I confidently stalked to the Slytherin table and greeted the group of girls, "Hello ladies." I made sure to put my best charming smile for extra effect.
They didn't say anything as they just stared with mild hostility.
"Might I say, you're all looking lovely today," I complimented them, completely unbothered by their cold reception.
"What do you want Ravenclaw?" Pansy threw out with a sneer.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I just needed to tell Daphne that I'm about to return the book she wanted on transfiguration back to the library."
They all looked to the stoic blonde asking if I was telling the truth.
Not being a complete idiot, she stood up from the table, "It's about time. I'll go with you?"
Pansy's face turned into a scowl before it was replaced with a sly smile, "I see. Well I guess you should be off then?"
Tracy looked like she wanted to leave too, but a look from Pansy was enough to make her stay seated.
With that we made our way to the Library.
"…So why did you contact me?" she finally asked when got to the 2nd floor.
Grinning at her I stopped walking. "Oh good, I thought a cat got your tongue. "
"Charlie, this is serious. You made me lose a lot of face, I can't be seen talking to a-"
"-Mud-blood," I interjected helpfully.
She flinched as if she was slapped, "I was going to say Muggle-born?"
"Sure you were," I rolled my eyes, "not like I really care what you call me behind my back."
"I-I-"
Cutting her off I continued, "But that's beside the point. Your right, I do have something important to tell you."
"…What is it?"
"I have something that could help you tip the scales in your favor."
"What do you mean?"
"Your little war with Pansy. I can give you the tools to win?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. There's no war between me and Pansy!"
"Ah, there's that house loyalty! Some might mistake you for a Hufflepuff at this rate," I told her as I took a prepared letter from my robe, "however, you should know by now that there is no such thing as loyalty in Slytherin."
She was glaring at me now, but her attention quickly left me and focused on the envelope. "What is that?"
"This is called a letter."
Oh, the glare intensifies. "I know that! I meant what's inside it!"
Dangling the envelope teasingly, I smiled at her, "This right here, is everything you need to secure your spot at the top of the Slytherin Girls."
I hand the letter to her which she opened unhesitant, taking out four pages full of notes.
With every line she read her eyebrows rose higher and higher, "No way. This can't be true- But now that I think about it- I can't believe-"
Just as she was about to turn to the next page, I snatched the letter out of her hands, "Now, now. That was only a sample."
She momentarily glared before her face took a stoic expression, "It looks like I underestimated you Charles. You make a pretty good Slytherin."
"Why thank you. I take it you want this information then?"
She crossed her arms and tried to look uncaring, but it wasn't fooling anyone, "You hold some dangerous information, if certain people find out you know this, then you could get seriously hurt."
Oh, she was subtly trying to threaten me to give her the information for free. How deliciously devious of her.
"Come on Daphne, give me some credit. You don't seriously think I would expose myself like this without covering all my bases?"
"No, I suppose not," she admitted, "Well what do you want?"
"I so glad you see things my way. Oh, and don't worry, it isn't anything too difficult."
(Time skip)
I didn't have to wait long to see the results of our talk.
Within a day, I could see that the hierarchy among the girls had changed, as evidence with Pansy carrying Daphne's books to class.
I could practically taste the hatred that the girl was radiating.
I was leaning on a stone pillar just watching the show that Daphne had promised me.
This time when we made eye contact, instead of pretending not to know me she greeted me in a tone than was warmer than her usual monotone one, "Charles, good morning."
"Good morning Daphne, ladies."
"I sent my father a letter for the books you requested."
"How kind of you."
I bid them a good day as I walked through the castle without a care in the world.
Soon I would have all the tools necessary to attempt to clear the Zombie Dungeon.
But all of that could wait as I had more pressing matters to attend right now.
Walking into the library, I spotted my target at a secluded chair hidden behind a bookcase.
"Granger."
She looked up with a scowl, but it was no use faking it since I could see her pupils dilate and her breath hitch.
"Charles," she said simply.
"So, what is little Miss Bookworm doing inside on such a nice day like this?" I asked pulling a chair facing her.
"Hmph. Just a bit of light reading today. I thought I'd give a handicap. I suggest you take it," she said impudently.
"You? Give me a handicap? I suggest you stick to studying, your jokes are getting terrible."
"Is there a reason why you chose to pester me?"
"A reason? Hmmm? Now that I think about it, there was one."
"Don't hurt yourself," she said without glancing up.
Oh, her tongue had gotten sharper since we met. I loved a witty opponent.
"Well when you're done, you can open this," I told her, placing a brown wrapped packaged on the coffee table beside her, along with a pink frosted cupcake that had a single candle. "I suggest you hide it, before Madam Pince notices it."
Without another word I walked away.
[Increased closeness with Hermione Granger.]
I held back a smirk, and instead focused on my next move.
(Hermione Granger)
Unable to focus on her book she headed back to her room, the brown package under her arm with the cupcake hidden in her sleeve.
Luckily there was no one inside.
"I wonder how he knew it was my birthday?"
She got on top of her bed and placed the cupcake on her nightstand.
Carefully she unwrapped the package and immediately noticed it was a book. A fairly used and worn book at that. However when she saw the title she couldn't help the feeling of excitement and barely held back a squeal of happiness.
"Hogwarts: A History- Second Edition!"
Her fingers gently traced the bold letters on the cover.
Opening the book, a birthday card fell out.
It had a picture of a blue bird and a brown mouse in the middle of a battle. Opening it she read the note that was left behind.
"Early bird catches the worm,
But the second mouse gets the cheese.
Hope this serves as comfort.
There is no shame in getting second place."
Despite the slightly arrogant message Hermione couldn't help but be touched by the sentiment behind it.
Charles was different than what she had initial expected.
When he had declared himself her rival during the second week of school, she expected a bitter rivalry mirroring the one that Potter and Malfoy seemed to have, yet it wasn't. It could even be considered bitter-sweet at times.
She admitted that it was fun to finally have someone that could challenge her, push her to her limits at times. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she noticed that she was picking things up at a faster rate.
He was also the closest thing that she had to a friend at this school, and unlike those ungrateful brats at her old school, he wasn't intimidated by her intellect.
She almost regretted not going to Ravenclaw. Charles always bragged about their personal library and study groups.
(Room of Requirements)
[Increased closeness with Hermione Granger.]
"So, she opened it already? That was faster than I thought."
I had found the book inside the Room of Requirements and immediately knew that it could be used to win me some favor with her.
Dismissing the window, I focused all my attention on my current project, which was stirring the cauldron in front of me.
Toxic green fumes rose into the air as it bubbled. I was wearing gloves, googles and a mask as a safety precaution since even one drop of this mixture was strong enough to melt my skin.
With one final stir I took a ladle provided by the room and scooped up a spoonful of the potion before carefully filling a cylindrical glass vial.
This patch managed to fill exactly 10 vials.
Then I paced a rubber cork on the ends to stop the liquid from spilling out.
Taking out my wand I used a variation of the transfiguration spell that was supposed to turn a matchstick into a needle. The vials elongated with the bottom turning into a pointed tip. After a few more careful alterations I was finally left with the finished product, a glass bolt filled with a potion.
Acid Bolt-Rank: Magical
Description: A glass bolt filled with a modified potion. Glass is fragile and will break on impact. This particular bolt is filled with highly concentrated acid that can eat away most organic materials.
Effect: Acid damage to all organic matter until it is washed away.
Effect: Extremely combustible.
Carefully taking the bolt I loaded it into a crossbow I had found among all of the broken equipment. A simple reparo had been enough to fix it.
I took careful aim at the straw dummy at the other end of the room and squeezed the trigger.
The bolt crossed the distance in a fraction of a second before breaking on contact, coating the target's upper body in the potion.
Even from a distance I could see the liquid eating away at the straw at an alarming rate, almost like that one scene from the Wizard of Oz.
But I wasn't done, as I pointed my wand at the dummy and spoke my spell, "Incendio."
Boom!
I smiled at the large explosion, which incinerated the dummy in a flash of green light and smoke. It didn't catch fire so much as just explode, almost as if it was gunpowder. There was nothing left of the dummy except for a scorch mark on the ground.
"Next time I go into the dungeon, I'll be ready," I spoke out loud, thinking about all the possibilities my new weapon could have, "Now if only I had enough ingredients for the Draught of Living Dead or the Shrinking Potion, then I could do some real damage."
(Week 5)
It amazed me just how much a little information went a long way.
It had only been half a week since I had given Daphne that information, but she had basically taken over Slytherin House from Draco, with the help of the older students. Even now I could see some of the older Slytherin flinch when she would pass by.
It proved once more that it was the right decision to sell her the information. She was in a much better position to use it than me. She had the backing of a Pureblood Household while I was only a simple muggle-born orphan, so naturally there weren't that many people that would try to confront her to begin with and with the new dirt she had on everyone, she was practically untouchable.
Well almost, I had already made a file which showed some rather incriminating evidence involving the Greengrass House. Should she ever choose to betray me or runout of usefulness I would be ready to plunge her family into the pit of misery and despair, by which time everyone that they had previously controlled would be motivated enough to work together and plunge the knife in deeper.
Despite my previous occupation as a musician, both my parents and professors always said I had a head for business.
If she was wiser, she would have seen the trap for what it was, but she was still a child and wanted to prove herself. Both things that were easily exploitable.
Still as I said, there was a chance that this outcome might never happen.
"Here you are Charles," Daphne said as she gestured for two older boys to step forward with a stack of books in their hands.
I took one and opened it randomly.
[You've obtained the skill book 'Enchanting for Beginners'.]
[Would you like to learn the skill?]
I closed the windows without accepting, then looked at Daphne, "It has that new book smell. So how much will it be?"
Daphne produced a receipt for the cost of the books.
Scanning the bottom, it turned out to be a whopping 54 gallons, that was about 1,350 American dollars. This was rather cheap to me considering that the cost for my college textbooks easily dwarfed this by many times.
And considering what I had planned for these skills, 54 Gallons was a small price to pay. Though looking at the faces of the two Slytherin boys they were inclined to disagree.
Not that surprising since the average wage in the magical world amounted to 2-3 Sickles and hour. A good paying job would have you make about 8 Gallons a week.
Still I was unbothered by the amount as I took out a prepared leather pouch from my inventory that contained 60 Gallons. I took out 6 of the Gallons and handed the rest to Daphne.
She opened it and her eyes widened comically when she saw it was filled with gold coins. The two boys also looked stunned at the sudden wealth, glancing at me repeatedly.
I had asked her to get me book on certain subjects promising to pay her back, but from the looks of it, she had chosen the most expensive books in an attempt to get me indebted to her. She probably thought I didn't even have enough for a single book let alone all of them.
"It should all be there, and here, for the trouble," I said handing her two Galleons.
She looked like she wanted to say something but with others around she decided to wisely stay silent. Still she pocketed the pouch and the two extra Gallons. "You are just full of surprises aren't you Charles," she said grudgingly.
"I aim to please," I replied smiling before turning to the two Slytherins upperclassmen, they weren't from Purebloods so most likely half-bloods. Taking two Galleons I looked to them, "Could I trouble you to bring those books to Ravenclaw Tower, I'll be sure to reward you once you return."
I could see them salivating at the appearance of the golden coins.
"S-sure."
"A-anything for a friend of Greengrass."
They didn't need anymore prompting as they basically tripped over themselves to complete their mission.
Turning back to the blonde I couldn't help but comment, "They're well trained."
Daphne seemed to be put off by my taking over her minion, "Apparently not well enough."
"Ah, don't be like that Princess, this could be the start of a beautiful partnership."
"Partnership huh?"
"Yes, perhaps we can take a walk around the lake to reestablish our new friendship?"
"Hmm? Perhaps?" she said coyly.
"Then after you, Princess?"
(Scene Break)
Just like that the first month was over. I'd like to think that I had made outstanding progress in the short time I've been here.
I've established myself as one of the smartest students in my year, I had managed to befriend Hermione, I gain popularity by joining the Quidditch team, I made a connection with the Slytherins, and I've established a trading route to the outside world through Daphne.
She would use her new connection to get me anything I wanted as long as I was willing to pay and in exchange, I would offer my services. It would be simple for her since her family owned a small trading company. Though the exact legality of their products might be up for question, if you catch my drift.
I now had dirt on everyone in the school, all except the teachers of course since their levels were too high for me to see, thought that would change in time.
Everything was going perfectly.
It was for this reason why I had grown cautious. Things normally don't go this smoothly, no matter how well you plan.
Maybe I was just jumping at shadows, but I couldn't help feeling as if something would appear to throw a wrench in my plans.
Well nothing a little alchemical fire couldn't fix.
A/N: Done. Thanks for reading.
Well I hope you enjoyed it.
As you can see, Charlies is very proactive. Future Overlord everyone!
Hermione also has the beginning of puppy love to everyone that wanted it. See, I listen. Also, if anyone has ever played Overlord 2, then you know what will happen in the future. (Maybe? Still not sure.)
Anyways, the potion crossbow, I thought about it when I re-read that one scene when Neville managed to melt his cauldron in potions. I though, 'I got to get me some of that.' Pretty much just a way for me to weaponize potions.
Any particular potions you think I should use?
I always imagined that most purebloods have some illegal business, cuz obviously they don't care about the law if they are out there torturing and killing people.
So that being said, Daphne's family now operates a black-market. Think of her as a Don's daughter if you will.
Well this is all for now.
Spoiler: Enchanting+bolt+Dispelling charm=