Reviews
vparadox12122000
I think Luna would accept Cortana as the MC's imaginary friend and not care if she appears. naked. This is a girl who believes in all sorts of things that other people can't see.
A bigger concern is how she'd react to finding out that her future husband used to be a fully grown man and still is in some sense.
Alan
Thank you.
frankieu
Harry Potter doesn't have a godmother.
Mugen-Muse
I can see how them suddenly recovering while others remain ill could breed resentment. I also didn't consider that the Unspeakables might show an interest in the couple and do something to the Longbottoms, such as take them away for study, although I don't think they'd do something so public.
Jet Black Jr
Red Mages don't get the Esuna spell. Regen is useful to cast in battle as it heals over time meaning you don't have to keep casting Cure when you could be doing something else with your White Mage, but when the MC healing someone and it's not in battle there's no advantage to using Regen rather than the Cure spell multiple times. In fact, since it's light magic he's using it makes sense to me that using a light magic spell lots of time will overwhelm the dark magic that is affecting a body. Granted it would be like flooding a house to put out a fire, but he has plenty of water and light magic doesn't have nasty after-effects.
ZhaWarudo
Hermione had to erase her parent's memories or they would have come back to look for her unless they were truly terrible parents who just didn't care about their daughter's safety. Which they might be.
She was on that Horcrux hunt for months with no means to contact anyone safely, so I don't think a mere compulsion charm would have lasted long enough to keep her parents out of the country and away from the Death Eaters who would target the family of a Muggleborn.
An AI isn't much of a help when you live in a world of magic. But this is just one world of many that he will visit. She does aid in memory and offers her advice as that's most of what she can do for now.
In the Muggle World, an AI can be much more useful as it can connect to the Internet, but this is the early 1990s, not the 2020s, I've lived through those decades here in the UK, so I know how limited the Internet was back then compared to now.
I have wondered if I should make it so that Cortana can link to other minds when the MC uses Legilimency and then let the AI find the information that he needs. In the CYOA the subject of mind arts is limited to Legilimency and Occlumency, but the CYOA doesn't offer anything for specializing in this subject that a person shouldn't be able to learn without specialisation. I mean if Draco Malfoy can learn to occlude his mind then it can't be that hard.
As such, I think I should be allowed to expand on the subject while still keeping to the spirit of the CYOA. Which I have done somewhat by having memory and compulsion charms be part of the mind arts rather than limiting it to Legilimency and Occlumency.
I already covered spell creation and how Cortana can't help with that due to AI not being able to comprehend the kind of magical maths used in spell creation. I didn't want her being OP and allowing the MC to make a spell for every situation as that would get dull.
Flamel was in the second Fantastic Beasts movie and helped stopped Grindlewald from destroying Paris so there is more to know about him. Also, Nicolas Flamel is a real historical figure so he would exist in the Muggle world, in the history books.
Crossworld 1 - Harry Potter
Part 27
The Great Hall. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hermione Granger had become even more clingy after the Easter Holidays, but I could cope because we didn't have any lessons together and she spent a lot of time in the library while I was down in the Chamber. When in the Common Room, she could be avoided simply by me going to bed.
Granger was becoming more manageable in small doses and I was already smoothing off some of her rough edges.
She'd even taken to helping Harry and Neville with their classwork and this meant I had less to do during our tutoring sessions as by now we'd covered all of the practical stuff they needed to know about for the tests and Hermione could help with the theory material easily enough.
So overall I didn't mind her sitting with me at mealtimes and letting her waffle on about her day as women often felt the need to do. I didn't even need to listen to her words as if Hermione asked me something that I had no answer to then Cortana was happy to help. The AI found it amusing for some reason.
Eddie and Marcus had not let themselves be driven away by Granger as they also seemed to have developed the ability to ignore most of a woman ever said in a conversation while making it seem as if they had been listening. A very useful skill for males to have in any relationship it would serve them well once they started seeing girls as more than breeding grounds for cooties.
"She's talking about visiting France over the summer with her parents" the AI reminded "She wants to know if you've ever been to Paris".
There was a gap in the conversation as if the young witch expected me to say something.
"No I've never been, but I would like to visit Place Cachée someday" I mentioned "The Wizarding section of Paris is meant to be like Diagon Alley only bigger".
It was accessed through a Magical Bronze Statue in the Montmartre district of the city if memory served. Perhaps I would go and check it out this summer as Tom Hiddleston. I could do with a short holiday.
I was saved from any further conversation when an older Ravenclaw student passed by and let me know that my Head of House wanted to speak with me as soon as I'd finished my dinner.
Since there was no time like the present I made my way to the teacher's office and after knocking on the door I waited for the teacher to call for me to enter. I then found Professor Flitwick sitting behind his desk. He looked as if he'd been marking some essays just before I arrived.
"Ah Mr Hiddleston," he said, "Don't worry you're not in any trouble, although I did hear from Professor McGonagal recently about how the Gryffindor Commonroom somehow ended up playing host to a pack of naughty Nifflers".
Not an original prank of mine as I'd stolen the idea from the book series. It was one of the pranks used in an attempt to drive Umbridge out of the castle. I'd unleashed the animals on the lion house rather than someone's office after the twins did something that turned the hair of many Ravenclaw students a vibrant red during one breakfast.
No doubt those Nifflers had made a terrible mess and stolen the pocket money of a lot of students. Those poor dears.
"Some students really need to be more careful," I said.
Flitwick did not use Legilimency, I felt sure I'd know if he tried it on me, but some teachers don't need to. Lucky for me I'd become very good at keeping a blank expression on my face.
"I've called you here to discuss your electives," said my Head of House "Or rather your lack of them".
We'd been given a form to fill out and I'd written that I wanted to use the time to study what interested me.
"Don't any of the subjects appeal to you?" the tiny teacher asked me.
I was supposed to have picked two out of a list made up of, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Muggle Studies.
"No Professor," I started to explain "My cousin intends to teach me the family business and has some subjects he wants to me look into during study periods rather than take electives. Ancient Runes has limited uses, I find Arithmancy to be too complex and Divination is a waste of time, as for Muggle Studies I grew up in the Muggle World and if the textbook I checked out is anything to go by my knowledge is far more up to date than what's covered in the classes".
My work with Arithmancy was very much a struggle and I was reconsidering trying to create wand versions of Final Fantasy Magic and instead focusing on altering existing spells, making more powerful versions for uses in worlds that contained far greater dangers than this one. Perhaps in the future, I could enlist help from a more mature Hermione Granger or Luna Lovegood if they had a great understanding of the subject of Arithmancy.
I felt it best to keep my focus on the Mind Arts and in Defence Against the Dark Arts. As such the electives were a waste of time.
"Well we can't have you missing out on two classes," Flitwick said to me "I was worried about your career options, but if your cousin intends to educate you personally post-Hogwarts in the family business, then there's no need to worry. I spoke with Professor McGonagall on this matter and she proposed that if you take one elective then you can use the class time of the other subject for study in whatever appeals to you without becoming too isolated from your pees".
I'd been willing to compromise on this matter even if the rules don't actually state that you have to take any extra classes outside of the core subjects.
"Normally we compromise to allow a student to take more than two subjects" Flitwick "I find the idea foolish since it would overload a student and while it has happened before it's a rare that a student tries to take less".
He had more to say.
"I noticed that you didn't mention Care of Magical Creatures," said the teacher "Does that subject meet with your approval as a lone elective?".
It did because I could take the form of even magical creatures and so learning more about them made sense.
"Yes, Sir" I answered, "I wouldn't mind getting some fresh air and magical creatures are interesting".
Flitwick was pleased to hear this.
"Good," he said "It's a fine subject and I agree about getting out for some fresh air. I think we all spend far too much time in stuffy classrooms".
The teacher took out some parchment and began writing.
"So you'll take Care of Magical Creatures with free study time," he told me "Some Newt level students do drop subjects they took as Owls to make time for revision so it's not against the school's rules. I will write to your cousin to make it clear that as your Head of House I am insisting that you take one elective".
That made sense as Flitwick wouldn't want my cousin blaming me for not going along with his plan. Not that this was a concern since it was all my plan.
"Also starting in the new school year for half an hour, maybe an hour if I have the time, every Sunday afternoon you will meet with me" I was informed, "I will begin tutoring you in duelling assuming that you win the Junior Division and want to move on to a more serious level".
This took me by surprise. I would be moving up the ranks as the junior division is only meant for novices and I was clearly above that level.
"Yes I'd like that," I said.
Flitwick nodded in approval.
"I think you have some potential in duelling" he let me know.
My main two focuses were DADA and the Mind Arts, duelling was partly a practical application of Defence Against The Dark Arts. There was also some showmanship involved. Not all the spells used in duelling are offensive or defensive in nature even if they could be used that way so sometimes transfiguration spells could be used as well.
"In return I want you to become a Prefect in your fifth year" Flitwick requested "I like to plan who will be my Prefects in advance and since your class size is so limited I wanted to meet with you today so as try to prepare you. Things can change over the next couple of years, but I normally know who will be a Prefect by the end of their second year".
One male and one female student were chosen from each house in their fifth year to act as prefects. They would continue to be prefects in their sixth and seventh years unless they left school early. Since my year in Ravenclaw was so small there wasn't much in the way of choice.
"This will mean keeping your nose clean and staying out of any pranking" I was warned.
I didn't really want the extra work, but the chance to take lessons in duelling under someone who'd been named a Master Duellist and earned the title of Duelling Champion more than once (he had a shelf full of trophies here in his office to prove it) was just too enticing to pass up.
"Well I do like a shiny badge," I said.
As for my pranks, I'd just have to work even harder at never getting caught. Loki must be appeased and the Weasly twins needed to be crushed under my boot in this pranking war.
(Line Break)
The Chamber of Secrets. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"It's an interesting idea," I said.
Between practice sessions involving the mind arts, Cortana and I had been discussing possible uses for my growing skill, and since she had access to my memories she'd been looking for fictional uses of the mind arts to give me avenues of exploration in the subject. She'd found something in the vast amounts of escapist fiction I'd enjoyed back before I'd started living a life that actually mattered.
She'd reminded me of a fictional character called Sylvie, who was a female version of the MCU's Loki. Upon touching someone, Sylvie could trap them in an illusion created from their own memories, forcing them to relive past events. Sylvie can view these memories and even insert herself into the illusion, allowing her to subtly interrogate them in an environment where they'll be more compliant than normal. She was able to extract information about the Time Variance Authority using this method.
Cortana knew as I did that it was possible to use Legilimency to not only explore a person's feelings and memories, you could even plant a vision in someone's mind. Voldemort was rumoured to drive people mad by doing this and he was able to fool Harry Potter with a false vision.
I had no desire to drive people mad as I was not a sadist, I'd rather learn to do what Sylvie did and combine my ability to create illusions with Legilimency to trick people into telling me what I wanted to know.
Along with the spells that removed memories I should be able to learn how to acquire information from a person while doing no damage to the mind and with them never remembering it happened. I might even be able to enter someone's dreams and appear in them. That could have fascinating results, and it could be an effective way of planting ideas in someone's mind without actually having to talk to them.
"It's something to look into and we have plenty of time," I said.
This was only my second year at Hogwarts so there was no need to rush. I had lots of ideas to explore such as modifying the Legilimency spell so as to allow Cortana to connect to another mind when I probed it. If this worked then she'd be able to go into a mind and find any information I needed in a matter of seconds.
"That means that we are going to need a lot more test subjects" I stated.
Thankfully there seemed to be no end to society's dregs and I never kept them for long or let them even remember where they had been.
"You should take a break on the mind arts" advised Cortana "I don't think spending so much time in other people's minds is healthy".
She had a point there. I should stop and then target different areas when I got back to grabbing targets. If I got predictable someone might notice a pattern and catch me. I'd be really buggered if any Auror found out that someone magical was grabbing muggles for experimentation. I'd either have to stop grabbing dregs or worry about an ambush every time I went out hunting.
Once I started targeting Death Eaters and others of their kind the Aurors wouldn't care about some muggles who vanished for a few days.
"You're right," I said.
Over the summer I needed to spend some time preparing to hunt and kill Death Eaters. Once Malfoy had planted the diary on a student I would claim it, absorb its power and then be free to deal with the Death Eaters.
I wouldn't get them all, and one of them would go running to Voldemort, so I would have to keep going after targets until I learned the Raise Spell. Once I do that then Voldemort could be ended, but I couldn't get too far ahead of myself. I needed a few things before I went dark wizard hunting.
(Line Break)
Dwarven Village. Wales.
I'd known for some time that dwarfs are stocky, humanoid magical creatures, about knee-high to an adult human and amazingly strong considering their size. While they weren't built for fighting like those you see in many fantasy settings, seeming more like Hobbits or House-Elves, they were natural blacksmiths like goblins.
They reminded me more of the dwarves that Snow White lives with, rather than the Lord of the Rings kind. Most of them were certainly surly-looking and grump. Mind you if I was so desperate for pay that I'd dress up as a cupid and run around Hogwarts to deliver valentines day messages I'd be grumpy as well. No wonder they were so eager to do some work for me.
As it turned out dwarves actually do not live in underground halls as I'd envision. They have mines, they are just normal looking mines and dwarves actually live in cottages that a human would have trouble standing up in. Again this led to me thinking of them more as Hobbits than anything else.
Given their lifestyles they seemed to be more like people playing real-life Minecraft rather than the dwarves in Lord of the Rings. Although they did enjoy eating lots and drinking while also singing, so maybe they'd been different once upon a time.
Goblins dealt with treasure, Dwarves dealt with tools and were natural miners as well as smiths. As such when I'd meet with a group of them in the Leaky Cauldron I'd taken the chance to hire some to make use of their talents. I'd originally only wanted them to make me some chainmail armour, but I'd changed my mind later when I'd come here for measurements and seen what they could do.
"They look very impressive" I commented.
The first was done in a Celtic style. In times past my ancestors would have made weapons such as this from bronze or iron, and while this blade was bronze, that didn't mean the weapon was weak when compared to a steel sword because dwarves put a lot of magic into their craft.
Gobin made silver weapons were made from silver and at age 12 the Harry Potter from the main timeline used one to kill a basilisk. As such the magic that was worked into the blades of such weapons as they were forged must enhance them greatly.
Bronze was a stronger metal but wizards wanted fancy silver stuff they could show off to their friends when it came to swords. I wanted weapons that could be used to actually kill people and creatures.
"Why don't you use iron or steel for both swords?" I asked.
That got me some offended looks.
"Mae efydd yn well ar gyfer swyno" I was told.
Yes, I'd suspected it was due to that. I'd not been able to invest much time into the study of enchantments as it was rather advanced magic.
As for the sword I inspected first the grip was made from dragon bone and bronze. The pommel was supposed to be a Thestral's head, but it just looked like a horse's head, not that it mattered as I'd know the importance.
"It's so light" I commented.
The sword had a length of approx. 66 cm and it weighed only 1 kg. Which isn't a lot to a healthy adult male. Thanks to the enchantment the sword moved more easily than it should and felt more natural. Must be the result of my Red Mage bracelet as it gave me some skill with the sword just as it gave me spells.
On the blade of this sword, the dwarves had placed Eihwaz a magical rune on the blade. Depending on the context it could mean a number of things. Such as defence, patience, waiting and calmness. This was the sword of a warrior, meant to deal with foes who had some magical resistance.
"Cais rhyfedd," commented one of the dwarves.
The other sword was actually made of steel despite this meaning a weaker enchantment, it was a rapier, a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use and as a military sidearm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
For some reason, it just felt right to use this sort of sword. Something to do with being a Red Mage. Thankfully the dwarves had made sure that the grip and the guard were kept simple. I didn't expect anyone to be challenging me to a fencing match. I just need to be able to stab some wizards with a fancy magical sword.
Inspecting the weapon I saw that the rune ehwaz, the proto-Germanic word for horse, decorated the blade. In the Futhark alphabet, Ehwaz is a rune appearing as an M, representing process, advancement and movement. The rune didn't imbue the weapon with that power it was there just to let the owner of the weapon know what magical enhancements had been added and to add a bit of decoration.
The chainmail was also bronze and very light. It wouldn't help much against unfriendly spells, which is part of the reason why wizards don't bother to wear armour, but it would offer protection against physical attacks. So I would enjoy some defence against claws, horns and stabbing weapons.
Most importantly it fitted well under my Thestral hide coat. It didn't look stylish I wouldn't be winning any fashion contests, and that was fine with me as I needed protection when going about my business as Kol the Red Mage.
"Well worth every coin," I told the dwarves as I handed over the rest of my payment.
Once I'd secured these purchases I needed to make my way back to the school.
(Line Break)
Room of Requirement. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Here it is your reward," I said to the students I tutored.
The two boys and lone girl looked at the wall of the seventh-floor corridor. I'd decided to bring them to the Room of Requirement as a reward for getting through their exams and to strengthen our friendships. I wanted them to see me as something of a mentor as well as I helped to guide them.
It was clear to me that Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger had become this universe's version of the Golden Trio despite Granger being in Ravenclaw. Perhaps she was just fated to be involved in Harry's adventures and Neville had very easily slipped into the role of best friend for Harry who knows about wizarding culture.
Neville even seemed to be getting along with Hermione as she became more relaxed and less prone to following the rules all the time. He was no Ron, he didn't lash out at anyone to cover up his own insecurities.
"There's nothing here" pointed out Hermione.
I smiled upon hearing that.
"That's what you thought when I told you about the Thestrals" I reminded her.
This resulted in her blushing as she was again reminded that my knowledge was greater than hers. Harry and Neville rarely ever questioned anything I told them. Neville still wasn't confident enough to challenge people. As for Harry, he'd been brought up to accept how he was treated without question and as such didn't like to rock the boat by asking too many questions.
"There's a hidden room that only appears when someone requires it" I explained, "You have to need something for it to appear while moving up and down this corridor. So if you were trapped up with the Flinch after you the room would appear as a broom cupboard that you could hide in".
That was the most simple use of the room.
"The room can take many forms and make use of anything that has been stored in it over the last thousand years" I was now telling my friends, if that was what they were, "So it also contains all of the school's lost property and junk which has been stored away".
I didn't intend to show them to the Come and Go room just yet as I still hadn't finished clearing it all out. I was sure that someone was adding to the piles.
"As such if you wanted somewhere for quiet study then the room will appear and take a suitable form," I said "It can even be a swimming pool".
I assumed that the Room of Requirement simply diverted some pipes in order to supply the water. Quite possible since parts of the castle did move about without breaking the plumping.
"Oh, so we can study in there?" asked Hermione.
I confirmed this.
"And practice duelling" I informed the first years.
Hermione bit her lip
"That is against the rules" she pointed out.
And for good reasons as if students went around duelling without proper supervision and something went wrong then there was no one nearby who could fix the problems or stabilise an injured student long enough to get them to the hospital wing.
"Yes," I agreed "Which is why we'll have to have some restrictions. You'll only ever practice duelling under my supervision, we'll only certain spells, and we'll focus on spells for defence. I'll be training for the junior duelling division over the summer so I'll plenty of expertise to pass on and we'll do some basic duelling exercises at the start of next year. Duelling is too dangerous for first-years. If we get caught I will take full responsibility".
I knew that by acting as an authority figure for this informal club then Hermione would more easily fall in line.
"We won't be using any dark magic will we?" asked Neville.
Given what happened to his parents I could understand his concern, and he might report me to them if I thought I was trying to train dark wizards because he'd see it as the morally right thing to do.
"No in our study group we will only be using spells that are acceptable in formal duels" I answered "These will be spells that Professor Flitwick thinks are suitable to teach me and that I would use in a contest".
I could tell that they all felt better about the idea now that he knew I was just going to be teaching from a book.
Before taking things any further I walked past the tapestry of dancing trolls and soon a door appeared that led the four of us into a space more suitable as a study area than the old classroom we'd been using.
"I'll show you more of what the room can do once you start your second year," I told the three students "We're all a little mentally worn out from the exams and I don't want us to have to deal with something unexpected when were tired".
Everyone took a seat, aside from Granger who was drawn over to the bookshelves like a moth to a flame.
"Next year one of my friends will be starting Hogwarts," I told the three first years "I want her to join our group. Is that alright with everyone?".
No one objected.
"Are we going to have more people joining our study group?" asked Harry.
I'd considered other potential recruits to join this group. Only members of this little organisation would be considered to become companions who would join me when I went to other worlds. However, I simply didn't have the free time to prepare others and I would need to ensure that any future companions had the skills required to survive in some dangerous worlds.
"My plan is for us to have five members" I answered "We'll have three boys and two girls spread out over three school years, seems like a good mix".
Thankfully I had years left of schooling ahead of me and with only five people to focus on, I would be able to train them. In the short term, they just needed to know the basics of the mind arts to protect themselves and some duelling.
When they were older I'd tell them the truth and get them to sign some sort of magically binding oaths so as to protect the knowledge of the existence of the multiverse. If wizards knew for sure that there were other worlds they might put effort into reaching one of them without making use of the Crossworlds.
I knew new enough about the multiverse to know that if the world of Harry Potter can be real then so can other worlds and some of them made this setting look like the children's series some think it is. I had no desire to be the cause of some Lovecraftian horror entering this universe.
"So what are we going to study?" asked Neville.
Nothing for now.
"We've done enough studying" I informed the group "It's important to spend time just relaxing or you can become overloaded".
Hermione picked up on my oh so subtle hint and came to join us as we sat in our comfy chairs around a table.
"I thought it would be a nice if our little club could expand not just in members, but also in activities," I said as I started to take things out of a mokeskin pouch "We don't share a common room and I think we deserve somewhere we can relax together after putting so much work into our exams, so that's partly why I brought you all here".
Soon the table was covered in snacks, bottles of butterbeer, a pack of exploding snap, a wizarding chess set and some magazines.
"Oh I've always wanted to try butterbeer" mentioned Hermione.
This surprised people and we all spent a moment staring at the bookworm.
"What, I heard that it's good," she said.
It was odd to hear Granger show much of an interest in something physical that wasn't a book.
"So have you three been looking into what's going on in the third-floor corridor" I casually asked.
They looked surprised and then a bit guilty.
"Come on you can tell me," I said "I'll keep it to myself. I promise".
Well myself and Cortana.
"Dumbledore is hiding something in the room with the three-headed dog," Harry told me "Or maybe underneath because we saw a trapdoor".
As expected.
"Don't you open that trap door. You are a fool if you dare. Stay away from that trap door. 'Cos there's something down there!" I sang.
Hermione giggled as only little girls can while the boys looked confused.
"It's the theme song of a TV show about a trapdoor that leads to where lots of monsters live" I explained "It was rather popular at the orphanage".
The Dursleys must have not let Harry watch it.
"Anyway my point is you should stay away from it" I was now saying "In Greek legends, three-headed dogs guard the underworld so there must be other dangers down there, and I know that it has something to with Nicolaus Flamel since Hermione mentioned him on the train. So I'm guessing that it's his famous stone that's hidden away".
Hopefully, they would listen. Harry has a habit of getting himself into dangerous situations but he rarely does it on purpose, a lot of the time he just stumbles into them. He wanted to be normal, to get to hang out with his friends, and do well in class, and unlike his other friends, I was happy to encourage his desire to get good marks.
Hermione didn't help with that because even if she didn't actually do work for people she had the habit of smoothing down the path instead of helping someone navigate the rocky road. A slight difference that tended to discourage her friends from finding their own answers.
"I've told them that," Hermione said "We all know it's the philosopher's stone, but Dumbledore is guarding it and that's why Quirrell vanished. I think he went after the stone and that the Headmaster stopped him. Dumbledore drove him out of the castle".
Well, she was partly right. I'd stopped Quirrell and killed him. There was no Snape to suspect and with no one trying to kill Harry they had no reason to think Voldemort was around. I had no desire to put them on edge by suggesting otherwise.
"So there's no need to worry," I told the group "Dumbledore can keep the stone safe".
I was pleased with how these three listened to me. Going after the stone might toughen them up a bit, but so could a little duelling and there was never a justification for sending children into battle. Best to focus on training them and letting them get through schooling.
"Are you looking forward to the Quidditch game?" Harry asked me.
We had one last game to play before the end of the school year. If we won we'd get the cup for Ravenclaw and I'd be hailed as a hero of my House.
"I think so," I said.
Being a Seeker depended more on luck than anything else so it was hard to prepare. Still, I would do my best for the honour of my House and all of that other stuff I couldn't really be bothered to care about.
