Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its related works. The rights to the books, movies, and everything else belong to J.K. Rowling and her many business affiliates. This is a fan made work of fiction that will never earn me a single penny. Now buy something official so you can support the woman who made this world possible for us to play in and explore.

Harry Potter And The Game of Death

Level 1

Chapter Two: The Game of Death

Harry stared at those four green lines. He had no idea what they meant. But what he did know is that something strange – even for the magical world – was going on.

With time brought to a standstill, he had plenty of time to think about his current situation too. It was definitely not caused by the Dementors. Professor Lupin had gone into exacting detail with Harry over the various powers and abilities possessed by the Dark creatures, none of which could accomplish something like this. And after pondering the issue for what could have been an eternity or just five minutes, Harry came up with three ideas which might explain his current circumstance.

The first scenario involved him being trapped in a magical illusion, the sort which existed in old Muggle fairytales. The ones where a hero or a villager would wander into a dark forest, anger a witch or a warlock, and then get trapped within an illusion for the rest of their natural life. After all, there was a mote of truth to those old stories. The wars between wizards and goblins had detailed the existence of such spells, and even Harry's poor attention span in that class had picked up on it.

The second scenario was that he had died, and that the afterlife was a far stranger place than Harry had ever imagined. And while he had no real clue as to what the afterlife might really be like – he had been raised Christian, but magical society was decidedly Atheist on the subject insofar as Harry could tell – being stuck in place and unable to move was as likely to be the afterlife as anything else he had heard on the subject.

The third idea, based on the words themselves, was the most confusing one of all. That something, or someone, was calling Harry 'Master'. And it, or they, were inviting him to play a 'Game of Death'.

But what would that even mean? What was its purpose? Why had it been sent to him? And how the hell had it appeared in front of him moments before his soul was ripped out by a horde of circling Dementors?

All these questions and more repeated themselves in an endless loop through Harry's mind as he tried in vain to come up with an answer. Outrageous suppositions like it being God himself, or maybe the great wizard Merlin, popped up in his brain. Only to be summarily dismissed nearly as soon as they had come. Amongst other issues with those thoughts, Harry doubted that he was important enough to be contacted by an almighty being like God. While according to what Harry knew of magical history Merlin had been dead for centuries, perishing along with his arch-foe Morgana after a magical duel of legendary proportions.

Regardless, Harry eventually reached the point where he could think no more. Pondering this matter on his own was likely to be fruitless, and he was more a person of action than one of thought, like Hermione.

Feeling that he had nothing to lose, Harry stared at the part which asked for him to make a choice and intently thought the word 'yes'.

There was an immediate effect. The original words faded away and were soon replaced by a completely different set of green text.

Ding!

You Have Selected 'Yes'

Your Tutorial Session Will Begin Shortly

After it Begins, Clearly State the Word 'Help' to activate the Game's 'Help' Feature if you Find Yourself Confused

The 'Help' Feature Exists to Aid the Master (Hereafter Referred to as the Gamer) in Exploring the Many Features and Uses of the Game

After floating in the air for a few seconds, the second batch of text faded away. In their place a soft, golden glow began to grow and saturate the area. When it was nearly bright enough to be midday, whatever force had been binding Harry released its hold on him.

The first action Harry did was to blink his eyes. An action which felt so good to do that he almost laughed. Then he looked around and took stock of his surroundings.

He was still in the Forbidden forest. The trees and vegetation confirmed it beyond a shadow of any doubt. And when he saw that the falling leaves in the air were still, their flight halted, Harry knew that that his acceptance of the text's request had done more than just light up the night. The time stopping power was still in effect, and it was Harry alone that could move within this strange and frozen world. The Dementors, their frozen forms now appearing as floating blobs of human shaped darkness instead of their usual, wraithlike forms, were just as motionless as the floating leaves. Which meant that for the time being, they were unable to harm either Harry or those whom he desired to protect.

After confirming this observation by quietly observing his surroundings for several heartbeats, Harry moved to where Hermione and Sirius lay. He checked on them and felt his heart clench at what he found.

Hermione's gentle face was tight and drawn, unconsciousness seeming to be no barrier to the nightmarish effects of the Dementors. Seeing her face like that caused a surge of anger to run through Harry's chest. A surge that was only amplified when he looked at Sirius' bleeding body; his godfather's canine form, so big, was littered with cuts and slashes from his fight against Professor Lupin's werewolf form. Sirius' time at Azkaban and on the run from the Ministry after his escape had not been kind either, and his large body was far too gaunt to have any hope of surviving the damage that had been inflicted upon it.

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Think Harry. Think! What can you do to save them?"

Ding!

Your Tutorial Session has now Engaged

The Gamer's Movement should be Enabled

Analyzing the Situation and Preparing Scenario Specific Information

"Buggering shite!" Harry cursed. He jumped straight into the air at the sharp ding which rang through his head and looked at the newest batch of text in surprise. The blasted green words had come out of nowhere yet again, along with a sound loud enough to wake the dead.

Had Harry just not noticed the noise when the text had appeared previously? Or had the sound started with this most recent message? It might be a moot point in the grand scheme of things, but with his ears ringing from the painful sound it was certainly a point of interest to him.

Ding!

Scenario Specific Information Prepared and Loaded

Gamer, Grasp your Wand and Look Around your Location

Point your Wand at a Target and Say 'Observe' to Learn Hidden Information

Swearing under his breath at the second ridiculously loud ding and questioning whether he had really made the right decision by selecting 'yes,' Harry did as the text had instructed. Looking around, he saw a Dementor rather close to his position. He pointed his wand at the creature and prepared to say the spell.

Then a thought occurred to Harry. One which caused him to pause and turn around to face the floating text.

"Um, I think that you made a mistake," Harry said slowly. "All spells are in Latin, right?"

The text gave no response.

"Come on, answer me back! I'm trying to tell you that you made a mistake. Observe can't be a spell, right? It's just a normal word."

The text still gave no response.

Harry gritted his teeth in frustration. This stupid… game… thing had just told him to do something which was clearly impossible, and now it was not even listening to him! Did the thing want him to be confused on purpose? If it wanted him to follow instructions, why not give him a way to contact it for clarification? Even Snape allowed students to ask him questions, even if he belittled them afterwards.

After fuming at the text for a minute, Harry remembered something it had said earlier. And immediately wanted to kick himself for forgetting. "Help."

Ding!

Help Feature is now Active

What is your Question?

All Questions Directed to the 'Help' Feature Must Be Spoken Aloud Once the Feature has Been Engaged

This Will Hold True Even Once the Tutorial Ends and Can Only be Changed Once the Gamer has Mastered Silent Spell Casting

This time, Harry managed to somewhat control himself at the ear shattering noise which signaled the new lines of text. He only clapped his hands onto his ears instead of jumping a foot into the air.

After several seconds spent recovering from the noise and reading the text, Harry spoke again. "All spells have to be in Latin to work, right?"

Ding!

That is Not True

Spells can be Spoken in Any Language Considered to be Magical

Well Known Examples Include Latin, Ancient Greek, and Sanskrit

Spells May Also Be Activated or Constructed by Use of a Written Language

Such as by Using Nordic Runes, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, or the Olmec System

Harry blinked at the writing. The fact that all spells had to be spoken in a 'magical language' was new to him. He had just assumed that all spells had to be in Latin and had never thought otherwise. The subject had never come up in any of his classes at school, and not even Hermione had mentioned it. Although it could explain why the brainy girl was so interested in her Ancient Runes course.

But that was something to ponder later. Harry shelved it and asked the next question which popped into his head. "Is English considered a Magical Language?"

Ding!

English Does Not Meet the Requirements to Be a Magical Language

It is Not Inherently Magical

Nor Have the Necessary Rituals to Artificially Change this Status Been Completed

"If that's true, then how can 'Observe' be a spell? I'm pretty sure that observe is an English word and not from one of those other languages you mentioned."

Ding!

'Observe' is Not a Spell

It is a Feature of the Gaming Ability that Only the Gamer can Use

When the Gamer Uses this Feature, They Will be Able to See the Various Stats, Traits, Titles, Skills, and Active Effects Present on Any Item or Any Creature Within 100 Levels of Your Own

This Restriction has Been Temporarily Lifted for the Duration of the Tutorial

Harry could feel his head begin to ache as he stared at the text. He hadn't the foggiest as to what the thing was even talking about! All that stuff about levels, traits, skills, and whatnot was as clear as mud to him. So he tried to focus on what sounded like the most important part of the feature's response. "Then, if it's a feature of the, uh, gaming ability, why do I need my wand to use it? I don't have to do that when saying 'Help.' And what is a Feature anyway?"

Ding!

All Gaming Ability Features Require Magic in Order to be Used

Use of a Wand is Required While the Gamer can Only Cast Spells by Using His Wand

Use of 'Help,' 'Menu,' and 'Inventory' are the Only Exceptions as they are Primarily Internal Functions While the Others are Primarily External Functions

Well that was handy to know. Harry was not quite sure what 'Menu' or 'Inventory' might mean, other than sounding like something from a restaurant, but he guessed that he could probably figure them out later when he was not in such a hurry. Of more pressing concern was something he had not thought about since before he had started his magical education at Hogwarts.

A tremor of anticipation flowed through his chest as he stated his next questions. "Does that mean I can learn to cast spells without my wand? Isn't that impossible?"

Ding!

It is Possible for the Gamer and Others to Perform Wandless Magic

Wandless Magic is a Branch of Magic that is Difficult and Time Intensive to Learn

Even Then Magic Cast with a Wand or Other Focus Will be More Powerful 90% of the Time

In Order to Learn Wandless Magic One Must Fulfill Three Basic Requirements

1) Mastery of Nonverbal Spell Casting

2) Mastery of Either the Spell in Question or the School of Magic to Which the Spell Belongs

3) Advanced Occlumency

Harry found this latest answer to be both very useful and incredibly unhelpful. Because while it meant that it was possible for him to learn wandless magic… none of the requirements to perform it currently applied to him. Nonverbal spells were not taught in Hogwarts until the upper years; Harry was far from being a master of any type of magic; and he had no idea what 'advanced occlumency' even was or how he could possibly begin to learn it. For all he knew it could be a type of magic not even taught at Hogwarts!

But rather than engaging in a game of twenty-one questions with the strange text about how he could go about learning wandless magic, Harry focused on the more relevant information it had provided: basically, that 'Observe' was not a spell. But like a spell, it required his magic in order to work.

To test whether the floating green text was correct, Harry pointed his wand at one of the inky blobs he assumed was a Dementor. "'Observe'."

The moment he said the word, a tiny wisp of magic left his body. It felt like casting any of the basic spells Harry had learned to cast in his first year, like Lumos or Alohamora. Which was a very good thing, as it meant that he would probably be able to cast it without stop all day long and never grow tired.

Saying the word also caused a new box of text to pop up in front of his face.

Ding!

You Have Identified an Object for the First Time

Displaying the Results of Your Casting in 15 Seconds

In the Future, the Name, Level, and Trait of Any Creature or Person Will Automatically Appear the Moment a Successful 'Observe' is Cast

If an 'Observe' is Unsuccessful Due to Level Difference or Other Effects, the Gamer will Instead See an Error Notification

Well, that made sense, though Harry did shrug his shoulders at the final part of the explanation. But that was the extent to which he objected since it seemed that the less he questioned this strange power, the faster things went.

Ding!

Now Displaying Dementor Level, Stats, and Traits

Dementor

Level 999

Stats:

STR: 1

DEX: 1

CON: 1

INT: 1

WIS: 1

CHA: 5000

Traits:

Soul Sucker

Aura of Fear

Chosen of Death

High Spell Immunity

Complete Physical Immunity

Weakness to Positive Feelings

Harry found himself somewhat surprised. Because unlike the batches of text he had seen thus far, which glowed a venomous green and floated in the air, the new text looked different. It was black, neatly written, and placed within a semi-transparent box split into columns and rows much like were common in the Muggle world. Harry welcomed this change as it was easier on his eyes and felt more normal. Though it did take several minutes of questioning the 'Help' feature to understand what the various rows meant.

Each of the various fields that had appeared in the air – or categories as Harry was told by the 'Help' feature – referred to a specific physical or mental trait that a person or creature could possess. 'STR', 'DEX', and 'CON' referred to one's basic physical abilities; their strength, dexterity, and constitution to be exact. 'INT' and 'WIS' referred to the mental abilities of intelligence and wisdom, while the 'CHA' category referred to the spiritual category of charisma.

In turn, the numbers in each category's row represented a close numerical approximation of how powerful the creature or person was in that category. Higher numbers generally being more powerful, or better, than lower numbers. Though there could be exceptions.

Furthermore, creatures would only get five attribute points to place in a category whenever they gained a new level. Which meant that older people and creatures, who were generally more likely to have a higher level than younger ones, were more likely to have higher stats.

Harry learned all this from posing the 'Help' feature a series of questions. It even provided a helpful series of messages when he asked for more detail on the different attributes.

Strength:

Denotes a creature's physical strength. Affects only the physical attributes. Humans have a soft cap of 80, after which all gains give diminishing returns.

Dexterity:

Denotes how nimble a creature can be. Affects things like speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, and wand manipulation. Humans have a soft cap of 100, after which all gains give diminishing returns.

Constitution:

Denotes how much health and endurance a creature can possesses. Affects how much direct damage the person can take before being killed or rendered unconscious. Humans have a soft cap of 70, after which all gains give diminishing returns.

Intelligence:

Denotes the intelligence of a creature. Creatures with high intelligence find it easier to learn new abilities and/or magic spells. Humans have no cap on this attribute.

Wisdom:

Denotes how intuitive a person can be. Characters with high wisdom make better logical deductions and regain spent magic faster. Humans have no cap on this attribute.

Charisma:

Denotes how charismatic a character is. Characters with higher charisma have larger sources of magical power, can better resist outside forces, and possess an intuitive grasp over its usage. Humans have no cap on this attribute.

It seemed that the soft caps were what decided most of the exceptions to the 'higher stats are better than lower stats' rule, and that all humans apparently had a soft cap on every physical stat. Like how an adult with more experience might seem smarter than a child with equal or greater intelligence stats. Or why a Giant would always crush a human of equal strength.

Traits, meanwhile, were different. They granted special bonuses, such as extra stats or magical abilities, and ranged from something common like 'Green Thumb Gardener' to more uncommon things such as 'Natural Detective', or something more magical like a 'Metamorphmagus.'

The 'Help' feature also mentioned things like skills, spell mastery progress, personal reputation, and relationship tracking, but any acknowledgment beyond their existence was driven from Harry's head. Because after the explanation on stats and traits gave Harry an understanding of what they meant, he had looked back at the Dementor's stats page and was filled by sheer terror.

The creature had over five thousand points in one attribute! One attribute! And to make things worse, it also possessed some nasty sounding traits.

After asking the 'Help' feature how he could learn what the traits meant, Harry was informed that tapping on them with his fingers would bring up a short description while a second tap would hide it. The feature also told him it was possible to automatically hide all notifications except for urgent or mandatory ones.

Harry immediately turned on this automatic ability and before tapping on each of the Dementor's traits in turn.

Aura of Fear

A Dementor has the ability to cause any living creature within a radius of fifty meters to feel fear. The degree to which a creature is affected generally depends on proximity to the Dementor. Sentient creatures can be further affected if they have suffered traumatic events. Sentient creatures that have performed Dark Magical rituals can lessen the Aura's effects or even gain total immunity to it. Those with higher levels of Charisma have been shown to be more resistant to its effects.

Weakness to Positive Feelings

A Dementor is naturally weak to one thing and one thing alone: Positive Feelings. They tend to avoid areas and locations populated by groups of positive feelings. The Patronus Charm, which is the crystallized essence of happiness, takes advantage of this weakness. The spell radiates an amplified field of happiness that cannot be overcome by a Dementor's Aura of Fear or Spell Resistance, as a corporeal Patronus is neither a living creature nor a spell cast directly upon the Dementor.

Learning about how the Dementor's abilities functioned was somewhat interesting, but it was not very useful to Harry since he was still unable to cast a corporeal Patronus. That was something which would have to change. Because after reading the 'High Spell Immunity' trait, which basically stated that Dementors were nearly immune to all outside spells, it was obvious that the Patronus was the only tool in his arsenal which could possibly defeat the creatures.

After a moment's thought on how to phrase his question to the 'Help' feature, Harry came up with the wording he wanted. "How can I learn to cast the Patronus charm in time to save my friends?"

Ding!

Main Tutorial Quest:

Cast a Corporeal Patronus

Learn How to Cast a Corporeal Patronus Before the End of the Tutorial

Reward: End of Tutorial and Continued Living

Penalty for Failure: Death of Friends and Self

Do you Accept?

Yes or No

Harry promptly selected 'no.'

"As if I would accept that quest!" Harry yelled at the green text. "Do you really think that I'd ever accept something that might cause Hermione or Sirius to get killed? I would never do that to someone I care about!"

Ding!

The 'Help' Feature Has Been Forcibly Activated

All Quests in the Tutorial are Mandatory and Must be Accepted

Time Will Freeze If a Quest is Rejected

Ding!

A Tutorial Quest has been Rejected

Seconds until Time Freeze: 30… 29… 28...

The rapid-fire dings and texts flashed into being nearly simultaneously. Their intent was rather clear, too. Which is to say that the Game of Death was not giving Harry a choice in the matter.

Harry watched the seconds tick down. While freezing time would not necessarily lead to anything bad, it was not as though it would to something good either. The Dementors were still present and Hermione and Sirius would continue to be in danger. And unless he actually did something to change things, the current situation might continue without end for an eternity.

It was with a furrowed brow and pursed lips that Harry relented to the Game's pressure and selected the 'yes' option.

Ding!

Quest Accepted

Step One:

State 'Spells' and Select Patronus from the Resulting List

Step Two:

Cast the Spell

"I really hope this works," he mumbled. His heart unwilling, Harry followed the Game's advice.

When he did, a list containing seemingly every spell he had ever practiced, read about, or even heard in passing, appeared before his eyes, along with a numerical valuation of his current 'mastery' over the spell. Most of the ones he had practiced in class or with Hermione seemed to be fairly far along, while the ones Harry had only heard about in passing had a numerical value of zero out of 100.

But, for some reason, the Patronus Charm itself was much higher than any other on the list

"If I nearly have it mastered, then why can't I use it?" Harry muttered to himself. "Do I have to fully master the Charm before I can cast a corporeal Patronus? Is that it?"

Puzzled, Harry followed the second bit of advice the 'Help' feature had given him and selected the Patronus spell just as he had done with the Dementor's traits.

Patronus Charm

Mastery Level: 99/100

A powerful and advanced Charm that is used to drive away Dementors or communicate with one's allies. This spell is the crystallized essence of a wizard or witch's happiest memory.

Harry Potter has nearly mastered this spell in its entirety. The only thing keeping him from being able to cast one of the most powerful corporeal Patronuses humanly possible is a lack of confidence in his own abilities.

Harry felt like hitting his head against a concrete wall as he read the last line of text. "I should have listened to Hermione," he said as he stared at the black writing. "She told me that I could do it. But did I believe in myself? Or trust in her judgment? No. And I almost got her, and Sirius, killed because of it."

Firming his resolve to trust in his friend and the Game's words, Harry took a deep breath. He could cast a perfect corporeal Patronus. And when he did the tutorial would end, his friends would be saved, and life would continue.

But just as he was about to say the words to the spell, Harry stopped himself. Wait! The tutorial would end when he cast the spell. Did that mean the 'Help' feature would end as well? Would the Game of Death itself go away if the tutorial ended? Also, what even was a tutorial in the first place?

Harry did not know the answers to any of these questions, but he knew how to find them.

Ding!

'Help' is a Feature of the Game of Death and Will Remain Present as Part of the Game Upon Completion of the Tutorial

However, it Will be Limited to Explanations Regarding the Other Features of the Game and their Contents Upon Completion of the Tutorial

It Will be Unable to Provide Information Not Already Known to the Gamer Unless the Requested Information Pertains to the Game of Death

Ding!

'Observe' is a Feature and Will Remain Present as Part of the Game Upon Completion of the Tutorial

All Previously Mentioned Limitations Will Be Applied Upon Completion of the Tutorial

Ding!

Stats are a Feature of the Game and Will Remain in their Current Form Upon Completion of the Tutorial

Ding!

A Tutorial Refers to the Segment of a Game During Which a Gamer Learns how to Interact and Understand the Game and its User Interface

They Generally Take Place in a Non-Deadly Area Such as the Environment Provided to You

Alright! All of that had been simple enough to understand. The only things which would change with the tutorial's completion were things Harry either wanted to happen or he could happily live without.

As he raised his wand once again, Harry thanked his lucky stars for whatever twist of fate had brought the Game of Death into his life. For with its help, he would be able to save himself and two of the people he most cared for in the world.

Once the text boxes were hidden and his vision clear of green and black text boxes, Harry took a deep breath into his lungs. He let it out, then took another.

He could cast the spell.

No. He would cast it.

And with that point firmly held in his mind, Harry pointed his wand at the closest Dementor.

A/N: As anyone who has ever played D&D or a stats-based video game knows, 5000 attribute points in an attribute category – in any attribute category – is beyond terrifying. But the reason why I did it is to give the reader a glimpse as to the eventual heights Harry will need to reach, and to create a plausible reason why Dementors were so absurdly powerful yet easy to defeat (think of them as being a glass cannon type of character class). I've done the stats for some of the more powerful characters too, like Dumbledore and Voldemort, and trust me when I say that either one could slaughter Harry's current form just by flexing their pinky.

And keep in mind that those heights are very far down the road when it comes to Harry. He will grow and mature (greatly) as the story progresses, but it will not happen overnight. In this story, Harry's emotional and mental growth will be starting from near zero. He's a kid right now, with many of the flaws and foibles common to kids his age. And I show this often throughout Level 1.

Also, and this is very important to remember, in this story Harry is almost completely inexperienced when it comes to games and their mechanics. He is a noob who does not even know what it means to be a noob, which means that he will be making mistakes as he learns by trial and error. Seasoned gamers might wince at some of the mistakes my version of Harry will commit, but hey! That's where we all were at one time or another. Even if many older gamers refuse to admit it...

Until Next Time,

~Elsil