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Harry Potter And The Game of Death

Level 1

Chapter Twenty-Three: Before the Cup

One week and several days later saw Harry and his two Guardians walking through the Scottish wilderness. Each was dressed in Muggle clothing, a Ministry of Magic mandated secrecy requirement for where they were ultimately headed. For today would be the grand opening ceremony for the World Cup and Harry had not wanted to miss it.

Being able to see the sport he loved so much, played at the highest level, no less, was like a dream come true for him. While being able to foil a Dark plot would not only serve as a challenge for Harry's new and improved abilities, but could possibly save the lives of many who might otherwise be killed or injured if he were to turn a blind eye to the situation.

Yet while Harry felt buoyed by a sense of optimism at what was to come, not everyone in the group agreed with his point of view.

"I still think that this is a bad idea," Sirius grumbled. The dark-haired man flicked a patch of dirt from the sleeve of his stylish Muggle outfit, purchased from a high-end tailor in London the day prior. "We could've just stayed at the Cottage and read the papers, y'know? Reporters get paid good money to give accurate descriptions of the games, and wizarding photographs are great at capturing the excitement of the moment. Heck, I could just pay someone to record it with a pair of Omnioculars if you wanted to feel like you were there."

"Oh come on, Sirius, stop whining already," Harry said in exasperation. His red and white trainers squeaked a little as he ground them into the rocky dirt with more force than was strictly necessary. "You were the one who suggested that we come in the first place. You were even the one to buy the tickets. With your own money!"

"Yeah, but that was before that… that thing… forced on you by some higher being or whatever warned you about an imminent attack on the place!" Sirius folded his arms over his chest in petulant anger. "Mark my words, kiddo. Going there, with that quest of yours hanging over our heads, won't end well for anyone. I've been exposed to enough terrible things during my life to know when something smells wrong, and this whole situation reeks of being part of some Dark plot."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I know, Sirius. That was pretty evident in the text given to me by the Game given that it asked me to prevent an attack."

"If you know that, then why are we even here? Why can't we just keep you back at the Cottage and try to work with the people we know we can trust, like Dora and Mad Eye, to solve this mystery plot of yours?"

"Because it would be wrong if we didn't come. And neither Dora nor this, erm, Mad Eye person everyone keeps mentioning has access to either the Game of Death or its information."

Harry meant what he said. He was no hero, but he firmly believed in doing the right thing. So when the Game of Death had sent Harry the quest notification regarding an attack on the Quidditch World Cup, it had never been a question of if he should accept the quest and take action, but of what action Harry should take after he accepted the quest.

But even though he was chomping at the bit to get started, Harry had enough self-awareness to realize that he could not do things on his own. And without Hermione, who was still in France, or Ron, who had retired from such escapades, Harry was down his usual companions.

To solve that, and to continue the outreach Harry had started when he had invited Ginny to help destroy the Horcrux at Hogwarts, he had broached the subject with Sirius and Remus first thing in the morning. Both men were skilled wizards, they knew about all of Harry's special circumstances, they could be trusted, and each had fought against Voldemort and his ilk since long before Harry was ever born. All of which meant that they were perfectly suited to foiling this latest Dark plot that had reared its head in Harry's life.

Harry had expected it to be relatively easy to get them to follow his lead. But life rarely went the way Harry expected it would.

Neither Remus nor Sirius had been happy when Harry had initially approached them and told both men about the Game of Death's quest. Both had been angered that Harry had made the choice to accept the quest before he had spoken with them; with Harry's argument that both men had been asleep, and thus unable to be contacted, had been deemed unacceptable given that he could have awakened either of them with little effort. As a result, Harry was now under explicit instructions to contact one of them, no matter what, if something similar were to happen again.

Still, that had only been the beginning of things. And while Remus had eventually calmed down, accepted the situation, and begun to focus on solving the looming issue as stated by the Game's quest, Sirius had only grown angrier as time had passed.

In his anger, Sirius had tried to stop the group from going to the World Quidditch Cup at all. He had cited the Game's notification as being a forewarning of unacceptable danger towards Harry's wellbeing. One which, as Harry's Guardian, Sirius could not in in good conscience allow Harry to face.

That had been the first penalty Sirius had committed.

The second had come after Harry had pressed back, saying that he was used to dealing with far worse levels of danger with even less information to go on. Sirius' response to this had been to flatly state that he did not care. And that Harry's many dangerous adventures had been the result of Harry lacking any sort of responsible parental figure in the past.

Or, to use Sirius' own words, 'Harry could not solve every crisis which popped up around him, and that trying to do was certain to someday get Harry, or those whom he cared for, killed.

All of which had shortly led to the first real argument that Harry had ever had with his godfather. Or anyone other than Hermione, really.

Were it not for Remus stepping in and firmly shoving both Harry and Sirius away from one another at that point, Harry might have taken a swing at his godfather. He loved the man fiercely, but Sirius' words had hurt.

It was not Harry's fault that things kept going wrong around him. Nor was it wrong for him to try and stop those who kept trying to hurt him. That had been true before the Game of Death had come into his life and had not changed since its arrival.

Sure, the professor's at Hogwarts could have been more helpful in stopping some of the events that had happened in the past. Such as when Quirrell went after the Philosopher's Stone early on, or when Sirius and Wormtail had been playing hunter and prey last year. Heck, during Harry's second year one of the professors should have been able to figure out that the thing which was going around and attacking students was a Basilisk; a second year student like Hermione should not have been the first person to put all of the pieces together.

But even with that being the case, there were also times where Harry had been the only person who could have stopped things from escalating. Like when Ginny had been kidnapped by Riddle's Shade and brought into the Chamber of Secrets; as the only Parselmouth in the entire school – possibly within all of Magical Britain – Harry had been the sole person with the ability to enter the Chamber of Secrets and put a stop to Riddle's plan. Or when the possessed Quirrell had tried to grab the Sorcerer's Stone, he had only been foiled thanks to the unique spell of protection laid upon Harry by his mother's sacrifice.

To say that Harry had been infuriated at having his efforts dismissed so casually by someone he cared for would be a massive understatement. Sirius, however, had held firm in the face of Harry's anger and had not budged so much as an inch.

At loggerheads, and with no way to break it in sight, Sirius and Remus had eventually written to the Headmaster for advice. And while Harry might have applauded such an action on any other occasion – he had done much the same many times during the various crises at Hogwarts – this time it had annoyed him beyond measure. Because every hour they delayed was an hour which could have been spent preparing or searching for clues.

It took two days for Headmaster Dumbledore to send back a terse reply. Though when Remus had read it aloud to the room, Harry had pumped his arm in vindication while Sirius' shoulders had slumped in disappointment.

Alastor and others have been warned, but recent changes at the Ministry have prevented any increase in security. Do not expect much assistance through official channels.

Shadows have begun to stir, both at home and abroad, and I have been detained by business at the I.C.W. Proceed under young Harry's guidance, but do so with great caution.

Albus

The message had been short and to the point. But Dumbledore's explicit support had completely quashed Sirius' position. Harry had seized the moment and, with only a tiny bit of additional persuasion, had managed to press the two men into helping him come up with a plan.

Together the three of them had cobbled together a working draft. The first step of which involved going to the Cup so they could do recon and begin to lay the groundwork for everything else. Which is why the three men were currently all dressed in Muggle outfits and traipsing through the highlands of Scotland, where a Ministry designated Portkey for travel to the World Cup had been hidden.

Harry had grumbled at the notion that he would have to do yet another strange type of wizarding travel – his experience with all but flying had been abysmal thus far – but that was just how it had to be this time around. Remus had explained that as part of the Cup's security procedures, no witch or wizard was allowed to use any other type of travel method to reach the tourney grounds. Apparition was blocked, Floo ports disconnected, and even broom flight forbidden.

And while Harry normally enjoyed going on a hike, the journey had also given Sirius plenty of time to air out his remaining grievances.

"Well, I don't care if it's wrong!" Sirius half-shouted as they made their way past a copse of short, scrubby trees. "You're only thirteen years old, Harry. And while I know that you're good with a wand for your age, you're still nowhere near ready to face a Death Eater, or some other skilled Dark magic user."

"If that's how you feel, Sirius, then just stay back and hide in the Cottage," Harry snapped back angrily. His godfather's constant whining had finally whittled away the last of his patience. "I'm doing this with or without you. End of story."

Remus tried to press a gentle hand to Harry's back to calm him, but Harry shook it off. Instead he came to a stop and stared at Sirius, daring the older man to continue the argument.

The man's eyes flashed. He pursed his lips together until they turned white, and it looked as if he were going to take up Harry's challenge.

But after saying nothing for several seconds, the red began to leave his face.

Sirius' body seemed to deflate as his shoulders slumped down. After which, the man stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Harry's right arm.

"It's not that I'm scared of the danger, Harry. By Morgana, when I was your age, I probably did things twice as dangerous, with only a smidgeon of your common sense to guide my actions. It's just, I'm scared of what completing this quest of yours might cost. Because my goal isn't to save the world. Or even Magical Britain. My goal, the greatest one in my entire life, is to keep you safe, Harry. And I would do almost anything to make sure that happens."

Sirius exhaled slowly before looking Harry straight in the eyes. "Though I don't want innocent people to be hurt, and I am proud that you want to help protect them, I'm just afraid that following the poking and prodding of this… this Game of Death… which has latched onto you will someday lead you to your doom."

Harry sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Sirius' words had caught him off-guard. Because while Harry knew how to handle being cursed or underestimated, having someone other than Hermione and the Weasley's care for him, and look out for him, was still brand new.

He would be lying if he told his godfather that he had no doubts about the Game of Death. That he trusted it implicitly and felt that it had his best interests at heart.

But where Harry differed from Sirius was on how useful the Game of Death could be for him. It had proven itself to be a reliable provider of information and had already increased his strength far faster than Harry had ever thought possible. Both of which were wonderful things that seemed to have no downside.

Furthermore, Harry felt that the Game of Death had the potential to become his ace in the hole. Something which would enable him to defeat the many enemies which constantly threatened him. And since it was seemingly helping him to save the lives of others on top of everything else, as shown by this quest and others, Harry was certain that he would have few regrets even if the Game really did bring him harm sometime in the future.

To that end, Harry met Sirius worried gaze with a determined gaze of his own. He reached up to grasp his godfather's large hand with his own smaller one and gave the man a small smile.

"I understand, Sirius. I do. I don't want you, or Remus, or Hermione, or anyone else I know and care for to be hurt either. But this is my life, and I can't just hide from danger whenever it comes around. Not if I can do something to stop it."

"Harry, c'mon, that's not…"

"I'm not asking you to stand by and do nothing while I go on alone, Sirius. Nor you either, Remus. I'm just asking that the two of you trust in me, and that you help me do what needs to be done. Okay?"

After a moment of silence during which Sirius looked as though he had bitten into a piece of sour fruit, Harry's godfather sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the man wore a resigned expression on his face.

"Alright, kiddo. You've won this round," Sirius said softly. "I'll stop complaining and help you with everything that I've got. But please understand that, during this… quest… of yours, I want you to prioritize your own safety. And that you should contact Remus or myself the moment you feel like something, anything, is out of place. Okay?"

Harry felt his face burst into a giant smile at Sirius' words. "You've got it!"

For a moment Harry and Sirius stood smiling at each other, relieved to have buried the hatchet between them. Then Remus came in and cuffed them both on the head, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Now that you've both stopped behaving like a pair of giants with bugs up their arses," Remus huffed, "we can finally get going. Sirius, you take point with me just in case we run into anything on the way. Harry, get that 'Party' thing of yours going just in case something happens."

Sirius and Harry obeyed Remus' commands. And after both men had accepted Harry's invitations to his 'Party', the group resumed their walk to the portkey site in relatively good cheer.

While the two men bantered back forth about various matters, Harry used the relative silence and security of his surroundings to take a final stock of his current abilities.

"Menu," he whispered softly.

Ding!

MENU

GAMER STATS PAGE

ACTIVE PARTY MEMBERS

KNOWLEDGE COMPENDIUM

INVENTORY

OBSERVE

HELP

After looking at the familiar screen, from which all his various abilities in the Game of Death could be accessed and displayed, Harry decided to start with his stats page.

Harry Potter

A young boy with the seeds of greatness within him, Harry has overcome the many challenges life has flung his way. He is determined, noble, and one of the best people anyone could have the pleasure of knowing. He can sometimes be prone to bouts of anger and frustration, but is always ready to laugh or cry with those he cares about. Harry does not know what he wants in life, but knows that it can only come after he is freed from the shadow of Voldemort. (See Character Page for Further Information)

Age: 13

The-Boy-Who-Lived

Heir Apparent to the Potter Family

Basilisk Slayer

Heroic Child

Golden Boy

Level 49

Stats:

STR: 59

DEX: 74

CON: 57

INT: 138

WIS: 116

CHA: 369

Traits:

Loyal

Duellist

Survivor

Humble

Elf-Friend

Boy-Who-Lived

Half-Blood

School Quidditch Star

Possessor of a Deathly Hallow

Clutch Performer

Foe of the Dark

Battle Hardened

Dark Arts Magnet

A Mother's Protection

Weak Familiar Bond (Hedwig)

Peverell Bloodline

Walking Target

Oblivious One

Parseltongue

Headstrong

True Friend

Negotiator

Dedicated

Horcrux

Gamer

Despite the past few weeks of training, Harry had not gained any new traits or titles. Which only made sense when considering that most kids his age had two or fewer. But the good news for him was that the training with Dora and his two Guardians had paid off in other ways.

Thanks to the constant pressure the training placed on him, Harry had managed to gain four levels, which was almost half as many most Hogwarts students gained in one entire year. If he kept this rate of improvement up, then Harry would soon be at a higher level than a Seventh Year Hogwarts student. And once his traits and titles were factored in, the only other students who would be even close to being comparable would be Cedric, Hermione, and the twins.

Unless, of course, one of the few students Harry had yet to scan with 'Observe' were hidden powerhouses, but the likelihood of that being true was so low as to be nearly impossible.

After a giving a short laugh at the absurdity of that happening, Harry closed out his status screen. The he brought up a screen for the 'Knowledge Compendium' and navigated through its options until he reached the 'Magic Mastery Index' subsection.

Magic Mastery Index

A Constantly Updated Index Containing the Current Mastery Level of Individual Spells and Schools of Magic Known to Harry Potter

Astronomy: 6%

Care of Magical Creatures: 9%

Charms: 15%

Dark Arts: 3%

Defence Against the Dark Arts: 17%

Divination: 0%

Herbology: 9%

Mental Arts: 6%

Potions: 9%

Transfiguration: 12%

Harry grinned at the sight. Seeing all his hard work spent mastering spells, be it at Hogwarts or under Remus and Sirius' tutelage, put into exact measurements was wonderful. And if the hastily crossed out and rewritten words in her reply letter on the 'Knowledge Compendium' had been any indication, Hermione had apparently flipped her lid over it. It was also a Gamer only ability from what Harry could tell, so even those in his 'Party' would not be able to use it. Which, in hindsight, was probably the reason why Hermione had pretty much fumed and ranted in her reply.

Each 'school' of magic listed in the 'Knowledge Compendium' was one which Harry had encountered and learned. Or in the case of Divination, a subject he had studied and failed to learn. While those schools Harry had only heard about, like Arithmancy or Ancient Runes, were not even listed.

According to the Game, if Harry were to raise his proficiency level in a school to 25% he would then become an Adept in the subject and receive a corresponding trait. Harry had seen the trait on both Sirius and Remus and knew that it was pretty nice. But reaching that point in any school of magic was going to require a lot of work and effort on his part, even with the Game of Death literally showing Harry's progress along the way.

Curious as to what the trait might look like at higher levels, Harry asked the 'Help' feature what came after the Adept level. It told him that if he were to raise his proficiency to 75% in a school of magic, he would then become a Master of that particular school.

As for what might happen if Harry were to achieve 100%, or what bonuses he might receive upon gaining Mastery of a school, the Game was silent. Harry figured that it was because he had yet to either earn the traits for himself or see the stats page of someone who had earned the distinction.

After a brief time spent looking at the overall schools, Harry selected the D.A.D.A. school for a closer look. He used the 'Knowledge Compendium' feature's in-depth assistance to look at some of the spells he had learned and what level of Mastery they were at as well.

Expelliarmus

Mastery Level: 82/100

Protego

Mastery Level: 43/100

Stupefy

Mastery Level: 48/100

Riddiculus

Mastery Level: 67/100

The list covered every D.A.D.A. spell Harry had learned over the past three years of schooling; plus the ones he had been learning over the course of his summer training; plus what he had learned on the side on his own time.

Battling, or engaging in training with other people, appeared to be the best way to raise the level of a spell; the spells Harry used in his training duels against Dora and the others always went up quickly. But old-fashioned practice had its place, and casting spells on his own time did raise their level, albeit slowly.

Remus halted and held up his wand. "It looks like we have unwelcome company up ahead."

Startled by Remus' words, Harry's attention returned to his surroundings.

Sirius motioned for Harry to stop what he was doing as he slowly made his way forward. Harry closed out the various Game screens he had been looking at and moved closer to them, keeping a wary eye out on his surroundings.

As they left the shade of a group of trees and emerged into a clearing, an unwelcome voice quickly made its way to Harry's ears.

"Well, well, well, Father. Look who showed up," Draco Malfoy sneered loudly. "A mangy Werewolf, an escaped criminal, and the favoured fool of the idiotic masses. What a rotten way to begin such an auspicious day."

AN: In hindsight this is not one of my better chapters. But it does what it was meant to do, which is to serve as an info dump that also advances the plot, so I'll be leaving it here for good. I'll just be sure to avoid repeating it when I begin writing Level 2.

Some people have asked me in the past as to how long this story will be. The best answer I can give at this time is that I currently have enough to material to create 6 'Level's, or perhaps 5 if I cut certain parts out. Which I would rather not do, but I'm allowing the journey to decide how soon (or slow) we reach the destination. And goodness knows that surprises, both pleasant and irksome, have a way of popping up while writing.

Each 'Level' will be its own story. So once this fic finishes at the climax of 'Level 1' I will mark it as being complete and post the next levels, starting with Level 2, as sequel stories. Though whether they will be longer, shorter, or comparable in length to Level 1, I do not know. That part I will be playing by ear.

Last and perhaps least of all, I also plan to post a separate outrigger fic after the completion of every level. These fics will contain scenes that are canon to the Game of Death but, for one reason or other, failed to make it into the story proper. None of them should contain vital information and the vast majority will cover viewpoints other than Harry's. So, while you can skip them, reading the outrigger stories will give you more insight into the subtleties of what is going on in the various plots and subplots I have going on in the main story.

Until Next Time,

Elsil