Please Read - Important Author's Note:
This story, I will say this now, veers into the 'mature' rating fairly early on in one of the sub-arcs due to the sexual assault of a minor. It is not described explicitly, meaning this story complies with 's guidelines, however it is still present. Please pay attention for any content warnings, given this story covers some dark and serious topics at times.
Additionally, this probably isn't the usual 'gamer' fic, meaning there's some slightly different worldbuilding which might require you to keep an open mind at times, or consider that I might be doing something a bit different to other fics of this vein which you've read. Don't like, don't read, and preferably don't be an arsehole on your way out.
Harriet Potter was only seven-years-old when her life took a drastic turn, and it came in the form of an odd, pale eggshell blue, holographic textbox plinking to life in front of her. Blinking, she rubbed at her eyes, wondering if it was some trick of the light. Yet that incriminating textbox was still hovering in the air in front of her when she opened her eyes again.
You have been sponsored!
Welcome to The Game!
She knew what games were, even though she had never played one herself before. Her cousin Dudley had gone on about them enough for her to be vividly aware of what they were and how many different types there were. Still, that didn't explain why a textbox had appeared in front of her, all pale blue aside from the box in the corner with a white cross – something she presumed would dismiss the window.
It was what Dudley had done on the occasions she had seen a box like that on one of his many screens. "Nothing but the best for my boy," Uncle Vernon had proclaimed upon unboxing the latest range of gadgetry and games. Everything was like that when it came to the matters of that household, and Harriet didn't have the first idea of why that was the case. Just like she didn't have the first clue about the translucent blue box hovering in the air in front of her.
"Up!" The familiar sharp rap came at her door to her cupboard, the sounds of a latch being undone as Aunt Petunia unlocked her bedroom door, ready for her to come out and face the daylight.
Neither her aunt nor her uncle liked it when she came out – it was why, for the most part, she liked to stay in her cupboard or out of the house entirely. There was a library only a short walk away, and nobody seemed to care all that much when she went there for a good few hours. It was better that than being shouted at for one reason or another.
She wanted them to like her, after all, like all those happy families were meant to do in those books she read. She didn't quite know why her aunt and uncle didn't like her, but she was determined to do something about it. After all, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were always blaming her for one reason or another, meaning she had to somehow be the problem.
"You're finally up," Aunt Petunia huffed, staring at her, dressed in her sleeping clothes as she was. "About time. Now you'd best go and mind the bacon – and don't you dare burn it this time."
"Yes, Aunt Petunia!" Harriet answered like the good little niece she tried to be. She had tried really hard the last time, yet her small clumsy hands had burnt the bacon and gotten her a right scolding. She ignored the silent question of why Dudley didn't have to cook bacon and other breakfasts. Blue eyes looked at her, as if asking why she was still standing there, and Harriet scurried off towards the kitchen where she stepped up on the little set of steps her aunt always put out for her to use when she was doing her chores. The same chores that Dudley didn't have to do.
It was only once she was standing on the little red steps in front of the hob that she realised her aunt had never once commented on the translucent blue box which hovered in the corner of her vision still.
"You have been sponsored," Harriet mumbled as the bacon sizzled and popped in the fry pan. "Welcome to The Game," she said, pondering on what that was supposed to mean, and as soon as she had trailed off, the blue box vanished – only to be replaced in an instant by another, far more interesting box.
[A NEW QUEST HAS ARRIVED!]
Harriet blinked, tilting her head at that, brow furrowing as a bigger blue translucent box took up the space of the tiled wall behind the hob.
[DAILY QUEST]
· Cook breakfast for your relatives
[REWARDS: +10 EXP, +50 EXP in 'Cooking' Skill]
"Huh?" she mumbled intelligently, snapping out of her startled daze only when her aunt came and snapped at her to turn over the bacon. Harriet scowled, swallowing nervously at the sight of the blackened edges of the fat. Her relatives didn't like burnt bacon, though Harriet supposed the more she burnt – the more burnt food she generally received in turn. Yet that also brought more scolding of how she was a useless girl who couldn't do anything right. Harriet didn't like being a useless girl who couldn't do anything right. "S-sorry, Aunt Petunia," she said hurriedly, cowering under that sharp, blue-eyed gaze.
"You'd best be," her aunt snapped, and Harriet felt her shoulders slump even as her Aunt bustled around her, preparing the eggs, the toast, and all the other breakfast foods the Dursleys received if they wanted.
Harriet ended up with two bits of the most charred bacon, an egg deemed 'too hard' for her uncle and cousin's taste, and a bit of toast with the slightest spreading of butter.
"Go to your cupboard and eat," her aunt said, a scowl on her face as she stared at the three plates left on the side, Harriet's small, plastic plate already shoved into her small hands. "I don't want to see your face for the rest of today if you can't even do the simplest of chores!"
"Uh," Harriet mumbled, but her aunt was already sweeping out of the room, presenting her uncle and cousin with their breakfast. "Okay," she said quietly, something thick and heavy clogging up the back of her throat as she slunk quietly back to her cupboard and shut the door behind her.
[QUEST COMPLETE!]
There was a soft ding noise which accompanied the new blue box which appeared in her vision, and Harriet looked up from her plate, mouth full of bacon as yet another blue textbox appeared in sight.
Accept Rewards?
[YES] [NO]
Two buttons gleamed in the pale blue light of the screen which was clear as day, despite the darkness of her cupboard. Tentatively, Harriet reached forwards for the button she wanted, almost startling as she felt her finger press against something solid. Part of her had expected to find nothing but air, the blue box something of her imagination. Yet it wasn't, and Harriet could only accept the 'reward' given to her. Those were rare, precious things to her.
There was a strange feeling inside her at that moment, and Harriet could only frown and ponder over what exactly was going on – because the screen and its functions looked something like out of one of Dudley's pixilated games. She remembered the only time she had ever played with Dudley on one of his game consoles. There had been three players – her, Dudley, and one of Dudley's friends called Piers. Dudley had been the Human 'Tank', Piers had been the Dwarven 'Warrior', and she had been the Elven 'Mage' – which had, in hindsight, seemed to be the problem.
Uncle Vernon had thrown that game away after Dudley had raved about how awesome it was and exactly what their roles had been. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had given her the stink eye and made comments about her infecting their precious Duddykins. It was something she still didn't understand. All she had managed to obtain from that eventful evening had been the fact that she should never bring up what was now known as the m-word in their house. Neither her aunt nor her uncle liked that word, and if Dudley had gotten yelled at for speaking it aloud, Harriet dreaded to think of how she would end up. They always seemed to be harsher on her for one reason or another. Harriet couldn't figure it out for the life of her.
Another quiet ding heralded the arrival of yet another pale blue screen.
Welcome, Harriet Lily Potter!
She could almost hear the almost cheerful greeting as she stared, dumbfounded, at the blue boxes which seemed to be taking over her life. What did it mean that she was 'welcomed' to the game? And what did it mean that she had been sponsored? Harriet still didn't understand, and she was beginning to think she might never.
Harriet Lily Potter – Lvl.5 – Age: 7
Race:? Sponsor:?
Class: None Subclasses: None
Title(s): None
HP: 60/60 MP: 70/70
Exhaustion: 0/300
[Stats][Skills][Inventory][Relationships][Quest Log]
"What's this?" she mumbled, peering at the strange assortment of words which had appeared in that blue box. "A… Quest Log?"
The blue box shifted, another little blue screen opening up beside the first one with a title at the top, proclaiming 'Quest Log'.
[QUEST LOG]
No Quests in Progress
"And relationships?" she spoke to herself, blinking as the quest log page closed itself and another blue textbox opened. Her brow furrowed. "So they open by saying them…" she trailed off, startling as a hand slapped against her cupboard door.
"Stop making a racket in there, girl!"
"Oh, sorry Uncle Vernon!" she called, lips shutting with a soft pop as she stopped making a racket and peered at the blue boxes in front of her.
[RELATIONSHIPS]
Petunia Dursley: Rep -32. Conflicted.
Vernon Dursley: Rep -40. Enemy. (Type=Petty)
Dudley Dursley: Rep -11. Mild Hostility.
Harriet blinked, already knowing that negative signs were bad. Negative signs were things which took away, or so the simple library books had told her. She didn't understand why her relationships were in the negative though. They were supposed to be positive with a plus sign, weren't they? After all, families were supposed to love one another like they did in storybooks. Harriet could only muse about the whys and the hows. And how she was supposed to make things better when she wasn't entirely sure what the problems were?
Her lips popped open, ready to speak again before she remembered she was supposed to be being as quiet as possible. Hesitantly, as if not sure of herself, she reached out with a finger, pressing the Inventory button.
[INVENTORY: LOCKED – Required: Lvl. 15]
Harriet peered at her own level. "A long way to go," she murmured, counting then on her fingers. "Ten," she whispered to herself, knowing already that it was better to be at a higher level than a lower one. She had been welcomed to the game, whatever that was, and in games, the higher levelled players were more likely to win against the same opponents as opposed to lower levelled ones.
She jabbed at the Skills button, not startling at the blue textbox which flared to life once more.
[SKILLS]
English (Novice) Lvl. 37: speaking the English language
Literacy (Novice) Lvl.51: reading and writing [language: English]
Cooking (Novice) Lvl. 5 [2 UP!]: making meals in the kitchen
There was a scrolling bar to move up and down, but from what Harriet could see, her skills were fairly sparse and all labelled with the word of 'novice' – whatever that meant. She wasn't sure. In fact, there was a lot she wasn't suddenly certain of, including her strange new circumstances. All she knew was that it was probably not a good idea to mention it to her family.
Strange happenings were all too often blamed on her, even when she hadn't done anything.
Her finger moved once more, jabbing on the last Stats button.
[STATS]
VIT: 6, STR: 3, DEX: 5, INT: 7, WIS: 5, CHA: 0
Unallotted Stat Points: 0
"Huh…" Harriet trailed off, exceedingly puzzled by the letters and numbers. Her finger trailed over the VIT, accidentally tapping against the screen, and she blinked at the explanation which popped up beneath the 'VIT'.
VIT: Vitality – the physical state relating to health and constitution [affects HP and Exhaustion]
She pressed on the others, marvelling at the explanations given for each. STR was apparently strength, which would affect her attack power. DEX was dexterity, or agility, and affected her movement speed and her ability to dodge around objects. INT was intelligence and the ability to learn new things quickly which affected how quickly her skills levelled up and how quickly she obtained new ones. WIS was wisdom which affected her problem solving abilities and her application of INT. Yet the one she was most interested in…
CHA: Charisma – the ability to charm those around you [affects Relationships, Conversations, and Beauty]
Her charisma stat was at zero, and her relationships were terrible. So, maybe, just maybe, if she improved her charisma stat… A lightbulb went off in Harriet's head, a smile curling at her lips as embers of hope ignited into a small flame. Grinning, she closed her stat menu, staring at what, she noticed, was called her 'Profile'.
Harriet Lily Potter was her full name, with—
A frown crossed her face, and Harriet peered at the screen then, finally noticing the oddities on the second line of her profile.
Race:? Sponsor:?
She doubted she would ever forget that first blue holographic textbox which had appeared in front of her. You have been sponsored. That was close enough to sponsor. Her finger pressed at the word.
[Your Sponsor is Hidden!]
"I suppose it wasn't going to be that easy," Harriet muttered, thinking about how maybe her sponsor whoever they were would have explained what was going on. Someone had once 'sponsored' Dudley for something or another. Not that she was doing anything other than rolling with the new, strange occurrence. Though she supposed she could do with some answers, like why there was a gaming interface which looked and felt so very real. Things never seemed to be easy for her. Not compared to how Dudley got through life, showered in presents and praise. Dimly, Harriet wondered what his charisma stat was. It had to be good. Why else would everyone in the neighbourhood and even at school prefer him over her?
Her gaze strayed over to the other bundle of question marks. "Race…" she whispered to herself, brow furrowing as she tried to figure out exactly what that meant. Did that mean race like the human race? Or something else entirely? Harriet paused for a moment before jabbing her finger on the question marks.
[A NEW QUEST HAS ARRIVED!]
Harriet startled at the blue box which came into existence with a soft ding.
[SPECIAL QUEST: CHOOSING YOUR ROUTE!]
· Select your race to open up your desired MAIN STORYLINE (please note: different races have different storylines and different rewards which can be viewed by tapping the race card once)
[REWARDS: +1000 EXP, Stat Boost, Race Specific Skills, Race Specific Class, Race Specific Subclasses (Up to 2), Race Specific Titles]
The blue box vanished, and instead, five card-like images appeared, glowing blue ever so slightly, each card back decorated with a humanoid image which varied in appearance from card to card. Looking between them, Harriet pressed on one of them, watching as the text box appeared.
[RACE: HUMAN]
[RACE SPECIFIC REWARDS: +12 VIT, +6 STR, +8 DEX, Bare Knuckled Brawling Skill (Lvl.1), Dodging Skill (Lvl.1), Sprint Skill (Lvl.1),…, UNLOCKS: MAIN QUEST (The Legacy), MAIN QUEST (The Chosen One), MAIN QUEST (MOD)]
Her brow furrowed, eyeing the 'stat boost' and wondering then. She pressed on another card which looked like it was on fire, with what looked to be an axe or a hammer in the hands of a bearded being.
[RACE: DWARF]
[RACE SPECIFIC REWARDS: +7 VIT, +10 STR, +5 INT, +5 WIS, Beard Growth (Lvl.1), Axe Wielding (Lvl.1), Smithing (Lvl.1),…, UNLOCKS: MAIN QUEST (The Lost Art of the Arc), MAIN QUEST (The Chosen One), MAIN QUEST (The Shrine Maiden)]
She pressed on another card, that time with a forest-like background, and a figure with pointed ears holding a box, a smile curling at her lips at the sight.
[RACE: ELF]
[RACE SPECIFIC REWARDS: +15 CHA, +6 INT, +6 WIS, Archery (Lvl.1), Sword Wielding (Lvl.1), Observation (Lvl.1), Detect Enemies (Lvl.1),…, UNLOCKS: MAIN QUEST (The Lost Elf), MAIN QUEST (The Chosen One), MAIN QUEST (The Last Druid)]
Greedily, she pressed that card again, pressing yes when the question about whether she was sure came up. She pressed it again, wanting that +15 CHA because that would make things so much better with her family. Wouldn't it? A higher charisma stat affected her relationships, and that had to improve her relationships.
[ALERT! Your Race has been set to: Elf!]
Please select your desired Class from the list
Harriet frowned, peering then at the next set of options she had before her. She didn't think she'd had very many options before. Not in the way Dudley had – like when he decided where to go for his birthday. Harriet had never gone anywhere for her birthday, in fact, she hadn't even known one until they went to Primary School and had made a timeline of birthdays.
Hers was the thirty-first of July.
CLASS OPTIONS FOR RACE [ELF]:
Mage, Archer, Swordswoman, Rogue, Smith, Tailor, Elder
Harriet blinked, chewing on her lip as she wondered what exactly she was supposed to pick. She wanted her family to like her, after all, and they had been so very funny when she had been a mage – even in a game. They had made such a big deal out of it.
[Latent Magic has been detected within The Player!]
[ALERT! Updating Class Selection!]
CLASS OPTIONS FOR RACE [ELF]:
Arch Mage, Arcane Archer, Arcane Swordswoman, Arcane Rogue, Arcane Smith, Arcane Tailor, Elder of the Wise, Enchantress, Mental Manipulator
"What does that mean?" she mumbled, blinking in surprise as, for once, the blue boxes provided help of their own volition in the form of yet another box.
[The Player, Harriet Lily Potter, has a natural supply of mana shown on her PROFILE as Mana Points (MP) meaning there is no need to forcefully implant the Mana Core]
"Huh?" she murmured, scratching her head at that before she shrugged and went back to staring at her updated selection of classes. Her eyes stayed on the original options she'd had, not wanting to muse over the options which were there because she had the m-word. Being a mage had only bad memories of Dudley's glares and Uncle Vernon's loud tirade against anything and everything magical. So obviously, being a mage was off the table.
Her finger jabbed the option which leapt out at her from the remaining options, the class 'Arcane Archer' lighting up. It wasn't like she had all day to decide, and being an archer sounded cooler than the other classes. Besides, elves were usually archers rather than swordsmen – or at least in the books she'd read.
Please select your desired Subclasses (MAX 2) from the list
"It's not over?" she questioned, frowning then at the new blue box which appeared. It was like the other selection box – only the white whiting was greyed out, and two 'subclasses' were highlighted in a gleaming white.
[ALERT! Subclass Selection Locked!]
[Druid] and [?] have been chosen
"Oh," she mumbled, baffled and confused still, more at the fact that the choices she had so far had suddenly seemingly been taken away. Choice had felt so freeing, as opposed to the startlingly oppressive feeling of her small cupboard room. She had liked being able to choose things for herself for once, she realised belatedly. She had never really had that option before.
[SPECIAL QUEST COMPLETE!]
[REWARDS ARE AUTOMATICALLY ACCEPTED!]
[ALERT! You have levelled up!]
[ALERT! You have learnt Archery (Lvl.1)]
[ALERT! Due to the chosen Class of ARCANE ARCHER, Archery has levelled up]
[ALERT! Due to the chosen Subclass of DRUID, Nature Magic (Lvl.1) has been learnt]
[ALERT! Due to the chosen Subclass of ?, ? (Lvl.1) has been learnt]
[ALERT! You have levelled up!]
Harriet blinked for what had to be the hundredth time, eyes darting between the numerous popup boxes which were appearing and then disappearing just as quickly. Her head ached just a little bit, eyes straining to keep up with the sudden influx of information appearing as alerts in front of her.
[ALERT! MAIN QUEST: The Lost Elf has been unlocked]
A sharp rap at her door made her blink, attention pulled away from the blue boxes and onto the world outside of those odd blue boxes. When no further sound came, Harriet edged towards the door, cracking it open ever so slowly, blinking as she found a plate with some sandwiches and a bag of crisps.
[QUESTION! Would you like to use the new skill OBSERVATION on this item?]
Harriet hummed, staring at the new variation on the wording of that particular blue box.
[A NEW QUEST HAS ARRIVED!]
"Again?" she mumbled, frowning at those blue boxes which appeared in number in quick succession. It hadn't even been a day since that first, almost ominous blue box had appeared. Harriet wasn't too sure what to make of it all.
[TUTORIAL QUEST PART I: USING SKILLS]
· Skills are a new part of your 'Player' life! Learn how to use them and level up as quickly as you can! Please use two of your new skills once!
[Hint: Say the name of the skill you wish to use aloud]
[REWARDS: +20 EXP, +2 STAT POINTS]
"Skills," Harriet said to herself, reaching for the button when the blue box opened on its own. From her voice, she noted remembering it could open either way. A list much longer than the one she had scrolled through previous appeared. Her eyes locked on the various skills as she sat in her cupboard, plate of lunch on her lap as she tried to figure out the new tutorial quest which had been given to her all of a sudden.
It was nicer and far more interesting than sitting in the cupboard, in the darkness, with nothing to do but reread one of the tattered books she'd managed to salvage from various places.
"Uh… Observation!" Harriet said quickly, remembering that other popup box, staring down at her plate.
Tuna Sandwich and Crisps. A filling meal.
[ALERT! QUEST PROGRESSION: TUTORIAL QUEST PART I]
"Another skill," Harriet mumbled, scrolling through her list of skills available to her, studiously avoiding anything with the word magic in it. There was a surprising amount of those kinds of skills, and she could only picture how her aunt and uncle would react if she used one of them. "Um. Detect Enemies?"
[ALERT! Enemy Detected!]
[TUTORIAL QUEST PART I COMPLETE!]
"Yes!" Harriet pumped a fist in the air, grinning wildly.
A fist pounded on her door. "Shut up in there!" Uncle Vernon bellowed. "If you're going to make a racket, then go outside and don't bother us!"
"Oh." She clamped a hand over her lips, having forgotten about her family in her excitement. "Sorry, Uncle Vernon!" she called, waiting for a few moments before she cracked her cupboard door open and peered out into the corridor nervously.
It was probably a good idea to head on outside, or so she mused to herself, pausing as she remembered something vital. The stat boost. She had also gotten +6 INT and +6 WIS after changing her race. Maybe that was why she was so decisive that going outside was the right thing to do. A smile curled at her lips as she slunk out into the corridor, footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. Her eyes darted to what she could see of the living room – a gap between the doorframe and the half-open door providing her with a clear view of her uncle and her cousin sitting in front of the telly.
Her head tilted, eyes taking in the odd writing above their head which hadn't been there the last she'd seen of them at breakfast in passing.
Vernon Dursley – Lvl.41 – Age:34
It was written in blood red writing, hovering above his head in a similar manner to those blue boxes of hers.
Dudley Dursley – Lvl.3 – Age:7
Her cousin's writing was in the usual white she was familiar with thanks to her blue boxes and that strange phenomena which had all started that very morning. It was almost scary how quickly she had adapted to those strange popup boxes and that game-like interface better suited to a computer screen.
Walking quietly to the front door, she opened it soundlessly, venturing out into the wider world, determined to complete more quests and level up. What else was she supposed to do?
Harriet could only wonder.
