Disclaimer: not mine, almost nothing of it, unfortunately!

Harry Potter is of course property of J.K. Rowling.

"The Dark Eye" RPG belongs to Fantasy Productions.

Thomas Triebenbacher was a real person even if he never got past the age of 20. I remember him as a true friend.

This story is AU including a different time setting. Here Harry was born 1990.

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Which ever is reality?

Harry sat on a roof. He sat on a roof having a conversation, watching the sun settle for the night turning the sky to the most glorious shades of red.

"Tom, could I ask you a … more personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Thomas Triebenbacher, his new muggle friend did not open his eyes nor did he turn his face. He just grunted.

"Go ahead."

"Would it bother you if you ever had to …kill someone?" Harry almost whispered his question; afraid it was wrong to even ask.

Thomas did neither flinch nor answer. He just breathed, nothing indicating he had even heard the question.

After what to Harry felt like hours he spoke.

"The Japanese have a saying which comes down to this: Live is an illusion or reality is in the eye of the beholder."

He sat up looking at Harry.

"There is a theory in physics that could be interpreted to the extend where every possibility has its own reality, creating a new world, new beings, whole new universes with every decision we make. Everything your imagination comes up with building new infinite possibilities."

His expression was calm, his voice so sure of the truth in his words.

"Harry I can not prove it, but on a very deep level I know this is the truth. And because of that it does not bother me, never did and never will. As I know there is a place where it never happened and a place where I was the one to die and an endless amount of more places."

He did smile.

"This reality right now is in my eye. I am the beholder. I evaluate any and all things."

A sad laugh escaped from his mouth.

"Even the greatest pain: Losing a loved one. All is as I behold. Even though we are having a conversation and you are sitting right beside me we are in two completely different universes.

You are in yours and I am in mine.

Do you see the same colours as I do when you see the sunset? Or is it just an agreement to call this red?"

Harry thought about what he had heard.

It was an intriguing sight of things. One that accepted things as they where, not judging them. There was no need to do so; in fact it had no point to do so.

"I have survived, I have made it to this point in my live and I shall not regret that I have."

Tom grew silent.

They sat in quiet company. One knowing, the other guessing that each other's live had not been easy.

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Moonlight fell upon The Burrow. Hermione Granger and Ginny Wesley lay in their beds in Ginny's room. Both of them restlessly trying to escape the ardour, sweltering.

"Do you love him Hermione?"

Ginny's voice came low, like a whisper. Hermione changed position on her bed.

"I do not know Ginny, I honestly do not know. But I do know I like him a lot. That shall do for now."

'Strange answer.' Ginny thought. Then it hit her. 'Are we talking about the same thing, the same person?'

"Hermione, I am not dating Dean Thomas."

'Darn! Well, here goes nothing' "Sorry Ginny, so now I think we might have a problem here." Hermione blushed.

Ginny sat on her bed now as well. "Hermione are you possibly… not talking about my brother?"

In the dim moonlight shining through the window the girls faced each other. Ginny spotted a tear rolling down Hermione's cheek.

"Oh Merlin, what do we do now?" Two voices sounded in unison, making two girls grin and relax a bit.

"What about Ron?"

"I am not sure with him as well. I just do not know what it is that I feel for them. Sometimes it is like I feel for them like I do for you, quite scary really."

Thinking about this Ginny and Hermione sat in silence.

"You like them both. Bad situation, being stuck between two people you like."

"Ginny." Hermione cam to a decision not based on logic. "It is three people I like."

"Darn!"

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… shall not deviate. But it does. In the course of our research of elven magic, or mandra as they call it, we have been forced to acknowledge significant differences not only regarding their spell formulae but very subtle alterations in the magical matrixes. An in deep analysis utilising the "Analys Arcanstructur" spell revealed alterations in the resonances between magic users of different schools. Plainly:

Not only do we differ in what spells we use but we even differ in how we achieve a given magical effect. Most astounding, we even found that a very proficient mage casting an elven spell generates a matrix specific for mages or vice versa. This does not occur while casting the spell in its basic, better native, form or without a high level of knowledge in that specific spell, this however requires somewhat more power by the caster.

In conclusio we advice all college et collegae to limit their use of foreign spells, trying to master but a few. This should in long term effect result in an extended curriculum for mages in all of Aventuria.

Smiling Harry closed the book. It was ironic how close the authors of all this texts had come to reality, never knowing magic was a real thing. The mage spells even had Latin formulas, different ones but Latin. The effects were slightly different, but those differences existed because one thing was for real live requirements the other for a game.

The idea of kind of a different frequency in magic used by various races and spell casting character classes mirrored the reality as well.

'Just look how a house elf could apparate at Hogwarts.' Something slipped his mind. He noticed the fact but could not make hold of it. He just knew it was significant.

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Ginny experienced something of a shock.

"Hermione! Please do NOT tell me you like Draco bloody Malfoy! How could you let this happen! He has been a pain in the A… to us all, especially you and Harry, over the last years.

He always looks like being seriously ill, in desperate need of fresh air and a few weeks of sunlight.

He is an arrogant pig, treating women like lower creatures, believing in pureblood superiority.

He is so full of himself he does seriously belief the word is only turning around the sun because he still allows it."

"Ginny."

Ginny took a breath, raising her voice. "HE IS NOT EVEN GOOD LOOKING AND I HEARD HE IS NOT WELL ENDOWED EITHER!"

"Ginny!" Hermione moved to Ginny's bed, sitting down next to her.

"Oh Hermione, I know it is not really my business but before falling for him go ahead and fall for a girl!"

Ginny placed her hand on Hermione's cheek trying to comfort her.

"You can do so much better."

"Ginny, it's NOT Malfoy." Hermione leaned into the hand savouring in the feeling.

Relief passing through Ginny she searched for her best friend eyes. Gasping as she saw what was in there.

"I can't help it. I realised just this week. I do not know what to feel, what to do."

Hermione fell backwards spreading on Ginny's bed radiating insecurity.

"I… I don't know either. Not yet." She lay down beside her friend." There is a way, there has to be."

The two girls stayed silently awake lost in their thoughts, eventually falling asleep, snuggling into each other seeking comfort and safety.

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He was sitting in a room filled with vials, glass jars containing body parts of strange creatures, herbs hanging on walls and shelves, an occasional book resting on a reading stand. He sat on his hard chair, listening to the old mage who was the master of matrix theory.

"The advantages of mage representations for spell casting is ad primo the possibility of written documentation, ad secundo the ease of adapting to different circumstances and ad tertio its multitude of variety. While witchcraft, elven mandra or lizardmen cristalomanty have their own advantages they can not write their spells in books for others to learn."

"But Magister did you not tell us that we could learn some of their spells?"

"That I did. You can have someone teach you and then recite it to effect without really knowing what you are doing" The old man smiled. "Just like you do with your theory texts in the examination."

The student turned a bright red.

"Or you can work to understand how they think, how they see live and magic and as you master that cast their spells the same way they do. This takes the utmost dedication and intensive study. Few ever try and less succeeded. The rewards are worthwhile though. Access to a whole new world of spells and rituals, a different way to understand the world and then there is some more."

Harry smiled, knowing he was dreaming.

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"Mrs. Dursley, I wonder if I could have a word with you?"

Petunia Dursley measured the man in front of her. He was the one her nephew kept spending time with and thus doing her a favour by keeping the freak out of her house. His name was Treibenbacker or something like that.

"Mr. Treibenbacker?"

A smile appeared on the man's face.

"It is Triebenbacher. You did a good job for a first time. The name is somewhat difficult.

Mrs. Dursley I would like to ask Harry weather he would lend me a hand in building a shed in my backdoor garden. I am willing to pay for his help."

"Sure, Mr. Triebenbacker he can help you. But you will please hand his payment over to me as he is certainly unable to keep track of any amount of money and would spend it foolishly."

The man could not avoid recognising the pure greed shining in the woman's eyes. He however had had some suspicions about Harry's living arrangements beforehand. No decent family would allow one member to appear in raged clothes, no more than ill fitting hand-me-downs while obviously spoiling all others.

He considered the situation. He needed more information; maybe his current situation was not as safe and relaxed as he had been told. Perhaps it was time for a little chat with Harry and knowing how the boy was it would be a chat between tow game characters.

"Thank you Mrs. Dursley. I will do so. I would appreciate if Harry could drop by my house tomorrow at 08:00."

Petunia was taken back. This man had acquired a fairly unfriendly tone. Then she relaxed, she had forgotten about him being military, so stating 'oh eight hundred' was probably just a reflex for him. Besides she reminded herself he is no native. 'Maybe it's not such a good idea to trust the German, well it is just the freak and if he would be harmed or worse we would be rid of him.'

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Remus Lupin strode through the empty corridors of Hogwarts, heading for the Headmasters office. Lost in his thoughts he entered the hallway to the entrance guarded by a large gargoyle when he bumped into another person. Both tumbled to the floor.

"Wotcher Remus, why didn't you just say something?" Tonks grinned wickedly.

"Sorry Tonks, I… a…" Remus struggled for words. Only to have his head grabbed by Tonks, who pulled him in. "You are my prey now." Kissing him with passion.

"Ah, love is a force even the Marauders can not withstand for long. Alas the stone floor can't be to comfortable."

Tonks and Remus jumped to their feet, to the sight of the amused Albus Dumbledore.

"Am I to belief you two came here to seek out a broom cupboard? Or did you just want to speak to me?"

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The afternoon sun shone onto two men working in the garden, building a Japanese stile house.

Harry worked on the wooden floor with a grinder, Tom working on the corner poles.

They were in deep conversation.

Toms head suddenly shoot up searching for something. Harry heard a faint pop and saw some five figures appearing in the garden. He drew his wand.

"Arvada kedavra"

"Reducto"

Bang, bang

Bang, bang

"Expeliarmus, Stupefy, Icerceranus"

Bang, bang

"Crucio"

"Verdammte Scheiße! … sch… HA! Ha, ha, ha."

"Stupefy"

"Invercano mein Freund! Fial'miniza dao kah!"

"Tom?"

"Harry! Wie wäre es mit einer Erklärung?"….."Ups, how about an explanation?"

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A/N:

I like to thank all readers. It is somewhat encouraging to see how many take it onto them to read this.

The next update will take a few more days. For that I am sorry. The story however grew more complex than ever intended and consequently takes more time.