My new life
I, the new Harry Potter, didn't have a nice sleep. Far from it.
I was pleagued with nightmares of my previous death, nightmares involving Dumbledore, death eaters, and even Hermione and Ron. Finally, there were some involving the life of original Harry with the Dursleys. For the last one, they were more like distorted memories from the past, while the one involving Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore had to do with me not being the original Harry Potter, and thus being an impostor or body snatcher. Several times I woke up, to find out that his new situation wasn't a dream.
I had a good idea about what happened to his predescessor. The basilisk venom most likely killed him, and I took over his empty body. It was a great mercy that Fawkes didn't notice the changes, or that I could completly use Harry Potter's body as if I was born in it. I had access to his memories as if they were my own. And I could use magic as if I had been learning it for the past 2 years. It was something I had to try on the way to the dorm, and I was relieved to see that original Harry didn't take his magic when he left. It allowed me to place a sticking charm on the curtains of my bed, and a silencing charm around me before sleeping. I'm pretty sure that without those, I would have woken up the rest of my roommates.
The next day, I used my free time to review my situation in an isolated and unused classroom. I died in my former world and took over the body of a just-died Harry life was now my own.
This Harry Potter didn't have a pleasant life at all. He was bullied everyday by Dudley, and he often tried to get Harry in trouble. So on top of the insults, deliberate neglect and forced labor, it wasn't rare for him to get slapped hard by either Vernon or Petunia. Thnakfully, the physical violence didn't get to the point of beatings like some fanfictions portrayed, but he would get a good hit 2-3 times per month. The other times they just manhandled him a little. While he wasn't continuously starved, he wasn't well fed either. The worst punishment he got involving food was a whole day without. The people from the neighborhood didn't like him and avoided him. The children because of Dudley and his gang, the adults because of the lies spread by his relatives.
His life at Hogwart was as well as one would expect. He wasn't a bad student, but after growing up with the Dursleys, he didn't have a strong drive to do well in class. He didn't have a bad mind, he just focused only on doing a decent job, above average to good, but not trying to be excellent. Severus Snape was just as unpleasant as I expected him to be, and just as bad a teacher. He really had no patience to teach people with no prior training and studies on the subject, or didn't have a talent similar to his own. Binn's class really was only good for nap time or self-study.
It was while reviewing the potions classes that the extra I felt when I woke up in this body became clear. I had a very clear understanding of everything that had been taugh in potions, from the properties of the ingredients, to the effects of the differents preparations and brewing steps. Even thinking of the plants shown in herbology, I could recall what they could be used for, and even think of a few uses not taugh in class. Neither I nor original Harry were that well versed in either potions or herbology. That new proficiency in magical crafting came should have come from somewhere, and it was then that I remembered what I had been doing before dying.
I was starting another playthrough of Kamidori Alchemist Meister. When one started a New Game +, several options were available: Choice of difficulty between normal and hard. Choice of inheriting the guild evaluation, the workshop extensions, the synthesis rank, the santoerils (money), the character levels, the inventory, the party from the previous play despite not having met them yet. The others options were for extra characters, dungeons, events, and revealing some informations.
I wanted to start with some bonuses, but not too much. So I decided to inherit only the synthesis rank and workshop extensions, and add the extra character Lily. I also enabled extra events and dungeons. For the inventory, I wanted to chose the items. As for the santoerils, they were useful not only for certain quests, but also to upgrade the clothes, and whatever I had gained in the previous playthrough wouldn't be enough. That was why I had used SpoilerAl and Kamidori trainer. During the introduction of the new game, I added everything else that I wanted. Finally, I maxed the caps for my attributes, raised my starting health, mana and stamina, and gave myself high command and competence points. I also gave Lily better health, mana and stamina, as well as a high service attribute to make her a great shopkeeper.
"I was done with all of that and prepared to play for good when the accident happened. And it seemed like I gained the traits from my game character. I had maxed my synthesis rank, I had become a meister. And that skill seemed to have been transfered with me" I whispered to myself in awe and disbelief.
With a burst of excitement building within me, I said "Status".
And nothing happened. After a few seconds of surprise, I tried to open the status page using 'profile' and 'character'. Nothing happened. Mental commands didn't do anything either.
At least until I tried to open the inventory. The verbal and mental command didn't do anything, but while I was thinking about the missed content, I felt something within me. As I concentrated on it, I discovered what could only be described as a pocket within my core. And when I focused on it more, I was able to perceive what was inside.
I sat down and released a deep breath while closing my eyes. It took all my self-control to refrain from screaming and jumping around in joy. The inventory I gave myself followed me alongside the synthesis skill. And it was quite extensive. The santoerils, recovery items, utility items, weapons, accessories, furnitures, gems, treasures, and a large selection of crafting materials, most of them nonexistant in the wizarding world. And the best part? An essence core that I identified as being my extra party member, Lily. I had my very own personal servant available, and she was much better than a house-elf aside from their teleportation ability. And even that could be improved.
"To think that I would have succubus servant with the same name as the original's mother" I thought with a wry grin. "I can already see the incestuous plays and innuendos."
I sat there for a while, silently rejoicing at my good fortune. For many people who want to be reincarnated or transmigrated in another world with a cheat, what I got could be considered trash compared to the powers and abilities from other fandoms, but it really wasn't. As a master of synthesis, I could make anything as long as I got the materials. Making something to enhance myself and break through my human limits was very much possible, and with magic or items, I could replicate nearly all kinds of powers and abilities. Sure, it wasn't instant power-up, but it was a great starting package with incredible potential..
That's how I liked to play games: with a great starting package to avoid the annoying hardships from the start, but still being able to enjoy the growth and adventure. Being too strong from the start was absolutly boring. I always pitied these people in original fictions or fanfictions that got everything from the start, or scoffed at them when they choose it. These people wasted their power doing nothing with it, sealed their powers to be able to enjoy their life, or ended up looking for trouble or doing something outrageous because they got bored. Bored kids with powerful abilities? I dreaded to be in the same world as one of them, and silently cursed the entities that would grant them such powers.
After calming down, I went back to the analyse of my situation. I jokingly thought that I had the power the Dark Lord knew not, which made me concentrate on the main problems of my new life. Voldemort, his death eaters and the pureblood supremacists. And possibly Dumbledore, with all the control he wants to have on me, and whatever plans he has for me.
For my third year, the dementors were going to be a problem. And possibly the boggart test in DADA. Whatever my greatest fear was, it may very well reveal my status as an impostor. I also didn't know how perceptive Luna Lovegood was, but if Fawkes didn't notice the change, I hoped she wouldn't either. In fourth year, there would be the triwizard tournament and Voldemort's return. Fifth year would be Umbridge, and the rest would basically be the war and the horcruxes hunt.
I had the informations and means to prepare and stop Voldemort at the end of fourth year, but I decided not to. I was going to let Peter Pettigrew escape, and I was going to let Voldemort return. As for why? To put a definite stop to the pureblood supremacist movement. I wanted to bury it. To do that, the members had be completly revealed, then completly crushed in the following war. No chances for them to weasel out of the consequences like they did in the previous war and in canon. Let them rally around Voldemort, and die with him. There would be no third chance or second chance for them.
At the end of the tournament, after Voldemort's resurrection, I would bring back Peter Pettigrew and unmask Barty Crouch Junior in front of everyone else. Fudge wouldn't be able to bury his head in the sand and deny Voldemort's return, and I wouldn't suffer from the smear compaign and Umbridge. With all the preparations I was going to make, by the end of 1996 at most the war would be over.
Dealing with Voldemort meant dealing with his horcruxes. That also meant checking the scar on my forehead. I didn't know if the leech left with original Harry or if it was still there. If it was, then I was going to rejoice about Voldy still being weak. If the change had happened in summer after 4th year, he probably would have noticed it with the mental link, and learned much of what I know. Learning occlumency and legilimency was going to be a priority.
This summer, I would have to work on improving my health and look for a new place to live. Check my accounts at Gringots and see if there was a main Potter vault aside from the so-called trust vault, if there were properties or lands available. I would need to see if there was a copy of James and Lily's will, and possibly other possessions. I remembered that canon Harry only had to spend 3 weeks to 1 month at Privet Drive to recharge the wards. This summer, I wouldn't wait for Marge's visit. The day after my birthday I would leave that house for good.
I sighted and stopped thinking about the serious stuff. The following day would be the start of June, with the week or so of OWLs and NEWTs exams. There was 3 weeks left until the return to London, enough time to think more about what I was going to do for the summer, the next year, and the following few years.
Also enough time to scout my future targets. And by that I meant girls. As a player of ero-games (and I only played a few of them), I couldn't think about a story/anime/game without thinking about shipping at one point or another. I was going to check out all the girls from my year and the year above, and mark the attractives, and seemingly single ones. I wanted to have fun with as many of them as possible before settling down well after graduating. I didn't have the opportunity in my previous life, and I wasn't going to waste the chance this time.
AN: Some people see a new lease on life as an extension of the previous life. I don't. New life means new life, with new youth. Just with added experience from the previous one.
