Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger than Fiction by Pseudonymous Entity

"ADVANTAGEOUS. An adjective.

Involving or creating favourable circumstances that increase the chances of success or effectiveness.

Beneficial."

Summary: Harry receives a set of books on his birthday detailing the life of a boy with the same name. The summer he turns 11 Harry discovers not only does he share the main character's name - he IS the main character. The books tell the future! Now, what would a fairly clever 11-year-old who has lived a hard life do with this knowledge? Something responsible and mature for the greater good? Maybe not. Oh dear.

AN: Anybody still out there? For those of you who are long time readers, Pseu will be posting updates for the more popular stories over the next few weeks and into the summer. Also, salutations! It's been a while. For those of you wondering, Pseu has been busy the last several months working on original fiction (for publication) that has now been put on hold due to the current state of affairs in the world. Until then? Enjoy some fanfiction.

ANx2: I really must edit the first chapters of this. Good Lord.

Pseu (Still good looking and reasonably talented)

"Just like fire burning out the way, If I can light the world for just one day

Watch this madness, colourful charade, No one can be just like me anyway

Just like magic..."

-P!NK

Before Harry could think of anything else to say he was taken by the arm and lead to an empty table. This was for the best because Harry couldn't think of anything that didn't make him sound like a lunatic. He needed to fix this and quickly. Drawing attention when he wasn't ready for it was the dumbest thing he could do.

Was this Fate stepping in to prevent Harry from going off track by redirecting him to a member of the Weasley family? Fictional Harry was close to them in the books. The youngest, Ronald mostly. Then again...maybe it would work against Fate (the powers that be, the mysterious author in the sky, whoever) if he befriended a different Weasley?

Percy pushed him into his seat gently and gave him a glass of water. Harry drank from the glass on automatic, mind racing to figure out how to take his mistake and shape it to work in his favour. He shouldn't have said anything, not without thinking. Harry very much doubted Percy Weasley -no matter how clever he was- would deduce Harry knew the future from a set of storybooks. Still...

"Are you well?"

Harry looked up at the concerned read-head sat across from him.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Percy nodded. "While you decide whether or not to tell me why you're out so late alone," He paused to smirk at Harry's stiffening shoulders and paling face, "why don't you explain to me how a rat can be evil and why you think I own one in particular."

"It can't be." Harry tapped his fingers against the glass of water. "but, words are wonderful things and there is more than one kind of rat. The animal. The kinds that are disloyal and deceitful." He glanced up at Percy through his fringe. "The sort that is long-lived and missing a toe."

Percy's face blanked and his eyes narrowed. "That's specific. And are missing-toed rats more apt to be evil than other sorts?"

"I meant it more as an insult against his character and life choices."

"You talk as if its a person and not a rat." Said Percy, wearing a small smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Depends on the kind of rat it is...or seems to be."

Thinking that was more than enough tempting fate, for now, Harry rose to his feet. He still had time to look through the alley and find an owl to send off with his reply to Hogwarts.

Percy's hand shot out and closed around his arm. The older boy was up and on his feet, arm slung over Harry's shoulders, one of his hands tightly gripping lead Harry through the Leaky Cauldron and out behind it. Harry briefly entertained the thought he was about to be iced before the wall opened up and revealed Diagon Alley. Percy pushed him forward and pulled him aside against a building.

With a quick look around he pulled out his wand, keeping it close to his sleeve so no one passing would see, the end pointed directly at Harry. "Who are you? What else do you know about me? Is this a trick?"

Harry stared at the wand wide-eyed. "I don't know anything. It's only what I've...seen." He said helplessly, making a vague motion toward his head. Honestly, he wasn't certain imagining something counted as having seen it. But, how else to explain it?

"Seen? You've seen my rat?"

Harry blinked. "I- yes. Well, no. Not in person. Not yet."

"Not yet?" Percy frowned. "What does that mean? How do you know about my rat, something so specific as his toe if you've haven't seen it?"

"Him." Harry corrected, absently. Mind racing to figure out how to make this work. "Scabbers is a him. And I've seen him in my head."

"You know his-" Percy took a breath and rubbed his left temple with a free hand. "You've seen him in your head? Is that a talent of yours? What is this, really? Who are you? Why are you messing with me? Did one of my-"

"The twins didn't put me up to this," Harry said. "And I'm Harry."

Percy's mouth shut with a click.

"And I don't think this counts as a talent."

"I didn't...I didn't tell you who I was thinking of..." Murmured Percy. His own, blue eyes, wide.

Harry waved him off. "Of course you were thinking of Fred and George. It's exactly the sort of thing they would do. They tried to get Ron to swear to an unbreakable vow once. And he's still afraid of spiders from another prank of theirs. Why wouldn't you think they were responsible?"

Percy's face was alarmed and confused but to his credit, his wand remained trained on Harry as the younger wizard paced in front of him.

"How could you possibly know any of that?" He asked after a moment.

Harry stopped and sighed. "I don't really know it. I haven't seen it myself. I mean, most things haven't happened yet. And it isn't my fault I started spitting out things about you. You ran into me and I looked up and there you were and it just came out and I-"

"Wait." Percy held up a hand. "How did running into me lead into my rat and brothers? Things you couldn't know?"

"I just...I..." Harry scowled. How to explain? "I tumbled into you and I saw your face and then I saw your rat in my head. Because it was yours first and then you gave it to Ron when you became...prefect." Harry snapped his fingers. "That's why you're out right now, isn't it? Picking up your new robes? And...and your parents couldn't afford to get anyone else brand new robes so...so..."

Harry trailed off, looking at Percy's face. "You look...ill."

"I'd just decided." Said Percy. "Right before we met. I'd only just decided I'd give my rat to Ron. I hadn't told anyone yet."He swayed a little on his feet and then one of his knees hit the ground.

Startled, Harry held out a hand on the older boys' arm to steady him. "Percy?!"

Luckily it was already dark out and they were far enough from the street lamps that no one should be able to see exactly how oddly the two of them were behaving. At the very least no one saw enough to warrant running up and demanding to know what was going on. All the better for Harry, who couldn't quite compute how this entire situation had even come about or how he was going to talk himself out of it.

"Saw it in his head. Possibly contact related..." Percy leaned against him for a moment, shoulder's sagging in relief. "Honestly, boy. Next time lead with that, won't you?

"With what?" Because that seemed like an unnecessarily long and out of context bit of conversation to spew at someone instead of 'hello'.

Percy looked into his face. "You don't know? Your parents didn't tell you?"

They're dead. They've never told me anything."

And Harry very much doubted their parting words to their infant son would have been to warn him about blurting out inconvenient things to tall gingers. First of all, very strange thing to say. Secondly, Harry doubted his baby self would remember such a thing. If they did by chance say something of the sort to his infant counterpart fat lot of good that did him.

Percy climbed to his feet, glancing around. Then he leaned very close to him so no one else could hear. "You're a seer."

It was Harry's turn to be momentarily speechless. "I'm...wait, what?"

"You're a seer, Harry."

PseudonymousEntity

2020

Thoughts, questions, theories and limericks always welcome.

NOTES: What do you think our young Harry will do with this bit of luck? And can he really change the story or are certain things fated to happen no matter what he does?

Ever Yours, Pseu