Level Three: "The Alley"
*Level Up Available!
*Skill Points Available!
*New Abilities Unlocked! Upgrade Available!
Harry shook his head, trying to clear his vision of the sudden Alerts he was getting. Unfortunately that wasn't going to do it. He stopped just inside the mouth to the Alley and said under his breath, "Pause!"
The world froze in shades of gray and the screen, ironically, appeared behind him, in the archway to Diagon Alley. "Level," he selected. The screen that came up was the same as the last time he'd looked at it in the cupboard, but sadly getting his letter only gave him 5 EXP, so he hadn't been making much headway in leveling up until this time around. The biggest difference was that the EXP was now over a hundred and there was a question below the stats now. Also, the Alerts were still there in the corner of his eye
(Harry James Potter) Level:
Level 1 (165)
Health (HP): 130 (+20 Familiar)
Magic (MP): 130 (+25 Familiar)
Stamina: 105
Charisma: 1
Stealth: 20 (+5 Familiar)
Intelligence: 6 (+5 Familiar)
Abilities: Natural Flying Talent, Parselmouth
Skills: Familiar, Hide Skill: 1, Sneak Skill: 1, "Harry Hunting Bonus" (+10 Stealth)
Spells: 0
*Would you like to Level Up now?*
YES/NO
"Yes," he said and was relieved to see one of the Alerts vanish as the numbers shuffled about.
(Harry James Potter) Level:
Level 2 (165)
Health (HP): 140 (+20 Familiar)
Magic (MP): 140 (+25 Familiar)
Stamina: 115
Charisma: 1
Stealth: 22 (+5 Familiar)
Intelligence: 7 (+5 Familiar)
Abilities: Natural Flying Talent, Parselmouth
Skills: Familiar, Hide Skill: 1, Sneak Skill: 1, "Harry Hunting Bonus"
Spells: 0
"Hm," he muttered. "Not a lot, but then again I'm only level 2. Ugh, still got those alerts about skills and abilities. Fine! Menu!" The screen went back to the main Pause menu. "Skills and abilities."
*NEW Abilities Are Available!*
"You have (3) Skill Points Available!"
PLEASE SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
*Skills*
*Abilities*
*[LOCKED]*
"I am so not interested in boosting what you say I've got already, so lets get the rid of two birds with one stone. Abilities!" he selected.
*CURRENT ABILITIES*
Natural Flying Talent
Parselmouth
-OR-
"Purchase New Abilities"
"Purchase new abilities," he selected and looked to see what he had. A very long list appeared. As he read through it, having to say "More" every time he got to the end of the current screen to see the rest of it, he saw that he had to 'purchase' abilities with Skill Points, and some Abilities either had prerequisites such as a minimum character level, a certain level of a certain type of Skill, or a specific Avatar/Character. Also, some of the really cool Abilities, even among the ones that he technically could get, cost more Skill Points than he currently had to spend! Finally he decided to just go ahead and spend his three points on getting three new Abilities and leveling them up later. Except...
Something made him pause (so to speak), and go back to the menu again, but this time select Skills.
*CURRENT SKILLS*
Familiar
Hide (1)
Sneak (1)
"Familiar," he selected. He was annoyed that he didn't have the option to purchase new skills, but considering it was Skills, it made a sort of sense that he had to go out in the world and either work at it or learn it from somebody. The screen, rather than giving him a new menu, just asked him; "Would you like to upgrade this Skill? YES/NO"
It took him a bit to recall what it was exactly that had given him pause in spending his points on the three new abilities he'd chosen just as a means of getting rid of the Alerts. Then he looked down and saw Midnight curling around his legs. He remembered in an instant, the Hints had mentioned something about Skills having levels and that at the third level of that Skill, you got to choose a new Ability related to that Skill! Also, the bit about Familiars itself had said that there were some Familiars and Skills that allowed one to equip more than one Familiar at a time!
Grinning widely, he selected, "Yes! Familiar, yes, Familiar, yes!" A single chime accompanied each point awarded to the Skill, but after the third chime a new screen came up.
*Select from the following Abilities:*
Acquainted - "Boosts the stats your Equiped Familiar grants, and your stats boost it in turn."
Common - "Allows you to switch out Familiars without having to visit your Trunk."
Do Little - "Allows you to Equip 1 additional Familiar. (*Part of the Creature Path)"
Harry smiled, that was exactly what he was hoping for. "Do Little," he selected. To his pleasant surprise, the screens and Alerts disappeared after that and he felt, honestly he felt good! Oh, the world had started up again. He raced to catch up with Hagrid, Midnight on his heels.
Same as before, their first stop was Gringotts. Same as before, Hagrid said the exact same things, even the bit about wanting a dragon. Which reminded him, he needed to do something about Norberta so Hagrid didn't get in trouble and they wouldn't have to rely on Ron's connection to his brother Charlie. Not same as before, the sign next to the guards was glowing, and Harry was too busy reading the alert about finding one of the Secrets of Diagon Alley to really re-read the little rhyme about not stealing from the goblins. Apparently, for a reason he got experience points for that, according to the Alert.
Same as before, they went to the first available teller. Same as before, Hagrid fumbled for his key. Same as before he handed over a letter about Vault 713 and acted like it was some spy mission secret. Which, actually, when Harry thought about it, it kind of was. Same as before they took the carts down and same as before, Hagrid got sick. The differences finally started when Griphook, traitorous back-stabbing filthy goblin that he was, handed Harry a glowing bag and then stepped back to allow him access to his vault.
*Money Bag Acquired!*
"You got the Money Bag! The Money Bag is a Key Item and remains available to you at all times, even when you do not have it physically equiped. With the Money Bag, you can hold up to 99 Galleons, 16 Sickles, and 28 Knuts. Additional funds put into the Money Bag are automatically transferred to the Vault assigned to the Money Bag. Also, from the Trunk or Home, you can arrange transferrs to fill the Money Bag to capacity from the Vault."
*Vault Acquired!*
"You now have access to your Trust Vault(687)! You can own more than one Vault, but the Money Bag can only be assigned to one Vault at a time. Vaults can store excess currency as well as Items. Currency can be withdrawn by transferring it to the Money Bag via the Trunk or Home, but Items may only be withdrawn by visiting Gringotts and the Vault directly, though to place Items in the Vault may be done via the Trunk or Home. You may also transfer funds and Items between Vaults you own."
Harry smiled as the bag flashed in his hands and was suddenly filled to capacity and strapped to his hip, though it felt like it wasn't even there. Looking around inside, he saw no glowing items, just the same stacks of gold and silver. Turning to the goblin, which he was trying to resolve with his memories of him betraying them when they'd gone after the Cup in Bellatrix's Vault, he asked Griphook, "Griphook, do I have any other vaults under my name? Or maybe my parents had a vault that I could look through?"
"Hn," the goblin grunted and gave a short, sharp nod. "That would be for the Potter Account Manager to discuss with you. I am aware that there is one Vault assigned to Harry Potter in the bank. It was set up by your parents, and it has been receiving donations since the day of November 2, 1981. That one, in fact," he pointed one long spindly finger at the Vault right next to his Trust Vault. "Vault 686. Would you happen to have the Key for that one?"
Harry frowned and rounded on Hagrid, eyebrow raised expectantly. With a shrug, he said helplessly, "Dumbledore only gave me the one key, Harry. I didn't know about this, honest!"
Glowering at the pair of them, Harry crossed his arms and considered his options. No key, goblins wouldn't let him near the Vault, even if his name was on the owner slip, even if his name was on the bloody vault and everything inside it to boot! That was when he noticed something had changed while he'd been brooding briefly. Griphook had frozen and he had an icon floating over his head. That's the only way to describe it, he mused, because it was not words and while it was a picture it was very simple and obviously representative of something else. If he had to describe it, he would say that it looked like a green exclamation point in front of a thick book. As he stepped closer to it, and incidently Griphook, when he got within three feet of the goblin, the exclamation point flashed to yellow and a screen appeared in front of him.
*QUEST*
THE KEY TO POTTER'S VAULT
"The Key to Harry Potter's Personal Vault is missing! Find out if it was stolen or misplaced! Find the Key and gain access to the Vault and all that lies within! If stolen, punish the guilty party! If lost return to whoever lost it for additional rewards!"
*Would You Like To Accept This Quest?*
YES/NO
So the icon indicated a quest holder. Harry really wished those hints had graphics associated with them. Green meant they had quests available, yellow meant the quest was being worked on, and red meant the quest had been completed, he further recalled the hints regarding Quests. Plus, extra vault, and who knows how much extra money and items were in it, always a good thing, he figured.
"Yes," he selected.
Griphook instantly unfroze and began speaking. "All I can confirm, human, is that yes, this was your Vault. The last humans down in this section was your parents and in order to set up this as your Personal Vault, your blood was required, so they brought you when setting it up. I was there to supervise the procedure. Although..."
"Although?" Harry questioned, trying to sound curious rather than acusing.
Griphook rubbed his spindly fingers together in a familiar gesture and continued, "I may have spoken prematurely as you being the only human down in this section since your parents. I can't quite remember."
*Charisma Check! Goblin is asking for a bribe! Too low, you fail and get nothing or wrong information! Too high, bribes will only get more expensive, even when your Charisma is high enough to lower them!
Harry was suddenly extremely glad of the Alerts, annoying as they were. He also wished he had more than one point in Charisma! He figured he had three options. Go low and try to work his way up, go high and work his way up, or try to intimidate the little shite. Or...
"Hagrid," Harry turned to the friendly giant. "Would you mind waiting by the cart? This is just boring account stuff, shouldn't take long at all."
"Oh, er, all right Harry, I'll be by the cart then," Hagrid shrugged and shuffled off, still looking a bit sick.
The moment his back was turned, Harry faced the goblin and grabbed him by the throat and shoved him all the way back to the closed door of Vault 687. "Now listen here, hcktchpuu!" he cursed the goblin in horribly accented Gobbledegook he was sure. Though they hadn't had to use them, Griphook had given the Trio some prepatory training for a number of backup plans, including them being cornered by hostile goblins if they got separated. Knowing what he did about Griphook's "plans" for that little heist, as well as the goblin's look of rage, he was certain that it was some sort of heinous insult rather than a safeword to identify them as 'friends of goblins'.
Harry punched him in the goblin equivalent of the sternum, once. "Listen!" he hissed in Parseltongue. That drew the last of the fight from him.
"I'm not about to steal from a goblin, but we both know I don't have that key on me nor anyway to get that key anytime soon," he said, looking right into the banker's eyes. "So you are going to tell me two things, and then we both go on our merry way, all right with you, hcktchpuu?" The word sounded like he was trying to sneeze out phlegm from the bottom of his throat.
Seeing no further signs of fight from him, he continued. "Second thing, you are going to tell me the truth about who all has been to access Vault 686."
The goblin's brow raised, apparently intrigued. "Second thing?" he repeated with a wheezing rasp.
"First thing," Harry smiled, showing all his teeth, "is what you want for that information. Exactly what you want, nothing more, nothing less. I'm human, I'm not smart enough to read your signs well enough to avoid basic misunderstandings. I figured I'd just save us both some time," Harry shoved himself off the goblin and took a healthy few steps back, "and cut to the chase. After all, time is money. How much for the information? The true information?"
Rubbing his throat, Griphook eyeballed Harry with a calculating stare. Grunting again, he shrugged like he was choked by 10 year olds every day and it was just part of the job—the boring part. "13 galleons, 5 sickles, and a knut," Griphook grinned savagely.
"Oddly specific," Harry shrugged and reached into the Money Bag. The screen came up, asking if he wanted to pay the bribe, he just said, "Yes" and pulled out the exact amount Griphook had asked for. Even the knut, which was interesting if only because Harry hadn't put any knuts into his Money Bag.
"Hn," came the same grunt again. "In the past eleven years, only five people have ever visited Vault 686; James Potter, Lily Potter, Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and," Griphook's eyes glinted with amusement, "me."
"Do you have the key?" Harry asked, holding another five sickles. At Griphook's intrigued look, he said, "The thirteen galleons I figure are actually the standard bribe for a Gringotts goblin, the knut was to trip me up and would have allowed you to lie. I figure the sickles are for your lunch. Double the amount, you get your lunch free two days in a row, or just seconds for today."
"You learn fast, for a human," Griphook admitted. "No, I have never possessed the Key for Vault 686. And if it were stolen, that would be a simple matter to deduce."
"How?" Harry asked, handing over the five sickles, one at a time.
"A spell we have our employees cast for us on all the Keys. If any but the approved individuals touch it, the thief's hands are colored a vivid red. To identify the specific Key, the Vault number appears on the back of the red hand in a color only goblins can see unaided."
"What's the spell?" he inquired, and to his surprise, Griphook held out a small parchment pamphlet. Inside the folds were the details of wand movements and incantation of the "Thieves Hand" spell. Learning spells on the fly had been something he'd had to do when leading the DA and moreso when on the run, so just glancing at this was enough for him to learn it.
*Learned "Thieves Hand" Spell! You must have a wand to cast spells!
"Thank you for your time," Harry grinned and handed the pamphlet back to the waiting goblin.
"Time well spent," Griphook grinned back at him and they made their way back to the cart.
*(15) EXP Gained! +2 Charisma! +1 Intelligence!
There, Harry thought to himself, that's better. More than one way to be charismatic.
Vault 713 was the same, and then he and Hagird were back in the alley. After Gringotts, the afternoon looked to be filled much the same as the original time, and it was as far as Hagrid was concerned. For Harry though, rather than the Nimbus 2000 in the Racing Broom store, he was distracted more by all the icons he found floating over each of the shops and even more distracting over some of the people just standing there in the street! It was as he past an old metal lamp post missing one of its arms, the whole thing glowing like sunlight through trees that he recalled there were nearly a hundred Hidden Secrets throughout the area. Apparently there was a lot more for him to do on Diagon Alley than just get his school supplies.
Most of that though was going to have to wait, he decided. No matter what this Game did to the world, it couldn't change the date, he had a whole month and a half to explore this place before September 1st. He fully expected to be somewhere around Level 10 by the time he got on the Hogwarts Express. Thankfully, some of it he still got to explore today with Hagrid.
Madam Malkin's Robes was the same, except for the gold coin icon with a G etched on it hovering over the entrance, and the same icon staying locked over her head wherever she moved. Hagrid, same as before, offered to go and get some "refreshment" while Harry was busy with getting fitted. The moment Hagrid left, Madam Malkin froze in the middle of the room. With a sigh, Harry approached her, and as with Griphook, when he got to within three feet of her, she suddenly came to life, but more than that a screen opened right next to her with a list and words on it.
"Welcome to the Clothing and Armor Shop! How may I assist you today?" she asked as though reading from a script. Harry ignored her and started to read through the list. There were several submenus, each with quite a list of options on them.
Finally, having made his choices after reading through everything available, and affordable, he made his selections. "Hogwarts Uniform#1, Hogwarts Uniform#2, Chameleon Suit, Silent Shoes, Utility Belt#1, and oh lets splurge a bit, the Omnilens. Complete. Yes, yes, oh hells yes!" he selected each prompt for completing his order, that he did want to pay the amount, that he wanted to equip everything he'd just purchased, and he absolutely wanted to sell his Dursley-wear. He suddenly found himself dressed in a plain white jumpsuit, black velvet boots, and a tool belt minus the tools, with a shopping bag in one hand containing his two uniforms, the standard and the winter versions. On his face, instead of his broken and worn round glasses, he now sported a stylish set of reflective Ray Bann's. And his vision was perfect, better than perfect even!
"Thank you, please come again dearie!" the stationary Madam Malkin waved and froze once more.
Harry smiled and waved back to the 'statue' before turning and exiting the Clothing Shop. Just as he was about to actually, he stopped and noticed a small area just off to the side inside the shop. Turning, he stepped closer to it and same as with people with icons over their head, when he got within range it activated.
*You have found (3 of 100) Hidden Secrets!
*CREATION STATION*
CLOTHING STATION
"Clothing Stations are able to be used to fashion clothing items from the proper materials, and once the Title "Tailor" is acquired, you can even sell the clothing items you make with them. Would you like to use the Clothing Station now?"
YES/NO
"Whoa," Harry blinked. This was looking... bigger than he'd first thought. The fact that the window was called Creation Station, and it then further specified that it was a clothing station told him that there were probably other Creation Stations out there, ones that would allow him to craft... who knows what! "No," he selected, seeing as he had no items on him save those he'd just purchased.
Speaking of which, he paused (so to speak) yet again to admire them as he stepped away from the Creation Station. First there was the white jumpsuit he was now wearing, called the Chameleon Suit. Harry smiled and snapped his fingers, keeping his mind focused on a clear image. Just like that, with no effect beyond that it changed, the white suit had become a well fitting pair of blue jeans, a crimson t-shirt, and a dark blue cotton jacket. Also, it provided a +1 to his Stealth and Charisma both. The shoes provided a +10 to his Stealth, and a 10% bonus to his Defense Rating, but mostly they just didn't make noise when he walked. What he was really enjoying though were the Omnilens. They were glasses, obviously, but as the name implies, they not only looked good, they let him see just about everything. Had cost 50 galleons, which was over two hundred pounds in the exchange, and three times more than both his uniforms had cost together, but it was well worth it. Especially as there were promised upgrades that were locked out only because he needed to be a certain level to even use them. Right now, besides perfect vision, he had telescopic, microscopic (to about the same level as a High School microscope), and something called Scouter Mode. He was really looking forward to getting the X-Ray upgrade, but that required Level 10 at a minimum. Hey, he may have been a tragic hero stuck in a video game, but he was still, or would soon be a teenage boy!
The last thing was the Utility Belt, which actually was just the cheapest one, not the only one available. Given that the more expensive options were only slightly better and the cheapest one he could get at Level 5 had better than Level 1 or Level 2 offered, he decided to go with the cheapest and upgrade when he reached Level 5. Right now, what it did was allow him to hold and store an additional 10 Items and give him a +1 Stamina.
The moment he left the Shop, Hagrid was there waiting for him.
"All right there, Harry?" he called upon seeing him.
"So where to next Hagrid?" Harry asked, smiling.
"Ah, first, let me show what I go yeh while you were busy in there," Hagrid then pulled three things that really should not have fit in there in the first place from his coat. "I got yer Trunk, so we wouldn't have to hassle with all the different bags and things. Came cheap when I mentioned your name. I also got yeh this. Oh, and I know that Mrs. Figg let you take her cat an all, but I figured I would get you yer pet. Think of it as an early birthday present!"
Harry stared, wide-eyed and smiling brightly. There, in a gilded cage, was his first friend ever. Silently, tears pooling at his eyes, he accepted the snowy white owl from the man. "Hedwig," he whispered, filled with relief, joy and an overwhelming sense of peace. He hadn't really had time to mourn the loss of his owl, and to have her back... it filled a void in his heart he had not even recognized.
*Familiar: Hedwig (Owl) Acquired!
Familiar: Owl
Name - Hedwig
HP - 25
MP - 25
Skills - Language (English), Post Owl (Delivers messages to any Level 6 Relationship Character), Battle Companion, Link (Able to equip additional Familiar that has matching Link Skill), Flight.
Abilities - +5 Intelligence, +5 Charisma, +5% Attack Rating, +5% Defense Rating
"Link, huh?" he mumbled as the cage dissovled around Hagrid's fingers and his owl hopped over to his shoulder. "I'll have to keep an eye out for that. Oh, Hedwig, meet Midnight. Midnight, meet Hedwig."
"Meow!" Midnight replied.
"Screck!" Hedwig bobbed her head once to the kneazle.
After a moment of staring at each other, Hedwig bobbed her head again and then closed her eyes. Midnight's tail waved two and fro once and then he turned his head towards more interesting sights around the alley. With a sigh, Harry just moved past it and was careful about not bumping Hedwig from her new perch as he straightened up.
Flourish and Blott's was a bit different as well. Partly from Harry having already spent most of the currency in his Money Bag, but mostly from the fact he and Hagrid didn't have to go around all the shelves like the first time, instead just going up to the register at front, where there was a floating icon. Thankfully, instead of having to buy each book, he just got something called, "Hogwarts Year 1 Book Set" and next thing he knew, he had all the text books for his classes there in his trunk!
No Creation Station hidden away in here, but one thing that really stood out was the moment he walked in, Hagrid stepped off to the side and somebody he'd never seen before walked right up to him and handed him a large leather-bound tome. It was three feet tall and two wide on the front cover, and over 7 inches thick! The moment after it was in his hands, and he wasn't struggling under the weight of the thing, a screen popped up.
*Grimoire Acquired*
Magus Compendium
"A Grimoire is a Key Item, a useful tool that allows you to accept and pursue more than one quest at a time. It also is a way of keeping track of your personal Inventory, Current Assignments, Equipment, and Spell, Skill and Abilities library. Not to mention your homework."
Magus Compendium - Free Grimoire handed out at Flourish & Blott's to all Hogwarts Students. No Bonus.
"Huh," Harry grunted, and then said it again when the thing seemed to fold up in on itself, several times, until it was the size and weight of a slim paperback book. Yet when he opened it, the number of pages seemed to be just this side of infinite, and no matter where he opened it to, the same screen popped up directly over it, like some kind of hand held computer tablet. He also caught a couple hints from the Quest section in it about where he could go next to find out who had the Key to Vault 686. Very useful tool indeed.
Prince's Apothecary and Potion Supplies was their next stop, and aside from the same floating icon over the proprietor, (from whom he only bought his cauldron and no ingredients), there was another Creation Station. This one, as you would expect, was a Potion Station.
*CREATION STATION*
POTION STATION
"Potion Stations can be found in any available Potions Lab, or place where potion ingredients can be purchased, and can be used to concoct any potion you have the ingredients for. Once the Title "Alchemist" or "Potion Master" is acquired, you can sell the potions you make. Would you like to use the Potion Station at this time?"
YES/NO
He left it alone, obviously, though he was curious now as to what kind of potions these things would allow him to create that Snape either didn't or wouldn't teach them about. He might look into it once he got to school.
Finally, they went to Ollivander's, and despite expecting it and even looking for him, Harry was still startled when the creepy wand maker appeared behind him and couldn't help jumping when he spoke.
"Mister Potter, I've been expecting you," Ollivander said, stepping around from behind the boy and the giant. Harry decided that while he had a high Stealth rating for his level, Ollivander's must be through the roof.
All of a sudden, as he gazed at the man as he went through the same spiel about Hagrid's wand, his parents wands and wand lore in general, the Scouter Mode on his Omnilens kicked in. Without freezing anything, to Harry's eyes alone, Ollivander was surrounded by a highlight aura and a line connected that aura to a screen that appeared next to him and stayed with him wherever he moved.
SCOUTER MODE:
Name: Garrick Ollivander
Age: 69 Years, 10 Months
Level: ?
HP - 1921
MP - 2911
Stamina - 510
Charimsa - 200
Stealth - 987
Intelligence - 777
Abilities, Skills, Spells - "Unknown" (Feature Locked)
"That's enough," Ollivander was saying, and Harry pulled his attention away from the Scouter Mode and back to the man as the tape measure finally retracted from him. "Here we are Mister Potter. Go on, give it a wave!" he encouraged.
With a sigh, Harry shrugged and waved the wand he'd been handed, only to have it snatched away at the last moment. "No, not that one," Ollivander said, handing over another without saying what it was.
Harry already knew which wand was his, so he mostly just went through the motions, idly enjoying the show Ollivander was putting on for him as the wrong wands sometimes went off with rather... explosive results before they could be snatched away. Finally, he started to say what Harry was waiting for.
"I wonder," Ollivander muttered, "An unusual combination. Yes, Holly and Phoenix tail feather."
Smiling for the first time since entering the shop, Harry grabbed his wand with his right hand and felt the familiar connection instantly. A warm glow surrounded him and the wand and the sound of a Phoenix song could be heard in the air. Moments later, amidst Hagrid's and Ollivander's cheers, a screen popped up.
*Wand Acquired!*
Holly Phoenix Wand
"You are now able to cast spells. Your Wand is a Key Item and will remain with you at all times unless unequiped or intentionally taken during battle."
"Wicked," Harry grinned and put his wand away in the holster for it on his Utility Belt.
"Hm, intriguing, most intriguing," Ollivander began to mutter. Before Harry could ask him about it though, despite already knowing the story, a new screen popped up and the world grayed out.
*CONGRATULATIONS!*
"You have completed all Objectives for this day!"
+100 EXP, +5 HP, +5 MP, +1 Intelligence
Would You Like To Save?
YES/NO
Somewhat surprised, and thrown by it coming out of nowhere like this, Harry decided to go with it. And frankly, he didn't want to have to go through this more than once. Women were the ones that loved shopping, not him. "Yes!" he selected.
*Game Saving...
*Level Up Available!
Harry sighed and said as he turned around, "Pause. Level."
(Harry James Potter) Level:
Level 2 (295)
Health (HP): 170 (+20 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Magic (MP): 170 (+25 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Stamina: 116 (+1 Utility Belt)
Charisma: 9 (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+5 Familiar)
Stealth: 33 (+5 Familiar) (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+10 Silent Shoes)
Intelligence: 14 (+5 Familiar) (+5 Familiar)
Abilities: Natural Flying Talent, Parselmouth, Do Little, Omnilens
Skills: Familiar: 3, Hide Skill: 1, Sneak Skill: 1, "Harry Hunting Bonus"
Spells: 2
*Would you like to Level Up now?*
YES/NO
"Yes," he selected and waited for the numbers to reshuffle.
(Harry James Potter) Level:
Level 3 (295)
Health (HP): 180 (+20 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Magic (MP): 180 (+25 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Stamina: 126 (+1 Utility Belt)
Charisma: 10 (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+5 Familiar)
Stealth: 35 (+5 Familiar) (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+10 Silent Shoes)
Intelligence: 15 (+5 Familiar) (+5 Familiar)
Abilities: Natural Flying Talent, Parselmouth, Do Little, Omnilens
Skills: Familiar: 3, Hide Skill: 1, Sneak Skill: 1, "Harry Hunting Bonus"
Spells: 2
"No Skill points this time, huh? Guess that only happens on even levels or something," he muttered as he Started the world again.
"Most intriguing..." Ollivander was still saying.
With a silent sigh, Harry put on his curious face and asked, "Sorry sir, but what is intriguing?" He then sat there and listened as the wand maker basically accused him of being Voldemort's heir without accusing him of anything. The moment he stopped talking, a Quest icon appeared over Ollivander's head. Seeing Hagrid still pulling himself together, Harry stepped forward, and then through no control of his own, found himself asking, "Sorry again, Mister Ollivander, but is there anything that you need help with today?"
"Well, there is one thing," Ollivander tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It is but a small thing really. You see that wand has sat on my shelf for a great number of years, never chose anyone before you, and its brother was chosen over fifty years ago. I would like to see it in action. I can teach you a basic spell to try it out with. What do you say?"
*QUEST*
OLLIVANDER'S QUALITY TEST
"Ollivander wants to see your wand in action! Rewards: +15 EXP, Spell: Micandeo"
*Would You Like To Accept This Quest?*
YES/NO
Recognizing the basic spell for shooting off colored sparks, and knowing it's better to know lots of low level spells than knowing only one or none high level spells you can't even cast properly, he accepted it immediately. "Yes."
"Right, so go ahead and pull your wand and it is just a simple slash, like so," Ollivander demonstrated. "And all you do is say Micandeo. That's 'mee-can-dee-oh'."
Harry nodded, drew his wand and cast the spell for shooting off sparks. Only for it to fizzle and do nothing. "What?" he exclaimed, surprised at his failure of such a simple spell. He raised his wand again and precisely moved while incanting, "Micandeo!" A single spark shot out, but then it fizzled. Growling with frustration now, he double-checked everything he was doing, even his posture as he cast. Then he stopped.
"Pause!" he growled. "Hints! Number seventy-seven!"
*Hint #7: To use spells properly, after learning them, you must equip them. You can learn as many spells as there are in the Game, but you can only cast a limited number at any time. Your Spell Limit is twice the number of your Level. Also, each spell costs MP, some spells constantly drain MP while others have a one time cost.
"Stupid game, stupid rules, stupid compendium!" Harry pulled the book from his belt and used the options to 'Equip' the spell to his wand. He went ahead and equipped the Thieves Hand spell just so he wouldn't have to do it later. "Start! MICANDEO!"
A solid stream of red and gold sparks poured forth from his wand and continued until his MP ran dry. The spark spell only had a one-time-cost of 1 MP, but by continuing the spell so it was continuous, it became 1 MP per second, so it lasted for quite a while.
"Well, a rough start, but that last display definitely made up for it," Ollivander nodded, satisfied. "Here, a little bonus for you."
*+15 EXP gained!
*Ingredient acquired!
Ollivander handed him a stick. It might have been a wand, but Harry felt no magic from it at all, despite it being the right shape and size for one, but there was no grip or signs of workmanship done on it. It was the same wood as his wand, he recognized that much at least. Harry figured he'd find something to do with it later.
"Thank you sir," Harry said to him, noting as he did the exclamation point over his head had gone from yellow to red.
*Level Up Available!
Harry blinked and said with surprise, "That was quick. Maybe it won't take me as long as I thought to leve up with this thing as I'd thought. Pause. Level."
(Harry James Potter) Level:
Level 3 (310)
Health (HP): 180 (+20 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Magic (MP): 180 (+25 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Stamina: 126 (+1 Utility Belt)
Charisma: 10 (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+5 Familiar)
Stealth: 35 (+5 Familiar) (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+10 Silent Shoes)
Intelligence: 15 (+5 Familiar) (+5 Familiar)
Abilities: Natural Flying Talent, Parselmouth, Do Little, Omnilens
Skills: Familiar: 3, Hide Skill: 1, Sneak Skill: 1, "Harry Hunting Bonus"
Spells: 2
*Would you like to Level Up now?*
YES/NO
"Yes," he selected and waited for the numbers to reshuffle.
(Harry James Potter) Level:
Level 4 (310)
Health (HP): 190 (+20 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Magic (MP): 190 (+25 Familiar) (+25 Familiar)
Stamina: 136 (+1 Utility Belt)
Charisma: 10 (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+5 Familiar)
Stealth: 37 (+5 Familiar) (+1 Chameleon Suit) (+10 Silent Shoes)
Intelligence: 16 (+5 Familiar) (+5 Familiar)
Abilities: Natural Flying Talent, Parselmouth, Do Little, Omnilens
Skills: Familiar: 3, Hide Skill: 1, Sneak Skill: 1, "Harry Hunting Bonus"
Spells: 2
"Guess the Skill points only get found and not applied every level then, huh? That... sucks," he muttered as he Started the world again.
He and Hagrid left Ollivanders and Hagrid picked up everything that Harry didn't have equipped. Turning to the boy, he said, "Well, I'm gonna head to the pub to get a cuppa. When you're ready Harry, I'll take you back to yer home. I'm sure yer relatives must be worried sick by now. Either way, we need to get you home before closing. Have fun! Er, try not to get into too much trouble?"
With that said, the friendly giant walked off, presumably to the Leaky Cauldron as he'd said he would. Surprised by this, Harry just stood there outside of Ollivander's with his Familiars until Hagrid was out of sight. Looking around, he tried to figure out what exactly was going on. "Pause!" he said, deciding it would be better not to be blindsided while he was thinking things through.
This hadn't happened before. In fact, as far as Harry could remember, it had never happened before! He'd never been left on his own, except for that time he'd run away and spent the last bit of summer here on Diagon Alley before his Third Year. But even then, he was watched, he was monitored, he hadn't truly been on his own. Despite this being much the same deal as then, he was still only a child as far as the adults were concerned, not a teenager with a couple years magical education under his belt (not to mention more than a few 'monsters' as well)! That first time with Hagrid, save for when he was getting fitted, the giant hadn't let Harry out of his sight for one minute! Something was going on here, something that...
"Meow!" Midnight called.
"Preck!" Hedwig gently nibbled on his ear.
Harry blinked and looked to his unfrozen familiar and then all around at the frozen world, and the Pause menu hovering in mid-air before him. This was the Game, the revelation came to him. Hagrid was giving him 'time' to further explore the Alley, to accomplish Quests, find the Hidden Secrets, gain more experience. The bit about having a time limit was somewhat worrying, but he'd saved his game, he wouldn't have to start completely over, not to mention his experience and level would carry over regardless!
Smiling widely, he petted his Familiars and said to them, "Midnight, Hedwig—Let's play! Start!"
END Level Three.