Hey everyone, What's Good? Welcome to a brand-new story I'd been playing around with writing for a while. To get this out of the way: I don't own anything related to the Worm universe, or the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts/Wizarding World Universe. The only thing that 'I' own going forward will be my OC's, and the very way that the story plays out. With all that being said I feel like it's enough for now, so let's go ahead and jump into the story of The Wizard of Brockton Bay!
"So…you're telling me I got hit by a bus because You willed it to happen?"
[…APOLOGY]
It had been a relatively normal day for him as far as everything went.
He'd finally gotten a day off among the many thirteen to fourteen-hour workdays he'd been working for nigh on four months…
They'd decided to go to the park, which was odd but not unwelcome.
For February the weather was actually quite mild, and if asked he'd easily tell anyone that in his thirty years of life this was probably the mildest winter he'd ever experienced.
The place had been surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly full considering the state of the weather; and with it being a weekend.
Groups of kids were scattered about with their parents, and it seemed as though it would be a wonderful day for all involved.
But that's when it had happened.
He'd separated from them for just a few moments, needing to have to answer natures call.
Stepping out of the park bathroom he saw his son starting to walk across the street to the separated section of the park where his mother was near the soccer field…
And that's when he saw the car.
In hindsight... he should have just yelled out to him.
Called out to his son to tell him to wait.
His son wouldn't have walked into the road if he'd just yelled a warning, him being the very loud person that he was there would have been no way for his son to have missed the shouting.
He felt like he had run the fastest he'd ever ran in his life in that moment, his legs and lungs both burning as though they'd explode from his efforts, his heart hammering in his chest like a jackhammer.
He cleared the distance, and at the approach of his pounding feet his son whipped around to look at him; a look of utter shock plastering upon his face at the sight of him.
He came off his feet in a dive, and pushed his son with all the force that he could muster.
Thankfully it had been enough, and his young son even though he was a thirteen-year-old; flew a few feet back and onto the grass on the side of the road because of the force of the push.
He was away from any danger.
Even before hitting the hard black concrete, he'd accepted his lot…he was about to die.
But it didn't matter.
He'd done the one thing he'd sworn he would always do if necessary. The one thing any and every parent should be willing to do.
He was going to die for his only child, and he had no regrets about it.
But after a moment from hitting the ground, he heard a screech as the speeding vehicle swerved around his prone form on the ground, flying by as the driver started honking their horn loudly at him.
The adrenaline from the very thought of what could have been was still going, and even though he felt the minor scrapes he gained from the fall depositing small rivulets of blood onto his skin underneath his clothes on his arms and legs; he didn't care.
He made it to his feet in almost an instant, and he brought his eyes up to look at his family; his wife having closed the distance to their downed son.
He locked eyes with them a small smile building on his face, the fact that they were both safe fueling his happiness.
BAM
He hadn't heard or even seen the bus…
But he'd been briefed on it upon meeting…whatever he was supposed to call this thing.
Death... is meant to be the end.
None of us know for sure what comes next afterwards, if there's anything to come after at all. The discussion typically becoming a war of belief versus what could be quantified.
He could easily remember the horrible instantaneous pain he'd just experienced, as he was quite familiar with the concept of pain in general.
Cuts, bruises, and breaks a plenty he'd had in his life before then.
Upon everything coming back to what he'd call the 'light of day' after the hit, he found himself temporarily blinded. Thrown back into that pitch blackness, though not because he'd suffered death.
Upon gaining his vision again his sight was assaulted by a corona of color, and so much brightness he felt as though he'd lose his sight.
After a few moments of clenching his eyes shut tightly he tentatively opened them slowly, and after a moment he finally understood just why his vision had been assaulted so.
Stars.
The landscape, or lack thereof in this case; was completely covered in Celestial bodies.
He found himself completely robbed of his breath in that moment, that strange feeling of being insignificant settling upon him as he took in the vast array of colors and brightness before him as he floated in the deep void of space.
Swirling and burning pockets of light all of different shapes and size danced before him, and for the longest of moments he'd found himself completely dumbstruck.
When he finally found himself able to process all of it the thought dawned on him and put him right back to where he'd been only moments ago; a swell of panicked and mystified thoughts overcoming him in a rush.
'How am I here?!'
'Why am I here?!'
'Is This what heaven is supposed to be like?!'
A jumble of thoughts began to assault his mind, and he thought he'd possibly pass out from the overclocking his brain was going through…if such a thing was even possible anyway.
All of that was cast aside, however.
He believed he was somehow floating impossibly through space…
But if he was floating through the vastness of space, then he couldn't explain why he felt as though he was being watched.
Sure enough though the answer became clear, as a strange kind of pressure settled upon not just his mind, but his very body.
It was at that point…that It had seemingly bloomed into life before him in a massive new corona of bright and light blue lights.
Seeing it left him completely and utterly terrified.
He could remember having conversations with friends about different fears before, and in that moment, he felt himself overcome by a bout of 'Megalophobia'.
Throughout his life he'd been around things bigger than him sure…trees, boulders, some animals (considering he'd been on an actual safari), and especially buildings when having visited cities like New York.
The…thing… floating before him in that first moment though…
It was larger than anything he'd ever seen, never mind the fact that he was in close proximity to it.
Its body looked like an amalgamated crystalized flesh mound, yet seemingly covered in glowing blue light which clearly illuminated that said mound was in constant flux. It was even at that very moment though seemingly not moving yet undulating and twisting in and out on itself.
It was a slightly nauseating thing to watch yet still somehow almost beautiful, and he could swear that there was a puzzle that he'd seen and worked on that moved the same way as the thing before him did…but the name of said puzzle escaped his erratically thinking mind.
What didn't escape him, was the memory of the conversation he'd had with one of his best friends that told him exactly what could be; and probably was before him.
'This thing is an Entity.'
That thought seemingly triggered something, as the pressure that had been seemingly encompassing his entire physical being shrank back from his body in a minute way… the pressure dialing down to something just above bearable though still wholly unwelcome.
Any feeling of comfort he would have gained from the receding of the feeling was completely overshadowed though, as a voice that he could never describe echoed within the confines of his mind.
[GREETINGS]
Even being toneless, the sheer volume of said greeting shook him to his core; causing him to clap both hands to his ears as he pulled in on himself for a moment.
After a few moments passed he opened his eyes while slowly dropping his hands from his ears.
After doing so, he found his gaze brought back to the floating Entity in front of him, and the sight of it caused him to feel the need to pinch himself as now the fear he'd been feeling was dialing away and giving into a mix of skepticism and wonder.
Bringing his right hand to his left arm, he did so solidly; the feeling jarring him a bit.
He looked down at his own arm as he finished the pinch and then brought his gaze back up again before speaking out loud, which in itself again left him reeling; as the act should not have been possible in the first place.
'If this is space, how am I breathing or talking out loud?!'
"Is this…really real?"
[AFFIRMATION]
The response once again echoed within the confines of his mind, but the volume had clearly been accounted for due to his reaction as the sound had dropped to what would be considered direct conversation instead of booming out loud.
So many things boggled his mind about all of it.
The how, the why, what it meant, what it was even for…
All of it left him feeling slightly dizzy.
'I'm not equipped for this.'
He was left unable to have any ponderings over it however as once again the Entity spoke out to him.
[AGITATION. GREETINGS]
Said repeat of the greeting pulled him from his own deeper thoughts, and to the memory of the information his friend Sauron had shared with him via Discord.
The Entity's didn't think like people did, nor did they feel like normal people did.
'So, the fact that I'm struck by wonder and fear doesn't mean a damn thing to this Entity. It wants something…and if I don't at least try and communicate fast this thing may turn me into a smear in space.'
Having thought quickly about it, he did the only thing he could think that would matter…
"Umm…Hi. I'm Jackson, Jackson Alan. Who are you?"
…
In hindsight, questioning something like an Entity was the dumbest thing he'd ever done, even if it was just for the process of introduction. Especially knowing what little he did. The most he himself could say to know with any clarity was that Entity's didn't particularly care for anything except finding a way to stop the inevitable entropy of the universe.
'So why would one care for manners or introductions?'
Fortunately, that feeling of stupidity was washed away as said Entity actually responded to his question.
[GREETINGS. DESIGNATION]
The response caught him slightly flatfooted as a name flooded his mind, and it took a few moments for him to remember that much like humans some of the Entity's did in fact have names.
'Taylors shard was called 'Queen Administrator' or some crap if I remember right.'
[AFFIRMATION]
…
In that moment, it became clear that none of his thoughts were private anymore, and that concept sent a new sweeping wave of terror through him the likes of which he'd never felt before.
He didn't know how to proceed…he didn't want to proceed…
But 'Magus' apparently had other plans outside of what he wanted or felt comfortable with.
[DATA]
He'd look back on the event later in life with a derisive snort or chuckle every time it would come up, but in the moment as it happened all that kept flying through his mind was that what was happening to him felt like what he'd always imagined a reverse Legilimency or reverse mind reading attack would feel like.
Instead of someone tearing through his mind, reading and riffling through his personal thoughts and feelings; what felt like a ridiculous amount of information was simply dumped… deposited into his brain.
He had once again curled in on himself, for an unknown amount of time, doing his best to cope with exactly what had just happened.
'…Memories.'
He'd been assaulted with said memories.
Ones that were not his own, and yet decidedly very much so.
Memories of a life, a life far different and yet very much like the one he'd actually lived.
Said memories showed him living what could be considered a normal life…
But this life he watched unfold, that he had not lived, was filled with something that his original life had not been filled with.
'Magic.'
The blur of memories that seemingly stood alongside the ones of the life he knew he'd lived, depicted a life as though he'd grown up in the world of Harry Potter.
Each memory, so life like…so enchanting in its own way.
So many things about the memories being the same, his family still very much the same and yet sooo very different.
His primary schooling experience ending upon his admittance to Illvermorny School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
A different set of vastly different events, leading all the way up into his adulthood where he perished in an accident while working as a Magizoologist; having learned at the feet of the great Newt Scamander himself.
When his mind was finally quiet and filled with a lack of activity, he brought himself back to a fully upright floating position so that he could look upon the Entity again.
He found himself with a simple question.
"Why?"
He didn't have to wait long for an answer.
[DATA]
This time, the rush of information was much different.
This set of information didn't have what could be construed as actual memories, this was more like watching a television show on rerun.
'But the endings were all the same.'
The end of the world…happening on a constant loop.
The events were never exactly the same…
But a violent and terrible end would come, and there was little any had been able to do to stop it in each scenario.
Steps had been taken and taken by many.
In some of them things even tended to play out close to how Jack knew they would from his conversations with his friend.
But the vast majority would play out and end the same, and Magus was... displeased... to say the least.
With the other information Jack now understood in the broad strokes just who Magus was, and why he was doing what he'd done.
Magus was different.
Magus could use magic.
The sheer number of different Entity's was not something Jack believed he'd ever be able to wrap his head around, as science wasn't his thing. He understood in the basic form of human logic what an Entity's size was like, but that didn't mean he could quantify it.
What he could understand was that Magus had magic, and that he had come to understand and wield it so well that he was able to pull himself outside of the cycle.
If Jack had to akin Magus to someone, then the automatic comparison was to the like of 'The Watcher' from Marvel comics…
'Accept Magus seems like a slightly more invested kind of person than the 'Watcher', since this feels like something he's decided to do quite early.'
Jack didn't know for a fact if this was true, for all he knew Magus had been inactive for hundreds or thousands of years.
But what he did know was that this Entity, this thing with more power and ability than anything else he could imagine had pulled him from his life.
"I'm not quite sure if an apology makes up for you doing this…but I imagine there's no going back is there?"
[AFFIRMATION]
He honestly disliked the way that Entity's expressed themselves and hoped that he wouldn't have to do it too much if ever again after whatever happened next.
"Okay. So, If I'm understanding you right, you want me to help. You're sending me to a version of Earth Bet, and you want me to do all I can to help make sure that things head in the direction of ensuring that the entire World doesn't wind up wiped out. I'm doing this because you think that eventually the answer to the question you've all been looking for the answer too will be On this Earth…is that right?"
[AFFIRMATION]
The way it had been stressed, that might have been the closest thing to excitement that Jackson could say an Entity would express; and at the very least it had confirmed his own thoughts.
"Okay…sure. Why the hell not, it's abundantly clear that I can't go home…so I might as well."
'Am I going along with this too readily...' Jack thought before quickly shaking his head and focusing on Magus once again.
"So, Magus, what do I do?"
The answer was almost instantaneous.
[EXPLANATION]
For the third time Jackson found his mind assailed with information, though this one was far shorter; and it wasn't the knowledge itself that garnered a reaction from him.
It had started as a small spark…
But after a moment he felt as though his entire being was on fire.
If ever asked to recount how long he felt the burning feeling had lasted for, the only answer he'd give would be too long.
Even floating as he was, when it was over, he was bent in half with his hands on his knees; deep heaving breathes coming out of him.
He knew it would be there when he lifted his gaze again, as Magus's position had shifted just enough to allow him to now witness what had bloomed to life before him.
A brand-new constellation pattern had been born before him in this section of space, an array of stars made to look as though it had taken the shape of an Elder Tree.
Magus had in fact perused his mind, and planned to make this happen in a way so that Jackson could actually keep up.
'I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the guy could have at least pretended to treat me like I have a modicum of decent intelligence.'
That thought drew a reaction from the Entity that shocked Jack.
[AMUSEMENT]
Magus had deigned to use his magic to Give Jack magic…
'And of course, it's based on something I have to have decent knowledge of, so he built the entire 'Mote Tree' around the Harry Potter verse. Well... it could be a lot worse I guess.'
Magus had made it so that he could now use magic, and that over time through gaining experience much like any of the Meta's on Earth Bet he'd get stronger.
As of the moment he'd have strength equivalent to a full-grown adult Auror, which Jackson could easily say he was thankful for.
A standard Auror wasn't necessarily the most powerful of wizards, but to be one you had to at least have a modicum of power and talent.
'And with the ability to grow stronger behind it? Who knows. Maybe I can make some kind of a real difference.'
Among the knowledge he gained from Magus Jack also knew that he'd be the only one of his kind on Earth Bet, the only magic user, which fortunately gave him a few advantages…
'The biggest being that I don't have anyone or anything pushing me towards conflict…no offense Magus.'
His thought about that went unanswered, and he was wondering if he had offended said Entity when it deigned to speak to him again.
[DATA. FAREWELL]
The last bit of information Jack gained was that he wouldn't in fact be seeing Magus again…
And that Magus expected great things from him.
'Cheeky extraterrestrial god mound.' Jack thought with a laugh as he considered that last parting bit before he was taken by the feeling of falling.
Said feeling was then joined by the feeling of unconsciousness coming upon him, as suddenly as if he'd been cold cocked in the face by a very strong punch.
…
An unknowable amount of time passed, but then Jack found himself jumping awake; startled by a small breeze that wafted across his face.
After jumping awake he took a moment to look at himself and the surrounding area, the first thoughts being that he needed to make sure he was safe.
Upon the quick look he noticed that he was on a beach, a not so very clean beach but on a beach none the less; with no other people in the immediate vacinity.
'Weird. Déjà vu anyone.' Jack thought as a strange feeling niggled at the back of his mind before he stood to his full height and took stock of himself; finding that he was thankful to be fully dressed.
He had on a pair of jet-black steel toe combat boots, a dark grey pair of cargo pants, a black wife beater shirt, and a black leather jacket that upon closer inspection rang very familiar against his memory.
Said jacket had been one that he'd worn in his early twenties when he'd first joined the service in his old life, though once he'd passed the age of twenty-five it had no longer fit so it had been discarded.
After taking a moment to stretch and get a feel for his body, he concluded that Magus had in fact de-aged him as he had projected he would.
'Glad he threw in some of clothes that are too my liking too.' Jack thought as he quickly did his best to dust the layer of sand off of not only his clothes but the side of his face and the back of his partially shaved head.
Throughout his early career he'd worn his hair in a high and tight cut, doing his best to keep up with the military look.
'Don't exactly have to worry about that now though…do I?' Jack thought before shaking his head in an effort to clear his mind of the creeping in depressing train of thought.
Knowing that there was no time like the present, Jack acted on the only piece of advice that Magus had given him before sending him to whatever version of Earth Bet this was.
He closed his eyes briefly, shutting out the vision of the water and the island in the distance before he took a deep breath, and began focusing on his magic.
Magus had given him the knowledge that he'd have access to his 'Mote Tree' in the same vein that he'd be able to work on the branch of magic that was known as 'Occlumency'. Jack would simply have to clear his mind and focus on his magic.
The simple third step of the process would be to differentiate in his mind which he wanted to deal with, and in this vein, it would allow him to spend the 'Mote points' he would gain through life and magical experience.
As his connection was made, he felt the same feeling of vastness settle over him, and in that he opened his eyes to see his Elder Tree again. Time wouldn't pass in the real world as he dealt with looking at his 'Mote Tree', and for that Jack was grateful.
'Just give a guy the chance to actively plan or take a mental breather while dealing with something stressful. Say what you will about the whole thing, but at least there's that little bonus. Magus made it like Skyrim's perk system, and I know that thing well enough.'
Many years later, Jack would come to realize that Magus had in fact done something to his brain to make him far more pliant and accepting of his new situation…but by then it would matter little anymore. He'd even look back and be grateful, as it had helped ease the transition.
As Jack stared at his 'Mote Tree' he focused upon the base of it to pull himself closer so that he could examine each and every mote; and took in the sheer number of them that he could fill in.
The motes themselves took up the appearance of star leaves outside of a select few on the bark, and each was a glittering corona or rainbow mixed color; the kind of display that would have some artists weeping for the sheer beauty of the mixed and brilliant colors.
Magus's info dump had made it quite clear, that Jack could pick from any of the four branch's at any time he wished when he had the necessary 'Mote points' to spend, but that he would have to stay in the order of which they were available; along with the fact that he had to pick the first mote at the base of the tree to even begin doing anything on his now magical journey.
'Because of course we can't allow for any spontaneity.'
At the very least, Magus had been kind enough to give him two motes to start with as a kind of payment…not only for the violent nature of his 'death', but for the fact that he'd made him leave his entire life behind.
With only a single nervous breath coming out, knowing that once he began there'd be no going back Jack focused on the mote at the base of the brightly shining star tree, and mentally used the First of his two points.
At that moment, once again a feeling of deep warmth encapsulated his entire being...
But unlike the first time this wasn't painful or hot in the slightest.
It was welcoming, and it felt as though he'd not only gained a part of himself that he'd never known he needed; but that he'd also gained something he'd lost.
That feeling was followed by a light weight settling comfortably into his right hand as he brought it up before his gaze, and Jack didn't bother trying to feel for the description of what the mote; instead, he simply brought his gaze down onto what he knew sat in his hand.
'Aspen wood, 14 inches, reasonably supple flexibility, excellent for charms, and martial magic; a wand…for a revolutionary.' Jack thought to himself, doing his best to channel Ollivander's voice tone in his head as he considered the wand that had been deemed his with a bright smile on his face.
Not wanting to remain idle, after allowing himself to enjoy that moment of nostalgic indulgence for a few seconds longer he turned his focus back to the tree, and his remaining point he could spend.
The options were varied, his spending options being divided into four separate categories: Power, Knowledge, Useful Items, and the final branch that actually had a far more darkened and unlit branch with no name and surprisingly the least amount of leaves.
Dragging his gaze from the final branch proved to be slightly difficult, and it had left him feeling off as though he'd had to pull himself back from the edge of a dark abyss.
He quickly shook his head so as not to focus too hard on the branch again, and then made his decision, turning his eyes to the 'Useful Items' branch.
He glanced up it and came upon the first mote leading upwards, and upon registering not only the name of the mote but its description; he found himself filled with childish glee.
'A 'Case' for all Occasions: You've taken into your possession a case much like the one belonging to the revolutionary Magizoologist Newt Scamander. Inside of said case you shall find a small workshop, sleeping quarters for the traveling and aspiring Magizoologist, a small fully stocked kitchenette, a bathroom suitable for two occupants, and of course the most important aspect of your case; 'The Preserve'. Said Preserve is understandably large even by wizarding dwelling and enclosure standards, as part of the journey you have set upon is to become a fully certified Magizoologist in your own right. Do remember to take great care, as not only is the world wrought with many dangers…but sometimes one's home can be too if you're not careful. It can happen when one brings their work home with them. Just ask my darling wife Tina. –Newt'
The last bit of the mote's description notwithstanding, it clearly showed that if he took it…he'd wind up with a wizarding case like the one Newt had in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
'It may even be Newt's case!' Jack thought before making what he felt was his only really good decision at that moment and gave said mote his full focus.
It took only a moment as it had with the very first one, but the point vanished, and Jack not only watched but felt the mote blaze to life as a comfortable weight settled into the grip of his left hand.
While his eyes were still closed Jack focused, and as sure as he'd slipped away and into seeing the 'Mote Tree' he found himself back and standing on the beach, the smell of the sea air and the sound of the wafting waves and flying gulls in his ears.
Looking down, his wand was still in hand as was his new case; and it was the sight of said dark brown leather case that truly pulled him in.
It looked slightly larger than he imagined the case from the Fantastic Beasts movie was, and the color was definitely a few shades darker; though he supposed he was happy as it was far closer to the color scheme of what he was wearing at that moment.
Turning his back on the bay itself and the large facility that was being worked on upon the island in the distance, Jack started at a slight speed walk up the length of beach to the set of stone steps that would take him off of the beach and bring him to a currently empty road.
Upon alighting on the sidewalk Jack did a quick cursory look up and down the street and followed that up by looking at all the buildings in front of him across the road, most of them being two story homes that seemed to go on into a more residential area the farther you pushed back.
The area seemed nice enough, but the emptiness of the streets filled Jack with a bit of disquiet, so he quickly walked across the black paved street and onto the identical sidewalk in front of the lined houses.
Now being able to take a better look at the area, Jack noticed that a couple of the homes seemed to be in great disrepair; and that a few of the driveways were empty, while some of the lawns were completely overgrown.
Slowly making his way up to one of the two story homes, he crossed over the cracked and dented driveway of what seemed like a mud brown shingled house in front of him, he made his way up the five concrete step stoop.
After finding himself standing right before the dark wood door that would lead inside, Jack glanced about briefly to ensure he wasn't being watched before doing his best to focus on his magic while tightening his grip on his wand.
"Homenum Revelio." Jack intoned as he kept his head on a swivel while also trying to focus on the outline of the house before him.
At first Jack was worried that he hadn't said the incantation correctly, so he tried it a second time, and then after a few moments tried to do it again.
'Okay. So just because I've got the memories and the wand, doesn't mean it's going to be easy.'
Breathing out a sigh Jack quickly set his case down to try the door and gladly found that the brass knob turned quite easily, signaling that the house might just be empty.
Having not seen anyone around to pay attention to him Jack quickly popped the door a bit and allowed it to swing inwards.
"Hello?" Jack called out, trying to get a feel for if there was anyone in the house.
After calling out a second time Jack took the risk of fully moving inside and setting his case down, before turning to the door and trying his next incantation.
Again, he was met with no effect, but this time he'd felt a swell within himself, so he focused just a bit harder and tried again.
"Colloportus." Jack said, the door quickly making a clicking sound before the door glowed briefly white all over, signaling that the charm had adhered and would at the very least keep the front door inaccessible to basic means.
Following that Jack sighed out loud before he made his way through the house and came to understand that the place had clearly been abandoned for some reason, though he couldn't venture as to why. The majority of the everything was clean and in one peace, though the back door was clearly knocked in as it was barely hanging by one of its hinges at an odd angle in the kitchen. A quick glance into the back yard showed that much like the front the lawn was completely overgrown, but with the kicked in back door the impression that the house was no longer lived in was now overwhelming.
A quick Reparo (Which Thankfully worked the first time) followed by another application of Colloportus left Jack feeling a bit more secure in his new position.
After ensuring that no one could simply just walk in on him while he was in this home he walked around the downstairs, checking for signs of just who had lived here; or even something that would show that they were coming back.
No family photos existed, not on any of the surfaces that Jack could speak of, there was no food in the fridge, and walking out of the secondary door in the kitchen admitted him into the empty dining room.
Passing through the open archway in front of him took him into the living room and gave him the full basic understanding of the downstairs layout.
On the small brown rectangular coffee table in front of him sat a paper, and its contents gave Jack quite the shock.
'August 12th, 1998?! So, my age got regressed And I time traveled?' Jack thought with shock.
The process had worked wonders for the downstairs, so after clearing his head Jack decided that the same treatment could be used for the upstairs. Jack climbed the singular flight of dark brown wooden steps, his ascension proving to be slightly noisy as the steps were clearly worn in; deeply audible creaks giving away his position as he moved upward.
Upon alighting at the top of the steps he saw a beautiful stained-glass window on his right depicting a sunset, and for a moment it held his gaze.
That changed quickly however, as his nose finally registered the smell.
His heart felt like it had bottomed out into his stomach, as he recognized the rotting smell.
Gently setting his case down next to the top of the banister he methodically moved room to room, finding two smaller bedrooms that were clearly for children one boy and one girl respectively, a singular bathroom with a sliding glass door for the shower, and even a door that led into a back work office.
None of the aforementioned spots had contained the source of the rotting smell…
Which left only the door that would lead into what was presumably the master bedroom of the home.
Not bothering to waste another moment, Jack opened the door…
He'd unfortunately been right.
The room had a queen-sized bed, two dressers, two nightstands, a cabinet that had a clearly older model box television sitting on it…
And in the center of the room was the ceiling fan, which had a young African American woman dangling from it.
She was clearly in a state of undress and had been attacked; if the series of gashes and other physical wounds were anything to go by.
The smell was almost overpowering, and it took everything Jack had not to wretch openly.
Turning towards the large dark wood dresser on his right up against the right-hand wall Jack was able to see the crude spray painted symbol on the mirror, the swastika.
'The fuckers came into their home and savaged her.' Jack thought as fury began to bubble up inside of him, remembering that the Empire 88 was a premiere gang in Brockton Bay.
It took him a moment to gather himself, and he'd barely noticed it, but he could have sworn that the lights inside the room from not only the hanging fan, but the small desk lamps had flickered on and off.
'Gonna have to control my temper. Last thing I need to do is have a bout of accidental magic in a fit of rage.'
The state of the young woman proved that she'd been left behind for a while, though for just how long Jack could only guess.
'There's no telling exactly how long ago this happened…Note to self: remember to kick the teeth in of every single Empire member I find from this point forward. No exceptions.' Jack thought before trying to carefully point his wand at the rope suspending the woman from the fan.
"Diffindo." Jack said, watching as a bright small burst of white light left his wand and sliced the rope, dropping the young woman's body to the floor in a heap with a resounding thud.
Stepping carefully past her body he came to stand by the windows facing the street out front, and pulled the maroon-colored drapes back just enough so he could look to see how bright it would still be outside.
Upon noticing that it was still rather bright out Jack gave his wand a brief twirl before watching the tip.
"Tempus."
Jack watched as his wand sprayed out a small jet of smoke that quickly took the appearance of the small clock face, before the arms and hands glowed lightly blue showing the time of day.
'3:38 PM'
Jack took a moment to think, as he clearly wouldn't be able to just take the young woman's corpse outside.
He wanted to give her a proper burial, wanted to give her some semblance of peace and respect, but he was worried about being able to do so in broad daylight, and his search of the house had given away no clues as to who she actually was; so it all felt as though it was a moot point.
'At the very least I can leave her a burial marker. I'll carve one out later for her. I can't believe that in a house this big she was just left like this. Where was her family? Where were the police?!' Jack thought, as a feeling of despair started to encroach on him.
After a few more quiet moments he came to a decision, and then a quick combination of the Evanesco and Scourgify spells saw the young woman's corpse disposed of; any possible evidence of her being removed.
After doing it Jack kneeled down and closed his eyes for a moment, sending a prayer up that the young woman would hopefully have found peace in the hereafter; solidifying that after he'd examined the case, he'd set up a burial marker for her in the back yard regardless of the possible consequences if he was seen.
Jack gathered his case after that and quickly then repeated what he'd done with the front and back doors downstairs, before getting ready to take the plunge of going into his case; desperately needing the distraction that the inside of it would bring so that he could get his thoughts away from the unbelievably heavy situation he'd just had to deal with.
'Not even here for a few hours and I'm already cleaning up horrible messes. Christ…Earth Bet really does suck huh?'
Setting the case at the foot of the bed, Jack popped the latches and opened the lid.
He made his way over to the edge and looked down, seeing that warm light bathed a room that was clearly made of an old and polished wood.
Doing his best to maintain his balance, he made the first step over the ledge before slowly descending into the confines of the case.
Jack wouldn't know it until a little later, but the case thankfully shut closed right behind him as he made his way deeper into his new dwelling; a small button having clicked seemingly by itself on the front face of the case, with the display upon it now saying, 'Muggle Ready'.
Annd that's a wrap for the first Chapter Ya'll! I hope that this has piqued your interest. This is gonna not only be my second jump into doing something involving the Worm verse, but it's also now the second time that Jackson Alan my OC/SI is gonna take a stab at being in a Meta/Magically driven world. For a little bit of context/as a reminder in case I botched it up; Jackson is now 20 years old here as of the end of this chapter. He now officially has magic like those from the HP verse, and he's now begun his magical/heroic journey. Will he always make good decisions? Will he be haunted by the ghosts of his own past? Will he be successful and make a solid difference for Bet and The Worm verse? All this and more will unfold as the story progresses! Please Fave and Follow, and of course if it please you Leave a Review! Whether its questions or comments, I love to read reviews...even if some of the guest one's get a little weird at times lol. Well, that's all for now folks. I hope you all are doing well, do your best to stay safe, happy, and healthy and I'll see you at the next one! This is Sojiro, signing off! Laters Gators!