Note: Crossover Harry Potter & 1/2 Prince. Destructive thoughts. Gender Bender. Unedited. No Beta. Slow update.

Second Life

02:

It was a few hours before Hermione arrived from their trip. By then, he fell asleep beside Harry, scooping him up protectively against his chest as they both slept peacefully. But he did woke up when Hermione shook him gently awake.

"Ron, wake up!" even when she was waking him softly, Hermione still had that excited tone on hers.

"Hang on Mione," he slurred sleepily as he positioned Harry in a comfortable position as he stood up. He took his wand from his holster and cast freshening charm on his mouth before the two of them went out of the room.

"So, what is it?" he asked as he took his and Hermione's neglected drink earlier before they had to run towards Harry earlier and dunked the contents on the sink. He then started making the drinks they both preferred. His as hot chocolate while Hermione's was the ever bitter black coffee.

"This!" she set three boxes on the table. He finished the drinks he was doing first - ignoring Hermione's impatient foot tapping - before he brought them on the table, giving Mione's own and placing his on the table. It was then he finally inspected the white, unassuming boxes.

He took one, looked at the Chinese characters written on it before taking his wand and casting a translation charm on it.

"Honestly Ron. I thought you were learning Asian languages?" Mione asked while rolling her eyes.

"I did! I still am! But its languages Mione, not written words!" he defended.

"You should have learned about it too!" It was then his turn to roll his eyes.

"Translation charm could do the trick Mione," he didn't bother saying anything as he read the translated text on the box.

Game console.

"You brought a game? A muggle game?" he asked in disbelief. A muggle game wasn't able to bring adrenaline rushes the likes Harry would need! For one, they just have to sit and press multiple buttons to move the character on the television! No matter how exciting it may seem, it still required sitting still and being in one place. Something that wouldn't sit well with him.

Harry is a physical type of person. That type of game would bore him rather quickly.
Not to mention he'd be floundering around not knowing what to do if Hermione ever planned to have him play too. After all, she did brought three consoles. He could guess whom the other two are.

"Don't be daft Ron. The Second Life isn't like anything you've seen played on the internet cafe," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Second Life?" What kind of game was that?

"That's the name of the game downloaded in the game console. I asked for the best and they told me Second Life is the most popular virtual reality game at the moment as it brings almost 99.9% of realism. I'm not sure about that though but from the other people I've interviewed while I was at the store, they said that it really was telling the truth about its realism. I had another game downloaded but I think we should do the Second Life first. Which brings me into another matter," she said all those rapidly and without pausing that others would be blinking in bewilderment and awe, wondering how she managed to say all those without even running out of breath. But he's quite used to her ways - even if he was also amazed at it every time she does it - so he managed to get all of what she was saying.

"Virtual Reality? 99.9% realism?" he was confused at the terms she was throwing around at him. He wanted those questions addressed first before she started on her other matter. She looked at him with her eyes sparkling excitedly and spoke again.

"It's a game that lets you experience the game itself. Like you're living in the game," she started, gushing in praise at the game. For someone who said they were not sure of the realism, she seemed pretty hook at it already. "It's amazing Ron! It was described to me by one of the teens buying it and it sounded brilliant! I'm quite sure Harry will like it! And..." here, her eyes dimmed and her smile was wiped off. "...here, Harry could die multiple times and he'd still be alive, both in the game and here,"

The atmosphere around them were subdued and Ron had to speak to at least fill in the silence. "What game...? Remember our 'adventure' Mione. It's full of adrenaline pumping 'scenes',"

"I know Ronald. Do you take me for an idiot?" she impatiently said. He shook his head. Idiot? Hermione was probably the most intelligent and logical magical person he had ever met. "Trust me, this would be a unique and good experience,"

He hope so.

"And what is this other matter you're telling me?" Hermione's eyes sparkled once again.

"Were changing forms!" she cheerily chirped, taking some potion-filled vial off her potion kit. Two vials contained bubbly pink while one was electric blue.

"Mione... what's that?" he asked warily. He was always wary of encountering any potion ever since the Polyjuice incident back in their second year. Even though it was quite neat and useful potion, it was still yucky and weird drinking the awful tasting potions with other people's essence and changing forms.

She beamed as if she didn't notice his wariness. "It's for us to take when using the game console! The pink ones are for you and Harry while the blue is for me,"

"And what's the purpose of that?"

Her eyes twinkled disturbingly alike Dumbledore. "It's a gender-change potion good for two hours,"

He gaped. And then his mind conjured image of him in female form and he shuddered. "You're going to turn Harry and me into a girl?" he asked, aghast at the very idea.

"Yes. And I'm changing into a guy," she said in a matter-of-fact voice. When he shivered violently at the continued image swimming inside his mind, she frowned. "Is there any problem with being a girl?"

"Of course there is! I'm a guy Mione! I like my bits you know," she rolled her eyes at him.

"You're being completely ridiculous Ron. It's not as if you'll stay that way forever!" she chided him. "Only in the game will you change gender," she added oh so thoughtfully.

His eyes went wide at that. "What? Why?" he asked, devastated at such an idea.

"This game is being played by other muggleborns. I knew about this because Dean was telling about it to Seamus on one of my trips to Diagon Alley while I was in disguised. With how he managed to speak about it, I had wondered if it really was a game or it was in one of the places he managed to visit," she explained.

"So?" he asked. He couldn't quite get why he had to change. He shivered. Hermione's eyes narrowed at him and her hands rested on her hips as she glared at him.

"Think Ron! We're hiding from the magical world! If the muggleborns saw us playing this, the others might do it too or have us track down through the use of the consoles. There are many possibilities of us being found out. It's better to stay safe,"

Oh. "But why do we have to change forms here? Can't we just... change our gender in game?" he shuddered again, even that sounded bad. He really didn't like the thought of being a girl. He never even considered it. No offense to the girls out there but he really didn't like sprouting boulders of chest and his own bits shrinking and disappearing. He blanched at that imagery.

"The consoles will have us run our hands on our entire body while wearing the head gear. It's so the system could check us. When we finally enter the game, the scanned data the consoles acquired about us is what's going to be revealed inside. There would also be no change in gender and faces when creating a character to emphasize its realism. Well, that's what they said to me at least," she said. "And there's nothing wrong with being a girl!"

"For you! You're a girl. I'm a guy. It's simple like that. I'm happy as I am,"

Hermione rolled her eyes again, mumbling what he was sure now as "Boys,"

He ignored her and inspected the boxes again.

"They're safe?"

"Of course!" she stated sounding offended. He apologized and she nodded with a sigh.

"Then let's do this,"

"Alright. I'll set it up," Mione said, voice clearly excited.

"But you're telling Harry Mione,"

"Honestly Ron!"

. . . . .

Harry woke up in a numb state. He didn't move from his position. He just stared at the ceiling and ignored the warmth that was already beside him. He didn't need to look to see that it was only Hermione and Ron. The two people who had always been there for him.

He knew that his condition was making them worry. He knew that they set aside their own grievances, their very life after the war finished just to stay and take care of him. He didn't want them to. He didn't want them to hold off their life just for him. He was holding them back from moving on. He was making them miserable with his sorry state.

But he couldn't help it. Every misfortune that came onto his life, he pushed through with stubbornness, determination and sometimes anger to get out of the depression he would undoubtedly feel whenever something bad happened.

His relatives he dealt with indifference as even though he comprehended that they were his only living family, they never made themselves endear to him. He tried hard to gain their love and approval, only to have it thrown onto him without consideration and repeatedly stabbing it viciously without care. There was a lot he couldn't understand with result to his unfortunate childhood.

Friendship.

Family.

Love.

It was deprived from him from his very young age so when he was thrown towards a new world he didn't even know, he floundered around and his hope of new life that he managed to beat back at the very corner of his heart overwhelmed him that the very people who first treated him nice, he held extremely close to his heart.

Ron and Hermione.

Hagrid.

The Weasleys.

Sirius.

Remus.

His other friends, teammates and even his classmates. Even if they have an ever-changing attitude around him along with the rest of the Wizarding World, they still accepted him. They still 'loved' him. Even if they only did because of a result of an unfortunate circumstances that rid them of their Dark Lord problem, his ridiculous title and his role as their savior.

He still did his duty.

Even if his very life went to hell.

But now everything is fine. There was no use for him. They squeezed everything he could give and then some and now, he was left without a purpose. Without use. There was even nothing to go back to. Everything and everyone close to his heart was either gone or was right beside him.

And now he was dragging Ron and Hermione towards his hell and he didn't want that for them.

So he wanted it all to end.

Why couldn't they allow it? He wanted peace. He wanted to be with his family. He knew that he'd be leaving Ron and Hermione by themselves as the three of them were the only one left in their family but he was sure they'd be able to live without him.

They're stronger than him. They still had a life ahead of them. With him gone, they'd be able to pursue them.

So really, his death would be beneficial to all of them.

So why are they being stubborn and wanted him to still stay? Didn't he deserve peace? He think so. And the peace he wanted was permanent.

And he was sure death could give it to him. And then he realized that even Death didn't want him to rest. That he 'deserved a second chance at life' and he had to take it already. It came right out of the entity's very own mouth when he just came onto his dream and berated him as being too eager to come to his domain.

"You don't have to worry about your place in my domain. You are my Master. Thus, you already have a place here even if you are still alive in the mortal world. I want you to live happily before coming to my side Master. You deserve it,"

And now he didn't know what to do. He knew that his suicidal thoughts wouldn't go away that quickly. And even though his darker thoughts wasn't able to consume him this time as he was woken up by the words of Death himself - being told that he wasn't welcome in the land of the dead if he was actively seeking it would do that to you, especially if it was the Death deity himself who told that - there were still thoughts that could provoke him into wanting to off himself again when an opportunity comes.

"Harry?" he didn't react to Hermione's voice. She still continued though even though he wasn't giving any outward reaction. But unlike the other times he ignored his two best friends, his brother and sister in all but blood talked to him on his off days, this time he listened.

"I found some game that I know you would definitely like!" she said, voice chirping cheerily as if he had reacted on her earlier query. He didn't move. "It's just a muggle game yes, but it's unique. This game isn't going to be just sitting in front of a TV and pressing buttons. You're the one who will be literally moving your character!" Hermione's voice finally sounded genuine in its excitement. He could already picture it inside his mind. Her eyes would be sparkling and her lips would be set into a happy grin.

"What? Really?" Ron's voice suddenly piped in, disbelief and excitement warred on his tone. He could imagine him looking at Hermione like she was jesting and at the same time wickedly brilliant. His blue eyes opening wide as he settled the information Hermione was freely giving inside his brain.

Picturing it inside his mind made him snap out of his numb state and realize that he'd been so focused on himself that he hadn't even seen his friend's faces without them looking wary, worried and tense.

He moved to look at them and they both froze, looking at him with wide-eyed hope.

"Harry?" they both simultaneously asked.

"Game?" he asked hoarsely.

It took a second before he saw his brother and sister giving him a too wide, delighted grin.

TBC.

A/N:

Hey guys! I made it as MOD!Harry. I just couldn't resist. I don't think that's important at this time but we'll see.

And you see about the game console's use? It's from SAO. I'm sure you know. I just don't understand Yu Wo's as I read the manga and not the novel. In there, the protagonist only put on her head gear and slept. I didn't quite like that so I went with SAO reference.

Anyway, hope you like this!