Harry Potter: Rise of an Empire.
Disclaimer: If you recognize anything in this story, I don't own it.
"Text." - Speech.
'Text.' - Thoughts.
'Text.' - Salem.
"Text." - Goa'uld voice.
A/N: Want to address minor plot hole, basically 'how did the Goa'uld symbiote put the top of the stasis jar on when he was inside it'. I actually have no answer for that, sorry guys and gals, it slipped right past me so please ignore it.
Secondly, I'll be assuming that you all have some basic knowledge of the SG universe so I'll be using words native to that universe. (I.E: Chappa'ai = Stargate and Ha'tak = Goa'uld mothership.)
Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 6: Through the Looking Glass.
"You want me to do what?" A shocked looking Ranglow asks, staring at me with wide eyes.
I sigh and take a deep breath, trying not to laugh at the look on his face or sneer at his stupidity.
"I plan to be away for a long time, as such I require someone to manage my finances, someone other than a member of the High Council that I haven't even met." I explain slowly, for the second time. "Despite it's massive growth these last few months, I've managed to squander away much of my fortune."
Which is quite true seeing as I only have two hundred thousand galleons remaining in my family vault, a tenth of what I had last month.
"As such, I am declaring you regent of Houses Potter and Black, as well as manager of my accounts." I continue, smirking in satisfaction. "You will be able to invest my money as you please and fifteen percent of all profits will go to you."
He still seems a bit shocked so I continue on.
"Of course, we'll have to sign a standard regency contract but I'm sure you have one on hand." I continue. "You will, of course, be oath bound to consider my needs first and those of the Nation second."
After a few seconds of silence, he seems to catch up with my words and begins searching for the contract.
"T-this is unprecedented Mr. Potter, a Goblin becoming regent of not one but two Ancient and Noble houses." He stammers out, throwing documents aside in his search. "I am truly honored."
"Don't mention it Ranglow, it's only fitting I choose you for the position, you're one of the few I trust." I reply with a grin, lying straight through my teeth.
As regent of my houses, he will have all the rights I would gain when I come of age. Seats on the Wizengamot, a few noble titles, votes in the House of Lords and a seat on the Hogwarts board of directors. All in all, he'd just gained a huge increase in political clout, both in the Nation and the wizarding world.
None of this matters to me however, all I want is someone to make me money while I'm gone, a Goblin seems to be the best bet.
Ranglow eventually finds the contract and we sign in blood, binding us to its laws, although most of them restrict his actions more than mine. With our business concluded, I give the Goblin a farewell nod and exit the bank.
Time to do some shopping.
I'm leaving this reality soon and I need some supplies, mostly just books to study and food for Salem and I, just enough to tide us over until I reclaim my slaves and territories. Maybe I'll even pick up some magical supplies, I might need them where I'm going.
As I exit my last stop of the day, a wizarding grocery store down the street from the Leaky Cauldron, I'm met with quite an annoying sight.
"Dumbledore." I snarl, glaring at the old man in his long magenta and yellow robes, quite the eyesore.
Strangely enough, when considering our combined fame, no one seems to notice us, probably a Notice-Me-Not charm.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, I am quite glad to see that my suspicions were correct." He says in his grandfatherly tone, smiling like a loon.
"How did you find me?" I snap back, very annoyed.
I took extra care to make sure my disguise was on today, I still wanted people to think that Snape and the Death Eater have caused me to leave Britain.
He smiles at me benignly, as if we're friends and he didn't try and kidnap me a couple weeks ago, an offense that I really must repay him for. I can't help but wonder why I let him live in the first place, normally such disrespect would have ended with the torture and death of the perpetrator, it seems a bit out of character for me, not very Goa'uld like at all.
"I simply had one of my people keep an eye out for any children meeting with Gringotts managers alone, you were the only one." He says with a chuckle, his eyes twinkling madly. "Quite an interesting talent, metamorphing that is, but wholly useless when your actions can be predicted."
He's a smart bastard, I'll give him that, I really should have killed him when I had the chance. Doesn't matter now, I'll be far out of his reach soon enough.
"What do you want then Dumbledore, here to try and kidnap me once more?" I growl, preparing to strike out at the first sign of danger.
Dumbledore is reputed to be quite powerful, not that I couldn't handle him, but he is powerful nonetheless. A fight with him would be both interesting and dangerous, I'm actually excited to give it a try.
"Nothing quite so devious Mr. Potter, I do apologize for the travesty that was out last meeting, I was not myself. It upset me to see one of my own harmed and I simply lost control of myself, I truly am sorry." He replies is a saddened tone. "I do hope we can start over again, we got off on the wrong foot as they say."
I snort at that and remain silent, whether he means it or is trying to manipulate me makes no difference, he is still a worthless Tau'ri in my eyes, albeit a reportedly powerful one but I find that hard to believe. The man is over a hundred years old and completely human, he has got be quite senile by now and I'm sure his 'great power' has waned over the years, it has been forty or so years since he defeated Grindlewald after all.
"On that note, I would like to give you this." He says pulling an object from thin air and handing it to me.
It appears to be some sort of fabric, but the silvery sheen and the way it flows through my fingers denotes its identity, an invisibility cloak. (A.N: I've rewritten Ch. 3 so that the cloak is also missing from Harry's vault.)
"That belonged to your father, he lent it to me to study shortly before his death." Dumbledore explains, his tone still saddened. "As you said to Severus, your father was a hero who died protecting his family, I felt it would be best to return this to you."
Ah, the cloak missing from my vault, how... convenient. Seems like he's going for bribery now or at least trying to worm his way into my trust, stupid old fool, as if that will work on me; his tricks may work on regular Tau'ri children but I am Goa'uld, I am far superior to those pathetic brats.
"Thank you." I say anyways, although my tone is far from thankful.
Dumbledore beams nonetheless, his eyes twinkling like mad. How does he do that by the way? Perhaps the same ritual I used? But the only creature with twinkling eyes is a... oh, oh! You crafty old bastard.
He's actually using Unicorn eyes for Mage Sight, why hadn't I considered that? The ability to see ambient magic would have been so very useful, being able to see wards and traps in the surrounding area. Oh yeah, because it would make my eyes twinkle like an idiot, I think I'm quite satisfied with my night vision.
"You know, if you were to attend Hogwarts, you could learn much more about your mother and father." Dumbledore continues, unaware of my wayward thoughts. "They were the favorites of many of the Professors and many would love to share some stories with you."
For a second I actually want to accept, Hogwarts would be so much fun, I could make some actual friends, learn magic from trusted and qualified educators and hear stories about my parents from people that knew them. It would be for the best if I was to attend, rather than continue my wild and unruly lifestyle. Those traitorous thoughts are found, trapped and destroyed as my Occlumency barriers snap into place, surrounding the foreign intrusion and tracking it to its source.
'A compulsion charm on the cloak? Devious bastard.'
"Nice try old man, but you underestimate the strength of my Occlumency barriers." I snort, tucking the cloak into my pouch before he decides to take it away. Hmm, maybe I should let him try, It could be one of those 'or die trying' moments.
Dumbledore continues smiling but I can see the annoyance in his twinkling eyes.
"Can't blame an old man for trying." He says in a cheerful tone.
"Yes, yes I can." I reply evenly. "Do you require anything else Dumbledore or will I have to fight my way past you as well?"
His eyes narrow slightly, his twinkle gone, but he keeps on smiling.
"You overestimate yourself Mr. Potter, I have learned much over the years and while you caught me off guard at our last encounter, do not think me weak."
I snort in disbelief, much to his further annoyance.
"Speaking of which, I would like to caution you against the wandless arts." He adds, his tone solemn. "Most that venture past the basics, soon find themselves losing control of their magic. I myself am only able to use the summoning and banishing charms wandlessly, I would hate for you to lose your magic when a wand will suffice."
Psh, as if I didn't know this already, I may not use a wand but the Naquadah in my blood suffices as a focus. I'm sure he would just love for me to get a wand, a nice one loaded with all the limiting and tracking charms the ministry employs, as if.
"Very well." I say simply.
His victorious smile is enough to make me decide to never agree with anything he says, ever.
"Speaking of wands, might there be a chance you would return mine? It belonged to a loved one and holds great sentimental value." He says, an expectant gleam in his eyes.
Yeah, like I'm buying that. It's a powerful wand, the Naquadah made sure of that, and he just didn't want it in another's hands.
"It's a pity that I disposed of it a few days ago then, threw it into a muggle trash bin near the Leaky Cauldron." I lie with an innocent smile "I was under the belief that it contained charms that allowed Severus to find me."
His eyes flash with anger and I know he wants to shout and throttle me, but he keeps that thrice damned smile on his face and continues on.
"Professor Snape." He corrects, giving me the feeling that he's forced to do so a lot, guess I not the only one that dislikes Snape, big surprise.
I snort.
"He's not my Professor so I shall address him as I please."
Dumbledore sighs and looks disappointed, very disappointed. Wow! I didn't know his expressions could get any more annoying but this one takes the cake, I wonder if he can combine his disappointed look and his twinkling eyes, wouldn't that just be a treat.
"Speaking of Professor Snape, I would request that you drop the charges against him. Severus was simply doing his job and you can't hold him accountable for that."
"Oh really? He was just doing his job when he broke every bone in my shoulder?" I sneer with as much malice as I can muster. "What about the Death Eater who felt the need to aggravate my wounds, was he just doing his job as well?"
Oh goody, he's even more disappointed in me.
"Auror Jenkins has been relieved of duty, pending an investigation." Dumbledore replies. "Severus will be receiving a trial, at which I will of course speak up in his defense, but that can all be avoided if you drop the charges."
Ah, so he's leaving the Death Eater with the blame and rescuing Snape. A good plan. I myself would have just left them both to fall and kept my name clear of it, he must need Snape or like the guy. It's probably the former, as I can't see anyone actually taking a liking to Severus Snape.
"I hope you can find it in your heart to show mercy, he could be sent to Azkaban if he is found guilty." Dumbledore continues. "It is a cruel and unforgiving place, one I would not send even my worst enemy."
Well, that explains how those Death Eaters went free, spineless old bastard.
"Send my regards to the jury then, I hope Snape enjoys his trial." I reply, grinning widely.
Dumbledore sighs and the disappointment in his expression sky rockets.
"Very well Mr. Potter." He grounds out, turning away. "Until we meet again."
"I would hope that we never meet again." I throw at his retreating form.
"I assure you, we will." Dumbledore throws back before vanishing into the crowd.
Prickly bastard, I can only hope that he's off to search for his wand, digging through dumpsters for it while it lays snugly in the pouch around my waist.
"Wrinkly old wanker." I mutter, turning into a nearby alley and flickering away.
I flicker into existence on the edge of Mount Hualalai, an active volcano located in Hawaii.
Pulling out my new cloak, I chuckle as my magic rolls across is surface, searching for any enchantments that shouldn't be there. I find three, Dumbledore may have thought it was a smart idea but he's still underestimating me as I easily spot the three tracking charms placed on the cloak.
Prickly bastard indeed.
It takes some effort but I'm able to remove the charms from the cloak and place them on a few nearby rocks, it was a bonus that they happened to be on a small ledge halfway into the volcano itself. I can only hope that whoever the old man sends after me will end up falling into volcano, wouldn't that just piss him off.
I also take this chance to actually examine the object in question and the familiar feeling it's giving off.
'Ingenious.' I muse, closely examining a section of the cloak, it truly was a work of art.
Regular Invisibility Cloaks are usually woven from Demiguise hair, a creature with the power to turn itself invisible. Or, for those too poor to afford them, they use normal fabrics with a slew of disillusionment runes stitched onto them, this makes them very useful objects but they still leave blurry outlines that can be used to find the wearer. There is also the fact that without the Demiguise's internal magic, or a reapplied charm to the runes, most cloaks only survive for a handful of years before the invisibility magic wares off.
This cloak however, is woven from a mix of Demiguise hair and threads of Naquadah, making it far more powerful and increasing its lifespan. No wonder it's a family heirloom, having lasted for so long, this cloak actually grants true invisibility, not disillusionment, it's superior to all other such cloaks.
I should remember to thank Dumbledore for this, it truly is a great gift that compliments my wand.
-Hogwarts. General P.O.V-
Albus Dumbledore's head snapped up when he sensed a familiar presence outside of his office door.
"Please, do come in Minerva dear." He chirped before she had the chance to knock.
His cheerful expression vanished when he saw the shaken and bedraggled form of his deputy as she entered the office. If looks could kill, Minerva's expression would have left him torn and broken in a ditch.
"No luck tracking Mr. Potter, I take it?" He asked with a frown, already knowing the answer.
The castration hex she threw spoke volumes about how badly the tracking went.
-Two Days Later. Harry's P.O.V-
'So, you're sure you know what you're doing right?'
'Yes Salem, quit worrying, we'll be fine.' I huff, this is the third time he's asked.
'Well, excuse me for lacking faith but this is trans-dimensional travel we're talking about, I may not know much about you humans and your magic but I do know that this is supposed to be impossible.' Salem snipes back, his tone wavering.
'Improbable, not impossible.' I reply cheerily, I don't often get to see the object of my annoyance ruffled, it's quite a joyful sight.
'Whatever, I just don't want to be ripped apart into a million parts.' He says, his tone less nervous than before.
'We'll be fine, I'm sure the mirror will remember to put us back together on the other end.' I reassure him, for the fourth time today, it doesn't seem to work.
The two of us are currently standing high on Mount Hiei, higher than the monastery itself, this is an excellent location to place the Mirror since not many come all the way up here and any that do will find themselves rebuffed by the wards I've set up.
I've gone for the best of the best to hide this mirror, a Fidelius ward with myself as the secret keeper, although that had been quite difficult to pull off. First I had to talk some poor sap into accepting the position, being Harry Potter's secret keeper was more than enough to sway him, then I had to erect the wards and get the secret from him.
Then came the easy part, I killed him and became the secret keeper by default, quite ingenious of me I must say.
Enough stroking my own ego though, I have work to do.
The metallic surface of the mirror practically glows in the sunlight, urging me to reach out and touch it but I resist, doing so before I've input the coordinates could be disastrous. I could end up anywhere in the multiverse, that would be bad, plain and simple.
"Alright, here we go." I mutter, drawing my wand.
Salem really seems to be against this based on the way he's shaking, yet he stays seated on my shoulder, loyal to the end. It's times like this when I do love him, as much as a Goa'uld can love that is. I channel my magic into the wand and use it to press a series of runes, seven in total, the coordinates to my home reality. The metallic mirror ripples, a wave of power passing through it as it locks onto the proper realm.
Grinning in excitement, and ignoring my upset familiar, I reach out with my free hand and touch the mirror. With a squishing, sucking feeling reminiscent of Apparition, Salem and I are sucked into the mirror, flying through the cosmos on our way to a new destination.
An instant later, I step out of a different mirror and into a large cavern, one that I recognize. Despite its fall into ruin over the years, it's easily recognizable as the same cavern that I'd departed from over a millennium ago.
'Ugh, I'm never doing that again.' Salem groans, hopping off my shoulder.
"Oh suck it up, it wasn't that bad." I reply, grinning widely.
'Get bent.'
Chuckling, I glance around the mostly empty cavern, a majority of it having been cleared out by my forces ages ago, most of which had followed me into the mirror. I'm pleased that no one else has discovered the mirror in my absence, it would not do to step out into an ambush.
The chamber is large in size, large enough to fit a Ha'tak, and I know from past experience that the rooftop is retractable, allowing ships to enter or exit. Only the Quantum Mirror stands within the chamber, everything else has rusted away over the ages, even the light fixtures have rusted away and turned to dust, not that It matters since I can easily see in the darkness of the cavern.
'Come along, we have to find the Chappa'ai.' I say, heading in the direction my memories provide.
From what I remember, this is the planet Anetem, located in the Milky Way galaxy. The surface of the planet was rendered mostly uninhabitable by natural disaster ages ago but the natives had built a series of underground structures, not that it helped them much when I invaded, my scanners could easily find their caverns.
Normally, I would flicker to the gate or to any other world that I remember but I've learned from my past experience with alternate realities, I can't be sure how my magic will react in this realm until I've had a chance to test it out.
From what I can sense, my magic is still acting the same as usual but I want to take a closer look before I take any risks. I do know for a fact that some branches of magic will fail in this reality, mostly the ones that draw on ambient magic to power themselves such as wards, rituals, scrying and pretty much anything else that requires runes. Branches that draw on my internal magic however, are another thing entirely and I need to test my limits before I do anything else.
'Keep an eye out Salem, I need some time to meditate and check on my magic.' I order as we reach the Chappa'ai, the shields I activated long ago are still active so I know that no one else has come through or will be coming through while I'm here.
'Alright but you owe me for this.' He replies while shifting to a larger form, roughly the size of an adult tiger and bounding off to keep watch.
At least his abilities still work, I think he would be pretty angry if he was stuck at one size in this reality. I pull out his bottomless food and water bowls, in case he gets hungry and pour some of my own power into them. The runes on the bowls are already beginning to fail, I'm just glad that my pouch is blood bound so it draws on my own magic to work.
I take a seat, leaning against the Chappa'ai, and begin my breathing exercises, working towards a state of tranquility.
It takes me several minutes longer than usual to get into the proper state, seeing as I haven't meditated in weeks but soon enough I'm falling into my mind with remembered ease.
'What. The. Hell?'
Something is horribly, horribly wrong with my mind.
While my Occlumency barriers are still at their strongest, stronger than I've ever seen them before, the inside of my mind is a complete and utter mess. Millions, if not billions, of memories fill the inner void of my mind, floating about in a mess of colors and shapes, there are far to many for my heart-mind to sort. There are so many memories floating about that I can barely even see my magical core or my heart-mind.
This is bad, very, very bad.
With so many memories floating about, it's a miracle that I can even function as well as I have been, I suppose my enhanced barriers deserve the credit for that as anyone else would have fallen into a coma and been forced to relive each and every one of these memories.
I can't let this continue, if these memories continue to overwhelm my mind and magic, the effects could be disastrous. I'll have to sort them manually, all countless millions of them, at least Salem has his food and drink because this is going to take a long time.
With a sigh, I reach out and grab the first memory, its contents filtering though my mind at the touch, and begin sorting.
-Ministry of Magic. General P.O.V-
Albus Dumbledore released a sigh of annoyance as he sat in the Wizengamot chambers, he had hoped young Harry would change his mind and drop the charges but it was for naught and here they were, at the trial of Severus Snape.
His eyes turned over to the prosecutors desk where Silas Ricker, one of the top five barristers in the magical world, sat in discussion with a Goblin. It was strange for a Goblin to be involved in such proceedings, so why was there one here, siding with Harry Potter?
'Perhaps he is here representing Gringotts,' Dumbledore pondered, his brow furrowed in thought. 'The altercation did take place at their doors after all.'
At that he turned his gaze to his side, where Severus Snape sat as aloof and uncaring as ever.
'For a Slytherin, his plan sure lacked tact, publicly attacking young Harry in such a location.' He thought, shaking his head. 'I can't have his hatred of James Potter interfering in such a manner, how to deal with it though...'
The sound of wood meeting wood draws his attention as Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, uses her gavel to bring the room to attention. The various members of the Wizengamot, reporters and spectators in the audience fell silent as the trial began.
Normally it would be he, as Chief Warlock, that would oversee the trial but strangely enough, no one else seemed able or willing to defend poor Severus. The Minister was next in line for the position but Cornelius was currently out of the country on business, thus the duty fell to Madame Bones as the head of law enforcement.
'This may be difficult, she holds no love for Severus and much for the deceased Potters.' Dumbledore thought with a frown. 'But then again, Amelia is quite fair and impartial when it comes to official matters.'
"Severus Snape, Potions Master and Lord of the House of Prince. You have been accused of the unwarranted assault of a minor, the alleged assault of a minor at an unknown date and time and endangering the public with your actions." Madame Bones began, her magically enhanced voice echoing throughout the chamber. "How do you plead?"
"Not guilty." Snape replied, his tone and body motion showing that he clearly found this to be a waste of his time.
Amelia's eyes narrowed in annoyance as she continued on.
"Acting in defense for the accused is?" She asked, addressing Dumbledore.
"Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation for Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Lord of the Noble House of Dumbledore." He replied, using his full name and titles as was required for official records.
Madame Bones nodded, rolling her eyes at the many titles, although many of the audience and jury were impressed that someone of his position would defend a mere potions master and minor lord.
"Acting prosecutor?" Madame Bones asked, turning to the prosecutors desk.
"Silas Bartholomew Ricker, representing Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, heir to the Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter and Black."
Dumbledore grimaced as the room burst into whispers, this was not good. While he had suspected that Sirius Black had declared Harry his heir before the Azkaban fiasco, he had never been able to verify this. Now, everybody knew and Harry Potter had just gained more power than he already held, especially seeing as he was a greater lord.
The House of Lords in the magical world is the main body of government, while the DMLE and Wizengamot enforce the laws, it is the House of Lords that creates those very laws. The various Lords making up the body are all separated into three different ranks, those at the top having more power than those below them.
At the bottom are the Minor Lords, such as Severus Snape, whose families have achieved lordship by simply going several generations without tainting their bloodlines. Minor Lords are afforded one vote in the House of Lords if they are of pureblood, half if they are not.
Then there are the Lords in the middle, such as Albus Dumbledore. The Lords are those who have been granted Noble titles for service to a past monarch or government, it was the only ranking that could be bought with gold and in fact some Lords had done just that. However, the price required to do so was so high that not many could afford it. The Lords of the Noble Houses were each afforded two votes, regardless of blood.
The final rank was the Greater Lords, those who were born into one of the old families. They were the Lords of the Ancient and Noble houses, descendants of the most powerful and famous witches and wizards in British history. The Greater Lords were given five votes each because of their small number and they held the most sway within the House of Lords.
And now Harry Potter was heir to two of those houses, holding more votes than any one Lord in the House of Lords. Of course, this had happened before, especially during times of war when many lords were killed but the last time had been well over a century ago.
Dumbledore couldn't help but sigh at the complications this would add to his already strained plans.
"Silence!" Madame Bones shouted, bringing her gavel down.
The room immediately went quiet as silencing wards sprung into being for a few seconds, when the wards dropped, there were a few mutters but the room had mostly quieted down.
"Now then, who exactly are you?" Madame Bones continued, looking at the Goblin in curiosity.
'Strange, Gringotts representatives are required to present themselves before such trials.' Dumbledore mused, turning to stare at the Goblin like many others in the room.
The Goblin made a face, somewhere between a smile and a sneer before it spoke.
"Ranglow the Fortuitous, High Supervisor of Gringotts London branch, Regent of the Ancient and Noble houses of Potter and Black." He replied, looking positively smug at that.
Dumbledore sighed as inhabitants of the room exploded in outrage, this was going to be a long day.
-Anetem. Harry's P.O.V-
It was like waking up for the first time in months when I opened my eyes, the last of my memories sorted. The last few days seemed like a dream, a long, blurry dream. With my memories sorted, I am myself once more, the memories of the Goa'uld in their rightful place; at the very back of my mind.
It's so freeing, being able to think clearly.
While I have been able to function well the last few days, I wasn't truly myself, it was as if all of my regular thoughts and actions were being passed through a filter and coming out skewed.
The Goa'uld memories I had absorbed had completely overwhelmed me and pushed my own mind to the back but now the positions are reversed, the Goa'uld memories have been forced to the back and I am now in full control of myself, I can still consult the Goa'uld memories should I require them but now they no longer influence or control my actions.
'Are you finally awake?' Salem's voice booms, sounding very annoyed. 'About time you lazy brat.'
'Salem? How long have I been out of it?' I ask, failing to stand as my body groans in protest.
'How should I know, it's always dark in this blasted cave.' He snaps back. 'Thanks for leaving me here all alone by the way.'
'You're welcome.' I reply cheekily. 'Now how long was I out? I know you kept track.'
'Psh, I have better things to do than act as your stupid clock.' He snipes back, sniffing arrogantly.
'Aw Salem, I don't think of you as a clock.' I reply, grinning.
'Annoying brat.' He grumbles. 'You were out for three days.'
'I love you too.'
Hmm, three days isn't so bad, it would have taken much longer if I wasn't so experienced in the mind arts.
'Can we get out of here soon? I miss the feeling of the sun on my fur.'
'Yeah, just give me a second to activate the Chappa'ai.'
'Oh joy, more of your strange portals.'
I grin and turn my attention to the Chappa'ai, trying to decide on where to go first.
At first, I'd wanted to head home through the Quantum Mirror, leaving this strange reality behind but honestly, the Goa'uld me had a great idea. Building an empire in this realm is a worthy goal, one that I plan to continue, though I have separate reasons for doing so.
His goals were to conquer this realm and rule over the galaxy as the Supreme Lord of the Goa'uld and God of the humans and Jaffa, his methods involved ruling through fear, enslaving millions and killing millions more.
I on the other hand, want to conquer this realm and rule over the galaxy as the Supreme Lord of the Goa'uld and God of the humans and Jaffa. My methods however, will involve ruling through respect, earning the allegiance of my subjects and killing only those that stand in my path.
The Goa'uld are tyrants, they keep their subjects fearful and uneducated out of a fear of rebellion. I on the other hand, have my magic, which I've determined will work just as well in this realm. With my powers to back up my claims of godhood, I could bring happiness and prosperity to the many innocents under Goa'uld rule, and in return they would revere and worship me.
A perfect win, win situation.
I not acting out of the goodness of my heart however, I still remember my lessons at the Dursleys. The Goa'uld are strong, the slaves were weak, so the Goa'uld rule over them; that's how the world works, no matter what reality you're in. My drives are still the same, to grow stronger and achieve immortality, this reality just has the best chance at helping me achieve those goals.
With the countless technologies in this reality, I can achieve greatness, especially if I could build them back home. There's so much to learn here, so much that my Goa'uld doesn't know. The Goa'uld are scavengers, they steal what few technology they can find and reinvent what they can't, their only advantage is that they are far more advanced than the races they subjugate and have the numbers to throw at their more advanced enemies.
Still, there were so many more races in this universe with far superior technology than the Goa'uld, technologies that I could learn to build and use.
There's also the fact that many races in this reality have achieved some form of immortality. The Goa'uld have their sarcophagus, which can even bring the dead back to life. The Asgard have their cloning technology, not to mention the machines that could swap their consciousness from one body to another. Then there are the countless machines, nanites and devices that could be used to heal even the most fatal of wounds. It's from my memories of such machines that I realize that it's through advanced technology, not magic, that I can achieve immortality.
But none of that helps with my current dilemma, where to go first?
The Goa'uld me had been torn on his first destination, he could either go to one of the minor Goa'uld to start his conquest or to one of his siblings to start an alliance. While Goa'uld are as far from caring and loving as can be, they still hold some semblance of familial bonds, they couldn't trust each other but they could count on their family leaving them alive at the least.
I take a minute to think and plan before deciding where to go, I'll pay one of the minor Goa'uld a visit. An alliance will be easier to forge if I have some semblance of proof of my power, besides a simple show of magic. With that, I deactivate the gate-shields and program a destination into the Chappa'ai, which activates with a loud whoosh.
'Come along Salem.' I say after making sure the other end of the gate is clear of obstruction.
'Ugh, this is going to suck.' the cat grumbles, walking beside me at his normal size.
Taking a deep breath, I shift into what I'm going to call my Goa'uld Mode, there are no physical differences, just a change in my general attitude and expression. My back straightens, my head is held high, my expression becomes mainly bored and disinterested yet at the same time I have a smirk which is half patronizing smile and half imperious sneer. All in all, the appearance of an overbearing aristocrat, far more impressive than what most Goa'uld can pull off.
At least it would be impressive if I wasn't an eleven year old brat, oh well, I have no reason to use an illusion on my form, no reason to hide my appearance. To the slaves, a child god is still a god nonetheless and it would cause the Goa'uld to underestimate me, thinking their adult hosts are stronger than my child form.
With my newest mask in place, I step through the Chappa'ai with Salem trailing behind me and we're instantly pulled through the wormhole, headed for a new destination.