Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

What's this? An update? Why it is! Happy Day!

So, I know this is really, really late, but to be perfectly frank, my muse is a fickle thing. It changes quite frequently. When it's going, though, it can go. The 30k words I pumped out in a week for that Naruto/Fairy Tail fic is a good example. Granted, this is nowhere near as long, but I chalk that up to the fact that I have a harder time writing Harry. I tend to get in the heads of the characters I write, maybe a bit too much, and that affects me. Harry isn't all that motivated of a person and that kind of bleeds into me. Where as Naruto is a pretty active and motivated guy, so I'm always pumped to be writing.

Anyway, here's Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

Can't Make An Omelet Without Losing a Few Eggs

"Harry, I just don't see how this is possible!"

Across from him, Hermione bit her lip, a look of consternation upon her face as she took in everything he had just gone over. From where he stood, he could also hear her muttering under her breath, presumably theories to explain away the situation he now found myself in.

Said situation being his life now acting like a videogame.

After the First Task, they had come inside the castle and found an abandoned classroom, where he had proceeded to regale his friend with all that had happened. The weird room with the pedestal and the feeling of being watched, returning to just before my turn at the task, the weird stop in time and the Options...all of it.

He'd even demonstrated, reluctantly, one of those mysterious Perks he had gained. Specifically, the watered down Basilisk Gaze. The thought of that brought a slight knot of guilt to his stomach, as that had probably freaked Hermione out the most, but they had finally moved on. Now, they were just trying to figure out if he was just insane, or if something else was going on.

Personally, Harry preferred not being crazy.

"And thus, the crux of the problem. I'm really not sure I believe it either."

The wizard tilted his head from where he was standing, near the back of room, to look out the window. From here, he could see the area where they has set up the First task. Down below, people were going about, dismantling everything and generally clearing up the grounds now that it was over. There was no trace of any of the dragons and Harry imagined that soon, it would be like the First Task had never happened at all.

The rustling of Hermione's robes brought the boy's attention away from the window and back to her. It seemed she was now rubbing her temples, as she thought, taking in all the information and looking for an answer of some kind. Eventually, she stopped and looked at him, a small frown marring her face.

"Harry, I'm not sure that if it even is real, you can prove it. Magic can do some weird things, so maybe it's some kind of weird accidental magic caused by the stress of the First Task that's manifesting itself in videogame mechanics?"

He took a moment to think it over, that not having been a possibility he had thought about. However it didn't take long for Harry to come to the conclusion that it was unlikely.

"As much as I'd like to believe that, how would it explain what happened with the dragon? I'm not an expert by any means, but you can't tell me that thing growing a larger tail was normal!

Plus, I've- no, we've been in plenty of situations that were just as stressful. Why would it have happened now, when it didn't before?"

There was a moment of silence as the two teens mulled over the situation once more. After a few moments, it was once again Hermione who broke the silence.

"Maybe...Maybe we should go to Dumbledore? If anyone would have an explanation, it would be him."

Harry couldn't help a sigh at the suggestion. He didn't really want to bring it to the attention of anyone with some kind of authority, lest he be hauled off to whatever passed as the Wizarding Loony Bin. At this point, however, he was of the personal opinion that it was entirely likely his life was some kind of Video Game. It was the easiest answer, that life was what it looked like and hell, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing?

Still, maybe Dumbledore would have some idea of what was going on. Harry really didn't have any better ideas, so he simply nodded to Hermione and got ready to leave the classroom.

As he passed through the doorway, Harry couldn't help thinking, that whatever may come, he'd just have to deal with it. And somehow, that thought relaxed him.

The walk to the Headmaster's Office passed in a comfortable silence. It gave him some time to think, about classes, the Tournament and especially about this whole videogame thing. Idly, he wondered if Dumbledore even knew what a videogame was? In his experience, unless they were muggleborn, a lot of wizards tended to not know much about modern muggle technology.

Though that thought made him realize, he really didn't know much about videogames himself. He'd never gotten to play any, most of his knowledge of them coming from watching Dudley play them, while he did chores, or the occasional overheard comment from other kids. Harry already had a vague idea about a few things, mostly from his time spent in the Options Menu, and the whole thing with the Character Menu and Perks. But that really wasn't much, altogether.

Casting a glance at his friend, Harry thought it would probably be best to ask if she had any idea how they worked. It would have to be later, though, because they were coming up on the gargoyle that marked the entrance to the Headmaster's Office.

As they reached the stone creature, Harry realized something, as he stared at the thing. Not turning his head, he commented, "Hermione...I just remembered neither of us know the password."

Though he couldn't see her, Harry just knew his friend probably looked embarrassed as she realized what he said was true.

Turning to to Hermione, he asked, "So, you got any ideas?"

In response, she just gave a helpless shrug. "List out a bunch of sweets? Ask? I don't know, you've been here more times than I have."

Giving a sigh, he looked once more at the unmoving and ever vigilant Gargoyle. They really should have thought about this. Sure, they could go ask Professor McGonagall, but he really didn't feel like finding her and then having to come all the way back here.

Well, he guessed it'd be polite to at least ask first, and Harry got the feeling if he started listing of his guesses at the password, they'd be here for awhile.

Looking the Gargoyle in its stone eyes, he asked, "So, err...Mr. Gargoyle, do you think you could let us in to the Headmaster, please?" After a moment of silence that had Harry feeling like an idiot for talking to a statue, the stone figure moved to the side, allowing the pair entrance.

A wave of relief flooded Harry's body at that, definitely not having felt like standing there and looking like a mad man raving about candy. Now he just needed to convince Dumbledore that he wasn't a madman.

He was, understandably, nervous.

Taking a calming breath, Harry steeled himself and started up the stairs, Hermione right behind him. Reaching the top, they entered into the office to the sight of Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, writing on some parchment. Over on his stand, Fawkes was quietly dozing.

As they passed through the doorway, the Headmaster looked up, eyes twinkling and his beard
covered face showing a genial smile. "Ah, Harry, Miss Granger. What brings you to my office?"

"Headmaster, I'd like to ask you about something that happened earlier, during the First Task."

Harry could see a frown of consternation on Dumbledore's face, and a spark of confusion and curiosity in his eyes, as the old wizard replied. "Yes, what happened with that Dragon was quite remarkable. I don't think I've seen anything quite like it. Understandably, it has the Dragon Handlers, as well as Hagrid in a bit of a fuss trying to figure it out."

He couldn't help blinking a bit in surprise. The weirdness with the dragon had been at back of his mind and he hadn't been expecting the Professor to comment on it. Still, that wasn't quite what he came here for and shook his head a bit.

"It's not that, Headmaster. It's something a bit more...strange. You wouldn't happen to know what a videogame is, would you?"

Harry watched Dumbledore's brow furrow in thought at the question, as he answered, "Not as such, but I can assume it is some kind of game played using the muggle invention known as a Television."

Shifting from foot to foot, Harry continued with what he needed to say. "That's essentially it. Anyway, something happened during the Task and now...well, I'm seeing things, sir. It's like my life is suddenly a videogame."

The Headmaster's eyes rose in perplexion, as he folded his hands on his desk. Dumbledore looked both concerned and a tad confused, as he said, "I am not entirely sure what that means, but it sounds concerning. Could you please elaborate, my dear boy?"

Looking at Hermione for some support, she urged him to continue. So, taking a breath, he proceeded to do just that, much as he had done with Hermione before. The Headmaster was an attentive listener, only asking every now and then for a bit of clarification on a couple things as he recounted his tale. By the time he was finished, the old wizard looked a bit perturbed, though he also seemed as if he was thinking of something.

There was also a moment where Dumbledore got up and, with Harry's permission, checked for any spells put upon Harry's person. It took a couple minutes, as Dumbledore went through every diagnostic spell the man knew, but eventually decided that there was no magical spell placed on him, nor was there any ailment. A tad perturbed, the man returned to his seat.

After a few moments of silence in which Dumbledore took to stroking his beard in thought, he finally turned to Harry, saying, "While an unusual tale, I am inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt. Magic is capable of a great many things and while Miss Granger's theory about this being accidental magic is possible, it seems extremely unlikely. I do not think I have ever heard of any accidental magic that would act on that kind of scale.

"Still, it is indeed very hard to prove or disprove it either way. I advise you to keep this information to yourself, or those you trust implicitly.

"Now, I believe the last thing you mentioned about these messages that pop-up was some kind of Level Up. If my admittedly limited knowledge about muggle games is correct, I think that would serve well as an example of what this situation can do, and its benefits."

From beside him, Harry heard Hermione throw her own two knuts in. "He's right Harry. You said you got that eye ability of yours from all this, so maybe it's not such a bad thing? At the very least it can't hurt."

Looking between the two, all he could do was shrug. They were right, there wasn't anything to lose and he currently had two of the smartest people he knew there to help him if something did go wrong. Not that he really expected it to.

"You're right, doesn't seem like it can really hurt.

"So, err...Level Up?"

Immediately, the now familiar scrawl of green ink appeared in his vision.

You've Reached Level 8!
Congratulations!
You Have Ability Points to Assign!
You Have A Perk Point to Assign!

Go to Character Menu?
Yes No

A curious glance from his compatriots told him that he was, as he had suspected, the only one who could see the message. Giving them an embarrassed smile, he said, "Ah, a message appeared. Says something about being Level 8 and having something called Ability Points to assign, as well as another Perk Point."

He saw Hermione furrow her brows in confusion, as she muttered, "Level 8? You would think he'd have started at Level 1. Curious…"

For his part, Dumbledore simply gave an encouraging smile and gestured to continue.

"Uhm, Yes?"

This time, the message simply faded away, to be replaced with the Character Menu from before. Idly, he noticed there was a new Magical Trait, called Basilisk Eyes. Still, he should move on, and switched to the abilities tab.

Harry Potter|Abilities|Spells|Perks|Specializations

Ability Points to Assign: +4

Strength: 12 = +1 = (+5) = +25
Dexterity: 18 = +4 = (+8) = +40
Intellect:13 = +2 = (+6) = +30
Wisdom: 11 = +1 = (+5) = +25
Charisma: 8 = -1 = (+3) = +15
Luck: 10 = +0 = (+4) = +20

And below that was a slightly long list of things under a heading named Skills. There were quite a few, some of them different areas of magic such a Charms or Transfiguration, but also others, like Perception or One-Handed, as well as Sneak and Light-Armor. What was more interesting, was that unlike the abilities at the top, they seems to be represented in numbers in the hundreds, rather than in the tens. He supposed they must raise faster, to compensate, because despite being so much higher, there was also a letter next to each number, using what he recognized as the Magical Grading System.

'Man, if this was my report card, I'd be screwed...And those first stats seem rather complicated.'

After relaying what he saw to his companions, he waited for any input from them. maybe they'd have a thought as to the confusing stats?

Luckily, Dumbledore chimed in after a moment, "Hrmm...If I had to guess, you'd have an easier time looking at the first numbers as 10 being '0' or the Average. From then on, every odd number gives you a…+1, was it? After that, it adds on half your level finally gives a total modifier by multiplying it by 5. Pretty complicated indeed, but I believe it bears some resemblance to a simply stupendous game sometimes played by our muggleborn students in the last few years. involves quite a bit of dice rolling, if I remember correctly."

"I'm fairly sure you're thinking of Dungeons & Dragons, professor. It's a fantasy game that was created by muggles in the 70's. My dad used to play it with his friends."

The Headmaster stroked his beard at Hermione's response, remarking "Truly? How marvelous. Muggles come up with the oddest things about magic sometimes."

Well, that was helpful. He had no idea how long that would have taken him to figure out on his own. Best get back to his 'Stats' however.

'Hrmm, my Dexterity seems rather high, relatively. I just have no idea exactly if that's good or not.' He couldn't help his frown at the low Charisma score. Surely he wasn't that bad?

Shaking his head, he assigned the points, deciding to ignore Dexterity for now, since it was so high. When he was done, his character sheet looked a bit more rounded, stats wise.

Strength: 12 = (+1) = (+5) = +25
Dexterity: 18 = (+4) = (+8) = +40
Intellect:13 = (+3) = (+7) = +35
Wisdom: 11 = (+1) = (+5) = +25
Charisma: 8 = (+1) = (+5) = +25
Luck: 10 = (+1) = (+5) +25

Continuing on, he said, "Perks." Once more, the sheet changed to his commands and the long list of Perks was glaring at him once more. As he looked at it, he frowned.

It seemed it didn't go unnoticed, as Hermione piped up, "Harry, what's wrong? It's nothing bad, is it?"

He could also see Dumbledore leaning forward just the smallest bit, a small worried frown on his own face.

Waving them off, he gave an amused smile, as he told them, "It's nothing, it's just...I forgot how many Perks there were. How am I supposed to figure out which one to pick?"

"Why not just go with what seems most useful?" Hermione suggested.

'Most useful? Useful how?' Immediately, his thoughts drifted to the last time he had chosen perks. During the fight with the dragon, he'd picked what would help him with the current problem. So why not do the same here. But then, what problem did he currently have?

A grimace appeared on his face, as an apparent thought gave him the answer. The school populace. More specifically, their attitudes toward him. Harry wasn't exactly popular, at the moment, because of the whole '4th Triwizard Champion' thing. And it wasn't the first time, either, as he remembered his second year.

Absently, he wondered how they'd react if he used his new eyes on some of the more annoying ones, from now and back then. Not that he would of course. Though the thought made him give an internal snicker. 'Heh, all fear the Dark Lord Potter or be turned to stone where you stand!'

Musing and idle fancies aside, it was a real problem. It was also why he'd put some points into Charisma, hoping it would help with that kind of stuff in the future. So why not continue in that vein? He was fairly sure he'd seen a few Perks that might help.

Scrolling through the list, he narrowed it down to two choices. Lockhart's Smile and A Tongue of Silver. The first seemed to be specific to large groups of people and the press, but had a larger bonus to his interactions, there. The second was an all around general bonus to his Charisma, but had a smaller bonus than the first.

In the end, he went with A Tongue of Silver, out of a desire to not have anything about himself, even the crazy parts, resemble Lockhart.

Turning his attention back to Hermione and the Professor, he said, "I picked a Perk that helps with Charisma. Hopefully, it'll help with all the other students."

"I dearly hope so, my boy. It always saddens me to see situations as the one you are in right now, where the one is ostracized by the many. Though I do suspect some may have already changed their opinion, after this latest spectacle." Dumbledore said, the twinkle in his eye sparkling merrily and a small smile on his lips at the last comment.

"However, as much as I would like to discuss this fascinating subject further with you, I alas have other work to attend to. My various positions do not give me as much free time as I would like. Though I will try to look more into the matter of the origin of this strange phenomenon, I can make no promises as to how soon I will be able to find such an answer, if any. We shall have to pick this conversation back up later.

For now, I suggest the two of you return to your Common Rooms. I believe some of your Housemates may be pleased to see you."

Wondering what the man meant, the two teens nodded and headed off. Though they still weren't entirely sure what was going on, one thing was for sure.

Things were different, now.

As they walked through the entrance to the Common Room, Harry and Hermione were met with an explosion of yells and cheers of adulations. They could see mountains of cake and flagons of pumpkin juice and butterbeer all around, even as Lee Jordan set off some Filibuster Firework that momentarily blinded him. As the spots left his vision, Harry could see stars and sparks all throughout the air. Dean Thomas showed off his talent at drawing with some impressive banners he'd created that showed Harry zipping around the Hungarian Horntail.

Though a couple also depicted a caricature of Cedric, with his hair on fire.

The next few minutes were filled with walking around and being congratulated by his Housemates. Everyone was cheerful and the atmosphere was comforting, if exuberant. Even as he was bombarded by another well wisher, Harry was glad. Even though they didn't believe him about not putting his name in the Goblet, at least they hadn't been like the rest of the school. So, while normally he'd be put off by this kind of thing, he felt good. It was pretty much the same as after they had won a quidditch game.

Just as he finally had a moment and was about to get some food, someone came from out of nowhere to distract him. Which was a shame, because Harry hadn't realized until then the appetite his near-death experience had worked up in him. Still, as he recognized the mop of red hair atop the person's head, his expression turned neutral.

"Ron." His greeting was cold, and he saw his former friend give a small flinch, but Harry ignored it.

"Harry...can- Can I talk to you? I have something I want to say." Though no one was paying them any attention at this point, caught up in their celebration, Harry reluctantly gestured that they move to an unoccupied corner of the room.

Once they were there, Ron finally gave his reason for coming up to him. "Harry, I..I want to apologize. I reckon someone's out to get you."

"Finally caught on, have you?" His response was cold, once more, and as before, there was minor flinch of guilt from the other boy.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was a right prick about it and I realize that. Can you forgive, me? I miss my best mate."

If it just been earlier that day, Harry probably would have told Ron to forget the whole thing had ever happened. Just pretend his weeks of betrayal had never happened and go back to being friends. But! But this wasn't earlier. Harry had died, Though it seems it hadn't been permanent. He had died, and Ron hadn't believed him that it could happen, that it was whole reason he was in the tournament in the first place.

And then Harry also remembered the events after he had died. He remembered that parchment and what it said had happened to Ron after he had died. If he hadn't been able to come back. His friend had gone down a dark path in his anger, and while that was horrible, he realized it was because Ron still cared. That he had been guilty that the two of them hadn't been able to reconcile.

Even so, however…

"Ron...I forgive you, but...but I don't think I can forget this. I'm not sure we can go back to how it was, not right now, at least. You didn't believe me when I could really have used the support! If you want my trust again, you'll have to earn it."

Ron seemed disappointed, but also hopeful and determined.

"That's fine, Harry, I'll make it up you! I promise I'll do whatever it takes!"

Harry gave a tentative smile and held out his hand. Relief on his friend's face -and it did feel good to be able to call Ron his friend again- he took it and they shook hands.

Then Harry's stomach let out a loud grumble, making him give a sheepish smile, while he rubbed at the back of his neck. His friend just laughed and they headed over to to the food, hopeful that one day, they'd both be back to being best mates.

For the next couple hours, Harry enjoyed himself, putting his worries about the tournament and everything else to the back of his mind. He played a quick game of chess with Ron, talked with some of his Housemates about idle things, such as quidditch or music and even laughed with everyone else whenever someone was naive enough to try one of Fred and George's Canary Creme's. Unfortunately, poor Neville had eaten three before the effect had kicked in and now he'd be molting for days.

Suddenly one of the Weasley twins - he was fairly sure it was George- swung his arm around Harry's neck and asked, "And how's our favorite wee Triwizard Champion?"

A bit aways from them, the other twin spoke up, "Hrmm...Fred, I don't think Triwizard Champion is catchy enough. Not unique, you know? Maybe when he actually wins..."

"True enough! How about The Mighty Dragon Slayer?"

"No no, too presumptuous. The dragon didn't actually die, remember? How about, The-Boy-Who-Was-Surprisingly-Kind-To-A-Giant-Monster?"

"Bah, too hyphenated! Oooh, I know! How about Dragonsbane?!"

"Hrmm...maybe. We'll have to brainstorm later, George, but for now, onto the important things! so Harry, how are you doing? Not too rattled are ya? That dragon sure was freaky."

Harry attempted to pipe in, "Wait, I thought he was Fre-"

His question went unfinished as George -or Fred- continued on unabated, "True enough. Has our brother Charlie in a right tizzy, it does. Sure was wicked though!"

Ignoring his confusion, Harry answered, "Fine enough. Really, I only got a couple bruises and small burns from all the dodging. Madame Pomfrey healed them right up."

From there, the conversation just devolved into a retelling of the events from his perspective, though he left out the stuff about life now being a videogame, obviously. As he finished, he saw a contemplative look on the Twins' faces and felt a small pit of dread form in his stomach. It was the look they got when they were onto a new idea for their latest joke product. Eventually, Fred turned to him and asked, "Hey Harry, you still got that tiny dragon you mentioned at the beginning? You know, the one you pulled from the bag?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can we see it?" This time it was George who spoke.

Shrugging and figuring 'why not,' he reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny animated figurine. Only, when he fully pulled it out, he found that it was different. Whereas before, it looked like a normal Hungarian Horntail, it now looked like the Corrupted Dragon he had faced after it had transformed. Staring at it for a moment, he handed it over to George so they could look at it.

"Huh. Just as we thought. You thinking what I'm thinking Gred?"

"Always, Forge. You're thinking Angelina's tits look absolutely marvelous today."

"That too, Gred, but not the main point. And Harry, if you ever mention that to anybody, be prepared for a long bout of pranks of a level this school has never seen."

A bit wide-eyed, Harry was quick to nod his understanding.

"Anyway, I was also thinking that this gives us an idea. We could probably replicate all this spellwork, don't ya think?"

"Seems easy enough, but it seems kind of tame...maybe there's some potential there, to improve it?"

"We'll have to go to the drawing board then! I'm sure we can think of something suitably worthy of being created by us! Best get started right away. Cya, Harry!"

With that, George handed back the small dragon and headed off with his brother to contemplate the idea of tiny monsters fighting each other to get stronger. Putting the dragon back in his pocket, Harry felt he needed some space. It was starting to seem kind of crowded in here.

-

Exiting through the Fat lady's portrait, who seemed to be off visiting one of her friends in a different painting, Harry walked around for a bit. He didn't go far, simply wanting some space for a few minutes rather than exploring the castle like he was sometimes wont to do. Entering the closest abandoned classroom, he was surprised to find it wasn't so abandoned after all.

Sitting at one of old desks was Hermione, sitting in a chair and reading a book. On the desk beside her were even more books, and some parchment strewn about with various notes on them. She must have been absorbed into her book by quite a bit, as she had yet to notice him.

'Should've known she'd escape the party to go off and read.' He thought with an inward grin.

Creeping a bit closer, he could make out the name of the book, called '333 Incidents of Unusual Accidental Magic.' Briefly, he wondered why she was reading about that, but answered his own questions a moment later.

'She probably got interested when we talking about it earlier.'

"Snuck away from the party, have you?"

He gave off an amused grin when he saw her startle at his question. It seems he'd inadvertently snuck up on her, though he didn't particularly mind. At least, not until she smacked his arm in anger at surprising her.

"Harry you prat! Don't do that! I could have dropped the book and then Ms. Pince would just give me that look for the rest of the year. You know the one, where she just screws up her face and look at you with contempt and suspicion, like you're going to go around burning all of the books? And I'm not sure I could stand that!"

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at her pouting face. "Calm down, Hermione. I doubt'd it'd be that bad. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen you drop a book in your life. I doubt a small scare would make you drop a book now.

"Anyways, why'd you sneak off? You missed Ron actually apologizing, and an...interesting conversation with the Twins."

His friend just gave a snort of annoyance. "I got some food, but before I was finished I was ambushed by Parvati and Lavender. They wanted to gossip and of course they were talking all about your performance in the First Task. They just went on and on about how heroic you were and how dashing you looked and didn't even consider anything about how much danger you were in, or close you came to dying. According to you, you did die! Oh, it was just making me upset, so I slipped away before I snapped."

Harry winced. He knew how Hermione's roommates could grate on her sometimes, as Parvati and Lavender were very much into things like gossip and fashion and other such things. Hermione could tolerate it, but as far as he knew, her interest just didn't lie in those things. And personally, he wasn't quite sure what to make of their thoughts on his performance in the First Task. It was...kind of flattering, he guessed and it was a lot better than people commenting on how he defeated Voldemort when he was a babe. At least it was something he'd done on his own merits, rather than some weird quirk of fate.

As for them not realizing how much danger he was in...Well, he couldn't really say anything there. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't some part of him that had felt alive when he was out flying that Dragon. There had been a kind of...excitement, mixed in with the dread and terror and even with the exhaustion and near breakdown afterwards there had also been a sense of exaltation, of pride, at coming out on top.

So for lack of want to mention such things, he changed the topic as subtly as he could.

"It wasn't...that bad, really. And the first time, I was more sad for you and Ron and the rest of my friends when I...Well, I'm certainly glad I got a second chance, even if it did come with all this craziness."

She gave a sad smile at the remind. Harry himself had actually been able to put it out of his mind for the last hour.

"Harry...you know that if you need any help, you can ask, right? Not just with this game stuff, but other things too. I know I helped you practice for the First Task, but you still died! Maybe if I'd helped a bit more, searched for a better way to take on the Dragon, none of this would have happened in the first place!"

Her outburst took him aback. He hadn't realized that his first attempt at the Task, one she didn't even remember happening, had hit her so hard when he told her about. Really, it had been the least of his worries once the weird screens and message had popped up. At this point, he'd gotten over the whole 'dying' thing, but his friend was obviously distraught about this.

Shuffling awkwardly as he thought over what to say to put his friend at ease, eventually he said, "Hermione, it's not your fault at all. Really, If anything, I should have been taking things more seriously. You've always been there to help me out, and without you, we would have definitely had a harder time of things. You've always been there to help me out, and without you, we would have definitely had a harder time of things. You can't be blamed for not trying hard enough, when you've already been of so much help. I know it may not seem like it, but I do know how much work you do to help me out, the hours you spend in the library just searching for ways to give us a leg up in whatever weird situation we've gotten ourselves into.

"Maybe if I paid a bit more attention in class, or took a page out of your book and studied ahead sometimes, I wouldn't be in this situation. So believe me, when I say it's not your fault, alright? I doubt I'd be doing as well as I am without you."

She gave him a grateful smile and relaxed. At some point, she must have gotten tense when she was mulling over this when she was alone. He was glad he could help his friend too. It wasn't a lie to say she'd definitely helped him out over the years they'd known each other, and he was all too happy to repay that.

They were friends, after all.

And it was because they were friends that he recognized the look in her eye. The one where she was utterly fascinated by a new subject, or had just learned there was a great big book on sale that had to do with advanced magical theory. In other words, she was eyeing him like she had a homework assignment due and he was a book the relevant subject.

It was kind of like being stared down at by a hungry mountain lion, if he had to say so himself.

"Anyway, Harry, since the subject has come up, I've been doing some reading. And I haven't been able to find any mention of something like what's happening to you now. That means this is probably thoroughly unprecedented! It's obvious it must somehow be magical in nature and do you know how much it might be able to tell us? The things we can learn! Oh it'll be so much fun!

"Now, I know you went over the basics before, but this time you have to tell me the details! What was it first like when you died? You mentioned a hall and a pedestal, what did they look like? How about the menus themself?"

Harry now had a look akin to a cornered animal and was leaning away from an enthusiastic Hermione. She had taken up a notepad and a quill and was waiting for an answer to her question and the longer it took him to answer the more impatient she looked.

Holding up his hands to signal for her to give him a moment, as well as to give him a form of protection in case she attacked him for keeping her waiting, he said, "Whoah, calm down Hermione! I'll answer your questions, just slow down, alright?

And that's how the next few minutes went by, with her asking questions and Harry answering them, trying to give as much detail as possible. At some point, he'd sat down in a chair next to her, while Hermione scribbled down notes. Pretty soon, the desk she'd been using was even more cluttered, with tons of pages scattered everywhere. The latest few pages had a couple replicas of his 'character sheet,' one as it currently looked, and another that had things circled and annotated. It had questions on it that hadn't even occurred to Harry, and he tried to figure things things out to answer Hermione.

Really, he probably wouldn't have even thinked to look at the Help button on the Pause Screen. That had really come in handy and had helped in explaining things. Like Traits.

Traits were things that defined him and could give him various bonuses or flaws. Some could changed, or lost, and you could gain others by choosing perks, or through events or other such things. The Fit/Scrawny Trait, for instance, gave him a 3% bonus to his Strength and Dexterity stats, but could also be changed if he gained body mass or something. The bonus apparently didn't appear in his stats, but he assumed it was taken into account whenever the relevant stats were needed. They could also give him a kind of quirk, like the Curious trait, which made him more likely to poke his nose into things and search for interesting things.

Interestingly, it seemed they could branch off, giving you another trait that was somehow connected to the first. Such as the T2-Parselmouth Trait, which was somehow connected to the mysterious ? Trait.

Eventually, the rounded things to something he hadn't noticed before.

"So, what's this Specialization menu? I don't think you ever mentioned it before."

"Huh. I hadn't actually noticed it, before. Usually I always have some other reason to look at the Character Menu, that takes up my attention. Let me take a look."

Let's see, specializations…Ah, there they were. Harry looked at the screen, reading the description for what a specialization was. It seemed they were something like a Perk, but a bit more all encompassing. Some of them seemed to give several abilities, or bonuses to specific stats. As he understood it, to unlock one, he had to use up the 'Ancient Coins' that he had earned. There seemed to be different tiers as well, and each Specialization had extra Tiers that could be unlocked. Tier 1 Specializations cost 10 Ancient Coins, Tier 2 cost 20, Tier 3 took 30 and so on. The more Ancient Coins sunk into a Specialization, the more powerful it was.

Some of the many Specializations were things such as:

* Godric's Will - Requires being from Gryffindor House and At least 3 Heroic Acts. Godric's Will is bestowed upon you, granting you more innate skill with a sword and Transfiguration. Also gives a bit of a boost to Confidence (Self). As a Unique Specialization, the strength of its bonuses depend on how many Ancient Coins are poured into it. Special bonuses if wearing Sorting Hat or wielding Gryffindor's Sword.

(2) Dragon's Flame - You have a fond kinship with Dragons. Gains a boost to all spells dealing with fire, a small bit of magical resistance and the ability to talk to Dragons.

(1) The Illusionist - You've found a talent for glamours and illusions. Your skill with these types of spells increases exponentially. (Further Tiers will make it so Illusions are more lifelike and other possible quirks)

(1) Ancient Aspects -You learn the magics of the old tribes, used to take on some of the traits of their 'Spirit Animals.' Pick 3 Non-magical animals. Thrice per day, you can switch between taking on some of the traits of these animals, such as giving enhanced senses, or small bonuses to stats. (Later Tiers may allow you to add another animal or broaden your choices.)

(1) Werewolf - You have contracted Lycanthropy! Warning: May cause a faint craving for red meat. (At later Tiers, you may be able to control your shifting more and keep better control of yourself while a werewolf)

* Rowena's Wit - Requires Ravenclaw House and 3 Acts of Intellect. You are blessed with the Wit of Rowena Ravenclaw herself, giving you a bonus to Intellect and Charms, and a smaller bonus to Arithmancy. Also gain the Trait 'Quick Learner (Mind)' increasing the rate at which skills that are based on the mind are raised. As a Unique Specialization, the strength of its bonuses depend on how many Ancient Coins are poured into it. Special Bonus if Ravenclaw's Diadem (Uncursed) is worn.

(3) The Binder - You've delved into magics regarding the summoning of otherworldly beings and binding them to your will. Bonus to Summoning and Controlling Demons and Spirits.

Idly, he noticed he had 10 Ancient Coins. If he remembered correctly, he got those when he died. Were they some kind of reward for how well he did?

Shaking his head to clear away his musings, he relayed everything to Hermione.

"Hrmm...that's definitely interesting. And some of the implications! Your Basilisk Eyes are one thing, but some of these literally change your very nature! And I didn't even know some of these kinds of magics existed. Not to mention that Werewolf one! Does that mean all Werewolves have the potential to have better control of their nature? If so, that could be basis to one day abolish all of those silly restrictions they have on them!

"Oh, it's just all so fascinating!"

"I do have to agree with that, I guess. As stressful as it's been, it does seem kind of intriguing. And the benefits can't be denied…"

Scratching the back of his head, he looked at the long list of Specializations. Some of them seemed extremely useful, just like the perks and others were just weird. And then there were the ones that kind of creeped him out. That Demon Summoning one, for instance. It sounded really shady, and Harry was sure that if he checked, he'd find such magics were considered illegal.

Still…

"So, which one do you think i should take?"

At his question, the sound of furious scribbling suddenly stopped, as Hermione looked at him. Apparently, she hadn't expected him to ask such a thing, as she was now chewing on the end of her quill in thought.

"Hmmm...it's kind of a tough choice. I'd say continue with my earlier advice and go with what's most useful, but there's so many that are useful. But maybe...Godric's Will definitely sounds interesting, and truthfully Harry, sometimes you could use a bit more confidence in yourself. You're really a lot better at things than you think."

Well, he didn't have any better ideas. And if he was honest with himself, she had a point. If he wasn't in some kind of life or death situation, he usually pretty unsure of himself.

Shrugging, he poured all 10 Ancient Coins into Godric's Will.

The results were...interesting. Immediately, there was a brief, sharp pain in his head, and then he just knew. His fingers twitched, and he knew immediately that if he picked up a sword, he'd be able to actually wield it decently, if not at a master level. And transfiguration…

Taking out his wand, he spun it with a flourish and turned on of the extra chairs in the room into an ornate wooden statue of a gryffin. The detail was of a level he'd never reached before, and he could make out the individual feathers on the wings, the eyes seemed to follow him as he moved his head. A grin appeared on his face. Transfiguration had never been particularly difficult, but he'd never really had a flair for it. He'd heard that his Dad had been pretty good at it too, and this kind of made him feel a bit closer to him.

Definitely feeling a bit more upbeat about this whole mess, Harry leaned back into his chair, listening to his friend scribble down notes beside him. He would most likely go back to the party in a bit, but for now, he was content to spend time in the presence of the person who was probably his best friend.

It seemed she probably thought the same way, because at some point, she'd started to lean into him as she scribbled.

When they returned to the Common Room, the party seemed to still be going fairly strong, though it was noticeably more calm than before. The music that had sprung up at some point was quieter, and while there were still some people dancing, most were in groups, cradling drinks and conversing among themselves.

There were also a few people laughing at those who had been foolish enough to eat Fred and George's 'Canary Cremes.'

He was getting himself another drink when someone shouted, "Let's see the egg!"

At that, all eyes turned to him, and he realized something.

Where was the egg?

After patting himself down and looking around the room, he realized he had absolutely no idea.

"Uhh...anyone seen the egg?"

That set the rest of his Housemates to look at each other questioningly, before frantically starting and going through the common room, searching for the egg. Things were being thrown around, and tables upturned. Somebody had even flipped the couch over!

For his part, Harry was anxiously thinking. He'd had it with him when he went off with Hermione to explain things, but he couldn't remember if he'd brought it with him to Dumbledore. Was it still in the room?

With a worried expression on his face, he went through the Fat Lady's Painting and raced through the hallways. Painting flew by, blurs in the corner of his vision. It seemed only seconds as corners crept by and when he reached the stairs, he took them several at a time.

It seemed like barely any time had passed, before he reached the room he and Hermione had discussed his 'Game' problem in. When he stopped in front of the door, his legs burned, and he was panting heavily, his eyes blurred.

He scrambled to open the door, and as he did, it was if a pit had fell in his stomach. Harry swallowed, as dread settled within him as he took in the room.

There was no Golden Egg.

And as if to taunt him, were the big, bold words floating in vision in flowing green script.

New Quest
Find The Golden Egg!

A/N So, that happened. Honestly, i'm surprised I've never seen it done before, personally.

Again, sorry for the long wait or this. I can't really promise a steady update rate, but I usually am always working on something, at least. I've got that Naruto/Fairy Tail fic, a Kakashi-centric Naruto/Marvel Cinematic Universe fic in the works, a Code Geass/Highschool DxD fic I need to plan out and I recently put out a Naruto Videogame fic.

Not to mention I'm rereading ASOIAF to start a Quest, and that's fighting me like a tough son of a bitch. GRRM sure knows how to write a tough series. (I've been inspired by Hashasheen/Droman's Dragon of The North over on Sufficient Velocity. I suggest you check it out.)

Anyway, to preempt this, though i'm certain people will comment anyway: The pairing, for this life, is H/Hr. Not to say it will stay that way. Harry will have a bunch of different relationships, throughout this fic. There will probably be a little something for every kind of shipper, though for those fans of it, i'll say there won't be any Slash. not on Harry's part, at least.

Till next time. Hopefully that won't be more than half a year from now, lol.

-Eberhardt