Reviews
sandmanwake
Why would there be fanfics in a bookstore?
Netchka
J. K. Rowling once stated in an interview that Harry never had a godmother. This was due to the secrecy and danger that the Potters had to live with when Harry was a baby. They kept his christening very lowkey and did not appoint any godparent except for Sirius Black.
Archaicworld
I can't have my character being successful at everything he does that would be boring. Also, he was holding back so as not to injure anyone and duelling as a sport is not like taking on a wizard in a real fight.
MarvinMartian009
He does use the form of a House Elf to get around sometimes and he can mimic a house elf he's met.
Yeah, he could turn into Dobby and get into Malfoy Manor if he wanted to. He'd have to meet Dobby first. He hasn't bothered because he had ways to deal with the Death Eaters and other problems.
Moody would see the creature that Kol has taken the form of as Kol is a real shapeshifter but he could see through Kol's illusions I guess.
Alan
I also have this idea for a spell that creates deadly sound waves like a sonic weapon. Casting spells takes focus and it's hard to focus when you're being deafened.
Crossworlds 1 - Harry Potter
Part 50
Hiddleston Residence. Godric's Hallow.
"I'm impressed by how quickly your smiths managed to get this piece done" I commented as the ornate wooden boxes were placed in front of me by a dwarf called Stonepick who had delivered the two boxes to my home in person "I expected it to take much longer even with the skills of your people".
There are advantages to being such an important customer of the dwarf clan and I enjoyed them. As for what I'd ordered created as Tom Hiddleston I'd gotten the dwarves to forge a sort of replacement for Ravenclaw's diadem as the original I had felt compelled to destroy.
Since the sapphire was the only important part of the diadem and like stone Hallow it hadn't been tainted by Lord Voldemort, I'd been able to safely use the sapphire, and I'd decided to craft a replacement that didn't look at all like the original as I didn't want people trying to claim the diadem through legal means or trying to steal it. That might endanger the people I cared about.
The circlet was made from fine Dwarven bronze, which was a very sturdy material and bronze along with blue, it was one of the colours assigned to Ravenclaw. I'd paid the dwarves a decent amount to create something like the circles worn in the Skyrim game as that appealed to me far more than something made from goblin silver and dwarves share the same views on ownership as human beings, so I didn't have to worry about their clan trying to repossess the item.
I paid the dwarf the rest of the agreed-upon sum and he or she, it was hard to tell with dwarves, soon went on their way.
"Can I try it on?" requested Hermione.
She knew what the item was for since she knew about the sapphire. As for wearing it. She could not. It wasn't meant for her.
Originally I had placed the gem into a scepter, but that attempt to create a metal rod to work as a sturdy wand just hadn't worked out. It didn't work any better than a wand and since I was going to be carrying spare wands I'd decided to have the jewel be used for its proper purpose. Perhaps my Deathly Hallow would work better as part of the scepter.
"No, this is a gift," I said "For Luna's lot"
They were all Ravenclaws and I knew they had tried to recreate the diadem themselves. Also, I needed to give them something because I was breaking off the marriage agreement I'd made years back when I'd needed to acquire the use of their printing press for the anti-Dumbledore book.
"I'm going to break off the arranged marriage" I informed the young witch "Luna wants to travel after school to go look for possibly imaginary magical creatures and I want to leave this world, so I don't think things will work out".
Aside from that Luna had a family she wouldn't want to leave.
"I could just return the printing press, but I wanted to show them more respect than that" I was now telling my fellow Hogwarts student "This circlet can serve as Luna's inheritance instead of the press which they can pass it on to Helios or vice versa it's a unisex accessory".
There was no need for me to keep the press. I also didn't mind funding Luna's explorations if she wanted me to.
"So you never want to marry her?" Hermione asked me.
It just wasn't going to work out.
"I don't have romantic feelings towards her and I don't think that will ever change" I admitted "I love her more as a sibling than in any other way".
To my complete lack of surprise, Miss Granger was pleased to hear that.
"It's a big thing to give up" she mentioned.
Not as much as she might be thinking.
"Stories of the diadem's powers have been growing with the legend of the Founders, Rowena Ravenclaw told me herself that you could get the same effect from drinking wit-sharpening potions" I let Hermione know "It's not that impressive when compared to the Hallows or even a few of the magical artefacts of other worlds that we could claim".
If we ever got around to visiting the Elder Scrolls world I might learn how to make something just as impressive. Besides the Lovegoods had always been kind to me I wanted them to have something to remember me by that they would treasure for many years to come. They would treasure the item and guard it well.
I intended to keep Salazar's Locket even if it was damaged and Salazar no longer appeared in his small portrait within, as he wanted me to have it. As for the other Founder's relic, I still had a use for the cup.
"This little beauty is going to help me find out what happened to Voldemort," I told Hermione as I showed her Hufflepuff's cup "I bet you know what it is".
She'd finished the book series as I'd been preparing for my exams.
"It's Hufflepuff's cup" she realised "One of the Horcruxes".
Not totally correct.
"Don't worry, Hermione, I destroyed or cleansed the Horcruxes except for Harry Potter who isn't a proper Horcrux and Nagini who might not even be one" I reminded her "This is just the cup now and it is time it was handed over to the proper authorities".
The cup did have magical properties, but they were linked to Hogwarts and so the cup would be useless to me once I left the school and it didn't benefit me now as anything other than a fancy bit of treasure.
"You're going to use it to try to lure Voldemort out of hiding" the witch soon realised.
If news of its recovery became public then it would reach the Dark Lord if he was still part of this world and he would seek to recover the relic. He would have to return to the country and risk exposing himself.
If he was gone and the prophecy no longer mattered (because I'd done something to invalidate it by absorbing part of his power and destroying his proper Horcruxes or because I'd banished his spirit with the Hallow) then I could still get some fame and reward out of all of this. Useful to have if I wanted to do something that would serve my plans in the future and I needed public support.
"Seems risky" pointed out Hermione.
I was running out of time. I wasn't going to stay in this world in the long term and the moment I'd involved myself with the Horcruxes I'd known that I would have to find a way to handle Voldemort before I left or I might doom this world.
"Dumbledore is gone," I said "You read about what happens to this country if Dumbledore isn't around and Voldemort is active".
I had no desire to leave Magical Britain in such a poor state.
"The other box has a present for you in it," I said while gesturing to the second box that had been dropped off "I hope you like it".
Hermione was soon holding a slim bronze dagger. A weapon made for a female hand.
"Dwarven blades never get dull and they are very strong even if they are bronze rather than steel," I told her "A dagger like that can save your life if you've lost your wand and someone's grabbed you".
A goblin silver dagger would have looked fancier and I could have imbued it with poisons I just didn't think it was a good idea to give her a weapon she could kill herself with by accidental cutting herself.
"Thank you," Hermione said.
Now I had to get going. I needed to hand the cup over to the Minister of Magic as Tom Hiddleston to carry out the next part of my plan.
(Line Break)
The Ministry of Magic. London.
I did my best to ignore the flashes of the bulbs as the cameras went off. No doubt the image of Tom Hiddleston would soon be gracing the pages of many a magazine as well as Magical Britan's only newspaper.
The Minister of Magic couldn't help smiling as he shook my hand and acted as if the good news was his own doing, rather than it being the result of my carefully made plans or at least one of my more successful plans.
After all, I was the one to steal Hufflepuff's Cup from the vault of the Lestrange family, and I had paid for the magical device that purified the cup of the taint left on it by Tom Riddle. However, I couldn't grumble as Fudge had promised me a nice reward for returning this priceless magical artefact to the Ministry. Not that the Ministry ever had a claim to it.
The Order of Merlin, an award commemorating the most famous wizard of his time, had been given out to worthy witches and wizards since the fifteenth century. Legend says that the green ribbon, on which the First Class Order hangs, is to reflect Merlin's Hogwarts house.
The First Class Order is awarded 'for acts of outstanding bravery or distinction' in magic, the Second Class, the one I could be getting, is awarded for 'achievement or endeavour beyond the ordinary and the Third Class is given to those who 'have contributed to the nation's store of knowledge or entertainment
Albus Dumbledore received his O.M. (First Class) for defeating the Dark wizard Grindelwald, and there was a good deal of muttering in the wizarding community when Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, awarded himself an O.M. (First Class) for a career that many considered less than distinguished.
Other less worthy recipients of the highest class of Order include Arcturus Black, Sirius Black's grandfather, who was widely believed to have bought his award by loaning the Ministry a large amount of gold. Since I'd freely given gold to both Hogwarts and the magical hospital without getting an award I wondered if that was true.
Given that Lockhart had gotten an Order of Merlin Third Class then it seemed as if the Ministry had believed that the man was writing fiction and had just been letting him prance about to amuse the masses. Not a terrible idea as the public did crave such distractions and it was best to keep the masses amused.
"Mr Hiddleston!" called a reporter "Why did you bring Hufflepuff's cup to the Ministry when it was last known to be in the possession of Hepzibah Smith? Shouldn't it be returned to the Smith family?".
I'd considered that, but I needed news of the cup to reach a wide audience and the Smith family might have hidden the cup away. As for the reporter, I felt impressed, she'd done her homework before coming here.
"Since I didn't know if the Smith family had legitimate ownership of the relic I decided it was best to let the Ministry handle the legal issues," I said "Hogwarts might have a claim as well as any other descendants of Helga Hufflepuff out there".
I'd let the bureaucrats squabble over the matter. I didn't care where the cup ended up as long as Voldemort (if he was out there) heard that it wasn't in Lestrange's vault which was where he expected it to be.
"How do you find the cup?" I was asked.
I couldn't tell the truth and I didn't wish to be caught lying either.
"My treasure-hunting methods aren't up for discussion," I said "If people knew about them I'd quickly go out of business".
I had some more questions to answer.
"Are you seeking any of the other founder's treasures?" I was asked.
"No," I told the reporter.
There was no need as I knew where they all were. I planned to keep the locket. The only one not destroyed or in my possession other than the cup was Godric's sword and I was a Ravenclaw so I had no claim to that relic or any interest in it since my goblin-silver dagger was enhanced with Basilisk venom and I had my own swords.
"Mr Hiddleston has requested a private ceremony for when he receives his well-earned Order of Merlin, Second Class" declared Minster Fudge "Given in honour of his work to uncover a piece of our lost past, his aid to the Ministry, and his generous nature".
It wouldn't be well known that I had been working behind the scenes to make sure that the Triwizard Tournament would be a success unlike that clusterfuck of a mess it is in the book series.
Maybe I'd end with a first-class award by the time the event was over as Tom Hiddleston while claiming the trophy as John.
(Line Break)
Hiddleston Residence. Godric's Hallow.
Unlike a certain family of redheads we wouldn't be camping out after the match, there was no need to when our return portkey would bring us back to the village this evening. As such neither Hermione nor I needed to get up too early, yet we decided to leave before the portkey was due to become active as we were eager to head off to the World Cup Final.
After a light breakfast and an extra cup of coffee to help us wake up, we got out of the house and made our way out of the village passing by the Potter's cottage as we did. I detoured us so that I quickly visit the graveyard and spoke to the Potters. Who might be able to hear me, even when I didn't use the Hallow.
"We'll see your son today and I'll find out how he's doing" I promised.
I'd always liked the Potters they faced up to great evil and gave their lives for their son they were good people. Sure, I would have fled the country with my baby, changed my name, and never looked back, but I thought about things logically.
"A shame we can never meet them," said Hermione.
I had met them, or their spirits at least, which was the same thing I figured.
"You can," I told her "I can summon their spirits".
Hermione looked confused for a moment.
"I forgot that you had the stone," she said as we moved on "It's weird that you're a sort of Necromancer".
True Necromancy is not about raising people from the dead or making magical zombies it's actually about calling on the spirits of the dead. Something I can do thanks to my Deathly Hallow.
"I am a man of many talents," I said.
Godric's Hollow is one of the places where magical families lived alongside Muggles for generations. Over the centuries, it has been home to many wizards and witches of note, including Godric Gryffindor, who was born here, and Bowman Wright who forged the first Golden Snitch during the Middle Ages.
Later it had been the home of the Dumbledores and the Bagshot family, but there were few magical people left in these parts due to the dwindling population. The only other magical people around who were coming with us were Mr and Mrs Knighton, an old pureblood couple who kept to themselves.
They didn't arrive until it was almost time to leave and I directed Hermione to pick up the empty biscuit tin that was our portkey. This was a method of travel for wizards unable to unwilling to Apparate and with portkeys, we could go to places where there were no fireplaces that were hooked up to the floo network.
The unpleasant side effects of using Portkey travel, however, can include faintness, nausea and vomiting. Something I'd warned Hermione about and it was why we'd only had a light breakfast before heading out.
Since I was Salazhar's heir, his spirit had declared it to be so, I could use Portkeys to get in and out of the Chamber of Secrets, but no one needed to know about that.
"When you let go start moving your legs as if you are walking at a fast pace" I advised my companion.
It would soon make sense and Hermione didn't have the knack for it as she ended up on her back once we landed and I had to help her up.
"I wonder if the Weasley family will be in the top box with us like in the books?" Hermione whispered.
Since I didn't like them I hoped not.
"It depends on why they were there," I said, also speaking softly as Mr and Mrs Knighton still close by "It's supposed to be something to do with Ludo Bagan owing Arthur Weasly a favour, but I suspect that it partly had to do with Harry Potter staying with them. They had a lot of seats and Bagman isn't that important. I think Fudge might have made arrangements so that he could be seen with the Boy-Who-Lived".
I wouldn't put it past Dumbledore to have organised the tickets reward for his favourite minions.
Since we didn't have a tent Hermione and I wandered the camp sight taking the sights of magical people from all over the world.
It was a good thing that this world was closer to the film version than the books at times as it meant there were no muggles about. If there had been there'd be a fair bit of mind-wiping going on as quite a lot of the wizards around here were being reckless about their use of magic.
For example, some wizards had added chimneys, bellpulls or weather vanes to their tents, others let their children play with magical toys in plain sight. Also, the Ireland supporters had their tents covered with living shamrocks, while the Bulgaria supporters had set up moving posters of Viktor Krum.
"Sweet lady, kiss me for luck," said a leprechaun to Hermione "I let you take a coin from my pot of gold".
My future travelling companion just smiled and we walked off.
"I know that leprechaun gold vanishes after a few hours," she said.
There were goblins here taking bets and I put some good money on Ireland to win with a side bet for Krum to catch the Snitch. I did so for Hermione as well despite her protests.
"I don't gamble" she argued.
This might not count.
"We already know the outcome of the match unless something I've done affected the players" I reminded her "So is it real gambling?".
She shrugged.
"It's your money to risk," she said.
I knew that Ludo Bagman would get into heavier debts due to his gambling at this event and I intended to purchase his debt from the goblins so I could hold it over the man during the Triwizard Tournament. Once the event was done I was ready to leave this world I'd forgive him the debt since I wasn't a monster and I had plenty of ways to make more money.
"Hermione, John!" I heard some call out.
I turned to see that Harry Potter was waving at us. He was here with his godfather, Neville Longbottom, and a man I knew to be Frank Longbottom, one of the people in long-term care at St Mungos that I had been able to cure.
Sadly the Weasley clan was here as well. I knew that it was unfair of me to dislike this family so much, but I just couldn't help myself, they all annoyed me.
"Hello, Neville, Harry" I greeted "Looking forward to the match?".
I knew from when I'd visited Neville on his birthday, before making an excuse to leave, that the Longbottoms had been invited by the Minister to the top box along with Potter and Black.
Given the Minister was looking for more supporters from wealthy families it made sense that he'd reached out to the Longbottoms who were both famous Aurors and whose return to normal life was considered something of a miracle. Only Hermione and I knew that I'd used magic that was alien to this world to restore their minds.
Hermione stiffened when Mr Weasley, the one member of that family I actually liked, introduced his youngest son to us. Meeting the person you knew you married an alternate timeline in the future must be very strange.
"You just missed us placing some bets" mentioned Sirius as Hermione and I sat down outside his tent "There are good odds on Ireland to win and for Krum to catch the snitch".
Since normally catching the snitch both ended and won the game for the team of whichever Seeker caught it would be a little odd for this game to end that way. The World Cup matches weren't part of a season so it mattered only who won each game rather than who got the most points overall.
"I hope you made a proper bet with the goblins and not with Ludo Bagman" I mentioned "If you did you'll never see that money again".
Judging by the worried looks on many faces they had chosen poorly.
"What do you mean?" asked one of the Weasley twins.
Given that I'd recommend not allowing them to go back to school as Tom Hiddleston I was concerned that the twins might act out around me, but they might not even know who the governors were, or care.
"Bagman has huge gambling debts because of his gambling problem," I explained "He can't pay back what he owes anyone and the goblins want to have words with him".
The troublesome twins raced off to go get their money as Hermione and I chatted with Harry who we hadn't seen all summer. I kept an eye out for anyone I knew to be a Death Eater who might make trouble later, but I didn't see any of them.
(Line Break)
Topbox. Quidditch Stadium.
I was greeted by the Minister in person when Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, his father, Hermione Granger and I made it to the VIP seats. There were no Malfoys here much to my delight. Kol the Red Mage had driven them from this county.
The clan of redheads ended up going up higher than us and that pleased me as Ron Weasley had been giving me foul looks for a while now. Although that was a little odd as I felt sure we'd only met once and as far as he knew I had nothing to do with his life. Perhaps he envied the way that Potter, who the Minister insisted on sitting next to, was so chummy with me before while we were hanging out in the campsite.
No doubt Ron had thought he would be Potter's best mate, a position currently held by Neville, and hated me for that as he'd sneered a bit at Longbottom as well. I didn't feel at all bad about altering that brat's life and Neville was a far better friend for Harry.
"Hello, sir" I greeted "I'm John Hiddleston, Tom has told me all about you".
I gestured to the witch next to me.
"This lovely young lady is Hermione Granger," I told Fudge "She's my date".
My fellow Ravenclaw didn't protest me calling it a date. If anything she seemed rather pleased that I'd used that word.
"John Hiddleston," said Fudge as he turned to face some of his other guests "I'd like you to meet the Bulgarian delegates".
Cortana told me what to say.
"Zdraveĭte," I said.
The Minister began to smile.
"Oh thank goodness I've been getting by on hand gesturing and a book of translations," he said "I don't speak any of the languages they do".
I tried a few greetings and as it turned out one of them spoke very good French. I felt fairly sure that at least one of them understood English well enough or they wouldn't have been sent to England to talk to the Minister on behalf of their country. They were just amused by Fudge's antics.
Hermione knew a little French and I'd had quite a bit of practice recently so we acted as translators until the Minster went to announce the match.
"When the Bulgarian mascots appear remember what I taught you about occlumency," I said to Neville and Harry.
That got me odd looks from a few people.
"They brought Veela with them" I explained.
The older men now perfectly understood.
"I've read about Veela" Hermione mentioned.
No one was surprised to hear this.
"They can make men act like idiots with their Allure," she said "Not that you need magic for that".
Good point. Pretty girls often have that power.
"Their Allure can be overwhelming if they are in a group" I warned "We could be affected even up here if we don't stay calm".
I should be fine given how well I'd mastered Occlumency and I'd been exposed before. Still, as Fudge made his speech and the mascots appeared I figured that my self-control could be tested.
As it turned out I had nothing to worry about and I noticed that the older men weren't affected like the teenage boys who had to be guided back to their seats when they suddenly stood up. Either the adults had built up some resistance or it was hormone based and older men were less controlled by them.
"You don't seem affected" commented Hermione.
For some reason, this seemed to make her happy and I saw no reason to discuss my resistance to the Allure.
I ignored the gold chucked at us by the Irish mascots as I knew it would fade away and I settled in to watch the match. It would be the first time I'd seen the game by real players and so I could measure my skill against them.
(Line Break)
Hiddleston Residence. Godric's Hallow.
The owl sent by the Ministry made its presence known as I was having a late breakfast just after getting out of bed the day after the world cup ended. I'd not expected the results of the exams I'd taken recently to be sent to me this soon, but it made sense since everyone else sitting the OWL exam would have done so much earlier in the summer. The examiners would have mostly finished their work by now.
As to why I'd been up so late last night, that was because Miss Granger and I had sneaked back to the campsite to wait for any Death Eater activity. Nothing had happened, not that I'd expected to given all my changes to the timeline, but fate might have had other plans.
"Oh, I can't wait to see what we got," said Hermione.
I'd convinced her to take the Muggle Studies exam with me and I'd paid for it because I knew how much academic achievement meant to the young witch. Having an OWL so early on would make her happy and since she'd grown up in the muggle world like I had neither of us needed to study much. If anything we had to dumb ourselves down a bit because the exam was so simple.
Normally the Ordinary Wizarding Levels are taken by Hogwarts students take at the age of fifteen. Many of the fifth-year students have a consultation with the head of their school house to discuss career paths. In Ravenclaw, we do this a bit earlier than other houses as we tend to plan ahead more than our peers. This consultation is meant to prepare the student for their exams and to let them know what results they need to proceed to the N.E.W.T. level in their chosen subjects.
During the book series, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat their O.W.L.s during June of their fifth year, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I should have waited another year to take mine, however, I wanted to finish my education sooner than was normal and devote more time to research while at Hogwarts.
"Passing grades Outstanding (O) Exceeds Expectations (E) Acceptable (A) Failing grades Poor (P) Dreadful (D) Troll (T)" I read out "I wonder why they even bother with three failing grades it only matters how well you passed. If you failed you failed".
Students who receive an Outstanding or Exceeds Expectations grade can usually proceed to N.E.W.T. level study. Students who receive an Acceptable grade can occasionally proceed, depending on the discretion of the teacher. If you got a P, D, or T then you wouldn't get into the class you wanted and it didn't how badly you failed.
"You're right it doesn't make much sense unless are remedial classes," she said.
There was a lot about the Wizarding World that didn't make sense.
"I got an Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Charms. Exceeds Expectations in the subjects of Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Potions, Muggle Studies, and Transfiguration. An Acceptable in Astronomy, and another Acceptable in History of Magic" I read out "About what I expected given that I've never had any love for Astronomy and History".
My Outstanding in Defence made sense as I duelled a lot and those sorts of spells came up in both the exam and the practical. The rest I'd done well with partly because I had Cortana with me and through her, I had access to all the information I'd read about and my practical work had been practised quite a bit. I might have even done better in the exams had I prepared more, but if my marks had been too high someone might have accused me of cheating or labelled me a genius. No need to draw even more attention to myself as John. At least not until I became a Triwizard Champion.
"I did better in Herbology than I thought I would" I admitted
Hermione also got an Exceeds Expectations in Muggle Studies. No big surprise given that she had been raised as a muggle in their culture.
"We do study it with Neville when revising as a group" pointed out my fellow Ravenclaw
I must have picked up more about magical plants than I'd realised. I didn't recall giving very detailed answers during the exam, although to be fair it's the practical part of that subject which really matters, and that isn't hard to do.
"Professor Flitwick will be pleased," I commented.
No doubt he'd brag about one of his students passing his OWLs before even starting his fifth year the next time he was in the staff room.
"I'll send him a quick letter" I decided.
He should know right away and it would be a good idea to remind me of the NEWT-level classes I wanted to take over the next two years. I would only be taking four classes, Potions, DADA, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures, but they were important to me. I'd need my free time this year and next year once all the distractions were out of the way it would be time for some proper magical study.
"Don't forget we have a dancing lesson later" Hermione reminded me as I started writing my letter.
I'd arranged them because in this timeline 4th years and above had dress robes on their school equipment so they would be allowed to go to the ball even if only as a date as an older student. I fully intended to take Hermione and make a special night for her. If only so she didn't feel bad about missing out on a chance to go with Krum.
She was also enjoying the lessons as an added bonus. I knew that little things like sharing an activity or just spending time together were more important to keep a relationship going than big romantic gestures. Women rarely mentioned it, but they liked getting the odd surprise like taking dancing lessons.
I wanted to make sure that Hermione didn't find anyone who even remotely compared to me while I was travelling and she was finishing up her schooling.