Hi everyone, I'm Lwa.

I wanted to preface this work with a bit of an introduction, as this is the first story on this account and there are a few things that need to be covered.

Number one, I am not new to writing, but I'm not a hardened veteran author either. I enjoy writing stories to clear my mind, it helps a lot with the stress of day to day life. I know that my writing may not be the best, but I don't care. To me this is all about getting everything out on a page.

Two, in regards to this story…

"A Veiled Reset" is actually just a prologue to a different story that I've wanted to work on for a long time. I have seen many Harry Potter stories with an evil Dumbledore and a stupid Ron Weasley, and far to many that ship Harry and Voldemort (WHY)

This isn't to say that I don't enjoy lgbt relationships in writing, I'm actually trans myself, but the enemies to lovers trope is just… it feels drastically overdone, especially in this case. Voldemort murdered Harry's parents in cold blood. No amount of twisting and turning can deny the fact that he murdered them, and tried the same with Harry.

I'm pursuing a different route with this Harry Potter story, starting here. There will be some time travel, but not at the hands of Harry, Dumbledore, or Voldemort. That's really all that I can say right now, about the story at least. I'll be able to cover more in future notes.

So without further ado, let's begin reading "A Veiled Reset."

—0—

Just beyond the edge of the eye, beyond that tree in your yard, the corner of the building down the street, or even the side of your bed… you can find the entrances to other worlds.

Now of course, at first you would think about the magical world, and you would be correct in a sense, but also incredibly wrong.

You see, while the world of magic may exist in areas beyond your reach- or better yet- your watchful eye, it is still part of your overall plane of existence. Yes, magic does exist, it is just kept as a secret from us muggles. Hidden behind false walls and enchanted bricks, there are stores and displays that are anything but mundane.

But of course, we are not talking about the magical world. We are talking about something… different. We all understand that there is a place where souls go. An afterlife. And while this may seem like a large jump from wand waving and illusionary walls, it is at the same time, just a simple step.

Wizards and witches, and all things living, even muggles. They eventually end, going to the arms of the same entity- death- no matter what pure blooded wizards believe. The string of their years is pulled taut and snipped by the shears of fate, pulling their soul, their very form of being, from where it is anchored-here… to a place where all souls eventually wind up- there. So there is no final difference between magic and is no basis of discrimination based on magic capacity, how could there be?

See, even us muggles have the capacity to generate magic accidentally. Based off of the idea that if you believe in something enough then it does exist, if we believe that we have seen something, then that thing definitely exists. We will it into existence with our imagination. This magic talent of ours tends to be squandered by those who tell us we were hallucinating, those who were there with us, telling us that nothing is wrong.

But of course, when we are alone, and we see something… no other muggle is there to deny that experience, and so in the human mind that vision becomes a reality. Seeing movement out of the corner of your eye, seeing the faces of a demon that everyone else ignores… all of these things that we determine to be madness are just the result of our own latent magic. It almost seems like a conspiracy theory.

Well if I cannot prove the existence of magic to you, then why not go out of my way to explain the further complications of life and death with a simple experience that everyone has had.

Mirrors

Ah yes, mirrors. Sometimes you may see a reflection that isn't just out of the corner of your eye. A different face, a different skin tone, eye color, hair color… perhaps it mouths words to you, perhaps you can hear it whisper.

Perhaps you just saw the flickering blue body of that ghost in the window of the house down the street. Perhaps it was… a trick of the light. For some reason, there are in fact those who get stuck between here and there, their souls not tied to our plane or the next. Some of these movements you can catch, while others are hidden in places I've described. The areas to which your back is turned. Out of sight, out of mind, anything is possible as long as you cannot see it.

So let us talk more about this gray area. This odd sort of limbo between here and there. You might call it a sort of waiting room, or perhaps it takes on a sort of courtroom appearance… The front seat of a car as you drive down the road, heading from "living" to "dead"

This gray area is our focus for now, as it is where we actually begin our story. Standing upon a vast expanse of pure nothing. No light, no darkness, it is impossibly maddening in a way, contradicting every natural law of our world. But then again, it isn't our world. It is but a gateway of possibilities.

We stand here, invisible to the ones we observe, as we ourselves are no more than spectators. You and I are just following the sentence upon a page. Next could come a child, an adult, an elderly man, or even a bloody house pet!

Well, go back a step. We are beginning with the elderly man.

In terms of human age, he looks not a ray beyond seventy. His appearance may be close to that of Merlin, from the tales of King Arthur. A magnificent robe, long flowing silver hair, and a beard that would make many jealous. The only thing that is different about this man in comparison to Merlin, are the half moon spectacles that sit upon his crooked nose.

"I release you now… Albus…"

It is a sort of a guilty line that comes from the man's mouth. He is in one way or another, referring to himself, Albus Dumbledore.

A wizard who was well renowned in his lifetime, stopping the plots of not one, but two dark lords, wielding incredible power and knowledge. This is Albus Dumbledore… but it also isn't Albus Dumbledore.

"Just like that… use my body and allow my leave…"

"Indeed. I must return in one way or another."

"You cannot return this time… you know that Light."

The elderly man smiles gently. "For the good of all, I must. It is why you reached towards me in the first place, Albus."

"And I had no idea that it would guide me to a false life."

You see, for what it is worth, there are- on occasion- powerful witches and wizards who will be born. But throughout history there have been recurring lines that can only be traced by power. The easiest to see is Merlin. The first holder of Light.

During a battle with a powerful foe, Merlin reached for magic that was beyond anything that others could fathom. Something that had inanely been created by the unintentional idea of magic classification.

Wizards possess the same magic as muggles in the fact that if they believe that something is real, then it will come into being. Of course, this power is unknown to them. Imagination is just imagination when you can control elements.

But magic itself is sentient. In dividing the idea of magic between light and dark, the result was two offspring of lady magic herself. Gods of light magic and dark magic, who were appropriately named after their classification. It was light that Merlin touched on that day. The day the world changed.

Lady Magic never intended to have children, and forbade them from going into the mortal realm. But Light was pulled by Merlin's request, and from then on, stayed in the mortal world.

Light enjoyed being in Merlin's body, so every body that they eventually shared with another soul would age into a likeness of that body. Lights sort of homage to their first holder.

Of course, Lady Magic knew that the effect of light being in the mortal world would be disastrous. So she sent Dark to retrieve them. Dark was more than willing, as between them and Light, there was a hint of animosity that only siblings could share.

Their rivalry spilled into the mortal world, unknown to the magicals around them. Lords of light and darkness continued to emerge, turning the population against each other and causing meaningless wars. Wars that had eventually led to this moment, where the body of Albus Dumbledore attempted to say goodbye to its soul as Light attempted to return.

"You took my body for fifty years! You expect me to go now… like this?"

"Come now Albus, it was all for the greater good!"

"No… I demand justice! I will hold you here myself until I can bear it no longer!"

"Albus… you are but one Human soul… I am a being of higher magic!"

"Nevertheless. You stole my life, and what I saw through my body was horrific. You played me and the rest of the world like a fool!"

"Let go, Albus."

"I will not!"

"Then your soul shall shatter."

"It will not."

The elderly body turned to find a woman, her hair made of flowing water. Her skin was carved of stone. She was clothed in a garb of wind, and her eyes… her eyes were mere pits, filled with the orange glow of flames.

"I am disappointed Light… you and Dark remained in that world for far too long."

The elderly man's eyes widened. "Mother…"

"Do not. You have forgotten the weight of the soul, Light. Both you and your sibling have caused the deaths of thousands of the children that I blessed. You will not be returning. Not until I have words with you."

Light blinked. "You… you would let me go back?"

The manifestation of pure magic held up a hand. "Patience. Dark shall join us soon. I have called in a favor from an old friend. You two will have one last chance. Use it as you will, resolve your petty squabble, learn, or both. One thing will remain final. This time, I will make the rules."

And so now, although our visit was brief, we will leave the space between here and there. We shall return soon, but there are other sides to gather. There are other voices to hear before we turn back the clock.

—0—

And there we have it. Chapter one of this prologue. My apologies if the ramblings are a bit confusing, all of this beginning is based off of the theory that anything can exist within an unwatched space. Who could say differently? There is no way to prove that something wasn't there if it completely disappears before you can see it, leaving no evidence behind.

It's a strange theory, and it makes one seem a bit crazy. But crazy can be good at times.

Until next time.