Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its related works. The rights to the books, movies, and everything else belong to J.K. Rowling and her many business affiliates. This is a fan made work of fiction that will never earn me a single penny. Now buy something official so you can support the woman who made this world possible for us to play in and explore.
Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Two: The Game of Death
Harry stared at the four green lines of text.
With time brought to a standstill, he had plenty of time to think about his current situation. Whatever was happening, it was definitely not caused by the Dementors. Professor Lupin had gone into exacting detail regarding the powers and abilities possessed by the Dark creatures, none of which could accomplish something like this.
After pondering the issue for what could have been an eternity or perhaps just five minutes, Harry came up with three ideas which might explain his current circumstance.
The first scenario involved him being trapped in a magical illusion, the sort which existed in old Muggle fairytales. The ones where a hero or a villager would wander into a dark forest, anger some witch or warlock, and then get trapped within an illusion for the rest of their natural life. After all, there was a mote of truth to those old stories; the wars between wizards and goblins had detailed the existence of such spells, and even Harry's poor attention span in that class had picked up on it.
The second scenario was that he had died, and that the afterlife was a far stranger place than Harry had ever imagined. And while he had no real clue as to what the afterlife might really be like – he had been raised Christian, but magical society was decidedly atheist on the subject insofar as Harry could tell – being stuck in place and unable to move was as likely to be the afterlife as anything else he had heard on the subject.
The third idea, based on the words themselves, was the most confusing one of all. That something, or someone, was calling Harry 'Master'. And it, or they, were inviting him to play a 'Game of Death'.
But what would that even mean? What was its purpose? Why had it been sent to him? And how the hell had it appeared in front of him moments before his soul was ripped out by a horde of circling Dementors? Outrageous suppositions like it being God himself, or maybe the great wizard Merlin, popped up in his brain.
Only to be summarily dismissed nearly as soon as they appeared. Amongst other issues with those thoughts, Harry doubted he was important enough to be contacted by an almighty being. While according to what little Harry knew of magical history Merlin had been dead for centuries, perishing along with his arch-foe Morgana after a magical duel of legendary proportions.
Ugh! This sort of groundless thinking hurt Harry's skull. It was more Hermione's thing, whereas he was more a person of action. And from what he could tell, there was only one single action he could take to move things along.
Taking a deep mental breath, Harry chose his option and intently thought the word 'yes'.
The instant he did the words faded away and new ones took their place.
Ding!
You Have Selected 'Yes'
Your Tutorial Session Will Begin Shortly
After it Begins, Clearly State the Word 'Help' to activate the 'Help' Feature if you Find Yourself Confused
The 'Help' Feature Exists to Aid the Master (Hereafter Referred to as the Gamer) in Using the Many Features of the Game of Death
After floating in the air for a few seconds, the second batch of text faded away after Harry finished reading.
In their place a soft, golden glow began to grow; it saturated the area, bringing everything into hyper focus. Only when it was nearly bright enough to be midday did the binding force on Harry's release its hold on him.
The first action Harry did was blink his eyes. An action which felt so good that he almost laughed. Then he looked around and took stock of his surroundings.
From what he could see thanks to the golden light, Harry was still in the Forbidden Forest. The Dementors, their frozen forms now appearing as floating blobs of darkness instead of their usual wraithlike forms, confirmed this beyond a shadow of a doubt. And when he saw that the falling leaves in the air were still, their flight halted midway, Harry knew that his acceptance of the text's request had done more than just light up the night.
Time was frozen. Which meant that for the time being, quite literally so, Harry and those dear to him were safe from harm. After confirming this observation by quietly studying his surroundings for several heartbeats, Harry moved to where Hermione and Sirius lay.
He felt his heart clench at what he saw.
Hermione's gentle face, usually so determined and beautiful, was tight and drawn; unconsciousness was no barrier to the nightmarish effects of the Dementors. Seeing her face like that caused a surge of anger to run through Harry's chest.
A surge that was only amplified when he looked at Sirius' bleeding body; his godfather's canine form, so big, was littered with cuts and slashes from his fight against Professor Lupin's werewolf form. And though Harry was no medical expert, even he could tell that the wounds would be deadly unless they were treated.
Harry ran a hand through his hair, idly noting how messy it felt. "Think Harry. Think! What can you do to save them?"
Ding!
Your Tutorial Session has now Engaged
The Gamer's Movement should be Enabled
Analyzing the Situation and Preparing Scenario Specific Information
"Buggering shite!" Harry cursed. He jumped straight into the air at the sharp sound which rang through his head and looked at the newest batch of text in surprise.
Had he just not noticed the noise when the text had appeared previously? Or had the sound started with this most recent message? It might be a moot point in the grand scheme of things, but with his ears ringing from the painful sound it was certainly a point of interest to him.
Ding!
Scenario Specific Information Prepared and Loaded
Gamer, Grasp your Wand and Look Around your Location
Point your Wand at a Target and Say 'Observe' to Learn Hidden Information
Swearing under his breath at the second ridiculously loud ding and questioning whether he had really made the right decision by selecting 'yes,' Harry started to do as the text had instructed. What with time being frozen and nothing else seeming to offer a path forward, following the Game's instructions seemed to be the best course of action.
Looking around, Harry saw a Dementor rather close to his position. He pointed his wand at the creature and prepared to say the spell.
Then a thought occurred to him. One which caused Harry to pause and turn around to face the floating text.
"Um, I think you made a mistake," Harry said slowly. "All spells are in Latin, right?"
The text gave no response.
"Come on, answer me! I'm trying to say that you made a mistake. 'Observe' can't be a spell, right? It's just a normal word."
The text still gave no response.
Harry gritted his teeth in frustration. This stupid… game… thing had just told him to do something which was clearly impossible, and now it wasn't even listening to him! Did it want him to be confused on purpose? If it wanted him to follow instructions, why not give him a way to contact it for clarification? Even Snape allowed students to ask him questions, even if the man did belittle them afterwards.
After fuming at the text for a minute, Harry remembered something it had mentioned earlier. And immediately wanted to kick himself for forgetting. "Help."
Ding!
The 'Help' Feature is now Active
What is your Question?
All Questions Directed to the 'Help' Feature Must Be Spoken Aloud Once the Feature has Been Engaged
This Will Hold True Even Once the Tutorial Ends and Can Only be Changed Once the Gamer has Mastered Silent Spell Casting
This time, Harry managed to somewhat control himself at the ear shattering noise which signaled the new lines of text. He only clapped his hands onto his ears instead of jumping a foot into the air.
After several seconds spent recovering from the noise and reading the text, Harry spoke his question. "All spells have to be in Latin to work, right?"
Ding!
That is Not True
Spells can be Spoken in Any Language Considered to be Magical
Well Known Examples Include but are not Limited to Latin, Ancient Greek, and Sanskrit
Spells may also be Activated or Constructed by Use of a Magical Written Language
Such as by Using Nordic Runes, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, or the Olmec System
Harry blinked at the writing. The fact that all spells had to be spoken in a 'magical language' was new to him. He had just assumed that all spells had to be in Latin and had never thought otherwise. The subject had never come up in any of his classes at school, and not even Hermione had mentioned it. Although it could explain why the brainy girl was so interested in her Ancient Runes course.
But none of that was useful to his current situation. So Harry shelved it for later and asked the next question which popped into his head. "Is English considered a Magical Language?"
Ding!
English Does Not Meet the Requirements to Be a Magical Language
It is Not Inherently Magical
Nor Have the Necessary Rituals to Artificially Change this Status Been Completed
"If that's true, then how can 'Observe' be a spell?" Harry said as he processed the information. "I'm pretty sure that observe is an English word and not from one of those other languages you mentioned."
Ding!
'Observe' is Not a Spell
It is a Feature of the Gaming of Death that Only the Gamer can Use
When the Gamer Uses this Feature, They Will be Able to See the Various Stats, Traits, Titles, Skills, and Active Effects Present on Any Item or Any Creature Within 100 Levels of Their Own Level
This Restriction has been Temporarily Lifted for the Duration of the Tutorial
Harry could feel his head begin to ache as he stared at the text. He hadn't the foggiest as to what the thing was even talking about! All that stuff about levels, traits, skills, and whatnot was as clear as mud to him!
Instead of bashing his head in on it, Harry tried to focus on what sounded like the most important part of the feature's response. "Then, if it's a feature of the, uh, gaming ability, why do I need my wand to use it? I don't have to do that when saying 'Help.' And what is a Feature anyway?"
Ding!
All Gaming Ability Features Require Magic in Order to be Used
Use of a Wand is Required Only While the Gamer can Only Cast Spells by Using His Wand
Use of 'Help,' 'Menu,' and 'Inventory' are the Only Exceptions as they are Primarily Internal Functions While the Others are Primarily External Functions
Well, that was handy to know. Harry was not quite sure what 'Menu' or 'Inventory' might mean, other than sounding like they belonged in a restaurant, but he guessed that he could probably figure them out later when he was not in such a hurry. Of more pressing concern was something he had not thought about since before he had started his magical education at Hogwarts.
A tremor of anticipation flowed through his chest as he stated his next questions. "Does that mean I can learn to cast spells without my wand? Isn't that impossible?"
Ding!
It is Possible for the Gamer and Others to Perform Wandless Magic
Wandless Magic is a Branch of Magic that is Difficult and Time Intensive to Learn
Even Then Magic Cast with a Wand or Similar Foci Will be More Powerful 90% of the Time
In Order to Learn Wandless Magic One Must Fulfill Three Basic Requirements:
1) Mastery of Nonverbal Spell Casting
2) Mastery of Either the Spell in Question or the School of Magic to Which the Spell Belongs
3) Advanced Occlumency
Great. Harry found this latest answer to be both very useful and incredibly unhelpful. Because while it meant that it was possible for him to learn wandless magic… none of the requirements to perform it currently applied to him.
Nonverbal spells were not taught at Hogwarts until the upper years; Harry was far from being a master of any type of magic; and he had no idea what 'advanced occlumency' even was or how he could possibly begin to learn it!
But rather than engaging in a game of twenty-one questions with the strange text about how he could go about learning wandless magic, Harry focused on the more relevant information it had provided. Specifically, that 'Observe' was not a spell. But like a spell, it required his magic in order to work.
To test whether the floating green text was correct, Harry pointed his wand at one of the inky blobs he assumed was a Dementor. "'Observe'."
The moment he said the word Harry felt a wisp of magic leave his body. It was a tiny amount and felt like casting any basic first year spell, like Lumos or Alohomora.
Saying the word also caused a new box of text to pop up in front of his face.
Ding!
You Have Identified an Object for the First Time
Displaying the Results of Your Casting in 15 Seconds
In the Future, the Name, Level, and Trait of Any Creature, Person, or Thing Will Automatically Appear the Moment a Successful 'Observe' is Cast
If an 'Observe' is Unsuccessful Due to Level Difference or Other Effects, the Gamer will Instead See '?' or a Relevant Error Notification
That made sense. Though Harry did shrug his shoulders at the final part. But that was the extent to which he objected since it seemed that the less he questioned this strange power, the faster things went.
Ding!
Now Displaying Dementor Level, Stats, and Traits
Dementor
Level 999
Stats:
STR: 1
DEX: 1
CON: 1
INT: 1
WIS: 1
CHA: 5000
Traits:
Soul Sucker
Aura of Fear
Chosen of Death
High Spell Immunity
Complete Physical Immunity
Weakness to Positive Feelings
Harry found himself somewhat surprised at the text. Because unlike the other batches of text he had seen thus far, which glowed a venomous green and floated in the air, this text looked different.
It was black, neatly written, and placed within a semi-transparent box split into columns and rows much like were common in the Muggle world. Harry welcomed this change, however, as it was easier on his eyes and felt more normal. Though it did take several minutes of questioning the 'Help' feature to understand what the various rows meant.
Each of the various fields that had appeared in the air – or categories as Harry was told by the 'Help' feature – referred to a specific physical or mental trait that a person or creature could possess. 'STR', 'DEX', and 'CON' referred to one's basic physical abilities; their strength, dexterity, and constitution to be exact. 'INT' and 'WIS' referred to the mental abilities of intelligence and wisdom, while the 'CHA' category referred to the spiritual category of charisma.
In turn, the numbers in each category's row represented a close numerical approximation of how powerful the creature or person was in that category. Higher numbers generally being more powerful, or better, than lower numbers. Though the 'Help' feature was also quick to point out that there could be exceptions.
Additionally, creatures would only get five attribute points to place in a category whenever they gained a new level. Which meant that older people and creatures who were more likely to have higher stats just as a result of having more time to gain experience and level up.
As for the stats themselves, they were pretty straightforward for the most part.
Strength:
Denotes a creature's physical strength. Affects only the physical attributes. Humans have a soft cap of 80, after which all gains give diminishing returns.
Dexterity:
Denotes how nimble a creature can be. Affects things like speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, and wand manipulation. Humans have a soft cap of 100, after which all gains give diminishing returns.
Constitution:
Denotes how much health and endurance a creature can possesses. Affects how much direct damage the person can take before being killed or rendered unconscious. Humans have a soft cap of 70, after which all gains give diminishing returns.
Intelligence:
Denotes the intelligence of a creature. Creatures with high intelligence find it easier to learn new abilities and/or magic spells. Humans have no cap on this attribute.
Wisdom:
Denotes how intuitive a person can be. Characters with high wisdom make better logical deductions and regain spent magic faster. Humans have no cap on this attribute.
Charisma:
Denotes how charismatic a character is. Characters with higher charisma have larger sources of magical power, can better resist outside forces, and possess an intuitive grasp over its usage. Humans have no cap on this attribute.
It seemed that the soft caps were what decided most of the exceptions to the 'higher stats are better than lower stats' rule. Like how an adult with more experience might seem smarter than a child with equal or greater intelligence stats. Or why a Giant could crush a human who possessed an equal number of points in strength.
Traits, meanwhile, were entirely different. They seemed to grant special bonuses, such as extra stats or magical abilities, and ranged from something common like 'Green Thumb Gardener' to more uncommon things such as 'Natural Detective', or something more magical like a 'Metamorphmagus.'
The 'Help' feature also mentioned things like skills, spell mastery progress, personal reputation, and relationship tracking, but any acknowledgment beyond their existence was driven from Harry's head. Because after the explanation on stats and traits gave Harry an understanding of what they meant, he had looked back at the Dementor's stats page and was filled by sheer terror.
The creature had over five thousand points in one attribute! One! And to make things worse, it also possessed some nasty sounding traits.
After asking the 'Help' feature how he could learn what the traits meant, Harry was informed that tapping on them with his fingers would bring up a short description while a second tap would hide it. The feature also told him it was possible to automatically hide all notifications except for urgent or mandatory ones.
Harry immediately turned on this automatic ability before tapping on each of the Dementor's traits in turn.
Aura of Fear
A Dementor has the ability to cause any living creature within a radius of fifty meters to feel fear. The degree to which a creature is affected generally depends on proximity to the Dementor. Sentient creatures can be further affected if they have suffered traumatic events. Sentient creatures that have performed Dark Magical rituals can lessen the Aura's effects or even gain total immunity to it. Those with higher levels of Charisma have been shown to be more resistant to its effects.
Weakness to Positive Feelings
A Dementor is naturally weak to one thing and one thing alone: Positive Feelings. They tend to avoid areas and locations populated by groups of positive feelings. The Patronus Charm, which is the crystallized essence of happiness, takes advantage of this weakness. The spell radiates an amplified field of happiness that cannot be overcome by a Dementor's Aura of Fear or Spell Resistance, as a corporeal Patronus is neither a living creature nor a spell cast directly upon the Dementor.
Learning about how the Dementor's abilities functioned was somewhat interesting, but it was less than useful since Harry was still unable to cast a corporeal Patronus. That was something which would have to change. Because after reading the 'High Spell Immunity' trait, which basically stated that Dementors were nearly immune to all outside spells, it was obvious that the Patronus Charm was the only tool in Harry's arsenal which could possibly defeat the creatures.
So how, then, could he do it when everything he had tried thus far had failed?
After a moment's thought on how to phrase his question, Harry came up with the wording he wanted. "How can I learn to cast the Patronus Charm in time to save my friends?"
Ding!
Main Tutorial Quest:
Cast a Corporeal Patronus
Learn How to Cast a Corporeal Patronus Before the End of the Tutorial
Reward: End of Tutorial and Continued Living
Penalty for Failure: Death of Friends and Self
Do you Accept?
Yes or No
Harry promptly selected 'no.'
"As if I would accept that quest!" Harry yelled at the green text. "Do you really think I'd ever accept something that might cause Hermione or Sirius to get killed? I would never do that to someone I care about!"
Ding!
The 'Help' Feature Has Been Forcibly Activated
All Quests in the Tutorial are Mandatory and Must be Accepted
Time Will Freeze If a Quest is Rejected
Ding!
A Tutorial Quest has been Rejected
Seconds until Time Freeze:
30
29
28
…
The rapid-fire dings and texts flashed into being nearly simultaneously.
Harry watched the seconds tick down as he considered his limited options.
While freezing time would not necessarily lead to anything bad, it was not as though it would to something good either. The Dementors were still present. Hermione and Sirius were still in danger. And unless he actually did something, the current situation might continue without end for an eternity. Literally.
It was with a furrowed brow and pursed lips that Harry relented to the Game's pressure and selected the 'yes' option.
Ding!
Quest Accepted
Step One:
State 'Spells' and Select Patronus from the Resulting List
Step Two:
Cast the Spell
Harry read the text and took a deep breath. "I really hope this works."
When he did as the Game had instructed, more text appeared. It was a list which seemed to contain every spell he had ever practiced, read about, or even heard in passing, appeared before his eyes, along with a numerical valuation of his current 'mastery' over the spell.
Most of the ones he had practiced in class or with Hermione seemed to be fairly far along, while the ones Harry had only heard about in passing had a numerical value of zero out of 100.
But weirdly, the Patronus Charm itself was much higher than any other on the list at 99/100.
"If I nearly have it mastered, then why can't I use it?" Harry muttered to himself. "Do I have to fully master the Charm before I can cast a corporeal Patronus? Is that it?"
Puzzled, Harry followed the second bit of advice the 'Help' feature had given him and selected the Patronus spell just as he had done with the Dementor's traits.
Patronus Charm
Mastery Level: 99/100
A powerful and advanced Charm that is used to drive away Dementors or communicate with one's allies. This spell is the crystallized essence of a wizard or witch's happiest memory.
Harry Potter has nearly mastered this spell in its entirety. The only thing keeping him from being able to cast one of the most powerful corporeal Patronuses humanly possible is a lack of confidence in his own abilities.
"I should have listened to Hermione," Harry muttered darkly as he stared at the black writing. "She told me I could do it. But did I believe in myself? No. And I almost got her and Sirius killed because of it."
But that would end here! Because if there was one thing Harry believe in, it was those he cared for.
Firming his resolve to trust in his friend and the Game's words, Harry took a deep breath. He could cast a perfect corporeal Patronus. And when he did the tutorial would end, his friends would be saved, and life would continue.
But just as he was about to say the words to the spell, Harry stopped himself. Wait! The tutorial would end when he cast the spell. Did that mean the 'Help' feature would end as well? Would the Game of Death itself go away if the tutorial ended? Also, what even was a tutorial in the first place?
Harry did not know the answers to any of these questions, but he knew how to find them.
Ding!
'Help' is a Feature of the Game of Death and Will Remain Present as Part of the Game Upon Completion of the Tutorial
However, it Will be Limited to Explanations Regarding the Other Features of the Game and their Contents Upon Completion of the Tutorial
With Few Exceptions It Will be Unable to Provide Information Not Already Known to the Gamer
Ding!
'Observe' is a Feature and Will Remain Present as Part of the Game Upon Completion of the Tutorial
All Previously Mentioned Limitations Will Be Applied Upon Completion of the Tutorial
Ding!
Stats are a Feature of the Game and Will Remain in their Current Form Upon Completion of the Tutorial
Ding!
A Tutorial Refers to the Segment of a Game During Which a Gamer Learns how to Interact and Understand the Game and its User Interface
They Generally Take Place in a Non-Deadly Area Such as the Environment Provided to You
Alright! All of that had been simple enough to understand. The only things which would change with the tutorial's completion were things Harry either wanted to happen or he could happily live without.
Once the text boxes were hidden and his vision clear of green text and black boxes, Harry took a deep breath into his lungs. He let it out, then took another.
He could cast the spell.
He would cast the spell.
And with that point firmly held in his mind, Harry summoned his magic and pointed his wand at the closest Dementor.
A/N: I promise that my A/Ns do grow shorter with time. Though as anyone who has ever played D&D or a stats-based video game knows, 5000 attribute points in an attribute category – in any attribute category – is generally beyond terrifying. But the reason why I did it is to give the reader a glimpse as to the eventual heights Harry will need to reach, and to create a plausible reason as to why Dementors were so absurdly powerful yet easy to defeat.
Speaking of power levels… In this story, Harry's emotional and mental growth will be starting from near zero. He's a kid right now, with many of the flaws and foibles common to kids his age. Which means if you're looking for a story which features a child Harry with the brain of an adult… sorry to say, but it won't be happening until I age Harry up in the sequel fics/levels.
Also, and this is very important to remember, in this story Harry is almost completely inexperienced when it comes to games and their mechanics. He is a noob who does not even know what it means to be a noob. Which means that he will be making mistakes as he learns by trial and error. Seasoned gamers might wince at some of the mistakes my version of Harry will commit, but hey! That's where we all were at one time or another. Even if many older gamers refuse to admit it -.
Until Next Time,
~Elsil