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Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Five: The Game of Death is Real
"Do you believe me now?" Harry asked with relish. His question hung in the quiet air of Dumbledore's office as both the aged wizard and Hermione wore expressions stuck somewhere between shock and disbelief. It was the first time Harry had seen the usually inscrutable Headmaster with such a look on his face, and Harry found it oddly satisfying to experience.
The period of stunned silence, though, did not last for long.
In short order Dumbledore had his wand out, eyes focused sharply on the air in front of him. The sharp tip of his long wand shone brightly as he held it up to where the Game's message was undoubtedly floating. The wand's light began to silently cycle through all the colours of the rainbow, providing the only clue that the powerful wizard was casting spell after silent spell to determine what it was that lay before his eyes.
Meanwhile, as though stirred by their Headmaster's reaction, Hermione went for the simple option and reached out a small hand to touch the invisible message.
The Game's reaction was immediate.
Ding!
The 'Help' Feature Has Been Automatically Activated by the Joining of a Party Member
Hermione Jean Granger (Hereafter Referred to as Hermione) has Joined your Party
Hermione will be Able to See Her Stats and Skills in the Gaming Format so Long as She Remains Within the Party
Hermione May Also See the Stats of Other Party Members if Given Permission by the Gamer
Hermione Cannot Use Any of the Game's Other Features or Functions
Experience Will Not Be Shared Due to the Pending Invitation of a High-Level Member
Ding!
The Gamer Automatically has Access to all Party Member Stats and Can Choose to Share His Own Stats or Party Member Stats with Other Party Members
To Give a Party Member Access to Another Party Member's Stats and Skills the Gamer Must State "Share Insert Party Member's Name Stats with Insert Party Member's Name"
Stats Will Remain Shared Until Either the 'Party' Disbands or the Gamer Takes Action to Restrict Access
Ask the 'Help' Feature for a More Thorough Explanation Should One Be Needed
When Hermione jumped into the air at the loud noise from the ding, Harry could not help himself.
He threw his head back and laughed.
Harry laughed long and hard until he reached and passed the point where tears started to come out of his eyes. Because seeing the normally unflappable Hermione react like that was just too funny!
Finally, someone else got to share in his suffering from the Game's accursed dinging! Which may have been a petty thought on his part, but it did bring some much-needed cheer to the previously sombre atmosphere. Even if Hermione did lightly slap his wrist over it when she realized why he was laughing so hard. But all that did was make him chuckle quietly as he read the Game's rather long message.
Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore had given up on using his wand alone to examine the Game of Death's message and had begun to move around the room. The old wizard pointed his wand at some of the various strange instruments which littered his office, muttering softly under his breath as he moved. What little Harry could hear of it sounded as though the Headmaster were speaking in a number of different languages.
Perhaps he was using spells in magical languages other than Latin? If so, that would be another point in the Game of Death's favour. And perhaps a sign that Harry really did need to drop Divination before the summer was through and pick some other course to study.
Harry was eventually able to calm his laughter and finish reading the game's message to about the 'Party' feature. After which he sat down in a chair next to his best friend and gently poked her shoulder to get her attention. He wanted to test something out, and the security of the Headmaster's office made now as good a time as any to test it.
"Share Harry's stats with Hermione and share Hermione's stats with Harry."
The moment Harry said those words another ding rang out. It was soon followed by Harry being able to view the notification which hung before Hermione in addition to the one which currently hung in front of his own face. With a few words, he brought up Hermione's page and began to look through the Game's description of his best friend.
Hermione Granger
A bright, highly intelligent young woman who has never lost the excitement of learning that magic was real. She is a passionate and highly opinionated person who tries to help those around her even if they neither ask nor appreciate her assistance. She is determined to be one of the greatest witches of all time and is well on the way to achieving her goal. (See Character Page for Further Information)
Age: 15 (Time Turner)
Brightest Witch of the Age
Golden Girl
Level 30
Stats:
STR: 18
DEX: 33
CON: 25
INT: 196
WIS: 162
CHA: 42
Traits:
Loyal
Bookworm
Muggleborn
Taskmistress
Perfectionist
Calculating
Kind Heart
True Friend
Dedicated
Harry could not help but let out a low whistle when he saw his best friend's display. Because while Harry may not have looked at his own stats yet, he could already tell that Hermione's stats were good. Really good.
But more than that, the part which stuck out to him most was that the Game stated her age as being 15. Which was… strange. Because Hermione's fifteenth birthday was not until October of their Fourth Year, and that was still months off yet.
Maybe the Game had made a mistake? Or perhaps that Time Turner thing next to her name had something to do with it? Because Harry seriously doubted that Hermione had lied about being an entire year younger than her actual age.
"So, um, can you explain this to me, Harry?" The brainy girl asked, jolting Harry out of his ruminations with a soft tug on his sleeve. "I can see my name and age… but I, erm, don't know what the rest of it means."
Putting aside her oddly high age for the time being as just some bizarre oddity he could figure out later, Harry launched into a brief explanation of what he had previously learned from the Game's 'Help' feature about stats and traits during the tutorial.
After a while, the girl bit her lip like she did when deep in thought. "Okay. I think that I understand. But what bothers me is that, if there was such a large disparity in levels between you and the Dementors, then maybe levels and attributes are not very important? Because otherwise how could you, or any wizard and witch not on the level of Merlin himself, have defeated them?"
Harry thought back to when he had first read the Dementors stats. "Well, levels are important. I'm pretty sure that the only reason I beat the Dementors was because the Patronus Charm is basically their Achilles Heel. What I read from their traits is that the only other way to beat them is to have a higher Charisma attribute than they do… and I really doubt that my Charisma score is above 5000."
"Then if the Dementor was level 999, and I'm at level 30, I wonder what levels you and Professor Dumbledore are at?" Hermione mused. "I'd think you and I would possess a similar level, but the Professor should be much higher than the two of us."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Harry replied.
That made sense to him given the message the Game had given him when he had invited Dumbledore to his 'Party'. Curious, he brought the message back up and looked it over again to see if he had missed anything in the sea of text.
"So?" Hermione asked after Harry had stayed quiet for a while. "What do your stats look like? I'd like to know so that we can go about creating an accurate baseline."
Harry blinked at her. He had not been looking at them. And come to think of it, he had not looked them up previously. "I'm not sure."
"Seriously? You didn't look at them back when time stopped for you?"
Harry felt his cheeks grow warm from embarrassment. In hindsight he probably should have looked at it then, but he had been so focused on getting them all to safety that it was like blinders had been placed on his brain.
When he said as much, it caused a mild sigh of disappointment to escape Hermione's lips. "Of course that's what you did. Why am I not surprised?"
"Hey! I'll have you know that my plan worked and got us all out of there alive," Harry retorted. Sure, he might have made a small mistake in not looking at his stats, but he had accomplished the most important thing at the time: keeping himself, his friend, and his godfather safe from a horde of hostile, soul-sucking creatures. "Besides, I was kind of freaking out about the Game of Death when it first appeared. It was really weird to have time come to a complete stop while glowing green words hung in front of my face."
"Oh. Yes. I, uh, can imagine how having this… Game… pop up in the middle of things back then would have been rather surprising to you." Hermione gave Harry a gentle pat on his thigh as if to console him. Which might have worked had she not immediately resumed lecturing. "But just think of what else you may have missed! For all we know, the tutorial you were trapped in might have been some kind of teaching tool."
"Of course it was! That's why I know as much as I do about the Game of Death!"
"If you knew that, then why didn't you take better advantage of it?"
Harry gave a groan and slumped back into his chair. Leave it to Hermione to focus on a missed opportunity to gather more information rather than the oddity that was a magical… thing… suddenly appearing before Harry's eyes during a life-or-death situation and trapping him in some sort of time bubble. Or something.
The two of them glared at each other for a moment before they each backed down with a grumble. After three years of similar mild arguments and squabbles, they knew when the other was entrenched on a position. When that happened, and neither of them was willing to back down, it was better to move on and talk about something else.
Which, in this case, was looking at his stats. Harry brought them up and, with a muttered 'Observe' at the still busy Dumbledore, tried to bring up the Headmaster's stats as well.
Harry Potter
A young boy possessing seeds of greatness, Harry has overcome the many challenges life has flung his way. He is determined, noble, and one of the kindest people anyone could have the pleasure of knowing. He can sometimes be prone to bouts of anger and frustration but is always ready to laugh or cry with those he cares about. Harry does not know what he wants in life but knows that it can only come after he is freed from the shadow of Voldemort. (See Character Page for Further Information)
Age: 13
The-Boy-Who-Lived
Heir Apparent to the Potter Family
Basilisk Slayer
Heroic Child
Golden Boy
Level 30
Stats:
STR: 53
DEX: 63
CON: 50
INT: 112
WIS: 93
CHA: 347
Traits:
Loyal
Duellist
Survivor
Humble
Elf-Friend
Boy-Who-Lived
Half-Blood
School Quidditch Star
Possessor of a Deathly Hallow
Clutch Performer
Foe of the Dark
Battle Hardened
Dark Arts Magnet
A Mother's Protection
Weak Familiar Bond (Hedwig)
Peverell Bloodline
Walking Target
Oblivious One
Parseltongue
Headstrong
True Friend
Negotiator
Dedicated
Horcrux
Gamer
"Ooh! See Harry?" Hermione said excitedly as she also looked at Harry's stats. "This is wonderful! The two of us really are at the same level. And though some of my stats are higher than yours, most of your stats are higher than my own. Hm. I wonder what that means, and if it has any correlation to our actual abilities?"
Harry had nothing to say about that other than to give her a shrug of his shoulders.
After thinking about it for a moment, the brainy shook her head and pointed to a lower section of the page. "More importantly, look at all of the traits you have. That's incredible!"
She was right. Hermione's page had possessed nine traits. The Dementor's page had possessed six traits. But Harry? Harry's page had twenty-five traits!
Sure, he was relatively good at magic. He got decent grades in his classes outside of Potions and Divination, and both Flitwick and McGonagall often said he had the talent to do better. And while Harry had more sheer magical power available to him than any of his peers, he had never really excelled in anything else other than flying. And other than experience far too many life-or-death situations in his young life, there was little, in his mind, that set him apart from any other witch or wizard his age.
While Hermione busily combed over Harry's stats and traits and compared them to her own, 'oohing' over particularly interesting bits, Harry put them to the side and took a look at Dumbledore's stats. Only to be immediately disappointed.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
?
Target's Level is Too High
'Observe' had failed to work. Something which, in hindsight, Harry should have known would happen since the game had told him 'Observe' would not work on people who were far higher in level. And it was likely that the Headmaster's level was as high as they came.
This failure left a sour taste in Harry's mouth. Because it meant that some of those who were out to get him, like Lucius Malfoy, were probably unreadable to the Game's ability as well.
Oh sure, Harry could – and would – use this ability on Draco Malfoy the first chance he got, but Harry's self-proclaimed rival and constant antagonist at school was more like a Flobberworm with teeth than the dangerous enemy that was his father.
"Bullocks," Harry eventually muttered to Hermione. "And here I had been hoping to use this to check out Snape to see if the man really is evil."
At Hermione's questioning look, Harry explained his thought process. The brainy girl hummed a little when he had finished his explanation before waving it away.
"Yes, I can see your point, but don't worry about that for now, Harry. While it would have been nice being able to gain information on people who want to hurt you so easily, 'Observe's' existing capabilities are just as, if not more, important."
Harry blinked owlishly. "How so?"
"Because being able to know your own strengths and weaknesses is far more important than knowing the same kind of information about your enemies. With access to detailed information like this, you, me, and Ron can improve our ability to learn and cast spells much quicker than we could normally."
"Maybe…" Harry said slowly. She had a point, but he wasn't sure if he completely agreed with it.
"Besides, look at some of these traits!" Hermione's eyes seemed to brighten in joy as she leaned on his shoulder to point a finger at various parts of the pages. "Like 'True Friend' and 'Loyal.' Have you read their descriptions yet? Learning about what different traits mean could help us out immensely. Because if I'm reading the patterns correctly, then different people will have different traits, and the type of traits they possess will be highly indicative of their character."
Oh! Now Harry saw her point. "That means we'll be able to tell who's good and whose bad, right? And what they're good at too."
"Exactly! And just because you're at a lower level now doesn't mean that you'll stay that way. You and I will get much stronger, I'm sure, and when we do, we'll be able to use your 'Observe' ability to even greater effect!"
Hermione smiled at him, and Harry found himself returning it gladly. While he still wished that 'Observe' was not so limited, the girl was right. He was certain to grow stronger and learning what the Game of Death's various traits and titles meant, now, when he was weaker, would probably pay dividends in the future.
With that in mind, the two of them looked over their stat pages and began to directly compare them to one another.
According to the Game of Death, Hermione's intelligence stat was higher than his own. Which was of no great surprise; the girl was the smartest person in their year hands down and everyone knew it.
But as for Harry's charisma attribute being more than 300 points higher than Hermione's? That little titbit had nearly blown his mind.
When he mentioned as much, Hermione's reply was one of the most deadpan looks he had ever seen upon her face.
"Harry," Hermione said slowly, as though speaking to a child. "Have you ever seen the effect you have on those around you? On the faces of the people in our classrooms when you speak up, or at any of your Quidditch games? For goodness' sake, how about the way people look and gravitate towards you in the Great Hall at nearly every single mealtime we have ever had?"
Harry felt his face heat up in embarrassment at her exaggerated words. "Hermione, stop kidding around. Stuff like that only happened last year when everyone thought that I was the Heir of Slytherin. And when I'm in Quidditch Games, people only pay attention to me when I catch the Snitch."
"But that's not true! I mean, just the girls alone –"
A snort escaped Harry's lips. "Now I know you're pulling my leg on this. No girl would ever look at me like that and we both know it."
A pang of pain ran through his chest at the thought. Harry had not really considered romance all that much, but the thought that girls would swoon over him in droves was utterly ridiculous. He had mooned over Cho Chang for half this year and had never seen the beautiful girl toss him so much as a single look. If Hermione's words had been correct, then surely Harry would have seen something by now.
"You're wrong, Harry."
"I'm not wrong," Harry replied harshly. Perhaps more harshly than he had intended. But between Snape, Fudge, and everything else that had happened that evening, Harry was quite full of people telling him that he was wrong. "Now stop wasting our time and let's talk about something else."
"No, Harry, I'm absolutely right about this. And I think I might know the reason why you're being so dreadfully idiotic about it." Hermione pointed a finger at a line of text on his status page. "I haven't tapped on this one yet, but let's take a look at this particular trait of yours."
Harry frowned. He still thought he was right, but he hated to argue with her. And humouring her was not likely to hurt.
He reached out to tap the trait so they could both read its description.
Oblivious One
A witch or wizard who bears this title is both lucky and cursed beyond measure. They are surrounded by attractive members of the gender in which they are sexually interested that also happen to have an interest in them. However, they nearly always fail to pick up on the subtle clues, furtive glances, or outright flirtation that most humans understand to mean that someone is expressing a romantic interest. Makes the bearer of this trait unlikely to notice the romantic interest of those around them unless they are hit over the head and told in no uncertain terms about it.
Harry did his best to stifle an annoyed groan. It was an utter load of rubbish. None of that text could be true. It had to be! Because while Harry knew that he was not the most perceptive of individuals, he could not be that bad.
Right?
Harry hazarded a quick glance at Hermione's face, knowing that she too must have finished reading the trait's description. But when he saw the look she was giving him, Harry felt his burgeoning flush deepen to what must have been Weasley levels of red.
Harry knew that look. It was her 'I'm right, you know that I'm right, so hurry up and say it before I do' look. And boy did Harry hate that look when it was directed at him.
But ignoring it and trying to pretend that she was not right would only make things worse. So Harry screwed up his Gryffindor courage and gave into the inevitable. "Well, um, if what that trait said is right –"
"It is right, Harry," Hermione interrupted sharply. "But do go on."
"Erm, well, you know, if it's right, then maybe you, erm, might have a point." Harry paused. "Maybe."
So perhaps he had not completely given into the inevitable and tried to prevaricate a little. But, as usual, his closest friend was not going to let go of the matter until she was satisfied.
"Of all the… Harry, do you really want me to break this down for you? In explicit detail?" Hermione's tone was so sugary sweet that it could have given a candy addict a toothache. She squared her shoulders and gave him a smile that sent a shudder racing through his body. "I could, you know. I could go into such depth and detail on this subject that the cute little blush on your face right now would never go away. And I'd wager I could nail down what every single girl in this school, regardless of age or House, thought of you just as accurately as this 'game' thing of yours, too."
"No no. That's not necessary. Not at all, Hermione. I, uh, I get the picture already. There's no need to go into any detail or anything. None at all."
Talking with her about romance and the crushes that girls might – emphasis on might – have on him was not a good idea. Harry had no idea why, but he felt it to be true in his gut.
"Then you admit that I'm right?"
"I do. You are absolutely right." Harry said with a pleading expression on his face. He was tired, grumpy, and aching all over from the night's many events. The sooner this part of the night was over, the better.
"And you also admit that you were wrong to disagree with me about it in the first place?"
As the saying went, in for a penny, in for a pound. "I was completely in the wrong, Hermione. Completely and utterly within the wrong."
"Good!" Hermione said with a satisfied expression on her face. She reached over and gave him a satisfied pat on his head.
Before Harry could do more than wonder why she was doing so, an excited yell from Professor Dumbledore returned his attention to the elderly wizard. Harry and Hermione both whipped their heads around to stare at the Headmaster in time to see the elderly man perform a strange little dance of joy next to the room's empty fish tank. The old wizard's slipper clad feet bounced his skinny form up and down, while genuine excitement could be seen in his sparkling blue eyes.
"Aha! Now this is interesting. Quite interesting, indeed," the Headmaster said as he gazed at the empty tank. "Harry my boy, if you would be so kind as to come stand next to me for a moment, I may have an idea as to what is currently transpiring in regard to this new ability of yours."
Harry perked up at that statement. It seemed too good to be true, but had the Headmaster really figured out what was going on with him so quickly? After giving Hermione a quick glance, Harry stood from his chair and moved towards the older wizard, who began to poke his glowing wand at the empty fish tank.
At first everything seemed to be normal. Or as normal as anything about this bizarre night could get. Yet as Harry drew closer to the tank, things began to change.
What looked like shadowy figures began to swim in its waters. They were dark, yet bright. And something about them almost seemed… familiar. In a way that Harry could not begin to explain. Seeing them appear made him pause, but he continued despite a rising feeling of trepidation.
Several steps closer and strange noises began to fill his ears. Like whispers coming from far away. And the closer Harry drew, the louder they grew.
A headache began to grow within his brain when he was only a short distance away. It grew with every step he took towards Dumbledore's side, until it reached a point where Harry did not know if he could take it any longer.
He stopped in place and turned his head around. When he did, the whispers disappeared. And with their absence, the headache began to fade as well.
"Hm… fascinating. It seems that you were affected by my experiment. Though I was not expecting anything to happen until you reached my side," Dumbledore muttered softly. Then the man's voice grew louder as he clearly addressed Harry. "But that will do for now. Please tell me, Harry, what did you experience when you tried to come over? Did you feel anything? See anything? Or perhaps even taste something?"
Harry gave a gentle nod of his head as he waited for the headache to further subside. "I did, Professor. At first, I thought that the tank in front of you was empty… but as I got closer, I started to see shapes within it."
"Did these shapes have any colour?" Dumbledore's voice was sharp and curt as he questioned Harry. "Were they distinct?"
"I'm not too sure about their colour, sir, but they were shadowy. And, erm, bright too, I guess."
"Good, good. And was that all?"
"No sir. I also heard whispered voices that got louder as I approached. And I got a headache that seemed to get worse the closer I got to the tank." Harry continued to massage his head as he spoke. He decide to keep back the part about them feeling familiar, too, as it was probably just a trick of his mind. "The pain only stopped once I turned my back to the tank."
The old wizard seemed to pause at Harry's words. "Curiouser and curiouser. Hm. I was not expecting that to happen. Not at all. But perhaps that only serves to solidify my theory."
"And what would that be, Professor?" Hermione asked from her place by the Headmaster's desk. Her voice was as sharp and interrogative as that of any professor, and Harry shot her a grateful look for raising the question.
"Quite a simple theory, Ms. Granger, albeit one with far reaching consequences. Yet before I go into any depth regarding it, I would like to decline this party invitation you have sent me, Harry. How might I go about doing so?"
Harry, wary of looking at the not so empty fish tank, gave a shrug of his shoulders without turning around. "I'm not one hundred percent certain, sir, but I believe that either physically touching the 'no' option on the screen before you, or just thinking it really hard, will do it."
"Hm. Yes, those would indeed be the logical courses of action. But before I do so, please allow me to try something else first." A short pause. "I apologize beforehand if this causes any discomfort."
The moment the Headmaster finished speaking a dozen different things seemed to happen all at once.
There was a flash of light behind Harry's eyes that caused him to be blinded. Next a feeling akin to an icy cold hand touching every bit of exposed flesh on his body burst across his skin.
A tinkling noise, as though someone had shattered a large glass window, filled the room. While at the same time the distant roar of some unknown entity swept across Harry and the others as a wave of heat great enough to soak their robes in sudden sweat washed over them.
Then the loudest ding Harry had yet to hear broke over his ears like a clap of thunder.
DING!
AN OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE HAS BEEN DETECTED!
ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE HAS HAD THEIR INVITATION TO THE GAMER'S PARTY REVOKED
NO PARTY INVITATIONS CAN BE SENT TO THIS INDIVIDUAL FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS AS THEY HAVE BEEN BANNED BY THE SYSTEM
ANY REPEAT VIOLATION ON A SIMILAR LEVEL WILL CAUSE THIS INDIVIDUAL TO BE PERMANENTLY BANNED FROM THE GAMER'S PARTY
Harry gave a pained groan and clutched his arms. A feeling of cold fury washed through him until it felt like Harry's body would explode, as though some powerful being had been angered by the Headmaster's action and was using Harry as a conduit to express its fury.
Then, just as suddenly as it had come upon him, the feeling disappeared.
After taking a few deep breaths to centre himself, Harry closed the Game's latest notification and stumbled over to his chair. "Just in case you were wondering, Professor," Harry said with tired annoyance as he slid into the chair, "Whatever you did just now caused a massive reaction."
"Ah, yes, I should have figured that such would happen, but I did not anticipate the connection would be quite so strong when I attempted to sever it. I underestimated how far Death was willing to go when creating this link." A grim Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk, shaking his head wearily. "But before we continue any further, I must first ask a simple question. Have either of you read The Tale of the Three Brothers by Beetle the Bard? Because I believe its contents will be key to understanding what has happened to Harry this night, and what his 'Game of Death' may portend."
A/N: That's all for now! Read on to see what happens next.
Until Next Time,
Elsil