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Harry Potter And The Game of Death
Level 1
Chapter Eighteen: Alerts and Notifications
Ding!
Quest Alert Notification
Leave the Dursleys and Never Look Back
Progress:
You Have Left Privet Drive and Moved to the Cottage
Quest Complete
Ding!
As a Reward for Completing a Quest You Have Received the Following
A Room at the Cottage and a New Family
Permanent Freedom from the Dursley's Harassment and Restrictions
Gain 5 Levels
Ding!
Home is Now Set to the Cottage
Your Unique Trait 'A Mother's Protection' Has Been Changed as a Result
The Trait's Information Has Been Updated to Reflect This Change
"Welcome home, Harry!"
"Welcome, Harry!"
"Good morning, Mr. Potter."
"Hi, Harry!"
"Wotcher Harry! It's nice to see ya again. Let's get to know each other this time around and be friends, shall we?"
Harry blinked as an avalanche of magic, noise, notifications, and movement washed over him. The aftereffects of Apparition slammed into him at the same time, causing his body to lurch forward in a discombobulated daze.
As he tried to process it all, Harry felt one of his feet catch on something. The next thing he knew he was tripping forward, arms flailing wildly as he tried to catch himself on something. Several voices rang out in surprised confusion as more than one person found themselves joining Harry on a one-way trip to the floor in a tangled pile of limbs.
Not knowing who was in the pile with him, or even what was going on, Harry did his best to try and restore his brain to working order. A piece of soft flesh was soon pressed into his hands as the pile around him constantly moved and shifted.
Harry gave the fleshy mound a reflexive squeeze.
"Blimey, Ginny, stop groping my bum!" Ron's muffled voice rang out. The mound of flesh in Harry's hand jumped as though it were a wet cat. "That's not Harry's rear you're fondling, but mine!"
"Ewww! That's gross, Ron. Besides, it's not me anyway."
Harry groaned and removed his hand from what he now knew to be Ron's bum as though the appendage had been burned. "Sorry about that, mate. I didn't realize what I was touching."
"Apology accepted. Just stop talking about it and get off'a me already!"
Harry tried to follow his friend's desperately yelled command. But it seemed the more Harry tried to free himself, the further entangled all their limbs became. An example was how a rather shapely leg which must have belonged to Ginny smacked Harry in the face, while Harry heard the girl grunt at the same time Harry felt his right kneecap connect with something solid.
A chuckling Sirius took pity on them and began to pull the tangled group apart.
"Now, now, kids. I think we can save the rough housing until later," Sirius said with obvious amusement as he began pulling on Harry's left arm. "Let Harry say hello to everyone else first before you steal him away for the rest of the afternoon."
With Sirius' assistance, Harry, Ron, and Ginny found themselves untangled from one another in short order. When neither Ginny nor Ron looked like they knew what to say, Harry took the initiative and broke the increasingly awkward silence before it could grow any further. "Well, uh, Ron, Ginny, thanks for coming out. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, um, sure. Anytime mate! And, erm, I guess I'll go to check out the food while you and Sirius take care of whatever you need to do."
"Mhm. I'll, um, see you around the party, too. Congratulations on moving, Harry!"
After getting an embarrassed wave from Ron and a quick hug from Ginny, the two redheads moved towards a nearby table stacked with refreshments. Harry took advantage of the momentary lull to catch his breath and shake his head wryly over the changes in the two.
From what Harry could tell, the two siblings had grown quite a bit over the summer. Ron was sprouting up like a weed, already having gained several centimetres, while Harry could have sworn that Ginny's legs had not looked nearly so long or shapely while they had been at Hogwarts. It didn't help that the pair of shorts she had on, though torn and worn, seemed to draw his eyes like iron to a magnet.
A brief flash of jealousy over both their growth spurts flashed through Harry. There had been no similar spurt for him. Which meant that he was still on the short side compared to his peers and was increasingly pessimistic it would ever change.
With his friends gone, Sirius quickly grabbed hold of Harry's arm and proceeded to guide him towards the rest of the group for greetings.
A smiling Professor McGonagall was standing next to Molly Weasley, both women holding half-filled champagne glasses in their hands while they chatted amicably. Standing nearby were Remus and Arthur Weasley. Each held a full glass of bubbly in one hand, while the other was placed on the shoulders of one of the Weasley twins. Whom, if their mildly sullen expressions were anything to go by, had apparently already been caught trying to do something to 'liven things up'.
The final pair, however, were totally unknown to Harry. One was a young woman with short, searing pink hair, like something out of those anime he had watched with Dudley when they were younger. Harry had the oddest feeling that he had met her before, but could not recall where that might have been. He was pretty certain that he would remember someone as odd as her, especially given how she was currently winking at him in an exaggerated manner.
Meanwhile, the older woman next to her could not have been more different in attitude. She had long brown hair which went well past her shoulders, and a calm demeanour which spoke of determination and strength. While her well-cut, expensive looking robes had a Slytherin green tint to them, with a matching set of gemstones set in silver glittered on her neck and wrist. They looked good on her but made her stand out almost as much as the younger woman considering the vast majority of people present at the party had a fondness for Gryffindor's hues of red and gold.
While Harry scrutinized the two, Sirius gave a loud cough to gather everyone's attention. As everyone's gazes turned to them, Harry bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you for coming, everyone. It really means a lot to me, and I'm happy to have you here."
"Not half as happy as we are to get you here, Harry," Remus replied with a grin. The normally dour professor currently had the biggest smile on his face that Harry had ever seen on the man; it was a good look on him one that made the man look nearly ten years younger than he usually did. "Now relax and stop being so formal already. It's a party, so join in on the celebration and have some fun!"
"I'll drink a toast to that," Professor McGonagall chimed in.
"Here here!" Chimed in one of the Weasley Twins.
"And let's have a few more while we're at it!" Exclaimed the second.
The rest of the crowd laughed at that. Though they only laughed harder when Molly made it clear to the overeager duo that they, like their younger peers, would have to make do with sparkling apple cider instead of the magical Champagne Sirius had imported from France. A statement that returned the mutinous looks from before to their faces and only made the crowd laugh harder.
After the fourth toast had been consumed and the crowd had settled down, Harry turned to Sirius and gently tugged on the tall man's sleeve. Getting the hint, Sirius bent down so Harry could speak into his ear.
"So, um, before we get into this any further, is it okay if I go and get myself changed and settled in?" Harry made a quick gesture at his outfit. It was composed of baggy, over-sized hand-me-downs from his whale of a cousin. "I'd feel a lot better if I could wear something more normal."
Sirius nodded sharply. "No worries, kiddo. Moony – er, I mean Remus – and I thought you might like to do that, so the last time we were at Diagon Alley we got you a pair of regular wizarding outfits. It's not much, and we sort of had to guess at your size, but I hope it'll do until we can take you out for a proper shopping trip next – oomph!"
A wheeze of air left Sirius' lungs as Harry crushed the man's chest with a surprise hug.
"Thank you," Harry whispered.
"Ack! There's no need to thank me for that, kiddo," Sirius said in a breathless tone of voice as he tried to refill his lungs with air. "I'm now your Guardian – in every sense of the word – and providing you with a decent pair of clothes is the very least I could do."
Sirius separated himself from Harry and gave him a light shove filled with affection. "Now, follow me on up the stairs so you can get yourself changed. Then we can come back down and get you started on learning how to work a room! Trust me when I say it's a skill you'll thank me for when you're older."
Their short discussion finished, Sirius announced to the room that he would be taking Harry away for a moment so that Harry could freshen up. After which he gave Harry's arm a short tug and moved off to a nearby flight of dark wooden stairs.
Harry followed close behind, watching in fascination as the people assembled to welcome him took Sirius' words at face value and fell back into conversation with one another. Harry also took advantage of the momentary lull in attention to acknowledge the Game's many notifications and surreptitiously use 'Observe' on everyone in the crowd. He read the results as he followed Sirius up the large flight of stairs.
To Harry's utter lack of surprise, all the gathered adults were unreadable to him even with the five additional levels he had just gained from completing the quest. He had already known that Professors McGonagall and Lupin were unreadable to him from his time at Hogwarts, but it followed that even the comparatively less skilled adults such as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be higher in level as well. Age meant having more time to learn and grow in experience, which in turn probably meant gaining in strength.
The only thing which did surprise Harry was that the vaguely familiar pink-haired girl in the grouping was also more than a hundred levels above him. Considering how that would place her at level 146 at the very least, this meant that the young woman was either remarkably strong for her age… or was considerably older than she appeared.
Which, considering how Professor McGonagall looked like a Muggle woman in her late thirties meant that either possibility was entirely likely.
Meanwhile, when it came to those who were around his own age, Harry received several minor surprises. According to the Game, Ron's overall level had not changed in the slightest. Stuck at level 25, the other boy's traits were still the same as ever while his stat attributes had also stayed static. If Harry were to hazard a guess, it would be that his old friend was probably following his usual summer routine of sleeping and relaxing.
But Ginny had somehow gained two levels over the summer. The cute little redhead was now at level 33! Which, according to Hermione's current theory regarding levels, meant that Ron's sister had either gained access to the Game as well – an event which was highly unlikely – or the young girl had really been working hard at improving herself over the summer.
But that the biggest surprise of all came from the twins.
Fred and George Weasley
The Terrible Twins; the Demonic Duo; the Pranking Prats. These are but three of the many names given to the twin wizard brothers known as Fred and George Weasley. The two boys are always in the thick of things, and by the time their most recent prank has become known they are already busy executing a second and planning the third. They love to bring smiles to the faces of those around them, and once you have their loyalty you have it for life. (See Character Page(s) for Further Information)
Age: 16
Joke Kings
Brilliant Inventors
Level 65
Stats:
STR: 64
DEX: 60
CON: 57
INT: 180
WIS: 164
CHA: 245
Traits:
Loyal
Pranksters
Dedicated
True Friends
Duellists
Large Family
School Quidditch Stars
Twin Bond
Ambitious
Jazz and Funk Enthusiasts
Free Spirits
While Harry had always known the two older boys were talented, he had never expected them to be this talented. If the Game were to be believed, then Fred and George were powerhouses!
After staring at their stats for a moment – and avoiding the thrice cursed 'Character Page' section out of a genuine fear for what he might find – Harry brought up his own newly levelled stats page and that of Ginny as well to serve as comparisons.
Harry Potter
Age: 14
The-Boy-Who-Lived
Heir Apparent to the Potter Family
Basilisk Slayer
Heroic Child
Golden Boy
Level 45
Stats:
STR: 57
DEX: 71
CON: 55
INT: 132
WIS: 114
CHA: 364
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
Ginevra 'Ginny' Weasley
Age: 13
Level 33
Stats:
STR: 51
DEX: 70
CON: 60
INT: 72
WIS: 49
CHA: 81
Traits:
Loyal
Survivor
Headstrong
Large Family
Only Daughter
True Friend
Clutch Performer
Boy-Who-Lived-Fangirl
Amateur Quidditch Player
Life Bonded to Harry Potter (One-sided)
Former Horcrux
Pureblood
Free Spirit
Dedicated
The results of the comparison were clear: the twins really were exceptional. They had some of the highest levels and most well-rounded stats Harry had yet seen, two titles, and far more traits than seemed to be the norm for people their age. Harry made a mental note to keep them in mind should anything crazy happen in the upcoming school year.
A gentle tap on his shoulder brought Harry out of his musings.
"I can guess what you're doing, but surely it can wait until later, right? We don't want to keep everyone waiting too long for you to return."
Looking up into Sirius' bemused eyes, Harry gave the man a bashful grin and nodded. He quickly closed out the remaining text and notifications from the Game and resumed his climb with gusto.
After a short while, they reached the top of the staircase. At which point Harry's godfather motioned to the long corridor which branched out to either side.
"Alright kiddo, this is it," Sirius said. "Third floor is where most of the living quarters are situated. Right now, it's only you, Remus, and me who're living here, but there're enough rooms for at least ten more people to move in if we need it. Or more if we were to employ Expansion Charms, but those can get a wee bit tricky when there're existing Charms and Wards already in place."
"Right. I think I remember Professor Flitwick saying that in class."
"Yeah, it's one of the few downsides to them. Anyway, Remus took one of the small rooms on the left-hand side while I'm located in the master bedroom at the end of the hall to your right. You'll be able to tell which are which pretty easily; the House Wards have a nifty little feature that writes a person's name in gold filigree across whichever room a person claims as their own."
Harry blinked in amazement. "Really? That sounds cool!"
"Ain't it? It's one of the few good things my ancestors came up with when they made this place." The dark-haired man gave a short bark of laughter before continuing. "Anyway, given that I keyed you into the wards while we were walking just now, your name should already be in place. Your room is the second largest in the house and is located directly across from Remus' on the left."
Sirius started to walk towards it while he spoke but paused for a moment to nervously scratch his head. "We, uh, weren't quite certain which room you would like, but had to make a decision before we saw you. So, erm, if you'd like to switch out, then, um, just let us know and we'll help you move everything. Don't worry about any hard feelings either because we just want you to be happy. Okay? This is your home now, and I – er, we – want you to feel welcome and comfortable inside of it."
Harry blinked away a sudden onrush of moisture at Sirius' words. Never before had someone told him something like that outside of Hogwarts. Never before had someone not only given him his own room, with his stuff in it, but they were also offering to help Harry change things if he wasn't pleased with it.
Harry would be a liar if he said that it did not raise a storm of emotions inside of him. Love, pride, happiness, regret, longing, fear… all those emotions and more swirled around inside his heart within the span of a second. Today truly had been a rollercoaster day for him, and it seemed that the ride was nowhere close to ending.
Bottling his confusing feelings deep within, Harry ducked his head and nodded. His voice was choked with emotion as he replied. "Yeah, Sirius. It's – it's okay. Don't worry about me. I promise that I'll love the room no matter what you and Remus have done to it."
"Oh. Okay. Okay then!" From the corner of his eye, Harry caught how Sirius' face perked up at the words. "Now, as I'm not usually one to drag things out – unless it's for comedic purposes – let's go on in. Lead the way, kiddo."
At the man's urging, Harry took the lead and made his way down the left-side hall. A thick, dark wooden door with words stencilled in beautiful golden filigree soon appeared before him. When he got close to it, Harry gently ran his fingers across the smooth wooden surface in wonder.
Harry James Potter
Heir
Assuming that the 'heir' portion referred to his status as the Potter Heir, Harry placed his hand on the door's elegant golden handle. After a deep intake of breath, he then twisted the smooth knob and pushed it inward.
What appeared before Harry's eyes was like something out of a dream.
Deep violet sheets and golden pillows drew his attention to the giant bed situated in the middle of the room. It stood out against the dark wooden walls, much of which were covered in fanciful tapestries which reminded Harry of Hogwarts, and the heavy woven rugs which dotted the floor. A simple tea table with four chairs was situated next to a modest window that currently had its heavy curtains pulled to the side. The sun's bright rays came in through it, warming the room in a way only nature could.
But as amazing as that all was, what really grabbed Harry's attention were the more magical items contained within.
There were at least three different stations of sorts set up throughout the room. One station had a small work lamp and looked long enough to hold a broom. Closer inspection revealed that this was, in fact, on purpose, as the top had little hooks to hold a racing broom steady. All sorts of related supplies, like clippers and replacement twigs, were filed nearby. There were even a few new copies of books and magazines on broom maintenance, flying theory, and the latest in Quidditch news neatly stacked on its top. Harry felt his hands twitch at the sight, imagining what it would be like to work on his Firebolt at a proper bench for once instead of on top of his bed or on a room's hard floor.
A second workstation was clearly intended to be for studying. Various books on spells filled a bookcase situated to the left of it, while a mostly empty bookshelf to the right hinted at future books to be added. It was more space than Harry had ever had to work with before, and he could not wait to write to Hermione about it. The book-loving girl was sure to be utterly jealous, and Harry gained a smile from imaging her future tirade on the subject.
The third station, though, was a bit of a mystery to him. It had a simple table as the main bit of furniture, made of cherry wood coated with a dark veneer. But unlike the other stations, this one was covered with a number of gadgets and gizmos that looked vaguely Muggle in origin but were clearly magic in function. The strange items somewhat reminded Harry of the odd collection in Professor Dumbledore's office, though he could not say exactly why.
As Harry continued to look around, he noticed a small door in the corner furthest from the window. Upon opening it, he found that it led into an adjoining bathroom. Harry caught sight of a sink fixture and what looked like a giant, old-fashioned copper bathtub. He blinked at the sight of it, as he had only ever associated such extravagance with old money and never with himself. But Sirius was old money, as Harry reminded himself. And if the room was anything to go by, Sirius was not afraid to spend it.
The final twist to the room got a barked laugh out of Harry when he saw it. Nearby a second window, one which was large enough to have its own balcony but currently had its curtains closed, was the fanciest owl perch Harry had ever seen. The thing was an ostentatious and convoluted mess that looked fit for an empress, and Harry just knew his familiar would love it.
His supposition was soon proven correct when he spied the owl in question already roosting within its gilded eaves. Hedwig greeted Harry with a sleepy hoot when he walked closer and gave her feathers a soft stroke.
As he gently petted her, Harry tried to process everything. Over his years with the Dursley's, Harry had gotten used to having very little; a trait he had kept when going to Hogwarts, taking only a little more than he needed for the year from his parent's savings. Having so many things, and of such incredibly high quality, provided for him all at once was a shock to his system. A giant shock.
Sirius must have realized as much; he clapped his hands and broke the silence with a smile. "Well, it seems like Moony and I were a mite more successful with this place than we first thought. Just so you know, the book stuff was his idea while the broom area was my own. A few others helped as well – Andromeda and Dora did the colour scheme, while Moody and Albus did that weird little area in the corner – and they'll all be chuffed to learn that you like it. Especially Hagrid, as he's the one who recommended the perch your bird seems to have taken quite the liking to."
Hedwig stiffened under Harry's hand and turned a single baleful eye in Sirius' direction. She gave the man a single warning hoot before closing it and resuming her rest.
Glad that his proud familiar had taken the higher road and not responded to the accidental insult – in her eyes, it was Harry that was hers rather than it being the other way around – Harry turned around and met Sirius' eyes. As he did, a wave of butterflies hit his stomach.
Harry gulped as he tried to think of what words he could possibly use to describe how he was feeling at the moment. Happy? Glad? Sad? Chuffed beyond belief at the care he and the others had shone him? And maybe a little poleaxed by the onrush of attention? All were descriptive of how Harry felt as the emotional roller coaster from before made its return in force.
"Thank you, Sirius," Harry said softly. His voice was choked with emotion as he desperately tried to find the right words to say. "And my thanks as well to Professor Lupin, and Hagrid, and to everyone else who helped with the room. Because this… all of it... it's all just… just more than I ever dreamed possible for myself."
"And that, more than anything else, makes it all worth it, kiddo." Leaving his spot by the door to stand next to Harry, Sirius reached out to once again tousle Harry's hair. The shaggy-haired man smiled gently at him, his dark eyes glimmering with unshed tears. No further words were exchanged, and Harry felt the emotions within his small frame swell even higher.
But the moment came to an end when Sirius clapped his hands together for a second time and waggled his eyebrows. "But enough of that mushy stuff for now. It's time you get on over to that armoire by the bed and change already so we can get back to the party! You'll find some slacks in the bottom drawer and a nice shirt in the one above it; I'd usually suggest a matching robe for an event like this, but I have a feeling those friends of yours and my darling cousin Dora will end up dragging you outside for a spot of fun at some point and robes would just get in your way. I'll meet you downstairs when you're all done, so take your time and don't rush."
Once the door to Harry's room was shut and he was safely alone, Sirius did a short jig of celebration.
Success! He had nearly turned into a bawling mess at several times, but he had managed to hold it together in the end. And judging from the way Harry had looked, the kid had been nearly overcome with emotion as well. Which meant all that worry over whether the boy would like the room, the multiple trips to Diagon Alley for the materials and the sleepless nights spent making sure that everything was just perfect, had been worth it.
After ending his impromptu jig, Sirius took out a silken handkerchief to wipe the nervous sweat from his forehead. Then he neatly folded and tucked the handkerchief back into its designated pocket and resumed walking.
As he did, his fingers brushed against several thin slips of paper.
Feeling them caused Sirius' heart to beat faster. But their unveiling could wait until later. For now, he had a room of guests to entertain until the boy returned, and the sooner he got back to entertaining them the less likely he would be to whip the pieces of paper out and spoil the surprise reveal he had planned.
Back in his room, Harry took a deep breath and looked at Hedwig. "Well girl, I'm glad to see you've taken to things so easily. I don't know if I can adapt quite so quickly myself, though, so any advice you can give me on the subject would help."
Hedwig popped her snowy white head from beneath her wing to peer at him with her large, golden eyes. She pushed her face into Harry's hand and gave a gentle trill of affection. Then she pushed his hand away with her wing and hid her head under it once again.
"Yeah, that definitely sounds like good advice," Harry replied with a chuckle. "I'll be sure to take it."
Whether it was a part of the Game of Death or a function of their mutual bond, Harry had understood Hedwig's intent. Which was that he was finally living somewhere safe and with people who genuinely cared for him. And that rather than moping about alone in his room and bothering the sleepy owl as she tried to rest, Harry should do what Sirius had suggested and get back to the party below as soon as possible.
It was good advice. But before he followed it, Harry dug into his back pockets and fished his wand out with a grin. It was time to use 'Observe' and see what the Game of Death would reveal about his new room.
Ding!
Hedwig
Owl of Wisdom
Age: 5
Level 45
Stats:
STR: 28
DEX: 72
CON: 46
INT: 85
WIS: 119
CHA: 108
Traits:
Ruler of the Roost
Loyal
Dedicated
Headstrong
Weak Familiar Bond (Harry Potter)
Clutch Performer
Ding!
Professional Grade Broom Maintenance Station
Traits:
Stain Resistant
Minor Magic Resistance
Minor Physical Damage Resistance
Gives +20 to Broom Maintenance Skills When Used
Highly Comfortable
Ding!
A Magical Scholar's Study Station
Traits:
Stain Resistant
Minor Magic Resistance
Minor Physical Resistance
Gives +50% Ability to Learn New Magical Spells When Used
Highly Comfortable
Ding!
Ancient Armoire
Traits:
Stain Resistant
Minor Magic Resistance
Minor Physical Resistance
Expansion Charmed
Ding!
The Common Book of Spells, Grade 4
Ding!
A Beginner's Guide to the Mental Arts
Ding!
A Self-Sizing Royal Bed
Traits:
Highly Comfortable
Size Expands to Fit Its Occupant's Needs
Stain Resistant
Ding!
A Magical Tapestry
Traits:
Changes with the Seasons
Ding!
A Magic Golden Knob
Traits:
Magical Lock
Ding!
A Wooden Rubbish Bin
Harry used 'Observe' with abandon. Nothing was too small or too odd to use it on. And once he got over his surprise at seeing Hedwig's stats – she had a higher wisdom stat than he did – Harry read every screen with childlike glee.
"Seriously, everyone went all out on this place," Harry said aloud. He was so excited that he could not help himself; he jumped into the air and punched out with his fist. "This has to be the best room ever!"
Doing his best to regain his shattered composure and feeling thankful that no one was around to witness his childish display, Harry turned to face the one place he had yet to use 'Observe'. The table which contained all the strange gadgets and doodads from Professor Dumbledore and someone named Moody. Which, now that Harry thought about it, was really a very strange name for a person.
Upon closer inspection, Harry saw several items he was already familiar with. One such item was an Auror Grade Sneakoscope – which was just a really powered up version of the type Harry was already familiar with – and another was a case containing a dozen batches of unkeyed Polyjuice potion. The man had even included a brace of Muggle military grade flash grenades! Which, while odd for a wizard to possess, were seriously neat.
Three of the new items, though, really stood out to him.
Ding!
Portable Defensive Ward
Casts a Powerful Dispel on all Active Magic in a Radius of Two Meters of a Specified Location while Placing Anti-Jinx and Anti-Apparition Wards
Can Only be Triggered Upon Breaking
Traits:
One-Time Use
Disguised
Ding!
Emergency Portkey
Near-Instantly Transports the User to a Predetermined Location Upon Activation
Traits:
Keyed to the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts
Ding!
Wandlore: The Core of Magic
by Garrick Ollivander
Traits:
Magic Book
Anti-Theft Charms
Magic Resistance
Physical Resistance
Sealed
Harry looked closely at the three items. The book by the quirky old man who had sold Harry his wand had a handwritten note next to it, but Harry chose to look at the other two items first. And after a quick use of the Game's 'Help' feature their purposes seemed rather obvious.
The portable defensive ward was in the shape of a common muggle treat, a jawbreaker. It was even contained in a plastic wrapper you could find from almost any local grocery store that carried them. Though when Harry gave it a test squeeze, he found that the object seemed rather brittle when compared to a normal jawbreaker.
The portkey, meanwhile, made Harry grimace. Harry had never used one before, but when considering his poor luck with Floo travel and Apparition, he felt that travelling by a portkey would probably not be any better. Still, being able to leave nearly any location and go directly to the Dumbledore's office was pretty handy. There had been several times over the past three years where Harry had desperately needed to contact Dumbledore and had been unable to enter the older man's office. And while Harry dearly hoped that this year would prove to be different, he had a feeling in his gut that it would just be business as usual.
Which meant more dangerous situations with a high possibility of his winding up either dead or grievously injured.
As for the other items on the table… well, most of them made little sense even after Harry read the Game's descriptions, so he decided to set them aside for the time being. They were mainly comprised of the strange devices which looked as though they would be at home in the Headmaster's office, and Harry figured he could always ask the Headmaster about them later.
Harry took the portkey, the defensive ward, and six of the Polyjuice bottles into his hands. Then, after a quick glance around to make sure that no one had snuck into his room while he was distracted, Harry whispered aloud a single word.
"'Inventory'."
The instant he whispered the word, a soft greyish-white glow sprang into existence in front of him. Harry dropped the items into the glowing area and watched as they disappeared from sight. Only when they were gone did he whisper 'Inventory' a second time. The grey-white glow vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving not a single trace behind that it had ever existed at all.
Harry allowed himself a single nod of satisfaction at the result. The 'Inventory' feature of the Game could store about twelve cubic meters of non-living material. A fact which Harry had discovered after asking the Game's 'Help' feature.
Over the summer Harry had placed some of his more important belongings inside the 'Inventory', along with an emergency supply of food and water which never seemed to spoil with the passage of time. It was an ace in the hole that he had not even told Hermione out of fear that someone might be reading their messages and eventually crack the code they were using to discuss the Game of Death.
As for the book on Wandlore which remained untouched on the station's top… Harry was curious to see what it contained. He picked it up to try reading the first page. But it was blank.
Harry frowned and turned the page. That one was also blank. And the third. And the fourth. As well as every other page afterwards.
"Well, that's weird." Harry muttered to himself. He set the book down with a puzzled frown on his face.
In the hope that it might shed some light on the strange book, he picked up the note which had been placed beside the book and began to read.
Dear Harry,
If you are reading this note, then I can assume you have safely made it to the room prepared for you by Remus and Sirius. I am certain that your new home will be filled with love, and I hope what you find in its halls is that which you so very much deserve: happiness.
An old friend and colleague of mine by the name of Alastor Moody – whom, I might add, happens to be an Auror of some repute – and I contributed to your new home by providing you with some rather potent defensive items, as well as updating the Wards which run through it and the surroundings. It is our hope that you will never need to use the items we have given you, but we live in times where one cannot be too careful.
The shadows of our world lengthen by the day and not even I can say what might happen next.
Our promised talk will happen at the end of August. I have reason to believe that the Dark Lord's followers have a plot afoot, thus I have devoted what little free time I possess to unravelling its tangled yarn. And though I know you to be a capable wizard, I implore you to keep your safety in mind and to never wander alone outside of your home's protection.
With Great Affection,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
P.S.
Mr. Ollivander's book is a mutual gift from the both of us. It also represents a puzzle for you and your friends to solve.
I look forward to discussing its contents with you when that day finally comes.
Harry stared at the note. He reread it and then reread it again, hoping against hope that he had misread it the first time. But he had not.
Harry placed the note down and let out a sigh of frustration. It was great that Dumbledore had helped to set up the defences at the Cottage. His presents were also nice, as were the kind sentiments written within the letter.
But another part of Harry could not help but be hurt by it too.
The kindly old man in whom Harry had placed his trust had promised that the two of them would talk about things over the summer. And though Harry knew that Dumbledore was a terribly busy man, Harry had still hoped to have their discussion sooner rather than later. Being told via letter that their discussion had been delayed was frustrating, to say the least.
After taking a deep, calming breath, Harry tried his best to put both the book and the note out of his mind. Today was a good day. One that he wanted to enjoy. Dwelling on the few dark clouds present would not do him any good.
To that end he walked over to his shiny armoire and opened its heavy drawers. After looking inside for a moment, Harry pulled out a nice pair of black slacks and an emerald green shirt that matched his eyes. He ran his hands over the silky-smooth material and smiled. Harry was sure to make an impression wearing them and gave silent thanks to his godfather for purchasing them.
Then Harry stripped off the old cast-offs he was currently wearing, tossed them into the wooden rubbish bin, and donned his new clothes with a smile. It was time to start a new era in his life. One that would be better than the one that came before, and one where he and his circle of loved ones would be closer than ever.
A/N: As of this posting (9/20/2019), this story is officially over 240 reviews, nearly 800 favourites and 1200 follows, and has over 100k views (Numbers which have since grown to 730, 2,374 and 3,131, and 565k respectively as of 10/7/2021). Phew! Those are milestones I never thought to reach with this fic (or any on this website), and I am both happy and honoured that this story has become so popular. Today is an especially important day for me because it also marks the one-year loss of someone very important in my own life, and I am glad to be able to celebrate it with even a small personal accomplishment.
This chapter went heavy on the Game related stuff. One thing that you will see as the story progresses is that my use of Game mechanics has a tendency to wax and wane. Partly due to plot reasons, but also because I am trying to see what feels right to me as a writer and what my audience enjoys as readers. It's a finicky thing, and at times I feel like Goldilocks as I search for that 'just right' balance.
Until Next Time,
Elsil