Dis Lexics vault of Secrets
Ideas, plot bunnys that won't let go, possible future stories. feel free to pick up the stories if you like them.
And we're back with something a tad different. This isn't the first chapter of a new story idea, but rather a prequel oneshot to another story might possibly do. Or convince someone else to do. I like the idea of 'Reading' stories where characters read their own lives and I really wish someone would do something like that for one of mine. Perhaps this will inspire someone to do one for SSH...ah, I can dream. Anyway, Enjoy!
Reading An Origin Story
The first thing Harry became aware of when he woke up was that something was wrong. To start with, he wasn't wearing his PJ that he had definitely put on the night before. The second issue was that he was staring up at a white ceiling, not the hangings of his four poster bed in the Gryffindor dorms. He blinked blearily a few times before what that meant sank in and he sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. Naturally, without his glasses he couldn't see anything except a few blurry smudges. A moment later, someone handed him his glasses, which he put on and found himself looking at a worried looking Hermione.
"Hermione?" asked Harry, still a little confused.
"Are you alright Harry?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, "Where are we?"
"No idea mate," said Rons voice from behind Hermione.
Harry sat up, causing Hermione to back up, and looked around. The room they were in looked like nothing he had ever seen before. It was a relatively large room, with orange painted walls and worn looking, gray carpeting that had a few tea stains here and there and was fraying at the edges. He was laying on a black leather three seater sofa that was set up facing a large TV with a number of gadgets set up on small set of shelves it was sitting on and two comfortable looking armchairs on either side, surrounding a small coffee table. One corner of the room had a small kitchenette with a microwave, a fridge-freezer, a toaster, a large kettle, a sink and a few pots labelled as coffee, tea and sugar. The countertop and cupboards looked rather cheap, but were clean, as was the rest of the room. The room didn't seem to have a door, but there was a couple of windows that were covered by dark red curtains.
"How did we get here?" asked Harry as he stood and walked over to the windows.
"I don't know," said Hermione, "There doesn't seem to be any way in or out and the last thing I remember was going to bed, so...oh my!"
Harry had just opened the curtains, revealing what was on the other side of the glass. Rather than a view of a town or anything that the trio had expected, the only thing on the other side of the window was a swirling void of colour that looked like something out of one of Professor Snapes cauldrons.
"OK, that is definitely not normal," said Harry, more than a little disturbed.
"Oh good, your all here."
The three teenaged Magicals jumped and spun around. A door had appeared in one wall, allowing a stranger to enter with an empty cup in his hand. He was tall and thin, with a slight hunch to his shoulders and shaggy hair that was in dire need of a cut. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dirty, orange and brown framed glasses and were surrounded by black bags, as if he didn't get enough sleep. He was dressed in a pair of tired looking jeans, mismatched socks with Superman on them and a gray sweater with too long sleeves that hid his hands. Through the door, Harry could make out an odd looking round room with numerous tv screens attached to the walls.
"Who are you?" demanded Harry, pointing his wand at the stranger, his friends following suite.
"And where are we?" asked Hermione.
The man didn't look to intimidated by the wands pointed at him, in fact, he yawned widely and shut the door, which vanished as soon as it was shut. He ambled over to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cupboards, pulling out another three cups as he turned on the kettle.
"Oi, don't ignore us!" shouted Ron, brandishing his wand.
The man idly waved his hand and the three teens suddenly found themselves wandless.
"Oh do calm down," said the man in a flat tone, "I'm not really in the mood to deal with petulant children after the day I've had."
Rons jaw worked as his ears went red. Hermione, knowing all to well how explosive Rons temper could be, quickly spoke up before he could explode.
"I'm sorry for my friend, but we're all a little shaken," she said, "Could you tell us where we are and how we got here?"
"Ah, nice to see that you're a polite version," said the man as he poured hot water into the cups, "Two sugars, correct?"
"I...yes, but how did you know that?" asked Hermione.
"You'll find I know a lot about you Miss Granger," said the man, "All three of you. It is, after all, my job to know things."
"Whats that supposed to mean?" demanded Ron, "Are you a spy?"
"Oh no, and I don't work for Riddle either, although I have no doubt that he'd love to get someone like me on his side if he could," said the man, "As for how I am, well, I'm Dis Lexic, the Watcher of this little section of the Multiverse. As for where you are, that would be my Watchtower floating in the primordial energy between dimensions."
Dis waved a hand and three of the cups he was making lifted up and flew over to the table.
"Whats a Watcher?" asked Harry, still watching Dis warily.
"An impartial observer," said Dis, "I keep an eye on the many individual Universes that make up this part of the Multiverse and keep it from collapsing in on itself. Its beings like me that prevent paradoxes in time from occurring."
"B-but what would someone like you want with us?" asked Hermione, stuttering slightly.
"Me? Nothing," said Dis, "In fact, your presence here is a just more work for me, but my Boss, the Big Man with the keyboard wants me to show you three something."
The three Gryffindors glanced at each other.
"And that would be?" asked Harry.
"That," said Dis, indicating to the book on the table that definitely hadn't been there before.
Hermione picked it up and examined the cover.
"Split Second Hero?" she asked, reading the cover.
"Yep, or to be more precise, the prologue," said Dis, "If it does well, we'll be joined by some others to read the full book."
"If what goes well?" asked Ron.
Dis ignored the question and flopped down in one of the armchairs, despite having been in the kitchen less than a second ago.
"Now, shall we begin?" he asked as he took a sip of tea.
"Now wait a moment, why would we agree to read anything?" asked Harry.
"Because if you don't, you won't be going home and be stuck here forever," said Dis, "And, since time doesn't pass here, that's not an exaggeration."
"B-but what about everyone back home!" protested Hermione, "I-if we just vanish…"
"Time will stop back in your home dimension as well," said Dis, cutting her off, "Now can we get this started so we can finish and I can go back to work?"
Ron growled.
"You think you can just threaten us…" he started, before he suddenly cut off and started gasping.
"I don't do threats," said Dis, eyeing Ron with distaste, "I also don't take to kindly to being shouted at. I already don't like people wearing your face so do not test me."
Despite the fact he was sitting down and drinking tea, something about the Watcher made all three teens cower away from him, sheer terror rapidly overwhelming Harrys instinct to protect his friend. After a moment, the aura let up and Ron stopped gasping, although that didn't stop the red-head from eyeing the unassuming man with fear in his eyes.
"Um, what did you mean you don't like Ron?" asked Hermione hesitantly.
"Oh, its not this Ron," said Dis, "The three of you are taken from one of the 'original' timelines where his only sins are being a short tempered and slightly dim teenager."
Ron blinked, not sure what to make of that.
"However, I watch over countless worlds and I have seen everything he can be," continued Dis, ignoring the red-heads reaction, "And an alarming number of them contain a version of Ronald Weasley that is a very poor example of Humanity. Mostly, hes a stupid, jealous fool with all the table manners of a pig, but there are times that he is more twisted than Riddle."
The three friends stared at Dis, genuinely not sure what to make of the information they had been given.
"But thats enough chatting about the creations of people with too much time on their hands, lets get started," said Dis, clapping his hands, "One of you start reading please. Oh, but before I forget..."
He pointed a remote he hadn't been holding a moment ago at the TV and turned it on.
"Just a little visual aid," he said, "Now, lets begin
The three friends hesitantly sat down and Hermione opened the book.
"Um, I guess I'll start," she said, "Ahem:
An Origin Story
Our story begins like many others, with the Potters being attacked by the Dark Wanker.
"What!" gasped Harry and Ron at the same times for different reasons.
"T-this is a story about me?" gasped Harry, looking utterly poleaxed.
"Dark Wanker?" gasped Ron, looking like he was barely keeping from laughing.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" asked Dis, looking amused, "Yes, this is a story from one of the many different versions of your world. Is it about you? Thats up for debate. He definitely is a version of you, but, as you will see, he is nothing like you. Now, shall we..?"
"A-ah, right," said Hermione and continued reading.
We all know this attack can go in a number of different ways, from everyone but Harry dieing to everyone surviving and yet Harry still ends up being royally screwed by Fate in the process.
"Sounds like I'm destined to suffer no matter what," muttered Harry, looking down sadly.
"Thats up for debate," said Dis, "You do always lead an interesting life though."
"If you don't mind," growled Hermione.
"Sorry, continue."
This is not one of those worlds, not really. In fact, as Harry Potter timelines go, everything seemed grand. Oh sure, Voldie showed up and attacked the Potters, but he didn't kill the adults, instead stunning them while he moved on to kill his one great adversary.
"WHAT?!" shouted Harry, "Y-you mean my Mum and Dad are alive in that world?"
"Yep, and you still get screwed over," said Dis cheerfully, "Fates a bitch, ain't she?"
Hermione cleared her throat, now looking extremely annoyed and the two males immediately shut up.
"So, this is the one who will beat me?" hissed the Dark Lord as he stared down at the green eyed baby, sleeping peacefully in his crib, "Such a shame, you could have been a great Wizard. Unfortunately, only I may live forever."
"What a poser," muttered Ron.
"Ew, you really weren't kidding when you said he was ugly," said Hermione, eyeing the snakelike form on the screen with disgust.
"Told you," muttered Harry, staring at the form of his greatest enemy with disgust.
He raised his wand and pointed it at the babys forehead.
"Avarda Kedavra!"
The green light leaped out, shooting towards the unprotected child. However, despite the fact that Lily had not sacrificed herself, a very different sort of protection surrounded this child. As the green light struck him, an aura of yellow lightning crackled to life around him and deflected the spell back to sender.
"Oh," said Voldemort, right before taking his own spell to the face.
"So thats what happened," said Ron.
"But wait, I thought Dumbledore said that it was my Mothers sacrifice that protected me," said Harry, "But here she didn't die. So what saved me?"
"I can't speak for you as your world isnt one I watch, but this version of you want protected by some obscure magic called 'love', but something else entirely," said Dis.
"So, what was it?" asked Hermione.
"That is a secret," said Dis, "You'll find out...if we get the chance to continue."
He looked at Hermione meaningfully and she dutifully took up the narration again.
Immediately, the Dark Lords body (which was now made up of more Dark Magic than flesh thanks to the many Rituals he had performed to increase his power)...
"That doesn't surprise me in the least," said Harry, thinking back to the twisted figure that had emerged from the Cauldron at the end of the Third Task.
...reacted to the curse , which had been further enhanced by the strange energy that had surrounded little Harry and exploded, blasting out the windows, shattering the lights and waking up little Harry, who immediately started bawling as his aura faded. Voldemorts shade, half mad with pain, didn't even pause as it shot out the window and away, not noticing the tiny fragment that had been blasted loose from the whole from the impact of the Death Curse.
Desperate for a way to survive, the fragment attempted to latch onto little Harry…
"WHAT?!" shouted all three teens at that.
"Oh yeah, you don't know about that," said Dis, "And there goes the timeline."
"Don't know about what?" demanded Harry, looking more than a little green as he put two and two together.
"Keep reading and find out."
A shaking Hermione did as she was told.
...only to run face first into two massive problems. The first was the main reason that Human's and Magical beings were rarely used as vessels for Horcruxes. See, a Horcrux can't simply exist, they need a source of magic in order to keep their vessel safe. Usually, the ambient magic is enough, but when placed in a living being, especially a sentence one, their own soul fights back against the invader. In the case of being put in a Magical being, the Horcrux becomes a parasite, feeding on the host's magic to survive and prevent them from being evicted.
"Dis, please, please tell me that I don't have one of those things in me?" said Harry, now the colour of gone off milk.
Dis just looked away. That was all the answer Harry needed and he dropped his head into his hands.
"Oh god, I've got a bit of that monster in me!" he gasped, "I-I'm…"
"Don't you dare say that," exclaimed Hermione, shooting to her feet and pointing at Harry, "You are nothing like him, do you hear me Harry! You are the sweetest, kindest boy I have ever known. You are nothing like that monster and you never will be!"
Dis decided to keep quiet about the many worlds where Harry did become like Voldemort. Harry remained quiet for a moment, head still in his hands, before he looked up at Dis, desperation in his eyes.
"Sorry, no," said the Watcher before he could ask, "As a Watcher, I am forbidden from interfering directly."
At Harrys stricken look, he cleared his throat.
"However, I will tell you that, when you get back to your own world, if you go talk to the Goblins, they'll be able to get it out without hurting you," he said, "Now stop looking at me like that."
Harrys face melted into a look of relief and he slumped down.
"Thank you," he said.
Ron, who had been watching the entire exchange in silence, rolled his eyes and patted his friend on the back.
"Honestly, and he called me an idiot," he said, "You're obviously nothing like You-Know-Who."
Dis nodded approvingly and gave the red-head two thumbs up.
Hermione huffed and sat back down, picking up the book she'd dropped and continued reading.
However, should the Host have too little or lack magic entirely, the Horcrux has nothing to feed on and is crushed. Such was the case with Little Harry who, as luck would have it, was a Squib.
"WHAT?!" shouted the three teens (again).
"I did say he was completely different," said Dis, "And that is just one of the ways he is."
Harry was completely shocked. His magic was such an integral part of who he was that the idea of him, any version of him, not having it was simply absurd. After all, it was thanks to Magic that he was able to escape from the Dursleys. Wait…
"Why don't we keep reading?" said Dis before he could ask, "It'll likely answer any questions you have."
Harry eyed the Watcher suspiciously as Hermione turned the page. Had he just read his mind? Dis caught Harrys eye and winked.
The other problem for the Horcrux was the sheer strength of Harrys Soul which was such that even if he had had magic for it to feed on, the strength of his Soul would have crushed the Horcrux in moments. Both of these factors meant that the Horcrux barely had time to regret its decision before it was reduced to existential dust and viscous ectoplasm running down Harrys face. He didn't even have a scar to show for the encounter.
Harry let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to know that at least one version of him didn't have that burden to bare.
"Huh, a Harry without a scar?" said Ron, "Thats actually hard to believe."
He caught Harrys annoyed look and looked sheepish.
"Sorry mate," he said.
Just ten minutes after Voldemort became dust, Sirius Black came bursting into the house, desperately calling for his dear friends. Upon seeing James slumped over on the stairs, he had a minor panic attack, before realizing that he was just stunned. One Enervate later and both former Marauders ran up the stairs to find an unconscious Lily and crying Harry. As soon as she was woken up, the redhead immediately snatched up Harry and started shushing the child.
Harry swallowed at the sight of his dead family gathered around his baby self as the image froze as Hermione stopped reading.
"Harry…" she said softly.
"I-I'm Ok," he said thickly.
Ron remained silent. It was times like this that he remembered that, no matter how much money and fame Harry had, he lacked the one thing he wished for more than anything. Ron once more reaffirmed his determination that he would NEVER again allow the jealousy he felt in the Fourth Year control him again. He would never leave his best friend alone again.
Dis eyed the Red-head, a slightly impressed look on his face. This Ron was nothing like the others he'd seen in the past. He just hoped he didn't react to badly when the Ron of this world showed up.
Harry ruthlessly pushed down his jealousy at the him on the screen, knowing it wouldn't do anything. He rubbed his face, trying to keep the tears he knew were coming at bay. Dis wasn't fooled however and waved a hand. Harry blinked as he suddenly founded himself holding a framed version of the image on screen and a box of tissues appeared in front of him. Harry stared at the photo, before looking up at the Watcher. He nodded slightly and Harry nodded back.
"Harry…" said Hermione again.
"I'm fine Hermione," said Harry, taking a tissue to dab at his eyes, "Lets...lets just keep going."
She hesitated, before nodding and going back to the book.
"What happened here?" asked Sirius as he stared at the shattered windows.
"Voldemort," said James, scowling at the pile of black robes and dust, "That rat betrayed us."
Harry's breath caught slightly at the sound of his Fathers voice through the TV's speakers, but he waved on Hermione before she could stop. She gave her friend a worried look, but did as bid.
Sirius scowled.
"I knew something was wrong when he wasn't at home," said the Dog Animagus, "But to betray us like that...I never knew he had it in him."
"Peter was always a coward," said Lily as she finally got Harry to go to sleep again, "I know he was your friend, but he only attached himself to you because you were the strongest group in school."
This time Harry didn't react, but his hands tightened on the frame he was holding. Ron put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but didn't say anything as Hermione kept reading.
James sighed.
"I know," he said, "But I had hoped he'd changed. The rest of us have."
"Snivellus hasn't," muttered Sirius.
Lily shot the mutt a glare, but didn't say anything.
"What do we do now?" asked Sirius.
"We can't stay here," said James, "With Pettigrew switching sides, its not safe. Lets go to the Potter Manor. We can call the DMLE and let them know what happened."
"The Potters have a manor?" asked Harry in surprise, "I haven't heard anything about it."
"I think my Mum mentioned that it had burnt down during the War," said Ron, "But other than that…"
The three teens looked at Dis, who shook his head.
"Sorry, like I mentioned, I don't know much about your world," he said, "My advice would be to talk to the Goblins. If it was destroyed, they might be able to repair it for you."
Harry nodded and Hermione went back to the book.
"Good idea," said Sirius, "We should…"
He suddenly stopped as his enhanced senses from his Animagus form picked up someone entering the house. James also stiffened as the Wards alerted him of the same. The two men moved with syncrency of a long friendship as they drew their wands and moved to the door, ready to ambush whoever was coming. Lily held Harry closer as she moved to the back of the room and used her wand to conjure a concrete wall to hide behind. The two Aurors tensed as the sound of footsteps came through the door from the hall, coming closer until they were right outside the door. Said door slowly opened to reveal… Sirius and James immediately relaxed when they recognized the person in the door.
"Albus, thank god, you scared us," said James.
"James, your alive!" said Albus Dumbledore, his eyes wide, "Thats...a relief. Are Lily and Harry alright?"
"Why does he sound so surprised?" asked Harry.
"Well, You-Know-Who did just attack," said Ron, "He isn't exactly known for leaving survivors."
"I...guess you're right," said Harry.
In answer, the Mother stepped out from behind her cover.
"We're fine," she said, I have no idea what happened though."
"Hmm, I may be able to divine what happened here," said the old man, eyeing the dust pile that was the Dark Lord, "But first, it would be best to get you checked up. Head to Hogwarts and have Poppy give you a once over."
"Alright," said James, "Come on, lets go."
The small family left the room, leaving the Old man to look over the chaos alone and plan how to adapt his plans to this new variable.
"What is that supposed to mean?" growled Harry, narrowing his eyes.
"Ah, I suppose this would be a good time to warn you that some people might not be how you expect," said Dis, "Just remember, that this only applies to those within this world, not your own. Don't let that colour your perspective of those people when you get back."
Harry didn't look happy, but sat back as Hermione continued reading.
"Absolutely not!" snapped Lily, holding her son closer as she glared at her husband.
"Oh, a minor timeskip here," said Dis before the confused teens could ask.
"But Lily, its for the best," said James placating, "And its just for a few years. We'll be back together again before you know it."
"Its for his entire childhood James," said Lily, "I understand why Dumbledore wants to train Harry for when Voldemort returns, but why does he have to take him away?"
"He wants to what?" gasped Harry, hugging the picture in his arms closer, "Why would Dumbledore…"
Ron once again put a hand on his friends shoulder, although he didn't look happy either.
"Because...oh, I don't know, but I believe that Dumbledore knows best," said James, "Look, I understand that you want to be their for him growing up, but think about what Dumbledore said. Voldemort will be back and Harry could be the only one who can stop him. He needs this training if he's going to succeed. If hes going to survive."
Lily hesitated. As much as she wanted to keep Harry with her, she knew that Dumbledore was the best person to train her son for the battle he'd have to fight in the future. And besides, like James said, it was only a few years. She sniffed and hugged her son closer, before she looked up at her husband and nodded.
"Alright," she whispered.
"Hey, don't worry Lily-flower," said James, hugging his wife and son, "We can trust Dumbledore."
"Their doing it," breathed Harry, "They're actually abandoning me…"
"Don't judge them to harshly Harry," said Dis, "They simply are doing what they believe is best. Its not their fault they put their trust in the wrong place."
Harry looked up sharply at Dis, but the Watcher simply pointed at the book.
They shouldn't have.
Harry let out a whimper and buried his head in his hands as the photo fall from his nerveless fingers.
The problem with powerful old men is that they tend to forget that they are mortal and just as flawed as the rest of us. Over a century of being told he was the second coming had gone to the old mans head. Oh, he truly had the best intentions and was far from evil, but he had long lost the ability to see the forest for the trees and had somehow gotten it into his head that he was the only one who knew what was best for the Wizarding World.
"No…" breathed Hermione, cutting herself off, "Dumbledore would never…"
"Yours might not, this one is another story," said Dis.
Thus, he believed that he had to ensure that the Prophecy he had received from a drunk hack came to pass…
Harry let out a part growl part sob at the mention of the Prophecy.
...leading him to manipulate events that should have left little Harry alone in the world. The survival of the Potters had thrown his plans off some what, but the hero worship 99% of the populus had for him made it easy to convince the Potters to hand the Chosen One over to him to do with as he saw fit. What that was was leaving Harry at his Magic hating Aunts with the express purpose of turning him into an easily manipulated child so starved of love that he'd view the old man as his savior.
That was too much and Harry started to cry silent tears.
"Don't stop," said Dis, "It gets better."
"How can it get better?" moaned Harry, "Without magic, I…"
"I told you didn't I, this world is not your own," said Dis, "It will get better. Just keep reading."
Hermione hesitated, but did as she was bid.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated.
Harrys head snapped up, weary hope blooming in his eyes.
The Dursleys didn't even take the time to consider taking the Potter Heir in, instead dumping him on the front steps of an orphanage just two weeks later during a business trip/holiday to Japan courtesy of Grunnings.
Harrys hands tightened into fists.
Two days after that, a couple looking to adopt came by and found the small child playing with a stuffed deer. The wife immediately fell in love with the small childs huge, green eyes and he was snapped up on the spot.
Harry let out an explosive breath he'd been holding, a look of complete disbelief on his face.
"See, I told you," said Dis.
Ron patted his friend on the back as Harry retrieved the, thankfully unbroken, picture frame from where it had fallen.
"We're nearly done," said Hermione.
"Then lets finish this," said Harry, looking happier than he'd ever been.
Hermione nodded and kept reading.
"What do you mean he doesn't have a name?" asked Harrys new mother in surprise.
"I mean he was dumped on the doorstep in a carseat with nothing but a ratty old blanket," said the woman in charge of the orphanage, looking rather annoyed at the idea, "Its been really busy here lately with the flu thats been going around the children, so no ones had time to come up with a name for the little tych."
The couple looked at one another.
"In that case, we'll name him," said the father, "What do you think Honey?"
The mother smiled softly as she stared down at the child in her lap, rubbing the small tuft of dark blue hair on his head.
"Blue hair?" mouthed Ron.
"Different world," said Dis.
"How about...Setsuna," she said.
The husband looked thoughtful, before he nodded.
"Setsuna Yuki...yes, a fine name," he said.
"In that case, I'll file the paperwork," said the matron, "I wish you the best of luck in the future."
Hermione shut the book.
"Thats it," she said.
"Thats it?" repeated Ron, looking shocked, "But what happened next?"
"Well, you might get to find out," said Dis, "It all depends on what kind of reception this gets."
"What?"
Dis ignored the question.
"Now, its time for you to head home. You can keep the picture, but remember that the characters in that book are not the same ones as from your world. Your Dumbledore likely isn't anything like that one."
"Likely isn't?" asked Ron, raising an eyebrow.
"I can't see into your reality," reminded Dis.
"Ah, right."
The Watcher smiled and snapped his fingers. The three teens vanished, leaving the book to drop to the floor where it to vanished.
"Now thats done, back to work," said Dis, getting to his feet and stretched out his arms.
Done. I've been wanting to do one of these for a while, so I decided why the hell not. Since this literally can't go any further than SSH, I don't run the risk of this taking over as my main story.
So, let me know what you think. As Dis said, if this gets a good reception here in the Vault, I'll make it a full story. Oh, and if anyone else is interested in doing a Reading story of their own, the only thing I ask is to be sent a link.
Anyway, now this is done, please leave a review on the way out!