This is the archive. Please do not post.

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00
A Day in The Neighborhood
1986

​

"Gah!"

Quickly, the small boy pulled his hands, caked in dirt, away from the weed he had been trying to pull. The back of his hands were covered in scratches, some of them bleeding, and the boy blew on them. He frowned at the rose bushes surrounded by various weeds his arm had just been buried elbow deep in.

Harry Potter was a fairly small child, with black hair and green eyes framed by beat up old glasses. His cheeks were smudged and his brow was sweaty from the sun that was currently high up in the sky, bearing it's heat down upon him.

Right now, the boy really wished he had some gloves.

Not that he was sure his Uncle would have given him any. The Dursley's were loath to spend any more money on him then they needed to. It was why he was dressed in the ragged hand-me-downs of pudgeball of a cousin, Dudley.

He frowned again at the thought of his cousin. Harry didn’t like him much and it was obviously mutal on Dudley’s part too. Dudley would always make fun of Harry and do his best to ruin things for him.

Like right now. Uncle Vernon had tried to give Dudley chores, but the boy had complained shoved Harry under the proverbial bus. Vernon had thought it was a splendid idea.

“After all,” he had said, “it’s about time you started earning your keep.”

And So, here he was now, outside in the hot sun pulling weeds from Aunt Petunia garden. Really, it wasn’t so bad, the scratches would fade away in a couple days anyway, but it still hurt. Cooking was more to his preference though. Well, except for that time he burned the bacon.

However, he’d still rather be…

[] Nowhere. There’s a certain numbness in the chores, letting him blank out the rest of the world.
[] The Library. All those books, the knowledge and stories contained within. They let him drift off into another world for awhile.
[] Out in the woods, exploring. There was a certain majesty in nature and it enthralled him.
[] At the park. Maybe he could find some friends and even if he didn’t, people watching was still entertaining.

But he wasn’t, and he had a job to do, so he sighed and got back to work. If he didn’t do it, Uncle Vernon wouldn’t be pleased.

Why Aunt Petunia didn’t tend to her own gardens, he didn’t know. She was probably too busy gossiping with the rest of the women in Privet Drive over tea. His Aunt and Uncle were always trying to impress their neighbors, but he didn’t see the point. They’d just gossip behind their backs, while they did the exact same thing.

At least the rumours about him being delinquent had died down. The Dursley’s had spread the rumour when one of the neighbors had actually bother to ask about him.

Harry had noticed his relatives didn’t really like him. Between the supposed drain on their lives he represented, and the odd stuff that sometimes seemed to happen around him, they just generally looked down on him and saw him as a bother. The fact that they regularly called him ‘Freak’ and made him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs made that entirely clear. Though he supposed it could have been worse.

He could be living with Aunt Marge, after all.

That thought sent a shiver down his spine. The woman was horrid and her dogs were even worse.

Still, it was something he’d been putting up with for years, for as long as he could remember. It was the status quo for him.

Honestly, he didn’t know what to think about his family. Sometimes he just wished…

[] They’d actually look at him like an actual family member. What if he tried appeasing them?
[] Just leave him be. Perhaps he should try and avoid them as much as he could?
[] He could get them back. Even in small ways. Maybe he could prank them?
[] That they were dead. He hated them and they hated him, so why should he bother putting up an pretenses?

Thoughts for later. For now, he had work to do, so he wiped his grubby hands on his pants, rubbed his sweaty brow and went back to pulling weeds.

_____​

It was a couple months later, Harry’s birthday having gone unmarked and unmentioned. He thought he was probably 6 now. That was how old Dudley was and they were in the same class, so that was probably it.

Anyway, it was the first day of school. The schools itself like near everything else in his neighborhood. Drab, boring and gave of a feeling of similarity to everything else. Even the teacher was kind of plain. In fact, Harry kept forgetting the man’s name.

Still, Harry was excited. School meant he wasn’t stuck #4 Privet Drive all day, going through a monotonous routine. And Dudley would be distracted, at least for a bit, by their classmates. Though hopefully that wouldn’t lead to another game of ‘Harry Hunting’...

Frowning, he tried to focus on the teacher once more. At the moment, he was just going over the curriculum for the year, though no one was really paying attention. As evidenced by all the whispering in the back. He thought the teacher’s bland voice had actually put a couple students asleep. Not that he could blame them, he felt like his eyes might start drooping as well.

He sighed. This was gonna be a long year.

Hopefully, though, he’d…

[] Be able to focus on making friends. Surely Dudley couldn’t scare all of them away?
[] Focus on avoiding Dudley and his gangs attention. Maybe practice running so if he failed, he could still get away?
[] Do well in his studies. The Dursley’s didn’t care how well he did in school, but that was no reason to slack
[] Be able to blow this joint. Who needs school, right?

As his eyes started to droop, Harry knew he’d need to find something to keep himself awake during class. The teacher, whose name he still couldn’t remember (He though it started with a B…) was just so boring.

Maybe he should take up a hobby?

[] Write-in for Hobby.

_____


Pick Harry's Ability Points



They all start at an average of 5
Points can be shifted from Ability to the other
Min 3, Max 8

​

Strength: 5

Dexterity: 5

Intelligence: 5

Wisdom: 5

Charisma: 5

​

____​

​

 

Not satisfied with he quality, but I was rushing to get it out. This is like, 2 days late. I took a lot of Hagrid's dialogue from the books, because there wasn't much reason to change it.

Strength: 3 (6)
Dexterity: 4 (8)
Intelligence: 6 (10)
Wisdom: 6 (10
Charisma: 6 (9)

[x]Woods
[x]Avoid Dursely's
[x]Study
[x] Drawing

___________________________________________

01
​

Update Two
Yer A Wizard Harry
​

The next few years went by in almost a blur, for Harry.

Much of his time was spent in the woods near the neighborhood. It was full of tall trees and shrubs, and identifying the various plant life he came across become something of a past time for him. He enjoyed it the forest, it was quiet and gave off a sense of solitude. There was beauty to be found there, especially during the fall when trees were painted in reds and browns and oranges and yellows. As if the ancient sturdy trees were holding up a billowing fire right above his head.

It was peaceful. (+1 Wisdom)

Of course, sometimes it was tricky to get away from his family. When he was young, he had taken to simply avoiding them all when possible, fading from their attention. He became adept at conspicuously disappearing when there was a chore to be done and when he couldn’t, a brief lie or two would give him ample opportunity to slip away. Eventually, they had learned to simply not to bother and just left him alone. Which was fine with him. (+1 Dexterity)

About the only thing he still did was cook, because otherwise he probably wouldn’t eat. If he missed a meal, the Dursley’s didn’t bother mentioning it, so it was best to at least be there for breakfast.

Honestly, he knew enough about the various plant life in the forest that he could live off the land, but if he could choose he’d rather have a warm meal than some half-heartedly picked berries.

His solitude may not have been the best for his social life, however. Despite the fact that some of his classmates had found him a tad interesting, he’d really only interacted with them when he needed to. Like during a group project or when the whole class was involved in some activity or the other. Really, he was much too busy with actually studying to pay attention to them. Eventually, they too decided to leave him be and he became known as simply ‘that one kid who doesn’t talk much and likes to draw.’ (+1 Intelligence)

Yes, drawing took up much of his time as well. At first it had started out as badly drawn doodles on the sides of his paper, trying to get through the monotony of class, but slowly you got better and better. And as your skill grew, so did your passion for it. Now, it’s not uncommon to see him huddled up in some corner with a pencil and a pad of paper drawing whatevers on your mind or in front of him. Depictions of plants and flowers and trees, all in the subtle shades of black and dark grey are easily found in his collection, from when he’d sit down against a tree in the forest and whittle away the hours sketching.

Animals, too, are common. Squirrels, deer, mice, rabbits and foxes, even the occasional snake. He’s gotten so used to drawing them, that he no longer even needs a model. Free-hand sketching was harder, when he had nothing to base his art on in front of him, but he endured. And because he endured, he was now able to draw things based on his imagination, rather than simply what was in front of him.

This brought on a wave of rather peculiar pictures. A flying motorcycle, traveling through the night sky. A large black dog, with unusually large feet. A street, devoid of people save for an strange group of people, all the streetlights turned off. A smiling couple, a man who wore glasses and looked a bit like an older version of himself, and a woman with long straight hair, that brought a sense of warmth to his heart.

Harry didn’t know where images sprung from in his mind, but he saved each and every one.

Of course, there was also the more typical drawing. The ones where he drew his dreams. Not the kind you have when you fall asleep every night, but the kind where you hope for the future. And so, the pictures he guarded even more closely than the others always depicted:

[] Him, surrounded by faceless people who were supposed be his friends and family. (Family/Friends)
[] Him standing upon a raised dais, as a crowd below cheers him on. (Fame)
[] Himself, surrounded by lots and lots of cash and gold and jewels. (Fortune)

Still, the fact that he had no real interaction with others would sometimes make him feel a pang of sadness. His classmates had tried to reach out to him at times, but he had rebuffed them, pessimistic that Dudley would have just scared them away eventually. Now, they only ever bothered him if they wanted a picture drawn, or needed to work with him on a project.

But he had one friend, at least.

Being out in the woods so often, he had to have come across a snake at some point. And when he had, he had been surprised. He could talk to them and they could talk back. Most of the time, they were just passing through and they’d only talk for a few minutes. As they were snakes, conversation topics could be fairly predictable. Food. Shelter. Weather. WHat the other snakes are up to, today. Various inane things like that.

Except one snake.

This one was different from the others, in the way that it was curious about everything. When they’d first met, Harry had been expecting another variation of the same conversations he always had, but he’d been surprised. First, the snake had introduced himself as ‘He-Who-Is-Up-To-No-Good’, which was a rather long name, in Harry’s opinion. When he’d asked about it, the snake had replied that it was named for it’s tendency to get into troublesome situations.

He-Who-Is-Up-To-No-Good apparently got into dangerous, weird, or bad situations because of his curiosity. He would talk to mice, rather than eat them. He would follow the few humans who wandered into the woods, seeing how they behaved. If he came across a trap set by a hunter, he would circle it for hours, trying to figure out how it worked.

So when it heard of Harry, a human who could actually talk to snakes, he was fascinated and had to come see it for himself.

And so they started conversing about multitude of things, with Harry telling the snake about various human inventions or customs and the snake giving his opinion.

Of course, eventually Harry got kind of tired of saying the snake’s overly long name and simply decided to call him….

[] Write-in

Yes, the last few years had definitely been a bit of a blur.
__________________________________________________ ________

“Go get the mail, boy!”

Those were the words that had sent them down this path, he supposed. Or maybe not. Maybe if he’d actually bothered to get the mail that day, they wouldn’t be stuck in this damn hovel.

That day had started like most others, he woke up in his cupboard, got up to make breakfast, ate his share before calling the dursley’s down and attempting to sneak off. Unfortunately, had hadn’t been able to get out of sight before Vernon came down the stairs. Luckily, all he’d asked him to do was get the mail.

Not that he’d done so. He’d just used the demand as an opportunity to slip away. He’d spent most of the day in the forest, before coming back in.

What he returned to surprised him. His aunt and uncle were both pale and fretting and arguing with each other. He’d noticed an open letter sitting on the table and had slipped into the kitchen unnoticed, to take a look.

Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It sounded like hoax, but Harry had to admit that maybe it wasn’t all that unlikely. After all, weird things had always happened around him. When he’d turned his teacher’s hair blue. Finding himself suddenly on the school roof, while trying to escape Dudley and his gang. The fact that he could talk to snakes.

So yes, a school for magic wasn’t as out there as it first seemed.

Of course, the moment he finished reading was the moment he was finally noticed and the letter ripped out of his hands. He didn’t know what else happened that night, as he was practically shoved into his cupboard. The next day, however, he was amused to be moved into Dudley’s second bedroom, that he used to store his old and broken toys.

His amusement continued over the next few days, as #4 Privet Drive was beset upon by flocks of owl carrying letters. Harry found it so entertaining, he’d actually refrained from going out into the woods.

The amusement stopped when vernon finally snapped and dragged them all out here, to this hut in the middle of nowhere. It was a hovel on top of a rock, surrounded by water. It was dirty and dusty and had a horrible musty odor.

Frankly, he was surprised the Dursley’s could even stand for it.

So, here he was now, bored out of his wits and nothing to do but count down the time until it was officially his birthday.

If he at least had a pencil and some paper, he could probably have drawn a birthday cake…

The time slowly ticked down, thirty seconds... twenty ... ten…nine -- maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him -- three... two…one…

BOOM.

The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.

BOOM.

It came again, and this time Dudley shot awake, muttering something about a cannon.

There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came tumbling into the room, holding a ridle in his hands.

‘So that’s what was in that package.’

"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you -- I'm armed!"

There was a pause. Then --

SMASH!

The door swung off it’s hinges, falling to ground with a loud clatter. In the doorway now stood a giant of a man, with a large fuzzy beard and an equally large and fuzzy hairdo. From where he was, Harry could make out beady black eyes hidden behind all of that dark hair.

The giant wiggled his way through to door, having to crouch a bit o as to not bump his head.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."

He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.

"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.

Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.

"An' here's Harry!" said the giant, "Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby. Yeh look alot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

From where his Uncle was standing, a rasping noise could be heard, before he exploded.“I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.

Uncle Vernon made a sound akin to small animal being stepped on.

"Anyway -- Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here -- I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box.

Harry took it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"

“Ah, right, haven’ introduced meself yet, have I? I’m Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.”

With that, he took Harry’s hand and shook his whole arm.

“So, how that tea, then? I wouldn’t say no to summat stronger, mind.”

The man took out his umbrella, aimed it at the fire grate and a second later a fire roared up. Light and warmth spread out over the cabin and Harry felt it wash over him.

And from there, the man told Harry about Hogwarts a they sat in front of the fire. Harry would take a bite of his cake every now and then, and at some point Hagrid had taken out some sausage links and roasted em over the fire. He’d offered some to Harry and they were some of the most delicious things he’d ever tasted.

The night continued on, and though the Durlsey’s tried to make a nuisance of themselves in the beginning, they were eventually cowed into going back to sleep. After an hour or two, Hagrid told Harry they should be going, as they needed to get his school supplies.

He just nodded numbly, as a single set of words kept going through his mind.

Ye’r a Wizard, Harry.
__________________________________________________ ________

As the two arrived at a dingy little pub in the middle of London, Harry had a thought.

“Hagrid...you said you knew my parents, right? What happened to them?” The Dursley’s constantly disparaged them and tried to to tell him how they died, but they always got the story mixed up. Sometimes it was car crash, sometimes they simply overdosed, and other times they mugged and shot. It was clear to Harry that they were just telling lies.

At his question, hagrid looked a bit uncomfortable. “Righ’, forgot about that. Look, Harry, before we get to the the Alley, there’s summthin’ I got to tells yer.

When you were just a wee babe, there was a mighty dark Wizard going around. Real nasty, he was. Anyway, this -- this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too -- some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him -- an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.

"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the
Dark Side.

"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' -- an' --”

Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad -- knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find -- anyway..."

"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then -- an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing -- he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh -- took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even -- but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age -- the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts -- an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."

As Harry listened to Hagrid tell the tale, he felt a lump form in his throat. In his mind eyes, he could almost see it, a flash of green light, a woman’s voice and cold, and cruel laughter.

“Hagrid...what was this Dark Wizard’s name? And you said I was famous?”

At his question, Hagrid looked even more uncomfortable than before. “Well, thing is Harry, people don’t like saying his name. You-Know-Who was as bad as you could go. Worse, even. Even today, people are still afraid of him. But I guess, you do deserve to know...It’s, V-voldemort. That’s the name. Don’t make me say it again, please.

“And yeh defeated him. After that night, he just disappeared, leaving yeh behind. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful -- why'd he go?

"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don~ reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.

"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on -- I dunno what it was, no one does -- but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."

From there, they walked in silence as they approached the pub. So, Harry was famous. That was unexpected. And his parents were heroes, who had died defending him from madman.

Voldemort. That was the man who had killed them.

[] The name brought forth a surge of anger in him. If he was truly still alive, then he hoped to see the day the man died.
[] He didn’t really feel anything. He was just sad for the lost opportunity the man had taken from him.
[] Write-in.

From there, they entered the pub, named The Leaky Cauldron. Harry got first-hand experience with just how famous he was, as everyone in the pub crowded around him. He shook hands with so many people, their faces started to blur. Though a few people stood out, like that one man who he had met several times before, and the man in the turban who was apparently a professor at Hogwarts.

Eventually, they were able to escape, and headed up to the brickwall that was the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley.
You’re going to have to go to gringotts first, but where do you go afterwards?
Choose 1
(Wisdom 10 gets you three mild hints)​

[] Madam Malkins (It looks like there’s another boy in there)
[] Apothecary (There are couple other children in there around your age)
[] Quidditch Shop (There’s a pretty asian girl, and a blond haired boy who are both older than you)
[] Ollivanders (???)
[] Flourish & Blotts (???)

 

I am a retard, mod pls delete.

 

[X] Greatness (Write-in)
[X] Loki
[X] He didn’t really feel anything. He was just sad for the lost opportunity the man had taken from him.
[X] Quidditch Shop
_____________________________________-

03
Update Three
1991
​

​

The moment the brick wall hagrid had just tapped opened up, Harry was greeted to a wondrous sight. Diagon Alley just screamed magic to any who witnessed it, from the stack of cauldrons -each made of a different metal- in front of one shop, to the people complaining about the prices of Dragon Liver in front of the Apothecary. Owls hooted and flew around a bit in front Eeylop’s Owl Emporium, boys Harry’s age had their noses pressed up against the glass looking at a broom from the Quality Quidditch Supplies Shop. Shops selling telescopes, robes, animal parts, spellbooks…

I the bright atmosphere of Diagon Alley, Harry knew once and for all that magic truly was real. All of the small niggling doubts in the back of his head had gone away as he gaped at bustling streets.

Besides him, Hagrid grinned. “Quite a sight, innit’? O’ course we got to head to Gringotts firs’, so yeh can get some money. I’ got a bit o’ business there meself, too.”

They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was -

"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him.

The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were
facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:

Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.​

And with that, they entered the white stone building.

__________________________________________________ ______​

Gringotts had been peculiar. The goblins themselves were gruff and didn’t seem to like humans much. Harry could tell they were really just more interested in profit. A term he’d heard his uncle use one time came to mind.

Cutthroat

Yes, he would not have been surprised to hear of a Goblin with that name. Griphook was bad enough. Still, for all their gruffness, Harry respected them a little. They were obviously very passionate about their work. He figured his money truly was safe with them, against outside forces. However, he resolved to pay attention to all of his dealings with them in future, so as to not be swindled.

After all, with as much money as he apparently had, he was a bit out of his league. Any way he could help prevent being taken advantage of, he’d do it.

(Mediocre Economics Skill Attained, 100 Galleons Attained)

Of course, the most peculiar part of the trip was the business Hagrid apparently had. Why such a small package was under such heavy guard, he didn’t know. Maybe it was a really rare jewel or artifact? Hagrid was here on business for Dumbledore, who was apparently a really great wizard. A person like that must have tons of valuable mystic artifacts.

Harry briefly wondered if the greatness of a wizard was determined by how many weird and mystical objects he had in his possession. He dismissed the thought, however, as that probably wasn’t true. It was most likely based on the man’s skill with magic.

Still…

He’d always known he wanted to be Great. Capital G necessary. The desire had started out as simple spark, as it always did. Everyone wanted to be special and so they strove to prove that they were. But Harry also knew that rarely worked out. If everyone was special, then special would be the new normal. Which was why he’d ignored his classmates as they bragged and boasted, exaggerating some of the things that had happened to them. It didn’t matter to him, because deep down, he knew he’d greater than them all.

Where other people’s sparks slowly sputtered and winked out, his simply grew brighter and brighter, and his resolve even more hardened.

The only problem was, he wasn’t sure how to get there.

Harry was a bit smarter than others his age, but he still struggled a bit with the entire concept. What exactly entailed greatness? How did one go about achieving it? Was it simply fame?

He frowned. He hoped not. Fame was something he already had, but it felt...hollow. Undeserved. It wasn’t something he had truly earned, in his opinion.

A sigh escaped him, as he exited the stone doors of Gringotts. There was time to figure that out later.

Hagrid spoke up next to him. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry simply nodded.

“Don’t wander off too much, now. I’ll try and find yeh in a bit, but yer a smart lad. I doubt yeh’ll get in any trouble.”

And so the large man wandered off, leaving Harry to figure out where he wanted to go next.

Looking around, he took in all of the shops he had seen earlier, including the Quidditch Shop. He didn’t know what Quidditch was, but something about the shop and the brooms inside simply pulled at his attention. So, shrugging, he made his way over.

The inside of the shop was...cozy. The floors and walls were made of a lacquered wood, and the shelves gleamed, as if they’d been polished. There were brooms of different makes displayed here and there, and various balls of different sizes. As he stepped in, a small, flying golden ball zipped in front of him, hovering, before zipping away. Along the wall were posters of witches and wizards on brooms, flying, and Harry was enthralled as they flew around the confines of the poster.

It was larger than he imagined, but the inside was fairly barren, only about 3 others standing around, examining the wares. Outside, the group of boys from before were still standing there with their faces pressed against the glass.

For the next couple minutes, Harry wandered the store, trying to figure out what everything was for. He examined the the posters especially hard, trying to divine the reason the use of the various items on display. The brooms were obvious, but the different sized balls, the hoops and bats were all a bit harder to figure out.

So absorbed was he, he almost missed the person walking up behind him.

“It’s an amazing sport, Quidditch. I’m going to guess you’re new to the Wizarding World?”

Subtly moving his hair to cover up his scar so as to avoid a repeat of the pub, he turned to the person who had addressed him. He was older than Harry, tall with gray eyes and dirty blonde hair. He also had a grin on his face as he looked down at the younger boy.

The older boy held out his hand, as he introduced himself. “I’m Cedric, nice to meet you! You looked a little lost.”

He took Cedric’s hand, shaking it. “Uhh, yeah, a bit. I’m Harry. What is Quidditch? I’m only just learning about all this, so…”

“Ah, a muggleborn then? Not that it matters, of course. Anyway, to answer your question, Quidditch is the premier Wizarding Sport of Magical Europe. It can get pretty intense. You play it on brooms, and there are 4 positions, Keeper, Beater, Chaser and Seeker. I’m actually the Seeker for my House Team at Hogwarts.”

Harry wasn’t sure what a muggleborn was, and said so. “What’s a muggleborn? And they play Quidditch at Hogwarts?”

Cedric seemed a bit taken aback at the question. “Ah, you don’t know? I thought they usually briefed muggleborns when they delivered the letters...To answer your question, a muggleborn is a witch or wizard born to non-magical parents, or muggles. They don’t usually know anything about the Magical World until their Hogwarts letter arrives.

“And yeah, each House has a Quidditch Team. Each year, there’s a tournament held to see which House gets the Quidditch Cup. This year, it’ll definitely be Hufflepuff that wins!”

Each answer the amicable boy gave him just left him with more questions.

“Houses? Hufflepuff?” Harry’s brow furrowed as asked more questions.

Before Cedric could answer, however. he was interrupted by another voice.

“Hufflepuff won’t win unless Ravenclaw lets them!” The speaker was a young asian girl, about a year older than himself. She had dark long hair and brown eyes and a pretty face, in Harry’s opinion.

Harry struggled to keep the rush of warmth from spreading to his cheeks, but eventually managed it without either of them noticing. not that it was particularly hard, as they were both now focused on each other.

“Oh? I guess we’ll see. Still, if I remember right, you Raven’s didn’t do so well last year, did you?”

The asian girl flushed in anger. “This year will be different. Ravenclaw is the best at actual strategy, all of the other Houses can’t even compare!”

Cedric held his hands up, “Woah, I didn’t mean to offend. I was just saying not many will expect you guy’s to come out on top.”

He thought he heard the other boy mutter ‘Not that anyone ever expects much of Hufflepuff, either,’ under his breath.

“Anyway,” Cedric turned his attention back to Harry, “In Hogwarts there are four Houses, named after the Founders of the school, where the students are divided up into for their time at Hogwarts. They each have different values, and depending on your personality, you get sorted into the relevant House. Slytherin for the cunning, Gryffindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for those who seek knowledge and Hufflepuff for the loyal and hardworking.”

Apparently the girl had finally noticed him as she said, “And Ravenclaw is the best House of the four. We even have our own library in the common room!”

The other boy just smiled a bit. “Hufflepuff tends to get looked down on a lot, but we’re really close-knit. We’re just as good as the other Houses and we have some of best inter-house dynamics. Everyone helps each other out.”

“Ravenclaw helps each other out too! I mean, as long as someone actually asks, we don’t mind...though a lot of us are usually off studying…” The girl trailed off.

Harry, for his part, was simply taking the information in. Not wanting to offend either, he simply said, “They both sound great. I have no idea which House I’ll end up in, though. Maybe it’ll be one your Houses? It’s been nice meeting you, Cedric.”

“You too, Harry!”

The girl startled, and blushed. “Ah, I forgot to introduce myself, didn’t I? I’m Cho, nice to meet you. And you should definitely try for Ravenclaw, the more people we have, the better our chance at taking all of the top grades!”

Well, she certainly knew what her priorities were, he supposed.

“Anyway, i should probably be off, I still need to buy my school supplies.”

With that he turned to leave. Before he could, however, he was interrupted.

Cedric was holding out a book to him, that he had apparently taken out of one of his pockets. “Wait, Harry, take this! You seemed interested, and I’ve already read it through plenty of times.”

(Attained 1 Copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, read it through to gain a bonus to learning Flying Skill and a +5 bonus to Quidditch Rolls)
(Acquaintance met, Cedric Diggory)
(Acquaintance met, Cho Chang)

__________________________________________________ ___

Where do you go next?​

[] Madam Malkins (The boy from before is no longer in there)
[] Apothecary (There’s a kid in there around you age, you can’t quite make them out from here.)
[] Flourish & Blotts (There are 2 girls, your age, one with Red hair, the other with Blonde)
[] Ollivanders (???)

Vote Here

_________________________________

 

[X] Flourish & Blotts
-__________________________________

004a
Update Four Part A
Books?
​

The bell on the door jingled as he finally left the shop. Cedric had seemed nice, Harry, thought. He wouldn't mind talking to him again.

Cho, in comparison, had been a bit more aggressive, but still friendly. She seemed enthusiastic.

They'd also been informative. Harry was coming to the conclusion that Hagrid was nice, but could be a bit absent-minded. The House System, Muggles and Muggleborn, Quidditch...there were so many things he didn't know about this world. He really hoped he wasn't in over his head.

'No,' he thought, 'Even if I am, I'll still figure all of this out. One day, I'll be great and to do that I need to learn all of this!'

Holding up the book Cedric had given him, he steeled his resolve once more. If he had to read every damn book in the world, he would, as long it let him attain his dream.

A dream he still had no idea on how to go about, but he wouldn't let that stop him either!

With that, he put the book away and resolutely marched his way to the book store. Harry knew he had seen one earlier and Hagrid hadn't appeared yet, so he figured he had time.

So in few a couple minutes he was standing in front of a store named Flourish & Blotts. Like the Quidditch store, this one also seemed to be made of wood, and as he stepped inside he could see shelf after shelf full of books. There were so many, they stacked all the way to the ceiling.

He looked around in wonder, exploring the various sections. There were books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. So many different subjects, and they were all enticing.

Harry didn't really consider himself a book fanatic of any means, but if it pertained to a subject he was interested in, or needed to know about, it was not uncommon to see his face stuck inside of one. And magic most definitely interested him. The next few minutes were spent examining the shelves, looking for interesting titles (All of them!) as well the books he needed for school

(The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk, obtained (Gain Beginner Charms Skill, get ability to practice/learn 1st year spells)
(A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, obtained( +5 to Social Rolls pertaining to History))
(Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling, obtained (+5 to next Learning Roll for different magic Skills))
(A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch, obtained (Gain Beginner Transfiguration Skill, can now practice/learn 1st year Transfiguration))
(One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore, obtained(Beginner Herbology))
(Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, obtained (Beginner Potions, can learn 1st year Recipes)
(Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, obtained (Beginner Care))
(The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble, obtained (Beginner Defense Skill, can practice/learn 1st year Defense spells))
​

Lose 20 Galleons

Would you like to buy more books? How many?
​

[] None
[] Just 1 more (-2 Galleons (G))
[] 2 more (-5G)
[] 3 More (-7G)
[] 4 more (-10G)

Harry had been looking through a particular books about hexes and curses, when around the corner he heard.

"I think Auntie said the Defense book is around he-"

The sentence wasn't finished as whover it was bumped into Harry, causing him to fumble with book. Unfortunately, it was too slippery and fell from his hands, landing on the floor with a dull 'Thwump."

Leaning down to pick it up, he saw a hand going down to pick it up for him, and a flash of red hair.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, let me help you!"

The person -clearly feminine from the sound of the voice- handed the book to him and he finally got a clear view of whoever had bumped into him.

It was a girl his age, with long red hair and brown eyes. She was wearing robes and had a sheepish grin on her face.

Next to her was another girl, who had had an amused grin as she watched the events played out. She had blonde hair, styled in pig-tails, and blue eyes.

The red-haired girl held out her hand, saying "Again, sorry about that. I'm Susan and this is Hannah! Your going to Hogwarts too, right?"

(Gain Disappointing Social Skill)

How do you respond?

[] Polite/Friendly, you're kind of tired of being alone. It's not like it'll hurt, right?
[] Charming, they're both kind of pretty and while you rarely use it, you know you have something of a silver tongue for your age.
[] Gruff, you're kind of annoyed she bumped into you and while your not gonna insult her, you're kind of reluctant to talk
[] Aggressive, she bumped into you after all. Now she thinks she can be all friendly?

Whatever you choose, i'm gonna need a Social Roll, so someone roll a 1d100+20 over on invisiblecastle title Social Roll.

Vote Here.

 

[X] 4 Books (-10G)
---[X] Magical Culture
---[X] Magical History
---[X] Alchemy
---[X] Hexes and Jinxes
[X] Charming (Roll= 1d100+20=97)

004b
Update Four, Part b
A Redhead, A Blonde and a Brunette Walk into a Bookstore…​

The greeting gave him pause for a second. Internally, he was nervous. Harry knew he wasn’t the best at interacting with others, especially his own age. He just hadn’t spent that much time with other kids, being more absorbed in studying, or exploring the woods. What little he knew of these kinds of things was derived from watching others, or the few books he read for pleasure, rather than the knowledge contained within.

It really said something about him, when his only friend was a literal snake.

In other words, his social skills left a lot to be desired. And that was making him worried, despite the fact he also knew he had something of a silver tongue, because he thought these two were kind of pretty and maybe they could actually be friends and he’d never had an actual friend who was another person and oh god this was going to go horribly!

So, it came as a pleasant surprise to Harry when he didn’t actually make a complete fool of himself.

“Don’t worry about it, it was an accident. Besides, it's always nice to meet a couple pretty girls. I’m Harry! And yeah, It’ll be my first year at Hogwarts..”

Stuffing the book under his arm, he noticed both of the girls blushing. Were they embarrassed? For a moment, he was worried he did something wrong. Had he overstepped? See, this was why he had kept away from interacting with others, it was just so troublesome to keep up with all the etiquette and faux pas to stay away from.

Well, if there was one thing the TV shows Dudley watched had taught Harry, it was that now was usually a good time to change the topic.

Still, best not to be rude.

He held his hand out, to finish the greeting, as he said, “So, were you two looking for something? Maybe I can help?”

Susan seemed to regain some of her bearings, though a small blush could still be seen, as she took his hand, saying, “Oh, ah, um, yes, we were looking for our books for this year. We were starting out with the Defense book.. Have you seen it?”

As he now shook Hannah’s hand, he said, “The one by Quentin Trimble? I think that’s a just a shelf or two over,” Here, he pointed, “That way. I’ve actually already got all my books. I could help you get yours? I was just looking at some other titles that interested me.”

The two girls seemed to hold a silent conversation, before both spoke up at the same time.

“Sure!”

So, with that, Harry stored the book he had been looking through in a magically expanded stachel Hagrid had given him and started to lead them to the Defense book.

(Curses and Counter-Curses, by Vindictus Viridian obtained (Can Learn/Practice low to mid-tier (1st to 4th year) Curses))​

As they went about collecting the needed books, they talked. Mainly about Hogwarts and what it might be like, or other inconsequential things. Harry actually learned a few things due to their conversations.

“So, what subjects are you two interested in? To be honest, I think they’re all quite interesting myself.” Harry asked.

“I’ve always kind of been interested in Defense Against The Dark Arts. My aunt is actually the Head of the DMLE.”

“DMLE?”

“The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It’s where the Aurors and Hit-Wizards work.”

Harry made a note of that. Law Enforcement may be one way to becoming Great.

“What about you Hannah? Any subjects you’re interested in?”

In comparison to her redheaded friend, Hannah wasn’t all that talkative. He’d found that she usually needed to be prompted for a response. Idly, he thought that might be why their friendship worked. Susan was the kind of person to continually prompt her friend into a actual conversation, instead of a small comment here or there.

He suspected she was more sociable when it was just her and someone else.

“I think Potions might be fun. My mother’s a nurse at St. Mungo’s and she says they use a lot of them there to treat people.”

“So, do you want to become a Doctor or Nurse, too?”

“Maybe. But I’ve heard you need really good grades to become one. I’m not sure I can do it.”

Susan piped in, trying to encourage her friend. “Of course you can! There’s no reason to doubt yourself, Hannah. Besides, you’re smarter than most people I know.”

While Harry had only really just met them, he couldn’t help but feel the need to help too. “Yeah, I’m sure you can do it, if you try. Even if it’s difficult, all you have to do is try harder.”

Hannah gave them both a small smile, before she went silent once more.

It was apparently Harry’s turn to answer questions, however, as Susan asked, “What about you Harry? Any idea about what you want to be when you’re older?”

He took a moment to consider the question. While he wanted to be great, he didn’t think that’d really suffice as an answer. Especially when he didn’t really know what such a thing entailed. Again, he was struck by the same problem. Just how did one achieve greatness? Harry only had a vague idea, and that was limited to simply knowing it would be a lot of hard work.

In the end, Harry gave the only answer he could give. “I’m not sure. I don’t even know what kind of careers there are in the Magical World, beyond the obvious.”

As he said that, he picked out a couple more books, while Hannah and Susan got their History texts.

(A Brief Overview of Magical Britain: A Guide for New Citizens, Tourists and the Lost Adventurer, by Grissom Geo obtained. (Basic Knowledge of Magical Britain and it’s Culture))

(Sites of Historical Sorcery obtained. (Basic knowledge of various Magical Sites around the world))​

The rest of his time in the bookstore was spent in much the same way. Talking with Hannah and Susan, looking at interesting books and generally having a good time. Susan took the time to explain some of the more basic things of the Magical World, like the Ministry or several jobs Harry hadn’t thought of. He also found a couple more books that really interested him, but only bought one more.

(Alchemy, Ancient Art and Science, Argo Pyrites (Gain Beginner Alchemy. 1st Year Recipes can be made. Higher Tier Recipes will require a certain amount of skill in Potions and Transfiguration relative to difficulty)​

Harry could truthfully say he was having fun. However, all good things must come to an end, as Susan and Hannah gathered all of their books.

As Susan’s aunt, Amelia, collected the two girls, Susan turned to him, saying, “Bye Harry! Hope to see you on the Express!” And with that, the group disappeared into the crowd.

(Friend Gained: Susan Bones)
(Friend Gained: Hannah Abbott)

For a moment, he felt a tad lost. He had just gotten used to their presence and now he was once again by himself. It was a bit disorienting. The moment passed quickly, however and he shook himself.

He still had school supplies to get.

Where do you go next?​

[] Madam Malkins (There’s a slightly pudgy boy your age there, with sandy-blonde hair)
[] Apothecary (Two older red-haired boys who look exactly alike)
[] Ollivanders (No one there)

Vote here.