1 A New World
{27th June 1993}
{Somewhere in Italy}
{9:03 AM}
!!!
'Shit What the Hell!!'
A splitting pain woke me up as I struggled to get up, a series of memories unfamiliar to me flashed by before I shook my head hard trying to reorient myself.
"Fuck, what the hell did I drink last night..." I grumbled before the situation sunk in.
I can't remember last night, or the night before that or the one before that for the matter, I could remember talking to faceless people, along with them came emotions related to them, love or hate or very very intense dislike but no faces.
'What the fuck happened. It feels weird...'
I looked around and noticed that everything was different, from my surroundings which were trashed to my body which was not my own to the fact that I was calmly looking at my unfamiliar face instead of freaking out.
It was then that the unfamiliar, yet comforting message popped up.
[Occlumency levelled up. Tier 2 achieved.]
'I know that word...' As I tried to search my memories 2 different sets of memories appeared before me.
One was me reading about it in a 7-part novel series named Harry Potter, and another from reading and practising it every day for the last 5 years. The second set of memories were cleaner and clearer than the first ones, like I could recall everything just by thinking about it.
'This... This...'
As I started doubting what was going on I dove into the second set of memories from the start, I remembered as early as I was 2, days spent just rolling around learning to walk, my first accidental magic of blasting that offending children's book across the room, getting my first broom on Christmas on my 7th birthday...
After that my memories started getting darker, it all started from my father's death. Mother began to feel desperate and wanted my future to be secure so she remarried, and remarried again, and again...
I remember the accidents and how each new figure just popped into my life and then vanished in a year or two as I struggled to confide in anyone. It was still pretty good, Mother still doted on me and I tried to make her happy but it all changed because of him.
He died too don't mind that bit, but I guess he did the damage he wanted, gone was the loving Mother that I always had in my corner, although his death resulted in a lot of positives for us politically, the huge wealth residing within the Selwyn family vault, my blood adoption, and my new facial features.
"Gasp..."
I took a deep breath as I collected my bearings and looked back to my face, High cheekbones as he was described in the books but the black locks now had streaks of silver in them, my eyes were silver too and instead of a darker skin-tone, I was white. I wasn't described in the books very clearly but I could see it vaguely.
'Blaise Zabini... or rather Blaise Zabini Selwyn.'
I stood up and walked to the mirror drinking in my new visage. I looked good, and I mean real good, Blaise was described as the vain Slytherin in the books and I guess he had a reason to be. I stood tall at 6'2", looked neither muscular nor scrawny, there were some dark circles under my eyes and when I leaned forward to examine them I noticed the mark on my shoulder.
'Tch Piece of Shit...'
I cursed my ex-stepfather for his attempts to get me to see his ideology as I leaned back and traces the shallow scar on my collarbone. It was a thin white line and can only be found under close observation.
'I need to admire myself later and first figure out what the hell is going on...'
I sat back down in a meditative pose and looked back through my memories once again noticing anything relevant.
'Hmm... So it's not the same as in the books, there are a lot of glaring differences, the most glaring of them is that students start at Hogwarts at 14 instead of 11, the presence of Daphne Greengrass in my year instead of 3 years down and most of all the presence of him.'
Memories of my rivalry with the opposite chaser extraordinaire Harry Potter flashed through, for the past 2 years both of us have been dominating the quidditch season of Hogwarts and while the points race is still ongoing the rivalry reformed friendship turned into hatred at the end of the last term.
'Tch, teenage hormones...'
I cursed as the image of Daphne and Harry kissing on the Astronomy tower appeared in my mind before I banished it away, a strange feeling of pain throbbed in my chest which I ignored and continued looking through the memories.
'Ah, so I guess it was too much for Blaise to take...'
I looked as a heartbroken Blaise showed his end of the year results to Mother but upon receiving another affirmation to do better next year made him give up.
I ignored the rest of the memories just skipping through all the self-pity and remorse before Blaise picked up a forgetfulness potion he had modified, keyed it to Daphne and drink it before falling asleep.
'Sigh...'
Even though I felt vaguely familiar with the memories, intrigued by the system-like interface in Blaise's memories and how he used them to get those outstanding grades, his heartbreak from the two people he trusted the most, the feelings involved were muted.
Maybe it was the side-effect of taking the potion? Or maybe it was because I am not Blaise, or not that Blaise that died?
Walking back to the table beside the king-sized bed I looked at the letter that I received almost a fortnight ago.
{Dear Mr Selwyn,}
{We thank you for your dedication this year and would like to sincerely congratulate you on all of your achievements. The entirety of the Hogwarts staff is eager to see what shall come next.}
{Yours truly,}
{Minerva McGonagall}
{Deputy Headmistress.}
----------------------------------
Passing Grades:
O = Outstanding.
E = Exceeds Expectations.
A = Acceptable.
Failing Grades:
P = Poor.
D = Dreadful.
Blaise Zabini Selwyn Has Achieved:
Astronomy :- O-
Charms :- O+
Defence Against The Dark Arts :- O+
Herbology :- O
History of Magic :- O
Potions :- O+
Transfiguration :- O+
Runes :- O+
Arithmancy :- O
End of Year Rankings:
1 - Selwyn, Blaise - Slytherin.
2 - Potter, Harry - Gryffindor.
3 - Greengrass, Daphne - Slytherin.
