London
"Why the hell is it so dark here? What is going on?" Was Richard said as he fumbled around in the darkness and tried to regain his bodily functions.
Struggling to open his eyes and glimpsing around to make out the trash everywhere.
'Why is there garbage everywhere?
Do not say I am inside some trash can or somewhat like that.
I know gods like it to reincarnate people inside dead bodies because of some problem with the soul, but this is something else. Did I just get dumped in the trash? If I see this being again, then I will kick it into its face.
Such a motherfucker.'
These were the only things Richard could think of as he fumbled around in the darkness between garbage and soon found some kind of handle that he pushed up with all the strength that he could muster.
A loud bang resounded in the remote dark alley as the cover was being pulled over the top and was loudly smashing to the side of the container.
Then the alley was silent again. Nobody should have heard or cared for the sound, as not one person came to look at the alley.
The light was shining into Richard's eyes and he could do nothing but flinch at the sudden brightness of the daylight that assaulted his eyes.
After taking a few seconds to adjust his eyesight, he could finally take in his surroundings.
"Yep, definitely in a trash can. Nothing glorious to be in, but who cares.
I should be in the world of Harry the Walnut Potter." Richard exclaimed with a big smile on his face.
'The possibilities of magic are limitless, alone the thought of flying on a broom or even completely broomless and being able to do things that people forever thought that they are impossible to feel so exhilarated.
Fuuu, I love the number of things that I can all achieve in this world. But first things first.
Let's have a look at myself to discern if I have taken over some worthy body or if the god has completely screwed me over.'
Coming down from his high of adrenalin at his recent reincarnation or transmigration, he could not help but feel the pain that his body was in.
'Ahhh… Everything hurts.
My stomach feels like there is nothing in it at all and all it wants to do is eat even itself for some sustenance.'
Were the thoughts that came to little Richard's mind as he focused himself on his body.
He looked bad as he took in the sight of his tiny and skinny body. He saw even some bruises on his hands-on feet.
His clothes were badly damaged, and he could not even tell if they were clothes at all. All Richard did wear were some rags. The pants were just some bits and pieces of a t-shirt somehow holding together. His actual shirt was not in a better state than the pillowcases of house-elfs.
His hands were wandering over his whole body and he could feel so many parts of himself in pain.
'Looks like the previous owner of this body was beaten to death and then they just dumped him inside this trash can where he would never be found.'
Were the thoughts of Richard as he searched his bruised body with his tiny hands.
'With this state, my body is in and the length of my arms and feet, I guess I do not look older than 2-3 years. I could be wrong, but not by much. Anyhow, that's not the problem right now.
I need to get out of this trash can and need a complete overhaul to heal myself. I am also completely malnourished and could eat a complete cow. I feel like I am starving forever.
Hmm, what can I possibly do?
At least the sun is shining and I am not here on a rainy day, therefore it could be worse. Positive thoughts, think positive as my dad said every time something bad had happened to one of us.
There are 2 ways to deal with this situation. The first one is:
I scream loud enough that someone finds me in this abandoned alley and then alerts the local authorities and I will live in an orphanage because I don´t think that my parents would leave me here abandoned and beaten black and blue. This means that they are most likely dead or are also homeless and I was an accident and therefore abandoned as they could not any longer feed themselves and me. But that would not explain the bruises along my body. Hm.
The second option is:
I try to call a hose-elf with no master and see if it would help me.
That would make things a lot easier, but as I am not pretty lucky, I don´t even know how I should do that.'
Overthinking the pros and cons, Richard decided himself for the second one.
'Hm just need to have trust in my magic and try it, I guess.'
So, what the little kid in the garbage did was ignore the pain in his whole body and also the headache in his head from his soul's journey and focus on something he thought would not even exist before right now.
Richard tried to feel some kind of energy inside himself, but after what felt like ages, he did not find any energy or something similar to it, so he gave up for the time being.
'Just have to try it using no magic to call an elf, I guess. It seems I need some more time to come into contact with magic.'
Richard breathed in a hard and long breath and then he shouted as loud as he could:" Is there any House-elf nearby that is searching for a master?"
After using his total energy for that, he could no longer endure and flopped back into the garbage can.
All his energy went into those few words, with all his will and his confidence that he had remained.
After lying there for a few moments to catch his breath, he thought:
'It felt like hours, but that could also be the fault of my painful and hungering body.
I was looking around, and while I thought that, this had not worked out, and let out a sigh. After that, I saw something and I could only smile at the wonderful thing which turned up.
I could see 2 pointy ears and gigantic eyes look at me just over the edge of the garbage can. The smile then turned into excitement as this signified that this was real and not some lame joke that my consciousness played on me before my death.'
The mini creature, looked no bigger than a 10-year-old with pointy ears and 2 big dog eyes, skin complete grey and full of scars and it was only wearing some sort of rugs that could have been a pillow some long time ago, started speaking with a squeaky like voice.
" Young guy has called for little Sniffy? Or is little Sniffy just hearing some voices again?"
Richard just sighed in relief that he didn´t have to call for some more "normal" help said:
" Hello little one. As you can see, I am not in the best of circumstances right now and would need a little help. Therefore, I thought I could need a house-elf.
Would you be interested in this job offer?"
Smash....
You could hear just a little smash as the creature was falling off the garbage can as she was only hanging on to the edge of it and looked over it.
Surprised because she could have a master to serve, she, in her glee, completely forgot to hold on to the edge and fell off with a loud smashing sound.
A second later Richard could hear Sniffy jumping around and shouting joyfully:
" Sniffy found a master. Sniffy has a master. After such a long time Sniffy can serve a master."
"Sniffy, can you jump around a bit later and explain to me how do we do this?
How do I become your master?"
Richard said in a surprised tone as he had thought that it would be a little harder to get a house-elf, but he just let it slide.
Sniffy popped right in front of Richard and told him:" Master just need to touch my head and Sniffy will do the rest of the work."
Richard raised his hand towards the little head of sniffy and patted her there.
At this moment when his hand touched her skin, he felt something he never felt drain out of him, and after that, he felt even more exhausted and a lot emptier than before that.
He also got the feeling of something extra in himself, like some kind of bond.
'This must be the connection of house-elfs.'
"Sniffy, can you get me out of here now?
If it is possible into some abandoned house without someone in it and a good condition?" That was all Richard could say as blackness got the better of him and he blacked out.
Sniffy was feeling emotional right now, that she has finally found a master and tried not totally and to fulfill his first wish.
The House-elf just snapped her fingers together and both the creature and the boy disappeared in an instant.
On the outskirts of London stood many houses. Mostly were neat houses with a nice front yard and 1 or 2 stories high. Many of them were found in this neighborhood and it was known for its friendly society and good security.
Between all the lively houses stood one that was not so nicely arranged and looked abandoned.
The front yard was not being cared for in a long time. Newspapers and letters were overflowing from the letterbox and spilled onto the floor.
From the looks of it, here did not live one for quite some time.
Inside the house, there were 2 people, one boy sleeping soundly in a bed and one creature standing next to him watching his every breath. It was quite the sight the house-elf was standing on the nightstand to get a better view of the bed.
The boy looked a lot better with no bruises on him and he just looked like he had not eaten a meal since forever. His body was skinny as hell and bones could be seen everywhere.
The day was ending, and the streets grew quieter as the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon.
A night flew by and the next day was coming and the moon was going its way towards the horizon to switch with the sun.
Another day was beginning, and in the house was one boy waking up.
"Mmm, such a goodnight's sleep. I have not slept this soundly in a long time." Said the boy as he was stretching his arms towards the ceiling and letting out a satisfied groan with a squeaky little voice.
He was gradually waking up and opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. He looked around and was stunned at what he saw.
'I thought I had just dreamed about everything, but it seems I ended up here.'
After a few seconds, a smile appeared on his little face.
'What better start in the day could there be than to wake up in another world with magic all around. Nothing tops these feelings.'
Gmmmml…. A loud grumble sound came from a stomach that told everyone within hearing range that the boy was more than hungry.
'It looks like I or more like the previous owner of this body has eaten nothing in a long time and my body is more than only in a malnourished state.
It feels more like I had nothing to eat forages.'
"Master, do you want something to eat?" came from beside the bed and startled Richard as he did not notice his house-elf before on the nightstand.
With his eyes sweeping over the room and landing on sniffy right beside his bed. She also was looking at him with her little puppy eyes.
'I do have completely forgotten about her. It is only thanks to her I am nowhere and have not too much trouble moving my body around.' Feeling around his body with his hands, he could not feel any bruises on himself anymore.
'Sniffy must have healed my injuries.
I felt terrible yesterday... or was it even yesterday. How long did I sleep for?'
"Morning there Sniffy, did you bring me here and heal my bruises?" asked Richard as he looked happily at the little elf.
"Sniffy hopes that this house is good enough for the master. Sniffy had had little time to do some searching and Sniffy found so much damage on Master´s body so Sniffy thought it was best to heal Master´s wounds first.
Did Sniffy do bad?"
Was all that the little creature brought out of her mouth to say as her eyes watered.
'Ah house-elfs, forever feeling that they did something wrong. I need to handle that one shortly. I cannot have a house-elf with no self-confidence at all.' Thought Richard as he said back with a soothing and calm voice.
"You did nothing wrong, Sniffy. You even did much better than I thought you would, so thank you for your hard work.
I feel a lot better than when you found me. How long was I sleeping for and could you please get me some kind of broth so that I can get some energy back? I am starving."
Sniffy´s eyes shone with an exciting light as she heard what Richard said to her and could only say:
" Of course, Master. Breakfast will be ready in a jiff. Please, just wait."
Then there was a snap and Sniffy vanished.
'And gone she is, quite the adorable the little girl.
I need to give her some clothes next time, or at least let her wear something of some sort of standard. These pillowcases are not doing anyone anything good.'
Were the thoughts of Richard as he remembered his clothes and looked at himself.
'Hahaha….I Should not judge other people for their clothing style as long as I wear something like this trash. I hope that Sniffy can magic me something better to wear.'
Richard could only chuckle to himself while he took in the clothes he was wearing. After that, he tried to get out of the bed, but after he felt the pain in his abdomen become too unbearable, he swiftly got back down.
'I guess I am more malnourished than I had expected, but it should not be out of the norm, as the previous owner of this body was beaten to death.
Or did he die because of starvation?
A thought for another time. Let's have a closer look at the room I am currently living in.'
In the Bedroom were some old closets with a brown rug on the floor. There was one nightstand beside the bed and on it stood a cup full of water.
Two windows with the curtains halfway closed were on the walls. There was shining some light inside the room so it was not completely dark. The room looked like a standard bedroom, nothing out of the ordinary. But weirdly, no dust could be found all around the place.
Richard reached out towards the water cup and gulped it down in one session.
'Ah, too good. That was what I needed.' After he placed the now empty cup down, he could hear some noises downstairs, apparently in the kitchen where Sniffy was cooking something.
'So, what are my next steps here in this new world?
One of the first things I need to solve should be my damaged body. Sniffy did a good job at healing my bruises but I guess there are a few internal injuries and it would not be a good idea to ignore them for too long.' Voiced Richard by trying to feel around his body with his fingers and could only grit his teeth by the pain he felt in a few places while he felt along with his digits.
'Secondly or thirdly, I should find out the timeline is where I currently am.
Maybe I am not even in the timeline of Harry Potter and am ahead of it or way before it even begins.'
With a grumbling face, Richard cursed a bit. "Damn, these house looks like a house from 1960 but that means nothing.
I have seen nothing besides this bedroom yet. I should stay calm.' Thought Richard and calmed down after this.
"I should ask Sniffy if she could get me a newspaper so I can be completely sure when I am." Came mumbling out of Richard's mouth.
Suddenly there was a noise inside the room that was silent a moment ago.
"Does master need Sniffy?" There was the house-elf standing in front of the bed with a steaming hot plate and a spoon on it.
Startled because of the sudden noise and the appearance of Sniffy, Richard said with a quickened heart rate:
" Could you please not directly appear without some kind of forewarning? That now startled me greatly. Could you please knock the next time? But thanks for the good-looking food."
"Sniffy will remember and try not to startle Master again." That was what Sniffy said as she handed the plate to Richard, who placed it on his lap and started eating.
After the first bite, Richard's eyes lit up as they looked like he had found some unknown treasure and he tried to eat faster, but could not eat faster as the broth was extremely hot and he needed time to blow it to a bearable degree.
Sniffy smiled happily and was content to look at her Master who ate her self-made broth with delight in his eyes.
"This was something else, and I mean that in a good way. Thanks for the meal. It was delicious." Came out of his mouth as he licked his plate clean and handed it back with the spoon to his little helper.
"Sniffy is happy to help and does master want some seconds?" was Sniffy saying with blushing red cheeks at his compliment.
'House-elfs can get red cheeks, that's something new, but there is a first time for everything.'
"Thanks Sniffy, but I should not eat too much so I can adapt my belly again to food.
If I eat too much, I might even die, so I am not trying this and gambling with my life.
Can you make only something easy to eat for the next week, such as soups and broths? These meals are easier to let my body adapt to food again." Was said in an easygoing manner.
Richard could remember something like malnourished people dying from overeating after they were found and did not want to experience this.
"And could you get me an Inverta Potion? It would be for the best to just steal it from an Apothecary as I have currently no money. We will pay it back later. You should find one in Diagon Alley. Can you also get me a newspaper when you are there? Thanks.
If you have any troubles there, just leave, don´t get hurt there. I need you, so no playing hero." Sounded Richard's voice in the room in a very serious tone.
Skipping around the room on her 2 feet. Sniffy was quite happy to receive such a task from her Master. "Sniffy will be right back and do not worry." Was the only thing that Richard heard as the little house-elf just vanished alongside the empty plate.
On another look through the room, Richard found that the empty cup of water was refilled yet again.
'Such a nice house-elf, I think I can rely on her from now on. I guess I am not older than 2. If the 2 mini legs and my short arms are any indications of my age. But seriously, who beats a 2-year-old, what monster must someone become to do such a heinous crime? The starvation I can understand, but beating up a 2-year-old is unforgivable.
Maybe I was abandoned because of some troubles at home or I was an unwanted child on the streets. Who knows?
I need some mirror in here to look at myself. More work for Sniffy. I cannot even do anything without her help. That feels bad, but my body needs to heal slowly and a should regain the ability to walk in the next few days.'
These were the thoughts that were currently swimming around Richard's head.
After a bit of time, there was a knock on the door. Sniffys voice could be heard through the closed door. "Master, I am back. Can I come in?"
"Sniffy, you are back? That was much faster than I thought." Surprised by the fast Sniffy, Richard was startled out of his thoughts.
"By the way, you can come in, and thanks for knocking." Replied Richard towards the door, which was swiftly opened, and Sniffy was running towards the bed with a potion in her hand and a newspaper with moving pictures in the other hand.
"Here Master, the things you wanted, it was even easier than cooking something.
The wizard had no defenses in his store at all. All was Sniffy did was make herself invisible and take the potion.
The newspaper was even easier as they were everywhere on the streets inside Diagon alley. Sniffy just got one of the nicer-looking ones." Said the little creature with the enormous eyes, to the boy as she handed the two things over to him.
'The wizards are even more retarded than I thought. No common sense there.
They have not even a ward set up against house-elfs or at least this apothecary did not have one. Just my luck. The newspaper is for later, time to heal my injuries.' Thought Richard, and put the newspaper on the nightstand. After that, he uncorked the little vial and sniffed on it. 'Smells like woods and grass. Not that bad. Hopefully, it will also not taste like anything that was described in the books and movies. 'Were the thoughts in Richard's head.
Richard took a few seconds to steel himself and jugged the vial down in one go.
As the potion run down Richard's throat, you could see how much strain it took him to drink it in one go and if the tears forming in his eyes were any sign, it must have been harder than thought.
"Cough, cough, who brews something so disgusting. That vial tastes like horse dung, only a little less viscous." Came out in a coughing voice. And after that, he drank down the cup of water to get that taste out of his mouth. Which seemed to refill itself again. Richard looked at it with stars in his eyes. 'Magic is something else, but there seems to be something wrong with these potions.
No one can tell me that potions need to taste like that. Nobody sane would drink something like that if he is not forced to do it or unconscious. I have to look at that later if I can afford some time to make potions.'