26 Aftermath

Oz walked back down the house to where the muggleborn witches and wizards were being kept. His emotions were still rolling after what he had done, but he didn't regret it. Killing was something he needed to get used to in a world like this else he'd become soft, he didn't want to become a non-lethal attacker like all the witches and wizards in the order of the phoenix.

Finally reaching the door he swung it open, the people inside flinched for a second until they realised who opened the door. A boy stood around 5"2 with a hood on.

"Those people are gone now, you're all free to leave..."

All the muggleborn witches and wizards in the room stared at Oz in disbelief before breaking down into tears.

The girl huddled in the corner stared at Oz, her eyes red from crying. She was the first to walk up to Oz and speak to him:

"T-thank you sir, t-t-they've been torturing us for-r months now... You're like a hero!".

Oz stared at the girl whose eyes shone with renewed hope.

"I'm no hero girl, I came here in order to steal money from these gang wizards. Finding you all was just a coincidence I couldn't let slide. Now all of you head off, If you didn't know we are located near the leaky cauldron so I imagine it wont be hard for you to contact people you know".

As Oz started leaving he remembered something, turning around he looked at all the witches and wizards who were still jolly from finally being free.

"One favour you can all do for me? don't ever mention I was here... say that a random auror or something came and broke you out. Although you cant see my face one wrong comment about height and stature could put me in some issues".

All the people in the room nodded in compliance, with that Oz left. The girl watched him leave with her eyes.

'I wonder if I'll meet him again...'.

.

Returning to his room in the Leaky Cauldron Oz sat down on his bed and looked down at his hands.

'This just all needs to be another lesson for me...'.

Oz thought back on the events that had just happened and realised how foolish he had been. He doesn't regret killing those bastards that tortured those people but thinking back he could have easily disabled that last guy and got him to speak on where more money was or if there were any other hideouts.

Feeling his whole body shiver Oz walked over to his desk and decided to write a letter to both Cho and Craig to keep himself calm and occupied. Of course the contents of the letter would omit the details on what he's been up to in the past few days. As he began writing about what he had been doing the past few days since leaving Hogwarts, his thoughts rolled in.

'I never did tell them much about my living situation... I still feel like im a background character in a world where a story is happening rather than being within that story. Maybe thats where my problem lies...'.

Oz when he first came to this world wanted to stay out of the original story as much as possible. It may seem selfish but he just wanted to enjoy this life, use his knowledge of the future for his own benefit and live freely after all the bad events had occurred. Even though he was granted power and knowledge he's still human and he only wanted to make something of himself in this world up to a certain point where he could live comfortably without regrets, maybe also finishing it all of with marrying a woman and having a family.

But only now was he starting to realise that his presence in this world had already started to change the canon. A butterfly effect was already in motion and things were changing day by day. His what seemed like small interactions with people have probably already snowballed into something much greater, especially after what had happened today. Oz sat thinking about the events to come, Harry joining Hogwarts, the struggle all the students go through, how harry was left stuck with the Dursleys and abused for all those years. Could Oz truly say he lived a life without regrets if he let such things happen while having knowledge of it? How could he live with himself? He wouldn't be able to, thats the answer. Eventually one day the guilt of letting years of abuse and pain happen just for his own life to go well would eat him up.

Oz looked at himself in the mirror above his desk in the room. He felt ashamed of what he was planning on becoming. He felt annoyed at his own foolishness. He felt embarrassed by his own ineptitude.

'I cant let these events happen knowing that they are going to happen. I need to step in, I need to make a wave in this world big enough that it stops all these bad events from happening in the first place'.

His eyes began to glow with a new fire. He didn't want to be a background character in this world, He wanted to be apart of it, he wanted to change its course and allow for a better ending for all. With his heart steeled he felt his psyche calm immensely, now he had a clear cut goal in this world instead of just getting stronger.

'I'm in a perfect place to make contact with Harry, he should turn up here the day before the next Hogwarts's term. If I introduce myself kindly and create a connection then surely that will go a long way. With that as a starting point I can start to help him...'

Oz finished writing letters to both Cho and Craig, telling them how he was boarding at the Leaky Cauldron over the summer and was just relaxing inside reading. He took the letters in question over to his Owl, Kuro, who chirped at the prospect of delivering something. Oz watched Kuro fly off into the night.

'As I need to change so does the world...'

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Important change: (Chapter 5) Instead of Pandora giving Oz her notes, Xenophilius accidently picks them up along with the other books and puts them in the pouch they give to Oz. Felt it was weird indeed that she would give spell formula to such a young child.

Minor change: (Chapter 8) Mcgonagall and Oz have a conversation briefly prior to Oz walking around Diagon alley about him going alone. Felt strange not adding such an interaction as most teachers wouldn't just leave their students to go off to buy their own things.

(Chapter 4) Reworked Oz's pickpocketing scheme, instead of him being instantly good explains how he was bad at first but got better in time. If he was a master from the get go he would have gotten himself much much more but he only managed 900 in 3 years. (If you think about it thats pretty terrible as most adult muggles would probably hold at least 20-30 pounds in their wallets at all times, In 3 years he only managed to pickpocket 30 odd people if you round it up and estimate it).

- Another change in chapter 4 is how Oz pours magic into his eyes. The eyes being the most delicate place on a human seemed weird for Oz to just be able to wing it and be able to see further and see wards. Changed it from being so easy to his eyes nearly bursting from the pressure. The eye technique works though for the seconds he has it on and he manages to luckily spot a blur (the ward) and a familiar hill.