HP: PotterVerse Remastered Edition Book 1

Harry Potter

Mateos

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This story is inspired by the fanfictions Harry Potter: Gaming Wizard Extraordinaire by Dreetje, The Adventures of Harry Potter, the Video Game Exploited by michaelsuave, Harry Potter: The Roleplaying Game by Renrag, Harry Potter & The Game by Concept101.

Now Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or The Gamer manga. Any Game references I may or may not have used belong solely to that Game creators.

I always liked those fics which say upfront about the romance or what not straight up, so for readers like me this is a Harry/Harem (And by Harem, I mean a really big one). So, if you don't like these factors sorry for wasting your time so far, everyone else please continue.

For those who already know or if you don't know, once again I am trying to do this story of mine justice. Hopefully I will do better than last time.

** THOSE THAT READ MY ORIGINAL UPDATE CAN SKIP TO THE CHAPTER **

Basically, what happened with this fic was I had a start to end story line, but the things in between started getting wild with new suggestions and epiphanies and so on. And it got way out of control. With my own real-life problems hounding me, I decided to stop it for a while. Then whenever I got time, I tried to modify the previously done chapters and continue writing more. After some tries, I decided to do a complete rewrite.

I have gone through 9 re-writes as of now, each one getting wierder than the last one. Seriously my mind is full of gutter it seems. Anyway eventually I was able to write something that I felt was good enough to publish here, I mean what's the point of me writing out all these various rewrites if no one is going to read it?

So what exactly do I have to show for all these times of re-writing? Choppy Game System, relationships and dilogues and a very loose plot. Yeah I know not a promising endorsement. But it is what it is.

That's why I cut down on the Game system into what I want and what I don't need and stripped it down to bare bones. The game system will have a lot of flaws but I think keeping it simple was the best idea. Thousands of little gimmicks will just add on to the mess.

And in the process of re-writing the hwole thing, I think I have acquired a somewhat improved writing style.

Coupled with a more detailed outline of the story, yeah I think it's time to start posting my newest iteration and see how it goes.

Otherwise I will again quite halfway through and start over again!

All put together, the results seem promising. I have a fairly planned game system, somewhat new writing style, a handful of good story elements that ties my previous Start to End plot lines.

I had tried to flesh out some stories that came to my mind as I was doing a rewrite of this story, which I have posted in this site. I did this partly to get it out of my mind and into writing as well as to see if my perverted part of my brain was running the show. So far it didn't seem to be the case, but I still struggled with it for a while. After further deliberation I decided 'to hell with it' and give the perverted part of my brain a chance to shine and did a Harry Potter/Pokémon crossover as a pure smut fic. I was able to realise that this story and the pure smut was different but had similarities as well.

In the end, I just decided to simply go head and see how it will turn out and here we are.

Now fair warning before I let you guys jump into the new one so that you can decide whether to read the new one or not:

Slow updates (from months to years between chapters)

No meaningful romance stories (I tried, I really tried and I absolutely suck at portraying romance)

Contains fluff, smut, incest and whatever my mind conjures up at the time. (Not always as I have been editing such things out and keeping it clean but it might crop up from time to time)

My progress with English Language and in writing stories still remains at the very bottom level (sadly I don't have the power of Gamer to level up), so cringe dialogues, absurd and choppy sentences, wrong grammar, well you get the point, right?

I am not a pro gamer; I have played maybe about 20 - 30 games or more and that too for the fun of it. Meaning the game systems will have many flows, I have tried to flesh out the system and have a good data sheet ready at hand. But I am sure there will be many stupid mistakes that I must have made. Do forgive me for it.

NOW, if you don't like any of the above warnings please don't read my story, thank you for reviewing, following and favouring my stories so far.

A very BIG THANK YOU to all who supported, read and reviewed my story. As well as for everyone who continues to do so.

For those who still want to continue reading my story, I sincerely hope that every one of you will start from the beginning and help me out with my writing through your reviews.

So, without any further delay, let's start this baby rolling!

AN

HP: Potterverse Remastered Edition - The Advent of the Gamer

Chapter 1 - A Wish Gone Awry

1981 October 31

The joy and festivities of Halloween night were going in full swing in the small village of Godric's Hollow. The sugary, chocolatey taste lingered in the air and laughter filled screams filled the whole village. Yet unknown to its normal denizens, a mystical war was brewing behind the curtains of reality. A war that slowly crept from the shadows, slowly festering behind thin facades and eventually erupted in full force some three to four years ago.

For everyday men and women, nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was peaceful, maybe a bit dull, but peaceful none the same. Then again, the agents of the mystical side made sure to keep that reality, no matter how far it was from the truth, as the way it was.

Beyond the mundane realm, under the veil of ancient magic lies the magical world, hidden well and split as far as it could from its mundane counterpart. And unlike the mundane world, the magical world was not quite as peaceful.

A looming darkness slowly took shape on the outskirts of the partying village, its gloom chasing away any and all happiness, even the mere aftertaste of it was forced away by the newcomer. Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord that terrorised an entire magical society with just his existence paused to take in the colour and happiness that clashed fiercely against his countenance.

A snort from said Dark Lord was all it took for everything to become dull and gloomy. Following his displeasure at the presence of something so abhorrent to him, the Dark Lord strode slowly yet purposefully. His target being a non descriptive house on the other edge of the village, a once mundane house turned into a magical one under no less than the powerful fidelius charm.

'My plans have been going well… too well up until now', Voldemort measured each of his steps plans and calculations that floated around his mind, 'I am sure they all quickly latched on to the opportunity to thin the herd and made it so… yet why have everything suddenly took a downturn?'

While his pale face and stride remained unchanged, Voldemort's red snake slit eyes glowed with deep intelligence with a glimmer of fury, that belied his monstrous countenance as various incidents that cropped up in his bid to glory and conquest played through his mind.

Recently, several skirmishes that should have been won by his followers were turned into a draw and with some even being lost, his allies in various countries turned into ghosts, figuratively of course as otherwise he could have obtained at least some information from them and then there was the sudden faithlessness in his followers. Finally a damned Prophecy that all but created a quest solely for him.

Voldemort wasn't a fool and he knew that somehow someone or some group was setting him up. 'Has the Scientia Sectorem found out my true plans? Or has the inmortui and Venatores decided that the war has gone long enough? Has the herd been thinned enough for them? Or is it some unknown group that I am yet unaware of?'

While who was behind the sudden wrench in his plans or what their purpose for doing so remained unclear to him, Voldemort felt that the fact that his plans being derailed was reason enough for him to end his errand quickly and be done with it so that he could get back to the hidden enemies he was facing.

Thinking about his current errand caused Voldemort to let out an inadvertent snort as he both admired and abhorred the sheer genius Dumbledore has done in hiding the Potters. The Potters had lost their Manor during the first rumblings of war, using it as a trap to kill most of his followers. Then after he learned of the prophecy, he was sent on a merry chase from one magical house to another eventually catching up to the Potter couple, who turned out to be Charles and Dorea Potter-Black, whom he had killed. All of it was a diversion for the young married couple to escape his sight and leave for safety in the mundane world. And Dumbledore in his infinite wisdom has somehow found a way to put up a ward as strong and willful as the Fidelius in the mundane world, without so much as alerting any of his own agents.

In the end, even Voldemort had to admit that if it weren't for 'The Rat', turning traitor he might have never found them, let alone thought to look in the mundane world. Even if the Lady Potter was from the mundane world, something as Fidelius being cast would have resulted in a sudden bright splash that would act like a beacon to any and all who were always on the watch, on those who always measured the ambient magic.

The Longbottoms on the other hand seem to have taken pride in their Ancestral wards. Trusting its power to stop any and all assaults, deeming it better than any other protection.

'And that pride shall be their undoing', Voldemort sneered as he strode forth until he reached his quarry.

As his measured stride came to a stop, Voldemort threw away the various ramblings in his head as his quest was at an end. A look of disgust crept on his face as he saw 'The Rat' scurrying towards him.

'One should never trust a traitor, but one must deal with the hand they have been dealt with', Voldemort mused as his inner words took on a sybillent cadence.

"Are the Potters inside?", asked Voldemort curtly, for there was no need for any greeting when meeting the lowest of beings, a traitor.

"Yes, my lord...all three of them", came the squeaky reply, full of fear, submission and a hint of more.

Voldemort though was in no mood as he merely nodded before striding forth, his wand appearing in his slowly raised hand as if by wind.

.

.

.

.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

.

.

"You'll not..."

"Avada Kedavra"

.

.

"Harry..my baby boy...know that mommy loves you...daddy loves you...and...I don't know what will be...but know that I have faith in you….and I did all that I could to make sure…"

*BOOM* *CRASH*

"Please...not my son...take me...leave him...take me…"

"Step aside girl…"

"NO...Leave him...take me instead!"

"So be it...Avada Kedavra"

"Tak…"

.

.

Voldemort looked at the crib and the sole remaining Potter. Many thoughts swirled through his mind, from drowning the kid to taking him away to raise him as his right hand man...but before Voldemort could realise what was happening, he found himself, point his dreaded wand at the baby boy and to his shock uttered the words he loved more than anything in this world.

"Avada Kedavra"

A sickly green light illuminated the entire house in an unnatural manner, what followed was an earth shattering boom.

*BOOM*

.

.

.

.

.

"I will find you! I... WILL... HAVE... MY... REVENGE!"

"GAhhhh….", a silent scream lightly echoed in a dark cupboard followed by retching and dry heaving as a small boy woke up from his nightmare. A nightmare that the boy has been having ever since he started having a mind and presence of his own.

After several minutes of dry heaving, a shaky hand struggled to pull the cord of the light bulb, his feeble attempts failing more times than he wanted to. Then the small glow illuminated the cupboard space, giving some warmth to the still shaking boy. The boy in question slowly raised his head, his eyes closed facing the bulb as if the stuttering glow of the old bulb was giving off the warmth he had so desired, but never received in his whole life.

Time slowly tickled by as the boy sat in his cot, simply absorbing what warmth he could, no one came to check out the little kid and the boy in question was all the more happy for it. For he knew that should he wake up his relatives, there would be hell to pay. As his thoughts turned towards his relatives, the boy opened his eyes so as to not mire his mind in further distress.

The boy, with messy raven black hair, scrawny frame and bright yet subdued emerald green eyes was Harry Potter. An existence that clashed horribly with the normal loving residents of Number Four Privet Drive, the Dursleys. An existence as such they went to extreme lengths to keep out of sight of everyone else around them.

Having no desire to alert his relatives and bring their wrath upon him, Harry quickly switched off the bulb that brought him a modicum of comfort, even though he knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep. He quietly laid in his cot wondering as always about the strangeness that surrounded him. Who he was, his parents and about the only thing that struck unusual about him...his scar.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

"Get Up! Start making breakfast. Stop being lazy!", a woman half-shrieked as she pounded on the cupboard door and left after unlocking the door from the outside.

The rude knocking followed by the clinking of the latches being opened was enough to wake up anyone sane, the shrill voice only added onto the misery of the now groggily awake Harry or 'The Freak' as his oh-so loving family called him.

"Get out Boy and start earning your keep"

Another rude knocking followed. The thundering voice of his uncle only helped in increasing his headache rather than waking him up.

"I'm up", Harry replied from where he laid, his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the small cupboard he was in, he got up quickly as he didn't want to get a beating for being slow in waking up. Getting out of his now opened 'jail', Harry had his eyes narrowed to small slits in preparation to adjust them to the light outside. With an ingrained grace that he gained through his nine years of life, he soon busied himself at the kitchen making breakfast for his whale of an Uncle and Cousin, as well as his horse of an Aunt.

0o0o0o0

While this slice of life might surprise anyone else, it was simply normal for the nine-year-old boy named Harry Potter. This was his norm from ever since he was dumped on his relatives, like a bottle of milk as his family - no relatives, would say.

This was just an average day in the daily life of Harry Potter, a very lonely child, who had a miserable life so far.

At the mere age of five he had to cook and serve for his family, though no one could call the Dursleys' as Harry's family, if they knew of what the so-called family had done to him. His relatives always called him a freak or boy, never giving him a name of his own, as they even loathed to give the poor kid an identity of his own.

At age six he was made to do all the chores around the house. He tried to please his uncle and aunt by doing a good job, but neither recognition nor compassion was given to him. He was starved and beaten, if he made the slightest of mistake or if they thought he did anything freakish, though they never said what the freakish thing he did was.

Ever since he could understand emotions, Harry realised how abusive his Uncle was towards him. Degrading and starving on good days while beating up and locking him for days on worse days, his uncle had it out for him ever since he was pushed on to them.

His aunt on the other hand was completely indifferent in her treatment of him, treating as air at best or as the dirt on her feet at worst. His cousin on the other hand was a budding version of his uncle, right down to the bones and fat, always bullying him, beating him and being a spoilt brat.

After going through so much, Harry realised that he will never be part of their family. For his relatives, he was 'something' rather than 'someone'. And as 'something' they never wanted; they will never come to love him as well. Suffice to say he learned his lesson and his self-preservation slowly started to kick in. So, he held himself meekly in front of his so-called family, hiding his desires and true self from anyone and everyone.

0o0o0o0

Putting on healthy food on the table, Harry watched on as his relatives ate more than their fair share of food, while he slowly nibbled on the leftovers he was allowed. Getting freshened up in cold water, for he was not allowed hot water, Harry put on his worn down hand-me-downs, that were too many sizes larger for his frame, which he acquired from his cousin Dudley and shouldering a patched up school bag, he made his way to school.

Looking at the Little Whinging School, one would see a bustling scene, many kids were walking, talking, having some fights, poking fun at each other and many more. Cacophony of various chattering, shuffling of shoes, doors opening and closing all created a sort of controlled chaos, and through this controlled chaos that was going on, a thin shadow moved across the school yard and the corridors, with an ease that would amaze anyone who would notice it.

Harry was careful in his trek towards school and through school corridors, always on the lookout for his bully of a cousin and his gang. When he reached the school, he stuck to the pillars and side walls so that he wouldn't be ambushed or spotted by anyone. He moved towards his classroom with a practised ease he had developed over the years in his school life. He had no friends, his bully of a cousin made sure of that fact, with the addition of his own relatives spreading nasty rumours of him being a problem child, none of the teachers were interested in him as well, other than to keep an eye on him so that he won't cause trouble.

Being invisible to his fellow schoolmates and teachers has become a habit by now. During the classes, he kept to himself, making himself as small as possible to avoid any detection. But at the start of the class, when roll calls were made, Harry was fully alert, making sure to not cause the repeat of the incident that happened on the very first day that started his school days, the humiliation of never knowing his own name until the teacher pointed out to him remained like a burn mark in his heart.

0o0o0o0

Until going to school, at the age of seven, Harry thought his name was Freak. That was one of the most humiliating days in his life as Harry was practically mocked by the teacher, who thought Harry was doing it on purpose. The addition of his own cousin joining the bandwagon, the whole experience became a very painful one too, something that left a mark in his heart.

When his uncle heard of what happened in class, courtesy of his cousin, Dudley Dursley, Harry got beaten badly by his uncle with the belt for the first time and was starved for a week, the beating leaving behind a physical mark on his body as a reminder of that incident.

Even after the incident, which continued to fill the dark canvas that portrayed his life, Harry still had a tiny glimmer of hope that at least he would be safe at school. Alas that too was promptly snuffed out by his fat blob of a cousin Dudley and his merry gang of bullies. They bullied him, humiliated him and had quite the laugh at his expense. Because of his cousin and his gang, Harry never made a friend, anyone who even tried to talk to him was bullied by Dudley and his gang. Everyone learned quickly - stay away from Harry Potter.

0o0o0o0

When recess arrived, Harry kept behind the rush but before the stragglers and carefully avoided everyone as he took shelter in the Library, the only place he was safe from his cousin Dudely and his merry gang.

As the day ended, Harry once again kept his stride in between the rushing students and the stragglers, trying to blend in with the slowly moving crowd. But as he reached the entrance, he slowed down and hid himself behind a pillar nearby, watching and waiting for any sign of an ambush from Dudley.

Although he was watching out for his bullies, the usual clamour of kids meeting their parents attracted his attention.

"Mom"

"Dad"

Children of varied age and gender skipped, hopped and pranced towards their guardians, filling the corridor in myriad of bright colours. Far away from the brightness, in a shadowy corner stood a lone child. A perpetual darkness seemed to follow that lonely child. Harry watched on, partly so that he could avoid the crowd and partly to soak in some happiness of his own.

When the first time Harry saw the kids being picked up and doted on by parents after school, he had wished for someone who would do the same for him. An old relative, a distant cousin, anyone to rescue him from the Dursleys. He wished for it every day for a year from the day he joined school. As days, weeks and months went by, Harry finally resigned himself and got rid of his foolish dreams.

Why would he be with the Dursleys if he had anyone else that could take care of him? He never believed his relatives about what they told about his parents.

"Your parents?", Vernon bellowed in laughter, his whole-body, fat and all, jiggling around like waves in an ocean, "They were the dregs of the society, got themselves killed in a car crash"

"You are lying", Harry said the only time he faced his uncle courageously and the only time he never got hit for doing so.

"Ha…Ha…Ha", Vernon laughed loudly seeing his nephews hardened face, "I heard your father and mother were drug addicts, who debased themselves all the time"

"You...are…lying", Harry gritted out as his mind refused to accept such things.

"Ha…Ha…Ha", Vernon's laughter echoed in the house as Harry ran away and into his cupboard to be away from his vile uncle.

It wasn't that he had some proof to say otherwise, rather it was the only thing that kept him going. So, he believed with all his heart that his parents loved him and something must have happened to them. Harry steeled his resolve and promised himself to live his life through this hell and to finally learn what happened to them. Yet there were times that the glee with which his uncle taunted him niggled in the back of his mind all the time, like a mark that would never leave.

In his perusal, Harry saw the colourful rainbow of emotions that washed over the school entrance, children meeting their parents, some running into their mother or father's open arms to be picked up by them, friends greeting friends, joking, clinging shoulder to shoulder as they laughed and the cheerful, sometimes tearful goodbyes between them as their parents took them away or they entered their own respective school buses.

A hidden gleam rose in the subdued emerald orbs, but it was quickly squashed away.

'Stop it… stop hoping… no one's coming for you… you are alone'

The dark shadows cast by the pillars in the waning sunlight hid the only dark splotch on the colourful painting that was being put on the evening canvas.

0o0o0o0

After the crowd thinned out, Harry once again began his trek back to his jail. Safely passing the school entrance and reaching the road, Harry started to increase his speed of travel.

'Hopefully I can reach the house before they can find me', Harry thought as he quickly made his way back, almost practically in a short sprint.

"Oi, Potty. Guess what?", his fat blob of a cousin yelled at Harry as said cousin and friends started towards him menacingly. Harry turned towards them fearfully and Dudley Dursley, his cousin particularly liked the scared expression on his cousin's face as he added the answer to his previous question.

"It's Harry Hunting Time!"

Alas, it seems Harry wouldn't be able to escape his tormentors today.

"Not again", Harry cursed under his breath as he started running, his gang of tormentors promptly gave chase as well.

As night fell, one tired and beaten Harry crawled into his cupboard, with a prominent black eye and split lips as a visible reminder of his earlier encounter. The darkness of the cupboard called out to him and Harry gladly embraced it, to be away from another kind of darkness. No one seemed to care how he got the injuries, even if someone cared enough, found the reason and told the truth, the Dursley's would deny any such accusations about their precious Duddukins in the first place. The very notion was a lost cause.

Harry played the subservient role of a slave to his relatives, a punching bag to his cousin and gang, submitting to their whims, but under the mask of that subservience laid an unbreakable will to survive and break free. And he did survive that is, day by day, night by night, he drudged on with his miserable life with hope of one day finding answers to his troubled life.

With the passage of one year after another, Harry slowly morphed from a slave to a true survivor. He was able to sneak some food into his cupboard when they tried to starve him, he was still skinny and underfed, but he managed. Wearing his cousin's old cast offs which were one too many sizes bigger didn't help with being seen as skinny either. None of his circumstances phased Harry though, as he had become numb to such conditions and had experienced enough to live past it. Even with all the darkness that surrounded him, Harry was able to catch some light to add to his own life, however few they might have been, it gave him the strength to live, it gave him the courage to dream and it gave him hope.

"Are you sure she can't have him over?", Vernon groaned in exasperation.

"She broke her leg, that should tell you enough", Petunia hissed back.

"Well I am not ruining my Dudder's day due to the boy having no nanny", Vernon retorted, "We'll just leave him locked up in the cupboard"

"Are you sure?"

"We have done it before and nothing happened", Vernon shrugged, "It's just for the day, we'll be back by evening"

Harry, who had been craning his ears while listening to the conversation, tried not to yelp in joy as he learned that he didn't have to go to the cat lady and would be left to his own devices. While Mrs. Figg was always nice to him, the large number of cats and various pictures of cats that she went through with him has become a form of torture for him.

"You better don't do anything freakish while we are gone boy", Vernon thundered as he shut the door to the cupboard, locking Harry inside before leaving with his family to enjoy his day off with his son and wife.

Harry remained calm and waited patiently for half an hour, making sure that the Dursely's were truly gone before he picked up the thin wire he had hidden beneath his cot. Slowly, with practised hands, Harry unlocked the latch to his door and with a sigh of relief got outside.

"Damn, for a second I thought I would be doomed", Harry grabbed an apple and a glass of juice from the kitchen counter before he made his way towards Dudely's room, where his actual target was.

Switching on the small computer, Harry finally displayed the delight of a child as he opened the RPG game on it. The game was something Dudely had obtained two years back along with the bulky yet small computer and Harry was able to catch glimpses of what Dudely and his friend Polkis did whenever he was cleaning the house nearby.

0o0o0o0

Two Years Ago

"Damn Duds, How did you get your parents to buy you a computer?"

"Lots of yelling, sacrificing my precious food and a pinch of temper tantrums…. ta-da, my parents bought me a new computer the very next day", Dudley merely glanced at his friend before going back to the game, "Now come one, I want to finish this level, Piers"

"Ok…hold on, I am not used to it yet"

Unknown to both of them, a seven years old Harry was watching the whole thing from the corner of the main room. His shadow-like presence went largely unnoticed by the over exuberant boys. Harry had stumbled upon them as he was completing one of his chores, that of cleaning the house.

Luckily for him, his uncle and Aunt were outside and his cousin and his tag along seemed completely oblivious to his presence, which granted him an opportunity to take in some part of the excitement without getting beaten up.

As Harry watched on and listened to the snippets that he was able to hear from his hiding spot, he learned that the game was an RPG or a Role-Playing Game. He watched as the hero in the game was awarded points, items, treasures as he saved princesses and slew monsters by travelling through all sorts of fantastical places. Harry quickly became enamoured with it, and as he continued watching them playing, he learned how to play it as well. He didn't become a genius or something at it, only just enough to know how to play it decently.

Naturally Harry couldn't hang out there all day long unlike his cousin and soon had to suppress his desire and move on with his chore, failure in his given task meant getting beaten and starved.

Then again, it didn't matter whether he could continue watching it to learn everything as the possibility that he could play said video games in the first place will never happen as neither Dursleys nor anyone else for that matter would give him a game station or even allow him to touch such game stations. It didn't matter to Harry though as moments like these where he could sneak a peek at the television or his cousin playing video games or being able to read fantasy books in the school library were the only bright spots in his dark and dreary life.

That night he went to bed dreaming of his life being a video game, with him being the hero of the game. He would travel through all sorts of places like dungeons, forests, castles and then save many beautiful princesses and fair maidens, slay monsters and so on. That day, Harry slept with a smile on his face as he had a wonderful dream that he never had in a long time.

The next morning, he half expected to wake up with a game window in front of him. But as usual dreams were only dreams and reality was always harsh. Harry by now had learned to expect the worst, thus he just went on with his life. But he soaked up some joy for himself by spying on his cousin playing games whenever it was possible for him.

After months of watching them play and operate the computer, Harry gathered enough of an idea to work it himself. But it was nearly a year later that he received the opportunity to use it and play the games that had so attracted him and fuelled his fantasies. It was one of those days where the Dursely's went outside but unlike usual, Mrs. Figg was not available to look after him. Not wanting to take him with them, the Dursleys locked him inside as they went on their small holiday trip.

In his boredom, Harry found a wire, which was among the many broken toys and tile pieces he had gathered, out of curiosity, and used it to unlock the door that held him in custody. Succeeding after many attempts, Harry promptly went for the computer and switched up the game, immersing himself in the fantasy journey of the game protagonist and his travel companions.

As the subdued yet bright colours splashed across the black screen, it broke the carefully crafted mask that he always kept to escape the wrath of his relatives and go unnoticed by everyone around him, bringing forth the child inside him.

Harry laughed, whooped, cursed and cheered as he levelled up, completed quests and gained rewards as he travelled through forests, castles, mountain tops, rivers, seas and more. From that day, he had utilised every opportunity to play the game, immersing himself in the fantasy world of games as it gave him joy, a sense of existence and most importantly, freedom.

That one day was so bright that anytime he felt depressed, all Harry needed was to remember it, immerse himself in the role of the Hero in the game and a smile of pure delight would appear on his face, chasing away all dark thoughts.

0o0o0o0

"Let's see… ah I am already at the end", Harry murmured as he started playing the game, "The final boss will be a pain in the ass, but luckily I have shored up on items and spells for the battle… maybe I should grind some more, it's better to be careful after all"

The raven haired boy then pulled his entire focus on the game, leaving his worries and sadness behind as he took on the persona of the unbeatable mage.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

Another rude hollering and loud knocking swiftly woke Harry up once again, but unlike on any other day, he didn't feel even an ounce of frustration as today was the day he had been looking forward to the most. Today, the school has arranged an excursion to the London Museum for students and as it was a free trip, the Durselys didn't have much in the way of stopping Harry from going on the trip.

Being as quick as possible in completing his chores while keeping his excitement in check and hidden from his relatives brought forth a frustration unlike anything Harry had ever felt. Yet, all of it, even the small run-in with Dudley and his gang he had to escape from, felt worth it as Harry sat on the specially arranged school bus. And much to his pleasure, he was seated with a girl from another class who had little to no interest whatsoever in him thus leaving him alone.

0o0o0o0

"Get him… Let's see if we can drop him out of the excursion"

"I got him Duds, no way he is escaping me"

"Not this time Piers", Harry yelled as he skidded and gilded around Piers Poliks who launched at him from the curve that hid him. Having anticipated that Dudley would ruin his day, Harry was on hair trigger alert and it paid off as he avoided their ambush. He ran like his very life depended on it, easily leaving behind his already huffing cousin and shaking off the rest a couple of blocks away.

Reaching the school, Harry once again blended into the crowd, sticking towards the side walls as he got into his class. For once, there was anticipation and glee on his face as he waited for his teacher to come, something that was mirrored in all the other students as well.

"Alright everyone get in line", the teacher waved the students, directing them to different lines as she made sure there was no crowding around or hustling and jolting while the students boarded the bus. Just as Dudley and his gang tried to follow Harry into the bus he had just climbed into, the teacher stopped them.

"This one is full boys, get on the next one"

Harry who watched the exchange started smiling openly as he went through the filled seats and finally found an empty one right after the middle. Shortly after, a girl with short brown hair occupied the seat next to him, throwing nary a glance towards the small unkempt boy as she turned towards her friends on the other seats.

"Hey Liz…. guess what, I saw Bobby getting an earful from the teacher"

"No way!"

"Ha…ha… you should have seen it…"

Harry looked at the girl beside him as she started chatting along with others and slowly moved closer to the window, leaving as much space between the two of them as he could.

'I wonder if I will get those cooties-stuff they talk about… come to think of it… what are they?'

As the bus moved past the Surrey suburbs, Harry had his eyes peeled looking this way and that as he took in the world around him. Having never gone past the small area he routinely traveresd, that started at his house and ended at his school, this felt like going on an adventure just like the games he had played. He caught glimpses of large stadiums, theme parks and the busy London area before the bus pulled up in the parking lot.

"No more than five in a group", the teacher once again started guiding students, with a Museum guide joining each of the newly formed student groups.

"What you see here is some of the most ancient relics we have ever dug up", the guide pointed towards several bronze tools and clay pots, "Some we know what it was used for like the pots, knives… others", he pointed towards stone slates and slabs, including eroded mechanical contraptions, "We know very little. Take these stone slabs for example, it is old and we can deduce that it was used to record something, we don't know what it actually says as we have never been able to decode the language"

"Have you pinpointed the era from which it came from?"

The guide smiled towards the girl with thick glasses, "I'm afraid not. But we have narrowed it down to late Bronze age to early Iron age"

"Where are the dinosaurs?"

The guides smile froze as his eyebrows twitch, "We'll be coming up on the Mesozoic exhibition after the arts section"

"Oh, Ok", the scrawny kid muttered as he turned towards his friend, whispering about his dinosaur collection set.

Harry, who had kept to himself at the back of the group, took in everything he saw, deeply imprinting the sights and the words of the guide. Each new item felt like a treasure to him, like loot drops in a game. Every object he had come across drew Harry's attention, making him stare at them like a kid possessed before the group moved on to the next one.

Yet this time, one of the items on display caught the boy's eyes more so than any other, drawing him away from his group. It was a stone tablet, about as large as the boy himself with some kind of script on it. Even after all these years the script remained sharp yet indecipherable. There were two things that caught Harry's attention about the stone, one it was not protected by any glass case or demarking lines or ropes and two, he felt himself drawn to some kind of power thrumming from it, a sensation he had never felt before.

'I wonder why it is left unguarded?', Harry moved closer, seeing no signs of warning from touching the tablet, 'Maybe it's too heavy and unimportant at the same time?'

His light hearted outlook changed the instant he touched the stone. The moment his hands laid upon the rough surface of the stone tablet, Harry felt himself being invaded by something.

At first it felt like a tingling which turned into a downpour as Harry felt himself almost float out of his own body. The ancient power that resided in the stone, sank its way deep beneath his skin, touching upon his soul and judging, about what Harry didn't know. But at the moment, Harry found himself drawn into a trance as his fingers slowly started tracing out the scripts carved into the stone.

With each iteration of his fingers, Harry found himself watching his life from the small memories he had of his childhood up till now. His hopes, fears, sadness and what bit of happiness he had felt all being bared to the ancient power inside the stone. In the end, the browsing of his life came to a particular wish he once had, that of him being the main character in a game with the ability to go on adventures and level up.

Harry was suddenly jolted out of his trance as something or someone hit him on the back, causing him to be pushed forward harshly into the mysterious stone relic he was pursuing.

"Ah…", Harry groaned as his head hit the stone relic around its sharp edge harshly, which immediately opened up a wound that started bleeding all over the stone tablet.

"Watch where you are going, Potty", Dudley laughed at his fallen and bleeding cousin.

"Ha…ha…Stupid Potty", Piers joined in on the teasing.

Dudley's usual cronies joined in with laughter, but luckily it attracted a guard who chased them away and, in his fervour, to catch the miscreants, he missed a bleeding kid on the floor. Then again, he wouldn't have as the magic in the ancient tablet had started working up at that moment, blocking the sight of any being that could see what was happening.

'Of all the days, why do they have to pick on me today. Figures, my life couldn't be normal for one day.', Harry cursed as he got up, regaining balance and tried to wipe the blood away.

His bullies being chased by the guard brought him some joy, but his attention was turned towards his wound which hasn't stopped bleeding. Try as he might, Harry couldn't wipe off the blood pouring out of his head wound. It was then that he noticed something strange, there was no blood on his shirt or on the floor.

Looking about, he saw all his blood being sucked into the stone tablet. Suddenly Harry felt dread and tried to move away, only for his dread to turn into outright horror as he seemed to be stuck in the place where he stood.

Before Harry could form a thought, a blinding flash ensued, making him close his eyes automatically. When the burning glaring sensation died out, all he found was an empty stand where the stone tablet once used to be.

Looking around wildly, Harry found to his relief that no one seemed to be aware of what had happened.

'Great I suppose it was another one of those freakish things that I always do whenever I am unsettled'

Harry shook his head and quickly moved away, rejoining his group with none of them being the wiser of him having left at all. Because of Dudley and his gang already being noted by the guards at the museum, Harry was lucky enough to enjoy the rest of the tour and the trip back.

'I wonder when I will be able to go outside like that again?'

Harry had a wishful look on his face as he pulled the cord on the light bulb switching it off, plunging his small cupboard into darkness again.

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

"Get UP! And start making breakfast"

'Great… back to slavery agai-...what the hell?'

Harry woke up with a sigh, only for his eyes to widen and him to freeze in position of letting out a yawn.

Ding!

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You have slept in your bed. HP and MP restored to 100%. All negative status effects and ailments have been cured.

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He blinked and blinked again, slowly shifting his gaze away from the bright yet transparent blue screen with words only for it to follow his gaze. Closing his eyes, Harry shook his head, making his messy hair messier. Opening his eyes, he groaned lightly before with a strength of will, he ignored the glaring problem and went outside to prepare food. But the moment he took hold of the kitchen utensil, another problem cropped up in the same way.

Ding!

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You have received an F-Class Quest!

[The Disgruntled Cook]

Quest Synopsis: Cook breakfast for your relatives even if you don't like it

Quest Requirement: None

Quest Rewards: 1 EXP

Special Reward: None

Quest Failure: Get beaten up

Accept / Decline

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This time Harry clearly heard the bell chime that he thought was his imagination. With trepidation, Harry superstitiously took a glance at his Uncle who was reading the paper and let out a breath of relief as he found the man to be immersed in whatever he was reading.

'Quest? Like a game?' Harry merely stopped for a moment before he went through the motions of making breakfast for his relatives. 'Then what if I…?'

Ding!

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You have accepted the F-Class Quest!

[The Disgruntled Cook]

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'Weird… but… let's just put the food on the table first'

As Harry patiently waited for his relatives to finish their food, he nibbled on the leftovers. After what he felt was an eternity, the Dursleys finished their food leaving the cleaning to him. Just then, another bell chime arrived making Harry grimace a smile as he tried to smother his joy from being expressed.

Ding!

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You have completed the quest [The Disgruntled Cook]!

Cook breakfast for your relatives even if you don't like it [Complete]

Special Reward: None

You have gained: 1 EXP

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'1 EXP? That's too low… then again I guess cooking food doesn't give much EXP anyway'

Harry cleaned the utensils and plates, before getting into shower to take a cold bath.

'Ok, so if this thing is like a game then… close. Aha it worked, that must mean… Stats!'

Ding!

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Name: Hadrian 'Harry' James Potter

Race: Human (Wizard)

Level: 1 (EXP: 1/100)

HP: 100/100

HP Regen: 0.001/min

MP: 100/100

MP Regen: 0.001/min

Attributes:

STR: 5

DEX: 6

END: 5

MYS: 7

INT: 6

CHA: 2

Attribute Points: 0

Hidden Attributes:

LUC: 1 (+/- 4)

WIL: 1

KAR: 0

Ability: [Warcraft Gamer System (Evolved)]

Skills: [Parseltongue], [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body]

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'Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Mystery, Intelligence and Charisma… normal attributes and it looks like I can't add attribute points to the hidden ones, damn... it would have been nice to increase my luck… but what the hell is this Potter Luck?'

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[Potter Luck]

[Every Potter is afflicted with the curse of The Potter luck which will randomly give you bad or good luck.]

+/- 4 to LUC attribute

[Note: Suck it Up]

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'Is it me or does this thing have a mind of its own?', Harry shook his head, scattering water everywhere, 'Ok I don't have much will power, zero in Karma… well I haven't done anything to deserve any karma so… but dammit! Why are my attributes so low?'

Harry sighed as he stopped the shower, grabbing a towel with the other hand to clean him up. 'Who am I kidding? With nothing to eat and being worked to the bone, it is a miracle that I even have such attributes….'

Getting out of the shower, Harry pulled on another one of Duley's castoffs before shouldering his school bag. But just as he put on the dress, another bell chime echoed with the accompanying new notification.

Ding!

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You have acquired the [Unkempt] status!

[For wearing old hand me downs that are one too many sizes bigger than yours, you look like a castaway]

-1 to CHA

[Note: Dress makes the Man]

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'Seriously? SERIOUSLY?'

Harry closed the notification and discarded his new found distraction as he focused on getting to school without getting caught by his cousin.

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[Warcraft Gamer System (Evolved)]

[It is very rare for one to be born with an ability. You are one such blessed individual who not only had an inborn ability but had it evolved using ancient relic]

[Note: Just say the name]

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[Parseltongue]

[A unique skill that helps you in speaking to and understanding snakes. Some have gone a step ahead and used the skill to charm more than just snakes]

Cost: 1 MP/min

[Note: Wait until you are older to try the advanced usages]

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[Gamer's Mind]

[Due to your ability 'Warcraft Gamer System', your mind is now that of a gamer, which means psychological threats have little to no impact on your mind thus allowing you to be calm and composed in most situations]

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[Gamer's Body]

[Due to your ability 'Warcraft Gamer System', your body is now that of a gamer, which means you can level up, upgrade your body while discarding all physical markings due to any damage as it can be repaired infinitely]

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'I guess that explains why I am not freaking out right now', Harry was currently hiding in his favourite spot, the Library as it was recess now.

Ding!

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For stating the obvious through facts observed, you have gained +1 INT!

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'Sarcastic much?'

Getting no response, Harry simply stared up at nothing and everything as he sat down on the floor with his back to one of the many aisle of books around him.

'Now then, the question is have I finally gone mad or is this some kind of hallucination, a leftover from all the times I played Dudley's games?'

Harry stared at his hands, slowly tilting it this way and that way. 'I don't feel anything new or special. Nor do I feel anything out of the ordinary…. But what if this power I have is true? What if I can level up? Hold on!'

He suddenly sat up straight as a thought hit him. Without so much as blinking, Harry picked up a book from the lower aisle and mentally called a command. 'Inventory'

Then he watched on as the book disappeared into thin air, well for others, but to him, it was like the book was placed in a square slot within a blue transparent window with twenty such slots. A grin slowly crept on Harry's face as he waved his hands around confirming that the book had indeed disappeared.

'Holy shit… could it be real? The only thing that happened out of the ordinary was yesterday's stone disappearing act? Didn't that thing go all vampire on me though?'

Harry slowly pulled the book out of his inventory and placed it back on the shelf. 'But other than that how do I explain this? I was thinking about being a game character when it happened. Damn! I am still not sure that I haven't gone mad… If it's true then…. Oh I am going to enjoy this… NO, I am going to master it!'

AN

That's a wrap, how is it? Is the new game system bad, cringy or outright bullshit? How about my new writing style, is it bad? Is it worse?

For those who are wondering about the Warcraft System.. yes it is exactly that with my own addition BUT it will not come into play anytime soon. That's more of a Book 2 thing I have planned.

Please review, as I would definitely take your opinions and will try to polish any rough edges.

Next chapter: Getting into the grove!