AN: It's official. I'm a bad person. I love gamer stories and someone asked me to do a Harry Potter one. My first instinct was to say no, obviously, since I have so many other WIPs. But… It's been nagging me. I've read a lot of Harry Potter fanfics and I've also read a lot of Harry Potter gamer fanfics. A lot are great, fantastic really, but there's always… something. Something I don't like, be it a plot choice, a characterization choice, etc. So when someone asked me to make one, the floodgates opened.
There are a billion things I want to do with this fic. But first and foremost, I think I'm going to treat it as a more story oriented Gamer fic. The game will exist and effect a lot of Harry's life, but instead of Harry constantly dungeon crawling and gaining levels he might make friends. Obviously I could just write a normal fic without any Gamer aspects, but where the fun in that?
This will be a lighthearted fic, to the point that I might just troll Voldemort… we'll see. A big plot point I'll spoil right now is one I loved in another fic I read a good bit ago whose name I cannot for the life of me remember. You know what… never mind. The spoiler is in the description and once the story gets to that point I hope many readers recognize it because the fic, while unfinished, was magnificent.
But I'm saying too much, on with the story!
~MM~
Chapter 1: Escape
Harry Potter was not a normal boy, at least, that's what his aunt, uncle, and cousin told him on a regular basis. A regular basis meaning every single day. Every single time one of them would tell him off or call him a freak Harry would feel rather small. And if he wasn't feeling small he was scared. Scared that his uncle would beat him, that his cousin would hurt him, that his aunt would scream and tug his ear, or that, worst of all, one day they'd throw him into the cupboard under the stairs and never let him out.
Everyday he tried so hard to please them so that maybe one day they would treat him like the people he would sometimes see as he was leaving school treated their kids. A part of him knew they never would, and that part hated them with every fiber of its being, but what was he to do? He thought of going to the police, but would they believe him? And if they didn't, what would Vernon and Petunia do to him? Every once in a while on of Vernon's beatings would end in a broken bone which was excruciatingly painful for the young boy. Ironically, those were some of the few times he was ever shown care by the people he lived with since they would attempt to put a stint on him while panicked about something Harry couldn't quite place his finger on.
Harry couldn't ask help from any of his neighbors as they had been poisoned against him long ago by his hateful aunt. School wasn't an option either. Since everyone on his block seemed to think badly of him their children weren't allowed to interact him, combined with Dudley's constant bullying Harry had no friends. On top of that he wasn't allowed to do better than Dudley, who did horribly, so most of his teachers had a bad opinion of him too. It was hopeless. No one would help him. Sometimes, when he cried himself to sleep at night, hungry and tired from a long day of doing chores after school, Harry would wonder why he bothered living at all.
~MM~
Summer had arrived and with it Dudley's toy, the Sega Mega Drive. Not to say it was new, quite the opposite in fact. Vernon and Petunia never refused their sweet baby boy a single thing, as such, when the Mega Drive came out in the beginning of the school year, they had bought it without a second thought as a "beginning of school" present. Christmas that year was full of the video games that had come out and Dudley could not be happier. But now that summer had rolled around the Mega Drive was old hat. Finally Harry would be able to sneak into his cousin's second bedroom and play the marvelous contraption for entire minutes at a time. He refused to be caught because he knew the repercussions would be monumental.
Dudley had around 25 games, several of which he wouldn't even touch like EA Hockey and Might and Magic 2, oddly enough, it was the second one that grabbed young Harry's attention. He didn't know why. A bunch of the other games were tons of fun, like Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Alien Storm, James "Buster" Douglas Knockout Boxing, and Hellfire to name a few, but there was just something about Might and Magic 2.
Perhaps it was the taboo. When Dudley asked for the game just last month Vernon had a conniption and Petunia had screeched about "freakishness" for almost an hour. Eventually, over the course of a week, Dudley's whining and complaining wore them down to the point of buying it. Funnily enough he didn't like it, "Too complicated." he claimed, not that his parents were complaining.
The game was wonderful. Sure, Harry didn't understand half of what he was doing, what the story was, or even how to play the game really, but he loved it. Something kept bringing him back failure after failure. Perhaps it was the beautiful graphics or cool characters. Or perhaps it was something much more meaningful. But like all good things it must come to an end.
One night, only a week into the summer hols, Harry snuck into Dudley's second room to play Might and Magic 2 again. This time he was actually making progress having acquired two more party members than his usual one. Hours had passed without him realizing it and just as he was about to slay another goblin the door slammed open.
"BOY! What do you think you're doing?" Vernon was in a rage. His deep red face contrasted horribly with his light purple pajamas.
Harry was shocked into silence. A small part of his mind knew this would eventually happen, but he so desperately wished it hadn't.
"Nothing to say for yourself huh? You wait right here. I'll be back." While wasn't screaming anymore something in Vernon's face told Harry that he wasn't in for a good time.
A mere minute later Harry could hear his whale of an uncle stomping back up the stairs.
"Vernon?" Came the sleepy voice of his aunt. "What are you doing? It's nearly 4 a.m.. Come back to bed."
"Not just yet my flower. I have a little freak to discipline." He didn't wait for a response and quickly stomped into the room Harry was in, still frozen.
He flinched when he saw what his uncle was holding: an old cricket bat. His heart sank even deeper, it felt as though it had exited his body and beguna descent into the center of the earth.
Vernon glanced at the TV. "You've gone too far boy. Who told you that you could play with my boy's things? Who told you you could leave your cupboard without permission. WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU CAN PLAY A FREAKISH GAME?"
Vernon's rage was too great to control any longer. He quickly lunged and grabbed Harry by his arm. What followed was the most egregious brutalization Harry had ever experienced in his short life. It lasted for almost an hour and when he was done Vernon threw the bloody mess that was his nephew into his cupboard.
"You won't be getting out for a long time boy." He said to know one. Harry had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the head halfway through.
~MM~
Groggily, ten year old Harry Potter woke up. He tried to open his eyes, but he found his face caked completely in blood so it took a few minutes of rubbing spit onto his eyes for him to finally open them. Harry had expected many things when he woke up that day. Pain from broken bones and open wounds, a splitting headache due to all the blows to the head, nothingness as he learned that his uncle had killed him, but never in a million years would he have anticipated what he saw.
For sleeping in your own bed HP and MP have been fully restored.
You have also recovered from several injuries such as: 25 broken bones, massive internal hemorrhaging, a split skull, massive brain hemorrhaging, multiple lacerations, detached retinas, and five dislocated joints to name a few.
"Wha… what?" Harry blinked uncomprehendingly at the blue text box. A stared at it for a full five minutes before saying, "That's it. I've gone fully around the bend I have. Uncle Vernon must have hurt me brain because there's no way this is real."
Nonetheless several small text boxes appeared and disappeared before the boy.
Relax child. Please.
You're not crazy.
This is very, very real.
And know that you are
very, very special to me.
"Uh-huh. Sure~ And I'm Bon Jovi." Harry rolled his eyes. "Definitely insane… or dead." The idea was unsettling because it wasn't unwelcome.
Please Harry don't think that way.
You're very much alive
and this is very real.
Listen. Your life, is now a game.
Harry blinked in surprise. "A game? Yeah right." Harry tried to turn away from the text boxes only for them to appear in his line of sight once again.
Yes Harry, a game.
Kind of like Might and Magic 2.
Go ahead and say the word "stats."
He wanted to say no. To close his eyes and fall back asleep and to wake up and discover it was all a dream. But what would that get him? Nothing. He'd be stuck in the cupboard just like before, only this time, without a friend.
"Fine. Stats."
Title: The Gamer
Name: Harry Potter
Race: ?
Level: 3
HP: 10/10
MP: 60/60
Stats
Str: 2*½ = 1
Vit: 1*½ = 0.5
Dex: 3*½ = 1.5
Int: 3
Wis: 2
Luck: 2
Charm: 2-5 = -3
XP: 57/300
Summary: Harry James Potter is the nephew of Vernon and Petunia Dursley with whom he lives. He was orphaned at a young age when his parents, who were drunks, died in a car crash. Life is hard for this ten year old as he spends his days doing chores or badly in school. But there is a secret that he doesn't know…
"Ohhh~! These stats suck! And why aren't I human, huh?" That question brought all other thoughts to a grinding halt. "I'm not human. And aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon know. I-I-I." Harry began to cry as he tried to come to terms with what he was about to say.
"I am a freak." he whispered suddenly feeling very, very tired.
But he was not allowed to wallow in his self-deprecation.
NO!
Harry swore he could almost hear the text box.
You are not a freak Harry.
Please believe me.
You're special and wonderful
and beautiful.
You deserve to be happy.
You're ten years old.
You have a lifetime to be happy.
And that starts now.
Slightly different text boxes appeared.
Alert!
You have been given a quest!
Escape the Dursleys!: All your life you've experienced nothing but hatred from these vile people. It's time to be free! To grow and live and be happy.
Objective: Leave
Reward: A Whole New World
Accept?
[Y/N]
Harry had never done anything faster in his entire life.
Well done Harry.
Now get to it.
I won't be holding your
hand forever you know.
With new life flowing through his veins Harry sat up and began to formulate a escape plan.
"Ok. can I do?" and immediately hit a brick wall. He was ten! He wasn't strong enough to break out. "Oh! Inventory."
A large blue box full of smaller boxes filled his vision. Empty save for one. Harry clicked on the filled in box, he had an idea of what it was, but wanted to see if he got more information.
Hammer
It's a normal, hand-held hammer.
Damage: 2 + Str
Durability: 10/10
"Ok. I guess I can just… break out of here. Literally."
Harry didn't know whether or not his relatives were home, nor did he care. He was going to finally do what he never had the courage to do before: leave. He was still a little bit afraid that he'd die all alone without adults watching him, but that feeling was leaving him as he began to pound on his cupboard door with the hammer. His life was a game now. He also had some tutorial person helping him out. He wasn't alone anymore. He'd be free.
~MM~
Turns out freedom wasn't all it was choked up to be. Harry had been happy to discover that his relatives weren't in the house and that his escape would go off without a hitch, but after walking for two hours he was quite tired.
"Where are we going? And why didn't I get anything for that quest? This whole new world sucks!"
Haha. Don't worry. You're
going somewhere very important.
Just keep following this road.
"Fine."
After two hours of walking later Harry found himself at the entrance to a park, but it wasn't a normal park, it was a national park. Whatever that means. It was called the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Harry had never been to a forest before, the Dursleys weren't big on picnics in nature, but if the game was telling him to come here, there had to be a reason. One Harry quickly discovered.
Just as he crossed the small gate that acted as an entrance to the park the world suddenly became quieter and a blue text box appeared.
Alert!
You have entered a dungeon.
Dungeons are places where reality shifts and the only things that should be there are you, and the enemy.
There are many kinds of dungeons, but this one is called a field dungeon. No deep dark caves or mighty towers for you to explore, just the beautiful land before you.
Quest Alert!
Dungeons 101: You've entered your first dungeon! Escape with your life!
Objective: Defeat all the mobs, defeat the boss
Rewards: Experience, ?, ?
"Oh… ok." A bit scared by the "escape with your life" bit of the quest Harry grabbed the hammer from his inventory and held it in a ready stance. Or at least what he thought one was.
Relax child.
This is what you can call
Tutorial Town.
An enemy is approaching.
"Oh… ok." Slightly relieved by… the game's… words Harry relaxed, but kept his eyes peeled for the enemy.
A did not expect a blue slime with cartoon eyes and a happy smile to wiggle into view.
"Really?"
Don't go around underestimating
every easy looking enemy.
This your life now.
You need to be careful.
Look at the slime and
say the word "observe".
Following instruction to the tee Harry said, "Observe."
Title: NA
Name: Blue Slime
Level: 2
HP: 40/40
MP: 20/20
"Alright. It's got 40 health and with this hammer I do… two and a half damage damage. And what happened to its durability?"
Hammer
It's a normal, hand-held hammer.
Damage: 2 + Str
Durability: 4/10
You used the hammer to
smash the cupboard open.
What did you expect?
But worry not.
Look at your stats.
The boy eyed the slime warily for a moment before saying "Stats."
Title: The Gamer
Name: Harry Potter
Race: ?
Level: 3
HP: 40/40
MP: 60/60
Stats
Str: 4*½ = 2
Vit: 4*½ = 2
Dex: 3*½ = 1.5
Int: 3
Wis: 2
Luck: 2
Charm: 2-5 = -3
XP: 57/300
Summary: Harry James Potter is the nephew of Vernon and Petunia Dursley with whom he lives. He was orphaned at a young age when his parents, who were drunks, died in a car crash. Life is hard for this ten year old as he spends his days doing chores or badly in school. But there is a secret that he doesn't know…
"Oh man. I forgot about the minuses. Or… divides? What's with my stats?"
They're an unfortunate result
of the life you've lived.
Say: perks.
Harry glanced at the slime again, surprised to find it hadn't moved at all. "Ok, perks."
Perks
N/A
Special Perks
?
?
Debuffs
Extremely Malnourished
Life has been hard and a lot of it has been filled with lack of eating.
½ to all physical stats
-5 to charisma
"That… really sucks. But what about all those question marks?"
Ah ah ah. That's a secret.
Harry could practically hear the taunting finger wag. "Fine. Imma beat this guy up now."
He approached the slime slowly, his right hand outstretched in front of him holding the hammer. When he was in swinging distance Harry attacked the slime with a mighty yell and then jumped away. The slime didn't react.
"Uhm. You going to do anything?"
The slime just wobbled.
Feeling a lot safer now Harry sauntered up to the slime and began pounding on it. As the creature's health dipped below half it finally retaliated. Harry had been to relaxed to he wasn't able to dodge the slime's tackle.
-2 HP
Harry looked at the text box in disbelief. "That's it? This is going to be awesome!"
He returned to his task of slaying the mighty slime with fervor. This time he remembered to dodge the one other tackle the slime used before dying.
As the creature began dissolving into nothingness Harry jumped for joy. "Woohoo! I did it. I did it." This went on for a full minute.
+20 EXP
Harry
"Wassup?" The dancing boy asked.
The slime left things behind
"Ooh, really? Cool!" He scampered over to where the slime once stood and marveled at what he found.
Rusty Short Sword
A rusty hunk of junk that may have once been a decent weapon. Still works though.
Damage: 5+Str+Dex
Durability: 5/5
"It does a lot more damage, but it won't last long. And I got a single pound. I haven't completed the quest… guess I'll wander about like in Might and Magic."
The next three hours were oddly boring for Harry. As he wandered he ran into numerous slimes, but they posed absolutely no threat. Sure he got hit once or twice, but in the long run it was nothing. He broke a bunch of rusty swords too. The only cool thing that happened was around an hour into his exploration.
Congratulations!
Through repeated actions with a single weapon you have gained a skill!
[Passive Combat] Makeshift Swordsmanship Lvl. 1
You suck! But you're beginning to get a feel for swords.
+1% damage when using swords
Besides that, not much. He had gained some physical stat points from the exercise he got through killing slimes, but it wasn't until he killed his thirteenth that he got a level.
Title: The Gamer
Name: Harry Potter
Race: ?
Level: 4
HP: 60/60
MP: 60/60
Stats: 5
Str: 6 + (*½ = 3)
Vit: 6 + (*½ = 3)
Dex: 4 + (*½ = 2)
Int: 3 +
Wis: 2 +
Luck: 2 +
Charm: 2 + (-5 = -3)
XP: 17/400
"Well, I gotta kill things better for when the boss arrives so…"
Title: The Gamer
Name: Harry Potter
Race: ?
Level: 4
HP: 60/60
MP: 60/60
Stats
Str: 11*½ = 5.5
Vit: 6*½ = 3
Dex: 4*½ = 2
Int: 3
Wis: 2
Luck: 2
Charm: 2-5 = -3
XP: 17/400
"Alright! I killed thirteen of these guys to level up, so if I get two more maybe the boss will come."
As if hearing his prayer two slimes appeared, only this time, one of them was red!
"Ooh! Observe!"
Title: NA
Name: Red Slime
Level: 3
HP: 80/80
MP: 20/20
"Man, I wish I knew their stats. Oh well."
Jumping into the fray just as before Harry partook in mortal combat with two slimes. He was grateful to discover the only difference between the red slimes and the blue slimes was that the red ones were just a little bit more aggressive, slightly faster, and hit for four damage instead of two. Overall, not an issue. When Harry landed the final blow on the red slime he heard a loud ding.
By defeating many of his minions you have summoned the boss of this area!
King Slime!
A few feet away from him green goop began swirling in the air, coalescing into a large slime that towered over little Harry.
"O-Observe."
Title: King of the Slimes
Name: King Slime
Level: 10
HP: 200/200
MP: 100/100
Harry was quaking in his cousin's shoes. "A level ten boss? That's not fair!"
But this time the game did not say a thing.
Luckily the boss wasn't reacting, much like the other slimes he had fought. Harry looked around for an escape before remembering he needed to defeat the boss in order to do that. Sighing in defeat harry looked down to find a sword, but this time, it wasn't rusty.
Basic Short Sword
A solid weapon. Able to cut through flesh like a knife.
Damage: 10+Str+Dex
Durability: 20/20
"That's good… I guess. And I got five pounds! Let's go big guy."
Resorting to a "ride or die" strategy Harry lunged at the King Slime and began hacking at it until he was tired. When he backed off he was surprised to find the king completely unresponsive.
"Weird. Observe.
Title: King of the Slimes
Name: King Slime
Level: 10
HP: 0/200
MP: 100/100
"I… really." As if waiting for his words the King Slime began to dissolve. "Huh. that's good I guess."
Once it had finished dissolving Harry walked over to the small pile. He got ten pounds, a high quality short sword, and an black bandana.
"I wonder what's this for? Observe?"
Bandana of Endurance
In this bandana lives the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of warriors. Merely donning his headgear can fill the wearer with great power.
Effect: +10 to Str, Vit, and Dex
"This is sweet! Oh man." He immediately put the bandana on. "Oh! I be I look so cool!" He didn't. He looked like a ripoff cholo, especially because of Dudley's baggy clothes.
Congratulations!
You've completed the quest: Dungeons 101.
Rewards: 1,000 XP, Magic Arrow, Title: Apprentice Slime Smasher
"Neat! I bet that got me another level. Stats."
Title: The Gamer
Name: Harry Potter
Race: ?
Level: 6
HP: 160/160
MP: 60/60
Stats 10
Str: (11+10)*½ = 10.5
Vit: (6+10)*½ = 8
Dex: (5+10)*½ = 7.5
Int: 3
Wis: 2
Luck: 3
Charm: 2-5 = -3
XP: 67/800
"Last time I did strength so I can kill stuff. But being smart is important too… right? Yeah. But what else? Vitality gives me health so…"
Title: The Gamer
Name: Harry Potter
Race: ?
Level: 6
HP: 200/200
MP: 60/60
Stats
Str: (11+10)*½ = 10.5
Vit: (10+10)*½ = 10
Dex: (5+10)*½ = 7.5
Int: 6
Wis: 2
Luck: 6
Charm: 2-5 = -3
XP: 67/800
"And some luck for luck! Ok!" The tiny thug looked around completely lost. "Now what?"
Find some shelter
Find some food
"Huu… ok." Picking a random direction Harry began to walk. He walked for about an hour before he stumbled upon a big dark hole that totally looked like a cave. Night was beginning to fall so Harry cared little to make sure the cave was safe.
What Harry did not know was that the cave he was walking into was actually the den of wild kneazles. But he did not tread deeply into the cave and as such did not interact with them.
Settling down Harry wondered how he would go about getting food, unfortunately, nothing came to him before exhaustion set in and he fell asleep.
~MM~
You have slept on an extremely uncomfortable cave floor.
20% of HP and MP have been restored.
-50% to Dex for two hours
While the message he woke up to was disappointing it did not hold his attention for long. No, what interested the boy was the rather heavy weight on his chest that he found to be a cat-like creature.
"Hullo? Who are you?" While the cat didn't seem like it wanted to kill him, it wasn't moving either.
The two beings then engaged in a lengthy staring contest that lasted about ten minutes. Just as Harry was ready to throw the creature off of his chest it got off by itself. Harry then stood up and dusted off his clothes, all the while feeling his back pain quite intensely.
Harry was confident the small lion house cat fusion couldn't talk so he decided to observe it in hopes of learning something.
Title: Pack Leader
Name: NA
Race: Kneazle
Level: 15
HP: 200/200
MP: 240/240
Stats
Str: 13
Vit: 10
Dex: 10
Int: 12
Wis: 10
Luck: 10
Charm: 10
"What's a kneazle? Probably some breed I've never heard off, but you look so cool!" Gushed Harry.
The kneazle's ears perked up at that, as if it knew it had been complemented.
Seeing that action reminded Harry that this nameless cat was in fact smarter than him, and stronger than him, and if he was here it probably meant Harry was near his home. And if that cat didn't like him… Harry shuddered at the idea of dying to a cat of all things.
"Is this your home? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I'll go find someplace else." A bit downtrodden about the fact that he would have to find a new cave to sleep in Harry began to leave, but was stopped by a tail.
Surprised by such an action Harry turned to the kneazle and asked, "You want me to stay?"
It obviously didn't say anything, but it did turn around to walk deeper into that cave all the while seemingly beckoning to Harry with his tail.
Despite his now aching hunger, something he wasn't a stranger to, Harry followed the kneazle. The walk wasn't a long one, but Harry noticed the cave get warmer the deeper in they went. When they finally stopped the ten year old was astonished by what he saw.
Tons of kneazles, he could tell since they all had the lion ears and tail puffs, but beyond that, a cavern lit by glowing rocks. The cavern wasn't huge, a tall grownup could probably touch the ceiling, but it was very wide, which it had to be. There was no way Harry could count all of the kneazles, but there had to be at least fifty of them.
"Wow, is this your pack?" he asked his furry friend.
The Pack Leader answered with a deep purr that harry took as an affirmative.
"Wow." As Harry marveled at the sight he was interrupted by a blue text box.
Quest Alert!
One With The Pack: You have been given the opportunity that any ? worth their salt would kill for. The leader of a large group of kneazles has offered you a place in the pack.
Objectives: Follow Instructions, Prove Your Worth
Rewards: Food and Shelter
Failure: Death
Accept?
[Y/N]
Denying this quest will be treated as if you had failed it.
"Doesn't leave me with much a choice no does it buddy?" he asked the kneazle. It didn't respond but its stare seemed to bore into Harry's soul. "Fine, Fine. I think I'm a fan of living now anyway." he accepted the quest.
"So now what?"
~MM~
AN: So in an odd twist of fate I never could have anticipated, I know a lot of ten year olds. At the church I regularly attend there are five and I have two ten year old cousins I see with some regularity. I know a ten year old now can't compare to a ten year old in 1991 what with technology and all, but I feel I have a solid idea of a logical mentality and personality for Harry Potter.
Personalities can change in an instant, especially for people under the age of 25, so you can expect to see some change in Harry as this story progresses. A big part of it is something special though.
ABOVE ALL ELSE! IF MY HARRY EVER BECOMES A 50 YEAR OLD IN A PREPUBESCENT BODY TELL ME SO I CAN DELETE THIS STORY.
Some allowances will have to be made as the intelligence and wisdom stats get high… but still.
Hope you like the direction I ended up going with this story. Believe me when I say none of this went the way I thought it would. Oh well, I like what i'm doing which is what matters to me.
As always please leave a thoughtful review.
Thx ;)