Wool's Orphanage, 2007
Elias Blake.
I woke up with a jolt, the remnants of a dream about a library grander than anything I could ever imagine still clinging to my mind. It felt so vivid, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it held some hidden meaning. That grandiose book in the middle of it felt like it was calling for me, yearning for me to approach it, make it mine, but the dream ended before I could.
Years ago, I might have brushed it off as just another dream, but now I was sure it was more than that.
I had thought nothing could surprise me anymore. After all, being reincarnated as an orphan in one of my favorite books was hard to top. At first, I believed I was living in a typical setting, and much of my first years in this life were spent plotting for the future, armed with the knowledge from my past life. On the surface, everything seemed normal, after all.
According to the caretaker at the Orphanage, I was born in 1993, and the place's name was a glaring hint.
Wool's Orphanage was the same one where Tom Riddle had grown up. Connecting the dots took me a while, but everything changed when I turned five. I remember that day vividly—the first time I accidentally performed magic. I had been crying over an older kid who had been bullying me, and in that moment of frustration, something extraordinary happened.
In a way no one could explain, the older kid bothering me was pushed against the wall by an unseen force; thankfully, no one was present to observe the freak accident.
Liam was not a dumbass after all, and if people were to know that he liked to pick on kids younger than he was, his reputation would disappear like nobody's business; Liam wanted to do so for the thrill of feeling the power he had over the rest of us, he was the oldest kid present at the Orphanage at that time, constantly pressuring the other children to do his chores or taking the food that was graciously provided.
As I said, I remember that moment vividly because it changed my life for the better. It was the day of my fifth birthday, and the matrons of the Orphanage decided to bake a cake for me, as they did every time someone had a birthday. Money was tight, but the matrons did everything they could for the children, even if it meant going some days without eating well.
I was gifted the biggest piece of cake since I was the birthday boy, but Liam tried to pressure me when I was alone in my Room so that he could eat it in my stead, going as far as pushing me toward my bed to steal my cake. I usually was more composed than that, feeling that it was stupid to dumb myself down to act like my supposed age, but maybe I could not control my emotions as well as I had thought, and I snapped. Liam was pushed against the wall with immense force, going to the point that it even cracked the wall.
At that moment, I thanked my lucky stars for giving me a gift in this new life, I had been conscious enough to know that I was in the world of Harry Potter, thanks to the name of the Orphanage and my accidental magic, but I used to whine that I was born years later than the main cast, sad to miss the main adventure of the books. While it would be better in the long term since I was born after the series's main antagonist was defeated, I always dreamed of forming part of the main trio.
In my past life, I dreamed of an opportunity like this. After all, I was somewhat of a failure. I had been expelled from multiple schools due to my not knowing when to start acting as a mature human being. I had continued studying, of course, since my parents would hear none of it, but I felt demoralized since I was the oldest of my grades by a large margin. Being eighteen surrounded by kids three years younger than me was weird, and it made me feel worse than it probably should have.
Either way, after that time, Liam stopped acting like a prick. No one of the kids knew why he had a change of heart, but everyone was thankful for it; he even started acting like a good older brother to some of them. Not me, of course.
Even if he did not remember how he was pushed to the wall, it appeared that there was some unconscious fear of me. It was okay; I did not need someone to act like that with me. Everyone knew that I was special, not by much, mind you since I hid most of my knowledge so as not to stand out too much. For everyone else, I was just an exceptionally bright child; there was nothing to write to the governments about, but enough for me to get noticed and supported.
While I had not been adopted, even after standing out in school and the community, there were always organizations or schools that tried to help me, even if indirectly. I was offered scholarships to the best schools in the area, which I gladly accepted even if I knew I would disappear when I turned eleven.
The day I boarded the Hogwarts Express showed that I should not blindly trust the information I had about the future. I met my current best friends, Iris Potter and Hermione Granger, who had been my pillars in this life. The years in this world had been pushed, and as of right now, I did not know the reason why.
Before I could continue my introspection, I felt something weird in the air, and I tensed and grabbed my wand. It felt comfortable to the touch and helped me calm down, even minutely.
The wand was made of blackthorn, and its dark and smooth surface glinted in the light. 11 ¾ inches, according to Olivander, with the core of a phoenix feather. It was rigid, and I loved it like nothing else. It had accompanied me for our adventures in the first three years of Hogwarts, fighting plants, spiders, a werewolf, and even a godforsaken basilisk.
Having my wand in my hands made me relax minutely; even if I risked some fine with the government, at least I would be alive to pay for it. Slowly, I opened my eyes, trying to find the reason for the change I could feel.
According to Professor Flitwick, I was susceptible to magic, and the change of the magic in my Room was something that even the trolls of Slytherin could feel.
Seeing no one present in the Room, I stood up slowly, a protego ready on my lips just in case someone was invisible. My senses were sharp, but that could not help me here. My wand slipped when I saw what was on my table.
The same book I had dreamed was present on top of the table; it was a grimoire, similar to the ones we saw in our first years at Hogwarts when we sneaked into the forbidden section of the library. Its cover was bound in cracked leather that seemed to pulse some faint silver light. I could feel it pushing against my mental defenses, which I was proud enough to have, and it tore through them like a hot knife through butter. I wasn't in control of my body anymore; nothing over the years prepared me for something like this. I felt myself panic.
I felt myself approaching the grimoire slowly until I picked it up from the table. My hand moved without my input, grabbing a sharp pen used to cut the tip of my finger, and I tried to move with all my strength, but it was for naught. The blood started sipping into the first page of the open grimoire. Preparing for the worst, I tried to close my eyes to no avail. I was going to die a virgin one more time.
The grimoire shined with silver light, way more potent than before. It was so strong that I could feel my eyes pricking from it, watering almost instantly. Before long, my blood in the grimoire was subsumed into it, a splotch of blood moving along the pages, forming something that I could not decipher.
It appeared to be a message, but it was written in a language I could not understand—not English, Spanish, or French.
Before long, I could feel myself in control of my body once again before I was hit with the mother of all headaches; clutching my head, I fell to the ground with a silent scream of agony; after some minutes of trembling in pain, I finally understood what had happened.
I was the (proud?) owner of the Celestial Grimoire, a book with no beginning or ending. As time progressed, it gave me points depending on my actions, which could be used to roll something out of it—knowledge, artifacts, or perks. I did not know what kind of things I could roll, but the letters changed to something readable.
Start: 200 CP
+100 CP, 300 CP Total.
Roll or bank?
I knew nothing about this grimoire, but I was already bonded with it, so I hoped the message imprinted into my soul was correct and not a curse. Momentarily, I wondered if I should go ahead with it or ask for help from someone more experienced.
In my three years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had been helpful to us in his own cryptic way, which lessened my fear of him being a hidden dark lord. However, I felt that I should keep this close to myself. I didn't know if the book was messing with my mind, but I decided to try it first.
Taking a deep breath, I took the pen used to cut my finger open and wrote "roll" on the first page.
A little ping could be heard in the deepest part of my mind, and something in my gut pulled and pulled hard.
[Thief's Grace]- 300 CP
A comparison could be made between you and a ghost. You have been trained in the art of stealth, making it easier for you to go unseen by others. This has the added benefit of you becoming more agile and dexterous, surely that will help in battle.
I could feel it in my soul; the grimoire worked, and I was filled with joy. My adventures in Hogwarts were filled with perils and every year, I dreaded going back and putting my life at risk, but I continued to do so for my friendship with Iris and Hermione. They were my best friends, and I would do anything for them. I could not lie and say that I didn't start that friendship in hopes of becoming someone important; after all, I was just a single orphan, a mudblood, according to the Slytherins.
In my first year, I befriended Iris and Hermione, even helping Iris with my knowledge because I wished to be someone of importance, earning a name for myself. I tried to keep the events as close to canon as possible but tipped the scales in our favor. But the risk was always there, and I was not the most courageous.
But now that would change for the better, I hoped; I could already feel my new agility in my body. Jumping on my toes, I did my morning routine for exercise, something that I had done since I could remember. I did not know why wizards and witches didn't exercise because the best way to defeat someone in a fight was to move away from their spells. Since there was magic and potions to help people be lean, wizardkind forgot about their basics—an error I would not commit.
100 CP awarded, 100 CP Total.
Roll or bank?
Taking a deep breath, I wrote "roll" again, and the pulling feeling was no less disturbing than the first time.
[Fertile River] - 200 CP
Why? You are now the official owner of a large river, of clean water and large fishes. It's not just a mundane river, however. Anyone who drinks water directly from the river, whether woman, man, or animal, will immediately become heavily pregnant. The water has to be drunk directly from the river for it to work its magic, but it looks like completely normal water, so tricking people into drinking from it might not be difficult. You could easily maintain a whole kingdom composed of nothing but women with no issues on producing the next generation with this river. Additionally, you also possess a natural wellspring of water hidden in a cave somewhere relatively close to the river (as in, ten miles away), that immediately and painlessly aborts any pregnancy of whoever drinks it, even if the pregnancy is natural instead of produced by drinking the water of the river. You should be careful no one drinks more than a few sips of this abortion water, though, as that can be very lethal. Not that you're under any obligation to show people where this wellspring is.
Unable to purchase, points banked.
Snorting at this roll, I could not help but double over in laughter. Why would I ever need something like this, I wondered. Having a kingdom filled with women sounded fun until you remember how women act when unionized. I had more than enough with my best friends, after all. Even two of them would make me go grey before my twenties. No, Skip.
With that, the grimoire disappeared from my sight, but I could feel it inside my soul, ready for the next roll.
I no longer felt fear for the future. I noticed from this world that Wizardkind seemed stronger than in the movies; there was a dueling club for anyone interested since my first year, a club filled with children brandishing their wands like their lives depended on it. There were a lot of differences with canon, so I always doubted if we could ever be victorious against Voldemort without much luck. But now? Now, I felt like I could go against anyone with enough time.
Smiling a bit, I picked up my wand from the floor, took my cleaning kit from Olivanders, and started cleaning it from the specks of Dust that adhered to it on the floor. Shaking my head, I looked toward the calendar in the door. It was still some weeks from the start of our fourth year, and I needed to get ready to go to the quidditch World Cup with my best friends and Ron. Our relationship with the redhead was not as close as in canon, thanks to my intervention, but we were still friends since he approached us to thank us for saving Ginny during our second year.
At first, he was a jealous git since I was closer to Iris than he was, but he tried too hard to mingle with us during the train ride. Iris told me in secret that she felt he only wanted to befriend her thanks to her identity as the girl who lived. I remembered feeling shame since I was doing the same, but I just hid it better than him. The first year was the same; he tried to get closer to the golden trio and make it a quartet, but he got mad after Iris rebuffed him publicly. He lost his temper and said something he shouldn't have, ending with me cursing him.
At that time, I was afraid the twins would bully me in the name of vengeance. Still, thankfully, even they were disgusted with what he said, so they gave me carte blanche to teach him if he ever behaved like that again, as long as I made it funny and left no lasting damage.
Thankfully, after that, he left us alone for the rest of the year—until the second one. When he heard from his parents what had happened inside the chamber of secrets, he corralled us in a corridor and apologized profusely, asking for forgiveness and swearing to do better in the future.
He became friends with the rest of the Gryffindor boys, whom I did not talk to since I spent most of my time with my best friends. The only one who was somewhat close to me was Neville, I tried to help discretely, but his grandmother had already damaged his self-esteem.
Today was the day. According to the letter delivered by Pig, Ron's new owl, Mr. Weasley, had saved Iris from the Dursleys three days ago, and today, they would be coming to pick me up.
Since I was an orphan, it was no trouble for my caretakers to give me permission to leave without much explanation. Ever since I was young, I have shown myself to be much more mature than the rest of my peers, and since I was invited by a classmate's family, they didn't ask much.
Going over my bed, I reached below it to grab my trunk. It was pricey but worth every galleon I earned selling things from the Room of Requirement. Since the education at Hogwarts had lessened over the years, the children were not supervised as well as they should have been, considering we had learned to alter reality since our first year.
Thanks to Pip, a young house elf bonded to Hogwarts, I obtained a bag of holding. With it, I could smuggle enough trinkets, and the twins helped me sell them during the break of my second year. With that gold, I bought this trunk at a price I didn't even want to remember, but I had enough space to do whatever I wanted. It even had a room for potions and enchanting.
While I was no Hermione, I also dabbed enough with potions. I knew that some of them could be useful in the future, and knowledge was power.
Thanks to me, Iris, Hermione, and I chose the electives of Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. We needed to be prepared for the final confrontation, and since the world had some differences with canon, I couldn't be sure Voldemort only had seven horocruxes or if they were even the same.
At the very least, Iris had the lightning bolt on her forehead, and we destroyed the diary in our second year, but that didn't mean the rest were the same.
Storing everything I needed in my trunk, I nodded in satisfaction, but before I could go and eat with the rest of the children, the grimoire stirred inside my soul.
+100 CP awarded, 200 CP total.
Roll or bank?
Anxious, I thought to roll, and thankfully, the grimoire accepted the order. It was good that I didn't need to write on it for it to work since I was sure that people would wonder where an orphan muggle-born found a grimoire that shined like nothing I'd ever seen in my admittedly short life.
[Power Through Pain]- 200 CP
Through ritualistic self-torture and sheer willpower, you are able to channel Dust magic. You require a foci to channel truly powerful spells but while unarmed you can still fling brilliant blue flames from your hands. You pain tolerance is increased greatly, and will further increase the more you inflict pain upon yourself. With enough practice, you could immolate yourself and feel only a distracting tingle. How much are you willing to put yourself through for power?
Purchased, 0 CP Remaining.
I didn't know what to feel about this roll; while pain tolerance is a great bonus, that didn't mean I wouldn't die just as easily as before. In fact, it was a problem because I would not realize how harmed I was at any given moment. Another bad thing was that Dust didn't exist in this world, so I would be limited in what I could do with my new magic.
Frowning in thought, I felt a slight tingle in my hands that grew stronger the more I focused, and before long, blue flames sparked from my hands. I did not know if I was damaging myself with it, so I willed them to disappear. At the very least, I had something to defend myself in case I was in a sticky situation without my wand. According to the knowledge that I had now, this was the most I could do without Dust. It was disheartening, but I needed to see the plus to my situation. The quidditch World Cup would be attacked by terrorists, so at least I had something with more oomph than a stunner or a reducto.
Smiling, I opened the doors to enjoy my last hours in the Orphanage.
Six hours later.
"It's good to see you, Mr. Weasley." I smiled at the balding man. While oblivious, he was a good person who saw the best in everyone. Even if he didn't know much about me, he treated me like a good friend of his youngest son. Saving his baby daughter helped a lot, I was sure.
"It's nice to see you too, Elias," he replied with a wide smile. How is vacation treating you?"
"It's all good; the caretakers treat me well," I replied with a nod, "But I cannot wait to go to Hogwarts once again."
"Ah, Hogwarts is a special place for all of wizarding Britain. I can understand your desire to go back, young man," he said, nodding in understanding. "I was the same when I was your age, and I'm sure most of all felt the same while we studied there."
Smiling at him, I took my trunk and his hand. The sensation of apparating was horrible, and I felt my knees wobble, gasping for air when we arrived at the burrow.
Taking a moment to calm myself, I stood up and checked if all my limbs were attached to my body. I didn't know if that was a risk when someone else apparated you, but I wanted to ensure I was complete.
Sighing in relief, I looked toward Mr. Weasley.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." I shook my head with a rueful smile
Mr. Weasley laughed, "It is better when you do it by yourself, lad. But wait until you are in your seventh year to learn. I'm sure you do not want to experience losing an arm and not knowing what to do." He cautioned sternly, "I already have enough problems with the twins; finding a finger in the dining table was something I don't wish to experience again."
Snorting at that, I was about to reply before the grimoire stirred inside me.
100 CP awarded, 100 CP total
Roll or bank?
Choosing to bank it for the moment, I was about to continue with our conversation when two cannons hit me like a train, and I was sprawled on the floor.
"Elias!" two voices said in unison, and I smiled contently at being together once more.
Hugging the two witches with one arm each, I burrowed my head in their hair. "I missed you two so much," I murmured.
Hermione was the first to separate from me, "I missed you too, Elias." she said with a cute dusting on her cheeks, her wild hair moving along the wind.
Smiling at her softly, I looked toward the gremlin still holding onto me, "I don't wish to go back, Eli," Iris said softly, and my face went blank. Her situation with the Dursleys was a little bit different than in canon, her gender was probably the main reason for that, and while thankfully she didn't suffer the worst, Petunia tried to belittle her as hard as she could, going as far as slandering as a "Slut" like her mother, according to the snobbish bitch.
"Just one more year, Iris," I said softly, trying to calm myself. "Did you hear anything about Padfoot?"
Iris shook her head, "The last thing I heard about him was that he was going to France for a while; he is still wanted after all." That had been one of my most difficult decisions in this life, but I needed Pettigrew to escape so that he could bring Voldemort back to life. If it wasn't him, another death eater probably would do it, so at least I would know what to expect this year. I hope to get something from the grimoire this year to capture him during the rebirth.
"Everything will be better, I promise," I vowed while hugging her hard enough to prove my point. "I will make sure of it, believe me."
Iris separated her head from my chest and looked at me with her beautiful emerald eyes, searching for any deceit, even though she knew I would never do that. Before long, she nodded.
"Good," I kissed her brow, "Now let us go and greet the Weasleys."
Celestial ascendancy
Chapter 2: The burrow.
The burrow.
Elias Blake.
"I want to thank you for hosting me, Mrs. Weasley." I smiled at the plump, redheaded woman in front of me. "If there is anywhere I can help while I am here, let me know."
Mrs Weasley smiled her usual motherly smile, "Shush, dear. We will always welcome you here after what you did for our daughter. She was quite anxious for you to arrive," she teased her youngest.
Looking at Ginny, I smiled, seeing her face resembling a tomato, and I opted to tease her even more. She was fun and probably my favorite Weasley after the twins.
"Oh?" I lifted my eyebrow, "Couldn't wait to see me, Ginny?"
Grunting a little when an elbow hit my ribs, I rubbed my stomach in pain, looking at Iris, who was glaring at me.
"Leave her alone," she hushed, "I don't want her to get her hopes up."
Ginny visibly slumped when she heard that, but I continued to stop making things awkward. "Sorry for that, Ginny. I missed you too. Maybe we can go flying when we return to the castle, as my apology?"
Flying was something I enjoyed in my free time, I was not like Iris, who loved being in the air and getting into some maneuvers that would make professionals slump in defeat, but even then, it was fun. One of my plans was to learn how to fly without a broom, and now that I had the celestial grimoire, my dream was possible. The only other way it would have happened was if I had learned the same way Voldemort did, but I did not know if I could get strong enough to pick his brain with Legilimency.
Legilimency was something I wished to learn for the sake of knowledge. And I believed I had enough auto control to not misuse the admittedly dangerous magic, or at least I hoped so.
Hermione coughed to break the awkward atmosphere in the room, "How was life in the orphanage, Elias?"
Rubbing the back of my neck, I took a deep breath: "Same old, same old. The children bother me with school stories, and I'm almost losing my patience. I don't have the imagination to keep talking about a life I do not live."
"You still love them," teased Iris, and I huffed.
"They are a pain in my ass; that's what they are." but I could not hide the smile on my face. It was true; I had a soft spot for the children younger than me inside Wool's orphanage, and I did my best to help whenever I could, but lying to the matrons where I found the money was hard.
The goblins had a service to change currencies, but it was tightly regulated and expensive, so muggle-borns like me did not find any workarounds.
One thing I found out without trying to dig too deep was that in this world, the statue of secrecy was different from the one in canon, or at least I believed so. The goblins had contacts in human banks to provide all kinds of services for the muggle-born, and the only way to do that was if the banks were founded by a magician, but I doubted that was possible.
Even then, the use of magic outside school was the same. The trace was explained to us at the end of our first year. It was activated during the first trip on the Hogwarts Express, which was one of the reasons why every student was forced to go there, even if they lived near the castle.
There was a student whose parents lived in Hogsmeade, and she was even forced to travel all the way to King Cross station to go to Hogwarts.
"I would love that," squeaked Ginny with a red face. Her not-so-little crush on me was something that the girls and Ron tried to stop but were unsuccessful in their endeavors.
I did not think that the girls wanted to stop her because they had feelings for me since we were barely in our second year when it happened, but maybe they thought I would spend less time with them if Ginny was closer to me. Their jealousy was cute, if I were to be honest.
On the other hand, Ron did it because he could not imagine Ginny crushing on some boy, and maybe he felt jealous of the possibility of her doing what he could not do, thanks to his blunder in the first year and the beginning of the second one.
Since he and Iris ended their first year with a spat, he was one of the more vocal believers that Iris was the heir of Slytherin when her parselmouth slipped during the dueling club, but at least after saving Ginny, his attitude did a 180.
"Fred, George," I nodded to the twins. " Do you have any interesting adventures during the break?" I smirked at them. There was a reason why they were my favorite Weasleys. They always cracked me up with their jokes, and while some of their pranks went a little too far, they only did that to people who mostly deserved it.
Both twins smirked in unison before frowning. "We are grounded," grunted Fred, looking at Mrs. Weasley angrily. "Mom found the order forms for our trinkets and decided it would not continue."
Hermione and Iris groaned, "Why don't we all go to Ginny's bedroom?"
Before I could ask for an explanation, Mione started pushing me toward the stairs that led to the bedrooms, and I let it happen. While I was taller than her, she had a strength that should not be possible in someone her height and weight; it was something we made fun of since it must be because of all the times she lifted books in the castle.
Before long, we reached Ginny's bedroom, and Iris unlocked the door and pushed me in before closing it in Ron's face. "You will go back when we go to sleep, mister." She teased me, "Ron's room is in front, so you won't have to worry about getting lost. Even if I would love to see Mrs. Weasley's face if you slept with us here."
Iris's relationship with Mrs. Weasley is rocky because she tries to mother her in every waking moment, something that Iris appreciated at the beginning before growing tired of it. Even after trying to work with her, she had severe problems trusting adults, and when Mrs. Weasley tried to act as if she was in control of what she did, she snapped.
I believe she only returned to the burrow to use it as an escape from the Dursleys, the twins' presence, and Ginny, even if she would not admit it.
Iris had an independent streak a mile wide, and to be completely honest, I did not help at all with this. With me trying to keep the events in our first couple of years the same or as close as I could remember, Iris felt that adults did not help at all in school.
Before I could focus and reply with whatever teasing remark I could, I could feel the grimoire shivering inside me as if wanting to come out, but I pushed it back, and the feeling disappeared after some seconds. I would check it later when I was in the boy's room. I knew Ron was a heavy sleeper, and the twins were not that nosy.
100 CP awarded, 200 CP total.
"I could imagine it," Ginny shuddered in her bed. "Mom would blow a basket if she were to see that."
"See! See! I bet it would be funny," smirked Iris in front of me while Hermione blushed but kept silent.
"I don't wish to cause even more problems in this house, Iris." I deadpanned to my closest friend. "Also, I don't wish for her to direct her shouts at me. It doesn't look fun being on the receiving end, and I am not a masochist. No offense, Ginny." I said, looking at Ginny apologetically.
"Eh," Ginny shrugged, "Mom is like that, I love her to bits, but I know she can be unbearable sometimes."
Snorting a bit, I lay down on the bed. "So, how was your summer, Iris? Did the Dursleys do something that requires my personal attention?"
Iris scowled while she got closer to me. It was something platonic, I was sure. She liked her personal space but was pretty close to me since I was her first friend. This was something new, surprising me, but I welcomed it all the same. I would do anything for her; she deserved it for all the help she provided without knowing.
When I joined Hogwarts, I was in a bad spot, mentally speaking. I was both depressed and unsure of the future, even more so when I met her and realized that most of the dangers I thought I had escaped from the castle since I was joining after her would be something I would suffer.
Possessed professors, a goddamn basilisk, an animagus, the Triwizard tournament, and the war. I was afraid, and at that moment, I thought my best bet would be to join her and learn the same things she did. It would be dangerous; that was something I could not lie to myself, but I believed at that time that it would be worth it.
I almost chickened out when the troll came… Thanks to my cowardice, I nearly left her alone against the troll, but when it finished, I vowed to continue helping in any way I could.
"They were no worse than normal," Iris spat out, "At least I don't have to worry about food with the trick you showed me." She smiled at that.
"Dobby has been a godsent gift, and he brings food from Hogwarts, so you know it is tasty."
Hermione frowned when she heard Dobby's name, but she kept silent. I had spent a long time explaining the symbiotic relationships the house elves had with their owners, and while I could not stop her from interfering, she understood that the bond was needed.
Thanks to that, her focus shifted to provide better things for the elves without trying to free them.
"I can see you have been eating," I smirked at her, looking up and down. "I think you added some pounds of meat."
"Bastard," she bumped me in the head, "Thank you, Eli. I don't know what I would do without your help."
"Always, Iris." I smiled genuinely at her. "Tell me about Sirius. Did you talk with him?"
She smiled brightly. "Yes. He was the one who bought your ticket, Eli. He said it was in thanks for helping him and reminding him of someone."
"Oh?" I lifted my eyebrow, "Did he say who?"
Iris scowled, "When I asked in another letter, he just said it was a secret and drew himself with a smirk. I wonder who the adult in our relationship is sometimes; he usually acts like a kid."
Patting her head softly, I shook my head, "From what we heard about him, he was always a prankster at heart, but I'm sure that his stunt in Azkaban did not help at all."
Hermione looked up from her book and said, with her know-it-all voice, when she knew something the rest didn't, "Dementors are dark creatures. They drain people's happiness and hope, leaving them in constant despair. He spent twelve years in Azkaban; I'm afraid he needs to see a mind healer soon."
"I would make him go to one if the ministry wasn't led by dumbasses," scowled Iris, and Ginny nodded in agreement, "I swear to god, the people who voted for fudge were out of their minds."
"Ministry failings aside, does anyone want to explain what happened downstairs?" I asked.
Ginny sighed, "Mom found that the twins were selling their trinkets at Hogwarts, and they had been making some money out of it."
"Is that so bad?" I asked confusedly, "I knew that they were doing it, I am one of their customers, after all, and they must be making some galleons out of it."
"Mum wants them to work in the ministry when they graduate, but Fred and George want nothing to do with it. They got less O.W.L.s than Mum wanted, and she is furious with them." Ginny continued, "She wants to micromanage everything to do with our lives; that's why Percy is her favorite."
"What about the older ones? You told me that they would be here."
"Eh, they try and almost always manage to avoid Mum's nagging. She is also not that happy with their life decisions," she sighed. "Charlie works in a dragon reserve in Romania, and Bill is a curse breaker working for the goblins."
Hermione squealed from her seat, "Could you imagine every piece of history he obtains during his assignments? I would love to pick his brains about it, but he is always away from the rest of us, trying to escape Mrs Weasley."
Laughing at her, I asked, "What is the plan for today?"
"Waste time waiting for mum to finish dinner, survive her wrath when she starts fussing over everyone, and go to sleep, probably," deadpanned Ginny from her side of the bed.
I took the opportunity to check the room we were in; since it was Ginny's bedroom, I expected to see something girly or the like, but she was surprisingly tame, some posters of her favorite band, the Weird sisters, and some other posters of some of the quidditch teams from around the world.
"Anxious for tomorrow?" asked Iris, who was snuggling with me.
Nodding, I replied, "Yes, I'm not much of a fan of the sport, but I hope we have a great time together."
Inwardly, I was nervous. The Death Eater attack would probably happen, and in the wizarding world, a single spell could be your doom. I planned to make some rolls when the rest of the house slept, hoping to find something to help me more than my dust magic.
Still, I did not have that many points available, and from simple logic, I expected that truly powerful magic or artifacts would be expensive.
I still did not understand how I got the points since they appeared to be at random intervals, but there wasn't anything I could do to obtain them faster, which was a shame.
"We're going to have so much fun," said Iris with a bright smile, "And another good thing is that I won't go back to the Dursleys after this. We will stay here until it's time to board the Hogwarts Express."
"Who do you think will win?" Ginny asked me. "Iris doesn't care who wins as long as it's a good game."
Before I could answer, the grimoire stirred once more inside my soul.
100 CP awarded, 300 CP Total.
Choosing to bank the points once again, I looked at Ginny, "Ireland will win." I assured her.
"Is the seer speaking once more?" Iris teased once more while moving to get more comfortable in the bed.
She had her head on my legs, and I could not see her, thanks to my position.
"You could say that," I snorted. Thanks to my actions during our adventures, Iris and Hermione sometimes joked about me being a Seer. I knew that they didn't honestly believe that, but they sometimes wondered how I managed to obtain the information necessary for us to achieve our goals. To them, I was simply a very lucky guy.
Even if they joke about it with me, they just did it when no one of importance was around since they knew that even a rumor like that could turn the Wizarding World on its head. A true seer was that valuable, and in the past whole countries went war to control of an actual seer. Now that magic was weaker than in the past, no true seer was born in the past millennia according to some books in the library. Of course, Trelawney did exist in this world, but she could not compare at all with the seers of the past.
"Anything of importance?" she asked earnestly, which I noticed from her tone. I also saw Hermione looking up from her book with utmost seriousness.
"Nah, don't worry," I grunted. There was no way I would speak of the things that would happen outside of the room of requirements, where I knew no one would be listening in.
They nodded and got back to their work, Iris dozing off and Hermione to her book of fourth-year charms.
"I think we should go back. Mum is probably done with dinner." Ginny broke the awkward silence by standing up and putting on her shoes.
Grunting, I stood up, carrying Iris since she was sprawled atop me.
"Planning to walk?" I asked, shaking my head.
"No, comfy," she replied drowsily.
"You are lucky I like you," I snorted as we started walking downstairs to where the rest of the Weasleys were.
10:00 pm, the burrow.
Opening my eyes slowly, I calmed my breathing and listened closely to the smells in the room. The twins were the hardest to notice, but I could see them breathing slowly in their beds. Ron was the easy one since his snores could be heard at Hogwarts. I did not understand how I had managed to sleep through them all these years at school.
Thankfully, Percy, Bill, and Charlie slept in the other room, and Mr. Weasley and his wife slept below all of us.
The dinner at least had started pleasantly until Mr. Weasley picked up a wand on the floor, thinking it was from one of the young ones, and it turned into a rat who started running all over the table. A trinket from Weasley wizard wheezes and Mrs. Weasley berated the twins again. The twins, clearly fed up with their mother's nagging, used the best strategy to escape a mother's wrath, pointing out the failings of another brother.
Then she scolded Bill from an admittedly cool earring and turned to Charlie. After that, the older sons ate in silence and ran away as soon as they had their fill, something the rest of us could relate to since the atmosphere was tense and awkward. Mrs. Weasly tried to open up more conversations, but things were weird, so most of us ate silently.
Everything was good for me. I was anxious to be in bed to make some rolls, which I hoped would help me when we left for the World Cup.
Feeling the familiar stirrings in my soul, I accepted the feeling and pulled it inside me.
The grimoire popped on the bed with a soft thud, and I looked around frantically, but all present were heavy sleepers.
100 CP awarded, 400 CP Total.
400 points was the most I've ever had, and I prayed that I could get something useful.
Choosing to roll, the grimoire pages started turning at blinding speeds, and when they stopped, I smirked triumphantly.
[Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring] - 50 C.P.
This Ring was secretly worn by a surreptitious sorcerer at Vinheim Dragon School. Depicting a sleeping dragon on a brown background. Those who wear this enchanted Ring will no longer make sound from most common actions, like walking, running, breathing or swinging their weapon, allowing them to move in secret.
Feeling the Ring appear on my palm, I put it on. I loved this reward because it synergized amazingly with my first roll and the information that I could borrow someone else the artifacts I obtained from the grimoire. While the Ring alone was not that useful, combined with the cloak of death Iris had, Hermione could hide tomorrow during the attack. A plan began forming in my mind. Iris and I were playing as frontline fighters while Hermione was our Rogue, jinxing and cursing our enemies without showing where she was.
Iris was by far the best at defense, and I came close to second, but Hermione had some problems with her nerves in actual battles, something we learned the hard way last year. This way, while obscured, she could use her vast knowledge of spells to help us all.
350 CP in total
[The Shadows Beckon] - 200 CP
Now, this is certainly interesting. Your talents in subversion and concealing details have extended to the metaphysical. You have a singular gift for disappearing in a way that defies conventional detection methods. It would take a skilled investigator to even have a hope of finding you or what you seek to hide. With practice you can create a cloak of shadows to more effectively disappear even in plain sight. There are benefits to being one of cursed blood after all.
150 CP in total
Useful. This would be undeniably helpful in the long run; I could feel knowledge entering my mind at breakneck speed; while it was of no help with offensive magic, I could feel it inside my being that I was going to be capable of using almost every kind of magic that had something to do with concealing things. I did not know if it was because my world's magic was so low, but I could do some impressive things without studying the topic. Out of the top of my mind, I already had spells that hid me from the sight of my enemies that would skip the Homenum Revelio spell taught in Hogwarts.
I could probably block the trace in our wands once I studied about it.
Rolling for the last time, I felt the grimoire falter, trying to reach for something more significant than any other pull. With all my chances gone, I prepared to sleep once more. Tomorrow will be tiring, and I need all my energy. Just in case, I already had a stock of pepper-up potions in my trunk.
Chapter 3: The World Cup (I).
Elias Blake.
The burrow.
"Wake up, dears. You need to walk to the Portkey Point and are already late, " Mrs. Weasley shouted at the top of her lungs.
Casting a tempus, I saw it was already four thirty in the morning, and we needed to be at five sharp to leave with the rest of the families from this zone.
Grumbling a bit, I stood up and went to get ready, sleepy. I did the last check of my trunk. I would shower in one compartment when we arrived at the World Cup site. Thankfully, when I bought my trunk, I asked for multiple rooms, including a bathroom. While staying inside was not recommended for long periods, a simple shower was all right. I planned to offer the bathroom to the girls since I knew they cared more about it than the males. Also, I did not wish to have Ron bathing or anywhere close to my trunk if I could help it.
There were days that I was sure Ron did not shower in school, and I believed he only used freshening charms to hide that fact. Cleaning yourself with Magic was good and all, but it wasn't the same as a hot shower. In the long run, freshening charms would begin to drop in efficiency, and the smell would be noticeable, something Ron did not care about or ignored.
When Iris arrived at the entrance with Ginny in tow, they were rubbing their eyes and yawning all the way. She walked straight to me and hugged me. I did not know why she had been all touchy-feely since my arrival yesterday, but I was going to find out soon. I was afraid to reciprocate their actions, having read them wrong, and I did not want to make our relationship awkward. I did not have much experience with girls in my previous life, and I cared way too much about Iris and Mione, so I did not wish to ruin what we had.
"Sleepy?" I yawned, "I thought the excitement would wake you up."
"I'm not a morning person; not even the World Cup would make me energetic at this hour." She grumbled. "Not everyone can be like Mione."
Looking at Hermione at the back, I saw her reading another book about transfiguration, and I snorted.
She looked up from her book defensively, "What?" she asked.
"Nothing, nothing," I lifted my hands in defeat. "I was just looking at your beautiful bushy hair."
Hermione blushed like a tomato. Thanks to my advice, she went to Madam Pomfrey to get her teeth fixed during our second year, and her confidence soared early. However, her untamable hair was a personal characteristic that Iris and I loved, and we made sure to remind her every time we could.
"Come on, kids," said Mr. Weasley, almost marching with his face set in a firm line. The twins, walking behind him with disgruntled faces, said nothing.
"We need to head to the top of Stoatshead Hill, the nearest Portkey point. The Diggorys will wait for us there." Mr Weasley continued, "We must hurry since it is somewhat far."
Walking behind him, I observed the surroundings. Thankfully, it was quiet, and the walk went smoothly.
"Will Bill and Charlie go with us?" asked Iris while yawning.
"They will arrive later, lass," replied Mr. Weasley. "They will appear at noon, so they are still sleeping."
"Lucky bastards," grumbled one twin, who I suspected was Fred.
"None of that now." said Mr. Weasley sternly, "You know that it is illegal to do so without a permit, and that did not stop you when you practiced this break. I swear to Merlin, where did we go wrong with the two of you."
"How do you expect us to trust you both if you do irresponsible things whenever you are awake?" he continued his tirade, looking older by the second, "Magic is wonderful, but it can be dangerous. What do you expect to do if you were to lose an arm while splinting?"
"Sorry, Dad," said Fred?, "We will be careful in the future, at least with that."
"Both of you are good kids, and while I am not against your work, unlike your mother, there are dangers in what you both do in the house. I am sure Professor Snape warned you about potion's mishaps."
Tuning them out in that private moment, I could feel my legs hurting. While the walk was without a problem, there were multiple rabbit holes and uneven terrain; Mione even had to close her book to focus after almost falling. That alone showed how difficult it was.
"Whew." painted Mr. Weasley, "We made it, barely," he whispered, looking at his wristwatch.
The rest of us were not far behind, almost everyone panting. Thanks to this reminder, I planned to exercise more than usual—something that I usually did, but it did not seem enough. If we were tired after this walk, a high-intensity duel would be almost impossible to finish.
"Over here, Arthur!" shouted a voice from far away. I was afraid you would not make it!"
"Amos!" said Mr Weasley with a bright smile, motioning for us to follow him.
When we arrived, we could see Mr Weasley shaking hands with someone I knew to be Amos Diggory, Cedric's father. Cedric was somewhat of an acquaintance, not close to us, but we talked in school sporadically. He was part of an Unsanctioned dueling club on the school grounds, nowhere near the top, but he was there almost every time we attended.
Last year, It was led by some seventh-year Ravenclaw, and Iris, Hermione, and I participated several times to train how to fight against another wizard. They were a reclusive group and only invited specific people who showed promise and would not snitch on them.
They feared Hermione going since she was somewhat of a teacher's pet, but Iris and I promised to keep her in check, so they allowed her to go. She was not happy with it, but when they started teaching us some combat spells, she shut up and listened.
We had fun in all those sessions, and having multiple sparring partners immensely helped. Everyone fought differently, so we learned even from the ones who were weaker than us.
100 CP awarded, 250 CP Total.
Choosing to bank the points for the moment, I focused on the scene before me.
Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory talked animatedly about the ministry, and Cedric was a couple of paces away from us.
"Cedric," I smiled at him. "How are you? Excited for the game?"
"Elias," he shook my hand. "And hell yeah, I am. Bulgaria will win, you will see!"
He was extremely handsome, and I didn't know if my eyes deceived me, but sometimes I believed his skin shined under the sun. He was in a budding relationship with Cho Chang, a fifth-year Ravenclaw, but he still went out to help everyone who needed it. He was famous and loved for that reason; not even the Slytherins could say anything bad about him.
"Will you be going to the club this year?" he asked in a hushed whisper. It was a shame that he wasn't low enough.
"What club?" asked Ron, loudly and with a bit of jealousy in his tone.
"Gardening club," Iris replied rapidly, rolling her eyes at the older student.
"Bah," snorted Ron, "Hufflepuffs and their hard work."
Crisis averted; we just nodded to Cedric, who looked sheepish.
"Kids, this is Amos Diggory." he told the older man, "He works at the department for the regulation and control of magical creatures."
Waving at him, we kept silent.
"Tough crowd." laughed Mr. Diggory, "I'm sure waking up so early does not help the matter."
"We just need to touch the boot; a finger will do," continued Cedric's father, moving the boot on his hand, "Quickly now, we will be transported there any second now."
Hurrying up, we all touched the Portkey and waited, but out of nowhere, I felt as if a hook in my navel was suddenly jerked forward, and the rest exclaimed in awe. A second later, I could feel solid ground, and some of us fell forward.
Gracefully, I grabbed both Hermione and Ginny by their waists. Iris was the only one apart from me who did not fall from the still students. I thanked my lucky stars that the perk I received helped me in these kinds of situations.
"Portkey from Stoatshead Hill," announced a voice.
Pulling the girls, we straightened and looked around. The space was filled to the brim with wizards and witches, and if I focused, I could see even some non-humans milling around. The air was lively, and the noise could be heard everywhere. Music, shouts, people talking, the noise was so loud that it was a marvel that non-magicals did not notice everything happening in here.
"Could we go and set the tents now?" Iris asked impatiently. "My Godfather told me he sent one for us alone."
Mr. Weasley looked uncomfortable but sighed, "Molly told me we should all stay together, even if we were a little bit cramped. But I won't deny a girl a gift from her Godfather."
Nodding in self-assurance, Mr Weasley continued with anticipation, "Follow me then. We will set camp like muggles do!"
We walked around the site, and the Wizarkind showed why they should not be trusted around muggles. Multiple people were using Magic in public, forcing the Obliviators to work overtime when a muggle noticed some inconsistencies with the people around them.
Iris, Mione, and I scowled at each other seeing this. Prolonged use of memory charms in a single person caused multiple complications, and the obliviators did it without a care in the world. I was pretty sure some purebloods present were doing Magic in the open to force the ministry workers to keep doing so. It was a terrible scene that showed magicals' disregard for their normal counterparts, but we could do nothing.
Even someone supposed to love and respect the muggles, such as Arthur Weasley, showed only a little sympathy but did nothing else. Even the staunch supporters of Dumbledore, who supposedly fought for the betterment of the people, did nothing about it.
When we finished our trip to where Arthur said we would find the muggle in charge of the logistics, I could see the balding man looking at everyone weirdly. And before Mr. Weasley could even pay, the obliviators arrived to mess with the poor sod mind.
I exhaled softly, "should we start setting the tent?" I asked out loud, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feelings the scene caused me.
Iris was the same. She looked at Mr. Robert apologetically and nodded at me, trying to do something that involved leaving this place. Hermione, on the other hand, looked in outrage. She was visibly fuming and trembling in agitation.
"Calm down," I told her in a soothing voice. "Even if we make a scene, the culture of the wizarding world will not change in a single night. Bide your time, and change it from a position of power."
"Yeah!" Iris smirked at my side, "We will have your back, future minister of magic," she teased Hermione.
With the bomb defused, at least for the moment, we focused on setting the tents in our designated spots.
Hermione did not have experience settling tents, but I did. The main reason was that when money was tight in the orphanage during my younger years, the matrons decided to camp in the backyard to make us have fun without spending much money.
With my experience and some common sense, we managed to finish before long, but Mr Weasley was entirely out of his depth, and the other Weasleys were in the same boat. Iris, thanks to her muggle upbringing, at least could infer how to do it, even if her family tried their damn best to stump her growth. According to her, the Dursleys did not take her out, preferring to leave her with Mrs. Figgs, Dumbledore's spy, whenever they had family outings.
When we were done setting the tent Sirius gifted Iris, and we marveled at the inside. It was almost at the same level as my trunk; something like this must have been really expensive. Sirius probably didn't care at all, thanks to the Black's riches and all those years he left Iris alone with the horrid Dursleys, thanks to his stupidity.
It did not have a shower, so only some things were good. Thankfully, Mr Weasley went ahead in search of water for his tent and left us alone. The twins were plotting in the background, Hermione had a book in her hands, and Iris and Ginny talked animatedly about the incoming game.
"I'll go and take a shower," I told Iris while grabbing my shrunken trunk and tapping on it twice with my wand. The trunk grew up rapidly, and I went in. This was the last time I could roll before the "riot" of the World Cup, and I hoped for the best.
+100 CP awarded 350 CP Total.
Choosing to roll, I waited with bated breath. I could feel the grimoire trying to pull something, and I let out a relieved sigh when it managed to do so.
[Gem Encrusted Blade ] –200 CP
One of Castlevania's many experimental arms, the Jewel Sword is a fairly unique blade in that its power can vary with the wielder, or even on the day of the week. A fool would think it untrustworthy, but its secrets have long since been discovered - the sword grows more powerful in the presence of gems. And, it should be noted, the sword also has the power to transform defeated foes into gems of all kinds, from diamond and opals to zircon and onyx. As such, one simply needs to slay enough monsters or civilians, wear as many of the gemstones it will eventually create, and the sword's power will rise. Eventually, you'll be wearing more diamonds than not, and the sword will be as powerful as you are gaudy.
200 CP spent, 150 CP remaining.
This was going to be undeniably useful for the future. Not in the short term, though. Even if I was not as queasy as the rest of the people in the Wizarding World about killing people, I did not believe that I could start doing so right now in the World Cup. The amount of gold I could obtain selling the gems I gathered from the DE's would be staggering. From my understanding, the followers of Voldemort reached almost a thousand wizards only in the British Isles, and I did not believe for a moment that he had support only from here.
Reading about the war, I noticed some inconsistencies in my previous beliefs. The war was bloodier than the one in the books, with some of Grindelwald's ex-followers following little Tom.
The details about the supposed battle, including Dumbledore defeating his ex-lover, were scarce. No one knew what really happened, and Dumbledore avoided answering questions about it, but both conflicts were significantly more extensive than what I had read in the books or movies.
I lifted the sword and felt it was the perfect weight for me. I did not know if the grimoire changed its properties or if the sword was originally like that, but I loved it. It was not so heavy that I needed both hands to lift it, but enough that I knew it was a good-quality sword. Honestly, I was a complete novice with bladed weapons and mainly was talking out of my ass, but I knew someone who could help me practice.
Professor Flitwick was a bloody world champion duelist and one of the few people who actively used swords in wizarding Britain. It was a mark of status; from what I've heard from some of the Ravenclaws, a lot of the Scions of Pureblood families had at least some knowledge about sword fighting, but almost no one specialized in it since it did not have the same versatility as wands.
Even then, I had a good relationship with the half-goblin, and I was almost sure I could convince him to teach me when I returned for my fourth year.
Finally done with my shower, I put on some trunks and a white shirt and stepped out of my trunk. Looking around, I could see Iris, Ginny, and Ron sleeping on the bunk beds. The only one who was awake was Hermione, who was scribbling on one of the tables.
"Mione," I called out, drying my hair with a towel.
"Yes, Eli?" she tilted her head. "Is there something I can do for you?" she joked, looking at me up and down.
"Heh," I snorted, "Not for the moment, but if you want to shower, I am already done with it. You could use different hair products on the shelf, so knock yourself up."
Hermione smiled and stood up quickly from her seat. While doing so, she dropped a heavy book she was using for her homework, waking up the rest.
"Go," I said when I noticed her returning to fix the mess she had caused. "I'll take care of it. Just let me know when you are done so that Iris can take your place."
"Thanks, Eli. You are a lifesaver," she blew me a kiss from the entrance of my trunk, and I was left speechless. Since I arrived at the burrow yesterday, both girls have been acting differently than usual. We were the best of friends, and while we were really close, they never showed affection as they had done since yesterday in all our time together. I did not know if age was the reason or another one, but I could not deny that it gave me hope. They would grow to be beauties, and they weren't some bimbos like Lavender; no, they had brains and beauty.
"Mione is taking a shower right now," I explained when Iris looked at me groggily from her bed. "Are you going to do the same when she is done?"
Iris replied slowly, taking her time to rub her eyes cutely and yawning mightily.
"Yeah," she nodded slowly, "I stink." she furrowed her nose.
"Yes, you do," I smirked at her and dodged the pillow she sent at me in retaliation.
Before I could reply in kind and start a pillow fight to pass the time, Mr. Weasley entered the tent.
"It's time, kids!" he said energetically, "We need to start moving to our seats! The game will start in an hour."
"Mr. Weasley, Iris wished to bathe before going, and Hermione is in the middle of doing so. You can go with your family if you want, and we will arrive later. We can hide Iris in her cloak so that no one bothers us during our trip."
Mr. Weasley was torn between staying with us and going, but after Ron whined and Iris said convincing things, he allowed us to stay.
"All right, all right. We will be waiting for you three in the top box. Make sure to make it on time!" he warned us, looking directly at me. "Take care of them, lad," he said seriously.
"With my life," I smiled at him before he left.
100 CP awarded, 250 CP total.