Chapter 18

Severus Snape has seen many things in his life, but a mind as empty as this he had never encountered.

"Nothing." He calmly declared. "I can grasp nothing."

Dumbledore sighed beside him. "I'm afraid I've been unsuccessful as well. What would you conclude, Severus?"

Snape kept quiet, his mind spinning through all the theories. A case like this has never occured before, and even for a master occlumens like him, it was difficult to reach any conclusions.

"I'm...unsure." He finally admitted. "I have some ideas but they are simply that. Ideas. Theories that...may just be pointless speculations.

"Please." Dumbledore spread his arms wide. "It is more than I have."

Severus doubted that. Nonetheless, he continued.

"First, and the most believable case, the boy has been...possessed. Unlikely, considering I could count on one hand the amount of creatures able to produce this effect. Second, the boy was trained by an occlumens...greater than me. Because I, for one, am not capable of training an eleven year old to be this competent, nor do I think it is possible. Teaching those dunderheads is a waste of time. To make it possible, the instructor would need to actively temper with the boy's mind, ravishing it to such a degree that it is no longer capable of producing emotions."

"Let us hope that is not true." Dumbledore grimly stated. "Or we have already lost the war. I would rather believe the boy is a natural Occlumens."

"There is no such thing as a natural Occlumens." Severus retorted.

"I'm aware. But there is a first time for everything. And if there is one being we can expect to break laws of magic, it will be the prophecised child."

Severus snorted in derision, grimacing slightly. "You give him too much credit."

This whole 'Child of prophecy' idea sickened him. How low must they stoop, to believe a couple of 11 year old brats will bring them salvation.

"And you give him too little." The old man smiled at him patronizingly. "Remember Severus, the boy almost killed you."

Severus Snape's eyes darkened and he balled his fists, his anger shimmering to the surface, only to be quickly neutralized as he actively occluded the feelings.

"Because I 𝘭𝘦𝘵 him." He said calmly, a deliberate sneer on his face. "I haven't fallen enough to harm a child yet. You know this, so do not try to patronize me, Albus Dumbledore."

He took a deep breath, maintaining his calm. The Potters were truly the death of him.

"I wasn't." The old man smiled. "But you have to admit Severus, neither of us could've done what he did at his age."

Severus hummed. It pained him to admit this, but for his age, Harry Potter was easily the most powerful wizard he'd ever met. "You have any idea how exactly he moved so fast?"

And magic didn't seem to be his only speciality.

"As of now? None that I'm willing to reveal yet."

Severus withheld a snarl at the old man's words, letting him continue.

"I would rather have an answer from Harry himself. Though I doubt we will get it. Go on, wake him up."

With a derisive snort at the old man, Severus approached the boy, his eyes scrutinizing him.

The boy laid on the Hogwarts infirmary bed, his eyes closed in a peaceful sleep. He'd been sleeping for almost a whole day now. His clothes were tattered, though his body had absolutely no injuries remaining anymore.

There was a unique perfection in his looks, Severus observed, as if some deity had personally carved the most perfect looking child it could imagine and removed any imperfections a normal human should possess.

The boy didn't even have those round owl glasses his father was so famous for.

Severus hated it. More reasons for the boy to grow even more conceited than his worthless father.

"Rennervate." He still did his job of course, waving his wand over the boy.

Severus caught his breath as the boy finally opened his eyes. Emarald green eyes... Lily's eyes. But cold. So much more cold. Dead. Almost like he was Imperiused.

He had to catch himself from shivering. What had they put this boy through, to become like this?

Severus couldn't decide if he wanted to know. Better to stay as far away from the potters as possible.

Harry blinked away the brightness of the room as his eyes adjusted to the light, his sleep quickly leaving him. His thoughts were sharp for someone who just got up, and he realised the gamer's mind was still active. But as his eyes fell upon the two wizards in front of his, he knew it will have to stay active for quite some time.

"Hello Harry." The old man genially greeted. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. People simply call me minister or supreme Mugwump. Though you may call me minister Mugwump or supreme minister...or any of these variations really. People do so love to come up with new names nowadays, and an old man like me has trouble keeping up you see. Oh, but I digress."

Harry observed his situation calmly, doing a logical analysis. His hands were untied, there were no guards to keep an eye on him, he wasn't being tortured or punished...Hydra must've some ulterior motives.

Which meant he had some chances of survival, and slim though they may be, chances of escape as well.

But first, he needed information. Unfortunately, he was facing Hydra agents. They won't slip up the info easily, so he must...sway them to do so.

It seems Harry had an act to put on. A good thing his Gamer skills never grow rusty, as it has been a long time since he'd made use of the acting skill.

Hopefully Lvl 45 acting will be up to par.

"I see you've kept me alive." He stated, letting a sneer on his face. "You wouldn't get anything out of it of course. But you can try. That's all you old men can do."

"Mind your tongue, potter." The younger one growled. Younger was relative, cause he still looked as old as Barton.

"Severus." The old one gently reprimanded.

Harry shook his head again, the unexpectedness of the situation hitting him even through Gamer's Mind.

Were they truly trying to fool him? It seemed uncharacteristically stupid for Hydra. They were not known for this type of subterfuge. Still, he could only keep his act up and see where it leads him.

"Severus, is it?" He stared the man up and down, making sure to keep his tone as contemptuous as possible. "Would you mind shoving my disrespect down your throat and fuck off?"

The younger man looked easier to manipulate, and sure enough, his vulgarity was met with a dark look as the man scowled down at him, looking ready to pull out his weapon.

"Please, Harry." The Old man serenely intoned. "We simply want to help you here."

This was...not what he expected to hear. Why were they being so normal and...Reactive? Worse, Harry couldn't see any signs of 'Acting' here. As far as his scanning of their behaviour suggested, the men were being quite open. Unless their acting was good enough to fool him as well. But what could they possibly get from this?

The possibility of him being captured by someone other than Hydra struck him all of a sudden, but there were still massive gaps in their story, and Harry wasn't going to let go of any.

"See, I would like to believe you Mr..." He started. "Dumbdoor? But there are some things that do not make sense here. Your men arrived at the house just a few minutes after me. Coincidence? I think not. So unless you have a good reason for that, you might as well drop the act. The good cop-bad cop routine wouldn't work on me. Though I have to admit...the greasy bat over there does make a fine asshole."

The greasy man sneered at him in turn. "Your petty insults does not make you sound smarter, Potter. I'd wondered if you were different than your father...but I should've known the Potter blood runs too thickly in the family."

"Atleast I'm sure my blood doesn't contain grease. Yours on the other hand...is of questionable quality." Harry retorted, but his mind was somewhere else.

Potter...this man just called him Potter two times now. Now that he thought about it, he did the same in their fight as well. And he claimed to know about his father too.

Hydra wasn't supposed to know this. No one in the world was supposed to know this. No one save for Harry.

"I am the minister of magical Britain Harry." The Old man calmly stated, his rich voice making the simple statement come out as declaration. "Do you truly believe I need an elaborate plan to kidnap you had I wished you any harm?"

"And I'm supposed to know what this minister of magic is...why?"

The two men exchanged looks, before Dumbledore leaned forward, worry and curiousity in his eyes. "Am I to understand that you were in fact, not hidden away with some death eaters in magical Britain for the last six years?"

No...this can't be Hydra. They were being too ignorant. Too excited. Too emotional. And asking this question served no purpose. He couldn't see what Hydra will get by confusing him like this. He will still keep up his guard, but the warmth of relief was almost threatening to break through the Gamer's Mind now.

He was alive. And if things worked out, he will keep being so.

"No, I was not." Harry answered cautiously, choosing his words carefully. "I spent more than half-a-decade in the United States of America. Now tell me who you are. And how were you able to track me."

There were merits to being taken as a confused child, but Harry simply wasn't in the mood to manipulate anymore. Information, he realised, was something he was lacking in even more than he'd previously believed.

And if these men truly weren't with Hydra then it would be better to come clean. A simple call and Shield could get him out from under anyone's authority.

The wizards looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation between them, and Harry took this chance to view their levels.

Albus Dumbledore

Age: 126

Level: 101

Mana: 5040/5040

Health: 180/180

Stamina: 190/190

Stats

Strength: 6 (10)

Speed: 8 (10)

Dexterity: 10 (10)

Vitality: 8 (10)

Endurance: 9 (10)

Intelligence: 444 (60)

Wisdom: 268

Lvl 101...it was the highest Lvl he had ever observed. Even Captain Ares and Winter Soldier paled in comparison. This will help soothe out any bad feelings about his insultingly casual defeat once he lets go of the Gamer's Mind. The man was simply too powerful for Harry currently.

But those 10 bonus...that was what intrigued him the most. Was this man a failed super soldier? No, that can't be it. The 60 to his intelligence indicated something else. This proved that there were methods to increase power apart from the SS serum. And harry certainly intended to find them out.

Severus Snape

Age: 31

Level: 67

Mana: 2890/2900

Health: 130/130

Stamina: 100/100

Stats

Strength: 8

Speed: 10

Dexterity: 13

Vitality: 13

Endurance: 10

Intelligence: 290

Wisdom: 125

The second man was much less impressive, yet still better than Captain Ares. Atleast in levels. Wizards, he was beginning to realise, were much more powerful than he'd previously perceived.

"As I said, my name is Albus Dumbledore." Dumbledore said. "And I am the current minister of magic."

"Yes, you already said that. I am confused, not braindead."

Instead of taking offence, the old man's eyes lit up with mirth. And perhaps...was that relief? But it made no sense...

"Patience, child." Dumbledore said, maintaining his benign smile. "For the starters, you may not know but there is a whole another world, hidden from the eyes of public. The magical world. And I am the minister of Britain's magical community..or England's, if you wish to call it that. Muggles seem to have new words for everything each decade. A little hard to keep up sometimes."

Harry snorted. "England and Britain are quite different. And has been for a long long time."

Though his mind was processing the new info. He wasn't ignorant about magicals...but he never knew they had a full government system already in existence. The concept of there being a hidden world wasn't surprising to him though. After seeing how Hydra operated, he had come to expect the most unexpected things from this world.

"And what does the British minister want with me?" Harry asked, his mind running through possibilities.

"Nothing, of course. I simply came to check the one who tripped the wards around Dursley residence. Your presence has been a most pleasant surprise. You see Harry, you are quite famous in the magical world. So when the news of your kidnapping reached the ministry, we were understandably upset. Though of course not as upset as your parents had been."

"My... Parents?"

This was the second time these wizards has alluded to knowing his parents. But as far as he knew, his father was a jobless bum and his mother was a shameless whore, and both of them died in a car crash.

"Indeed." Dumbledore confirmed. "James and Lily Potter. They have been searching for you ever since they recieved the news."

Harry shook his head. That was an unbelievable piece of fact, and Harry didn't even try before dismissing it, even with the Gamer's mind on. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to, child." Dumbledore smiled serenely. "You will be meeting them in a few minutes."

He stared at the two wizards in front of him, observing their wrinkles, their expressions, their body language...and he couldn't find any malicious intent whatsoever. Not even from the Snape guy, even though Harry had done his best to aggravate the man. Either Harry was slipping up or these wizards were telling the truth.

He would definitely go with the latter. Gamer's Mind and Body does not allow slipping up.

"It has been an enlightening talk, harry." Dumbledore said. "And I'm sure this won't be the last. But now is the time for a family to reunite, so I shall take my leave."

The man then turned around and left, followed swiftly by Snape, who shot him one last half-hearted sneer.

Only then did Harry's attention go to rest of the room. It was a large infirmary, he realised. Multiple beds were lined up on both sides with white sheets and pillows. There were white curtains dividing each bed from the other, though every one of them were bunched up right now, so he had a clear view around the room.

After scanning the room multiple times for hidden cameras or speakers, he finally let go of the Gamer's Mind. Instantly the warmth bubbling around the surface broke through, spreading within him like a volcano bursting.

'I'm Alive.' He reiterated in his mind. 'Alive, and if life isn't playing another trick, then free as well.'

A small grin lit up on his face and he plopped back on the bed with a relieved huff.

His focus though, soon turned to the system interface, and the multiple twinkling messages.

Story Quest [Welcome Home] Completed!

Find and travel to your home country (X)

Say farewells to your friends (—)

Find and reconnect with the wizarding world (X)

Convince the Minister of your innocence (X)

Find Your parents (X)

Rewards:

4 Levels

Unlock partial Gamer functions [Advanced Quests, Reputation Status, Affection Meter]

[New Story Quest recieved: Hoggy Warty Hogwarts]

Quest [Hoggy Warty Hogwarts] in progress–

Join Hogwarts ( )

School shopping ( )

Start learning Magic ( )

Learn to fly ( )

Prepare for your new school ( )

Rewards: ?

He didn't get to ponder upon the implications of the new functions and quests as the door to the infirmary clicked open and Harry turned back to the front.

He will have to carefully go through that surprising development piece by piece...

But now was the time to meet his back-from-the-grave parents.