Chapter 21

11 August, 2007,

Potter Residence, Gloucestershire, England

The evening of that same day, Harry was woken up by a loud banging on his door.

"Haaarrrryyy!"

The shrill yell almost threw him down the bed as he scrambled upright, his hand going for his belt only to remember he no longer had his gun.

"Open up, brotherrrrr!"

He wasn't with Hydra anymore, his brain caught up. He was in Potter manor, and the one outside was just a little girl, he concluded so by her high pitched baby voice. Though she was a very irritating little girl.

"Come on, don't make me stand brother dear!"

A very very irritating little girl.

Finally calm, Harry got up and opened the door.

"Yo har–! Oh, here you are." The tiny midget, that was supposed to be his twin, stood in her night clothes, a cheeky little smile on her face.

He stared at the girl for a few seconds, his mind still reeling from the unusual dream that he had, before shaking his head. "Who are you?"

Her eyes bulged like balloons, a horrified look coming to her face. "You already forgot!? How could you!? I'm your twin!"

Harry tilted his head curiously. "Why does that matter?"

"Wha–!? Y-you...how could you!?" She exclaimed, dismayed. "It matters cause we're twins!"

Harry closed his eyes for a second, reminding himself that not everyone was built equally. But even then, this amount of stupidity was a first for him.

Still, he convinced himself to be a little patient.

Then he finally opened his eyes and stared at the girl with what he believed to be supreme patience. "I will reiterate, what does being twins entails?"

"It means we're supposed to know everything about each other!" She yelled, pointing a finger at him accusingly. "And you forgot my name!? How could you?"

Harry sighed lightly. "I'm sure I know your name. Let me guess...doraem, no that's the emo one. Roseline? Rosalie? Rosalia?"

"Yep, Rosalia, that's me. Got it in one!" She exclaimed.

"No, I did not. Now, why did you wake me?"

"You were sleeping? I'm so sorry! Mum said you might be but who sleeps in the evening! I didn't...I thought–!"

"Be quite." Harry snapped, shutting the girl up.

Her eyes widened before slowly getting watery. She looked very much like a wounded lonely puppy, staring down at her feet in dejection.

Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He was in an unfamiliar ground currently, and would have to carefully analyze the situation on how to act in front of normal civilians that weren't his targets.

Considering how easily the girl came to the verge of tears, first would be to speak politely, something that he had no practice in.

'This is so troublesome.'

He rested his hand on the shorter girls shoulder, enjoying his superior height for once. "Thanks for waking me, I didn't wish to sleep anyway. Now tell me why you are here."

His words were much more gentle this time, though Harry's attention was fixed on the girl's eyes. For a second there, he saw something more deeper in her... something more intelligent than the stupid midget standing in front of him.

"Oh, mum and dad are calling you downstairs for dinner." The girl replied, regaining her earlier cheer as the surprising glint of intelligence reverted back to clueless stupidity. "I volteered to come and get you."

"Volunteered." He corrected absently, looking back in his room to stare outside the window.

Sure enough the sun was gone, leaving behind the twinkling stars. But he couldn't quite shake off the feeling that the girl in front of him was more than she seemed.

"Yeah yeah, volunttered."

Though that was easy to ignore whenever she opened her mouth and spouted off absolute idiocy.

"Good enough." Harry sighed again, pushing the subject away.

"Very well then, sister. Lead the way." He waved her on.

Lead she did but Rosalia wasn't content with silence. So naturally she chattered his ears off.

"Did you know what the people say about you and me? They say we're the Twins-Who-Lived, that we defeated you-know-who when we were just one. But I'm not very good at fighting. Not like Dori. So I don't know how I'm supposed to have defeated him. Maybe you did all the work and I got the credit? Hehe, that's so funny. You won't snitch though right? If I'm not as good as they want me to be? Twins are supposed to share secrets you know. They say twins share a sacred bond..."

On and on she went, barely stopping for any breath. Through all this however, he would also get a glance at the more sharper edge to her. It was subtle, barely noticeable to even him, just a flash of knowing amusement that seemed to know exactly what she was doing. It made him wonder if the girl was maintaining some façade. And if so, would it be harmful for him...

Only one way to find out.

'Observe'

Rosalia Potter

Age: 11

Level: 13

Reputation: Liked

Affection: 72

Mana: 380/380

Health: 100/100

Stamina: 70/70

Stats

Strength: 3

Speed: 6

Dexterity: 7

Vitality: 10

Endurance: 7

Intelligence: 38

Wisdom: 20

Harry frowned. 'Her physical stats might be shit but her intelligence...'

How the hell was this girl only 17 points less than him in raw intelligence? Especially considering she was 25 levels below him, and he'd actively allotted extra points to the stat.

He slammed the gamer's mind on, trying to work through the info. And his mind quickly settled in on the most likely conclusion.

For him, each level up brought with it an increase to all the stats, thus netting him a total of 7 points growth divided uniformly. The Wizards were the same, except their 7 points were solely allotted to Int and Wis, thus creating this unbalanced status where their physical capabilities were average, but their magic and Wisdom was exceptional.

Basically, they were like Harry when he first accepted the Gamer system, and saw his own unbalanced status.

But that meant it'll be very difficult to catch up to the likes of Dumbledore in terms of mana, as Harry will always have lower base intelligence than a similar leveled wizard...unless he used his stat points solely in int. Or simply out Leveled every wizard. Afterall, he was a gamer. He had no limits.

Rosalia proceeded to keep up her chattering, ignorant about the crisis her twin was facing, all the while guiding him through the main hall to the dining room.

"This is the right wing part of the manor." She explained. "The main hall's got another door for the left wing session."

"Section." He corrected.

"Oh yeah, section! How did you know?"

"Cause there are usually no parts in a house called left wing session." He explained cautiously, now more than certain about the girl's facade. No one can be this stupid surely...

Though even if she was maintaining a mask, her affection was high enough for him to not be on his guard constantly.

"Ohh, really? I didn't know that, thanks for the...for the...ahh, infortion!"

Harry sighed for the umpteenth time. Just cause she may be acting did not mean her words were any less idiotic.

"Anyway, the right wing section has the dining hall and spell-crafting hall and mother's potion room and kitchen...Oh! And the library! Though it's not very impressive. Totally filled with books and boring stuff."

"Of course." He muttered, not even bothering to comment.

"The left wing section's where all the fun is. It's got the training hall where those wood dummies move on their own! And it's got a very big quidditch pitch! Yep, we've got our own quidditch pitch and it's awesome. I'm definitely going to be on Gri..gruf..ahh." She struggled to say the word. "..grifdor's team this year. You'll see. I'm not very good at magic but I'm great at flying. Even better than dori though she won't admit it. She's jealous you know. I've heard rainclaws are all like that."

Thankfully he didn't have to hear more of her nonsense, of which he understood very little about, cause they soon entered the dining hall.

It was a long hall, with two massive windows reflecting reddish sun rays down due to being draped with light red curtains. The light fell directly upon a dining table clothed in golden sheets and armed with 12 chairs, 5 on each sides and two on ends. James was already at the table, a newspaper in his hands that had moving pictures.

Harry was almost used to all the shocks the magical world could give him, from flying shoes and clothes to live photos and pictures, but seeing a couple of black and white image of ballerinas dancing at the back of a paper was still quite unusual.

"Harry!" James called out with a grin as his eyes fell upon the twins. "Come, join us. This is the first time you'll be eating English food right?"

Harry moved to sit beside the man, taking the seat next to the head chair which James was occupying.

"Most likely." He answered. "Though America sort of makes every country's food available so I might be familiar with some of them."

"That still won't compare to proper English dinner." James assured him. "Especially food made by elves. They are known for perfection."

Harry believed him completely. Because the food that suddenly appeared in front of them looked straight out of a 5 star hotel. Harry would know, he'd broken in some of the hotels to taste the food. And the food at this table was very similar, both in smell and aesthetics.

James described some of the dishes, which ranged from Lancashire lamb hotpot to shepherd's pie, served with ginger beer and other non-alcoholic beverages.

It was an amazing array of food and Harry was dying to dive in. But one thing that aroused his paranoia a little was the emptiness in the house.

"Where is Lily?" He asked, realizing there were only three people on the dining table.

"Oh, she just went to the ministry. Don't worry she'll be back soon. You can start though. We don't have any rules for eating or anything."

Harry nodded, before recalling the clown from previously. "And the other people?"

"They are my friends Harry. Childhood friends. Their families often come over here, so you can expect to see them every now and then, but they don't live here."

"I see "

With that, he dug in.

The food was delicious, as he'd expected. It was the type of food that you keeping eating even after your stomach is full, cause you just can't have enough of it. Harry always had a very healthy apatite, and it only Increased further in presence of such deliciousness.

He absently wondered about his older sister but dismissed it quickly. Who the hell cares.

Halfway through the dinner a whooshing sound of a fire igniting sounded from the main hall area. He looked up at James to see if it was anything of concern but the man's grin disapproved of the thought.

"Your mother's here." The wizard announced, leaving his half-eaten dinner to go outside.

"How did he know?" Harry asked to his lone dinner partner.

"Hmm?" The girl looked up, a sausage hanging limply from her mouth. She sucked it in like a thick noodle before quickly chomping it down. "Oh well...the Flue-fire makes a very...similar? No, what's the word...ahh, recognizable! It makes a very recognizable sound. So it's easy to know if someone comes through the fireplace."

"What's Flue fire?" He asked between bites.

"The fire that Flue powder makes, duh. Oh wait! You wouldn't know about Flue powder would you? Well...it's the safest way for a wizard to travel long distances. Every house is connected by a flue network through their fireplaces. You only need this green magical powder to use it. Just say the name of the place and boom! You're there. It's so cool right? I used to travel back and forth from our house to uncle Sirius when I was eight. It was so fun! But I once accidentally said 'Back Manor' instead of 'Black Manor' and ended up in a ditch behind this smelly pub and cried until this big giant hairy man named Hagrid picked me out and returned me to..."

She lost him again, soon after. The powers of chatter mouths worked in mysterious ways.

A few minutes later James and Lily entered the hall together, with Lily holding two letters in her hands.

"Hey mom!" Rosalia greeted with a wave.

Lily smiled at them both. "I'm so happy to see you two eating together. Coincidentally, it also makes it easier to give these to you."

She handed us both the two letters that she carried, watching both of us with anticipation.

"Is this...?" Rosalia asked in trepidation, seeming to have a guess at what the letter contained.

Harry was clueless.

The letter was closed by a red wax circle, and had an unusual stamp sporting four different animals in front. He quickly tore it open, removing the two joint pieces of parchments from within. The first one was a typical letter sent by the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, with the name of their headmistress, one Minerva McGonagall written in bold.

Dear, Mr. Potter it began, and Harry took great satisfaction at being called a Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July. Yours sincerely.

Remus Lupin

Deputy Headmaster

He folded the letter, not bothering to read the other parchment.

He truly wished to complete the story quest but not if it meant risking his life. While he trusted his system's attempt at making him stronger, he simply couldn't let himself be cornered once again.

The fight against wizards had forced him to consider his lapse of judgement and be extra cautious. It would be foolish to dive headfirst into Hogwarts where he would be surrounded by wizards like Snape everytime. Wizards who, if they actually did work for Hydra, would be in perfect position to abduct him.

A single Stupefy from a Wizard's wand could put him to sleep, so no matter how cautiously he moved, the risk will always be present.

'Perhaps this is the first time I fail a story quest...'

His parents waited quietly as he brainstormed, seeming to know about his hesitation. When he finally looked above, Lily nodded at his unsaid question.

"Yes, we know why you wouldn't want to go, but please hear us out." She said patiently.

"Wait what?" Rosalia snapped up, bewildered. "You aren't coming? Why!? Didn't we promise to always keep each other's secrets?"

Harry turned to the girl, jarred out of his thoughts. "I remember no such thing."

"Well...you forgot my name, so you must've forgotten this as well. Maybe you have a habit of forgetting life-important things!"

"Life-important is not a word."

"Irregardless, It is your duty as my twin to accompany me on this very very dangerous...ahh, exi.. experience!" She spat out with difficulty. "So that we may conquer this world and bring terror to mankind!"

He simply stared at the girl, finally coming to realize why some of the people in shield disliked him at first for being a 'kid'. If their experience of kids was such, then no wonder people hated them. Why did people even have kids? Truly, it was their fault that creatures like this girl were able to walk freely upon this planet.

He wasn't one to put the blame on others, so naturally he gave his parents a look of utmost disapproval and contempt for creating this being.

Lily sighed, surely ashamed of her actions. Even if she had a small smile on her face, looking at them proudly.

"As happy as I am to see you two behaving like true siblings should–"

What.

"–It is time for you to go to sleep, Rose. Don't worry about your brother, I'm sure we can convince him after some slight encouragement from you." She winked at the girl. "But that will come tomorrow. Now, shoo, off to bed with you."

"Alright mom." The dejected girl said, before turning to him with an 'encouraging' smile. "You hear that brother? You're coming to Hogwarts! But don't worry, I'll take care of you so you don't have to worry. Wait...did I say that twice? Whatever! Goodnight and sweet dreams and I'll see you tomorrow!"

With her last announcement she leapt over to give James a 'goodnight kiss' and ran off, leaving behind the laughing man while ignoring Lily's warning to not run in the house.

After she was well and truly gone, Lily turned back to him.

"Now Harry, before you decide whether to attend Hogwarts or not–"

"Which is entirely up to you, by the way." James cut in. "If you don't want to go to Hogwarts, there are other options too, so it's fine. Unless you don't want to attend any magical school and simply study from home–"

"Which we will discuss later." Lily took over, shooting James a look between 'I got this' to 'don't you dare ruin it'.

"Which we will discuss later." James agreed readily, slightly abashed. "Of course."

"But first, why you should attend Hogwarts." Lily took a deep breath, looking ready for a war.

"First and foremost, your hesitance to place yourself in untrustworthy authority. You won't have to worry about this at all because the Hogwarts headmistress is a close friend of ours, and is especially known for her fairness. You've already met the school's deputy, Remus Lupin, another close friend of our family. His wife sara is also a teacher in Hogwarts, as am I. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, will force you to do anything that you do not wish to, apart from the school work."

Harry nodded slowly. 'This could work out very well.'

He was fairly certain by now that his parents truly didn't have any ulterior motives for him. So if what Lily said was true, then his worries for Hydra controlling the school were nil.

Unless, of course, these 'friends' were actually Hydra agents. But that was stupid. Hydra didn't know about the Potters. They had no reason to recruit their friends.

This simple reassurance has already vanished most of his hesitation.

"Second, you said learning magic was your first priority, right? Well, I don't wish to exaggerate but Hogwarts truly is the very best this world can offer as far as magical education goes."

And that, was what truly sold Harry. A safe environment to learn more magic? Exactly what he was looking for right now. Not only will he be able to complete his quest, but he will also receive a wand.

An actual wand will drastically increase his fighting prowess by a ton. He may not know a lot of magic, but what he did know was lethal enough to take care of even trained wizards.

He had no reasons to refuse any longer.

"Look, you don't have to make any decisions righ–"

"I shall go." Harry interrupted James, nodding at the man. "It's fine, I've made my decision. If one of you truly work there, then I'm fine with attending this... Hogwarts."

Perhaps he might come to regret it later. Perhaps he won't like this place. Perhaps his parents were simply lying to get him to attend this darned school (doubtful).

But at that moment, imagining the beautiful prospects of power and knowledge, Harry felt it was well worth the risk.

Afterall, what's life without a little risk?

And thus it was decided; Harry Potter will attend Hogwarts. And only time will tell what the future holds.