The Corrupted Gamer: Harry Potter

Harry spent ten minutes feeding Bellatrix various potions and cast spells on her to give her energy and to start her recovery. He then took half an hour as he talked to her and gave her an edited version of his sob story of growing up, how he was treated, and what his life was like among hate-filled muggles.

Bellatrix was incensed about it and her hands gripped the bars of her cell as she fumed and ranted about murdering the filthy muggles for ever thinking they were good enough to lick Harry's boots!

Harry couldn't tell you why her reaction made him feel a lot better about things. Bellatrix was a sadistic witch that did absolutely horrible things, like murder and torture, and she was arrested after she and three others caught and tortured the Longbottoms. And yet, she was the one that wanted revenge against his relatives and not anyone on the supposed good side even contemplated it.

It gave Harry a different perspective on his life. The relief he felt by just getting out of that environment, lessened to the point that he wanted to go back and take care of them. Amelia had warned him that the Dursleys wouldn't get any punishment in either the muggle world or the magical world, because Dumbledore didn't want anyone to have proof of what he had done.

That reminded Harry about what he had done to the old man and he told Bellatrix all about it. The amused cackling laughter and joyous expression on her face was worth visiting the prison, even if he didn't manage to acquire the information that he wanted from her today.

“Bellatrix... Bella... I have questions that I need answered.” Harry said in his commanding voice.

“Of course, my lord! I will tell you anything!” Bellatrix exclaimed. “Like how the guards torment me and...”

Harry stood there, rooted to the spot, and listened for another half an hour as Bellatrix told him all about her time in prison. She had even agreed to allow him to look into her weakened mind as she spoke, just so he could see the faces of the men and women that had taken twisted pleasure in making her life hell.

Good, upstanding citizens had looked on with sadistic glee as Bellatrix was 'given a taste of her own medicine'. It was sickening for Harry to watch the events play out and to witness how people could be just as bad or worse than the worst Death Eaters, and that was a shock all by itself.

Harry checked his watch and sighed. He had run out of time and had to get back to school. “Bellatrix, I need to go.”

“NO!” Bellatrix gasped and reached through the bars to grab his hand in a death grip. “Please! PLEASE! Stay with me, my lord! I've lost so much because of the Dementors! I don't want to lose this time with you, too!”

Harry was still inside her mind and knew that she was right. As soon as he left, several Dementors would swarm her cell to feed upon all of the happiness that she now had because of his visit. He turned his hand in hers and he interlaced his fingers with hers.

“Bella.” Harry said softly in a deep voice and Bellatrix shivered and closed her eyes. “Do not worry. Even though I need to leave you here for now, you will never be subjected to the Dementors ever again.”

“I w-wont?” Bellatrix asked and opened her eyes to stare at him. “Wait! How did you get in here? Dementors guard this wing constantly and it takes two Aurors casting Patronuses to keep them at bay!”

Harry smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. “Lesser creatures will always move aside for me, Bella.”

Bellatrix gave him another look of admiration and Harry could feel her devotion to him get a little bit deeper. “Will you show them your power, my lord? Will you put them into their proper place?”

Harry nodded. “It's time for those creatures to understand who is in charge around here.”

“My lord.” Bellatrix said and started to kneel.

“Stop!” Harry spat and she froze. “Stand tall, Bella!”

Bellatrix stood up and her back straightened as she stared at him with wide eyes.

“You are not to grovel at anyone's feet, not even mine.” Harry commanded and she nodded. “I will also handle the Aurors that dared to treat you the way they have.”

“The warden, too.” Bellatrix whispered.

“Don't worry. I have a plan to deal with him for allowing the abuse of prisoners.” Harry growled.

Bellatrix shivered and felt more tingles all over her skin and down below.

“I will be back very late tonight, since we have unfinished business.”

“Yes, my lord.” Bellatrix said and beamed a smile at him. “I eagerly await your return.”

Harry smiled back and swiped his wand at her. Her thin and ragged prison dress transformed into one of her favorite outfits and she was lifted slightly as calf-high boots formed on her feet. Her hair that had hung limply over her shoulders was fluffed out and Bella felt warmth fill her from the inside out.

“My lord!” Bella gasped in shock, because he had never done anything like that before.

Harry heard that from her mind. “I won't have you suffer anymore.”

Bellatrix started to nod and felt a huge flow of magic pass by her and the tiny cell expanded and transformed into a copy of her bedroom back at her home. Her dresser of clothes, her four poster bed, the ancient wallpaper, the carpet, the chandelier, and even her old bookcase filled with books appeared.

“MY LORD!” Bellatrix yelled, completely shocked.

“Yes, it's permanent.” Harry said and felt as her devotion deepened even further. “Until tonight.”

Bellatrix nodded several times and reluctantly let his hand go.

“Now, where is the closest Dementor?” Harry asked and pointed at the end of the hallway. The barrier he had placed disappeared and two Dementors rushed towards him and Bellatrix's cell, probably because of her very strong happy feelings and not because Harry was an intruder.

Bellatrix stepped back from the bars automatically, then she froze when Harry pointed his wand at them and both Dementors froze in mid-air.

“I believe a lesson needs to be learned.” Harry's deep voice said and he spun a ring on his finger three times.

Bellatrix caught her breath as the feeling of dread and impending doom filled the air... and then she stopped breathing when the actual Spectre of Death formed beside her lord!

“Harvest the one on the right.” Harry commanded.

“Masssterrr.” The Spectre of Death said and its scythe sliced right into and through the head of the Dementor.

It screamed and screamed as the scythe glowed and started sucking it up. The Dementor stopped screaming after about thirty seconds and then its ethereal form seemed to lessen and shrink. When a minute passed, the thing was little more than a split skull, a ribcage, skeletal arms, and a tattered cloak.

The corporeal bones made a rattling sound as the now dead Dementor dropped to the floor.

“Please inform the others to leave this prisoner alone or they will share the same fate.” Harry told the remaining Dementor.

It nodded and fled.

“Thank you.” Harry said to the Spectre of Death. It nodded and gave a half bow as it faded away.

“I love you.” Bellatrix whispered.

Harry turned to her and he could see the look of utter desire on her face. “Do you mean me now or who I had been?”

“Now.” Bellatrix said and stepped close to the bars. “When you were at the height of your powers, you couldn't do what you've done today.” Her eyes went to where the spectre had been. “You can even command death itself.”

Harry nodded and didn't know how he felt about Bellatrix actually loving him. Since he could still see into her mind, he knew she really did feel that way. He followed her thoughts and he wasn't surprised that neither her impotent husband nor Voldemort were prominent in them. He guessed that years of Dementor exposure had dulled and muted any strong feelings she had towards either of them.

“I will be back.” Harry promised.

“I will be here.” Bellatrix said with a smile.

Harry almost laughed at her making a joke, gave her a nod, then apparated.

Bellatrix gasped at the crack sound and stared at where another impossibility had just occurred. If she had any remaining doubts that the young man was the most powerful being she had ever met, they had just been obliterated. No one could apparate or use a portkey anywhere near the island that Azkaban prison was on, which was why they had to use boats from the mainland.

She walked over to the familiar bookshelf and picked up a particular book. It had been destroyed in a fire that her insane aunt had caused during a temper tantrum after her cousin Sirius had been sorted into Griffindor and not Slytherin. The fool had let his hatred of his mother dictate how he would be treated at school and what friends he would make.

Bellatrix hugged the precious book close and went to her bed and reclined on it, as if she had been doing so every day, and started to read. She had the distinct feeling that her stay in prison was going to be quite a bit different from now on.

One of the more annoying Auror guards walked by her cell and the irritating man didn't even glance her way. That made Bellatrix smile, because her lord must have cast a very powerful notice-me-not charm on her cell to make everyone ignore something that they were specifically searching for.

Bellatrix started humming happily and flipped the page of the book that she hadn't read since she was twelve. She suddenly remembered that she had always adored the story and her love for her lord grew to a ridiculous degree for making her remember.

*

Padma slowly regained consciousness and she felt great. No, more than great. She felt... right.

“Good evening, Padma.” Harry said and Padma opened her eyes to look at him. “It's almost suppertime on Sunday night.”

Padma nodded and sat up. Harry had warned her it might take a while for the changes to her body and mind to be done. With that reminder, her thoughts started flowing and she was surprised at how much easier it was to think.

“Just sit there and let yourself adjust.” Harry said. “Are you getting a bunch of blue info boxes?”

Padma shook her head.

“Huh. I wonder why.” Harry mused. “I've been getting them for as long as I can remember.”

“Maybe it's because I'm starting at a much higher mind level?” Padma asked.

“That's always possible.” Harry agreed. “Try thinking 'observe' or 'identify' as you look at something.”

Padma nodded and looked right at him. Identify.

Harry Bones (Potter, Peverell, Patil), Age 11, Ravenclaw Prodigy

“Hey! It worked!” Padma gushed and hugged him.

Harry hugged her back and then let her go. “Just think 'dismiss' and it will clear from your sight.”

“Thanks!” Padma said and did as he said. The blue box disappeared and she grinned. “Now give me all the books! ALL THE BOOKS!”

Harry laughed and swiped his wand at her pyjamas and switched them with a casual dress and wrap she usually wore on the weekends. “We need to go eat first and meet up with a new friend.”

Padma followed him out of his four poster bed and took his hand as they left the dorm and went down the stairs. “Are you going to tell me who or are you going to surprise me?”

“That's up to you.” Harry said and waved and greeted several people in common room. At his apparent prompt, most of them stood and followed him and Padma out of the tower to go to the Great Hall for supper.

“I can wait and find out.” Padma said and hugged his arm as they walked, side by side.

“Keep using it.” Harry reminded her in a whisper.

Padma nodded and started looking at everything and reading about it. By the time they reached the Great Hall, Padma had a huge smile on her face and was almost exuberantly happy. Everyone already in the Great Hall noticed and whispered and commented about it to their friends. Both she and Harry ignored them and sat down on the side of the Ravenclaw table that faced the Griffindor table.

Harry wasn't surprised to see that Hermione was already there and looked a little nervous. He waved at her, a bit exaggeratedly, and called her over. “Hermione! We're over here and we can't start eating without you!”

The other Ravenclaws in their year that were sitting down around him and Padma were stunned. Harry smiled at them all and asked them to leave the spot in front of him open for Hermione. Sue Li gave Padma a questioning look and Padma turned to look at Harry.

“Surprise.” Harry said and Hermione stood up and walked over to them. “Please, have a seat.”

“Th-thank you.” Hermione said and sat.

“Everyone, this is Hermione Granger, the secret Ravenclaw infiltrator of Griffindor who has made it her mission to try and enlighten the barbarians about the value of studying.” Harry said, proudly.

Everyone around him had their mouth drop open and they stared at Hermione like she was made of gold. The blush on her face was epic in its redness and coverage.

“That is the bravest thing I've ever heard.” Padma said and a few of the girls nodded. “I had the hardest time getting my sister to study and I've been working on her for years!”

“I stopped trying years ago with my old classmates, especially my idiot ex-cousin.” Harry said. “It wasn't worth the hassle or the headaches.”

Padma reached across the table and put a hand on Hermione's. “It must be torture for you to be stuck over there with no one appropriate to talk to.”

Hermione's blush faded and she ducked her head as a tear formed in her eyes. “I think I made a huge mistake in asking the hat to put me in Griffindor.”

Everyone around her felt bad about that.

“No, you didn't.” Harry said and everyone looked at him. “The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin because of my cunning and ambition.”

That gained several gasps and stunned expressions.

“Then it said Hufflepuff, because my mother Amelia and cousin Susan had taught me about valuing friendships and loyalty.”

“Dear Merlin.” Padma whispered and stared at her future husband. She felt nothing but gratitude for Harry ending up in Ravenclaw.

“Since I love learning as much as I can, I wanted to be in the house that encouraged that above everything else.” Harry said and looked around at their faces. “And look what happened. I have friends, earned their loyalty, and my ambitions are starting to bear fruit.”

“Like sorting the Ravenclaw Library and taking over the History of Magic classes from Binns.” Terry Boot said and everyone nodded.

“That rumor was true?” Hermione asked.

“It's our favorite class.” Anthony Goldstein said, to her surprise. “The epic magic battles are great to watch and it's actually fun learning about prominent figures in history.”

Hermione couldn't stop herself from speaking as she stared at Harry's face. “When are your lecture classes for that? Maybe I can switch over.”

“Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.” Padma said.

Hermione sighed. “I have Defense on Tuesdays and Charms on Thursdays.”

“Which means you have History on Monday and Wednesday, which is when we have Defense and Charms.” Sue Li said from beside her. “Why don't you just switch all of your afternoon classes to ours? It won't affect your schedule much.”

“We have Potions Friday afternoons.” Padma told her.

“I have it in the morning for a double class and the afternoon off.” Hermione responded.

“So, just four days and three classes. I think both McGonagall and Flitwick will be okay with it.” Harry said.

“Why just them?” Hermione asked.

“We don't know who the defense professor is going to be.” Mandy Brocklehurst said.

“It's Professor Snape.” Hermione said and they all looked at her. “I overheard the Weasley Twins complain that he's not much better at teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts than he was at teaching potions, despite his desire to always have the job.”

Their talk was interrupted as platters of food appeared in the center of the table and they all started loading up their plates to eat. They could continue talking when the meal was done.

Harry thought about what it could mean for him and for the students Snape would be teaching. The man had already ruined countless future potion careers with his lackluster teaching methods. What careers could he ruin by sabotaging the Defense classes? Unfortunately, pretty much all of them.

Now Harry just had to decide if he wanted to let the curse on the Defense Professor's job get rid of Snape for him or step in himself and do it directly. Since he had Voldemort's magical knowledge, he knew exactly what the curse was and how it worked. He hid his smile as he decided to tweak the curse enough to accelerate the slow-acting timetable.

A month should be good enough to remove the man without any fuss. Harry thought with a nod and ate good food and enjoyed spending time with his friends.