HP: Boundless Wizardry - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Harry Potter - Boundless Wizardry

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters in the story are consenting adults over 18 years of age.

Chapter 2: Download

Harry lay in the infirmary bed, his emerald-green eyes fixed on the night sky through the tall windows. The glass reflected the pale glow of the moon, making the world outside look distant and unreachable, almost like a painting hung on the wall.

The silence of the Hospital Wing pressed in on him. Hermione had gone back to the common room hours ago, and Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping him overnight for observation. With no one left around, the only thing Harry had was his own restless mind.

Sleep refused to come. His body might have been exhausted, but his thoughts ran in circles. Nothing felt right. Nothing was how it was supposed to be.

The most obvious difference was his age. He should have been thirteen, still short and scrawny, still a boy fumbling through his teenage years. Instead, the face staring back at him in mirrors was seventeen, older, sharper, carrying the weight of experiences he shouldn’t even remember yet.

That alone was strange enough, but compared to what had happened today, it was almost nothing.

His soul had been torn out. That was the only way to describe it. The original Harry was gone, and in his place stood… him. Another Harry, one who remembered a different timeline. One who had lived a completely different mundane Life, only knowing Harry Potter as a Book Series where the Main Character carried his Name.

And Sirius… Sirius was dead.

The thought struck like a punch to the chest. In the proper flow of events, his godfather should have been soaring across the lake right now, free at last, riding Buckbeak under the same moonlight Harry was staring at. He should have escaped.

He should have lived. Instead, he had fallen victim to a cruel twist of fate. His body was now nothing more than an empty shell, a husk robbed of its soul.

Harry clenched his fists against the sheets. Some “second chance” this was. His new life had already started in failure.

Why did it hurt this much? Logically, he told himself, he had never even spoken to Sirius in this world. Not really. The bond between them shouldn’t exist. But the memories he carried didn’t care about logic. They were his memories now, his life.

That made Sirius his godfather, his family, no matter how things had shifted.

And he had wanted to save him. That was supposed to be the first thing he changed. His very first victory. Instead, he had already failed before he even had the chance to try.

A hollow bitterness filled his chest. What was he supposed to do now? He knew one thing for sure—Cornelius Fudge and his incompetent Ministry had to pay. The thought of their smug faces made his teeth grind. Revenge alone wasn’t enough, though.

To make a real difference, he needed power. Power on the level of Voldemort. Power on the level of Dumbledore. Without it, he was nothing but a boy trapped in a broken timeline.

“System, are you there?” Harry whispered into the empty ward. His voice sounded too loud in the stillness.

Silence.

Right. The System wasn’t alive. It wasn’t some friendly AI waiting to answer his questions. Just a cold, mechanical tool left by that strange voice in the void.

A voice that hadn’t even bothered to explain the full rules before tossing him into this mess.

So how was he supposed to use it properly?

“Status,” he muttered, more out of habit than expectation.

This time, a response appeared.

{ Name: Harry J. Potter }

{ Race: Human (Magical) }

{ Strength: 7}

{ Dexterity: 12 }

{ Vitality: 8 }

{ Intelligence: 9 }

{ Wisdom: 7 }

{ Charisma: 11 }

The familiar screen he had first encountered in the Void appeared again, hovering in front of his eyes. Even in the dimly lit infirmary, the letters glowed as if they had their own source of light. Strangely, though, the glow didn’t touch the shadows around him; the room remained in soft darkness, as if the light existed only for him.

‘I have above-average Dexterity…’ Harry muttered to himself, reading the stat line. It made sense. His reflexes had always been sharp, almost instinctive. Memories of his childhood with the Dursleys floated back, like small, painful snapshots. Running from Dudley and his gang, ducking and weaving just to avoid a beating—those moments had shaped him. Even Quidditch offered proof.

Being a Seeker required lightning-fast reactions, precision, and split-second thinking. Catching the Snitch wasn’t just skill; it was timing, focus, reflexes, all of which he had always relied on.

‘Charisma is above average too,’ he read next. He frowned slightly. That didn’t entirely match his new memories. By all accounts, he hadn’t been particularly influential, nor had he been especially good with the opposite gender.

But looking back, his social circle had been narrow: Ron and Hermione, the Weasleys, a handful of Quidditch teammates. Interactions outside that small group were minimal.

Harry paused, a hint of frustration tightening his jaw. Why had he never reached out to anyone else? He hadn’t been avoiding them intentionally, but somehow opportunities never came.

There had always been a strange, unexplainable distance between him and the rest of the students.

Even being famous hadn’t changed much. In the Muggle world, famous people were often surrounded by crowds, some needing bodyguards just to walk down the street. But here, Hogwarts was different. Whispers followed him, yes, but few ever approached him directly. Malfoy had, naturally, but beyond that… nothing.

Classwork meant he partnered with Ron and Hermione almost exclusively, either assigned by teachers or by default. His two best friends seemed to have more natural social connections than he did, and that fact now gnawed at him.

Looking at the situation from this new perspective, Harry couldn’t shake the suspicion that something had been manipulated, deliberately. But by whom? His mind flickered through potential suspects remembering Fanfictions and Theories from his past Life—Dumbledore? Ron?

Dumbledore might be worth considering as a possibility, but Ron… Ron didn’t make much sense. At least, not right away. It all depended on which version of him Harry was dealing with.

The movie version was practically useless. That Ron had been an early casualty of the so-called culture war, stripped of half his character until he was little more than a walking gag sidekick and not one of the Protagonists. All the moments that showed his courage or loyalty had been handed off to Hermione instead.

Even his role as the group’s “native wizard,” the one who actually grew up in the magical world and understood things Harry couldn’t, had been tossed aside given to Hermione, who read about it somewhere. What was left behind was a shallow caricature, a shadow of what Ron was supposed to be.

It had been one of the Reasons why he never finished the Movies.

Judging by the memories he carried, this was the book version he had ended up with. That fact alone made Harry breathe a little easier. The idea of being stuck with the other Ron—the joke version—wasn’t something he wanted to even imagine.

So no theory fit completely. None of it made sense, and he reminded himself that he had only just begun this new life. Assuming malicious intent so soon would be foolish. Still, he decided, his eyes needed to stay open. Always staying on guard around People who act as his Allies.

The screen moved him back to practical matters. ‘Other stats are below average for a twenty-one-year-old,’ it read. Harry considered the numbers. Being just over three years from that age, he calculated that he should have gained roughly three stat points per year to reach normal levels.

At that rate, he might slightly surpass an average adult, which was fine for most people—but not for him. Voldemort would be back in a year, and he was far from average.

A thought prickled at him, sharp and immediate: the Horcrux in his scar. Harry touched the familiar jagged mark, feeling the unique pulse of magic beneath his fingers.

The lack of skills in his current Status nagged at him like a missing puzzle piece. Clearly, he needed to know more.

Harry leaned back slightly in the bed, inhaling slowly. His mind had already started racing through possibilities.

To gauge his strength, plan his training, and understand the new life he had been given, he had to experiment with the System. His voice barely above a whisper, he spoke into the empty infirmary, “Skills?”

Almost immediately, the screen responded. Letters shifted, rearranged themselves.

[ Initiating Skill System… Analyzing Existing experience… ]

Suddenly, a long list appeared in front of his eyes. Harry froze, staring at it blankly. For a moment, he wondered if this was some kind of joke.

The list stretched seemingly forever, a scroll of skills organized in strict alphabetical order. A scrollbar on the right side hinted just how massive it was, yet Harry didn’t feel impressed. Nothing jumped out as immediately useful.

Breathing? Level 82, Expert Rank. Arithmetics? Aim? Athletics? Awareness? Baking? Biting? Body Coordination? Breath Control? He scrolled past the entries in disbelief. Some made sense. Others… felt absurd.

He paused at Astronomy and Broom Mastery and thought maybe, just maybe, there was some hidden logic behind it. Without those, he might have laughed outright. The list seemed ridiculous, like a prank someone had crafted to confuse him.

Still, he couldn’t deny that a few of the skills were relevant. Athletics might actually matter if he needed to move fast, dodge attacks, or even train his body. But why in the world would anyone need to know their level in Apologizing?

Harry blinked and leaned closer. “Uh… can you sort this into something actually useful? Like Household Skills, Mundane Skills, Magical Skills… or whatever makes sense? Basically, can you make this menu usable?” His voice held a mix of hope and skepticism.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, almost smoothly, the list rearranged itself. Categories appeared, neat and clickable, each hiding an entire branch of skills. The first one opened by default was Perks.

“Wait… you can hear me?” Harry asked, squinting at the screen. “Are you… intelligent? Is there a tutorial?”

Silence answered him. The only movement came from the softly glowing letters before him.

“Well, that would have been too easy,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes and letting out a small sigh. His gaze drifted over the Perks category. At least here, he might start to make sense of things. Maybe this was the real place to begin—figuring out himself, piece by piece, before tackling anything else.

[ Famous (The Boy Who Lived) ]

[ Harry Potter, the only known person to survive the Killing Curse and the one who vanquished the feared Dark Lord Voldemort, is among the most famous figures in the Wizarding World. ]

[ Passive Effect:

- 10% Bonus to Charisma.

- 20% increased Success Chance for any Flirting attempts. ]

[ Horcrux (Unwilling Vessel) ]

[ A fragment of Lord Voldemort’s soul resides within Harry Potter, granting him strange powers — and a dangerous connection to the Dark Lord. ]

[ Passive Effects:

- Cursed Bond: Harry experiences visions and emotions linked to Voldemort. It generally alarms him of the Dark Lords presence in close proximity.

- Healing spells are 15% less effective on Harry.

- -3 Vitality. ]

[ Parselmouth ]

[ Harry Potter possesses the rare ability to communicate with snakes, a talent usually associated with Salazar Slytherin and his bloodline. This gift is both powerful and mistrusted. ]

[ Passive Effects:

- Harry possesses the Ability to speak with Snakes.

- +10% Intimidation while speaking Parseltongue or combining it with Human Speech. ]

[ Prophesied Child ]

[ Harry is tied to an ancient prophecy connecting him to Lord Voldemort, binding their fates together. ]

[ Passive Effect:

- +15% Willpower.

- Voldemort’s hatred. ]

“Well, that’s quite the list…” Harry muttered dryly, his eyes scanning the descriptions of his Perks for what felt like the hundredth time. He couldn’t help the faint sense of disbelief creeping up his spine.

The most unexpected detail wasn’t even that he still carried a piece of Voldemort’s Soul. After all, technically his own soul had been ripped out once before, shouldn’t it have taken care of the Horcrux too? No, what caught him off guard was the note about Parseltongue—it appeared completely unrelated to the Horcrux.

Nothing in the description hinted that the snake-speaking ability had come from the fragment of Voldemort’s soul clinging to him. At least, that was what it said. Harry knew better than to fully trust these summaries; there was always a chance he was misreading it or it missed details.

Scrolling further, he came to a Category labeled Unique Skills. It seemed a little underwhelming at first glance—there was only a single Skill listed.

[ Download (Passive) ]

Harry raised an eyebrow, wondering what this would even mean in practice, while he knew what the description said, he had no idea how it would look in reality, though he supposed he’d find out soon enough.

The next Category caught his attention more sharply: Magical Skills. He braced himself, expecting a seemingly endless list of spells, charms, curses, and other magical abilities he had painstakingly learned during his years at Hogwarts.

Carefully, he expanded the section, anticipation and a twinge of excitement building. To his surprise, it wasn’t an overwhelming scroll of names. The list was surprisingly short, neat, and—almost manageable.

[ Alchemy (Passive) ] (Lvl: 2 (Novice))

[ Arithmancy (Passive) ] (Lvl: 5 (Novice))

[ Astronomy (Passive) ] (Lvl: 31 (Apprentice))

[ Broom Mastery (Passive) ] (Lvl: 48 (Apprentice))

[ Charms (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 45 (Apprentice))

[ Dark Arts (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 19 (Novice))

[ Defense against the Dark Arts (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 51 (Adept))

[ Divination (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 14 (Novice))

[ Duelling (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 29 (Apprentice))

[ Herbology (Passive) ] (Lvl: 35 (Apprentice))

[ History of Magic (Passive) ] (Lvl: 25 (Apprentice))

[ Magical Creatures (Passive) ] (Lvl: 35 (Apprentice))

[ Potions (Passive) ] (Lvl: 26 (Apprentice))

[ Rituals (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 3 (Novice))

[ Runes (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 8 (Novice))

[ Transfiguration (Active / Passive) ] (Lvl: 38 (Apprentice))

It was surprisingly readable, at least until he clicked on one of the specific Skills. Then the screen changed to show a detailed Description, followed by a long list of Spells that belonged to it.

Each Skill came with its own set of bonuses, affecting Magic Consumption, Control, and Power—but these benefits depended on the Skill’s Level. The higher the Skill, the more efficient and potent the spells became.

Harry realized that wasn’t the whole picture. Each individual Spell had its own Mastery Level, and that too influenced how well it could be cast.

On top of that, every Spell Description hinted at potential improvements: first learning to cast silently, and maybe, eventually, without a wand at all. He studied the brackets beside each Spell—Normal / Silent / Wandless—noting that Silent and Wandless were greyed out for every single Spell he had. Clearly, these were skills he would have to unlock gradually.

Moving on through the other Categories, nothing particularly surprising appeared. It was largely a list of everyday Skills he already knew, though a few caught his attention as potentially worth investing in.

[ Athletism (Passive) ] promised a general boost to flexibility and speed, while [ Awareness (Passive) ] would increase perception. Even something as mundane as leveling Breathing seemed useful, since it would reduce stamina usage over time.

Harry made a mental note: if these passive Skills were manageable, stacking them could make a real difference.

Then a detail hit him like a jolt. The complete lack of personal Levels. Sure, the Skills themselves had Levels, but he himself didn’t seem able to level up, gain Stat Points, or grow stronger in the usual way. Did he need to train specifically to earn Stats?

That was something he would need to test out sooner rather than later.

Another pressing question came to mind: which Skill should he focus on first? Which Character should he select for his initial Download? Every moment he delayed would only make the process take longer, but rushing it without a plan could be reckless. He had to weigh his current situation against the future he could foresee.

Next year promised the Triwizard Tournament, preceded by the Quidditch World Cup—where a Death Eater attack was inevitable. Following that would come Voldemort’s return, the second Wizarding War, first hidden, then exposed to the world. And of course, the Horcruxes. He was a Horcrux himself. That alone was something he wanted to address sooner rather than later.

The reality of Sirius’ death hit him again. Canon was already broken. While he could rely on the book for guidance, there was no guarantee that events would follow the same path, especially further into the future. He couldn’t leave his survival up to luck anymore.

Not when even Canon Dumbledore might not have known he would survive a second Killing Curse and lose the Horcrux. Harry had to take control of his own fate.

Fortunately, he still had some breathing room. Three ‘safe’ months during the summer, followed by a year that would be semi-dangerous at best, with dragons, mermaids, and a labyrinth filled with creatures that wanted to kill him. It all added up.

What he needed now was a plan that could snowball—something that would set him ahead, rather than leaving him constantly reacting.

And he already had just the right Skill in mind to start with. It was a gamble, sure, but if it worked, it could solve two problems at once. He allowed himself the smallest smirk.

This could be exactly the head start he needed.

[ Starting Download… ]

———

The end of the school year came and went without much deviation from what Harry remembered. Professor Lupin quietly packed his things and resigned, forced out after his condition as a werewolf became public knowledge.

It stung a little, but not as sharply as before. This time Harry found himself strangely detached, as if the grief had already been dulled by heavier losses.

Sirius’ death had left a mark that was impossible to ignore. Even though no one outside a small circle understood the truth—that Sirius had been innocent all along—the atmosphere around Harry shifted. Students and teachers alike gave him more space than usual.

They didn’t know why they were doing it, but somehow they sensed he carried something heavy. The isolation wasn’t outright cruel, but it was still noticeable.

Even Ron and Hermione, usually glued to his side, seemed to hold back. They tried at first, checking in and offering comfort, but eventually they allowed him the room to deal with his grief on his own.

It wasn’t abandonment, but it was distance, and Harry couldn’t decide if he was grateful for it or quietly resentful. Instead he spent most of the last day waiting for the Download to finish.

Which it didn’t.

Well his target was too strong to only need a few Hours to be downloaded.

Once the term ended, life returned to its usual frustrating rhythm. He found himself back at the Dursleys’ once again, trapped with no real way of leaving.

The house felt even more suffocating than before, and yet there was nothing he could do about it. No matter how much had changed, some things remained stubbornly the same.