A quick hop across the pond
I can't tell you how long I laid on the ground, looking up at the morning sky, but it was quite a while. I felt amazing. I was lying within my burnt out ritual circle just basking in the feeling of my magic, before my magic my magic had felt like hot magma burning through my veins, with prolonged use having the sensation of burning alive. But now my magic felt like a cool river and regardless of how much it coiled, or flared out into the surroundings it never became painful or uncomfortable like it used to. Keeping on theme with the water symbolism, my magic before felt like I was directing a raging stream, I could point it in a general direction, but any fine delicate work required an immense amount of intent and concentration. Now my magic felt like an ocean, but instead of the raging waves it was completely still and silent, ready to follow my will as forcefully or gently as needed.
I spent my day exploring the surrounding land and just letting my magic soak into everything, the plants, the animals, the air currents, anything and everything in the area, I could feel the different vibrations of magic in the life that surrounded me and I grew curious as to what could happen if I attempted my DNA, magic, soul stealing ability thingy (really need a name for that jeez) on something that was not human, would it work? I mean technically my soul isn't that of a human anymore, I've stared into the void and now I am one with it. So would I be able to just splice and dice the genes of my physical form as I please? I still have my parselmouth magic thanks to my bullshit void powers just letting me slurp up people's magic and souls.
Could I take the magic from creatures as well? If I found a phoenix and took a smidge of magic could I then be reborn through flame forever? something to ponder. Now that I was no longer in worry of exploding into a violent black mist of hate, I retreated to the Potter cellar and whipped out my modified microscope, most of my body now had a network of magic pathways fully formed thanks to the ritual, which put me a few decades ahead of other wiccan my age in that area. There was however scarring around the pathways which I believe was due to the obscurial process, it has been completely terminated now but I was a bit weary as the scars ran deep. I was more worried for my physical body now, as my magic was stable and was no longer self destructing. I decided I would book an appointment with a doctor and hopefully, with a few well placed confundus charms, they would not question the very mature independent child on their own. But first...
I managed to arrange a contractor using clan Gringotts many services, apparently the bank and the clan were separate but you could access both from the same place. Anyway for a fair price I managed to hire goblin contractors to construct a small one person cabin on the foundations of the old Potter ancestral home. Normally they would charge a large fee but due to the fact that I am not racist and have no problems with goblins building my home, they went easier on me then they would a typical 'pureblood' wizard. Also goblin magic has a different vibe to it then wizarding magic so any structures they build will be strong and resilient, so its a win win. I only requested a small cabin because I only needed a place to sleep, wash myself and prepare food in. Any work or study I shall perform in the secret cellar and I can purchase further expansions should the need arise.
After allowing the goblins onto my property and the standard oath that they would never reveal the location of my home or build backdoors through the defenses yadda yadda yadda, I let them go to work and set off into the heart of London for my appointment with a Dr. Beckons. I went through all the checkups even letting my blood be drawn and thanks to wandless, traceless magic I did not have to shapeshift or deal with annoying questions like "where are your parents?" they're dead, thanks for rubbing it in. Anyway it was a few days until I got my results back so I spent my time observing the goblins construction processes. The goblins were more technologically advanced than the wizards as they had steampunk machinery that seemed to somehow have magic and electricity work side by side, which every wizard or witch will tell you is impossible. They were not affronted by my queries and it turned out that goblin magic seemed to flow with electricity rather than against it like wizard magic, weird. This allows Gringotts to have many financial dealings in the muggle world without fear of breaking the statute, as they could use their magic freely to mask themselves.
After learning this I had another appointment with my account manager where I made sure a portion of the Potter wealth was invested in certain muggle companies, like for instance Stark Industries. Normally I couldn't do this as a child but being the last of an ancient house allows me leeway. I also asked my manager that in the event that SI stocks start dropping, to purchase as many as they could, they told me this would likely never happen but they would keep an eye on the market to be sure. Heh, who needs divination when you have bullshit reincarnation foresight.
A few days later I went back to my doctor to get my results and well... it was not good. Apparently as far as the doctor could ascertain I had some form of radiation poisoning as my genes were scrambled. By that I mean that my chromosomes had actual tears and holes in them, like they were shot apart by subatomic bullets, which is usually due to radiation. I was told it was a miracle I wasn't on the floor in agony slowly dying a slow death. I had to obliviate any memory of myself from the doctors mind as I would not like to be forced into a hospital where everyone would be talking about the miracle child that can live with no DNA. Besides I believe I already know the cause, it wasn't radiation but the volatile nature of my magic tearing my body apart back when I was turning into an obscurial, the reason I'm not dead is because my magic is now holding my entire body together at the cellular level and forcing everything to function as it should. This wasn't that taxing on my magic, I actually had no idea it was doing that at all but I would like my DNA to be whole and not scrambled so I set too looking for a solution.
My cabin was finished and I got the bare bones furniture installed as well as some muggle electronics (thank you goblin magic) and set about acquiring texts on gene therapy and genetics in general. I purchased many and had to steal a few of the really advanced stuff because even if I'm fucking dying, I am not paying that much for a college paper. Anyway... I came to realize that I had actually been fixing the problem unknowingly, when I ah... 'assimilated' my 'relatives'. My body and magic had recognized the family relation in the DNA of my aunt and cousin, then my magic simply patched up some of the broken parts of my DNA with theirs, essentially magical gene therapy. Which is fucking wild now that I think about it. Unfortunately this was before I fixed the obscurial thing so my DNA got banged up again and was never fully fixed up to begin with as most of the assimilated stuff was broken down instead of repurposed.
So I needed to find someone who was in at least someway related to me so that I could nick a few bits of genetic code off them to fix myself up, simple right? well most of wizarding Britain is related so it shouldn't be that hard. Worse comes to worse I'll just copy some of Draco's as we're close enough with the relation via the Black family. I didn't just want any shmucks DNA however, I wanted something cool or unique ya know? like maybe I could get Tonks's metamorph powers or something. Anyway I started tracing the family tree and all the lines in Britain just ended up dead due to the wizarding war, married off into other families or lead straight to me. However I did have a relative that settled in America, Abraham Potter's line split a few times and intermarried with American wizards and muggles alike and hopefully there would be enough resemblance between me and whoever I picked that I could get patched up pretty easily.
I was tracing the Abraham line down to a few notable families when I made a shocking discovery, I was going down a squib line where everything seemed normal at first, a female potter married a muggle had a non magical child and then that child had another child. But the family name for that branch caught me so off guard I choked on the tea I was drinking. That female Potter was grandmother of a Howard Stark. Yes, that Howard Stark. That makes me a distant cousin of motherfucking Iron man. Okay there is no way I am not copying Tony's DNA, fingers crossed I get the super genius gene or whatever he has and not the crippling alcoholism. So with my mind made up I pondered my next problem, how do I get to America and back fairly quickly without notice? can't use any form of muggle transportation, I have no passport, can't register for an international portkey because the ministry is the ministry and I do not want to interact with them.
Then a very sudden burst of inspiration hit me, a plan began forming in my mind that would require a lot of bullshitting, improvising and disguising truths as lies. With everything I needed packed into an expanded pouch I left my new home that I had registered as 'The Pottery' and set off toward the heart of London for a wild goose chase.
A few hours later I stood in front of a building giving off similar magic to the leaky cauldron, however this magic meant both muggle and magical alike ignored the building unless keyed in. I however could see it, either because I was expected or because I was built different. I was stood in front of the London Sanctum Sanctorum and I raised my hand and knocked on the door three times.
'knock knock knock'
A middle aged man of decent fitness answered and was bewildered to see a small child looking up at them.
"Hey I heard that if I needed therapy due to events of extra-dimensional nature I was suppose to come here, I'd like to book the ancient one for a session when she's next available, how is next Friday 2pm?" This wasn't really a lie, Harry had horrible trauma from his abuse that I now inherited and in my first life I was afflicted with a few mental illnesses that had followed me into my new body. I hadn't been able to actually process anything because I was trying to not explode but I was pretty sure once my physical maladies were taken care off I'd breakdown mentally.
The man stood there looking at me with his mouth open. I smiled up at him. Eventually he gathered himself and responded "Yes... I believe you are more than... what you seem, I shall see if the ancient one has time for you. Please wait in the lobby and do not touch the artifacts"
I followed him in and he took off down a hallway while I waited, I could feel magic? it was magic of a type anyway. Wizard magic was like Vanilla, magical creature magic was Vanilla with a hint of something else, the magic in here was like a completely different flavor, like strawberry. I guess because it's energy pulled in from other universes and dimensions and not 'native' to this plane.
Eventually I sensed a large magical presence and the ancient one was before me, like she was just there, she didn't walk in, just one moment nothing then bam super sorceress. "I sense the energies of a typical wizard within you, but also something much more ancient, something from before existence itself... tell me, how does a child end up being touched by the void?"
Wow okay jumping right into the deep end here. "well... first you have to die, then you have to not move into an afterlife... then its kinda blurry but I remember dicking around the multiverse for a bit and then I stopped being dead. A very strange experience overall but I'd recommend it honestly, this beats being just human" I tried keeping myself as nonchalant as possible because I have no idea if I'd survive an encounter with the ancient one and honestly I'd also like to have her as an ally.
She raised one eyebrow at my response then beckoned me down a hallway "That sounds like a lengthy tale, please I'd like to discuss it over tea, follow me." I followed her where we spent the next few hours discussing my situation over the strangest type of tea I had ever tasted.
There was a brief increase in tension where she thought I had possessed Harry but after further explaining she settled down, apparently soul merging is something she has encountered before. "So you request passage through here into the New York sanctum? On top of potential future training as a sorcerer and my services as a more practical mind healer?"
"Well I'll leave the future sorcerer thing to your discretion, as much as I'd like to learn the mystic arts I will have to go to wizard school later in life. But yeah I really need to get to America and also will greatly require therapy once I have time to process my new life."
She stared into my eyes as if judging me, before speaking "Not many wizards have the potential to manipulate energies outside their universe and I would be remiss if I allowed one with such a unique gift to go without study or training. We've been able to work alongside the Hogwarts curriculum before without much issue so becoming a sorcerer should not interrupt your education."
"However being touched by the void as you have comes with great risk and your training will be strenuous to ensure proper control of your power. I have been trained in the ways of mind healing as with this job, many apprentices can suffer from mental anguish and we do offer counseling at Kamar-Taj. As for your last request, may I ask why you require passage to New York?"
"Uh, okay so uhm... Basically the obscurial thing wrecked my body to the point that my actual genetic code itself needs to be held together by my magic and the only way to fix it and ensure I don't die a horrible death if I ever run low on magic is by copying DNA from a relative and as it turns out my distant cousin is actually... uh... Tony Stark"
We sat in silence with her gaze still trained on mine, there was no tell of any emotion on her face and I dared not to brush against her with my magic to gain any insight.
"Hmm... as long as your process of, 'copying' DNA does not harm or cause any affect on his person I shall allow use of your power." She answered in a cool tone.
"Wait do you mean in general? like I can still do it to other people as well?"
"As long as you keep full consumption to those deserving of such a fate and do not harm innocents then yes, you may express your ability. After all we serve to protect the natural order not to force it too follow our ideals. I can hardly blame you for it, as it seems to now be an intrinsic part of your being."
"wow... thanks I was really expecting to have this whole ideological debate of morals and stuff. That's actually a nice surprise."
"Yes, sometimes the easiest path forward is also the correct one, though very rarely. Now then you have somewhere to be don't you?"
As soon as she said that a glowing portal came into existence next to us and through that portal was a... bathroom?
"uh I think it'll be another half hour before that tea makes it's way through me."
The ancient one merely raised her eyebrow at me and gestured toward the portal. Getting the message I stand up and walk through. The bathroom was really fancy, it had a liquor cabinet in the shower and there were...used...condoms...everywhere. What.The.Fuck.
I quickly and quietly open the bathroom door and enter what has to be the most expensive hotel room I've ever seen, A massive bed in the shape of a love heart, 2 flat screens, a penthouse, 4 mini fridges, 2 strip poles and alcohol bottles littering the floor. There were naked women passed out everywhere and in the center of the bed was Tony motherfucking Stark, Damn dude really lived up to the playboy title huh?
Anyway I slowly tiptoe over past the passed out strippers and carefully avoid the empty bottles until I'm close enough to the catatonic figure of Dr. Stark. I gently reach over and grab his hand...
ew gross sticky ew, ew, ew,
I quickly take my hand back and wipe it off on the bed sheets and then I grab his other hand which is thankfully clean. I gently reach out with my magic and let it seep into his body, then I call upon the void within me and suddenly my human way of thinking is replaced by a more cold detached otherworldly view.
My vessel is damaged and this entity seems to have the necessary data required to perform the restoration. I take notice of his neurological pathways, they are quite remarkable, like nothing I've ever seen. A mind like this is a very rare thing to come across, the way his thoughts fold and his neurons connect almost resemble the patterns you see staring into the void, I ensure that I copy the physiological blueprints necessary to replicate such a phenomena within my own vessel. I will refine this flesh until it is the perfect vessel. With everything in place and my mind focused on the task I tighten my hold and I PULL.
I walk back through the portal in the bathroom, my memory of the process is a bit blurry and I think I might've lost myself for a bit, but I definitely walked away with a great boon. I can already feel my mind rearranging, new ideas I hadn't considered start coming to me and I am able to just understand more about how things work and function by observing them, I'm even coming up with new ideas about magic that seem so obvious now! why hasn't anyone else thought of this?
Back in the London sanctum I calm myself and focus on my occlumency, I note that my organization and scrambling has improved dramatically but my body still needs a few days to adjust, once I've recovered I'll be a super genius, Hogwarts won't know what hit it. Also I can feel my magic loosen up more now that it's no longer having to hold me together, I can still add more DNA of different beings to myself and I plan to! but I have a full human genome now. I hope the DNA thing doesn't fuck with Lily's protections I still need to get that sorted out... but first.
I turn to the ancient one who has prepared another tea set. "Hey is now a good time for that therapy session? because the shit I saw in that room has scarred me." I actually manage to get a chuckle out of her.