"So... I am supposed to be reincarnated or something of the sort?" said a young man as he looked at the woman who he had been talking to for the last few minutes.
Said woman looked, in his eyes, like an ethereal beauty. Someone who should be unapproachable. Someone who no one should ever be able to talk to. But there was something about her, a certain warmth, that made it impossible for him not to do so. The closest thing he could think of was the hug of a mother when you are a child. It was that kind of soothing feeling.
"Indeed, my child. You are one of my most beloved in all Creation and, as such, you get said privilege" was the answer to his question. He had already come to terms with the fact that he had died. The reason being the clear memories of when and how it happened.
As he walked towards his house from school, he found a mother and daughter crossing the street. This were none other than his neighbors, a lovely pair of ladies in his opinion. He stopped to wave at them, but the distraction caused the mother to trip in the middle of the road. Since he felt it was his fault, he went over to help her stand and accompany her to the other side of the road. That is when the cliche everyone knows of happened. A speeding truck was, quite rapidly, going towards them. In an attempt to save both mother and daughter, our dear protagonist took the girl in his arms as he pushed the mother backwards. Just before the truck reached them, he was able to throw the little girl towards her mother. The only thing he saw after that was darkness and, after whatever amount of time it was -one certainly can't tell the passing of time in an infinit darkness- he found himself in front of who he believed was a Goddess.
"So... do I get any sort of wish or anything?" he asked. It's not that he really cared. In his eyes, being given the chance to live again was more than enough. But he still was curious. He was sure he never did anything worthy of earning a Goddess's maternal love, so why would he be given such a chance?
"Don't worry, deary. It is not something you did, but what you didn't" her words increased his confusion even more. How could something that he didn't do earn him the love of someone who went by the monicker of "The Allmother"? His thoughts seemed to be entertaining for the Goddess though, as he could hear her chuckling. Once she calmed down, he got his answer.
"Even if you weren't a saint, you still never did anyone wrong. And you helped whenever you could, however you could." she said, taking a little break to sigh and, afterwards, smile warmly "If there were more people like you, I am sure everything would be better"
He could tell that the situation saddened her, and he really wanted to ask why she didn't do anything about it. Still, he decided against doing so. He was sensitive enough to remain silent on the topic, and he was smart enough to realize she would've acted if she could. Alas, he forgot she could read his thoughts.
"It is true that I can't act freely. I was banished from interfering after everything was created, and can only watch over my sons and daughter as they come and go." she wiped the sadness from her face before continuing, as this was no time for regrets "So, tell me, what is it that you wish?"
Our protagonist spent the next few minutes, hours, days or perhaps seconds, thinking of what he truly wished. He couldn't really ask for much, or he didn't want to at least. This made his list of possible wishes way smaller than the one originally thought. He then realized that, thinking too deeply would only make him doubt more and more. He then remembered that he really loved fantasy, in whatever setting it was expressed, and came to a decision.
"What I wish for... it to live a fantastical adventure" his words were firm. There was no doubt in what he said. He had nothing against his previous world, but he also couldn't say that he was entirely content with it. As many people did when reading books or watching movies, he wondered what it would be like to live in those places, be one of those characters, having the need to survive. And so he, unconsciously or not, yearned for it. To be deemed a Hero or a Warrior. Or someone important and special. Not just another number in society
The Allmother smiled tenderly. She didn't really expect such an answer, that left everything to be decided by her. As such, she simply chose a very famous world from Earth's fiction, one which she knew her dear child loved, and modified it so that it would give him an adventure like no other. "Your wish shall be tended to... I hope you have an adventure worthy of you, my son."
"Thank you... sorry I can't really call you mom, it just feels weird" his words earned him a hearty laughter from the Allmother, who seemed to be unable to stop herself. It wasn't until a few minutes later that she calmed down and gave him an answer "Don't worry about that, not like anyone does. Now, it is time for you to go. Make sure you survive."
He didn't have a chance to say anything else, as everything around him turned to darness. The world lost all light and his consciousness fell into a deep slumber. Once he disappeared from were he "stood", The Allmother spoke, this time to no one in particular.
"I might have sent him into a world many times more dangerous than it should've been..."
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Somewhere in Scotland.
A young kid woke up to find himself in a room that didn't looke like his own at all. While looking around he remembered his conversation with The Allmother. Then, as if triggered by the thought of the Goddess, a rush of memories hit him. Apparently, his new identity was that of Alexis Longbottom, only child and firstborn of Neville and Hanna Longbottom. The current year was 2019 and he was to begin his studies at Hogwarts September, as he’d be eleven by the time.
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The one thing that made him feel giddy was the fact that there was no Albus Severus Potter running around with his daddy issues, so there would be no alternative timelines. Though he himself was not supposed to exist, so he guesses he could very well be in an alternate reality of the Wizarding World already.
As for his relationship with his new parents, he found out he was a total mommy's child and relied heavily on his dad. Neville grew up to be a very respectable man, and for the love of The Allmother was he happy about that.
"He is my father after all" he said to no one in particular. He held the greatest respect for Neville because, in spite of having all odds against him and being forced to use his father’s wand, he still became a marvellous wizard and respectable figure. He was also the Head of House Gryffindor and professor of Herbology in Hogwarts, so that helped... kinda. Once he put his thoughts and memories in order, a feat of Occlumency he didn't really know he was doing, Alexis left his room. "I'm kinda hungry..."
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Once he made his way downstairs, he realized it was currently very early in the morning, extremely so. Petting the badger his mother kept as pet, he made his way downstairs, only to find himself slightly lost. Checking his new memories, he found where the kitchen was supposed to be and made his way towards it. He checked the fridge and felt extremely glad for something else he found in his memories. Wizards were more accepting of Muggle technology, and so they now used smartphones, electric stoves, better fridges and many others. The few times they had taken him to Diagon Alley showed that the place was now cleaner and had a more 2000's aesthetic to it. 'Not like it really matters' Alexis thought to himself while he took a few eggs and slices of bacon. Since he was up earlier than his parents, he decided to make breakfast for everyone.
Singing to himself while he did everything, he didn't even notice his parents looking at him from the kitchen's entrance. Neville was standing against the wall while hugging his wife, and they seemed to be rather amused at the sight of their child preparing breakfast, something they couldn't even imagine happening before.
It wasn't until Alexis had finished everything and had even cleaned the utensils he had used that he notices his parents looking at him; only because he turned around to place the plates on the table.
"Oh, uh... Good morning mom, dad?" he said nervously, not even realizing he asked it, rather than just saying it. This caused both of his parents to laugh heartily, which made him release the breath he didn't even know he was holding. The one to break the ice first was none other than his mother, who he knew from his memories was a very caring woman.
"So, what made you want to prepare breakfast, Alexis?" she asked with a teasing smirk on her face. She was curious about it, but seeing him so fidgety and nervous about it made her want to have a little bit of fun, at her son's expense. Thankfully, Alexis' father was a lot less joky than his mother.
"Come on sonny, not like we'll be mad." were the words that Neville gave his son, so as to encourage him to express his reasons for preparing breakfast for everyone. Finally, Alexis spouted a benevolent lie.
"I just... wanted to surprise you both. I've been practicing secretely" was the white lie he came up with on the spot. The only reason he could pull it off was because the Longbottoms, even if they were one of the Sacred 28, didn't support the slavery of House-elves. Hence their lack of one, and the reason why his little mischief was possible.
When they heard his answer, both of his parents seemed to be surprised, then amused and finished by releasing a chuckle to themselves. His mother hugged him while expressing her thanks, and his father gave him a soft pat on the back. Then they sat at the table and, without any hint of fear of the taste, took a bite of their son's lovingly made breakfast.
Almost immediately, a look of surprise made its way through their faces. The food was, for a simple breakfast, bloody good. They looked at their son with slight amazement, and took anotherbite of the food he made. Alexis, who had sat at the table in front of his mother, also nibbled his own plate slightly. He wasn't really feeling that much hunger as he was before, probably because of the nervousness he felt. It would seem as if the original Alexis' feelings merged with his own, and that gave birth to the current Alexis. More outgoing than the original, but still had a hint of that shyness that he seemed to have gotten from his father.
"This is very good, Aly" said his mother using the nickname that only she used for him. Feeling extremely happy after he received the praise, Alexis smiled and began eating vividly. This caused his father to smile warmly. He was proud of his son, not because he could cook something good at his age, but because he was a very good child. Then he remembered that his birthday was growing nearer, so he decided to talk about it with the child.
"Say, what do you want for your birthday, Alex?" said Neville using his own nickname for the kid "It is next week, after all"
Alexis then began thinking about it very deeply. What did he love the most about the Wizarding World? Yeah the magic was cool, and the hidden society as well. Hogwarts and the other schools were also full of misteries even to the current date. But the part he loved the most... it definitely was the magical creatures. Once he arrived at the conclusion he spoke.
"I want to see magical creatures!" Alexis himself was surprised at his own excitement when it came to expressing his actual wish. It would seem he deeply wanted to, even if he didn't really realize it. Deciding to take the final step and use his final attack against his parents defenses, he used the final power of all children. The puppy eyes. "Can't I?"
Once he did that, how could his parents deny it? His father promised to do what he could and, with a bit of pushing from his mother, finally relented and promised to take him to a magical reserve the following week.
Now extremely happy, both because of his father's promise and his new life, Alexis continued to eat his breakfast. The following week would trigger something that would change Alexis' life in this new world.