Sparks Across the Years
# Chapter Two. Sparks Across the Years.
Summer, 1987.
The first time Hermione Granger met Harry Potter, she punched him in the face.
In her defense, he had accidentally exploded a tree five seconds earlier.
The park behind the small countryside library had been quiet before Harry arrived.
Now half the grass smoldered gently beneath drifting smoke.
A shattered bench leaned sideways near a crater roughly the size of a bathtub.
Harry lay flat on his back in the middle of the destruction staring upward at the clouds.
“Well,” he muttered weakly, “that lasted longer than the last prototype.”
The system window floating beside his vision disagreed.
Rune Stability Failure.
Mana compression exceeded safe threshold by four hundred percent.
Suggested action.
Stop improvising explosives.
Harry ignored the advice on principle.
Nearby, someone gasped.
He turned his head.
A girl about his age stood frozen beside the pathway, clutching several library books tightly against her chest.
Bushy brown hair framed a pale face filled equally with horror and outrage.
“You blew up the tree,” she said.
Harry blinked.
“Yes.”
“You blew up the bench.”
“…Technically yes.”
“And yourself.”
“That part was unintentional.”
The girl stared at him another few seconds before narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
“You’re smiling.”
Harry touched his face.
Unfortunately, she was correct.
The experiment had failed spectacularly.
Which meant he had learned something.
That counted as success.
“Are you mad?” she demanded.
“Probably.”
She marched directly toward him.
Harry sat up cautiously.
“You could have died!”
“I calculated the odds.”
“You are eight years old!”
“That doesn’t invalidate the calculations.”
The girl opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Then visibly recalculated her entire understanding of reality.
Harry knew the feeling.
“You’re insane,” she finally concluded.
“I’ve been told worse.”
She stared at the crater again.
“What even was that?”
Harry hesitated.
Normally he avoided discussing magic around non-magical people.
But something about the girl’s expression intrigued him.
Unlike most children, she did not look frightened.
She looked curious.
Dangerously curious.
“That,” Harry admitted proudly, “was a mana compression engine.”
The girl blinked.
“A what?”
Harry immediately realized his mistake.
Right.
Normal people did not know what mana was.
He improvised.
“A… science project.”
Her eyes narrowed instantly.
“That is not a science project.”
“It’s an advanced science project.”
“You’re lying.”
Harry grinned.
“You’re very observant.”
The girl considered this carefully before shifting the books in her arms.
“Hermione Granger,” she said abruptly.
Harry paused.
Then smiled.
“Harry Potter.”
A strange expression crossed her face.
“Wait. The Harry Potter?”
Harry sighed internally.
Even in the non-magical world, his name occasionally appeared in newspapers after surviving Voldemort’s attack.
Lily hated it.
Harry hated it more.
“Unfortunately.”
Hermione tilted her head.
“You don’t seem happy about being famous.”
“Famous children usually have terrible lives.”
“That’s oddly wise.”
“I’m oddly wise.”
“You’re also covered in ash.”
“That too.”
For a moment they simply stared at one another.
Then Hermione held out one of her books.
Advanced Mathematics for Exceptional Students.
Harry’s eyes widened slightly.
“You read calculus for fun?”
“You blow up trees for fun.”
“…Fair point.”
Something changed then.
Recognition.
Not romantic.
Not yet.
But the quiet realization that they had both found someone unusual.
Someone who did not fit neatly into the world around them.
Hermione sat beside him near the ruined crater.
“What’s mana?” she asked quietly.
Harry looked at her.
Really looked at her.
The curiosity in her eyes burned brighter than fear.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Harry considered telling someone the truth.
Not everything.
Never everything.
But enough.
Enough to stop feeling entirely alone.
So Harry Potter smiled slightly and said the words that would change both of their lives forever.
“Do you believe in magic?”
---
1988.
Lily Potter discovered the hidden laboratory beneath Potter Cottage entirely by accident.
Which, in Harry’s defense, was unavoidable.
He had specifically enchanted the entrance to remain invisible.
Unfortunately, Sirius Black had also specifically enchanted the floor above it to survive “minor detonations.”
Neither enchantment had accounted for simultaneous magical overload.
The resulting explosion launched half the kitchen upward by approximately three feet.
Lily descended the staircase into the underground chamber with terrifying calm.
Harry immediately knew he was doomed.
The laboratory sprawled beneath the cottage like something stolen from a science fiction film and fused together with a wizard’s workshop.
Glowing runes pulsed across the stone walls.
Copper wiring twisted around floating crystals.
Enchanted tools hovered through the air organizing themselves automatically.
Several metallic spiders skittered across the ceiling carrying components between worktables.
At the center of the room stood Harry beside a rapidly smoking machine larger than himself.
Lily stared silently.
Harry smiled nervously.
“So,” he began carefully, “good news first?”
The machine exploded behind him.
Smoke filled the chamber.
Lily closed her eyes.
“Harry.”
“It exploded less violently than expected.”
“Harry.”
“That’s technically progress.”
“Harry James Potter.”
Harry winced.
Full name.
Critical danger.
Lily crossed her arms slowly.
“You built an underground magical laboratory.”
“Yes.”
“You enchanted it.”
“…Yes.”
“You created mechanical spiders.”
“They help organize materials.”
“One of them is wearing goggles.”
Harry glanced upward.
The spider waved proudly.
Lily looked moments away from either laughing or suffering complete emotional collapse.
Possibly both.
Then she noticed the floating screen projected above Harry’s main workstation.
Her expression sharpened.
Because unlike everything else in the room, the screen looked wrong.
Not magical.
Not entirely technological either.
Something in between.
The interface displayed rotating rune structures beside streams of mathematical calculations.
At the top floated a single line.
MagiTech Prototype Development.
Artificial Mana Conductor version zero point seven.
Lily became very quiet.
“Harry,” she asked softly, “what exactly are you building?”
Harry hesitated.
For years he had hidden the true extent of his work.
Not because Lily would reject him.
Never that.
But because he feared what others might do if they understood.
The magical world feared change.
And Harry represented change on a catastrophic scale.
So instead of answering directly, he walked toward the workbench and picked up a small silver disk engraved with glowing blue circuitry.
“This,” Harry said carefully, “is a mana conductor.”
Lily frowned.
“A wand?”
“No.”
Harry placed the disk against the wall.
Then snapped his fingers.
The room illuminated instantly.
Every crystal lantern activated simultaneously.
Energy pulsed smoothly through the laboratory.
No wand.
No incantation.
No traditional spellcasting.
Lily stared.
Harry met her gaze quietly.
“What if magic didn’t require bloodline traditions?” he asked.
“What if anyone could learn it properly?”
The room fell silent.
Even the mechanical spiders stopped moving.
Lily slowly looked around the laboratory again.
And for the first time, she understood the terrifying scale of her son’s mind.
Not merely talented.
Not merely gifted.
Revolutionary.
Dangerously revolutionary.
“You’re trying to change the world,” she whispered.
Harry smiled faintly.
“I already told Sirius that.”
“And he allowed this?”
“Sirius helped.”
“Of course he did.”
The system chimed softly.
Main Quest Progress Updated.
MagiTech Revolution.
Five percent completed.
---
1989.
Hermione Granger learned about magic before receiving her Hogwarts letter.
Which explained many things about her personality afterward.
Most notably why she accepted magical existence in under three minutes.
Harry had expected panic.
Instead she demanded documentation.
“This violates several laws of physics,” Hermione declared while examining a floating teacup inside Potter Cottage.
Harry shrugged.
“Magic cheats.”
“That’s not an explanation.”
“It’s the correct explanation.”
Hermione pushed the cup downward experimentally.
It continued floating.
“Do all magical people know about science?”
“Some barely know about electricity.”
“That’s horrifying.”
Harry laughed.
That was another thing he liked about Hermione.
She adapted frighteningly fast.
While most children spent weeks emotionally recovering from discovering magic, Hermione immediately began asking increasingly dangerous questions.
Could spells interact with magnetism?
Could runes function like programming language structures?
Did magical energy obey mathematical patterns?
Harry had never been happier.
For the first time in either life, he had someone capable of understanding his ideas.
Not completely.
Not yet.
But enough.
They spent entire summers together afterward.
Reading.
Experimenting.
Arguing endlessly over theory.
Lily often found them asleep across piles of books after exhausting themselves with debates.
Sirius found the situation hilarious.
“You realize,” he told Harry one evening, “that you’re courting her accidentally.”
Harry nearly choked on pumpkin juice.
“We’re children.”
“You built an artificial mana battery at age seven.”
“That’s unrelated.”
“Nothing about you is normal enough for childhood rules.”
Harry glared at him.
Sirius grinned wickedly.
Meanwhile Hermione simply rolled her eyes whenever romance came up.
At least outwardly.
Privately, however, she had begun noticing things.
Like how Harry listened carefully whenever she spoke.
Or how he remembered every book she mentioned.
Or how his expression softened whenever he thought nobody was looking.
And Harry noticed things too.
Like how Hermione smiled differently around him than around anyone else.
Or how she trusted him with impossible truths without hesitation.
Neither understood those feelings fully yet.
But something quiet and important had already begun growing between them.
Something stronger than simple childhood friendship.
---
1990.
By age nine, Harry Potter had already become a problem for several departments within the Ministry of Magic.
Entirely unintentionally.
Mostly unintentionally.
The first incident involved accidental magical signal interference across half of southern England.
The second involved enchanted mirrors gaining temporary self-awareness.
The third incident caused Arthur Weasley to suffer what Molly later described as “a religious experience.”
Arthur had visited Potter Cottage expecting tea.
Instead Harry showed him a prototype magical communication device capable of transmitting live moving images between connected mirrors.
Arthur stared at the invention for nearly forty seconds.
Then whispered reverently:
“Molly will never believe this.”
The Ministry confiscated the prototype three days later.
Harry built a better version the following week.
Dumbledore himself eventually visited Potter Cottage during the winter of 1990.
Harry had expected suspicion.
Instead the old wizard simply wandered through the underground laboratory in fascinated silence.
His blue eyes examined every invention carefully.
Finally he stopped beside the artificial mana reactor prototype.
“You possess a remarkable mind, Harry.”
“That usually worries adults.”
“A wise child is often a dangerous thing.”
Harry crossed his arms.
“You think I’m dangerous?”
Dumbledore studied him for several long seconds.
“No,” he said softly.
“I think the world may become dangerous because of you.”
Surprisingly, Harry understood exactly what he meant.
The magical world survived through stagnation.
Pureblood traditions.
Ancient hierarchies.
Fear of progress.
But technology always changed civilization eventually.
And MagiTech would accelerate that change beyond control.
Dumbledore smiled faintly.
“Do be careful when rewriting history, my boy.”
Harry met his gaze steadily.
“History deserves revisions.”
The old wizard laughed quietly at that.
But his eyes looked troubled afterward.
---
1991.
The summer before Hogwarts arrived faster than expected.
Harry stood alone inside the underground laboratory staring at the newest system notification.
Harry Potter.
Level twenty-eight.
New trait unlocked.
Arcane Architect.
Advanced fusion between magical theory and technological construction now available.
New specialization paths unlocked.
Rune Engineering.
Artificial Intelligence Constructs.
Mana Networking.
Harry exhaled slowly.
The system had evolved alongside him for years.
No longer merely survival assistance.
Now it resembled a complete developmental framework.
A guide toward something entirely unprecedented.
Harry looked around the laboratory.
His laboratory.
Not a child’s workshop anymore.
A genuine research facility.
Mechanical constructs moved through organized pathways carrying materials automatically.
Floating holographic diagrams rotated above enchanted drafting tables.
A half-finished mana processor hummed softly beside stacks of rune-inscribed crystal wafers.
The future existed here.
Hidden beneath a cottage in Godric’s Hollow.
A knock sounded behind him.
Hermione stepped into the laboratory carrying two books beneath one arm.
She paused immediately.
“Did you upgrade the ceiling again?”
Harry glanced upward proudly.
Artificial stars shimmered across the stone roof.
“They help concentration.”
“You say that every time you build something ridiculous.”
“It’s not ridiculous.”
“One of the stars is moving.”
Harry frowned upward.
The artificial constellation suddenly exploded.
“…Minor calibration issue.”
Hermione laughed.
Harry froze slightly.
That laugh always affected him strangely now.
Not unpleasantly.
Just differently.
Hermione noticed him staring.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re being odd again.”
“You say that every day.”
“Because you are odd every day.”
Harry smiled faintly.
Then his expression softened.
“Thanks for staying.”
Hermione blinked.
“What?”
“You know about magic. About me. About all of this.” He gestured toward the laboratory quietly. “Most people would run.”
Hermione stared at him as though the answer were obvious.
“Harry,” she said gently, “you’re my best friend.”
The words settled warmly somewhere inside his chest.
Best friend.
Simple.
Honest.
Important.
Harry opened his mouth to reply.
Then an owl crashed directly through the laboratory window.
Both children jumped backward.
The bird screeched indignantly before dropping a thick envelope onto Harry’s desk.
Silence filled the laboratory.
Harry stared downward slowly.
Cream-colored parchment.
Emerald ink.
A wax seal stamped with a lion, snake, raven, and badger.
Hermione’s eyes widened first.
“No way.”
Harry reached toward the envelope carefully.
The system chimed softly beside his vision.
Main Quest Updated.
Begin your journey.
Harry turned the letter over in trembling hands.
Then slowly broke the seal.
And everything changed.