Title: Harry Potter and the Discworld
Author: JK Pratchett
Rating: T
Genre: Humour/adventure
DLP Catagory: Humour
Pairing: none
Status: WIP

Summary: When Harry Potter miraculously survives the Killing Curse, he attracts the attention and curiosity of Death. As a result, the barriers separating the Roundworld and the Discworld begin to break down, leading to more danger than Harry could ever have imagined…

Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4582061/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Discworld

A Harry Potter/Discworld crossover that I'm writing with a friend (I wrote the odd-numbered chapters). I'd be interested to know what the DLP crowd think, as the reviews which simply say 'lol' are ego-boosting, but not all that helpful.

Plotwise, we just skim over most things until year 5, which we needed to show in detail, as a key plot element is Umbridge going insane.

Hope you enjoy...

 

How much do you need to know about Discworld? I have only read the first ten chapters or so of the first book.

 

I am going to hate you if you screw up a HP Discworld crossover. The Night Watch is one of my favorite Novels, next to Guards!Gaurds! Where exactly does this story take place? I think it would be a foolish idea to have the story take place in the HP Universe, because simply put its been overdone.


With that said I am going to read this story and try and not give it a bad review simply because almost every DiscHarry Crossover is an utter fail at Terry Pratchett's epicness.

 

@Nuhuh: you're going to need to know a bit more than you're going to get from part of one book - but you could follow it with a quick browse through Wikipedia, I think.

@Zero: It takes place in the HP universe, but hopefully it won't fail, or fall into any overused plot devices (although never having read any other HP/Discworld crossovers, I wouldn't know).

 

Ok, I'm gonna read this for sure... I haven't read any other Discworld books then the first one. But I've seen Soul Music, (The animated series and absolutely love it) and the two movies. Hogfather was ok but I thought The Colour of Magic was awesome (Maybe helps if you've only read the book once). Anyway, gonna check back in once I've read it later tonight...

I'm hoping for Rincewind to team up with Harry for the lulz. He's a crap Wizard

 

Uh. I don't get it. It seems like a really shitty story. Death of Rats? Trunk with teeth? Harry's incompetent? Some super hero's from another universe?

Sounds like a recipe of fail.

 

Is that a 'I've never read any (or most of) Discworld, so I don't get it', or 'I know what's going on, but I don't understand why anyone would want to write this story'? It sounds like the former, to be honest. In which case it's hardly surprising you don't understand it.

But regardless of that - what's the writing style like? Convincing dialogue? Descriptive enough? Things like that would be useful, if anything leapt out at you.

Thanks for the comments.

Oh, and Harry's no less competent than he is in canon up to the end of fifth year - which I realise probably won't go over well here, but *shrugs* We didn't want to make him too powerful too soon.

EDIT: @h2o - Rincewind will be showing up, yes. How could we exclude him?

 

As a huge fan of Discworld, I have to admit that I'm really not feeling this story. My biggest complaint is the portrayal of Death. In this story he is far too malevolent, it goes against his rather sympathetic character.

I understand the premise in the story is that he is insulted by Harry's survival of the killing curse and I think this is the fundamental flaw of the story. All one has to do is look at how he views Rincewind to see that he would not really care that Harry survived. That he pursues Harry with single minded desire of revenge for breaking The Rules has him fulfilling a role better suited to an Auditor. Death is hardly against breaking The Rules.

He may well actively seek out Voldemort for splitting his soul, I can see that, but Harry was a baby when he survived and there is absolutely nothing in the books that implies that Death would be upset by a child surviving through no fault of his own. In fact, Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, basically all books starring Death, present evidence that he would in fact be more intrigued by Harry and willing to help him than to actively seek out his soul. Remember, he sees his role a public service, ushering souls into the beyond. He does not kill himself.

I also think that the story would be better had Harry gone to Discworld as a teenager and things started from there. I realize that travel to alternate universes is a bit cliche, but having Harry come into his own at the Unseen University, rather than Hogwarts, where the atmosphere is completely different and frankly more suited, to a strong independent Harry than JK's world. And if you're not planning on making him strong and independent, then why are you posting the story here?

I could go on, but I think I have said enough. I applaud your motivation and the idea, I hadn't considered an HP/Discworld crossover before, but the execution leaves me disappointed.

2/5 for me.

 

@Shadowglen: Thanks for the review. I'm sorry it disappointed, but I appreciate the comments.

Regarding Death: True, it's not quite how he's represented in books like 'Mort', but I think it is true to 'Colour of Magic' - where he pursues Rincewind across the Disc, because he hasn't died at the appropriate time. Still, a fair point.

Regarding independent Harry: I didn't say he wouldn't be, simply that it wouldn't be immediate.

Spoiler

Harry is going to be trained in the noble art of heroing by Cohen and the Silver Horde; I don't think it would be possible to write a weak, dependent Harry after that. Certainly not deliberately.

Anyway. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.

 

You are correct that in The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic Death was a more malicious character who did indeed encourage Rincewind to simply let go. However, Death eveantually comes to accept Rincewind's constant escapes and has even taken to keeping Rincewind's lifetimer on his desk, as a curiosity. And still, even at the time of those books Death had been exposed to humanity long enough to adopt as his daughter a baby girl he found alone in the desert where the rest of her family had been killed, evidence that he would not likely blame a child for the acts of the parents. Death has also since evolved into something more of a champion of mortals. This transformation started in Mort and was solidified in Reaper Man, where Death himself experiences mortality.

I think, perhaps, that you are trying to fit bits of Discworld lore into the Harry Potter timeline without taking into account the timeline of the Discworld itself. By the beginning of the first chapter of your story, the events leading up to and including the entirety of the book Reaper Man have already taken place in Discworld. This is evident by the mere presence of the Grim Squeaker, the Death of Rats, who did not come into being until midway through the book and was not accepted as a partner of Death until the very end.

If Death would pursue anyone, it would indeed be Voldemort. This is because as a powerful and learned wizard who should know better, he still attempts to cheat Death. There is evidence in Discworld for this part of your story. In Sourcery, the story begins with a wizard who cheats death by possessing his own staff. But even then Death does not actively seek the wizard, knowing as he does that nobody can cheat him forever. The wizard bought himself 10 extra years, but Death found him in the end.

No, though I appreciate your efforts and especially your grace under criticism, I stand by my original review. In closing, I leave you with this quote, asked by the Death of Discworld to his master, Azrael, The Death of Universes: "LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER MAN?"

Azrael agreed.

EDIT: For spelling.

 

It's this kind of criticism I posted the story for. Thank you.

I don't particularly disagree with any of the points you raise; indeed, for a more serious story, that would be the characterisation we would attempt. However, for a plot/character arc that lasts, essentially, for five jokes and the time it takes to get some other characters into position, we felt the older interpretation was better. But I do appreciate you taking the time to debate it.