I wasn't sure whether to put this here (with its distinct fanfiction relation) or under general discussion (where the anti-cliche thread lives). In the end I shrugged, tossed a coin, and hoped this was the correct place. As far as I can tell (and I've searched), this topic hasn't had a thread devoted to it - if it has, please point it out to me.

So, the topic:

We've a variety of threads on cliches that show up in fanfiction - and ways to avoid them - but does anyone have advice on how to write non-repetitive AUs?

I'm a sucker for AU stories. I freely admit it. Ravenclaw!Harry, Slytherin!Harry, Timetravel!Harry, blind!Harry, etc., but all too often these stories seem to run over the same tired ground.

It doesn't matter if Slytherin!Harry hates Hermione, or Ravenclaw!Harry doesn't know her - he still runs off to fight a troll for her. Or maybe in this case he's saving girl!Blaise. Or perhaps Daphne? Maybe it was Ron insulting her; maybe it was Draco. But in every case, we get treated to a charming scene with Harry (and friends!) fighting a troll.

And if I read one more lovingly detailed recount of Harry making (whatever house's) quidditch team, I'm going to cry.

Like I said, I love reading AUs. And it's the very nature of fanfiction that much of it is going to be closely related to canon plot. But the 47th time I've read about Harry swimming-fighting merfolk-retrieving X person for the second task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, I start to yawn.

This even occurs when the AU aspect introduced earlier might provide a good reason for altering canon. For example:

Basically, the "Sirius Black" plot was the main event in book three, but look at the chain of events necessary for it to happen:

1) Arthur chooses that specific galleon ticket so he wins the contest draw.
2) Ron has Scabbers out, on his shoulder, in clear view (which obviously isn't normal since he doesn't ride about up there all throughout the Hogwarts school year).
3) The day it prints is the day Minister Fudge decides he needs to go Azkaban.
4) He goes by Sirius's cell, reads it in front of him, and hands the paper over.​

It seems like each of these could easily be disrupted (especially by some of the more dramatic AU plots) but almost without fail, if Harry doesn't free Sirius sometime in his first year, it's the 3rd year escape plot.

Does anyone have advice about ways to branch out in perhaps more original recounts of Harry's years at Hogwarts? I figure by trying new material the total word count of each year might be shorter, but maybe that will mean more fics are actually finished, too.

 

Well, if you're going AU, you might as well make it really AU. Take Philosopher's Stone, for example. Perhaps in a Slytherin!Harry story, he completely ignores all the vague hints and whispered rumors that lead him to facing Voldemort, and instead concentrates on cementing himself in his House and establishing a rudimentary power base, playing school politics, and constantly one-upping Malfoy. Let the actual events of PS take place in the background, with perhaps Neville or Seamus taking Harry's place in the Gryffindor Trio. This way, you can have the canon plots actually happen, but have little to do with Harry himself.

Or, you could go the other way and create an entirely new chain of events to lead Harry to confront Quirrell and Voldemort, and then completely rewrite that scene as well. What would happen if Voldemort got the Stone, or if Harry had somehow secretly kept it?

Second year, again, let the events of CoS play out in the background, and insert your AU Harry in wherever you want, and let him have as much or as little to do with that particular plot as you wish.

And remember, in an AU, there's no particular reason for Sirius Black to exist, or to have retained his sanity, or to even be innocent. Seems to me that a third year AU shouldn't really have much to do with PoA canon.

 

If you want year-by-year AU, then the best thing would be to make it as different from canon as possible; by that, I mean not only different scenes, but different plot altogether.

So, in year one, Dumbledore could keep the stone with him all the time and the traitor could be some other teacher, like Flitwick or something; You know, twist everything around. Maybe the monster in second year could be some sort of weed with snakes instead of leaves, that grows out of the chamber, spreads throughout the school and traps everyone inside. Etc...

Better way to handle this would be to skip lower years alltogether and concentrate on 5th or 6th year, which means have a fresh plot instead of regrugriate one of the books.

 

I had always thought that as you progress into the AU, that the change in the plotline should become rapidly more radical. For instance, I'm in the planning stages of a Post-CoS story that has Harry fail to save Ginny and then devote himself to becoming stronger so that he nevers fails again. Then, I'm going to do a chapter of various scenes throught years 3-6, with the ones in Harry's third year be slightly different, and the ones in his sixth be not even in the realm of possibility for Rowling's Harry. Personally, I think that is how Do-it-over-again-AUs that actually get past first year should be done; having the differences in the universe become more apparent as the year goes on.

In a story that begins before Harry even hops onto the Hogwarts Express, though, the plotline shouldn't even resemble Rowlings. Like, there is no reason for Dumbledore to hire Quirrel, Lockhart, Lupin, Moody, Umbridge and then Snape in that order. Authors should strive to shake things up, to surprise their reader and to invoke emotions different from, "Oh, I've seen this before!"

 

I personally think that post CoS and post PoA are really good points to start an AU, but no one seems to do them. After CoS, I can see really good reason for Harry to want to study more, learn more about the wizarding world in general. After PoA, he has a resource he didn't have before. A grown, qualified wizard, who a semi-consious Hufflepuff could guilt into telling them whatever they wanted to know. There are also myriad places to start AU's during both books. Simple things, like what if Longbottom died in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Lockhart? How would it change the story line. What if Sirius got caught when eh broke into the Gryffindor House at Halloween. If Dumbledore got to him first, and questioned him thoroughly. What if Hagrid "accidentaly" killed Fudge when he was getting arrested in CoS. What if the muggle world found out about magic due to the car flight.

Any or all of these things. Hell, you could use the escape of Sirius as a catalyst for Harry to start getting extra lessons. Either from Dumbledore, or maybe the Ministry wants good PR, and to be seen teaching the Boy Who Lived how to defend himself.

These two books are the most overlooked, and IMO the two best for starting AU's from.

 

Here is one I wanted to do but don't have the time for.

In CoS, Harry hides from the Malfoys by going into a cabinet. What if it was not an ordinary cabinet but the twin of the Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts?

Harry spends the entire year trapped inside. He is nearly driven to insanity by sheer boredom, and becomes desperate for any kind of information. He digs through his memories and gradually retains more and more detail up to his parents' deaths.

Due to the unpredictable affects of the malfunctioning cabinets and his scar trying to reestablish its connection to Voldemort's spirit, whenever a window to either Hogwarts or Knockturn Ally appears, Harry is Astral Projected to that location. He cannot speak or interact with anything but he can explore and observe his surroundings for however long the windows last. Giving a plausible reason why Harry would know where to go and what to say, if he ever returns later in the series.

Meanwhile, at Hogwarts things are generally going as they were, except because of the addition of Harry's disappearance Fudge decides that besides putting Hagrid into prison, a contingent of Aurors are stationed there to protect the students. Eventually, Ginny is found to be the perpetrator and is thrown into Azkaban or some sort of prison for cases like hers.

But, more than altering Ginny's fate, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's involvement in Harry's disappearance is called into question and it is decided that they are in fact Dark practitioners and they are thrown into Azkaban. Ron, Percy and the twins are given to another wizarding family to be cared for in the hopes that they can "be purged of their parent's taint."

Considering the circumstances and Ron's character, this causes him to start to have dark leanings, beginning with the want for the Ministry's destruction and than be convinced of the other ideals as time goes on. Don't get me wrong he will still be a talentless buffoon, he will just be a dark talentless buffoon.

Percy at this time would in a way support the Ministry's decision saying something about the rules and adhering to the judicial process, and Ron besides having a row with Percy takes out his anger on Scabbers, Percy's former pet. Wormtail decides not to take the abuse and leaves to reconnect with Voldemort near the end of second year instead of third year. With no one around to hear Trelawney's Prophesy who would tell Dumbledore about it, no one is prepared when Voldemort snatches Harry for his resurrection sometime third year, who returned that summer in Hogwarts from the Vanishing Cabinet.

What happens after that is up for whomever. Does Harry escape back to Hogwarts? Does the Ministry believe a slander free Harry?

 

Err...
1) How would Harry survived more then a year trapped inside a cabinet?

2) Why would they discover Ginny? And even if they did, would they really convict 11 years old girl?

3) Who in their right mind would accuse Arthur and Molly of being dark?

Sorry, this is rather original, but not very believeable.

 

It would need some work, but it could be an interesting basis for a fic. Like, what if the Vanishing Cabinets are simply portals into another dimension, and usually they simply act as a kind of step through device, but in Harry's case he could either trapped in a kind of timeless warp, or you could go really AU, and have him end up in a reall differen universe for a year or more. Have it whatever sort of Universe you want. You could have it anything from a Universe of hippy pacifists to a Universe that believes the digestive powers of the common cow are godlike, or you could use it to lead into an xover.

 

1) How would Harry survived more then a year trapped inside a cabinet?

From what is described in Canon, Harry would not be in the cabinet, but in a limbo caused by the faulty connection between the cabinets. Limbo is generally characterized as nowhere or of oblivion. Being nowhere in a place of halted transition, he cannot die because that would mean he had to make the transition from being alive to being dead, which cannot happen in this limbo because that would require a completion of that transition. He can get close to dying, but it cannot become fully realized. Just as his memory cannot ever become perfect or that he could ever be more than borderline insane while he is in there. Nor could he train to be super buff or super powerful because that would imply that he had to transition from starting a training session to completing one. The only exception is the astral projection because it is occurring outside of the limbo he is in.

2) Why would they discover Ginny? And even if they did would they really convict 11 years old girl?

The first is rather easy to answer. A higher number of people trying to find the culprit for one, a group of people who would no doubt question those they find out after hours or in strange locations. Ginny's inability to answer their queries specifically during times of the attacks will no doubt raise some suspicions although some other students would do the same for :ahem: different reasons. But, they would all be watched just in case.

After that it would only require one Auror to spot her in feathered bloodstained robes and connect the two cases of rooster killings during the last time the Chamber was opened and now. One Auror to spot her doing some unorthodox finger painting. One female Auror to go into the bathroom after her only to find it empty or the entrance open. I think you get the point.

The other question would be better answered in 3)

3) Who in there right mind would accuse Arthur or Molly of being dark?

Lucius Malfoy.

Don't forget that the reason why he slipped Ginny the Diary was to use the scandal to discredit Arthur. The addition of Harry's disappearance would inspire him to be a bit more creative.

The way he would accomplish this is by using a technique akin to doublethink. He would use one accusation to prove the other. It would go something like this.

He would first say that Ginny was the one who opened the Chamber as if it were already a fact since that accusation would have collaborating evidence.

He would then connect Ginny with the past opening with a relative who went to Hogwarts at that time. Perhaps an older brother of Arthur's or even his father or an uncle since I am pretty sure Arthur falls short at least 20 years. I am sure some Weasley was around at the time.

With these two connections he could then say that the Weasley's are undoubtably a Dark family. He would remind Fudge or whomever he is telling this to that the Weasley's were the last to see Harry and of their weak explanation.

"Got lost in the Floo because he mispronounced Diagon Alley, the Boy Who Lived? Balderdash!"

Then make it sound like they did something to Harry because of their "obvious Dark inclinations."

Then make a full circle by stating that it is undeniable that the Weasley's are in fact Dark due to all of the collaborating evidence, and leave it unstated that what he had said is part of the "collaborating evidence."

Said well enough and people would buy it, not to mention all of the pockets he would be filling.

Although the more I think about it the more likely Ginny would be sent to the care of St. Mungo's or an institution like it.

 

You realize that any living human, going for an entire year without food or water, will die, yes? If somehow the state of limbo binds his spirit to his body and refuses to let him cross over into death, his body will still deteriorate, probably very painfully, and then as soon as he escapes that limbo, he would most likely immedately expire. The only way I see this working is if Harry is held in a true stasis, and is neither concious nor entirely living at that time, giving the impression after he escapes that no time has passed, like the fictional version of cryogenic freezing.

Also, as to Ginny being caught and accused, you are forgetting that her actions were for the most part controlled by the memory (or soul fragment if you use that horrid horcrux idea) of Tom Riddle. Tom is a wily, cunning, and very intelligent person who could no doubt evade and hide his activities from Aurors, caretakers, or patrolling prefects or professors. If she winds up in the chamber at the end, then it is likely that she will die, and Tom Riddle will use her life force to give himself permanence and corporeal status outside the diary, which I think is what it was trying to do at the end of CoS, although I may be mistaken. It's been a while since I read those books.

And don't forget that when you have Lucius Malfoy, a suspected Death Eater, accusing the Weasley's, a moderately well-known Light family, of being dark, that Albus still has much of his political sway and his opinions are still given much more weight now than after the smear campaign in OotP. It is doubtful that he would let Lucius get away with smearing the Weasley's to such an extent.

 

I will give you that the cabinet is an issue. It is hard to reconcile normal brain activity with everything else dormant. The cryogenic idea would probably be best, although some delayed memories would be best. Like he passively observes some of the dealings at the place, but not very detailed and most of the memories being of an empty room, with the Hogwarts memories probably only that of a wall. I'd rather he get something from the time in there besides Canon slowly deteriorating.

I will disagree with you on your second point. Although, Tom is very crafty for his age, his experience with deflecting suspicions is dwarfed by the experience of those who can see through that sort of thing. It really only takes one slip for him to get caught and since he wouldn't lose much if he does I don't think he was careful the second time around.

Ginny found some feathered and bloodied robes after one blackout and the paint down her front after another.

Would Tom make those mistakes the first time around? No. He would have cast some cleaning spells or simply burn up the robes if he is as smart as he is portrayed.

Which goes back to my previous point. Lucius was banking on Ginny getting caught in Canon. Why would he think a part of the Dark Lord's soul would get caught by some muggle lovers unless Tom was in on the plan? It would certainly explain his sloppiness and its not much different than what he did the first time around.

A few more points on this and then I will move on to your last point.

In Canon, Tom has mentioned that at some point he changed whatever plan he had, to try and figure out what is so special about Harry and to confront and defeat him. The only thing is, in this AU Harry is not around for Tom to realistically accomplish any of that. So Tom has no reason to change his plans. So without Harry, Tom wouldn't have set things up as he did.

Also, if the Aurors do not apprehend Ginny as I envision, Tom still would be unable to kill Ginny. Remember that Ginny eventually scrounged up the guts to throw the Diary into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where the students do not enter.
So one of three things will happen:

Filch finds it and throws it away. Or keeps it in his filing cabinet for decades, like the Map.

A teacher finds it and puts it into some sort of lost and found, or throw it away themselves considering its obvious age and without a student on the roster named T.M. Riddle.

Or its found and kept by Hermione. But without Harry there is no Valentine carrying dwarf to spill her books and the diary out where Ginny can see it, so she won't know who to take the diary back away from and try to find out how much Tom has told.

So no matter what it shouldn't play out like it did in Canon without Harry there.

Now for your third point.

First remember that at this point Harry's reputation is unblemished and so people still have a high opinion of him. The fact that the Weasley's lost him means that their name will already be dragged through the mud by newspapers and some politicians. Negligent being one of the things attributed to them although I don't think that they would be facing charges at that point. Dumbledore would have given his support at this time as well.

For it to be then revealed that their daughter is behind the attacks just makes things worse. If you don't already know, the more you find people guilty of things the more you are willing to believe they are guilty of other things and it isn't that big of a leap between negligence and malicious intent.

In this point in time Dumbledore's position is not as strong as you think. For one, he would already be seen as a supporter of theirs and the revelation that they have more skeletons in the closet will cause others to be distrustful of him the second time around. Also, at the time Dumbledore would have been removed from his post because he was seen unfit to protect the students from this danger. The fact that something that Malfoy's side put into effect (the Auror's) caught the perpetrator would greatly strengthen his side against Dumbledore's.

Lastly, at this time Lucius Malfoy's reputation and influence is at its highest and so what he says would lend more weight then what you have suggested.