Berserk/Harry Potter.

Grindelwald delved deeply into arcane magic, and the Deathly Hallows were not the only outlet of his curiosity. After coming into the possession of a strange red egg-like relic, he begins to dream of terrible creatures. In time he comes to understand something from these horrifying visions, and in 1945, on the cusp of his defeat at the hands of Albus Dumbledore, Grindelwald invokes the powers-that-be to descend upon the world again; it just so happens to be that their fateful duel occurs on the day of another fabled eclipse.

Grindelwald sacrifices the already defeated troops allied under him to the demonic entities that flood out of the darkening skies and soil. It is all that Albus can do to defend himself against the gathering horrors and forge a gradual retreat in the process. He alone escapes, but not before bearing witness to the next God Hand ascension. From that hour forth, the muggle and wizarding worlds find themselves more closely tethered together than they have been since the Statute of Secrecy went into effect.

Perhaps wizarding magic is sufficient to repel the lingering demons and Grindelwald's new Apostles. Perhaps not, if Grindelwald protects them somehow with his newfound power.


Not really sure what to do from there. Albus would obviously have a vested interest in figuring out what in the hell just happened and finding a way to subdue Grindelwald. I don't really see things falling apart, but I'd imagine it becoming quite desperate for a while. Don't know just what Grindelwald does from there, pull a Griffith and try to create a new utopia for his followers? Claim yet further power for himself? Conquer the world, or explore the new supernatural territories previously hidden beyond magic?

 

Parody one-shot
No title yet.

Harry gets forcefully transported by the order to a world where Voldemort still reigns he was killed blah blah blah. Harry just goes ham the first time he meets the order because he’s just pissed. Goes on about a confederation of trans dimensional wizard governing body and how they need the proper forms for trans dimensional travel. Aghast that they don’t have the imaginary paperwork he gets a ritualistic dagger pretends to alert the authorities and then claims he needs to kill everyone that participated then himself to avoid getting his soul erased. Really lays it on thick. When they catch on and call him out on it and press him to help he tells them to go screw themselves and leaves.

 

"Something I should have foreseen."

Upon Lily Potter's sacrifice Voldemort realises he can't touch Harry Potter.

Unable for Harry to die at his hands, Voldemort suspends the war while he looks for a solution. A bargain is struck with the Ministry of Magic on the brink of defeat and the UK is divided between Voldemort, and the Death Eaters on one side and the ministry with the rest of the Wizarding Public in the other. Effectively granting Voldemort his own kingdom with which to rule as he sees fit.

Random Plot Bunny that popped into my head, no idea what plot would exist. Just an AU spinoff.

 

But why?

A baby's existence isn't going to stop Voldemort's crusade. He can just ignore Potter for the time being.

 

Not to mention, Harry is only protected from Voldermot, not everyone else, so Lily's sacrifice isn't all that meaningful if Voldemort just brings in someone like Bellatrix to kill the baby. Hell, Voldemort could just levitate a solid chunk of rock and drop it on the crib. Whoosh, problem solved.

 

One shot about the Chernobyl disaster and Russian Wizards asking for help. Set in 1986. I just recently finished the HBO show and it's a masterpiece of storytelling and I was wondering what would happen if you inserted Wizards and Magic into the situation. How would the radiation interfere with Magic? Who would respond? It could make for an interesting International Politics piece. Perhaps set from Dumbledore's POV.

 

Interesting idea, but I think radiation wouldn't interefere with magic. Instead, it would simply harm magical creatures and plants, which would be the real issue for wizards. In fact, have it be the only motivation for Russian wizards, who would ignore dying muggles and only try to save magical flora and fauna.

 

When authors wish for an house Elf to help Harry, their intimidate go to is Dobby, however there is another elf, Kreacher.

Kreacher has the vibes of homicidal insane minion, Yes Master, rendering the no good filth to potions ingredients Master ?

Kreacher decide to train Harry Potter to be the future Head of the Black family, for the current one is disappointment, the other option is a Malfoy.

Another option, Harry joins with Kreacher during book 7, to wreck havoc.
After disagreement with his fellow questers how the means to win the war.

Third option is:
Wand for Hire Harry Potter post Hogwarts, featuring Harry and his loyal minion Kreacher.

After shadowing the heads of house black for decades/centuries Kreacher gained some unholy skills and knowledge.

 

Magic abhors a imbalance, and so Harry Potter is born nearly sixty years early, the pure-blooded youngest son of Henry and Juliette Potter. The same age as Tom Riddle, and just as charismatic- being everything that the young Riddle rather wishes he were, the two form a natural enmity. In the midst of the war against Grindelwald, tensions rise within Hogwarts, as the events of the Chamber of the Secrets the year prior threaten to overflow.

Basically an exploration of Tom Riddle with a matched pair, similarly to Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Harry functions as a prophesied equal who appears far earlier than in Canon, leading to a Hogwarts far more divided than it was in Tom Riddle's day. I'd probably show a little bit more arrogant side of Harry, more James-ish so to speak, but I'd also focus a little more on that natural instinct for magic that Harry's hinted to have throughout the series. The real question would be whether I'd also bring Ron and Hermione back to the era. I'd of course be tempted to, just as a way of at least avoiding the best friends being OC, as well as acknowledging the fact that there are just about no Gryffindors seen in the era. At the same time, I'd rather avoid it becoming a full fledged mashup of the two eras, Death Eater vs. DA, so to speak and I think if I were to bring back Ron and Hermione, I might simply bring back the whole of Gryffindor house of Harry's year.

 

I'm not sure it is a good idea to bring back the Trio in time, especially since you change Harry. In canon, one of the reasons of the presence of Ron and Hermione is to give informations to Harry (and the reader) without having to explain where it comes from. Hermione spends a lot of time in the library, so nobody question why she knows a certain spell and is able to teach it to Harry. And Ron is the wizard raised member of the group, able to explain the culture of Harry Potter, why is "mudblood" an insult, or what an Auror is. If you make Harry a Pureblood, Ron has no reason to explain this kind of things.

But I guess it could be interesting to bring back their archetypes with Harry. Since your Harry is a Pure Blood with a lot of natural instinct for Magic, I guess, for the group to be balanced, he would need a "knowledge based" friend who deals with the theorical aspect of magic like with Hermione in canon, and a "street smart" character like Ron, except this time a Muggleborn able to explain him the war.
For the other character, same things I guess. Harry can be roomate with a timid boy without him being called Neville.

 

“Good afternoon, Draco,” said the Dark Lord.

Draco stared at him. Then he remembered: “My lord! The Stone! It was Weasley! He’s got the Stone! My lord, quick —”

“Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times,” said Voldemort “Arthur Weasley does not have the Stone.”

"My Lord, I —”

“Draco, please relax, or Madam Umbridge will have me thrown out.”

Draco swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop.

“Tokens from your friends and admirers,” said the Dark Lord, beaming. “What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Weasley is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friend Mr. Zabini was responsible for trying to send you a Hand of Glory. No doubt he thought it would amuse you. Madam Umbridge, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it.”

“How long have I been in here?”

“Three days. Mr. Nott and Miss Parkinson will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried.”

“But my Lord, the Stone —”

“I see you are not to be distracted. Very well, the Stone. Professor Weasley did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say.”

“You got there? You got Pansy’s owl?”

“We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Weasley off you.”

“It was you.”

“I feared I might be too late.”

“You nearly were, I couldn’t have kept him off the Stone much longer –”

“Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. As for the Stone, it has been sent to the Unspeakables.”

-*-*-*-

“Astoria, please wake up,” Draco muttered desperately, shaking her. Astoria’s head lolled hopelessly from side to side.

“She won’t wake,” said a soft voice.

Draco jumped and spun around on his knees.

A squat, brown-haired girl with pimples and thick glasses was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. She was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Draco were looking at her through a misted window. But there was no mistaking her.

“Myrtle — Myrtle Warren?”

Warren nodded, not taking her eyes off Draco’s face.

“What d’you mean, she won’t wake?” Draco said desperately. “She’s not — she’s not —?”

“She’s still alive,” said Warren. “But only just.”

Draco stared at her. Myrtle Warren had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here she stood, a weird, misty light shining about her, not a day older than sixteen.

“Are you a ghost?” Draco said uncertainly.

“A memory,” said Warren quietly. “Preserved in a diary for fifty years.”

She pointed toward the floor near the statue’s giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Draco had found in Tom Riddle's Trophy Room. For a second, Draco wondered how it had got there — but there were more pressing matters to deal with.

“You’ve got to help me, Myrtle,” Draco said, raising Astoria’s head again. “We’ve got to get her out of here. There’s a giant acromantula… I don’t know where it is, but it could be along any moment… Please, help me.”

Myrtle didn’t move. Draco, sweating, managed to hoist Astoria half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again.

But his wand had gone.

“Did you see —?”

He looked up. Myrtle was still watching him — twirling Draco’s wand between her fingers.

-*-*-*-

And so on, you get the idea

Just a small (or perhaps big) alternate universe.

 

Idea:

The clock struck the top of the hour and Dumbledore sighed. "Maybe he missed the message," he said to his deputy.

McGonagall nodded. "Last I heard the pox nearly killed him and James said he had trouble getting out of bed most days."

A small cry from the bassinet drew her attention as she got up and entertained the fussing baby. Privately, Dumbledore hoped his guest didn't show. It would make things easier if he could put the boy with his mother's family considering the magic involved. But the laws were clear and guardianship passes to the magical family first.

A knock broke him from his thoughts. "Come in," he called as he stood up for his guest. In walked, slowly, an elderly man with a slight hunch from a long life. His once wild mane of hair had thinned to near bald and his cheeks were covered in green scars.

"I'm here for my grandson," he said.

Dumbledore inclined his head in greeting and gestured to the baby. "Of course. He's right there, Fleamont."

I'm not sure how much story can be worked out of it, but I don't think I've ever seen a fic where one of James parents survives the Dragon Pox to raise Harry. It would be an interesting upbringing. Fleamont would be 90 by the time Harry goes off to Hogwarts.

 

Couldn't get it out of my head, and so I jotted something down for it.

1943. Hogwarts


“Harry! Harry!” As Tom Riddle watched, the first year scurried away, hand held to his cheek and huddled behind the richly appointed robes of Harry Potter. The tall Gryffindor twirled his wand in his hand as he glared at Tom, his friends on either side of him.

“What are you doing, Tom?” Tom didn’t glare back at Harry, he looked almost lazy, leaning back onto his heels. It was Selwyn and Avery by his side who looked fit to throttle whoever stood in their way. Both of them were intimidating, tall, thin and filled with the type of confindence brought only by class; but It fooled no one in the corridor. They knew very well that it was Tom who was the really danger. They weren’t professors and knew his tendencies first hand. Tom was the fellow in the corridor that they had to keep their eye one. Only Harry had never been harmed by Tom, but then Tom had never been jinxed by Harry either.

“Your little… pet ran into me.” Tom brushed off some imaginary dirt from his robes. “He got mud on me.” Avery and Selwyn howled with laughter, Harry frowned, and had to stop Hermione from reaching for her wand immediately. “We rather thought we might teach him some respect.” The firstie, cowered behind Harry’s robes.

“Riddle.” The use of his last name caused Tom’s eyes to snap to Harry. They looked intent, for the first time in the entire conversation. They stared at each other’s eyes for a moment, before Riddle finally broke.

“Garmr, Cavall.” He nodded to the other corridor. Garmr Selwyn gave one last hungry look before Cavall nudged him and they loped after Tom. Harry’s eyes didn’t leave them until they had left the hallway, at which point a built tension seemed to leave him and he kneeled next to the first year. He gave the boy a small smile.

“All right there, old chap?”

The first year managed to sniff out a little affirmation between his whimpers. Fat, hot tears rolled down ruddy cheeks, but Harry could see the anger in his blue eyes, and the way that he fought his lips to stiffness. He couldn’t help but smile. There was some steel there, a real Gryffindor.

“What’s your name?” Asked Harry.

“P-Pete, Pete Blackburn, sir,” said the boy through a thick Geordie accent.

“Sir?” Ron Weasley barked out a laugh. “Harry’s no sir, hardly could find his wand without us pointing it out for him.”

“Always undermining my authority Ron.” Harry gave a little wink to Pete, and the first year surprised even himself with a weak little smile. “There we are Petey! That’s what I like to see. Stiff upper lip and all that, there’s a good lad.” As Harry looked closer he could see blood leaking through the hand that the boy held tight to his cheek.

“Riddle give you that cut?” Asked Ron, his tone dark.

“No, it was Garmr.”

“Of course.” Hermione shook her head as if in disbelief. “That pompous ass would hardly dirty his own hands with this sort of thing.” She replaced Harry by Pete’s side, furrowing her brows in concentration, she murmured the incantation, Episkey, as she traced the cut across Pete’s cheek, it sealed with a little smoke, leaving only a long and faint white scar. She gave Pete a little smile, and the boy couldn’t help but blush as she stepped back.

Despite everything, something didn’t feel right about the whole thing to Harry. It felt like a little more than just an attack of opportunity. It was surprisingly hard to corner someone, especially with how tense things were in Hogwarts. There weren’t many students headed to classes alone. “Know the reason he came after you Pete?” Asked Harry.

“Jumped Flint, other day. Suppose they were a bit tweaked about that.” The first year gave a satisfied smile, his fear at Riddle already forgotten. “Served him right for what he did to Marie.”

Harry sighed. Of course, it had to be a retaliation. He couldn’t blame the boy, but he worried that the feuds were only deepening. Vendettas signed in attack and counterattack. “You can’t seek revenge Pete.”

“What? We should let them push us around then?” Asked the boy as if in disbelief. “But I’ve heard about all the fights you’ve gotten into!”

“Defend yourself of course,” said Harry hurriedly. This sentiment was always a little difficult for him as he sympathized with the boy, who only wished to defend his friends. “Finish fights, don’t try and start them, or you make yourself a target for people like Riddle.”

Pete still looked skeptical. Ron rolled his eyes before approaching the boy. “How about a new hex, eh Pete? Something to keep some of the nastier ones away.”

After forcing the boy to pledge to use it only in self-defense, (although Harry wasn’t sure what to make of the conspiratorial look that passed between the two of them), Ron taught the boy the Finger Flipper, which would spin an enemy’s finger’s around in their sockets. They left Pete in reasonably good spirits, although of course as soon as they left him and turned into the hallway, Ron nearly exploded in anger.

“The nerve- the sheer nerve of Riddle!”

“It sounds like Pete might have started it.” Harry said quietly. “I don’t like it… but…”

Ron shook his head quickly. “We don’t get involved in firstie feuds. That’s low. Real low. ‘Specially after what he did to Hagrid last year. We have to make an example of this or it’s going to keep happening.”

“I don't disagree with you Ron. But it doesn't seem like its going to be that easy." Harry's lips thinned. "Riddle's obviously willing to go after first years. We go after him, he's just gonna hit us where it hurts. There is one thing that's bothering me though- what happened to that Marie girl Pete was talking about."

“I think that it might be Marie Hornby,” said Hermione. Her mouth twisted into a grimace as she continued. “You know. Olive’s sister.”

“Olive?”

“Honestly Harry?” laughed Hermione. “The Ravenclaw- she’s in our year! The one haunted by Myrtle."

“Oh right, her.” Harry vaguely remembered a harried looking girl followed by a wailing ghost.

“But Harry’s right,” said Ron. “Do you know what happened between Marie and Flint? It sounded heavy.”

Hermione looked a little bashful. “No, actually. It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

They let the matter drop, and continued on their way to Charms, but Harry couldn’t help but think there was something more to it than that. Riddle seemed even colder this year than he had in the past, although when he mentioned it, the other two hadn’t noticed any difference. He couldn't help but think that it didn't sound good.

 

@M.L. Pretty good start and a really interesting idea. The question I have is who are Harry's parents? At this point in the timeline Fleamont and Euphemia Potter would be in their 40s making them the perfect candidates, and also potentially making James (if he's born) his younger brother. Or will you perhaps make an OC line, maybe Fleamont has a brother in this? It's probably good to focus the meat of the story after their 5th year because at that point they ought to know some serious magic and you don't want to get bogged down focusing on them as preteens. Maybe a prologue chapter to make it clear that this will be a re imagining of the story in the 1940s.

I think you should continue this and post it in WBA. Maybe it'll get some people to help polish it.

As for another plot bunny I had: I don't think I've ever seen a fic where Dumbledore died before Harry's first year. Everything stays the same leading up to 1991, but in the summer of 1991 Dumbledore dies from some kind of malady (maybe dragon pox). Harry attends a Hogwarts run my McGonagall. Flitwick is her deputy headmaster. Snape, no longer bound to any promises made to Dumbledore, turns in his resignation to go live his life. McGongall gets rid of Divination and maybe Binns.

Because she's headmaster the stone isn't places at Hogwarts so no Voldemort at Hogwarts, without Dumbledore as Chief Warlock Arthur Weasley's legislation doesn't pass so Lucius doesn't decide to stash the diary on Ginny, the Triwizard Tournament could happen at a different school so no Voldemort resurrection in 4th year. Harry has a perfectly normal school life and is able to focus on learning magic and having fun.

 

Harry (or character of choice) discovers his animagus form is a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

I don't really care about the rest of the details.
--- Post automerged ---

I could see there being ways to justify stuff still happening or exploring it at other locations if that was the intent, but it could be fun to explore Adult!Harry who had a perfectly normal school experience suddenly having to confront the dark shadow that's been cast over his entire life, suddenly returning to the world from his nightmares.

Only note I would add is the TriWizard Tournament was just a convenient excuse to kidnap Harry without people noticing he was gone for an extended period of time. If they still needed him for the ritual, Voldemort could have had Polyjuiced!Barty Crouch Jr. stun and spirit him away as sneakily as possible to do the ritual anyways.

Perhaps that could be some baggage for a Harry whose only bought with the extreme is being kidnapped and tortured in a ritual, then escapes do to some happenstance almost no one can explain. Make him a little more timid and paranoid than Canon!Harry, push him further into his studies so that he's theoretically more powerful than our canon counterpart, but never had the courage to actually go through with testing things out? I could see "eventually kicked off the Quidditch team after losing his edge" as a nice little detail, too.

 

HP/His Dark Materials fusion.

Children are going missing from Hogwarts, and no one seems to acknowledge that it's happening. It is left to Harry and his daemon Hedwig to investigate, a trail which leads to the mysterious teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Riddle.

Spoiler

Something daemon something soul something horcrux

 

Turns out Roswell really was an alien invasion. The wizards fought them off and covered it up.

 

Plot Bunny: Harry Potter wakes up on a cart. He is the Dragonborn. HP/Skyrim Xover.

 

Harry takes over for Binns as History of Magic professor.

The difference is that he uses his time at the Ministry to update the class; instead of just reading about events and being lectured on them, he works with some of the other teachers to create an "immersive memory event" based roughly off of Pensieve memories, in essence reenacting this particular battle, or that particular meeting, as if he and the students were actually there. It's based off of all of the relevant information he can put together about each historical event.

The learning part is that the students take on the roles of the people who were there and have to use what they've learned in the classroom leading up to the event assignment to fulfill matters according to history; if they flub it and say the wrong thing, or accidentally trigger the wrong death, the event ends and everyone is ejected back into the classroom to try again.

So for example, a little known but very crucial battle in the Second World War by those allied with England against Grindelwald's forces puts the students into the roles of the English wizard-soldiers preparing to storm the German fortress, but how do they get passed the defenses and retrieve whatever information or object or eliminate whichever key enemies?

The goal with this whole story is to breath life into the history lessons and put Harry into a teaching role that he wouldn't usually see in fics, at least as far as I know. This came to me about a day ago so I haven't really sat down to think about any flaws or kinks in the process yet.

 

Sounds rife with opportunities for trauma. Perfect for a fun educational Wizarding activity.