KenderCleric’s Challenge #6 – The wicked web we weave

Summary:

Albus Dumbledore sat numbly behind his desk in the predawn hours of November the First. The night’s events were nearly enough to kill the man. He had known there was a traitor amongst the Order. He had known that the Potters and Longbottoms were in danger. Yet, never in all his years would he have believed the turn of evens of the past twenty four hours. He knew only one thing: the truth could never be uncovered.

His thoughts turned to Sirius Black. The innocent man now newly indoctrinated into the horrors of Azkaban. Presumed the traitor of the Potter family the man wasn’t even given a trial. Everyone believed he had betrayed the Potters and killed poor Peter Pettigrew along with twelve muggles. How wrong they were.

These thoughts inevitably moved to Peter Pettigrew next. On the run and hiding for his life from friend and foe alike. The man no longer knew who to trust and hides from everyone. Sirius believed him the traitor, the Death Eaters were trying to silence the truth by eliminating him, and Remus like the rest of the wizarding world believed him dead.

Then there was Remus Lupin. Devastated at the supposed betrayal of Sirius and the deaths of the Potters and Pettigrew he was a broken man. Yet, Dumbledore knew that for all the pain his assumed knowledge of the events of October 31 the truth would be so much worse.

The Headmaster’s thoughts now turned to sole survivor of the Potter family. The fifteen month old Harry must never discover the horrible truth. It will be bad enough for him to believe his godfather a traitor, but the reality could do irreparable damage. He could not risk the boy knowing. Thus, he would see the lives of three living men reduced to their own hells for the greater good of the wizarding world.

No one could ever know that James Potter had been the traitor.

No one could ever know that James had been the one to place Peter under the Imperious and order him to divulge the secret location of Godric’s Hollow to Voldemort.

No one could ever know that it had not been Voldemort who killed James, but his wife Lily in a towering rage when the truth had been revealed.

Dumbledore looked down at the parchment letter on his desk. It had been delivered as part of the execution of the Potter’s Will. He closed his eyes as a single tear rolled from the ancient blue orbs and down his cheek.

Most of all, no one could ever know the reason for James Potter’s betrayal as it, more than anything, would destroy what was left of the magical community.

The Challenge:

Write a fic where the world believes the classic canon events from the night of Oct. 31st ’81. Those events, however, are part of an elaborate cover up on the part of both James and the Death Eaters, and later Dumbledore. The story should revolve around Harry’s discovering the truth of what happened and ultimately the revelation of James’ betrayal and his reasons for it.

The author must create a plausible reason why James Potter would join the Death Eaters and spy on the Order.

The Rules:

· James was a full-fledged Death Eater.
· Pettigrew was not a Death Eater, but was the Potter’s secret keeper.
· Sirius thought Peter was the traitor and went after him, but Peter was not the one to destroy the street. Peter believed that Sirius had blown up the street to kill him. Neither knew it was a Death Eater trying to eliminate both so the truth couldn’t be uncovered.
· Lily killed James.
· James’ will instructed a letter be sent to Dumbledore explaining his reasons for joining Voldemort and the events of the 31st.
· Dumbledore will do anything to prevent the truth from being revealed.
· This fic should start in Harry’s third year.

 

An interesting challenge.

 

Could lead to an interesting fic, though I'm not entirely sure how it would actually change canon if Dumbledore keeps its a secret.

 

An interesting challenge, but it's missing a goal. What does Harry do? What's the purpose of the story?

It's a bit too vague to just pick it up and run with it.


On a side note:

Good God Kender, how the hell many plots do you have.

 

I am the Lord of Plot Bunnies.

I invisioned the story being a year 3 divergence where Harry begins to uncover the truth and his ultimate reaction to it. How it changes the ultimate destination of the story etc.

 

When during Year 3 would it actually happen though? Would you have Lupin make a comment of some sort that gets Harry interested in what actually happened, and thus have him start to research it? Would you have him grow a brain and get Lupin to stun Pettigrew so he could actually he interogated? How would it actually occur. If Dumbledore has kept it a secret from trained investigators, from reporters and so forth, for 12 years, hows a 13 year old boy going to uncover it?

Unless you want to go for the tired old Dumbledore who breaks the truth to Harry near the end of the fic...which could then lead into various different paths.

If you followed that idea, you could start near the end of the 3rd book, perhaps have Dumbledore appear right after the students attack Snape. He sees them all gathered there and breaks or something like that.