So I've read quite a few time-travel fics, most of which write themselves in the exact same plot with a few nigh unnoticeable differences. There are only a few exceptions, most of which are notable and can be found around the site. I'd like to suggest something I haven't see anywhere before.

My challenge is thus, Harry goes back in time to change the past so his job will be easier. And by Harry, I mean Dark Lord Potter. And by easier, I mean his rise to power.

I see it like this, Light!Harry goes to school, listens to Dumbles, can't kill Voldemort. Grey!Harry grows up, fights better, can't kill Voldemort. Dark!Harry kills a whole shitload of people, Death Eaters and Voldemort included. The lead up to a rather cliched Azkaban where his friends watched him Fall and are actually justified in doing so turns into something we haven't seen before when Dark!Harry tears Time and Space a new anus.

+1 Philospher's Stone?
+1 Basilisk?
The Light won't know what hit em.

 

I agree, especially when I saw you explain it like that it seemed a bit like an insanity thing. Like Harry was good the first time, failed and watched all his friends die, goes back in time to save them.

Goes a bit darker and fails again. and thus as he watches his friends die again, and again his emotions are burned away and he becomes a Dark lord, goes back in time, wins, then gets sent to jail for how he won.

Get pissed off, goes back in time again, gets the stone and the huge and powerful snake and tries to off everyone. After all, he has watched them die over and over again, and thus he went dark.

However my idea gets complicated by the at least a dozen time travel trips.

It would get really interesting if it turns out that Voldemort had done the same thing and does the whole, 'You think you've won Harry, cause you haven't. I have won, because I have turned you darker then me, like Grindelwald did to me.'

However I just think I took your idea and made it far more complicated then it already was. It is brilliant the way it is I must admit and I would take it up if I did think I would destroy it. Hope someone picks this up.

 

My question is why? He's already gone through several time-travel trips yes, so what's the reason to go through another one when he finally beats Voldemort? Per OP, his one time friends are alive, and its not like he couldn't easily escape from Azkaban. So why go back in time?

 

Because he's angry and it will be much easier for him to beat them when they don't know he's a dark lord, that's why. Dark lords don't tend to play fair.

 

Actually seen this before, not the multi time reversal + dark lord potter. But DLP going back in time to give his past self a leg up and find followers etc.

Though, once he has killed Voldemort as Dark Lord Potter there is no reason for him to return yet again. He's done the time already, why bother? Unless it's a DLP who still loves Ginny who Greyback rape/killed and he wants to save her so he can analy invade her on their wedding night instead.

 

I actually wasn't thinking about him going back multiple times and getting steadily darker. I was thinking about him getting darker as the War goes on, all his friends and allies seeing him become more and more evil. When he slays Voldemort, he looks around at the whole Dark Lord operation and says to himself, "Self, we could rule the world."

Problem is, all his friends and allies watched the downhill process. They know how he operates, they know how he fights. They're pretty much ready for him the moment he comes round the bend. Unlike Voldemort, who had time to build up behind the scenes, Harry has the entire Wizarding world on his ass from the get go.

Hence, time-travel.

 

That actually sounds quite interesting, although you would run into the problem of how far back in time would he go. Heading back to year 1 to get the sorcerors stone would be good, but then what does he do for the next several years while growing up? I think there would be a lack of conflict in the story, Harry already beat Voldemort once, why would that be different this time around. Him ruling the world at 11 would be a joke, so he has to stick around and do something for a few years but what? Where is the conflict?

 

Could be interesting if Dumbledore wasn't evil and Harry isn't all superGODpowerful!Harry where no one even stands a chance

 

WTF, evil Dumbledore where did you get that one?

 

I suppose this is the challenging part about writing the fic, how to you make the story interesting enough to keep people coming back when you're taking such a sharp divergence from canon? If I was going to do it myself, I think Voldemort would survive that first meeting (in PS) and grow stronger and smarter, faster. Then you proceed to have two Dark Lords wreck havoc over Britain, maybe get it to spill out across Europe, start WWIII, w/e.

Retell canon becomes make shit up. ^^

 

Most stories where Harry goes dark or something has Dumbledore being stupid, super evil.

 

You need to widen your reading then

 

@Janus: Instead of the cliched jump-into-my-younger body kind of time travel what about something slightly different? If Harry's in Azkaban then that means he's wandless, so maybe he can only use his uber-timetravelling spell for very brief periods of time? Sending back letters/manipulating events so young-ever-so-innocent Harry slowly grows darker with his friends or without them wising up? The depths of darkness are so much more enjoyable when you've seen the descent.

 

*Waves his hand in a circle above his head.*

This is why I posted it in the challenge thread, there are much better ideas for plot out there. Mine was just the bare bones yes? I've never been very fond of the go back to the beginning idea myself (there are so many better concepts out there), but the whole evil!time-travel sounded like it would be fun to read. It would just die a lonely death if I tried to write it. >>

And you should definitely write out your idea Kalas. xP Its a gudun, actually remind me a bit of the Naruto story I'm working on.

 

I can actually imagine a good author writing a dark Harry in his eleven year old body. Maybe he would be disgusted with himself, with a weak body.
Maybe we could see a few minor dark rituals for enhancing his body/magic?
The thing is that you would have to very clearly portrait Harry as a 25 or however old man, imprisoned in a younger body.
He also would have to be cunning, with a quiet and manipulative attitude, not the standard "I hate everyone and will blow them all up"!Harry. He would have to act behind the curtains, portraiing himself as the good savior they all expect him to be while planning his rise to power.
His motivation for going dark would have to be clear. Somehow, Dr. Horrible comes to mind, meaning that he wants to rule because he thinks that humans are sheep and haven't earned their freedom and he is, of course, the only one who is able to understand that and rule them.

 

God dammit Janus a good year and a half of keeping my muse chained and brutely sodomized in my subconscious and you just had to fucking let her get free... I'll see what I can come up with.

 

I agree if this is ever written it will be much better if its about a powerful but not GODLIKE Garry, i.e around Dumbledore's level, weaker maybe.

Question: What are Harries reasons/motives for becoming a DL? Has to go beyond just hatred for his former friends or whatever.... Or maybe hes just bat shit insane....

 

*Hides a pair of bolt cutters behind his back and looks innocent.*

Who, me?

;D Looking forward to it.