True dat. Kinda like Orson Scott Card's antagonist in his Shadow series.

 

Aekiel and Silens have the right of it here.

More and more I find myself jotting down plot bunnies or ideas that are specifically post-Voldemort and post-Hogwarts, because I like the untapped potential in a post-Voldemort story. Seriously, I've got like seven stories that puts Voldemort as simple backstory, or his death/the war as a catalyst for something big and bad happening that sets the rest of the current story. While I don't diminish the fact Voldemort was a big part of Harry's growing up, I don't jerk off to the guy being the only major threat Harry'll ever have to deal with - no, there are so many others I could make up by being creative and stuff, villains that, while not Voldemort-powerful, could be smart or politically inclined. Villains that could just have a single purpose and a way to go about it, not with grand plans of world domination or Muggle eradication in mind.

But just because I have villains that don't have the power of Voldemort, or don't have the plans of Voldemort or the credibility, that doesn't mean they can't effect Harry. Doesn't mean that they can't succeed in killing Harry one day. Because, let's be honest: Harry's the main character, and he's just a dude. A dude with weaknesses, a dude with friends and lovers to lose, and just because he isn't fighting Voldemort doesn't mean that he sees the new threat as simply a bug ready to be stepped on...

However, the question of the thread was about Post-Hogwarts stories and if they'd work. Long story short, I think they do. Portus and Sesc listed some great examples - Song of the Trees and Lost Time especially - and I agree that there needs to be more, with some DLP talent behind them.

 

If you want something big and epic, Rowling provided a massive opening (were it not the epilogue, I'd say sequel hook) in the final battle: Harry announces to a fair chunk of Wizarding Britain that the Elder Wand is, in effect, his bitch.

Cue former Death Eaters, enterprising wizards looking to make a name for themselves, hell, even governments who don't like the idea of one man having that kind of power, all hunting him down.

Alternatively, the Resurrection Stone. An army of Inferi is just the most obvious use. If you want to be a bit more subtle about it, (and I'm working on a plot bunny along these lines myself), twist it so that people can be brought back to life - a stretch, given the canon evidence, but not impossible. Then have this knowledge made public, and have Harry faced with a surge of public opinion along the lines of "Wait, no-one ever has to die again? Awesome!".

And that's just assuming you need your stories to be filled with epic action. As has been said, there's all sorts of material for quieter, more personal stories, or less world shaking adventures.

TL;DR: Yes. It can.

 

Moriarty.
/thread.

 

I wonder if anyone has ever written a post-Voldemort story where Harry is accused of becoming a Dark Lord by the Daily Prophet. For once, the paper is actually telling the truth about Harry, but most people don't believe it. An angry mob even burns down the newspaper office for telling such awful lies about their hero.

 

Post-Hogwarts conflict you say...

One notable reason for conflict would be the reveal of magic to the muggle population. Perhaps Voldemort's last gambit, to insure chaos and/or destruction. I could see the Dark Lord wanting the world to burn, if he couldn't be there to rule it. Perhaps he would have done it by linking the act of his final death with the dissolution of all muggle-repelling spells across the UK, a willing sacrifice of a powerful wizard achieving something thought impossible... cue massive shitstorm all over the planet.

There's a ton of angles to exploit in this premise ; the ICW's fury at the reveal, the muggle/wizard forced interaction, the inevitable moment where someone in power loses it ... muggle gangs persecuting suspected wizards? wizard groups trying to "protect" themselves from the muggles? Or how about the foolishly idealistic hope that we can all get along? And at the center of it all, Harry, as he unknowingly started it all. What does he do, if per chance, the magical authorities investigate and learn that he is responsible for the completion of the spell?

In any case, one would be limited only by imagination in the execution of this premise.

99.9% of authors aren't willing to touch this with a 10-foot pole. The chance of epic failure feels too high I guess. The only readable ones that come to mind are Horst Pollman, our own Heather Sinclair and Draco664.

 

Grindlewald and Voldemort in a century? There's no reason that the wizarding world couldn't be blighted by any number of constant dark wizards on that scale, just not always in Europe. Having Harry travelling the world busting the chops of dark wizards would be awesome.

 

I do admit, that would be fucking hilarious; especially with the reactions people would give after Harry's true 'nature' was revealed.

 

Personally I'd love to see Harry and Neville go on a world tour. Moving past the war with exploration, booze, women and asskicking.

 

Big D on a Diet wrote something similar for a TGYH:
http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/wFtpTc... Here-Harry Potter and the Horny Mermaids.htm
Unfortunately it's in a Yahoo group, but if you want to read it...gl

 

Nice. You could probably pull off a whole series of one-shots like that.

 

I read something like that awhile ago. It was basically a smut fic, that because of wizarding marriage you can't ever sleep with another person. The exception being those who are magical creatures, so they go around looking for centaurs, mermaids, goblins, and I think there was even a gorgon.

 

Err, yes. That is indeed what I posted right above you.

 

Unless dark wizards are an intrinsic element of European magical societies... who is to say there can be darkness anywhere else in the world? Perhaps other magic societies have magic ways to handle that kinda thing.

 

Stop. That way lies uber!America and auto-fail Canadian blood magic schools with vampires.

 

I'd personally be more interesting in a dark wizard growing in Harry's face. Harry could become DADA teacher and then sees one of the brightest prospects in DADA. A blind first year with an intuitive grasp of magic. Of course everyone else writes him off and he does get bullied/led a difficult life. Harry sorta mentors/helps him in his initial years but has no idea how difficult the life of this new kid really is.

Harry starts to suspect the kid underplaying his intelligence after say fifth year to get people to ignore him as a threat. And then the kid starts his revenge on the wizarding world. Harry suspects the culprit but has nothing solid to tie him down. And here Harry has the role of containing a dark lord unparalleled in history. Powerful, smart and motivated as hell. The problem is that no-one else sees it except Harry. (kinda like the whole dumbledore-tom riddle thing)...

...And then forty years later harry hears a prophecy about a kid being born....kidding about the last part.

 

Sounds good. In fact, have one of the portraits in the Headmaster's office pipe up with something to the effect that he was privy to a prophesy concerning Dumbledore and Grindelwald back when AD was still in the cradle or sum shit. Turns out that this is one big, on-going thing where the defeaters of dark lords get to hear the prophesy of the coming savior of the wizarding world from the new dark lord that the old dude inadvertently taught.

And the cycle has been going on for a thousand fucking years.

 

You find that here on DLP as well, you know. No need to join the group and all that. Link

 

:facepalm
I should have realized that he would have posted the TGYH on the thread, too.

 

One slight AU aspect that I think could make it work.. and makes sense in it's own way would be to:

Have Harry inform the German Authorities that Tom AK'd Gellert in his cell and they should probably go and retrieve the body.
However, Grindlewald is far from dead...

If Tom can make Horcruxes, why wouldn't Grindlewald have done the same.. even if it was only one? ...With the death of Ariana Dumbledore.

Plot device: Dealthy Hallows.
Since Gellert knew Tom was after the wand, he puts 2 and 2 together and comes after Harry and his Hallows.