That sounds like an excellent set up for a political!Harry fic, though it seemed like you were trying to edge it towards a dark!Harry fic. I can imagine that with the press exposure before Dumbledore even finds out what is going on Harry discovers who he is, and quickly realises that people will listen to him if he speaks. He quickly learns (maybe with the help of a friendly auror) to think before he speaks to press, to not open his mouth without carefully considering what he is about to say.

Perhaps he learns the extent of his power when he finds out an exemption clause has been added to the Murderous Muggles Act, excusing those muggles who kill wizards in defence of magical children, or some such. Its passed pretty much in the format that Harry suggested in an interview with the press, only changes being made for it actually work in law. Harry works out he got this to happen without actually asking for it directly, he merely speculated on what he would have thought the law should have said and it got changed to be like that PDQ. So Harry continues to work on his influence, being careful to never overtly say he would like such and such a thing to happen, but that he thinks things should be like this as it would be much better.

I think that sort of fic would be much more interesting than a fic about an angry 11 year old who goes around pouting that his dad was taken away from him and Dumbledore won't help him...

 

If you're trying to keep all of the characterizations canonish, Harry would be a very mediocre Slytherin. He's really not that cunning, nor particularly ambitious, especially in the first book. In fact, I'd argue that from the first time you meet Harry, you're confronted with his tendency to jump headfirst into things without thinking them through, which is a very Gryffindor trait.

 

And? You're forgetting all other traits that Salazar Slytherin valued in his students (and which Harry has displayed); cleverness, resourcefulness, determination and a certain disregard for the rules.

Cunning and ambition may be the most prominent traits for Slytherin but they aren't the be-all and end-all.

 

Except that Harry's never been exceptionally clever or resourceful. I'll give you determined and a bit of free spirit.

The primary reason for Harry's success is that he had a friend who was basically a magical MacGuyver (except not quite as bad ass) and a knack for fighting. Oh, and luck. Heaping, wobbling piles of luck.

 

Harry has the only Slytherin trait that ever matters.

He looks fabulous in green.

 

No-one said Harry's exceptionally clever. But there's no denying that he is clever. And prior to Dumbledore making that comment on resourcefullness, Harry immediately used that Hat to help him fight the basilisk and used its fang to kill Riddle, all without a wand. That's sounds pretty resourceful to me.

Whilst what you said about him having luck and good friends is true, you need to give credit where it's due.

(Ugh. Rhymes)

Truth

 

Who cares what Harry is like in canon? We're talking about Awesome!Vernon here. Harry can be whatever you want him to be, as long as the basic character traits that make him a likable hero are still there.

And about the Hat thing, I only mentioned that because Harry chose Gryffindor over Slytherin. Had circumstances been different (read: Harry not meeting Malfoy beforehand), who knows what would've happened?

 

He didn't choose Gryffindor. He said he didn't want to be in Slytherin.

But yeah, I'm just gonna leave this thread alone till tomorrow.

 

Fucking this. I don't understand these petty little squabbles about canon details. Who cares? It's your story, yours to do with as you wish: that's the whole goddamn point of fanfiction.

It's ludicrous to give more thought to tiny insignificant details than the writer herself would have done.

 

An idea that popped up when I was thinking about the April contest. Can be written as humor or humor/romance, I guess. Anyway.

Set post-DH but ignore epilogue. Hermione, Ginny and Luna go back to Hogwarts for their 7th year while Harry, Ron and Neville go off to Auror training.

Luna's dad is rescued from Azkaban but Luna's depressed between Xeno's slow recovery, the destruction of her home and the fact that Crumple-Horned Snorkacks (among others) don't really exist. While chatting with Hagrid over old times Harry comes up with a brilliant scheme to cheer her up: he's going to create Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. As in, through crossbreeding and other experiments (think Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts).

He of course drags Ron, Neville, Hagrid and Hermione into his scheme. (Maybe even Kettleburn, the legendary CoMC teacher who had numerous probations) Crack ensues.

Temporary title can be something like "Crash Course in Crossbreeding" or "Chasing Crumple-Horns".

 

Evidently, all of us, because we're obsessed with a setting enough to write stories about the characters in it- for absolutely no money. Just a thought.

 

Nah, you be twistin' words. The setting is fine, the characters are there, the conflict is there. But fanfiction is all about changes. We care enough about details to make the stories plausible, but not so much as to write complete rehashings of canon.

 

I always tought ıf Harry had gone to Slytherin he would be better than canon.
Hat said he could be great in Slytherin but Harry chose Gryffindor because he wanted to be normal not great. He was simply afraid of becoming "Great and Terrible".

 

Not really, seeing how the Hat even said that Harry had a great thirst to prove himself. His desire for normalcy didn't come till later. He didn't want to go to Slytherin because he'd heard nothing but bad things about them and because Malfoy was a Slytherin who made a bad impression every time they met to that point.

And for the record Harry didn't specifically want to be in Gryffindor, he just wanted to be anywhere but Slytherin.

 

True, but putting some distance between Harry and Ron would have helped tremendously. A lot of successful people feel like they have to prove themselves -Harry once did- and it drives them to do better. Whatever drive Harry had was completely sucked out by Ron and his complacency. The further Harry is from that lazy fuck the better. Harry could've been "Great and Terrible" without that guy at his back.

 

True, though the chances of Harry becoming great and terrible are pretty low. He's got too much hero material for that, regardless of what house he's in.

 

On the Way to Greatness by mira mirth examines the consequences of a single change - Harry is Sorted into Slytherin. One of the best HP fics of any stripe, and hands-down the greatest Slytherin-Harry ever written.

 

I also find that very realistic, and a prime example of the 'butterfly effect'.

But, yes.

Ron is -essentially- an intelligence leech, but he also gave him two somethings that Harry had wanted for all of his life - a friend, and goofing off and being a typical teen.

Unfortunately, unless there was a motivation for 'love' behind it (eg, becoming something terrible to protect the people he loves ala Darth Vader), the prophecy gave him a 'big heart' (which was also reminiscent of his parents), even after being the Dursley's house-elf for practically all of his life.

No prophecy = no 'big heart', or at least a large chunk of it removed, no 'big heart' + Dursley abuse = cold, asshole Harry.

 

That's usually the best kind. Or at least the most humourous.

 

i.e. WWSHD.