This somewhat crept up on me while skimming through one of the usual Harry kills Voldemort and then ends up in another dimension that still has snake-boy running around, has an angst fest after remeeting his lost true love and family, ect; giving birth to this. What if the various Dark Lords that appeared every few decades served somewhat as a release valve for the more negative parts of the wizarding world?

Which leads to Harry who having recently killed Voldemort a few years before and done his mourning for all those that died has gone off to celebrate life in the Bahamas with his girlfriend and surviving comrades... only to suddenly awake up a few days later in alternate universe where Voldemort had never existed.

Unfortunately without Voldemort to serve as a counter weight the ministry has transformed into directorship where book burnings are common, even the slightest hint of the dark arts can have you arrested and thrown into Azkaban faster then a person can say Hogwarts, the various halfbloods and muggleborns are second class citizens, there are no "known" werewolves or vampires anywhere in western Europe, the goblins are on the verge of open rebellion, and the rest?

Well let’s just say that the house elves are at the top social ladder and leave it at that.

Enter Harry who having spent the last few days laying low and trying to figure out what the hell happened finds himself being dragged (somewhat kicking and screaming) into this worlds politics and a position that he never wanted... becoming a Dark Lord, mainly because the items and spells need to send him back are extremly rare, expensive, and dark.

Of course Harry isn't the most normal of Dark Lords, what with his minions being mainly halfbloods and muggleborns, not toruting his servants for failing but for being stupid, not being a raciest, being generally skilled in light magic, having no problem using the various magic races and their talents to the full advantage possible, and even being willing to use muggles and muggle weapons (the near magical power of a nuke isn't to be underestimated).

Rules

--Harry isn't a thug he's a Dark Lord; that doesn't mean that he isn't capable of being extremely mean and vicious, just that he doesn't do it acting like a thug.

--Harry has a sense of morals and honor. That doesn't mean that he's a bleeding heart, but simply has a sense of right and wrong and is capable of keeping his word.

--At least one scene of Harry raiding one of those semi-mythical places thought lost to time until somebody went and found it, only for it to get destroyed while both sides where trying to claim it during the war with Voldemort.

--Harry's doesn’t spend more then a paragraph or two angsting over the past.

--Harry's intelligent, explaining why Harry was vacation in the Bahamas and Voldemort fertilizer and capable of using common sense such as it nice to have a group skilled wizards at your back, its even better to have a group of skill wizards and a group Squibs armed with Ak-47's.

--He's capable of thinking outside the box explaining why he had squibs armed Ak-47's, snipers shooting anyone that looked like they were giving orders, Dobby stealing anything not nailed down in Malfoy Manor while placing plastic explosives throughout it, ect., during the war against Voldemort.

--He doesn’t forget the usefulness of various muggle technologies while trying to conquer the wizarding world.

--Harry's one of his worlds most skilled user of the dark arts, how he learned is totally up to the author. He might have studied it on the side while being taught the more powerful light spells or after killing Voldemort gaining all of his power and knowledge of the dark arts.

--Harry mustn't go and seek out his friends and family that died in his world; to him these people aren't them.

--Harry wants to get home and doesn’t care all that much that this means that he has tear apart the wizarding world to do so.

--Harry is good at fighting and understands tactics or at least has someone he trusts that does.

--Harry must have at some time read the The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord and at least do one of the things on the list.

 

Dark Syaoran

I figure that while the wizarding world is rather unaware of what’s going on in the Muggle world, their still are probably a few spells that could block bullets at least for a short while depending on what style gun is being used, along with various potions, armors, and the hides of various magical monsters who are more or less immune to anything but magic.

 

Of course said potions and armors would quite probably be rather expensive and I can't really see the Ministry giving of the money need for such until everything really hit the fan. While various magical creatures whose hides would make perfect armor are probably rather rare and not exactly what you call easily killed...

While the various spells meant make wizards immune to gunfire would be more made for the stuff that the average person can get their hands on and not the military grade hardware that Harry would be supplying to his troops doesn't mean that the spell isn't effective just that it has a far shorter life.

 

i hate it when authors involve normal weapons in fics, what the hell ios wrong with rellying on magic? Isn't that the point of the wizarding world?

But I do like the basic premise of this challenge, and the idea of a Dark Lord being a release valve.

 

Mordecai

i hate it when authors involve normal weapons in fics, what the hell ios wrong with rellying on magic? Isn't that the point of the wizarding world?

The main reason that Harry would be using muggle tech is that by the end of the 5th/6th books still doesn't seem to know any of the more powerful light spells (and learning them would take time) or all that much about the dark arts and he needed something to buy the time needed for him to learn.

Which is why he was using muggle weapons, as I pointed out in my post above their are various magical creatures, spells, and potions that would probably make anything Harry might get hid hands on useless in the long run.

Harry partly won because he thought outside the box and throw surprise after surprise at his enemies while forcing them to react as he wanted them too.

On using muggle technology the writer gets the final say so, I just dislike how so many authors seem to forget about the muggle world and some of the more useful things; although it doesn't help that nearly every story that Harry does use muggle technology that he seems to forget that he has the ability to use magic.

But I do like the basic premise of this challenge, and the idea of a Dark Lord being a release valve.

Thanks!

 

Is there any indication in canon that the basic shield spell wouldn't be capable of stopping a bullet? I think we see it blocking things that have a lot more kinetic energy than a bullet.

 

I always assumed there were physical shield spells and magical shield spells, however automatic guns would probably break the physical shields.

Anyway, excellent challenge.

 

I've decided to get started on this (actually I would've already started if life hadn't been getting in the way) and was wondering about something; should I have anyone else travel with Harry to the Alternate Universe ?

The reason that I was wondering is that in the AU even the cannon!characters that appear are going to be at least somewhat OOC to what you'd expect, the core of who they are is going to be quite similar if not the same as their counterparts but I've always been a believer of a person's surrounding helping to influence who you become and in this almost a entire generation have grown in a environment that's quite a bit different to their cannon counterparts.

 

I do believe that you should have one more person Travel with Harry. (Only one) And I believe that it should be someone who knows strategy and such. As we have seen in the book, Harry may be quick on his feet, but he is not the kind of person to plan out things first.

It mustn't be Ron, I have seen way to many stories upon which Ron is a tactical genius, over the simple fact that he can play chess. While this may be true for some people (select few) it is not true for Ron; I'm sure that if he knew how to use his brain he wouldn't have problems with school.

I personally would like it to be Snape. I do not however, want to see him as a kind hearted pussy-foot. That is not Snape's character and I don't care how many times he will ever get laid, it isn't going to change the fact that he is a complete pain in the fucking ass. He is after all a freaken genius himself, he would have to be in order to keep himself alive.

Too keep him evil, you could perhaps even make him and a few other Death Eaters that have survived on the run since the defeat of Voldemort the cause. You could perhaps make it, that in their attempt to Kill Harry on his vacation, that they trigger an effect, and as such both Harry and Snape get sucked into the alternate universe.

Upon arrival to the new universe, Harry and Snape both find themselves magically exhausted, and perhaps injured. Perhaps by a duel they may have had before hand, or by the shockwave of traveling, w/e. As such, they are defenseless when the Ministry sends its troops to investigate the sudden surge of "Dark Magic" in the area upon which they appear.

Chained and beaten, they are dragged into the Ministry, and placed into separate holding cells; where later that day (or next) they are sentenced for their crimes. The penalty for such an exceptional use of "unregistered" dark magic, the penalty is death.

Escaping imprisonment before his death sentence can be carried out, (You choose how. Although, if you use mega wandless magic in this story I am going to bitch-slap you through the fucking screen!) Harry finding where Snape offers him a choice. Either to join/bind himself to Harry and aid him, or try his luck knocking on deaths-door.

As such, upon escaping and going over what to do, Harry now has an advisor, and the motivation to begin. Being under arrest hardly hinders him, as he now has a perfect excuse to use Dark Magic, and uses it to start the revolution.

Gaining his followers, he begins their training in both light and dark magic’s, and soon creates a force to be reckoned with. His true purpose remains secret to all be Severus as all the others think he just wants to rule.

If Dumbledore is around he provides the challenge that Harry needs to make the fighting at least worth something, and the other side stands a chance. Thus, Harry won't win because of the Ministry being incompetent idiots or such.

Just a thought. I would after all, like to see a story that makes it worth my time to read parts that have Snape in them. (You can only read his death so many times before it gets old and authors come up with the same ideas....)

Don't like it? Well, you can always have Ginny go along with him. Using her as his sex slave, he offers her up in the dark sacrifice needed to get home later on in the story.

As for the views on weapons.....omg are you kidding? Guns completely ruin Harry Potter, it is a world about magic not guns. I am happy for all thoughts using muggle technology for anything but guns, but don't ruin a good idea with a stupid thing like guns.

-Void

 

The Impenetrable spell (incantation impervious), a spell that Hermione cast in her third year, is capable of repelling all physical objects. All you'd need is to cast this before going into battle and all guns etc are useless, as they'll always miss.

Scrap the Muggle tech and it's a good challenge.

 

I like the use of muggle guns as long as it is done right, I read a Highlander/HP story were Methos gathered fathers of muggle borns with militery experience and had them on hills surrounding the final battle with sniper rifles. That is ok for me, it is from a distance so wizards are not able to know that they need to cast the shields that will stop physical objects.

While the The Impenetrable spell can stopp all physical objects so should the spell not last forever, if someone with the Impenetrable spell on them is hit constantly with bullets from let say a, AK-47 so should the spell fail after a while.

Also the use of guns are more useful as a suprise as not many wizards are able to cast the spells to protect themselves in the time it takes to pull the trigger on a gun...

 

I like the challenge, but the guns are rarely pulled off with any skill. I think it was Old Soldiers Never Die (something similar to that) that had Harry train a squib army with ye olde rifles.

On another note, most magical folk don't even know what a gun is! Fudge had to explain what one was in PoA "a type of wand muggles use to kill eachother" I think it was. Only trained Aurors would probably know what one was and how to defend against it properly. Remember, Hermione only knows cause she practically lives the library and not many people spend as much time in there as she does. Plus, she's muggle-born and since mudbloods and halfbloods are second class citizens in this challenge so I imagine they wouldn't have jobs in the ministry where they could inform them of the use of muggle weapons.

Aekiel

 

I think there is already a thread handy if you wish to argue about muggle tech, so find that.

I like the premise, and the jail idea. An idea for the escape I had was:

Harry was pacing his cell, periodicaly bang on the walls or bars.

"Let me out. LET ME OUT!! I did nothing wrong"

"Oh shut your sniveling. Surely the Great Harry Potter can't be stoped by a set of walls and bars.

Harry in a rage grabs the bars on the front of the cell. "I don't have a key you asshole!"

In his anger, Harry shakes the bars, causing them to slid open, revealing that his cell was unlocked. Snape notices and tries the same on his. They opened.

"Wow, who would have thought they just pretended to lock the cells?"

"I have to admit, it was the lifers who seemed the most embarassed..."

 

You mean the spell that was used to repel rain water from Harry's glasses and later also from the quidditch team's faces proofs them against all physical damage? Sorry there is no proof for such a generalisation.

 

The problem with spells vs bullets...if you are prepared, you can probably do something about bullets. But, if you aren't you have pretty damn good chance of looking like a Swiss cheese. Bullets are faster than spells...incantations/wand movements all take more time than a trigger pull. Spells are slow enough to dodge, bullets aren't. etc.

Snipers should always have the advantage.

Granted, in a group of reasonably intelligent and aware magic users, one shot should be enough to negate the advantage, but from canon, when have we seen that the WW, as a whole, is reasonably intelligent or aware?

And what about Rune carved bullets? Potion grenades?

Now Muggle tech that requires electronics to work would probably be screwed, but simple chemically based/mechanical items, like shotguns/rifles/machine guns should have no problems...

Over all, looks like an interesting challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

 

Yep and that's the point. Any prepared or intelligent wizard can negate the majority of advantages the muggle tech tends to give and while they don't technically have spells for guns they do have spells for Arquebus' and cannons, along with a incredibly large verity for when people still used spears and bows.

That doesn't get into the simple fact that with a bit of forewarning the average wizard or witch found on the street can by themselves slaughter a Platoon with only a moderate bit of trouble, while a moderately intelligent and skilled wizard would be capable of taking on nearly entire company and coming out on top. Not with some effort, mind you. But they would win.

However Snipers did serve a rather useful role in the war, although I'll admit it's not quite the one they were meant for. Something that I'll be bringing up in the story.

Some problems I think people are having is that the majority of the time when a author brings muggle technology into their story they tend to forget that the Hpcast are wizards first and foremost; in this 8.5 times out of 10 magic will top technology, but is was that 1.5 percent chance when muggle tech won out that Harry sought to use. Sometimes he succeeded sometimes he failed but it served the purpose that Harry needed, it more often then not kept Voldemort and the majority of his deatheaters off balance while giving Harry the breathing room that he needed to figure out what he was supposed to do next.

Harry didn't win in this because he was some type super-powerful wizard who with click of his hands level Hogwarts, or had found a painting or book of famous from which he learned a lost magic and all that crap. He won when you get down to it because:

1. He was intelligent enough to learn from the mistakes that both Voldemort and Dumbledore made, so he wouldn't.

2. Harry is a survivor at heart and capable of being a ruthless little shite when he knows that the war going to be one to the hilt and will do what he has to do in order to have anything more then snowball's chance in hell of surviving.

3. Harry had various people advisers and such to help him so that when he screwed-up he'd know how to either fix it or at least make it less worse. He wasn't some type of super genius that either knew everything or had learned all that he needed to know in a month or two. He fucked up several times, got knocked onto his ass, struggled to his feet and soldered on.

4. He able not only think outside the box that so many muggles and wizards alike seem to be stuck in and repeatedly pull out surprise after surprise, keeping his various enemies off guard. And was to think on his feet and get a victory despite being on the edge of defeat.

5. And finally and most importantly (at least to me) he was able to recognize the one thing that neither Dumbledore or Voldemort were able to, he was able to understand his limitations and knew just how far he could go. As well as being able to know when he about to cross a line that'd mean winning the battle but losing the war (or had somebody else around who was able to) and keep from doing so.

The other problem I think people are having is that when people see a fic like this they tend to think of the usual things that happen in them. I'd like to remind everyone that the original reason that I came up with this was because, I had gotten sick on cliché’s that you tend to see in this type of story. So I am going to try and do my best when ever possible to avoid them.

Now Muggle tech that requires electronics to work would probably be screwed, but simple chemically based/mechanical items, like shotguns/rifles/machine guns should have no problems...

Over all, looks like an interesting challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. And lets just say that you're going to have to wait and see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This rather embarrassing to ask but I was wondering if anyone here could give me any advice on how to start the beginning, I've all ready have a piece of the middle of the prologue done but I can't figure out how to start the actual story itself was wondering if anyone could give me any advice.

 

Well, the most logical place to start would be in Harry's original world, post war.

Go with that scene in the Bahamas, with Harry and Fleur spending some 'quality time' relaxing after the war. It'd be cool if you could transport her, too...say something like they were touching each other at the time, so she got transported, too.

If you can write some romance, then it'd be a nice way to start. Like the typical Bond!Harry sort of scene, where he and Fleur are chilling on the beach, banging in the hotels, and basically having a great time...and then they get uprooted, and thrown into this confusing new world where nothing seems the same.

The Harry/Fleur dialogue could give you an opportunity to introduce Harry's abilities. Something like this:

Here, you have Harry ruminate a little on all the Dark Arts and shit that he used. For the convenience of having Harry be a sane Dark Lord, you can use the cleansing ritual idea that I used in Chimera, so you have a believable way of showing the Voldemort was insane because of ark Magic, but that Harry can beat it, if he tries, and can stay sane and rational.

Then, transport him (and hopefully Fleur, too ) and off you go. Good luck, I hope I was of help.

EDIT: I'm advocating this because the dialogue with another character is a good way to introduce Harry's character/abilities without making it seem awkward to read. There are, of course, other ways you can do it, like just describing it...but that makes it look like a laundry-list of abilities and makes it seem less believable. In the way I'm advocating, you could even have Harry grimace or something as he remembers a particularly brutal duel or something, and his part in it.

 

I like to use a lot of repitition at the beginning of stories, but it usually feels kind of cliche and amateurish, so I don't advise it. Meh. People are fond of writing the middle of the final battle, but I don't advise it. I suggest writing the aftermath of the final battle, without any real exposition, so that you can gradually explain what happened in the final battle, and who died, and such.

Advice from a neutral party:

Whoa, lost control of that one.

 

Nice Challenge,

As far as the guns go maybe if Harry integrated magical and conventional forces, so that both could play on their advantages, into a sort of 'mixed group' it would much more realistic and palatable to those readers who hate to see wizards getting killed by gunfire alone.

One more thing: No AK 47's please, the only organizations that use them are terrorists and third world countries, gangs etc, no fighting force worth its salt would have them, hell even the Russians got rid of them.