Title: Harry Potter and the Perversion of Purity
Author: AC100
Rating: M
Genre: Dark!Harry AU
Status: In-Progress
Library Category: Dark Arts
Pairings: None
Summary: Harry Potter was a naive, malleable child when he first entered the wizarding world. What if instead of meeting a good, noble family and being guided towards the light, he met a shadier bunch and was warped and twisted in ways that led to a much darker Magical Britain? Realistic, Dark Harry, Slytherin Harry, Good Dumbledore and Weasleys, Mostly In-Character Harry at the Start

Link: FF.net

So this one is starting with a canon rehash. I'm on the discord server so I've read ahead to chapter 6.

No Weasley or DD bashing, which is nice, and Ron takes Harry's place during the Remembrall scene in PS, becoming the youngest seeker in a century. Filch took Quirrell's place with the troll on Halloween, and Quirrell is not longer a stuttering buffoon.

It's going to have some politics in it, lords and heirs and such, but not nearly as bad as The Sinister Man's POS or AC100's own Ashes of Chaos.

Speaking of Remembralls: this fic has a scene where, in addition to reminding you that you've forgotten something, Remembralls also reveal if you've had a memory modified or erased. This sounds oddly familiar.

It's got potential as long as it doesn't turn into a POS knock off, so currently I'd toss it a 3/5 for competent writing a otherwise decent characterization of Harry and Draco.

 

I'll confess that the first chapter of the fic is probably the best I've ever seen from the author, though I'm pretty sure they're using the inane house system everyone seems to use. The author tends to just combine tropes from popular fanfiction and throw it together to create a new story and it doesn't seem like this will buck the trend. I'd give it a 2/5 for that alone. However, it's a bit too early to rate because there are only two chapters. I could read the rest of book 1 and half of book 2 if I paid for their patreon, however. 1/5 for that (I'll change the official vote if we're not allowed to rate based on the author's actions outside of their writing).

 

I noticed the trope combination as well. It feels like every scene is vaguely familiar, like I was having deja vu.

I dunno if it will help you make up your mind, but you can read up to chapter 6 for joining the author's Discord (free obviously).

 

Read through the first two, and though they are well written, I do not like where this is headed. As Randy said, this first chapter is one of the best from the author, however it seems to be running down the same path all of his other fics have tread. The introduction of Draco's older sister (seems like the typical marysue slytherin OC the author loves adding for some reason) also doesn't help me believe that the rest of the story won't end up like the other ones- riddled with overly-done popular tropes. Although the author has said that there wouldn't be any child politics, the second chapter having Lucius Malfoy bowing to Harry with a "Heir Potter" doesn't bode well for that. Overall I think that it's too early to put up for review, but I wouldn't count on it being anything spectacular.

 

Technically well written, the pureblood culture nonsense is nauseating. I can't see it improving once that garbage has gotten it's foot in the door.

2/5.

 

I'm not going to lie, even from the first two chapters I find this story absolutely insufferable. The language is incredibly overwrought and self-indulgent, the allegedly "in-character" Harry Potter speaks and thinks nothing like an actual 11 year-old, and perhaps worst of all, the story fails to do anything new or interesting. The author's style radiates smugness and superiority, but the underlying quality of the work does absolutely nothing to justify it. They employ elaborate, florid language which is on the surface a nice change of pace from a lot of fanfiction, but it lacks substance, as evidenced by such things as their repeated use of "shelter" and "shack" because they can't seem to come up with anything else and the fact that most of the characters seem to talk basically the same. They also dive headfirst into bad fanfiction crutches like having an OC deliver important information that exposes a mystery with minimal effort or thought from the MC. On the merits of the writing alone, it's a 2/5 at most from me, but when you compare what the story is to what the author says it is, I have to say 1/5.

 

First of all, it's ACI100. Secondly, I think two published chapters is a bit of a short sample to judge a story. It's far too early to be putting this story up for review.

The technical writing is excellent, if flowery, and ACI100 does have a habit of repeating things. The pureblood politics is something that is one of the main points of the story, so knocking off stars for that feels disingenuous. If it's a premise you don't like then why are you reading it and awarding stars?

Four stars for me at the moment. That may go up to five stars based on how it progresses.

 

I don't like how easily Harry gets manipulated into getting sorted into Slytherin by Draco.Also,how does the Hat know that James got over his prejudice against Slytherin?Apart from that the writing is good but I cannot see anything original happening over here.

 

As opposed to Ron and Gryffindor in canon?

 

It's not the same way.It was Hagrid telling him that the murderer of his parents was in Slytherin that put him off the house(atleast it was the biggest factor).Also Hermione told him Dumbledore was a great wizard and a Gryffindor.IMHO there is no way a Canon/Canon-Background Harry with the knowledge that Voldemort was a Slytherin gets sorted in it.

Edit: Okay now this Harry has
1)Slytherin Friends/Acquaintances
2)Does not know Voldemort was a Slytherin
3)Knows that his parents were Gryffindors

Would he really get sorted into Slytherin with this knowledge?I feel like as he is an orphan he would value his connection to his parents more than potential friendships and hence would get sorted into Gryffindor.(And btw sorry for my rather pathetic english,I hope it improves as I spend more time on this site!)

 

IMHO there is no way a Canon/Canon-Background Harry with the knowledge that Voldemort was a Slytherin gets sorted in it.

 

The biggest factor was Ron. Harry didn't want to lose him as a friend.

One man is not an entire house, and even the Sorting Hat thought Harry was a good fit for Slytherin.

 

AFAIK the Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry into Slytherin mostly because of the Horcrux it detected in him.

see Taure's post here https://forums.darklordpotter.net/threads/opinion-on-slytherin-harry.32767/#post-906598

I don't know,I might just be speaking nonsense.Also see the edits of my previous post.

 

That's fanon. The Sorting Hat says that Harry has "a nice thirst to prove yourself", and Dumbledore has the following exchange with Harry in Chamber of Secrets:

“So I should be in Slytherin,” Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore’s face. “The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin’s power in me, and it —”

“Put you in Gryffindor,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules,” he added, his mustache quivering again. “Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think.”

“It only put me in Gryffindor,” said Harry in a defeated voice, “because I asked not to go in Slytherin…”

“Exactly, “said Dumbledore, beaming once more. “Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. “If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this.”

As an orphan Harry, who has not experienced much friendliness in his life, would value making connections with people who seem nice, and he specifically has the following thought about his parents and the Hogwarts houses:

If they wouldn’t accept him no matter what house he landed in, they were no better than the Dursleys, which was a possibility he could not bear to consider. He had to believe they would have been accepting of any option.