I'm sure everyone at this point has read a time travel story in which Harry travels to the past and spends most of the story interacting, badly I might add, with the Marauders. In all of these style of stories Harry is either able to conceal his identity in an otherwise very tight-knit community or Dumbledore disguises him as someone else. So my challenge bogans if Dumbledore displays some common sense and takes precautions so Harry does not ruin the time line. So challenge rules.

-Harry et al(Can be as many or as few as you want, but I imagined Ron and Hermione as well) are tossed back to 1976. You can use your imagination as to how, but a time tunner acident always works.

-They end up before Dumbledore and the old man, rather than give them new names and send them to the 6th year Gryhpindors, oblivates them and hides them in the muggle world.

-20 years pass and Dumbledore, who oblivated himself for security reasons, remembers about what happened in the past right after Harry and Co go missing in the present.

-Dumbledore finds and returns their memories to them. From there the story can really take a lot of turns depending on what Harry has been doing for the past 20 years. He could be married and living happily ignorant of his life or he could have broken the memory charm and spent the last decade or so training.

That part's really up to you but I've had this idea floating around awhile and thought I'd put it to good use.

 

This is certainly an interesting idea and I don't think it was ever remotely made like this. I would certainly read it, if someone wrote it. Of course there would be the problem (To a few at least) of Harry having to train with many OC if he breaks the memory charm, because I can't see him training like 10 years on his own. On the other hand it could be interesting to see Harry enroll in Durmstrang. Well, maybe... Anyway, a good challenge.

 

Something hits me right off the bat and its that that if Harry & Co. spent two decades obliviated then the whole point of going back in time is lost. Since they didn't do anything to affect the time line.

Same goes for the trio spending that period training and yet again not doing anything to affect the time line - that makes the time travel kind of pointless and a problem infested device to give them extra time to train which can be achieved by the oh so under used time capsule in a trunk idea (/sarcasm).

The only way I see this working is if they do break out of the memory charm, an incredible feat given its Dumbledore who cast it on them, and that they go on to change things. Which would mean in two decades when Dumbledore regains his memory things are not how they were meant to be. You could get caught up in time paradoxes ad infinitum but that's the fun part. Plus, this brings in the dimension of Dumbledore trying to find out where they messed with time and if things truly are better than they should have been if the trio hadn't interfered.

You rightly criticized badly written interaction between Harry and marauders, but being obliviated or not taking part in Hogwarts fixes that problem by having no interaction at all. I would rather see that done well, albeit it would be nice to see it done differently than Harry becomes DADA teacher or exchange student.

I also agree that it would be refreshing to see this general idea done without the over used plot devices, but I think the most compelling thing about the Time Travel idea is how things change...and without that time travel is pretty pointless.

Having said that I already have ideas for this but I have two projects on hand and three waiting in the wing. Given how my current project is time travel anyway it might be too much taking this up. But if someone did this challenge truly with the goal of abstaining from all ideas that have been used I would love to read it.

 

I think that to make this interesting, the memory charm has to stick. Otherwise you're just watching Harry train for twenty years so he can kill Voldemort. Also, if we go with the muggle world scenario, I think it works best if Harry starts out pretty badass. Maybe he has Voldemort on the ropes, so Voldemort tries to send him way back in time, but for whatever reason only manages to send him back twenty years (there's a fic that uses this, I forget the title, where Harry goes back in time with Draco and takes the name "Aries Hezuchao", but that otherwise is notable mainly for the sheer volume of angst generated in the past).

Harry agrees with Dumbledore that he has to be obliviated, he's basically given the personality of "muggle Harry Potter if he was raised by loving parents" and goes on his way. So Harry thinks he's just a normal guy until one day Dumbledore comes walking in the door... Also, maybe a memory charm that has been in place for so long can't simply be removed all at once, so Harry's getting some conflicting thoughts/feelings/reactions or whatever.

Alternatively, if Harry goes back by accident at an earlier point (maybe something funky with the Mirror of Erised at the end of first year, or the department of mysteries in fifth year), Dumbledore could send him to a different magical school--especially if Dumbledore doesn't twig to the prophecy attached to Harry (since Harry doesn't know it yet, and it may not even have been made). Then you could have Harry go to Durmstrang and turn into a badass dark wizard before learning that he's destined to be the savior and protect truth, justice, and the British Way. Or he goes to Beauxbatons, sleeps with a bunch of hot chicks, and is woefully unprepared when he has his memory restored.

I'm not sure how this would differ from the usual "Harry goes to a different school" stories other than the timeline, but the timeline could be a big difference (heck, he could even get hired as a teacher at Hogwarts at some point while he's a student, could be fun). You also could try to get something going with child!Gryffindor!Harry trying to act as the conscience for adult!Evil!Harry or adult!Coward!Harry.

Just some thoughts.

 

Im going to agree with Nuhuh and dissagree with Rj.

If Harry didn't break the Memory Charm, it would be entirely pointless for time travel. The only difference you'd have is a disabled Adult Harry trying to fight a war.

Disabled because of an extreme lack of magical knowledge for a 35 year old.

The trio should be oblivated but eventually break them.. with at least 10 years to play with the time line. Harry at least should break it and he could track down Ron and Hermione.

If needed to be, remember that Harry threw Voldemort out of his head during that possession. I think he could break a Memory Charm. If not you can explain it away saying that one must be really talented in those Charms to get them to work. Dumbledore not being one of those people talented in Memory Charms.