It occured to me, that in all of the reincarnations of Harry Potter concerned with breaking up the Golden Trio, perhaps fleshing out Harry's more Slytherin side and forcing him to develop into a darker person much earlier, no one has ever just:

When Ron guides Harry and Hermione through the "Chess Room" during Philosopher's Stone, his chess piece is subsequently crushed, thus knocking him out. Why doesn't he die?

The most logical way to change the fate of Harry Potter is to take away his first friend in the Wizarding world at an early stage. Also, leading a group of three kids into a dangerous situation that has one of them killed, would not appeal to the masses.

It's an easy way to seperate him from the Weasleys because Molly has not accepted him as a "part of the family" yet; it's also an easy way to create either an eventual Harry/Hermione romance or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, have Hermione pulled from the school.

Thus, with no friends at Hogwarts, he'd have to change in some way. Easy, and plausible, descent into the dark; Easy desire to become so powerful he saves everyone. An older student could feel sorry for him and become a mentor of sorts to Harry, or he could simply find newer (and better) friends to take with him on his misadventures.

So, why hasn't it been done before? Or if it has, please, someone, let me know.

 

The whole chess incident always confused me. In pro-Golden Trio fanfics, Harry remembers Ron's sacrifice, but it really wasn't that much of one. He just got bludgeoned. He was certainly fine the next day during the feast.

Still, that's a good idea. However, I automatically see the set of tasks guarding the Stone as specially tailored by Dumbledore to fit them so that none of their lives are actually threatened. I think it's unlikely that the chess pieces would actually crush Ron to death, unless the obstacles were genuinely designed to prevent. I guess my point is that is just slightly incompatible with manipulative!Dumbledore. It's not really a big deal, Dumbledore can always change in the future if that's what you want.

 

I agree with Andro, I always looked at the obstacles as tests for Harry more than anything else. The Mirror was the only real (and needed) defense.

The troll fight on Halloween would be a much better point to kill off Ron and/or Hermione, leaving Harry alone. I've seen a lot of fics where Ron refuses to go, leaving Harry to rescue Hermione on his own. Having the troll kill Ron would be much more traumatic. Harry wakes up in the Hospital Wing to find that Hermione has been pulled out (maybe she was disabled permanently?) and Ron is dead. Maybe Percy saw Harry dragging a reluctant Ron away and tells Molly how he got his little brother killed. The school jumps to the conclusion (spread by Snape no doubt) that Potter was off glory seeking and Harry gets shunned a whole year early. Would the teachers set them right? After all none of them went to his defense during 2nd or 4th year...

 

That wouldn't have nearly the emotional impact that's needed. A friend you've known for a month and a girl you hardly know getting killed is hardly going to make him traumatized. When Cedric died, he wasn't sad, or shocked into acting, and that's a comparable situation.

Having the chess pieces kill Ron would be an excellent way of getting a more proactive Harry, because the circumstances are so different. A friend, who you've known for a year and gotten into quite a few life-threatening situations with and who's coming to fight the murderer of you parents with you getting killed protecting you is much more horrifying.

It's also a good way to kick off a dark Harry, especially if Hermione gets killed by taking the wrong potion. He can blame Snape and McGonagall for creating the chess set and potions, and blame Dumbledore for making them do it.

This is really a great idea. I'm surprised no one has done it yet.

 

And blame who for bringing the only friends he have through traps supposedly designed to keep one of the wizarding world's most treasured secrets away from Voldemort by themselves? Unless he's mentally unhinged enough I can't see him blaming others for what he'd see as his own fault followed by unprecedented angst festing.

The most expected way from normal to dark through chess event death would probably the "I wasn't smart enough, strong enough" mantra but to really turn really dark he'd have to become mentally unhinged.. I can easily imagine him going dark primarily for either thinking friends are useless or because it's a necessary evil to protect his friends, or a shift from one to the other. Either way, you'd have to do something other than rehashing book1 until the chess event to make it an enjoyable read and increase the reasons why he'd turn out dark.

 

Hmmm... I think the main essence of this thread is, that there still are possibilities to develop original ideas, even regarding book one.

I have seen quite a lot implausible explanations for Harry turning dark and I'm astonished that no one thought about finishing Ron and/or Hermione off while rescuing the Philosopher's Stone.

Some possible consequences:
- He is shunned and bullied not only by Slytherin but by his own house.
- The twins insist that he leaves the Quidditch team, or they would quit.
- He isn't rescued from Privet Drive at the beginning of year 2.
- Public concerns intensify when he reveals he is a Parselmouth.
- Being bullied he snaps and intentionally hurts another student
---> Even Hagrid and Dumbledore become wary.
- Of course he doesn't enter the Chamber of Secrets and is blamed for Ginny's death, too.
- Horcrux Riddle regains a body.

For that there is no need to rewrite book one. The story can start the moment Harry awakes in the Hospital wing. He might blame himself a bit, but mostly he is blamed by other people for what he has done. To eventually 'turn dark' and snap is a process which begins during the last week at school, continues during the holidays and especially in second year.

 

Oh god, do you people read what you're saying? The moment this kind of story gets posted anywhere, hordes of rabid fangirls will seize the idea, shear off any kind of "dark" Harry and promptly transform him into the biggest emo pussy on the fucking planet. This is an angst fic from HELL waiting to happen.

I suggest someone deletes this thread ASAP!

 

I was thinking Voldemort regains his body from the stone. Instead of trying to grab Harry with his hands, Quirrell uses his wand to summon the stone from Harry. He creates the elixir and Voldemort arises again. Dumbledore shows up at the last second to attempt to force Voldemort off the school grounds. Harry gets a chance to see one of the most highly advanced duels in the world, watching the duel awakened something Harry. It awakened a want/need to obtain that level of power and skill. It would be good inspiration.

 

Of course they will also find a reason to include some heavy SS/HP/DM hurt/comfort slash. They will do that with every single idea posted or not posted somewhere on the net.

But there is a tiny hope that the emoslashfangirls might spare this idea, if we offer some compensation. I suggest handing over Vengashii.

 

Who knows, it was never stated how it is made. For all we know he just has to piss on it and his urine turns into the elixir. Sure, it's unlikely, but who cares.

 

I'm not entirely sure if you are serious or not. If you indeed are serious, then don't expect anything you might write will ever end in the DLP-library. Perhaps trash binned, but don't count on that either.

 

Good thing I don't write There is a reason I don't write, because I don't care for it., but no, I wasn't 100% serious.

 

For the record, I think this is a great idea for a Humor fic. That is all.

Yes, we should certainly quit formulating our own ideas. I would hate to have the idea for a story I'm writing, concerning characters that someone else has already created, taken and used in a different way. Especially since it's only a Plot Bunny. Fanfiction is built on firm walls of conformity and non-plagiarism after all.

Oh god, do you read what you're saying?

I second the notion to send Vengashii to the fangirls.

 

Let them do what they want. After all, I'm not going to read it, and I don't think you would either. Just ignore them as if they were no more and they might disappear. The majority of them are attention whores.

The idea, if well written and well done, with the situations that Dark Minion pointed out is pure win and one of the best excuses to write a believable Dark!Harry. Why ditch it?

If we were conditioned by what the fangirls may or may not write, no one would ever dare post a fic anywhere.

If the idea is good, it will always be copied, and copy (not plagiarism) is, in a way, a manner of flattery.

 

The concept has merit. It doesn't matter if soon it will be butchered by some anime-loving, slash obsessive, pre-teen living in Oregon (no offense to the sane people living there). The fact is that as of today it is a unique twist on DarkHarry. I believe it would work but a lot would change.

Harry would still go into the chamber but I think for different reasons. I also don't think Hagrid would be wary, nor Dumbledore. The rest though are sound.
-Because he doesn't get rescued by Fred and George he stays locked in his room all summer and grows more bitter.
-He doesn't take Divination, and would either take Ancient Runes or Arithmancy
-Pettigrew may or may not be found since it would be up to the author to decided what to do with Scabbers.
-Sirius wouldn't escape since I doubt the Weasleys would go to Egypt so soon after the death. Although maybe they could come out on the paper as a "In Memorium" sort of thing.
-Harry wouldn't get the Marauders Map from the Weasley Twins
- His only male friend would probably be Neville
- He will most likely partner with Hermione in Potions making him slightly better
- I think he would do better in the Triwizard Tournament without him fighting with Ron
-A different hostage would be needed for the Second Task
-His earnings wouldn't go to the Weasleys
Those are just a few before 5th year, so I imagine if this idea goes through the author would need to have a large imagination to change all that.

 

This plot could be a way to invoke Amerison's Challege.

 

Amerision's challenge? Do elaborate, please.

A few things I've considered that may be placed into a work stemmed from this idea:

- The Weasleys: After Ginny's (potential) death in the chamber, Harry generally has evoked their ire as opposed to their kinship?
- Luna Lovegood: Her character is an outcast until she meets Harry, and, if her room in TDH is any indication, values friendship quite highly. Perhaps Harry could take advantage of this, and manipulate the girl into being either his first (and most loyal?) follower, or at least a target he could vent at without much issue?
- Request to switch houses: On the off chance that Harry does, in fact, invoke the Weasley's ire, he suddenly has to deal with some very difficult people back in the Gryffindor dorm (Particularly the Twins, though Percy would likely be very annoying, in Harry's third year).
- Room of Requirement: Perhaps Harry finds it earlier, this time around. Thus, because he's found it so early, and has a need to avoid people, starts to spend an increasing amount of time inside, until he spends all of his time there, aside from when he's in class. Maybe he uses it to vent, by practicing spells? Maybe, he uses it to study, using the various books that people had discarded over the centuries it has existed?

At the moment, those are the ideas that are coming to mind, though I admit that some are more likely to be worth placing in a story than others (The House change thing, I admit, isn't exactly the best idea out there).

EDIT: After a bit of thought, that Room of Requirement thing sounds kind of cliche. I don't think I've really read it anywhere, but something has started screaming to me that it's already been abused to hell.

EDIT 2: Now that I think about it, the Weasley thing is pretty much a given. And I've already mentioned that the Hosue change thing isn't the best idea. Hell, the only idea I suggested that actually holds some merit is the Luna one, now that I've thought on it a bit.

 

While I agree that Dumbledore would not have set the chess test to kill anyone so whoes to say that Voldemort did not enhance some of the tests to
give himself time with the stone...

Demon Vigilante: I like the idea that Harry manipulates Luna into being his friend and eventual follower.

 

For the scenario where Hermione dies too, I'd have Snape, being the bastard that he is, really design his task to stop someone cold (with or without Albus' approval). The riddle is just a red herring, Hermione solves it correctly but the potion that supposedly lets you go back out, is actually poison.
This is especially cruel because, in theory, an intruder would be able to retrieve the stone, only to die on the way back out. To add an extra wrinkle, maybe Snape (unaware of Voldemort's return via Quirrell) did it that way either because he was hoping to get the stone for himself or to retrieve the stone for his master's eventual return. The easiest way being to let someone else get it, then kill them and take it.

Thus, Hermione is poisoned and, as her last act, she gives Harry the 'you're a great wizard' speech before slumping over in his arms, cold and lifeless. Harry can directly blame Snape for this and indirectly blame Dumbledore for not keeping Snape and his obstacle in line and/or putting him and his friends in a position to be down there in the first place. This is especially true if Dumbledore really did have those obstacles put down there to test Harry and company (and it's almost certain he did).

Harry may even try to keep the Philosopher's Stone for himself after the fight, one way or another, with the misguided notion that, someday, he might find a way to resurrect his friends with it.

I am inclined to agree.

He is an eleven year-old, he doesn't necessarily have to look at the situation rationally. It wouldn't be the first time a kid blamed everyone but himself. On the other hand, he'd be justified in saying that the stone should never have been at the school in the first place. Besides, Dumbledore practically put them down there himself. It's fairly obvious that the obstacles weren't even remotely tough enough to stop Voldemort or even most adult wizards, for that matter. Another point would be that their first action was to try to get an adult to listen and it did them no good.

Why rewrite book one at all? Simply start the fic at the trap door or as Ron gets offed by the queen. After all, this idea isn't about Harry's first year at Hogwarts, it's about what happens after his new (and only) friends take the dirt nap. Nothing deviates from canon before the giant chess game, so why bore everyone by rewriting it?