I just had the thought that for an original twist near the start of an independant Harry fic, you could have him attend a sort of wizarding summer school. You could have the school work in several different ways, you could have it as a duelling school, or auror preparation type thing, if you wanted to get into the action quick enough. If you wanted a slower story, then you could have it as a place where everyone who lives there has to do their bit to keep the place running, and the students are expected to use magic whenever possible, so as to familiarise them with as many spells as possible, give them practice using those spells, and also just give them practice using magic in general.

In my opinion if you went for the first type then it would be either post GoF or Post OotP. If you used the second, it would probably be maybe post CoS or post PoA.

Both ideas would be able to lead into a more independant style of character, with Harry perhaps realising he only has the 2 friends who keep him isolated from others as much as possible, or him finding that he likes learning magic, if not the learning of it, then the final results, which could lead to him learning more and more spells.

Just though I would post this in case anyone is looking for a novel way to start a fic without doing an escape from the Dursley, shopping trip and Sirius' will.

Hope someone finds a use for it, and I would like some feed back on it if possible.

 

I don't think that would work logically for post-GOF stories. Dumbledore clearly proved that he expects Harry to spend a month with Dursleys during summer and that's it. In the second half, he'd put Harry somewhere where there's lots of security, not in some park where just anyone can barge in and kill him.

This could work, however, in fics where Voldemort isn't back yet.

Example: After COS, the students who got petrified are invited to spend summer at Hogwarts, to catch up with their work (some of them were out of it for several months). Harry could then join them and get to know Penny, Creevy, Justin and spend time with Hermione without Ron around.

 

I agree. Pre-Voldy this could work out to be a very good idea. In fact, I think that it is almost pure genius.

However, I think that it would work best Post-CoS, because in third year they start taking electives, and it could be a sort of prep-school that gets the students ahead in their other classes and gets them more used to using magic so that they are more prepared for the heavier workload that comes with 2-4 other classes.

Great idea, Mordecai...I just might have to use it.

 

I think this could work for a different school better, beaxbatons for example where they could offer summer school to the muggle-born or raised children to learn wizarding culture etc. Would give harry the chance to possibly befriend a DADA teacher and get extra lesson or something. That would be totally AU though.