It used to be a fanfiction staple. JKR would release the title of the next Harry Potter book. The forums would go wild with speculation. And fanfic authors would write their vision of the next book, using JKR's title as a starting point.

The result? A hundred "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" fics, all of them featuring a different Order of the Phoenix.

So, here's your challenge: put yourself in the shoes of a fanfic author of the elder days. The days before repetitive fanfiction tropes. The days of originality, adventure and mystery. Come up with a different plotline/premise for one of the mainline Harry Potter books.

I'll start:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post-PoA. The Diary wasn't the only artefact which Tom Riddle left lying around. Deep beneath Hogwarts, within a secret amphitheatre, the Goblet of Fire still burns with Voldemort's power. Dormant for fifty years, a curious Harry will inadvertently awaken it. All the students feel its call, though they are bound from mentioning it to any Professor, and for the first time in decades, Hogwarts will know the brutal spectacle of an underground contest of magic designed by Tom Riddle himself.

To the victor goes the spoils: the Goblet of Fire will grant them a single wish; whatever they desire.

At first Harry paid the tournament no mind. What business did he, a fourth year, have in getting involved? But then there are whispers... whispers that if the Seventh Year Lucian Bole wins, he intends to wish for the return of Lord Voldemort...

 

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Post OotP. Harry has barely had time to start grieving the loss of his godfather when he finds out a terrible secret, one that will shake the Wizarding World to its core when it comes out. Was his mother really Princess Lily, great granddaughter of the last true Wizard King? Sent into hiding after the King was assassinated and hidden by a secret order of Grey Guardians dedicated and oath bound to the royal bloodline, the Evans family secret was all but forgotten. Can the Grey Guardians finally defeat Dumbledore's defences? Can they rescue Harry and give him the training and power that is his birthright? Can Harry overcome both Dumbledore and Voldemort as they attempt to stop him being crowned the new Wizard King?

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry's fifth school year begins badly when he realizes no one believes that Voldemort is back. But as he comes under investigation from the Ministry and the new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts suspects him of being a budding dark wizard, he'll need to delve deeper into Hogwarts' mysteries than anyone has in centuries to find the Chamber of Secrets, built by Merlin himself, to find the magic he needs to have a shot at winning the war...

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry arrives for his second year at Hogwarts, only to find himself ostracised from the student body as rumours go round that he murdered Professor Quirrell. He spends his free time roaming the back passages of Hogwarts, exploring and delving into the secrets of the old castle. He discovers a room that can be anything he wants it to be, a room to match his requirements, the Chamber of Secrets. Built by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, it provides Harry with sanctuary from a hostile school. What secrets will he learn from the books hidden within the room, what legacy did Ravenclaw leave to be found?

 

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Gellert Grindelwald was guilty of many crimes. His depravity knew no bounds as he sought to tame the numerous beasts in of the magical world, but he could never tame the monster within his chest. For the greatest crime Grindelwald ever committed was against his own heart.

A world away, Albus Dumbledore pines for the one he lost....

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
An ancient evil returns from the ashes, a being the wizarding world only knows as one surrounded in fire. Declaring neutrality with the newly resurrected Voldemort, the Phoenix promises total destruction to those who dare disobey its frightening command. Harry Potter's life forever changes when he receives a new sort of letter on his fifteenth birthday.

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

After the death of his beloved mentor, Headmaster Dumbledore, Voldemort’s rise to absolute power seems assured. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves on a perilous quest, to seek out the power that can defeat Voldemort once and for all. Love.

Joining the mendicant order of the Deathly Hallows places a great burden on a seventeen year old wizard but, together, the Golden Trio are up to the task. The beautiful nuns of Lewdauld Abbey will never again find their vow of promiscuity so testing. Will Harry’s Veela heritage help him meet the challenge of becoming the new ‘Elder Wand’? !Polyamory !Harem !RonBashingButOnlyInOneSpotIfYouKnowWhatIMean.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Fifth-year starts with a bang when Harry finds out he belongs in an ancient order of wizards knights and he's been betrothed since birth to the Ice Queen of Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass. Watch Harry as he finds love, escapes the manipulations of an old headmaster and learns what it means to be a powerful wizard. HxD. I'm terrible at summaries it's better inside! first fic

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Shortly after returning home to the Dursley's following his second year at Hogwarts, Harry finds himself under arrest for the malicious cursing of Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart's number one fan is the Minister's new Senior Undersecretary, and she is determined to make a name for herself as the woman who brought the destroyer of her hero to justice. Harry is sentenced to 5 years in Azkaban Juvenile Wing (the dementors only visit for an hour a day). Betrayed by everyone he thought he could trust, he turns to his fellow inmates. Facing Harry is not only the Dementors but the sadistic and evil Wardens. He'll need all his wits, and the loyalty of his new friends, to survive unharmed.

 

Harry Potter and the Phil... Sorcerer's Stone

They were a normal, British family whose lives changed in an instant...

On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter is convinced that somebody is trying to contact him. Owls carrying letters to his door, letters appearing folded into egg cartons, letters raining out of the chimney of his family home... Luckily for young Harry, his uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia have his back. After an exciting car chase and a dangerous trip on a rowing boat, the family catch the plane to America, where the letters no longer reach them.

Follow Harry's new and exciting life as he and his cousin Dudley begin school together and get fat together, and Vernon chases the American dream of selling drills to oil companies while Petunia spends her time studying crystals and their effect on auras. Everything goes smoothly until one day, she buys a crystal that turns out to be more powerful than what she bargained for...

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Lord Voldemort has returned. The giants are rising, the dementors are on the loose, and the Ministry is in chaos. Only Hogwarts, protected by the Old Crowd, remains a bastion of safety in a suddenly dark and dangerous world.

And then, a glimmer of hope. Tales of giants slain and dementors repulsed. A new power is rising: the Order of the Phoenix, a group of respectable families dedicated to fighting dark magic, led by their charismatic yet mysterious leader Tom Riddle. The people love him; the Ministry quickly comes to rely on him.

Only a few know the truth: that Tom Riddle is none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Can Harry uncover proof of Tom Riddle's true identity, or will the wizards of Britain fall willingly into Voldemort's clutches?

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter has finally escaped the Dursleys by attending Hogwarts School of Alchemical Endeavours but if he can't create a Philosopher's Stone by the end of the year, he'll have to return to his aunt's house and leave behind the world of mystery.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Post GoF. Cedric's death spurs Harry to break out of his shell. For too long he has depended on Hermione, for too long he has lingered in mediocrity. Whilst searching to find his true self, Harry encounters a new force. A new side in the war. The Order of the Phoenix. An ancient band of expert warriors, they are born anew in every great conflict. If Harry proves himself worthy, he may yet bring them into the fight and perhaps, if he is fortunate, join them.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

After the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort, the wizarding world is embroiled in magical war, and no one and nowhere is safe. Not even Harry’s summer magical redoubt with the Dursleys at Privet Drive. When Voldemort attacks, Harry’s luck runs out, as no single fifth year wizard could ever truly be his match. But, as they say, you are never gone so long as someone holds you in their heart.

When Ron Weasley wakes up with Harry’s voice in his head, the Order of the Phoenix is born. If it’s up to Ron the Order will remain a party of two, but Voldemort’s Death Eaters are playing for keeps...

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

When sorting through his school supplies after getting home from Diagon Alley, Harry finds a mysterious book has been slipped into his cauldron, entitled "The Chamber of Secrets: A Witches Guide to Ultimate Pleasure". Follow Harry through the year as he dives into every chamber of secrets that Hogwarts has to offer.

 

The fact that like half of these read like stuff I‘ve probably read on the back of a random YA novel is a f*cking travesty.

Anyway, I‘ll continue:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

A legacy forged in flame lies hidden in the bowels of Hogwarts. When Harry overhears something he shouldn‘t, he‘s set on a chase that will lead him deep into the great and terrible secrets of magic. Confronting foes old and new, Harry and his friends will have to risk more than ever before to uncover what lies beneath the ancient castle and weather the oncoming storm.

Meanwhile, the mysterious Sirius Black tries desperately to hide a secret from his godson that could tear his world apart…

 

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince

The visions of Voldemort have gotten stronger, Harry's personality and magic are forever changed as he has turned to his only hope to regain his lost godfather. Familial Magic. Crafting a persona known simply as "The-Half-Blood Prince" he will attempt to use the newfound knowledge Voldemort is feeding him unintentionally to break into Gringotts and access the family vaults. With no legacy of his own, it will be a half-blood that stares down the doors of death. !Dumbledorebashing !18+ !IndependentHarry !HaremHarry

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

When the Ministry falls to Voldemort's forces, the Department of Mysteries accidentally unleash an ancient and deadly force into the world. The Deathly Hallows, spirits of all the martyred saints of history, descend on the forces of darkness, and leave Voldemort almost without support. Most of the hallows fade to nothingness in the wake of the battle, but one remains. The spirit of Saint George was drawn to the pure soul and destined purpose of Harry Potter, and he is determined to provide the boy with guidance and wisdom as he faces his destiny.

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

After the death of Albus Dumbledore, things for the Wizarding World go from bad to worse. The Ministry falls before Voldemort, initially subtly but more and more openly proclaiming the "truth" of blood purism; the Statute of Secrecy is shattered once and for all; monsters roam the land. But even in the darkest despair, there is always a ray of light: Dumbledore's final act was to pass a magical sheath to his protege, Harry Potter.

Now Harry must take this relic and travel to the most magical realm in all of Britain, Avalon. With the help of the Order of the Phoenix, Harry can bring back hope to Britain - for it is foretold that in the darkest hour, King Arthur shall rise from his grave...

 

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

On arrival at Hogwarts Harry finds out that in the wizarding world mediocrity is despised, and to succeed you must exceed. In order to be allowed to return for his second year of study at the wizarding school Harry must find a way to recreate one of histories most magical artifacts, the Philosophers Stone. If he can manage to create the Stone, he will be allowed to continue on into his next year of study where he will face an even tougher challenge. If he fails, he will be exiled from the wizarding community and will live out his life as a muggle.