The blazing South American sun beat down on the canopy of leaves raised to pay it homage. The greedy foliage allowed very little of the life-giving energy to pass, leaving the jungle floor wrapped in shadows. At ground level was an unusual sight -- a beetle, a seemingly unremarkable beetle that any local entomology student would have called an oxysternon festivum and kept walking, having seen dozens of the kind before. The sphere it was manipulating was a wholly different matter. After all, one did not normally come across golden, gem-encrusted spheres just lying on the forest floor.
Methodically, the beetle did what it could to move the object in the desired direction, employing an impressive construct of small twigs and piles of dirt. To say that it was inching along would be generous; an inch a week would be an impressive improvement. The gems made it awkward; the sheer mass of the gold was unwieldly. Yet, the beetle never stopped and never abandoned the task. It would get what it desired.
The beetle could remember having been a man long ago. It could remember being more than a man. Men were its subjects, its followers, its sacrifices . . . its prey. Willingly, the populous would do whatever it asked. With every full moon, they would, once again, sacrifice their young daughters to him. The bodies would be offered up on a bloody altar. It would have that euphoria again. Once again, men would fear his name. Once again, men would be his playthings. All he needed was to get this sphere over to where his body lay entombed. Then, he would walk the world again. The blood of innocents would freely flow once more.
How long had he inhabited the body of this mere insect? How long had he inhabited the bodies of its ancestors? The answer was centuries. Centuries of moving this sphere a hair’s breadth at a time, all towards the goal of remanifesting his glorious body. His enemies were long gone. They were dust, as was the secret of his downfall. All he needed was to move this sphere a few more hand breadths, and it would be in range. A couple more years, and he’d be whole once more.
Unexpectedly, it grew darker. Peering up, the beetle saw the perplexing form of a man, a man in a place that had not seen another human in well over a hundred and sixty years, a man wearing a dapper brown business ensemble that was as inappropriate as a deep-sea diving suit for the stifling heat and humidity of this environment.
Though there were no longer any who spoke the sacred language the beetle had called his own, what was next said was easily understood by the beetle. “You are, without a doubt, on my list of preexisting threats to be neutralized.”
The beetle could only look on with impotent rage as the man reached down and seized the golden sphere. Morosely, the beetle watched centuries of work become undone as the misbegotten wretch drew back his arm and hurled the sphere impossibly far. Worse, he threw it downhill!
“Well now, that was exceedingly anticlimactic,” the man said, dramatically raising a foot and taking aim with an expensive wingtip. "But, it can’t hurt to make doubly sure.” Down came the foot.
At a loss for words, Harry gaped at Sweetie Belle. Slowly, the significance of her news sank into his awareness, and a smile crept across his face.
“I’m just as surprised as you,” Sweetie Belle was saying, yet he was no longer paying attention. An adult caretaker would be provided for his time away from Hogwarts. That meant he wouldn’t be returning to the Dursleys’! He’d never have to go back! He’d never have to go back again! All he had to do was marry Sweetie Belle, and he would never have to go back!
“Harry, are you listening to me?”
All the humiliation was at an end. He’d never have to listen to his uncle’s rages again. The cupboard under the stairs was to be a thing of the past. Maybe he’d even get to eat more than just the leftovers. Maybe he would no longer go hungry away from school!
“This is important.”
He would have friends away from Hogwarts. He would be with people that wanted him. He would be more than "the boy who wasn’t welcome".
“Harry, hello?”
His cousin would no longer be able to get his gang together and play "Harry Hunting".
“Ah think you broke him, Sweetie.”
It was all at an end. The future held promise. He was never going back!
“Harry!” Shocked, Harry found a purple-framed face mere inches from his own.
“Scootaloo?” Harry jumped back slightly. “What?”
“Perhaps you should wait 'til after classes to talk about this,” Lavender said with her arms draped around a sniffling Ginny.
“Yeah,” Sweetie said, eyeing the loopy grin on Harry’s face, “that might be a good idea.”
“I never have to go back,” Harry whispered happily.
“Very well,” Dumbledore addressed the assembly, “The next order of business is our immediate need for a new Minister.”
A round of murmuring washed over everyone present as they prepared for a heated debate.
“The floor is now open for nominations to the post,” Dumbledore concluded.
“I object.” A muggle-born member of the Wizengamot said, standing up to have his say, “The current method of selecting our Minister was supposed to be a temporary measure. It was a thinly-veiled power grab by the political majority at the time of its inception.”
“It has worked well enough,” a pureblood faction member countered.
“That is debatable,” a moderate returned. “Regardless, he is right; the legislation for the alternative method has expired. Without a vote to the contrary, the process should revert to the original method.”
“Our ancestors abandoned that method as inefficient,” the first pureblood member argued.
“Our ancestors wanted a minister they could control,” another Wizengamot member emphasized. “We see where that has gotten us. The office of Minister was never meant to be held by a puppet of the Wizengamot majority.”
“You would alter our process of electing a minister,” one of the less extreme conservative members stated.
“I would return it to the unbiased and uncorrupted method mandated by the Ministry charter,” the first Wizengamot member corrected.
“I call for a vote to extend our current method of selection,” a neutral member, who had yet to speak, said. The call for a vote was seconded, and soon the measure was soundly defeated. Another major upset to the status quo was accepted, and the Goblet of Fire would be choosing the next Minister.
The Gryffindor first-year flock was gathering their things, preparing to venture to their next class, when one of the tutors introduced that morning by Professor McGonagall sauntered up and interrupted.
“Children,” he said with a friendly smile, “my name is Mr. Goodman. I’ve been hired to handle the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for Miss Belle, Miss Aloo and Miss Bloom.”
“They’re not going to be in our class?” Lavender asked, clearly disappointed.
“Their sponsor very adamantly wishes for them not to be taught by the professor currently offered by Hogwarts,” Mr. Goodman answered. “However, the offer to attend my classes in lieu is open to each and every one of you. The choice of under whom you wish to study is yours.”
“We’re friends,” Ginny insisted firmly. “We’ll stick together.”
A swell of verbal concurrence quickly surged through the remaining Gryffindors.
“I was counting on that response.” Mr. Goodman smirked. “I should warn you that I’m an ex-auror and plan to put you through a regimen well exceeding that mandated by the Ministry-approved curriculum. I will push you harder and will expect more from you in return. This is not the easy path to take.”
“More work?” Ron whined.
“Yes,” Mr. Goodman said bluntly, “more work. The option for the easy path is still open; you can still opt to go that route.”
“Ah’m not afraid of hard work,” Apple Bloom asserted.
“But that means more homework,” Ron complained.
“Ron,” Ginny growled in warning.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Goodman,” Hermione stated with a glance toward Ron. “His work ethic is a work in progress.”
“There is a time for play and a time for work.” Mr. Goodman said, eyeing Ron, “I can’t make the decision for you. It’s your call whether you want to be adequate or exceptional.”
“Isn’t there a way to be exceptional with less work?” Ron asked.
“No.” Mr. Goodman turned and walked away from the table. “All those still willing, follow.”
Sullenly, Ron joined his fellow Gryffindors in mimicking ducklings as they trailed along after their new instructor.
He was packed and ready to leave, proving that arrogance was not synonymous with stupidity. If his master had been at full strength, he would not have been cowed so readily. If his master had been at full strength, the current arrangement would not have been necessary to begin with. Doubtlessly, the successful retrieval of his prize hinged on him remaining incognito. That was no longer an option. Dumbledore would, unquestionably, be informed before too long, if he did not know already. This endeavor was crushed before it truly began.
His only consolation was that he did not plan on leaving alone. The girl was to be in his next class, and he fully intended on convincing her to come with him, her and her animals. Despite the warnings the interloper had uttered, it was well worth the risk.
Once he had her, his master would be able to gather strength and reform his body. With help, he would be able to rebuild the master’s following from the ground up. There was a new generation of malcontents just waiting for the right leader, and, once more, that leader would be his lord.
With a show of patience that he did not feel, Quirrell sat behind his desk and waited for the students to filter into the class.
When the bell rang to indicate the start of the period, there were only four students in the class with him.
“W-w-w-where is everybody else?” Professor Quirrell demanded of the meager showing.
“Half of our house has been excused due to deaths in their families,” one of the female students explained.
“I heard the Gryffindors talking to their tutor after lunch,” the one remaining male student offered. Sarcastically, he continued, “Apparently, what this school needs is a whole bunch of auror-trained Gryffindors running around.”
“A-a-a-auror trained Gryffindors?” Professor Quirrell repeated in disbelief. Who was Dumbledore trying to fool? That wasn’t a defense class, that was a miniature army in the making.
“Yes,” the male student continued, “I heard him say that he was an ex-auror.”
“I s-s-s-see.” Professor Quirrell said, “Now, class, open your books and read chapter one. I’ll be back soon.” With that, he rose from his desk and left the room. He did not return for the rest of the class. He did not for the next period. He did not return for supper. He continued to prove that all times are "soon".
“The decision to reconvene next Wednesday to resolve the choice of the new Minister has passed.” Dumbledore stood behind his podium and raised his gavel for a strike. “On that note, as Chief Warlock, I declare this session of the Wizengamot, concluded.” With his words, the assembled clapped their acceptance before filing out of the room at their leisure.
It had been a turbulent two-day session. On one hand, not much had been accomplished, no trials had been held, no new laws had been passed or even discussed. On the other, everything had changed. The balance of power did not just slide, it jumped. It took a running start and vaulted. And, its momentum showed no signs of fading. It didn’t take a genius to foretell that the next session would see many current laws struck from the books. Then, they would dig in and start with new laws.
Change would be coming at a breakneck pace, faster than Albus felt would be prudent. Even if most of the changes were positive, it would still be too much too fast. The next few months would be demanding a great portion of his attention. Luckily, he had Minerva to handle the more mundane school-related tasks.
But, before any of that was to be addressed, he needed to have a conversation with Judge Brown. Whatever subterfuge had been used to deny him access to his student’s paperwork would have to be identified and neutralized. Forgoing his accustomed after-session networking, Dumbledore hurried from the chambers and made his way through the network of hallways toward the office populated by the judge in question.
Before long, he was knocking on the door of the office in question. The door opened by itself without a sound, and Dumbledore saw the Honorable Judith Brown sitting behind her desk, wand in hand.
“Albus Dumbledore,” she said with a small frown on her face, “right on time, I see. Come in and have a seat.” It was not a request.
“Ah Judith.” He donned his most warming smile as he walked up to her desk, ignoring the proffered chair. “I just need a few minutes of your time to correct a misunderstanding.”
“I said sit,” Judge Brown snapped at the most powerful wizard in generations.
Surprised at the hostility, Albus took the lone seat in front her desk and shot her a questioning glance.
“You are here to reclaim magical guardianship of Harry Potter.” It was not a question.
“Yes, there seems to have been a mistake, and he was removed from my care.” Dumbledore said carefully, “I was his legal magical guardian and was informed that the responsibilities were transferred to another without me being consulted.”
“There is no mistake.” Judge Brown continued to glare at the old wizard. “Mr. Potter’s closest living relative exercised her right to choose the minor’s magical guardian.”
“That wouldn’t be in the best interests of anyone involved,” Dumbledore contended, leaning back in the chair to show he was still in control.
“Oh?” Judge Brown questioned, her glare never wavering. “Can you raise your wand and swear that you have Harry Potter’s best interests in mind and you are not trying to use him for political purposes?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Dumbledore said, “I am the magical guardian of a multitude of children, all of whom attend Hogwarts.”
“It’s a simple question,” Judge Brown said, undeterred. “Could you make such an oath on your magic?”
“With all of my varied responsibilities,” Dumbledore admitted, “I would find it impractical to make such an oath.”
“And, with that statement, you will never again be Harry Potter’s guardian,” Judge Brown informed him.
“That would be an ill-advised decision.”
“Also, don’t think I didn’t find that marriage contract between Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley, a contract that you had no authority to draft, even as his Wizengamot-appointed guardian.” The judge continued, “I’ve had it annulled and stricken from the records.”
“I see that I am going to have to bring this to the attention of the full Wizengamot,” Albus noted, inwardly cursing the loss of that important piece of his plans.
Judge Brown snorted her dismissal. “First and foremost, this is a family matter; the Wizengamot cannot and will not vote on a family’s internal affairs. Secondly, Mr. Potter’s magical guardian is a foreign national, making this matter outside the scope of the Wizengamot. You’re not going to be able to use politics to manipulate this situation to your liking.”
“I see,” Dumbledore said, starting to rise, realizing this judge was not going to align with his views. “Then I suppose we have nothing else to discuss at this time.”
“Sit!!” Judge Brown snarled, reaching into a desk drawer to throw a standard medical folder onto her desk before Dumbledore. “Explain this. Explain this now.”
The Princess concluded her visit and was soon on her sky chariot, headed back to Canterlot. She had given firm instructions to be notified of any updates on the human colt situation. She had also requested four chests similar to the one Rarity had received, though not of such high quality. In return, she left Rarity with a bank draft for a substantial number of bits, saying that it was for both a down payment on the new chests and for repairs to George.
“Well,” Rarity said, levitating George into her home, “it certainly has been an exhilarating morning.”
“All’s well that ends well,” Pinkie agreed, bouncing along side Rarity, “and you got a super-duper terrific wonderful present to show for it.”
“Ah got vomited up by a piece a luggage.” Applejack reminded everypony. “'Exhilarating' ain’t the word ah’d use to describe this here morning.”
“Yes . . .well . . .” Rarity started, trying to compose a proper reply.
She was saved by Rainbow Dash raising a hoof and saying, “Look, you got mail.”
“You're enjoying saying that, aren’t you?” Twilight commented as an owl flew through the still open front door, carrying a large envelope.
“Hello,” Rarity said, addressing the bird. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” A minute later, the bird left without the envelope, but with a new tasty biscuit in its place.
“Did Sweetie get the new instructions that quickly?” Twilight asked as Rarity opened the envelope.
“Let me see,” Rarity said, pulling out the first piece of parchment. “No, this is from Judge Brown; it says she’s sent the results from the medical checkup.”
“Medical checkup?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“For Harry Potter.” Rarity nodded her head, retrieving a cluster of papers from the envelope. “Apparently, since I am his new guardian, they are required by law to send me a copy.”
With that, she started reading. Before she had finished the first page, her eyes had narrowed to slits, and the tears were freely flowing. Soft sobs were escaping her throat by the time she finished that page. She was audibly grinding her teeth as she started on page two. Sobs openly filled the air as she continued, and her friends looked on, with worry evident on their faces. Half way through the second page she stopped and stuffed the papers back into the envelope.
“Rarity?” Pinkie asked, creeping forward to comfort her friend.
“If I remember correctly, Fluttershy said Discord would be stopping by for tea today,” Rarity said, blinking away tears. “If I hurry, I can catch him. I need for him to take me to have a word with the Dursleys.”
“Ah don’t rightly know that you’re in the right frame of mind to have words with anypony right now,” Applejack cautioned carefully.
“Not words, Apple, darling,” Rarity said heading for the door, her voice still carrying the traces of her sobbing, “word, just a single word.”
“What word is that?” Rainbow Dash asked following closely after her friend.
Rarity’s voice became colder and harder than a diamond. “Run.”
The wards and the shop bells announced another customer. Sighing to himself Garrick Ollivander left the half-finished aspen wand on his work table and wandered to the front of his shop.
A professor, a muggle, a squib, and a witch walked into the shop. Ollivander prepared a witty quip. Suddenly, he saw the revenant in their midst. The humor in the situation evaporated. Shakily, he stepped out of the shadows and addressed the anomaly. “You're dead.” he stated.
She looked back at him defiantly and said, “I got better.”
Dumbfounded, he continued to stare.
“Yeah,” she said with a smirk, “that’s not getting old anytime soon.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Twilight asked as they trailed after Rarity, heading towards Fluttershy’s.
“Ah know what ya’ll mean,” Applejack said, glancing at the back of Rarity’s head. “The thought of her finding the Dursleys right now is a might frightening.”
“No,” Pinkie said shaking her head violently, “what’s scary is that there is no possible way we can avoid showing those papers to Princess Celestia.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Twilight stumbled, Applejack stopped in her tracks, and Rainbow Dash plummeted from the air where she had been hovering. Rarity keep moving, her single-minded quest uninterrupted.
“Um, yeah,” Rainbow said, “and on a completely unrelated topic, I need to go make sure my life insurance premiums are paid up.”
“You have a life insurance policy?” Pinkie asked.
“No,” Rainbow clarified as she shook her head, “but how hard could it be to get one?”
“Ya’ll know,” Applejack said, “that would actually be funnier if’n it warn’t a good idea.”
Sirius Black sat on a hard, straight-backed chair. He hadn’t been this comfortable in years. Who would have thought that having something to sit on besides the floor was genuinely one of the things you came to long for after even a short stay in Azkaban?
They had seemed to have forgotten about him, something he was decidedly not going to complain about. The hours he had spent sitting alone in this room were heaven compared to the alternative. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to being by himself.
The door to the room opened, and an older wizard walked in, smiling.
“Lord Black,” he said, “my name is Johnathan Taylor. I was your Grandfather’s lawyer. I was your father’s lawyer. Now, I am your lawyer.”
“I remember you.” Sirius said, staring at the wizard. “Were you the one who got me my trial?”
“To my shame,” Mr. Taylor said, shaking his head, “I had written you off. Another is responsible for your illegal imprisonment being brought to light.”
“What happens now?” Sirius asked. “Did they catch Peter? I need to catch Peter. I need to catch Peter for James and Lily.”
Mr. Taylor paused, as if cataloging what the other man had just said, then answered, “Now, we get you to St. Mungo's; you have been granted a reprieve until you stand trial, a two-and-a-half-year reprieve.”
Sirius nodded his head happily; it had been so long since he could do anything happily. “I can find Peter in two years. I can avenge James. I can avenge Lily. I have to protect Harry. I will protect Harry.”
Sighing, Johnathan Taylor could see that his client had yet to recover all his wits after his stay in Azkaban. Worse, it was entirely possible that he never would. On the bright side, everything the Lord had said validated what Miss Rutter had already claimed.
The defense class had turned out to be less painful than Harry had first feared. It had consisted of Mr. Goodman talking in front of the classroom. There was no spellwork discussed or even hinted at. After all, they had only had three days of classes: theory was the only thing within their skill range at the time.
“It is almost time for next period.” Mr. Goodman said, “Luckily, for you lot, History is up next.”
“Awwwww.” The entire class, minus Hermione, groaned.
“I vote we do double defense instead.” Scootaloo spoke up, “I doubt Professor Binns would know the difference.”
“Now, now,” Mr. Goodman said, savoring the fact that he knew something the children didn’t, “Professor Binns isn’t that bad.”
“I thought you said you went to school here,” Dean said in an accusing voice. “He is that bad, and resurrections have been banned.”
“Ah,” Mr. Goodman chuckled holding his sides, “so that was your objective.”
“Well,” Ginny huffed, “yeah.”
“That was actually a pretty creative plan,” Mr. Goodman admitted. “Your follow through needs some work, though.”
“So, you’ll let us resurrect Professor Binns?” Lavender asked eagerly.
“As tempting as that sounds,” Mr. Goodman smiled, “no. But as you may recall, there were two tutors introduced to you this morning.” He nodded toward the back of the class.
The students all turned around to find a woman was standing at the rear of the classroom quietly observing.
“Miss Weiss here has been hired as a tutor for Misses Bloom, Aloo and Belle.” Mr. Goodman continued, “The rest of you have a choice: you can stay here for your History lessons, or you can continue to attend Professor Binn’s lectures.”
“Are you serious?” Ron asked in Binn's monotone. “You can’t possibly think that’s an actual choice.”
“Discord, just the draconequus I was hoping to find.”
Looking up from his chatter with Fluttershy, Discord saw that Rarity had entered the cottage without knocking. The unicorn was headed directly toward him with an unusual look on her face.
Now, Discord hadn’t made it to a thousand plus years without developing certain instincts -- instincts that were yelling at him at the top of their non-corporeal and inaudible lungs. They weren’t stupid; there was no way they were going to put in a physical appearance. Comedic license could go stuff its head in a lake; they were staying where only Discord could hear them. So, they stayed immaterial and told Discord not to antagonize this mare. They told him to choose his words very carefully. They told him that upon choosing his words, he was to discard them and try again, because his first choice was likely to be very painful.
“Um? Hello?’ Discord said, ignoring his instincts and going with his first choice.
His instincts hollered at him, informing him he made the wrong choice, asserting that he should have chosen "Um? Bye!"
“Discord, I need you to take me to the Dursley household.”
Discord opened his mouth to say, "That wouldn’t be a good idea.", but his instincts managed to grab ahold of the words and stamp them out, before they could escape his mouth.
Instead, he said, “There is something you probably want to know first,” his gaze trapped on the sight of the predator before him.
“Do tell.” Rarity said levelly and without emotion.
“The Dursleys, they were under a lot of compulsion charms. As much as it pains me to say it, they are victims here, not the villains.”
“I see. Do you know who cast those charms?”
Discord blandly nodded his head.
“Then take me to her.” Rarity commanded.
“He’s a he,” Discord said before his instincts could catch the words.
“Won’t be when I’m done,” Rarity vowed.
8388917
When you hear a woman say those last four words, divination is not necessary.
Run Dumbledore run.. It won't help but you can sure try.
I want to see Celestia's reaction to that medical file.... Luna's too. I really really want to see their reactions.
eek! he had better tread carefully, there are a lot of people after his head right now....
I am a terrible creature, as such my imagination is working...
Dumbledore was confused when he saw a muggle teenager in his office. He pointedly ignored an otherwise deeply-ingrained-human-instinct to run when he saw wisps of green smoke drift from the nostrils of the boy with spikey green hair. "And just how did you get into my office young man?"
The scrawny teen, with eyes still closed, took a lemon drop and popped it into his mouth. "You know, there was a time when I really wanted to be a knight in shining armor sort," the boy spoke as he pointedly ignored Dumbledore's question. "I saw her and I thought, perhaps I would get to display my love for her by fighting off the bad guys and rescuing her from peril. But she can get herself out of danger so well, that I usually just wind up being a Humdrum to her Radiance."
With a soft smile, Dumbledore thought he knew what this was about. A few comforting words and the boy would be soothed regarding whatever romantic problems he has with an older girl, and he will be on his way. Dumbledore was proven wrong when the teen continued to speak.
"So imagine my surprise that when what you did brought her to tears, she came to me! Oh sure, she wanted to come here on her own, and geld you, but then she got to talking with the Princess. A bit later, I was sent here because I am not her knight!"
"And just what are you then to her?" Dumbledore asked as he waited to use legimens when the teen opened his eyes. When the teen did, the exact sight of emerald reptilian eyes put enough of a pause that the old wizard hesitated for a moment too long.
"Her Dragon."
When the green flames cleared, Dumbledore found himself staring at a horse. A unicorn. A unicorn with wings. A unicorn mare with wings, a many-hued mane flowing in an ephemeral breeze, who was visibly very angry.
And that's where my imagination went for lunch! Man I'm hungry...
MOOOOOOORE I NEED MOOOORE .... *slathering then wiping his chin of drool* I've read this story from start to current 5x It's by far one of my top 3 favorites along with Diaries of a madman and My secret Life as an evil insect overlord and its sequal
Holy... Your Dumbledore Compelled the Dursleys? Or is it more of a cumpulsion to keep Harry despite their reluctance, which played out as the relatively inhuman treatment Harry had to suffer?
Nope. Dumbledore won't be intact anymore. Now what's with the Dursleys being under compulsion charms?
Was Dumbledore this much of a jerk in the books or is it just this story?
8389615
they proooobably didn't want anything to do with harry period soooo ....compulsion now they do. He needed harry to be loyal to him soooo .... compulsion treat harry like crap. That way he swoops in and is the beloved savior to harry. There's also like Alice said why hadn't the families of light tried to get Serious Black a trial I mean 10 years come on.....because that would interfere with Dumbledors plans. If harry had a loving parental figure to guide him it would branch out harrys loyalty to someone else other then him. Makes you wonder whats in those lemondrops he keeps giving people. Also makes you wonder if he let Harrys parents to die becauuuuuuse of the prophecy. Also makes you wonder if Faulks is really bonded to him or enslaved to him.
I died at that Monty python reference... i got better. Also i feel bad for Dumbledore. He's not going to be having a good time in the near future
8389626
The canon Dumbledore is just as much a behind the scenes schemer as the one in this story, but he seems to have genuinely been working for what he believed was Harry's best interests. It's his judgement in how he did that that was IMO seriously flawed. The canon Dumbledore probably could have made that oath on his magic that the one depicted here refused. If he'd sat down and given Harry the whole story and background instead of keeping up scheming after Harry proved himself in the first book, things would have gone a lot differently, and probably there would have been a whole lot less grief in the long run.
Both versions actually seem similar in their MO and the nature of their flaws, but this one here seems to have lost sight of 'the ends do not justify the means'.
8389636
Heh. I had wondered about Discord's comment when he refused the lemon drop, but hadn't really made the connection that they might have been deliberately doped. Of course at that point it still seemed that this Dumbledore was fairly close to canon in his behaviour and actions.
Um... Were those compulsion charms on the Dursleys canon? If not, that's a few more shades of Ron the Death Eater (as applied to, probably, Dumbledore) than I'm comfortable with. There seems to be a lot of attention being paid to just how shady Dumbledore has been, and a lot of these wrongs of his (e.g the marriage contract) I don't remember from canon. I guess it's possible that they were revealed outside of the books...
My beef with Dumbledore's portrayal aside, I am enjoying the story. I'm eager to see what new conflicts will replace the ones Discord is sweeping aside. The Wizengamut shake-up looks particularly promising in that regard, but I don't have much clue how this 'verse will progress elsewhere. Nice to see you're not feeling compelled to stick too close to the Stations of the Canon, too.
What are in those lemon drops, anyway?
Dear Author,
First, I must say, while your editors surely do a great job, they must first have something of such value to work with. I have been a fan of the Harry Potter series from the moment I saw the first movie in theaters and then proceeded to read and watch every iteration since. That said, I love how well you've managed to merge two very different universes together. I really enjoy seeing how you've filled in gaps, either those you've made from changed events or those left behind from the original source, sometimes a little of both. I do feel a bit bad for Ginny, she's 10, and has no idea why her dream is suddenly being ripped away. Dumbledore, however, despite my adoration for the character, I can see and understand just how much of his subterfuge played a part in events, regardless of his reasoning. In that, I applaud how well you've woven headcanon into true canon, and while I do not wish Dumbledore any significant harm, I don't mind at all seeing this iteration being brought low to account for his errors in judgement, moral or otherwise.
I think my only potentially negative concern is just how quickly events are moving. I don't believe even a season has passed and already the world, or at least the magical half, is virtually flipped upside-down. And if Celestia gets her hooves on Dumbledore, she'll finish what hasn't already been toppled.
As for that, I am enjoying the pony additions to the original narrative. The CMC are pretty adorable, and watching the girls battle a trunk was very amusing. All this makes me incredibly curious which villains from beyond the veil might make trouble for Hogwarts and it's students. So far, it's mostly been villains and dangers from the human world being addressed, but two worlds are involved, and will likely be more so when Celestia finally finds out what's on those medical records.
This ended up much longer than I had intended when I started writing, but if nothing else is taken from this, I hope you know that your story is certainly appreciated and very much enjoyed. Thank you very much for writing this story, and I wish you luck and health that you may continue.
Your Faithful Reader,
Skylight Blossom
8389693
I'm in agreement. Truthfully, I think what Discord's doing will end up screwing over Hogwarts in the end after a while. Longer than he'll care after the CMC finish school, but since he didn't outright finish off Voldemort, he and Harry will still have to face off, but it will be under entirely different circumstances. I don't think Harry would win that unless Discord takes his time to destroy all of the horcruxes.
Either way, I just keep wondering what was in that examination.
8389955
Probably evidence of malnourishment and neglect, judging by Harry's thoughts on being allowed to eat.
8389891
I agree that the story seems very rushed. They've been there less than two weeks, and so many changes.
I'm interested in Harry spending the holidays in Ponyville, but that's hundreds of chapters away at the current rate. Can the ponies use their wands in pony-shape? Twilight studying wand magic, maybe teaching Spike wand magic; Harry learning about ponies, etc.
8389693
I get that the author hates Dumbledore, but making up extra bad stuff that he's done feels silly to me. There's enough bad or iffy stuff he's done (or would do in the future - still very early in the series) without making up more.
this sounds like the start of a joke
well that just happened
8389819
Well...
Darn.
I wish I could see something similar in the movie. No doubt would be super hilarious!
Well, I just read that all in one sitting... Absolutely wonderful! I haven't read or watched Harry Potter in a few years so my memory of the original events is a bit rusty, but it's still a wonderful read and I can mostly figure out what's going on.
The regular plot for the entirety of the Harry Potter series has been completely and utterly derailed before the end of the first week. If this major dumping of ultimate plot disintegration continues, you will probably have to end up skipping large areas of time just so we don't have to read about everyone just going to school for long periods of time. Unless you're pulling an Alice and are only just getting started? I await the future eagerly.
Hmmm first off trying to identify our now late South American "friend" with only a species name for his fallen state, being in a part of South America which if we are going with 1991 as the fics start date as was the canon date of Harry's start at Hogwarts has not seen contact since about 1830 at the latest, and whatever he claimed to be (presumably a deity) is probably tied to the moon and or his last form...
Anybody with greater knowledge of South American peoples and their mythologies have any idea who it could be? I did a quick skim of the Inca as they had the largest empire in the region and couldn't find any perfect fits at a initial glance, and I wasn't going to start going through what would probably be a large list of deities given the vast number of tribes in the Amazon Rain Forest alone.
As for the Dursley's compulsion while it's probably Dumbledore as people are thinking, as has previously been stated and finally been shown, we have other players in this game.
Just found the story and very much in love with it
having mixed feelings with harrys reaction to finding out that sweetys marriage contract was real. the way he monologs about it sounds like he'd marry sweety just too get away from the dursleys and not that he has feelings for sweety. im happy he's getting away from them don't get me wrong but if thats the reason he'd try to make it work with sweety he better hit the road and let someone who really cares for her have a chance. Poor ginny atleast the herd agreement is a option she could go with if things do work out.
Oh, Rarity is going to cut Dumbledore penis *slow clap*
Dumbledore is scared about change coming too fast. I just want a have a wave of Ponys to come over from Equestria and just wreck everything the Wizarding world thinks they know about anything. Just imagine all the crazy crap that can come from Pony magic working with human magic.
Ollivander pulling all his hair out as Unicorns keep coming to his shop and using their own tail hair for wands.
Twilight teams up with chest maker(forgot his name) and they make folding pocket doors that are basically your own personal dimension.
The Weasely twins team up with Pinkie to open the best prank shop on Two Worlds.
8389421
I love how you're handling Rarity in this work--simply beautiful...
8390738
But remember, they have until they reach majority to decide if they REALLY are going to get married. Until then they are merely betrothed and he is staying with his NEW guardian BECAUSE of his relationship with Sweetie. Plenty of time for BOTH their feelings in this to shake out. Plus, as we know from history, many arranged marriages evolve into both parties being in love. For example, in Japan, still, it is quite frequent that the parents "arrange" marriages for their offspring (Omiai: Arranged Marriage in Japan.
8389676
I don't see how Dumbledore could do that knowing that he has to guide Harry to his DEATH! He believes that the only solution is for Harry to die, how can you act in good faith to support someone when you know you have to convince them to die? Harry dying is to save the Wizarding World, not to ensure Harry is happy and lives a good life.
8391243 On the other hand, photography developed much slower than the Internet and satellites. For the first fifty years or so of photography, someone could only take statically-posed pictures. Sure, they could maybe catch a dragon or centaur if it remained soundly asleep throughout, but nothing else would have much chance of revealing magic.
If someone wants, they could say that wizards were able to slowly adapt to cameras but haven't yet gotten ahead of the Internet - and that's even before taking into account political considerations that could mean the nineteenth-century Ministry would react differently than the late-twentieth-century.
(Not that I think this's going to get that much play in this story; Discord et al are bolluxing up the wizarding world enough on their own.)
8389676 Does Discord keep that particular notion in mind? He's playing GOD in two universes now. Do the ends justify HIS means, eh?
Again, WISH-FULFILLMENT IS NOT GOOD WRITING. All the charm and subtlety is GONE! This just piles absurdity atop absurdity, throwing in details at random... that beetle thing, I had to read the first part of this chapter to see what people were commenting about... WHAT THE HECK EVEN WAS THAT?! Why bother shoving something utterly unrelated to EITHER world into a story just to LITERALLY stomp on it?
This is less than pointless now!
8391604
I was wondering if Discord didn't mess up badly with the beetle. If the spirit of the man/god jumped to a beetle when its original body became unusable, whether buried or destroyed, why couldn't it jump to still another host if killed? A monkey or jaguar or even a bird could get that orb back to the correct place a lot more quickly than a beetle could, for example. Et Voila! Instant new enemy to drive the plot.
Makes one wonder just how bad the beetle was in the past, that Discord would use lethal force on the spot when he even gave Voldemort a chance to walk away though.
8391815 I can't even fathom what the beetle is supposed to be at this point. And with Discord apparently knowing everything before it even happens, is there really any legitimate threat that can exist? This Discord is TOO powerful, TOO over-competent, and TOO perfect in all his plans and schemes.
We must wonder, how did he manage to lose twice to some silly little ponies if he's this God-tier? Did getting beaten somehow raise his IQ to infinity? It doesn't really fit.
8391604
Dude, you really need to calm down.
You are flooding the comment section.
Worse you are doing it to simply complain about how this story does not suit your tastes.
Not ever story has to have a big bad antagonist.
The reach and scope of Discord' s powers change for canon much of the time, and to be fair the author has Discord working with other beings that also seem to have an agenda that has yet to be revealed.
As far as adding non-canon ideas like marriage contracts to both worlds...this is a fanfiction...writers use canon sources for ideas and references, and then create their own stories...
If this story is not to your liking then simply go find one that is.
There is no need for a flood of comments.
;-; i finally caught up
great story i really am liking it so far you made it drawn out with all the details without being boring keep up the good work.
8391235
Don't get me wrong I know there only 11 and got 6 years to mature but his immediate reaction was just upsetting I also know it was the shock of his immediate good fortune so his immediate thoughts were skewed so I hope he feels guilty later on and comes to the realization that the girls have feelings and apologises to Ginny later once he realizes her feelings for him and tries to get to know sweety for sweety.
8392100 No, the point is that this is supposed to be a crossover, NOT a complete re-imagining of the entirety of both worlds. Plus, Discord isn't acting like Discord. He's totally out of character. The only time he's ever cared about anything this deeply was when FLuttershy was in danger, and that was set up well ahead of time with her being his first real friend, something he clearly valued.
There's no context or rationale behind any of this. As far as anyone can tell, Discord has randomly decided to screw around with this particular universe at this particular time... and has become invested PERSONALLY to the point where he actually becomes angry at times... why?
What is the possible motive? How do all these disparate pieces connect? A good story revolves entirely around how all of its pieces fit together. This one seems to be breaking apart into more pieces as it goes along, and none of them fit.
Man can you imagine how cool it'd be if sombra came over to the Harry potter world he'd probably be the new dark lord and make voldermort his b**** and with his powers pull the most evil beings ever cast into the veil out. I mean by definition the dementors of Azkaban would be his servants.
8392260
A fanfiction by its very definition is a re-imagining of the canon source material.
Your idea of what makes a good crossover will not always be what someone else thinks is a good crossover.
And as I said earlier Discord' s reasoning and motivations have not yet been revealed.
All the pieces do not fit because we do not yet have all the pieces.
As far as Discord acting out of character...that could go either way.
Discord in canon acts a bit more childish true, but it could easily be debated that it is simply a front he puts up to protect himself as well as others.
A being with that kind of power that is most likely immortal...what happens when someone hurts those he cares about?
His anger with what happened in canon to Fluttershy is a good example.
This story is simply exploring a different side to Discord' s personality that the author thinks he might have.
You obviously believe that Discord does not have a hidden side, and simply wears his heart on his sleeve. That is your head canon.
There is nothing wrong with that.
This is the authors story, and so their head canon is what will likely be written.
8391587
I think you're over reacting (it's just a fanfic), but I sort of agree with you. The story was initially about the CMC goofing around in potterverse, which was really enjoyable. In these more recent chapters it's been less about that and more about Discord fixing every single injustice that exists within the HP universe. Including making up random threats that didn't even exist in the original one (the beetle thing was beyond bizarre). Also I don't know why the author hates Dumbledore so much.
8392449
The Dumbledore hate is rather odd.
Not saying I agree with all his choices in the original story, but it is rather odd that this Dumbledore is being made into the main antagonist.
I will admit though that it is not as big of a surprise to me because I have read a bunch of Harry Potter fanfiction as well, and many in that community hate Dumbledore.
At this point if I read any Harry Potter fanfiction I know there is a good chance of some Dumbledore bashing.
8392260
Alondro, what is your problem with this story? Is it really as bad as you're making it out to be if you're going to continue to read and comment on it? If you dislike the story so much, stop reading it and don't make it difficult for us who DO enjoy it to talk about it. In fact, I'm seeing a lot of "this is the last straw"-like messages, and yet you continue to read and comment. Do you understand what the concept of a "last straw" is? If I were you, I wouldn't constantly gripe about it every chapter, but leave one comment saying you won't read it anymore, and why, and stop reading from that point.
Though maybe you like to constantly complain. There's nothing wrong with that, and forcing you to be silent wouldn't be very kind. However, I would recommend not getting angry when people express their inevitable discomfort.
8392442 From what we've seen in the show, Discord DOES wear his heart on his sleeve when he's being genuine. He has a VERY hard time concealing his emotions for the simple fact that HE'S NEVER HAD TO BEFORE. Restraint and self-control are utterly foreign concepts to him.
Had he been this cunning, this scheming, this sensible, this direct, this action-oriented, and this foreward-thinking in his agenda I don't see any possibility the Princesses would have beaten him in the past, and the Mane 6 would never have stood a chance.
Also, there's a severe logical problem with the wizard laws introduced: why hadn't any of the GOOD wizarding families, who ALSO had direct access to these law books, use the same tactic to confront the suspected Death Eaters years ago? Dumbledore certainly would know the minutia of such laws and wouldn't have hesitated to press the information into the right hands. The reason it was not done was simple: those laws don't exist in canon, therefore they could only appear in this story and thus lead to a discontinuity of information.
You can't simply throw in such plot-convenient rules without considering the implications, which is precisely the problem here. They were too accessible and too widely known. SOMEONE would have used them to accuse an enemy already were this to be a plausible scenario.
8392449 It is very strange. The point of HP was that everyone makes mistakes in life and those who are good at heart try their best to make things right, and even then can go about it the wrong way. It made them more realistic despite the overt fantasy world they inhabited. This story suddenly decided to beat the snot out of all of them by throwing in a god who knows everything and punishes them for every mistake they ever made repeatedly... and adds sins they didn't even commit in the books just to make them even MORE evil! Even Old Testament God was more forgiving!
The dog-piling upon characters, even ilk like Lucius, makes the story very unlikable for anyone who's not of the 'white knight' mentality.
In a good story, characters make mistakes and either grow from them, or fall further by a combination of their personalities, circumstances, and choices. Having a god show up and force solutions down everyone's throats completely disembowels the whole point of the story in the first place.
And, given Discord's penchant here for getting all the baddies killed and even harming the 'misguided' in his blind quest for revenge, why hasn't he just erased Voldemort? He squished a beetle character we didn't even know anything about... but let Voldemort, the most unabashedly, unambiguously murderous and wicked character in both universes go. This is simply absurd.
8393175
As far as Discord goes I already explained that in the previous comment.
You bring up a good point as far as the old wizarding laws.
In my mind, the reason none of the 'good' wizards used the old laws to do what was done was because at one point in time it was probably agreed that both sides would not use them. It is quite easy for evil to get caught true, but good people can do bad things as well for the greater good. Just look at what Dumbledore did in the original series. No one is clean in politics after all, and if the general public new about a way to get their most hated wizard out of office they would.
It would be nice if the author explained in more detail later why no one else has done what was done.
Of course there is a chance that the author already plans to explain it later on anyway, and we are just jumping the gun so to speak.
8393226 Yes, you did give your explanation. I simply don't buy it. It's too radical a difference in personality and competence. This is a Discord who would never lose. A Discord who COULDN'T lose unless he wanted to deliberately, which then opens a whole 'nother can o' worms with regard to the FiM world. The explanation, I suspect, will be over-complicated and not very sensible when, and if, it ever comes.
The excuse for not using the wizard law is rather thin. Would anyone hold themselves to such an agreement if it permitted murders to go free? A non-binding verbal agreement doesn't hold much weight with regard to criminals and traitors! If anything, the good wizard and witches would suspect that the agreement was pushed by Voldemort's supporters to prevent them from being easily cornered by a spell that virtually guarantees the guilty cannot escape; and most certainly upon said realization they would not allow themselves to be handcuffed by such a duplicitous arrangement!
I could have accepted this if almost no one knew the law existed save for a handful of the most elite families all of whom either were on Voldemort's side or were too self-interested and had taken bribes and thus couldn't risk their own expose. Then it could have been something Discord brought to light and a few expressions of outrage from the 'good' people that they'd been deliberately denied this very critical and seemingly infallible method of interrogation would have clarified matters succinctly. But from the comments of the witches and wizards, they were all aware of it. There is NO logical reason none of the good people tried to use it previously. Sirius Black, for instance (coming from one of the oldest and most influential wizarding families as he did), would almost certainly have demanded to be allowed to testify with it, and his innocence would have been proven instantly!
It's too much of a Deus Ex Machina solution, as well as being inconsistently applied to the story's own internal continuity. It's simply not handled or constructed well.