path: root/outlines/try-again.mdwn

[[!meta title="Try Again"]]

This is my take on the reptilia28's "Don't fear the reaper" challenge:

> ## CHALLENGE OUTLINE
>
> * Harry is killed at 17 during a fight with Voldemort. He's sent to his
>   Death's office (explained later) and finds out that this isn't the first
>   time that this has happened.
>
> * Harry's Death (who can have a human name) is mad at his arrival. Apparently,
>   people dying before their time is a black mark on the various Deaths'
>   records, and Harry is getting perilously close to getting this particular
>   one fired.
>
> * When Harry asks what was supposed to have happened, Death goes off on a rant
>   saying how he was supposed to have killed Voldemort, found his soulmate
>   ("Some Granger girl...") and lived to be a centennial age. But since Harry
>   keeps getting into life-threatening situations for one reason or another, he
>   keeps dying before that happens. Harry is surprised about the soulmate part.
>
> * Death gives Harry a paper to sign that allows him to retain his memories
>   (the previous times, he wasn't given this option for some reason). Harry is
>   deposited to a previous time of the writer's choosing.
>
> * Eventually, Harry gets it right. He kills Voldemort, gets the girl, and
>   lives to a ripe old age of whatever. And Death doesn't get fired.
>
> ## MISC REQUIREMENTS
>
> * Harry had to have died at least three times before this one.
>
> * The memory keeping contract must be included.
>
> * Death must refer to Hermione as "some Granger girl" when Harry's soulmate
>   turns up in his rant.
>
> * Obviously, must be H/Hr.
>
> * Have fun.
>
> OPTIONAL:
>
> * Dumbledore's manipulations can be a factor in Harry's premature demises.

<hr />

Here's my outline so far:

* Death has no idea who Voldemort or Tom Riddle are. They just aren't important.

  * Upon investigation, it turns out that Tom Riddle died while he was attending
    Hogwarts. Cause of death: Horcrux creation. What's left behind isn't really
    alive in any meaningful sense.

  * Because he's not alive, Voldemort can be permanently destroyed by a simple
    exorcism. On any fragment of himself.

  * The prophecy applies to some dark lord in Canada. He was vanquished, as per
    prophecy, in 1984 by someone else.

* Because I need a villain, this is going to be a manipulative Dumbledore story,
  will all the clichés that entails.

  * Dumbledore will never believe that Voldemort is gone.

  * Dumbledore is stealing Harry's money.

  * The Weasleys are in on it.

  * In large part I'm still going to keep Dumbledore/Harry interaction to a
    minimum.

    * Harry undoes manipulations as he discovers them.

    * Harry does everything he can to keep a low profile and prevent Dumbledore
      from noticing and raising the stakes.

    * Primary source of action is going to be unforeseen ramifications of
      Harry's actions. Turns out that the 90s are just a shitty time to be at
      Hogwarts, even without a Dark Lord out to kill you.

* Return date: pre-Hogwarts; age 6 or 7?

* Voldemort is defeated entirely pre-Hogwarts on this next go around for Harry.
  Mostly off-screen; I want it to be a completely minor obstacle.

  * Harry's first action upon getting reset: Find adult Wizard and steal wand.

  * Harry's second action upon getting reset: Cast single spell at scar; defeat
    Voldemort.

* Harry doesn't leave the Dursley's, but without remorse he straight-up imperios
  them to be a loving family for him.

  * Dumbledore left charms to keep them mad, but they are overpowered by Harry's
    compultions.

  * Dumbledore never notices, as he never checked up on Harry anyway.

  * Harry puts on a show of pretending to dislike his living conditions for
    Dumbledore.

    * In the weeks prior to his Hogwarts letter, Harry moves into the cupboard
      ("for an adventure, like camping!") as part of the scam to keep Dumbledore
      in the dark.

* Harry shows up to Hogwarts after some sort of permanent appearance alteration.

  * Metamorphagus? I'd rather not, to be honest. Permanent transfiguration
    appeals to me more, as metamorph Harry sort of wants to be its own huge plot
    point.

  * No scar.

  * No James-hair or other strong resemblance to his father.

  * Snape still hates him, but he's trying very hard to distance himself from
    the storybooks.

* Harry does something about the storybooks; suing for damages seems
  appropriate.

  * Lots of money-revenge from Harry where he gets the Goblins on his side by
    letting them keep all the money they can get out of people.

  * Setting up for a Goblin revolution courtesy of Harry.

    * Death told him he needs to stay alive because his purpose in life is to
      "play a pivotal role with regard to the last Goblin rebellion". Harry
      takes this to mean he is either meant to prevent it, or meant to minimize
      the bloodshed.

    * Harry spends the whole story trying to keep the Goblins happy, giving them
      more ways to make money, fighting for equal rights, etc.

    * The whole reason he goes to Hogwarts this time around instead of fleeing
      the country is because he wants to stay near the Goblins and try to keep
      them appeased.

    * Punchline of the story: The Goblins rebel, which they wouldn't have been
      able to do without Harry's monetary and political support, and proceed to
      brutally conquer Wizarding Britain with Harry as their posterchild.

    * Harry is not amused when this happens. Fortunately, the Goblins have
      already recognized him as a citizen of the Goblin nation, so he's safe,
      and his friends and the small proportion of Wizards who aren't wholly
      prejudiced are allowed to integrate peacefully under the new Goblin
      regime.

* Harry sorts into Ravenclaw along with Hermione.

* Quirrel isn't possessed, but still tries to steal the stone. Let's face it, he
  was evil to begin with, or else Voldemort wouldn't have been able to talk him
  into the possession scheme.

  * Turns out being possessed by an insane and technically dead spirit isn't
    really all that good for you. Unpossessed Quirrel is competent.

  * Harry has to intervene.

    * Steals the stone himself very early on, but Quirrel and Dumbledore don't
      know this.

    * Quirrel eventually takes some students hostage as part of his bid for the
      stone, including Harry.

    * Harry defeats him, while trying very hard to not make himself look
      dangerous or Horcrux-possessed to Dumbledore.

* Harry does not get on the Quidditch team his first year.

* Harry gets the cloak first year, but realizes it has tracking charms and such
  on it courtesy of Dumbledore.

  * He gets the Goblins to fix it.

  * And leaves it in their care.

  * And tells Dumbledore he sold it to them, just to fuck with him.

* Pettigrew is dealt with first year.

  * Harry captures him, mails him to French DMLE, figuring that Britain is too
    corrupt.

  * France determines that Black is innocent, publishes this everywhere, parades
    Pettigrew around in the ICW.

  * As a result, Dumbledore loses his ICW position, and France takes over
    leadership of the European magical states.

  * Sirius is freed, and immediately co-opted by Harry into helping him bring
    down the British Ministry politically.

  * The Black fortune was largely exhausted, but there are lots of properties
    out for rent that haven't been paid for properly. Sirius, on Harry's advice,
    turns debt collection over to the Goblins and allow them to keep most of the
    profits.

    * Many purebloods, notably Malfoy, lose quite a lot of money and power.

* Second year we still get basilisk attacks.

  * The diary is already dead, but Lucius had communicated with it beforehand.

  * Draco is instructed to release the basilisk.

  * It doesn't help that he isn't a parselmouth and has no real control over it.

  * Students die. So does Lockhart.

  * Hagrid still arrested without due process.

  * Harry, being a parseltongue, manages to assume control of the basilisk and
    divert it from its rampage.

    * He doesn't want to kill it, but it can't stay in the school.

    * Harry doesn't know the spells used by Slytherin and Riddle to put it back
      to sleep.

    * Harry gives it to the Goblins, who assure him that they have access to
      parseltongue Goblins and will use it for bank security.

    * The Goblins issue a statement (at Harry's request) saying they were paid
      to defeat the basilisk and have done so.

      * This lets Harry stay somewhat anonymous, which he greatly desires.

      * Also good press for the Goblins.

      * And we know why Hogwarts stays open.

  * Dobby, basically the same as canon.

* Also second year, we need some political movements in the background.

  * Sirius has taken his seat on the Wizengamot, and is doing his best to get
    revenge on those who wronged him.

  * Goblin rights are supported because hey, they helped him get revenge, and
    it's something that would've pissed off his parents.

  * Along with international pressure from the ICW, he successfully campaigns to
    have Dementors removed from Azkaban.

* Third year, the Dementors are running amok.

  * Turns out that forcing the immortal soulless killing machines to leave the
    island full of food may have been a bad plan.

  * No Dementors near Hogwarts to begin with, but there is talk about them in
    the background.

  * Harry signs up for runes and arithmancy and care. Flitwick does not allow
    Hermione to sign up for everything, so she takes the same as Harry.

  * Harry, feeling like this is going to finally be a calm year, decides to sign
    up for Quidditch.

    * He plays Beater.

    * He's OK, but not spectacular.

  * Dementor attacks!

    * Hogsmeade weekend, resulting in evacuation interrupting Harry's first
      date with Hermione.

    * Quidditch match, resulting in serious injury to some players.

  * Harry isn't the one to solve the problem this time; ICW authorities step in
    and contain the Dementors.

    * They're shipped off to Canada, where they hunt their natural prey:
      Bigfoots.

    * The British populace starts to become more polarized.

      * A faction bemoaning the incompetence of the British Ministry.

      * A faction blaming the foreigners for creating the problem to begin with.

  * Snape outs Lupin at the end of the year.

* Over this summer, Harry attends the Quidditch World Cup with Sirius.

  * Ireland is not playing.

  * Bulgaria wins this time.

  * No deatheater attack.

* Fourth year: Dumbledore has organized the Triwizard Tournament, primarily as a
  mechanism to restore some of Britain's fading glory.

  * The defense teacher actually is Moody this time. He's too paranoid to do a
    particularly good job, but he's better than Lockhart.

  * Crouch Jr. escaped, but didn't go after Moody. We hear about the murder of
    Crouch Sr. in a newspaper.

  * Harry, having put a lot of thought over the years into how bad the security
    around the cup was, gives the twins a laundry list of ways to get names into
    the cup.

    * He is expecting them to enter themselves, which he thinks would be a
      laugh.

    * They decide to enter his name, which they think would be a laugh...

    * ...as well as the names of several dozen other students...

    * ...and Snape...

    * ...and Fudge.

    * Obviously, every one of these names comes out of the cup.

  * Harry takes the opportunity to "research", primarily to create an excuse for
    his superior spellcasting abilities.

  * More events, in order to better differentiate between the contestants.

  * Harry very carefully arranges to get through the first events unhurt and in
    the bottom half of the contestants.

  * Harry sells his egg to the Goblins.

  * Fudge does a terrible job, only marginally better than...

  * Snape completely fails at every event, having literally every single
    Hogwarts contestant independently sabotage him.

  * Harry takes Hermione to the ball, and they have a good time.

  * Harry does not summon anything from outside the field until the last event.

    * When he summons a paid-for Goblin bodyguard...

    * Who proceeds to cut a bloody swath through the maze, allowing Harry to
      easily win the tournament.

    * Harry uses this to further prop up the Goblins, by giving them the
      publicity and the prize money.

* Fifth year, Fudge is now convinced that last year was a setup by Dumbledore to
  humiliate him and drive him out of office.

  * He sends Umbridge in to keep an eye on Dumbledore.

  * This time there's no particular animosity between Umbridge and Harry.

    * Harry swallows his distaste and sucks up to her.

    * Harry manages to trick Ron into starting Dumbledore's Army, then turns him
      in.

    * Umbridge foolishly targets Susan Bones with the blood quill this time.
      Amelia Bones finds out, and things do not end well for Umbridge.

  * Now halfway through the year and without a defense teacher, Harry decides to
    try more Goblin integration and gets them to send a defense teacher.

    * Dumbledore is disgraced and desperate at this point, so he latches on to
      the idea.

    * What follows is one of the bloodiest and most effective defense classes
      Hogwarts has ever had.

    * At the end of the year, parents and the board absolutely *demand* that
      Dumbledore find someone else.

  * Harry and friends do well on their O.W.L.s.

* Sixth year: without the Dementors policing Azkaban, several prisoners escape
  with the help of Crouch Jr.

  * Lestranges, Carrows, possibly one or two others?

  * Snape teaches defense, and is predictably shitty.

  * Slughorn is teaching potions; without the looming threat of Voldemort, Harry
    was not required to convince him to return.

  * The escaped prisoners have Dumbledore keeping Harry confined to the castle,
    except when he sneaks out.

  * Encounter in Hogsmeade; the escapees really do blame Harry for the death of
    their Lord.

  * Once it becomes clear that Crouch Jr. is alive and acting as a mastermind,
    the aurors begin to ramp up for Blood Purity War Part Two: The Bloodening.

  * Dumbledore becomes really loud about insisting that this means Voldemort is
    back.

  * Harry really does start a defense organization this year.

    * Hermione insists he calls it the "Student-run Magically Useful Training"
      sessions. This probably helps attract members, to be honest.

    * Gets some sort of special allowance from the Ministry. Off-duty aurors
      help with training.

  * This year is spent with Harry preparing for what he sees as the final battle
    to end the blood supremicists.

    * Harry learns that the Malfoys are in contact with the escapees.

    * Harry manages to plant the clue about the vanishing cabinet for Draco to
      find.

    * Harry contacts the Goblins about what is going on, and pays them to help.

  * Some interaction with the younger Weasleys? Love potions, perhaps.

  * Over the year and the following summer, there are attacks by the escapees.

  * The international community takes notice and officially quarantines Britain
    "to prevent the escape of unsavory elements of society".

* Year 7. Harry is only barely involved; this is pretty much the end result of
  his actions so far, and it comes together too quickly for him to realize
  what's happening.

  * Immediately after the sorting feast, Draco activates the vanishing cabinet
    and signals to the escapees.

  * The Goblins have been prepared for this, and have a way to intercept the
    vanishing cabinet's traffic.

  * Purebloods meet basilisk. Basilisk wins.

  * A great many Wizengamot representatives were part of the planned attack.
    There is a huge power vacuum, paralyzing government.

  * The Goblins immediately place armed guards throughout Wizarding society,
    taking the place of the (confused, panicing) aurors.

  * Goblins apply for recognition with the ICW as an interim British government.

  * As soon as the ICW approves, the Goblins start interrogating *everybody*,
    holding them to the standard "are you as tolerant and unbigoted as Harry
    Potter?"

    * Needless to say, a great many people fail, and are slated for
      "reeducation".

    * The Goblins introduce themselves to the Muggle government, painting the
      Wizards in the worst possible light and arranging for assistance in the
      reeducation and integration of the Wizards.

  * Hogwarts is shut down as "a hotbed of bigotry and intolerance".

  * Harry and close friends are vetted and named the first Human citizens of the
    "Reformed British Magical Empire".

  * We end the story with Harry, horrified at what he's done, making motions
    towards fleeing to Australia.

    * He is discretely notified that the Goblins are fine with this, but don't
      really realize that he's fleeing.

    * The Goblins want to know if he would like to be named their ambassador to
      Australia.