Wizarding Games: What if

[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

What if...


Details: What if one slight decision at any point in the Harry Potter books had been different? What if Dean Thomas' father had told Dean's mother why he left the family to protect them? What if Ariana was standing one foot to the right had never been killed? What if Ariana had decided to stay indoors instead of going outside and meeting those Muggles in the first place? What if Kreacher had gone crazy and killed the baby Regulus meaning Sirius was the only child of the Blacks?

Have a think and a debate/disscussion about how small/big a change could have changed something ridic big/not at all. Uh. Be creative! try to find something different or interesting to change, you can use the ones above if you must.

Steps:
1. Pick a thing from HP to change
2. Explain how you think this would have changed the way the story unfolded, and if it'd change the outcome at all. Maybe the differences in the world once the story was over? (min 100 words)
3. Discuss/debate with other people about yours and theirs. Do you think it wouldn't have made the changes they think it would? Explain why. Do you agree and see some other changes that would have occurred, let them know :) (min 30 words and you can't just wholeheartedlyagree and gush at them)


Rules:

1. Don't pick the same one as someone else. If someone has already picked something then reply to their comment discussing/debating
2. Don't cause drama. Prove you can all civilly debate and discuss stuff.
3. Take heed of the word limits (100 words for first comment, 30 words for additional replies with a point that add to the discussion/debate)
4. Try not to make it a silly thing e.g. Harry ate some toast one morning instead of cereal and therefore the world ended.

Points: 10pts for your 100 word comment, 2pts per 30 word comment with a point. 30pts cap. 10pts for any crystal ball if you earn over 15pts. Dont' forget to register your bonus items in this post.
Deadline: 26th November 5pm UTC Converter
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First comment
<b>Thing you're changing:</b> <b>How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books?</b> min 100words for this section



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[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

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[theaeblackthorn.livejournal.com]

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[dragongirl3745.livejournal.com]

Thing you're changing: Sirius' Death
How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? I think this would have affected the books in a big way, especially for Harry. Once Sirius was cleared of the murder charges, Harry would have had a guardian who cared about him. He wouldn't have had another person he loved die. He would have had a home and an adult he could get advice from. There would have been one more person on the side of good there at the final battle. Harry would have had someone who really knew his parents and could have told him about them, how they were as students and as adults. He would have had a physical connection to someone who knew his parents.

Anna//Hufflepuff//Word Count: 111

[yasonablack.livejournal.com]

Thing you're changing: Dudley's a Wizard
How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? I think Dudley being a wizard would have made a really interesting difference in the books. While I can't see it changing the way Petunia and Vernon treat Harry, they would most likely still treat their son better which would mean that once both Harry and Dudley are in Hogwarts I think more people would notice that there's something screwed up at the Dursleys. Given Dudley's actions at the end of the series, I think Dudley would also warm up to Harry earlier (not too early though) and Harry would have a slightly better connection to blood family. Also, as Dudley would end up being sorted before Harry, depending on the house, Harry might be more likely to fight against 'not where Dudley is' rather than 'not Slytherin'.

Yasona//Slytherin//141 words

[yasonablack.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree with you. I also wonder if Sirius stays alive, if Harry would be a lot more reluctant to die at the end of Deathly Hallows, as he finally has a real family with Sirius.

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

Thing you're changing: Hermione Granger's sorting.
How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? Although she's brave and suits her house well, Hermione (in my mind, at least) just as easily could have been sorted into Ravenclaw. If that had happened, I'd say the story would have been extremely different, from year one and on. Without Hermione, I don't think Harry and Ron would have tried getting past Fluffy at all in first year, let alone made it through all the trials to reach the Mirror. So Voldemort wouldn't have been split off from Quirrel that year, and may have returned to teach in their second year. No Hermione to brew Polyjuice potion for them means no using Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and therefore never discovering the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Even if Harry and Ron had still made friends with Hermione through sharing classes, her impact couldn't have been nearly as great if she didn't share a house with them, so that one small thing would make a huge difference for the story.

Stephie//Slytherin//161 words

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

For the most part, I agree that Sirius living could have changed a lot for Harry, except as far as the connection with someone who knew his parents is concerned. He was able to write to Sirius, and talk to him a good bit that summer before fifth year, so he was already able to learn about them. And after Sirius's death, he had Remus, who knew his parents as well. The difference for Harry feeling he has a family and for the battle would be there, but I think any change it would make for Harry learning more about his parents is pretty negligible.

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

Petunia's problem with magic always seemed to stem from jealousy that she wasn't 'special' like her sister, so I'd say Dudley being a wizard might put him and Harry on much more even ground, actually. As their son or not, Petunia and Vernon wanted 'normal'. I'd imagine they'd be just as keen to try squashing the magic out of Dudley as they were with Harry, and treat them very much the same.

[yasonablack.livejournal.com]

I could see it going that route as well, but I do think that there is the possibility that Petunia would try to live vicariously through Dudley like she couldn't with her sister. Having her son show up Harry in the wizarding world could be a form of revenge against her sister. I do believe that Petunia would have a lot harder time treating Dudley the same as Harry because she's had eleven years of doting and seeing him as her darling child. Harry was unwanted from the beginning.

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

True, but wouldn't the accidental magic tip her off? Since she grew up with Lily doing things like with the flower, I'd think she'd recognize Dudley doing accidental magic as he was growing up. Although, once Harry was in the house, she could always deny it could be Dudley doing it and put all strange happenings on Harry.

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Thing you're changing: The Slytherins came back
How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? This is a minor change in the final chapters of Deathly Hallows, but the one thing I really wish had been different. In interviews JKR had mentioned that Slughorn came back with students from Slytherin house, but the book never explicitly mentioned as much. I think this would have better driven JKR's point home, that there is no black and white and even Harry's schoolboy biases are just that: biases. I feel like if in the books this fact had been explicitly mentioned, it could have been one more thing that Harry told Albus as proof that being a Slytherin was okay.

More than what happens within Harry's world, however, I think doing so would have been thematically in line with all the lessons that JKR had been trying to give about prejudice. She does such a great job challenging everyone's preconceived notions within the world, even one that nobody would have thought to think twice about like house-elves, but I think she could have done more in pointing out the biases that protagonists and readers may have formed against Slytherin house.

Evy//Ravenclaw//182 words

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[slumber.livejournal.com]

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Evy//Ravenclaw

[slumber.livejournal.com]

This is something I felt really bad about, because yeah, one of my favorite parts of the book is when Harry found out he had a godfather, and suddenly home seemed like a very real possibility. So on one part, I definitely agree with this.

On the other hand, though, would it have ultimately saved Sirius had he lived from that event? I feel like his love for Harry would have driven him to continue being reckless, and I honestly can't imagine him standing by letting Harry sacrifice his own life to defeat Voldemort. I think this was why he had to die.

Evy//Ravenclaw//1

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[dragongirl3745.livejournal.com]

I have the crystal ball.

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Anna//Hufflepuff

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

Thing you're changing: Severus and Lily got together instead of James and Lily.
How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? Well, for one, Harry would not be Harry. While he may "have his mother's eyes", Harry Potter is very much his father's son. I see Harry Evans-Snape having the best of both his parents (and yes, they would hyphenate). He would be a much more well-adjusted Snape. Good looks, not greasy, a keen mind, a potions genius, and I envision him having a lot more confidence. Harry Snape-Evans would never have been orphaned. His father would likely not have ended up as a Death Eater, and I see them having had a lovely life. They may have been Order members, but I see James as having been the volatile part of that original pairing. Neville would be the boy of the prophecy. This would basically change the whole story.

Morgan//Slytherin//129

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Harry had access to learning about his parents from other sources. Even excluding Marauders from the equation, Harry is left with a number of people who knew both his parents and could share stories and anecdotes with him.

Morgan//Slytherin//1

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

I regret that JKR didn't address the fact that Harry did have a real family. Apart from Sirius, Harry had created a family with all of his friends that was stronger and more supportive and loving than a lot of his contemporaries could claim. I think it would have been another good point to make--that we can choose a family as well as being born into one.

Morgan//Slytherin//2

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

I agree that it would have been something that killed Sirius even if he hadn't been curtained. I do wish that enough about his death would have been changed so that it had not LITERALLY been curtains for Sirius. That always bugged me. Equally as much as Remus and Tonks dying "off-screen" which made their deaths just seem like pointless after thoughts.

Morgan//Slytherin//3

[slumber.livejournal.com]

This is a very interesting idea, but I don't know if it would have had a positive impact on the book. One of the biggest things that made Harry so happy upon receiving the news was knowing that he would be far away from the family that loathed him, and I feel like the whole magic of Diagon Alley and knowing he was special would have dulled a bit if he had to go through all of those with Dudley again. His attitude might have changed, and even though I think his Boy-Who-Lived-ness might have overpowered Dudley's bullying, the fact that Harry's home life is so starkly different from his Hogwarts life is an interesting contrast in the books.

Evy//Ravenclaw//2

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

My first thought to this is "Oh dear Merlin, don't let Dudley be a Slytherin." I personally don't think he would be, and I'm not going to take time at the moment to look up reasonings to back up either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor as a sorting for him. This also leads to the thought of how wonderfully different the books would have been if Harry had been sorted Slytherin. We certainly wouldn't be looked at in the same way.

Morgan//Slytherin//4

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

Now I want to drag my books out, because in my head I remember Slughorn coming back with the Slytherins being an actual thing that happened. Quite possible my wishful thinking took on a life of its own. I don't recall it being fleshed out with them in action or anything, so it might be a dream.

I think JKR needs to get rid of her own preconceived notions against Slytherins (and Hufflepuffs, but that's another story alltogether).

Morgan//Slytherin//5

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Harry and Ron would have died several times over without Hermione's help. I think Hermione as a character is even written much more as a Ravenclaw than a Gryffindor. Personally, I think JKR only includes her in Gryffindor to keep her hero alive and round out the trio, but forgot to make her fit Gryffindor's traits more than Ravenclaw's.

Morgan//Slytherin//6

[slumber.livejournal.com]

That the Slytherins came back is canon in my head but I feel like I definitely got pissy when I read DH because the Slytherins never played much of a part in the final battle.

I agree! I was really pleasantly surprised when she gave Draco a better role than just keeping him a two-dimensional character, but I wish the rest of his house got more than getting sent to the dungeons because Pansy tried to give Harry away.

You know, I never noticed her bias against the Hufflepuffs, but I do think I never really got as good a handle on them as the other houses.

Evy//Ravenclaw//3

[faeriesfolly.livejournal.com]

I'm not the only one to say it, but JKR is a Gryffindor pusher who is really a Hufflepuff. My biggest pet peeve related to her Hufflepuff bias? That we never got to learn about the Fat Friar like we did about the other ghosts. That really stood out to me. How difficult would it have been to say, "He really liked cookies."? Not that difficult.

Morgan//Slytherin//7

[yasonablack.livejournal.com]

While Harry's friends are his real chosen family and a very strong and supportive one, especially with the Weasleys, I think Sirius also staying alive and being Harry's family gives Harry an adult/surrogate son relationship that he doesn't have. While Molly and Arthur Weasley are close, Harry doesn't rely on them or expect them to act like parents to him. (I'm totally with you on choosing family though!)

Yasona//Slytherin//2