Here’s one:
The Albus/Rose/Scorpius trio on Christmas break their first year overhear an unreformed Death Eater just out of Azkaban telling Lucius at Malfoy Manor he has found a Time Turner. He has managed to super-charge it and intends to return to the weeks following the Battle of Hogwarts, 19 years previous.
His plan? To take the Wand of Destiny from Dumbledore’s tomb and kill Potter before Harry arrests him in his first adventure as an Auror.
Lucius, to his credit, contacts the Ministry — but not before his old friend has made “the jump,” unaware that Albus, Rose, and Scorpius have successfully joined him. The 11 year olds have to learn to trust one another and work as a team, foil the Death Eater’s murderous ambush of the unsuspecting Harry, and somehow return to the future without creating an alternative reality in which they do not exist (see Back to the Future).
If you want the Prequel version, just move the Death Eater’s plot (and I hope someone else thinks an older, bitter Ludo would be great for this role, a la OJ…) to any of the Hogwarts Marauder years before Lily rejects Severus. An “in the middle of the Septology” version would also be good, say, set in the Goblet center of the story line.
My question for friends at Augustana College (I know you’re out there, Dental Stephanie and Pastor Richard!) is how does the story incorporate the literary alchemy with both a Slytherin male lead (Albus) and supporting player (Scorpius)? I think it’s do-able but I’d love to hear your thoughts on Albus as Gryffindor/Slytherin androgyn, Rose/Scorpius as Mercury/Sulfur Quarreling Couple, and how the story could be told without an Alchemical headmaster introducing reagents and catalysts at the right time. Your final exam in the form of Fan Fiction!
Feel free to answer the question posed or create your own re-booted series using the the Epilogue trio and new Star Trek movie time-jumping excuse for a trip back from the future. A free official Deathly Hallows publication party baseball cap for the All-Pro who figures out how Rose figures out how to keep her mother from figuring out what is going on — and how Hermione figures it out anyway!
Temporal physics gives me headaches. This is why time travel has to be done very very gingerly & has to be done well. I give credit to the people who can do it, for I’m not one of them.
I love Doctor Who but I never could figure out how he keeps all those time lines straight or if he even bothers.
My first thought is – Oy vey!
Not sure why you like Ludo for the role (and I’m assuming you do mean Ludo Bagman). He wasn’t actually a death eater, just clueless, and he wasn’t sent to Azkaban.
Another quibble, Harry would have to do his seventh year plus at least three more years of training before becoming an auror, so why set the Sequel time jump back to the weeks following the Battle of Hogwarts OR why say that he is on an auror mission at that time?
Not sure I understand who the Death Eater would try to kill in the Prequel version with a time jump back to Lily and Snape’s friendship. Would they kill James to get him to leave Snape alone so he doesn’t alienate Lily? So Harry qua Harry is never born? Or just kill Lily so she can never have a child?
The middle of the septology version or the prequel version – what if Dumbledore battles this Death Eater, each using the Elder Wand?- the same wand battling itself! So many theories for what could happen (priori incantatem, neither can kill the other, wands break, wands annihilate each other to dust, cosmic explosion and the end of the world as we know it?!)
Harry himself could be the alchemical “headmaster.”
Now for my big quibble – Harry is the master of the Elder Wand. Stealing it from the tomb a la Voldemort will not make the Death Eater master of it. If he attacks Harry with it, it will not kill its master under at least two scenarios (one, Harry sees what’s happening and disarms the Death Eater as he did Voldemort; two Harry isn’t looking but happens to have his wand in his hand and it pulls his arm around and shoots gold flames at the Death Eater like it did when Voldemort attacked him. Third scenario is Harry is ambushed and does not have his wand out. In that case I don’t know if his being master of the Elder Wand would be enough to protect him.
Thank you, LLuna, for reminding me why I don’t write Fan Fiction! Holding the seven books as canon (rather than everything the author has ever said or written) and wishing to make an alchemical scenario more than an internally consistent one dooms me to the sort of ‘gaffes’ you point out…
In my alternative universe of the seven books, Ludo is a Death Eater, Harry is grandfathered into immediate Auror duty post Battle of Hogwarts without three years of training (having seven years OJT and an excellent resume), and Evil Ludo’s plan is to use his own wand to kill Harry, making him the master of the Elder Wand he has stolen. How’s that?
Oh, well. I hope the Augustana crowd, for whom this post is meant, enjoys the question more than you did!
RevGeorge, as you know, I’m with you on Time Travel as plot device.
Again, not that I don’t like Time Travel as a plot device if it’s done well & used sparingly. I did like its use in POA. But I’m glad she made it impossible to use it later on. There was entirely too much speculation about its use in the final books of the series where it wouldn’t have worked well. But I can certainly buy the premise of a young, confident Hermione believing that she can handle the pressures of taking a double or triple class load by using the time turner.
Wasn’t saying I didn’t enjoy the question! I do think your scenario is very analogous to Back to the Future II where Marty visits the future, old age bad guy (I’m blanking on the name) uses the time machine to go back and give a book with all the sporting results for the next fifty years to young bad guy, Marty discovers a horrible alternate reality when he returns to the present where middle age bad guy is his step-dad and has killed his father, and Marty goes back to the fifties to try to get the sports book back and prevent bad guy from harming his Dad and has to dodge his other time traveling self, etc.!
And who can forget Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure where there is no concern about multiple time-traveling Bills and Teds meeting themselves in the convenience store parking lot! Whoooaaa! [Imagine guitar riff here!]
My husband reminded me that “bad guy”‘s name is Biff.
My brain has been so twiddled by this year’s geektastic Lost season of time-jumping/quantum physics/looping, that even thinking of applying it to WizWorld makes my brain cramp. And I looove time travel stories.
In the prequel vein, though, you could have a good character go back and attempt to prevent the Slytherin/Griffindor blowup/split, undoing the inter-house hostility and the suffering it caused. He/she certainly wouldn’t have to worry about the problem of seeing him/herself. Although the butterfly effect would completely toss out canon if the person was successful…or would it? Like Lost’s current conundrum, is it “whatever happened, happened” or “we can change the future”?
John, I’m thinking your plot line could work in the sequel version. Can we please make it someone other than Ludo? I like the idea of it being Runcorn (the wizard Harry impersonated at the ministry), who we hypothesize became a death eater during book 7 even if he wasn’t before, is eventually captured by Harry after his auror training and sent to Azkaban. When he gets out he digs up a Time Turner he had stolen from the Ministry when he was younger before the Ministry’s stock was destroyed, and decides to go back to the period right after the Battle of Hogwarts because Harry wasn’t fully trained then and would be easier to defeat (I don’t like the idea of Harry being grandfathered into an auror’s post; there’s just too much he hasn’t learned yet), and plans to kill Harry and steal the elder wand before Harry has the chance to put it back in D’s grave. [He tells Lucius his plot at Malfoy Manor etc. as you described.] We could have him try to ambush Harry in the Shrieking Shack when he goes back to retrieve Snape’s body. I would love it if the story involved Runcorn drinking Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Harry and the Epilogue trio betraying themselves to him (shades of A Wrinkle in Time, or is it A Wind in the Door; I forget which book had Meg having to figure out which of the three identical versions of her father is the real one and which are the imposters)! Having the Epilogue trio crawl through the tunnel under the whomping willow would do for the underground aspect of the alchemy (assuming Rose and Al have heard about the tunnel from their parents and can use Wingardium Leviosa to make a twig press the knot). I also like the idea of Goyle, who we hypothesize has been hiding since Ron and Hermione rescued him from the fiendfyre, helping the trio out as a way of repaying his life debt to R and H and out of friendship to Draco.
Ah, but if you’re saying this story is “Star Trek”-inspired, then the mere fact that the new trio time travels back into Harry’s time line means that history has been changed, we’re on an alternative time line already, and we can throw out everything we know of canon and start fresh!
Right?
(Let me say, I think that was a *brilliant* use of time travel in ST, because they couldn’t reboot the franchise from the beginning of the Kirk/Spock storyline, stay consistent to canon, and still make moves exciting enough for any other than the geekiest Trekii. But from here on out, I hope ST never uses time travel again.)
FWIW.
Trekii–love it! Hmm…are we Potterim? Potterites? Potterati? Pott-heads?
If we go the butterfly effect/alternative timeline route with HP, “throwing out all we know of canon and starting fresh,” why, we can spend *years* arguing over what constitutes canon again, can’t we!
John, I adore your basic premise! I wish Rowling would decide to do something similar.
Janet, I agree that the time travel set-up in Star Trek was brilliant. For a while, during the movie, I thought someone would go back and “fix” the things that had been changed. Then I thought, no, you idiot. This is perfect. It allows them to keep the basic premise of the characters and the Enterprise but write whole new adventures and surprise us all over again. Brilliant!
What a fun thread! I found myself laughing as I wended my way through the various comments. Having just seen the marvelous Star Trek film yesterday (how’s that for a mother’s day present…the afternoon off and a movie ticket!) I have to agree with everyone who says that time travel can be brilliantly employed but should be used sparingly.
I’m with Janet…now that they’ve fully rebooted ST, that should be the end of time travel for now! And Arabella, I was laughing and saying ‘me too!’ when I read you comment about this season’s LOST. My brain has been addled for many episodes now!
I think I’m grateful that JKR used time travel so very sparingly in HP, though the presence of those time turners does open up all sorts of tantalizing possibilities. If Snape could go back in time, what might he re-do, I wonder?
Ah, and I also meant to say that all of these time-travel tales and possibilities always harken me back to Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Swiftly Tilting Planet.” I find myself using her “might-have-been” terminology whenever I’m talking about these things!
I loved A Swiftly Tilting Planet. My favorite of the three.
Ah, Snape. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have more of the story told from his POV. I think he’d redo a lot of things. Might not have gotten him Lily, but might have made him a happier person. Why, he might even have gotten those Ray-Bans.
John… you’ve called me out – can’t I just lurk and live vicariously through other people’s comments?
As far as fan fiction, well I guess I’ll have to try to think of something, but when you say reagents and and catalysts, all I can think of is is my Organic Chemistry class! So maybe instead of having the trio take potions, they can travel to me, and finish chemistry for me instead!
Oh, and I certainly enjoyed this post as a member of the “Augustana Crowd”.
Stephanie
@Arabella–
I like “Potterati.” Nice!
Also @Arabella —
It *would* be interesting to see the story from Snape’s POV — sort of like “Ender’s Shadow” is to “Ender’s Game” (but even more interesting!). What a cool idea!
–Janet
Tom here from Augie. I think Albus, Rose and Scorpius would work pretty well together, although Albus’s alchemical journey would revolve around the contradictions of his own heritage. Yes he is the son of Harry and Ginny, but he still managed to be sorted into Slytherin. Harry had to find balance within himself because of the little piece of horocrux from Lord Voldemort, at the end of DH being his final form. Albus lives in a different world where it is very clear that Slytherns are viewed at a larger prejudice than before, seeing as most of the Deatheaters and Voldemort cause so much destruction. Scorpius would assume the role of Albus’s Ron, the stubborn and brash masculine half of the quarreling couple. Considering they’re all 11, he would be a pre-teen boy and this adventure would probably tempt him to try and be daring. He may try and push Albus to do actions to change the past in order to not necessarily benefit himself, but to help heal his family’s reputation. The other side of the spectrum would be Rose, the Gryphindor of the group. She would already be very close to Albus seeing as their families spent a lot of time together, so she would always be looking out for Albus’s safety. At the same time she acquired her mother’s intelligence, which would push her further into the feminine half of the quarreling couple. Her actions would be similar to Hermione’s when her and Harry used a time turner to save Sirius and Buckbeak, attempting to prevent changes to the future while stopping the time traveling Deatheater. I think that it could be perfectly possible for them to encounter a Alchemical headmaster (which I assume means someone who guides the three), perhaps they would run into Luna Lovegood. She’d care for Harry and her friends enough that helping their future children is a guarantee. Also being a Ravenclaw she’d be perceptive enough to understand the three’s situation and would know to not speak of the events again in order to insure the future remains stable and the same. I’m wondering if this time travel thing would be for only one specific year or stretch across several. In that case Rose Albus and Scorpius would be able to grow as characters, even though having this just be the first year would make sense for their first secret adventure. I don’t think the characters would be old enough to quite resolve Albus’s internal conflict, but it would be a good way to bring the three together to be close friends, beginning the transformation.
Tim here, also from Augustana. I see things a little differently. I like Tom’s description, but I see one major difference in my imaginary sequel/prequel. I think that the role of Rose and Scorpius would be swapped. After DH, I would think Draco has changed immensely and would raise his son to be a little more open-minded and possibly even Hermione-esque — definitely the mercury side of the spectrum. I can’t think of Rose as anything other than the combination of Hermione’s knowledge (and S.P.E.W. era spunk) and Ron’s brashness — totally sulfur. I can see the trio being much like the original. Because of the possibility of them being from different houses, and having no solid “common room” I can definitely see some more relaxed adventuring a la Books 1-3. It would be interesting to see who could be an alchemical headmaster. Who knows? Headmaster Longbottom sounds nice to me, Headmaster Luna Longbottom. A possible villain? How about a Carrow? I could see one of them or a descendant wanting revenge.
I sort of agree with the Tim and Tom. I feel that the trio may not be exactly the same though. If you look behind the reasonings for parts of their friendships, Ron, Harry and Hermione were all bound by their differences. Harry and Ron due to Ron being the first friend Harry had in the wizarding world, Hermione, once she put down her “geeky” side for a bit. All three of them came from completely different backgrounds, one wizarding, the other two from muggle-born guardians.
This new trio wouldn’t have met under the same circumstances (would have known each other well by then), so the initial friendships may be different. I mean, we can assume that Rose and Albus would have been friends well before ever attending school, and as Ron had known Draco as a child before attending school, they would both have at least known of Scorpius.
I’m at least under the impression that if the original 3 had met under different circumstances that their relationship may have differed. We could assume that Rose and Albus wouldn’t get married, but would Rose and Scorpius have the same battle for love that Ron and Hermione struggled with through the series?
As for a headmaster, why not McGonagall? Her age is never revealed, although according to HP-Lexicon Dumbledore was well over 100. She would seem to fit the personality traits of a good leader and would, in my opinion would be a good headmistress.
I think having Albus as the lead will further the alchemical process which Harry had started while also creating his own alchemical cycle along with Rose and Scorpius. It will continue what Harry had left after defeating Voldemort simply because this time, the hero will be a Slytherin. The second generation’s Slytherins will undoubtedly continue to have a bad rep due to the house being affiliated with Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. However, if Albus, Rose, and Scorpius are successful, Slytherin house will be redeemed furthering the change Harry had initiated during his time at Hogwarts.
As far as creating their own alchemical cycle, I agree with the others. Albus would play the same role as Harry, Rose as Hermione (Mercury) and Scorpius as Ron (Sulfur). However, unlike Ron and Hermione, the reasons for the quarreling would be quite different. Rose and Scorpius, I suspect, would struggle more with their backgrounds. Although Scorpius would undoubtedly have turned out to be a better man than his father and especially his grandfather I believe pride could get away and end up hurting Rose unintentionally (with a background of pure blood traitors and mudblood mother) or possibly even Rose hurting Scorpius for his bad rep occasionally.
As far as how they will manage to complete their task without an alchemical headmaster, I believe they will need to be given clues and catalysts from somewhere else. Possibly information they had previously received from their parents ? Hermione would have still had the Tales of Beetle and the Bard which were possibly read to Rose as a child? (They were, after all, supposed to be a children’s tale). They would be able to figure out what the Wand of Destiny was.
This is Ashley From Augustana–Priggie Potter class style.
As a prequel/sequel idea, the time turning idea is an interesting one that provides an enormous expanse of possibilities. I like the idea of Scorpius and Rose being the quarreling couple ( I wonder how Grandpa Malfoy feels about having a halfblood in the family) and Albus being the next androgyn. Especially since he represents the start to resolution between Gryffindor and Slytherin. However, in my own fan fiction turn of events, Teddy Lupin would be dragged into the picture as well. Possibly as visiting the relatives, he discovers what the three little ones are up to and plotting at gets dragged into the time jump as well. Now, there are five people from the future running around the battle of hogwarts. Why does this present even more of a problem? Along with trying to make sure the new trio doesn’t get in trouble, Teddy is distracted by the presence of his PARENTS! Lupin and Tonks are still alive at this point, and who knows when exactly they die. Teddy is now running around the battle trying to save his parents. He is presented with the very thing that Harry has been dreaming about since he was elven (i.e the mirror in the first book), to meet and save his dead parents. Perhaps Lupin is not the alchemic headmaster, but he could possibly be the alchemic ORPHAN of the series that presents reagents and catalysts at appropriate times in the series. Imagine that!
The alchemy of the new trio is the importance of the lead character being a Slytherin! The shadow of the Slytherin house has been altered as a result of what advancements and “purification” that has taken place in the seven books prior. Now with a new story to take place, the alternative shadow’s will present themselves in the form of a new set of alchemy that must takes place within the new cast.
Rats – the site ate my comment when I tried to post. 🙁
Let’s see if this one is more successful.
Rose and Scorpius as the quarrelling couple – sounds like a second chance for a Lily-Severus (Gryffindor-Slytherin) romance to work.
My theory of the background of the Epilogue three is this – Draco and his family are probably ostracized after the Battle of Hogwarts due to helping Harry and escaping punishment. Scorpius grows up relatively friendless and bullied by the children of former death eaters and Slytherins. Scorpius, Albus, and Rose meet and become friends on the Hogwarts Express. Scorpius, who would be sorted first of the three is sorted into Slytherin. Albus, who is next, bravely asks the Sorting Hat to put him in Slytherin so he can be a friend to Scorpius and so Scorpius won’t be isolated among bullying Slytherin housemates. Rose, who perhaps does not know you can ask the Sorting Hat to put you in a particular house, or perhaps really wants to be in Gryffindor and not Slytherin, is sorted into Gryffindor.
I would love to see conversations between the trio, esp. Albus, and the portraits in the Headmaster’s Study, esp. Dumbledore and Snape. Either of those portraits could be the alchemical headmaster.
I’m fairly certain that pre-Hogwarts education Scorpius won’t have too much to do with Rose or Albus, simply because their families haven’t ever really gotten together in the past. Rose and Albus, however, will definitely have had plenty of contact and are already friends. When Albus chooses to join Slytherin House is when the fusion of friendship between Houses really begins. By befriending Scorpious, Albus just further represents the ending of prejudices at Hogwarts that were previously intact.
I disagree with Lily Luna, however, about the Malfoys having been ostracized. At the end of Deathly Hallows all of the Houses come together in the common room and it is just the beginning. I feel as though some children of Death Eaters could potentially bully him, most children will regard him as a normal person and treat him equally because they are proud of what his family has overcome.
I can definitely picture Neville as an alchemical headmaster. He went through such an incredible change throughout the seven books, transforming from a clumsy loser into a noble hero. It is only suiting that he continues to excel in the wizarding world and what better than becoming headmaster. Luna would be a very interesting choice, and although I like her, she is still a little too ‘out there’ to be in charge of Hogwarts. McGonagall would also be another logical choice, but lets face it, but the time the trio enters Hogwarts her age will really be up there, whether she be over 100 or not. It would also be interesting to see someone become headmaster that is not a Gryffindor or Slytherin.
I like the idea of the time turner, however I’m not to sure if I’m keen on the whole plot. If I were writing a sequel it would have Albus as a role with Scorpius and Rose taking the places where Ron and Hermione were. I agree with Brandon when he talks about the fact that the cores of the relationship will be completely different then how Ron, Hermione and Harry meet. Rose and Albus are bond to know each other because of their parents being so close. Their relationship with Scorpius on the other hand would be possible because of Albus asking to be placed into Slytherin. The two boys would have most likely heard about each others families, and even though their parents did not necessarily get along when they were children, doesn’t meant that these two boys cannot be friends. The friendship between Albus and Scorpius (as Amber mentioned) would further the ‘end of the tunnel’ for blood status prejudices at Hogwarts. Part of me thinks that Albus would be exactly like his father and be the alchemical leader. Rose and Scorpius could be the quarreling couple, if they got together it would be even better example of how the houses are becoming less and less divided.
I agree with Amber, in that I think that Neville would be a great example of an alchemical headmaster. He transformed throughout the series, and even though our focus was more on Harry’s transformation, Neville went through a lot to get to where he was at the end. He proved himself and I think he would make a great headmaster.
Amber Brackett here from Augustana. I’ve found everyone’s comments thus far to be VERY interesting. I agree with most of my classmates comments, and some of John Granger’s thoughts. I do believe that Rose, Albus & Scorpius could become the next great trio, but they would take the whole plot toward a new direction. However, I also wonder, along with Amber Soike, if Scorpius would want anything to do with either Rose or Albus. Would he be just like his father and shun the new generation based on their families? I also believe that the literary alchemy in the story would be taken to a whole new level with this new trio. What is their motivation to go through an alchemical cycle? The sudden need to use the time turner and stop the Death Eater? The concept that intrigues me the most though is the fact that the trio would be led by a SLYTHERIN. What kind of effect will this have on the plot of the story? What kind of adventures will take place?
Overall, I do believe that a pre-sequel “time-turner” adventure is possible. You have all of the right tools for a new set-up in the new generation. However, due to the new generations differences from the last generation, (Albus is a Slytherin, Rose & Scorpius possibly a quarreling couple, etc.), and the motivation and alchemical process in place, it will be interesting to see how this new trio will change the old story…the story set by the old trio. However, a great story is in place nonetheless. All you have to do is turn the time-turner a few times…and you have a whole new story and sequel in place.
I meant that the Malfoys would be ostracized by their old circle of friends. And the wizarding world would not necessarily know what they did or if they could be trusted, especially Draco. I think Scorpius in Slytherin together with the children of Slytherins from Draco’s era is potentially a recipe for bullying. I also wonder what to make of Scorpius’ name. Why would Draco name him that? How might his name influence his personality or how others have treated him over the years? There’s also a bit of irony in that Draco hated the blast-ended screwts, which had scorpion stingers, but names his son after a scorpion.
I’ve always thought that Draco naming his son Scorpius was part of the Black family tradition of using constellations (or variations) to name their offspring.
I actually think it fits and sounds like something Draco would do even if he’s “reformed”. I mean Lucius, Draco, Scorpius are all pretty badass names. Gotta keep up the image!
I agree, jensenly, on the constellation naming, except that it should then have been Scorpio. There is a darker tint to Scorpius. Perhaps Rowling will address this in her Scottish book.
Actually, the astrological sign is Scorpio, but the constellation is Scorpius. I did a little bit of research on Scorpius. Orion the hunter boasted he was so good he could kill all the wild animals. Gaia was alarmed and sent Scorpius the scorpion to punish him. Scorpius stung Orion on the heel, showing that even a small creature like him could bring down the mighty hunter. Both were placed in the sky at opposite ends so that they are never in the sky at the same time. One source I looked at said Scorpius represents death, darkness, and evil, but also noted that the farther south you go, the higher in the sky Scorpius is and the less evil people believed Scorpius to be.
Scorpius is one of the brightest of the larger constellations. According to another source one of Scorpius’ stars is Alpha Scorpii, better known as Antares (“Rival of Mars”), one of the four Royal Stars of the ancients, along with Aldebaran, Regulus, and Formalhaut. It glitters with an unusual metallic red while the entire region is bathed in a pale red nebula, lit from the same star. Antares has a visual binary – i.e. is a double star. (Alchemical imagery anyone?)
Also located in Scorpius:
Beta Scorpii, another double star with contrasting white and bluish-green colors;
Nu Scorpii, a double-double (multiple system of four stars);
Xi Scorpii, another multiple system;
Sigma Scorpii, a double with a faint companion; and
assorted clusters, including one called “The Butterfly Cluster.”
Lily Luna, thanks for all this great information! Fascinating and I wonder what John will make of it.