Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
Chapter Twenty-Nine: House of the Rising Sun
I.
Several Years Later.
A small house in Cornwall was fairly remote and out of the way when the young man, with headphones in his ears, arrived at the doorstep, carrying the newspaper, the latest edition of The Guardian, with him on his bicycle. He was to all intents and purposes, a delivery boy, doing his rounds. He'd come to this house out of curiosity, more than anything, after a chance meeting with a middle-aged woman in her early forties, who was, despite the age, apparently pregnant. The house itself was out of his league too, he was never going to be able to afford the rather luxuries building that looked like it had been fairly expensive on the property market, despite its fairly old-fashioned look and feel. There were no garages and no sign of any car, which was odd, especially when this was the type of neighbourhood that you needed a car to go anywhere because the buses were far too unreliable and the nearest town was too far away to walk. The music, God Only Knows from The Beach Boys, a favourite of his father's, was quickly switched off when he approached the wooden door, and knocked three times.
The door remained close for a matter of minutes before being opened, revealing an old man who was waiting for him. The man himself boasted old, tired and greying hair, and he was clearly frustrated with the young boy's presence before him. "What do you want?" he growled. "Can't you see the sign?"
The boy turned around to the sign, which said No Visitors. "Sorry. I just wanted to deliver the paper."
"I don't normally get papers. I can't remember the last time I bought one. Sorry, kid."
"Oh, and I also wanted to ask you something," said the boy. "Does the name Harry Potter mean anything to you? There's a woman in town, she was walking around with a picture of him and wondering if anyone had seen him. I was checking people's houses to see if they knew, and yours was the last one on my list."
"I thought you were selling papers."
"I was, as well."
"Hmm. Is it really twenty-twenty four?" the man raised an eyebrow, glancing across at the boy with confusion. "And you still use bicycles?"
"Well, we're not quite at The Bell Riots just yet," said the boy, wondering how the man could possibly not know what year it was. The boy noticed that the man was clearly not a fan of classic television as well, with the casual Star Trek Deep Space Nine reference passing him by. Maybe he conceded, it was a bit too obscure. "I'm sorry. You never said. Does the name Harry Potter mean anything to you? It's just, I kind of promised the woman that I'd give her my answer."
"Unfortunately, son, you've come to the wrong place," said Remus Lupin, glancing down at the young boy. "No. I must admit; the name Harry Potter does not mean anything to me. I don't know him."
"Well, if you ever change your mind," said the boy. "The woman said she'd be in town at the record store until tomorrow evening, she's staying with a friend who works there. She says she'd love to see him again. I mean, even if you don't know where he is, you might know someone who does."
"Interesting," said Lupin. "This woman, she didn't happen to leave a name, did she?"
"As a matter of fact she did," said the boy. "Harper Potter, sir. I was wondering if they might be related. She didn't say, so I guessed so."
"Harper Potter?" said Lupin, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I must say, you have certainly come to the wrong place. That name does not ring a bell at all."
II.
Now.
Albus Dumbledore heard the knock on the door, and wasn't surprised, but no less alarmed, to see McGonagall enter, bringing the Potter twins in tow. They formed a horizontal line across the doorway in front of him, with McGonagall at the centre and both twins on either side. "Ah, Minerva. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I think you are smart enough to know why I am here, Albus," said McGonagall, dropping the pretence of being her normal self almost instantly. She knew that Dumbledore knew, or at least suspected that she was brainwashed, and there was no need to keep up the façade. "I come on behalf of someone far greater than you or I."
"Far more terrible, you mean," Dumbledore corrected her. "I assume I am addressing the so-called Mordred right now?"
"So-called," Minerva said, although it was not in her own voice, but the voice of another. "How dare you address me by that. I am the greatest wizard to ever have walked this Earth. I brought an end to Camelot, the greatest of Kingdoms. My very name sparks fear into any creature old enough to remember my time on this wretched Earth. Your Dark Lord is nothing but a misguided child compared to the devastation that I can unleash upon this world. He is nothing more than a fraud, a pretender, not worthy of the title."
"Well in that case, know that you will be stopped. Maybe not by me, not today or maybe not even tomorrow, but know this. There will always be people who are willing to fight you. To stop you. I will do my utmost to fight you, even if it means sacrificing my life as a consequence. You have already lost, Mordred. You just don't know it yet."
"Foolish old man. You know you cannot win," Mordred spoke. "And after all, how will your allies be able to stop me… when they're too busy stopping you?"
"You are mistaken. I will never join you."
Minerva opened her mouth, and Mordred spoke again. "I am never wrong, Dumbledore. I did bring your Chosen One here after all for a reason."
Like puppets, both Samuel and Harper raised knives from behind their backs and began to hold them to each other's throat. Minerva went for her wand, before Dumbledore could go to his, just in case he could try something, she would distract him. Dumbledore put the scenarios together and saw no other outcome that even one as powerful as him would not be able to stop his transfiguration teacher and save the siblings. And if Samuel was killed by his own hand, then not only would his parents never forgive Dumbledore, but also, there would be no way of stopping Voldemort. "Don't think I won't do it, Headmaster," Samuel said. "You know I will. You know what you have to do."
Fawkes gave a cry of despair, sensing that his master was in danger. However, before he could swoop down, Minerva waved her wand, and a cage appeared around the bird within seconds that even a Phoenix could not break. "A Phoenix. How cute," said Mordred. "I used to deal with dragons on a daily basis. Do you not think I knew how do stop a creature that was far more powerful in my time?"
Fawkes vanished from view, leaving the room behind. "It looks like Fawkes still has a few tricks up his sleeve," said Dumbledore with a smile. "His help is needed elsewhere."
"Lay down your wand, please. You attempt to flee the situation, or if your bird returns with reinforcements in any shape or form," Mordred said, "You know what this means."
"I do," said Dumbledore, with a nod. "I will never stop resisting you, Mordred. You may have control over me but you will never know the full secrets of my mind."
"Oh? Once I control your mind I will have full access to all its secrets. There is nothing you can do to stop me."
"Obliviate," Dumbledore said, pointing the wand directly at himself, knowing that the best he could do in this situation was prevent Mordred from finding out anything else that he could, anything that might be dangerous information in the wrong hands, in his mind.
"No!" The frustration that Mordred was displaying was evident in his face.
"What do we do now, Master?" Sam asked, glancing up at his leader, and then across at a dazed and confused Dumbledore, who was trying to wonder where he was."
"Never mind. Our plans are far from ruined, gaining extra knowledge from a great mind would only have been a luxury that we can afford to do without. We still have Albus Dumbledore, who even without his mind, his name and status still carries weight in the wizarding world. We just have to tell him what to do… and point him in the right direction."
III.
Harry, disguised as Sirius, arrived at Department of Mysteries with James to find it empty. The defences were still in place around the Spear, and the guard, a former resident of Bosnia having left because of the muggle war that had spilled into muggle territory, named Sead Milik, was still standing tall on duty. "Sirs," he said, in broken English. "What brings you here?"
"Apparently it looks like the news about the attack on the Ministry was nothing more than a fake," said James, turning to Harry. "Looks like Moody's still in the prank-pulling business. Good job I told the others to wait outside. Saves me the embarrassment."
"I wouldn't be so sure," mused Harry. "Besides… why would Moody of all people know? He's been at Hogwarts for the whole year, he doesn't have any connections within the Death Eaters… unless…"
"Moody's not Moody," an expression dawned on James' face. "I knew there was something more to that attack the day before he came to Hogwarts. I should have investigated further but that explains what he's been drinking all year. Polyjuice. The question is… who could it be?"
"Looks like we're about to find out," said Harry, glancing across the hallway at where they had just come. Dozens of Inferni poured down the hallway, covering it with the bodies of the dead. "These guys just can't catch a break, can they?"
"Inferni, well that's just great," said James, glancing to Sead. "There's an apparition point for Ministry personnel in the hallway back there, I need you to guard it in case it's compromised."
"But what about the Inferni?"
"We can take care of that. It'll be just like the old days, won't it Sirius?"
"Yeah, you and me, fighting back to back," said Harry, hoping that James wasn't about to question him. He didn't.
"Okay, so how do you want to play this?"
"Well I think we can at least use a little bit of style. I've been talking to Harry recently, and he said that fighting with music is a pretty great way of doing it. Muggle music, especially," said Harry, feeling weird that he had just addressed to himself in first person. "He gave me this, too."
"What's that?"
"Some kind of music player."
"Well, let's hit it. I'll have something to talk to my son to about the next time we chat," said James, not realising that he was talking to Harry. "Besides, it'll liven up the atmosphere."
"Alright," said Harry, and pressed play as James fired his wand. Instantly, the room plunged into darkness so the Inferni would not get a clear sight vision, and the spells fired by James and Sirius only served to light up the room. The music was amplified around the room using the same spell that Harry had achieved with Safety Dance earlier in the year, and was disappointed to find out that the wizards had come up with a way to shut it down from its endless loop. Instead Safety Dance was gone, replaced by Jim Croce's I Got A Name. The music began to play throughout the course of the fight, and it wasn't long before James and Harry were pushed back into the room with the Spear, outnumbered by the endless force of the Inferni. They had held their edge for a while, but the numbers just kept on coming, and they were running out of room between them and the Spear.
"Bombarda!" Harry said, casting a spell that blasted of the Inferni near him into smithereens, and he watched James unleash torrent after torrent of spell that showed just how good his father was, and it was clear why his parents had successfully stood up to Voldemort back in the last Wizarding War so many times. This was a man who was good at what he did, why he earned the Chief Auror post was clear to anyone in the room, and as he watched James withstand the Inferni, he knew that his father had talent. Multiple spells fired at the zombie-esque beings, but that did not stop more from coming towards them and eventually, James was forced to duck behind the suspended Spear for cover, careful not to touch it.
"Do you have a way of contacting reinforcements?"
"Not without getting to Sead," said James. "What about you?"
"No," said Harry, realising that he'd left his earpieces in the jacket that he'd left behind when he was taking Sirius'. Besides, he couldn't really use them without blowing both his and Lupin's cover. "So I guess this it, huh? Want to go out like Butch and Sundance?"
James raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh, a muggle movie," Harry said, and James nodded in understanding.
"I think we both know that you're not Sirius Black," said James, as Harry realised his mistake of slipping back into his old ways of referencing muggle culture, something that he could not do as Sirius, who was still very much part of pureblood culture. He probably should have put more thought into protecting the disguise, but at this point, he honestly admitted to himself that he didn't really care that much what happened next. "I never thought I'd get the chance to fight alongside my son. For what it's worth, you being The Man in the Suit? I don't care anymore. I'm proud of you for what you've achieved. Tell me… was all of this on your own or did you have help?"
"I suppose the game's up," said Harry. "I had help from Professor Lupin. You know that you've arrested the wrong guy, right?"
"I do," James said. "But he was on criminal charges anyway and we busted him for reasons that didn't have to do with The Man in the Suit. I knew you wouldn't stoop to that level of pretty crime, you're too honourable for that. There's too much of your mother in you."
Harry fired another couple of spells back in the direction of the Inferni. "Well, that's better than not arresting me on first sight, I guess."
"I've come to the conclusion that you're more valuable on my side, for now, at least," James said. "Plus, don't forget, you are my son, after all."
"Well, we're not out of the woods yet," Harry said. "We'll have to save that for later And there's trouble back at Hogwarts that we need to attend to."
"What kind?"
"Too much to go into now. Let's just say it makes Voldemort look like a child in comparison," said Harry, causing James to pale.
"Merlin's Beard."
"Something along those lines, yes," said Harry. "But none of that matters unless we stop the Death Eaters from getting the Spear of Destiny."
"Speaking of Death Eaters, I still haven't seen any yet," said James, glancing around at the room. "You'd think there'd be at least one with the Inferni."
Suddenly, before Harry and James could counter another spell, a bright light filled the room from behind them. They looked up to see Fawkes the Phoenix, having appeared out of nowhere in front of them, called to their aid in their darkest hour. Light filled the room, fire descended from the heavens and the Inferni were vanquished in an all-consuming blast of flame from the Phoenix, that didn't hold anything back in unleashing its fury against creatures it deemed to be the enemy. "Fawkes!" Harry couldn't help but look excited at the Phoenix's appearance, but noticing its look of discomfort, realised that something was wrong. "Oh no. Dumbledore."
"What?"
"The only reason why Fawkes is here is because Hogwarts has fallen," Harry said, recognising the message conveyed by the Phoenix. "We have to go, and we have to take the Spear with us. It's not safe here."
"And you're going to take it into even greater danger than before?" asked James, clearly sceptical.
"Well, obviously it's not safe at the Ministry," said Harry. "Two attacks already. There's going to be a third. Plus, maybe, if the Death Eaters do come for Hogwarts, they can keep Mordred busy while we work out how to stop him. And there's always Dumbledore."
Fawkes shook his head, as Harry understood what that implied by the Phoenix's distraught, sad reaction. "Okay, there's no Dumbledore."
"Wait, Dumbledore's dead?" James immediately feared the worst.
"No," translating the other shake of Fawkes' head. "But judging by Fawkes' reaction, I think it can be safe to assume that Mordred has made his move. Hogwarts has fallen… and Dumbledore with it."
"What about Lily? And your siblings? We need to get back there now."
"Hopefully, they've gotten out in time," said Harry. "But yeah, that's where we're going, now. It's just that there's one problem."
"What's that?"
"Getting out of the Ministry is going to take a while. There's Inferni everywhere. Fawkes may have taken out the group in the Department of Mysteries, but the Ministry's overrun. We'll have to clear that first."
"With the Spear?"
"I don't know how to use it, but it's a good idea not to touch it," said Harry. "Do you have any gloves?"
"Does it look like I have any gloves? You're a wizard. Transfigure them," instructed James. Harry followed his instructions, and clasped the Spear, removing from its protective influence that kept it suspended in place. It felt heavy in his hands and he spun it around like a dual-wielded lightsaber for a second. "Just to let you know, you are holding the most powerful weapon in existence. For the love of Merlin,I'd appreciate it if you tried not to drop it."
"Don't worry," said Harry, protected from its influence as long as it didn't touch his exposed skin. "I know what I'm dealing with here."
"What about Sirius?" James asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry. "Is he okay?"
"I presume so," said Harry. "I stunned him and left him on the outside of the Forbidden Forest near Hagrid's hut. If Hagrid hasn't found him by now…"
"You're wearing his clothes?"
"Yes."
"Did you leave him any spare?"
"No."
"He's going to hate you for that," James smiled, but couldn't help but laugh at this. He had been a prankster in his childhood, after all. "Alright. Let's hit the road. Here's a game me and Sirius used to play when we fought Inferni in the War. See how many you can kill. The loser buys the winner a drink."
"I'll hold you to that," said Harry. "I think I'm going to need one after this."
Father and son walked out the door, Fawkes following suit, as the music continued to play.
IV.
Students, teachers and staff from all three schools made their way into the Great Hall. A few were looking confused but mostly relieved as to being pulled from their classes, and as the teachers shuffled up the steps, they began to wonder why there were glasses filled with what looked like water in front of them. By this point, around fifty per cent of Hogwarts had fallen under Mordred's brainwashing charms, so they seemed to be less confused than the others, but there was no way of knowing to the outsider what was going on, so their lack of reaction was perfectly understandable at this point. In the Great Hall, Harper and Sam sat next to each other. "That's pretty much everyone," confirmed Sam, keeping his voice low. "We're only missing two of the champions, and two of our relatives. Plus, Sirius Black."
"Don't worry," Harper replied. "If they're not here immediately, we can convert them later. Having the sheer weight of numbers on our hand will make converting certain individuals a lot easier than expected."
"Very well," said Sam. "Then let the speech begin."
Dumbledore stood up to address the crowd. "You are probably wondering why I have gathered you all here on such short notice, and for that I must appreciate you for complying with an old man's wishes. With recent developments, I must disclose that there has been a new curse that has spread around Hogwarts. Several students appear to have already been infected. But do not worry. They are being provided with the cure as I speak to you now. And in this moment, I have been fortunate enough to have access to a pre-emptive potion that can prevent anyone in the castle from even being infected by Epimetheus' Folly in the first place. You must understand that it is compulsory that everyone takes this potion as soon as possible, to prevent the curse from spreading, of course."
A few whispers ran around the room, a few voices of objections at taking an unfamiliar substance. "To prove that I am not trying to convince you to take a suspicious substance, I have asked several volunteers who I place my utmost trust in, to take the cure as an example and lead the way. If these students could possibly stand up before us now, and take the swig from the glass, that would be greatly appreciated," Dumbledore declared.
Harper and Sam stood up, followed by several others, multiple students from various houses and the two schools, and even Minerva herself, one by-one. They raised the glass, and took a swig. "Now, what does it taste like, Samuel?" Dumbledore addressed the Boy Who Lived, knowing that was who students would put their faith in the most.
"Water, Headmaster."
"Well there you have it," said Dumbledore, sensing that he was winning over the crowd. The combined array of support from different friend groups really helped matters in convincing the student body that this was genuine, and converting the son of an influential Death Eater early on had been one of the main strengths of the campaign of corruption. "No poison. Just a cure. No after-effects. I can reveal that I myself have taken the cure three days ago, and have not currently experienced any ill-treatments from its process. You will barely notice any difference, and best of all, you no longer have to be worried about ever being affected by Epimetheus' Folly. Please, take it. I insist. Toast to whoever you want."
Before calling the meeting, McGonagall had put a compulsion spell on the multiple tables and chairs to make sure that anyone who sat in them was more likely to follow Dumbledore's bidding, so gradually, around the room, they began to take the apparent antidote one by one. Sooner, rather than later, everyone had fallen, even proud, independent figures like Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape. By the end, the already-corrupted stood around the unconscious bodies of their new comrades, and in a matter of half an hour, the great school of Hogwarts, with all its ancient history looming over it as one of the finest wizarding schools that the world had ever seen, would never be the same again.
V.
A bloodied, tired and exhausted father and son made their way to the entrance of the Ministry of Magic, leaving corridors of Inferni corpses behind them. "One hundred and thirty," Harry concluded, resting the Spear down on the floor. It too was covered in blood, and because no human flesh had touched it, it served its purpose as nothing more than just a weapon, something that James was surprised that Harry actually knew how to use. "What about you?"
James brought down the last Inferni by the door. "One hundred and twenty-one. I guess the next rounds on me. Um. Harry, I should probably tell you… but your pocket appears to be on fire."
"Oh no, that's not good," Harry said, feeling the pain seconds later, and quickly put it out with his wand, withdrawing the charred remains of parchment that was left behind. "No. No. No. No."
"What's that?" James glanced over Harry's shoulder at the ruined remains of Slytherin's map.
"You want to know how I got around so quickly?" Harry said, gesturing at the parchment. "That was it. The map. It told me who was in danger and where they'd be, often before the danger happened."
"That is… remarkable," said James. "Did you create it?"
"No, I just borrowed it," said Harry. "Sorry. Can't tell you who created it. Besides, you wouldn't believe me, and it doesn't matter much now. It's dead. I can't see how, no Inferni touched me."
"I guess you're right. It doesn't matter now. The Man in the Suit. The whole personal vendetta that I had against you. It really doesn't matter at all," said James. "There are far bigger fish to fry. But I do have one theory. Such concentrated magic kept suspended in one place, so many people in danger at a single time may have caused the map to implode. It's something that happened a couple of times during the early drafts of a similar map that I was working on when I was younger. It didn't show me who was in danger though, of course."
"Well," said Harry. "That settles that, I guess. Did Sead make it out okay?"
The lift that ascended to the surface descended, its doors opening wide in front of them to reveal blood everywhere, human bodies lying in bits and pieces around the room. Sead's was torn from his body, held in mid-air by none other than Fenir Greyback, a vicious werewolf who was one of Voldemort's more unhinged followers. The bodies on the floor were James' elite team of Aurors, or at least, what was left of them, soaked in blood and guts. Greyback's bloody face betrayed a cruel smile. "Ah, gentlemen. I must say, thank you for bringing the Spear directly to me. You've made this task a whole lot easier than I thought it could have ever been. Maybe if I'll hand it over, I'll let you live."
"Sorry, Fenir, you called at a really bad time. I've got a school that I need to save, and I really don't have time for this," said Harry, blasting the werewolf back into the lift and using his wand to close the door once Greyback had smashed into the back of the machine. As James kept Greyback held firmly in place, Harry used his wand to bring the lift up to the top floor, before dropping the magic that kept it ascending and let it plummet from the entrance to the lowest floor at a rapid speed, ensuring that not even a Werewolf would be in one piece after that.
"Is he even alive?" James looked down the empty elevator shaft into the abyss, that he couldn't even see the bottom of. "Actually, please don't tell me the answer. Did anyone tell you how scary you are?"
"I don't need you to tell me. Greyback hurt people I care about," said Harry. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."
"He hurt people I care about too," James said, realising that they were both probably talking about the same person, but cleared his throat, feeling numb from what had just happened, taking a moment to compose himself as Fawkes sat around merrily in the background, without a care in the world, "So… I guess this means we're taking the floo?"
TO BE CONTINUED…
So, Harry and James have a bit of father and son bonding while Dumbledore takes over Hogwarts for Mordred. At this point, presume everyone in Hogwarts apart from those mentioned is infected (and Lupin, who isn't considered a resident of Hogwarts by the Cult and therefore wasn't invited). Also, no matter what the brainwashed Dumbledore said they were all going to end up taking the potion anyway because of the compulsion spells on the tables and chairs, so he could have said anything.
I'd like to take a few moments to address some of the main problems that people seem to be having so far with the story that I've seen crop up in a couple of reviews, the main one being Harry getting knocked out by Harper, who is a 12-year-old. Firstly, to counterbalance this, Harry wasn't expecting anything from Harper (remember, she's family, and was the one who warmed up to him first), and had his guard down as he wasn't on Man in the Suit duty at the time. You've got to remember he's also only sixteen, and he isn't a God-like Harry with omnipresent powers. He can't see everything coming, remember, he was also fooled by Bellatrix at the beginning. And this isn't just any ordinary 12-year-old we're talking about, we're talking about the sister of The Boy Who Lived, who is likely to have had extra training beyond her years by her parents to protect her from anybody who wants to come after her to get to her brother. So, she can handle herself well in a fight. Hopefully that clears that up.
Another criticism I've seen is that there's a heck of a lot of plot going on here so people tend to think that I've been ignoring stuff and whilst that's largely true, there is a lot of stuff going on here for just one fic (and probably too much), everything that I've addressed has been planned for. I know exactly where I'm going, it's not like I'm making this up as I go along. I knew where I wanted to take this story pretty much from the get go. Any subplots such as the Riddle in Harry's brain plot will be resolved by the story's end (remember, he said that he'd be back soon, giving Harry a stay of absence, as he knows that if he interferes he could possibly distract Harry during this time and then he wouldn't have his brain to screw with anymore if the distraction ended up getting Harry killed, so the faux Riddle will be back soon and the next time he comes back the mystery will be resolved concerning his identity and who he is). The decision to take the Spear to Hogwarts will be addressed in the next chapter too, more so than just this.
I hope those who wanted to see Harry unleash his vigilante side were satisfied with this chapter. He's still there, so those tuning in to see vigilante Harry hopefully won't be disappointed by the story's end. Remember, like everyone else, he's human and has his flaws and weaknesses. The portrayal of Harry in this fic is something that has been the biggest cause for different opinions in the reviews that I've gotten so far – some people are calling him too weak whilst others are calling him too Mary-Sue-ish. So it's interesting to see people's reactions, and keep them coming. Good or bad, I'll always do my best to read them and take people's opinions on board.
The scene set in the future at the beginning is something that hints at where the story is headed, but it does not necessarily mean that that is the endgame. Alternate realities and suchlike have come into play in the past, for once.
Instead of a film/fic recommendation this chapter I thought I'd provide you with the five main influences for this fic beyond the Harry Potter stories themselves so you can check them out if you can.
The Leftovers. This show recently finished its awesome run and I included a homage to it in the opening scene of this chapter, so props to you if you caught that. There's a lot of stuff in the show that influences particularly the later chapters of this fic, but that might be a bit too much of a spoiler to say more.
FX's Legion. The faux Tom Riddle and going inside the mind-stuff was largely all from here. Plus the scene with Harry and Fleur's first meeting was also influenced by the meeting between Rachel and David in the show.
Guardians of the Galaxy / Vol. 2, as you've probably guessed from some of the music choices in the chapter titles and the cover image. Mainly for the team dynamic between the Champions and the music factoring into the plot. My Harry has a lot of Peter Quill in him. Also, Fawkes is going to play a Rocket/Baby Groot esque role in the chapters to come, so keep an eye out for that.
Person of Interest. As I've already stated. Harry is kind of a mix of Reese/Peter/Harry in this fic blending personalities from all 3. This played a large role in Slytherin's map factoring into this fic as well as the dynamic with Tonks and Fletcher representing Carter and Fusco respectively, with Lupin operating as Finch.
American Gods. If you want something to blame for the lots of random side seemingly unconnected plots such as the muggles investigating Lupin's house, blame this show. It has a lot of that. But again, I have a plan to tie the muggles back into the main plot even if they don't directly appear themselves. One day I'm tempted to do an American Gods style fic as well, exploring what happened if as many Gods from different faiths as possible all existed in various different forms in the Potter verse and what their incarnations would be.
There's also a more general Doctor Who influence in this fic from various episodes, as well as other elements, but the ones above are the main ones. The Magicians as well is another influence that I've already stated, so make of that what you will. For now, I fear I've let this authors note ramble on far too long so I'll leave it there.
