Thank you to everyone who has ever read Salazar's Encore and especially those that reviewed! It's been over six years since I've added to Corvy's story. Real life got in the way, in good ways and bad ways, and then for a wee stretch I didn't give this story much thought. Then suddenly Corvus and the Salesmen popped in for a spell, clouding my head with nostalgia. I loved locking myself away for hours, obsessively rereading JK Rowling's work to find space to fit my Slytherin stories into. And it's become almost a yearly thing where I'll try to sit back down at the computer to finish their story, but sadly it's just not coming out of me! Serious creative constipation people!
Back in 2015 Notallslytherins suggested I share an outline of what I'd been planning to do with Salazar's Salesmen and how I was going to end it. I always had an outline, and I want to share that because I guess I've come to accept the fact I'm not going to finish writing this story.
The outline below is mostly from memory, I did have one typed out and saved on a USB stick that was lost during a move.
Rewrites to Somethings Are Regrettable
I wrote STAR and these Salesmen stories when I was in high school. And yes, a few things feel very high school. I wanted to rewrite STAR to essentially play down Leandra's relationship with Sirius. It's weird for her to go from brother to brother, but considering I was just some drama-loving, hormonal teenage fool, it made sense at the time. I wanted to write it so that Leandra and Sirius never get together after Regulus' death, they are just friends. Sirius has feelings for her, but he's respectful enough to give her space.
Then I would've wanted to rewrite their scenes together in Salazar's Salesmen and beyond. Have it that they are like testing the waters. It's been a lot of time, and Sirius is emotionally scarred. Leandra too! Still a romance, but not as defined as I wrote it originally. There would still be the false tabloid stories that confuses Corvus enough to think Sirius is his real dad in PoA.
Another major thing I wanted to rewrite in Somethings are Regrettable was Leandra finding out about Voldemort's Horcrux cave/dungeon where he places the locket. I actually wanted to take that part out, she doesn't find out about the Horcrux but Regulus does. I wanted that to be his big quest, with virtually no one else realizing it. There was a lot about Somethings are Regrettable that I wanted to rewrite, I guess that's the problem with writing fanfiction in high school…
Also I really wish I had given Ascanius another name. Have you ever tried saying that name out loud? What was I thinking?! There are plenty of other Roman/Greek names I could've used.
Goblet of Fire
So close to finishing that section…
Leandra was going to publicly support Fudge and deny that Voldemort was back from the dead. Preferring to be with his friends, Corvus sneaks out of the hospital wing but not before checking in on Harry. They would've shared an awkward scene where Harry thanks Corvus and Corvus commends him on how he stood up against Voldemort.
Back in his dormitory, Louis and Anwar would still be awake. They reconcile quick, especially knowing that Corvus was nearly killed that night. Corvus would confine in them what happened to Cedric Diggory.
When Dumbledore gives his speech, Corvus would be watching Potter's reaction like everyone else in the Great Hall. He's seeing Potter in a new light, and he feels guilty for how much of prick he'd been to him in the past.
On the Hogwarts Express back home, Corvus would have come across the Trio versus Malfoy. In this scene I imagine Malfoy would've implored Corvus to be on his side/agree with him, and Corvus would just have turned his back on him. I would end the GoF section with Corvus not knowing what his role he wanted to play in the upcoming events.
Order of the Phoenix
I was looking forward to this section the most! This section would be about Corvus making a choice, is he going to fight or is he going to hide? This is also a time when he's brought face to face with his family and heritage as gray-magic users at best.
Before Hogwarts
When the Order needs a hideout place, Corvus is brought to Gringotts for Grimmauld Place's deed. I pictured him stepping into his father's family's vault, like he was stepping back in time in a very dark, evil place. There'd be lots of old tomes about Dark Magic, artefacts that radiated evil, things like that.
Grimmauld Place would be a difficult place. At first Walburga's portrait is overjoyed to see Corvus, but she quickly calls him a blood-traitor when she sees who else he brings to the house. Besides Walburga was never a fan of Leandra. Kreacher adores Corvus. Coco gets very jealous another House-Elf is serving her humans. For his part, Corvus is polite to Kreacher, given how he's always had a House-Elf that's treated kindly. Kreacher often mentions Regulus, and Corvus is very interested to hear more about how his father was, but Kreacher is a little incoherent and he often becomes sad/ashamed at the memory of Regulus.
As we know from the novel, Sirius grows resentful while locked away in his childhood home. His attitude is quite toxic, he constantly rubs Corvus the wrong way and it's difficult for Corvus to be around him. I wanted to have Corvus to remind Sirius too much of Regulus, just like he confuses Harry for James.
Corvus also must deal with sharing a home with the Weasleys! A lot of bodies in one house. A lot of the time Corvus will turn into a crow just to hide from everyone. It's possibly the worst summer of his life and he has a lot of changes to process.
When Harry joins the household, Corvus overhears his outburst through the wall. The following morning they talk to each other. Corvus tells him he can relate to how Harry feels, considering his mother kept the truth from him until the Ministry came knocking on their door. Corvus is consciously trying to be a decent person towards Harry.
Leandra
That summer will involve her giving interviews and publicly supporting of Fudge. Terrified that Ascanius could come for Corvus at any given moment, she doesn't sleep well. She tells Dumbledore that she wants to take Corvus out of Hogwarts for his safety, but Dumbledore assures her that Hogwarts/Slytherin needs someone like Corvus now more than ever.
Leandra helps rescue Harry from the Dursleys. She and Tonks have a brief discussion about their love lives. Leandra remarks that things have been with Sirius. He's unhappy with where he's at, stuck at home, and she's riddled with fear and anxiety about Ascanius. They would be finished as a couple by the end of the OotP, obviously before he died! Like maybe they are having 'the talk' when they get the call that the kids are in trouble? I wanted it to be a bittersweet kind of ending for them, time and circumstances were never in their favor.
Hogwarts
The Salesmen speak about how this year would be different. Max insists that they keep things going as normal but keep an eye out for any peculiar orders. They all agree they won't let the Salesmen be used in anything nefarious. They start selling issues of the Quibbler after Umbridge bans it from school.
Louis will have heard from Goyle that Jeremy Petzold wasn't returning to Hogwarts. Word on the street was that he'd started working for the Death Eaters. Doing what, they have no idea.
When Dumbledore's Army is forming, the Salesmen will not be a part of it at first. Hermoine will ask Corvus' advice regarding magically binding contracts. That's the most they will contribute to DA, until the Azkaban breakout. Then Louis & Anwar will join.
Umbridge
This one was a hard one! At first, I thought she'd mistrust Corvus, but I think she'd like him if he doesn't rock the boat. And Corvus will try not to, but then Umbridge would find a student with contraband and she'll begin to hear about the Salesmen. Corvus will deflect her suspicions by suggesting the Weasley twins are behind it. This will satisfy her enough.
When Potter's interview comes out in the Quibbler, Max will come up with the idea of joining Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. He wants to be a mole and suggests that Corvus join him, but Corvus feels like his after-school activities keep him busy enough.
I also imagine that Louis would kiss up to Umbridge and she'd adore him. He's such a shameless flirt.
Malfoy
A lot of mistrust between Malfoy and Corvus. He doesn't forget how Corvus turned his back on him before the summer while aboard the Hogwarts Express. Corvus gets the sense that Malfoy is trying to gauge where Corvus' and his mother's true allegiance lies. For his part, Corvus acts like he doesn't believe Dumbledore and doesn't believe Voldemort is back. He challenges Malfoy to show him evidence and of course he can't.
Since they're both Prefects, at points the two of them will share duties. At least once, Corvus would ask Malfoy what he knew of their shared family. I also wanted them to have a conversation about being a Death Eater destroyed Corvus' family on both sides with Ascanius and Regulus. Voldemort doesn't care about spilling pureblood. And he doesn't care about his followers' families. Loyalty doesn't protect anyone. Obviously we know that Draco learns that on his own.
Teenage Love
Corvus will eventually ask out Marietta after missing a lot of hints from her. She meets up with him after her DA meeting, she gives too many details about the meeting and also complains that the only reason she's joined is because Cho fancies Harry and wanted a wing-woman.
Corvus is completely shocked to hear this, but quickly puts the pieces together. Max will have been rather withdrawn and crabby that year. He will also let on that he broke up with Breisis over the summer, shortly after the end of term. And of course, everyone knows Max loves Cho. Towards the end of the OotP section, it will be revealed that summer Max and Cho were writing letters to each other a lot, but when they arrived at school Cho practically ignored him. They will not sit next to each other in Potions.
Marietta and Corvus fizzle out by Valentine's Day. Harry and Corvus would share a moment where they both remark how rubbish they are with the opposite sex. Louis is dating Milvina again, but they break up. Daphne is with Blaise Zabini and they break up shortly after the Azkaban breakout.
Azkaban Breakout
It will have been Ascanius' dirty work. I'm pretty sure in the books it's Voldemort that breaks them all out, and yes having Ascanius doing it would have stolen that from a very powerful, selfish wizard who doesn't share the spotlight. But I always felt we never got to see what made the Death Eaters so useful to Voldemort. His Death Eaters should be competent and powerful, and I imagine Voldemort loves the idea that all these powerful purebloods are at his beck and call. They preform when he says so.
Plus, I thought it would be cool for Ascanius to feel the power of his ancestral blood, powerful enough to bring the walls crumbling down.
Leandra will be called in to investigate the breakout, giving us a scene of her at the prison and sensing the effect of her presence/her blood being on Azkaban grounds. She will decline to comment on the breakout. She doesn't feel right lying anymore, and she tells Dumbledore this concern but he advises to stay the course.
Creepy Mengele Character
I planned on there being a new character introduced, based on Josef Mengele from WW2. He's an ex-employee at the Department of Mysteries, he quit to pursue private research into the origin of magic, specifically how Muggleborns obtain it. He's like a magic geneticist. Leandra and he would meet only once, when he approaches Stirling Tower seeking funds for his research. She declines. He would later become a part of the Death Eaters. We would only see him for like one scene.
Battle of Department of Mysteries
Harry tells Corvus about his vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort at the Department of Mysteries. Corvus tries to help him contact Sirius via Floo Network, but they get caught. When they go into the Forbidden Forest, Max helps Corvus, Luna, Ginny and Neville escape the clutches of the Inquisitor Squad.
Corvus would be the only Salesmen to fight at this Battle, making a clear choice to join the good guys. I imagined he'd be with either Luna or Ginny when everyone gets split up. He'd come face to face with Ascanius, making it known to his uncle that he's against him. Leandra would intervene and help Corvus escape death.
While in the Department of Mysteries, in one of the rooms dedicated to death and memory, Corvus would hear the ghost of Regulus call to him.
Sirius' Death
Would be devastating for everyone. Corvus would feel guilty that he never tried to build a better relationship with his uncle. He also feels guilty because he realizes that if he'd been the one speaking to Kreacher, he might've told him the truth. Like Hermoine, he does not blame the House-Elf, but he tells Kreacher that he has failed him and he's very disappointed in him.
I would have a scene where Lupin, Leandra and Corvus paid respect to Sirius' memory. Like a funeral of sorts. I probably would've included the Gryffindor Trio too.
Half-Blood Prince
I had the least amount outlined for this one. Probably because the novel follows Harry very closely, so it was hard to imagine Corvus in many of the scenes. But what I did have in mind:
Leandra's Dissatisfaction
Leandra would be upset with Dumbledore, feeling that he's keeping too many secrets and not going on the offense enough. She wants blood. In many ways she also blames Dumbledore for what happened to Sirius, he never gave Sirius the time of day and never tried to find a better solution other than have him stuck at home.
Leandra decides that Corvus will begin his apprenticeship as a Crafter during his final year at Hogwarts, taking him on weekends out of school. This is like how Leandra spent her last couple of years at Hogwarts.
We would've learned more about the nature of Crafters. I planned there to be more ritualistic magic involving runes and some blood magic! I wanted to have like a 'ye olde witchery' feel to it, brew a potion under a full moon, etc.
Hogwarts
Lines have been drawn! Malfoy and the mini-Death Eaters know where the Salesmen's allegiance lie. There are no conflicts that boil over into actual fighting but there is tension. Potter would tell Corvus what he witnessed aboard the Hogwarts Express. Corvus would immediately believe Harry when he says Malfoy is a true Death Eater, since his father was one at a very young age too.
Corvus would try to keep an eye on Malfoy as best as he can, enlisting the other Salesmen's help as well. Malfoy however keeps a lot of distance between himself and everyone else. When Corvus tells Leandra that he wants to find out what he's up to, she explains that when Regulus was a Death Eater no one ever offered him a way out. Not even Sirius.
Of course, whatever olive branch he extends is rejected, but eventually Draco realizes that he might need Corvus' help. The day before the Quidditch final, when Harry finds Draco crying in the toilets, I wanted Draco on the verge of spilling everything to Corvus when he suddenly sees Harry there. The duel between the two of them happens too quick for him to protect Draco.
He's just as shocked to see Harry use the Sectumsempra curse. Corvus brings Malfoy to the hospital wing. While at the hospital Malfoy would confine a little bit in him, telling him that Voldemort has tasked him with something terrible and he's running out of time.
I also toyed with the idea of Corvus helping Draco repair the Vanishing Cabinet at this point. But I couldn't really figure out how that would work, it feels wrong. So probably if I wrote to this point, I wouldn't go down this road. But maybe Corvus would agree to sneak in a certain tool or contraband that Draco needs. Like a one-time thing that he hopes buys his cousin and his family time. I just wanted Draco to have someone he could trust for a brief moment.
All the Salesmen would be invited into the Slug Club, minus Daphne. Max because of how clever he is and talented at Potions. Anwar because of his family's business. Louis because of his sister Margaux's fashion empire. Corvus because of how (in)famous his mother is. Daphne's father's reputation would hold her back from an invite.
I wanted Max to tell the Gryffindor Trio that he was in fact Muggleborn. I don't know when he'd do it, maybe at Dumbledore's funeral?
Max & Cho
Max will claim to be 'over' Cho, because of how Cho dated Potter and then Michael Corner the year before. She tries to mend their friendship this final year, but Max isn't having it! I would have had him be borderline mean towards her. In his N.E.W.T Herbology class he'll get to know Mary Ford, a character I introduced in GoF as a Hufflepuff Prefect. She asks him out for a Hogsmeade trip, and Cho will see them on this date. They will be together at Slughorn's Christmas Party.
He'll walk Mary back to Hufflepuff's entrance that night, and after a goodnight's kiss he'll head back to his commons but will find Cho Chang crying at the portrait to the kitchens. She'll explain that she forgot which fruit to tickle and in general she's having a terrible year. She'll confess that she feels terrible for how she treated him last year, how she misses him, and his friendship. A heart-to-heart will ensue.
He won't immediately dump Mary for Cho! He'll tell her that she really hurt his feelings, but he missed her too. They agree to be friends again. And Cho will reveal that she never dated Michael Corner, that it was just gossip and he's just been a friend to her. I never liked in the books how she just went straight to dating someone new again!
He continues to date Mary but having Cho back in his life is a distraction!
Corvus & Daphne
Yes, at the very beginning I planned for Corvus to end up with Daphne. But then, as time went by, I came up with other post-Hogwarts ideas for Corvus and Daphne. Like I mentioned above, every once and a while I tried to pick up where I left off with this fic, and I would reread both SS and SE. I realized during a reread that I sort of forgot to develop Daphne after a certain point. Who knows though, I might've had a Daphne Renaissance if I kept at it.
But I did hint that they were attracted to each other. So, I wanted to play it out. They would get together but more out of curiosity's sake, to test out the waters and realize that a romantic relationship wasn't for them.
Deathly Hallows
Again, like the Half-Blood Prince, this book follows Harry very closely. It's a very personal story/quest. But unlike HBP I had quite a bit in mind for the Salesmen in this section.
N.E.W.T.S: Dumbledore's funeral and death, and in general the attack on Hogwarts, would have disrupted the exam schedule! (Maybe the attack happened the night before the first test?) So, the seventh years would have to sit their exams at the Ministry
Before sitting their exams, all the students would have to fill out some paperwork stating their names, home address, wand information and their blood status. And guess who's managing the paperwork for the tests? Jeremy Petzold and some others you would've recognized as Snatchers.
I wanted Jeremy to be a Death Eater spy within the Ministry. I imagine Voldemort setting up followers within the Ministry ranks before the takeover. And a few anti-muggle measures slipping under the Minister's radar.
Many of the seventh years would complain that these questions are too intrusive, but Jeremy would tell them that if they don't have the proper paperwork their tests can't be graded. He assures them that this information will be kept confidential. Corvus and the Salesmen walk out, along with Cho Chang, Marietta and many others. The Salesmen are the only ones from Slytherin to walk out.
The Life & Lies of Albus Dumbledore: Corvus would've found some odd comfort in knowing that Dumbledore had a misled childhood. Because Corvus himself has had a strange childhood, he was a selfish bully and in denial about it until recently. He doesn't believe that Dumbledore died a bad man, but a man who made mistakes.
The EIGHT Potters: Louis and Anwar would also be apart of the escort mission! Daphne will have heard from Theodore Nott that the Death Eaters were going to kidnap Potter. The Salesmen will meet in secret at Max's family bakery.
Max won't participate in this mission or in the Order, because he is in hiding and doesn't want his family to be put in danger. He even alludes to the fact that they might move permanently to America.
Since Daphne is returning to Hogwarts, she doesn't want to be seen by any Death Eaters. She wants to help as an informant of sorts, even though her involvement as a Salesmen will tarnish her reputation amongst the mini-Death Eaters at school.
The three others, Louis, Anwar and Corvus officially join the Order though and help on this mission. Louis would drink the Polyjuice potion (making a joke about how it's time he experiences a day in the life of someone less attractive than him). Anwar and Corvus protect him, while Leandra helps another Potter look alike (believing that Ascanius will be drawn to fight her over Corvus).
Corvus would meet Andromeda, another good aligned family member!
The Wedding
Corvus would be at the wedding alone, but he has a sweet dance with Luna (I think I once mentioned in an AN that I originally planned to write a Luna romance fic and that's how Corvus got started).
When Kingsley's Patronus arrives to warn everyone that Voldemort has taken over the Ministry, Corvus and Leandra flee to the Stirling Tower. They think their safe for a moment, but then Ascanius shows up. Two versus one they can defeat Ascanius, but he gets a way and manages to severely damage the Tower. Leandra is horrified to see that Ascanius was able to damage the Tower, seeing that even though she is Madam Crafter Ascanius' Stirling blood still holds sway. The Tower can't protect them.
They then flee to a cottage on the western shore, a cabin that was always Leandra's 'plan B.'
Muggle-Born Registration
Max and his family are nearly ready to abandon their life in England and move to America, but then Jeremy Petzold shows up at his bakery one morning with a letter from the Ministry. It's a summons to register.
Max convinces his family to leave immediately, and that he will join them in America. He knows it will be difficult to convince them, so he brews a potion to essentially charm them into agreeing. He goes to make them all tea and adds the potion to it.
Knowing that Jeremy and the other Snatchers would go after his family, Max goes to the Ministry. He hopes the worst that will happen is they take his wand. He reflects how much his wand means to him, how he felt the day he learned he was a wizard and how his wand chose him.
The day that he goes into the Ministry is the day the Trio break in. I thought it would be cool if Max had no idea it was them and in the ensuing chaos he flees. Max would go to the first address he's memorized by heart besides his own. He would flee to Cho Chang's house!
Cho Chang and her family take him in. They try to discreetly get in contact with Corvus. But it takes a while since they can't communicate via Floo Powder or owl, enough time for Max and Cho to rekindle that flame!
I had ideas of how her parents would make him sleep on the couch. To get some fresh air he would polymorph into his canine form and the two of them would go on walks. Max would want to hide more than join the effort which he knows Corvus has done, Cho would encourage him to fight and how she would be alongside him.
I love Cho and Max! I imagined a scene where they try to set up a meeting with Penelope Clearwater, addressing the mail to the Stirling Tower (which they don't know has been taken over). In the response letter, a meeting is set up at the Leaky Caldron. While this meeting place seems strange, considering that the Tower should be safer, they go. Max is in coyote form. It's a set up and they have to fight Jeremy and other Snatchers (Max revealing that he's an Animagus)
When they teleport away, Cho teleporting them to King's Cross, they hide in a supply closet as the Snatchers come after them and you know they would have their first kiss! All high on adrenalin!
I think the way they would have teamed back up with Corvus would involve the DA coin. I think Cho, to showcase her Ravenclaw cleverness, would figure out a way to communicate to Ginny who would know how they can contact the Order.
How the Salesmen Fight Voldemort
I did not plan for Corvus to join the Trio on their quest to destroy the Horcruxes. When Voldemort takes over the Ministry, Leandra finds out that Ascanius has been made Warden of Azkaban and the creepy Mengele character has been given permission to experiment on Muggleborns at the prison. The Order's priority becomes rescuing these Muggleborns.
They spend some time trying to figure out the best way. How best to transport hundreds of people at once? Anwar comes up with the idea that a ship would be useful, and they quickly contact Briseis because they want to commandeer the Durmstrang ship! Yes, they all become wizard pirates!
They would travel to Bulgaria, and infiltrate the school grounds with Briseis' help, battling some dark wizards and encouraging who they can to fight the dark side. Then they would stage an assault on Azkaban to free the muggles and bring them to America where it's safe. Leandra will have been in contact with the Order's allies based in Salem.
So, the Durmstrang ship would have some special powers itself. First of all, it can carry an infinite number of passengers. I would have used the movie ship feature where it travels underwater for expediency. To get the ship to do that however, it was a team effort of every rower rowing in sync with the beating of a drum. Maybe some other magic stuff thrown in! And it would take at least ten minutes of this intense synchronization of power to begin the plunge. So, it's not the quickest of getaways.
Also, the ship needs a captain that controls when this plunge happens. Leandra insists that Corvus is that captain. She won't allow anyone else to be it. Which you'll find out why in a moment.
During this massive breakout, there would be a storm which is great coverage for them. The Durmstrang ship is unsinkable so while the bad weather equals seasickness it's no real harm to the ship. Azkaban would be destroyed. There are casualties and Corvus is severely injured. Knowing that the ship needs to essentially power up for ten minutes before plunging, Leandra and the other Order veterans put themselves between the ship and her brother's forces. Corvus will want to help her, but he can't leave the ship otherwise no one will be able to escape. He catches a glimpse of his mother battling Ascanius one on one before the ship dives below.
The readers would see the duel played out and will witness Leandra's death. Her body would be lost to the sea. I know that's harsh, but I wanted her death to be like Regulus', both dying in water. And Corvus being unable to say goodbye.
Underwater they travel west to America and once there the refugees and the Salesmen are given lodging at Salem's Institute. Within a few days, Remus and the Kingsley join them in America, with the news that Leandra died.
The Salem's Witches' Institute
It turns out it's not a wizarding school, but it's a women's organization (Rowling's twitter). I would have kept it as an all girls' school. At this school, Corvus would be recovering from his injuries. And I thought it would be cool if they met one of the girls again that they met during the World Cup, Sarah. I imagine her as a graduate from Salem's and she returned to help the Order.
They spend Christmas in America. Seeing how the US is explored in Fantastic Beasts, I think I would have Corvus and the others from the Order trying to lobby for the US Wizarding world to get involved. Also, all these Muggleborns flooding the Eastern shore would cause a headache for the government.
I imagine a sweet Christmas formal at the school, Corvus would start falling for Sarah. Maybe they have what resembles a date. Though Corvus is going through a lot with his mother's death. And there's a war going on! So, it would be a 'to be continued' type storyline.
Leading up to the Battle of Hogwarts
I could never quite figure out what else I wanted the Salesmen to do. Granted, a lot would be happening to them. I mean busting out muggles from Azkaban is big already!
I wanted Corvus to cross paths with Draco again. Maybe before Voldemort takes the Ministry, while they're both in Diagon Alley? Or maybe they find themselves on different sides during a mission?
Maybe Remus and Tonks give birth in America? Maybe I'd focus on Daphne in Hogwarts? I wanted to have a scene where Draco and Astoria interact. They do get married after all!
I also planned for Anwar to come out to his friends, I always this whole subtle storyline I planned where this whole time Anwar had the hots for the Gobstone Club captain. And maybe this captain was Muggle-born, so he'd have rescued him from Azkaban. I thought that would be a sweet way to reveal it.
Battle of Hogwarts
So the former DA members get summoned to Hogwarts, so Louis, Anwar, Cho, Max and Corvus go. It's a fast reunion with the Trio, as we all know.
The Salesmen would help evacuate the younger students and in general the students that don't want to fight. They would bring them to the Womping Willow, and they would blast a whole in the Shrieking Shack so they can escape.
Daphne and Astoria would lead some Death Eaters into a greenhouse and unleash some screaming mandrakes. Cho would break into Hooch's confiscated broomstick shed so they can better fight the giants when they join in.
I also had an idea that during the fray, Draco would actually help save Corvus' life. I don't know if it would be something simple like pushing him out of the way of some debris or he hexes another Death Eater. I also emailed myself "What if Astoria saves Draco?" So, I never landed on what I wanted to do with Draco.
Corvus and Max would duel Ascanius, and ultimately defeat him. I think I would have Corvus using the killing curse. I know that sounds harsh, but it's war and Corvus is not Harry. Maybe Ascanius would've come close to killing his best friend? Or maybe Ascanius would've cornered him? But yes, Corvus would have straight up killed his uncle.
And he would have killed him right before Voldemort's ultimatum, before any of the other Death Eaters could avenge their fall comrade.
When the battle recommences, one of the reinforcements would be a squad of witches from Salem, including Sarah. In the ensuing chaos, Louis would fight Greyback but become infected with lycanthropy. He's saved by Ron and Neville.
Cho would defeat Jeremy, kind of romantic right? Killing the villain in your boyfriend's life. Jeremy would be the only Death Eater who died. He kind of counts…
After Hogwarts
Okay this is where it gets real cheesy people!
Louis – He goes on to become a professional Quidditch player for a French team and a spokesman for werewolf integration in wizarding society! Yes, you might have rolled your eyes at that one. He does not settle down. He probably has had like three divorces by the time he retires.
Anwar – Anwar heads a banking firm that aims to better the relations between wizards and goblins. He marries his Gobstone captain (oh captain my captain!) I am like 80% sure I had a name for this captain, but I can't find it and can't remember it.
Max & Cho – you know they ended up together! Max will have opened a potions shop in Diagon Alley, while Cho works at the Daily Prophet as an investigative reporter. They have two children, Mina and Hailey Love. JK Rowling said Cho married a muggle, I just added a 'born' to the end of that.
Daphne – I wanted her to have a great post-Hogwarts life, full of adventure. She would travel to remote forests and discover new magical herbs that would revolutionize potion-making and healing magics. And she would meet her partner along the way. Astoria would take over the family business, she would supply Max with a lot of his ingredients.
Corvus – Immediately after the war he helps rebuild Azkaban. He ends up with his American, Sarah. It's a long love story though, because they don't immediately commit to each other after the war. It's based on this older couple I met between the years since I stopped writing this fic. They didn't get married until like ten years after their first date, distance got in the way and other relationships. Corvus and Sarah marry when they're both a bit older than the other Hogwarts kids we know about. By September 1, 2017, Sarah will be pregnant with their first child.
The Stirling Tower has been rebuilt in London but by 2017 Corvus has commissioned a new Tower to be built in Boston. He's not entirely sure if his family live move to the US. I wanted to keep it a little open-ended with that. Also, they know Sarah will have a boy, and his name will be Leander Regulus Black. Sarah doesn't love the name, but she does think 'Lee Black' has a nice ring to it and she respects the history of Corvus' parents. Corvus does not want to continue the tradition of naming his children after constellations, and he hopes his child will name his children whatever the hell he wants too.
On September 1, 2017, Corvus and Sarah are at King's Cross to see Scorpius off with Draco and Astoria. I feel like in Post-Hogwarts world, Draco's friendship with Corvus would be important. In various points in this fic I wanted to show that Draco wanted Corvus' friendship. He's an only child and he was thrilled to be related to Corvus. Corvus could have been the older brother he never had. And maybe if Corvus hadn't been a jerk and withheld his friendship, things could have been very different for Draco.
But now, in the future they have an opportunity to build that Malfoys are all the family Corvus has left in England.
Corvus also speaks with the Trio, of course. I never decided when I wanted Harry to tell Corvus the truth about Regulus' disappearance. I don't know if I wanted them to cross paths before their break in at the Ministry or if Harry would pull Corvus aside before the Hogwarts battle. I didn't know what would feel right, having never written up to either of those points.
In the future, the Salesmen are still close and forever will be. They experienced a lot together. But they aren't like the Trio who work in the same building as each other…
So that's it!
I hope this outline was fun to read, hopefully you could visualize the ideas I never got to put to paper. I love Harry Potter so much and always will. I've yet to read the Cursed Child, though I've read about it, but the Salesmen's story ends with the seventh book.
Anyway, thank you all so much for reading! Let me know what you think! Or if you have any questions about a character I didn't mention or a storyline I didn't address, I'd be happy to answer them!