Welcome to Volume 1 of An Opus Alchymicum!
This is a complete HP series rewrite but also a crossover fic, a blend of Harry Potter with elements of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials woven in.
The premise is fairly straightforward. Set in the year before the events of Philosopher's Stone - and vaguely at a point in time after the events of The Secret Commonwealth in the HDM world - Hermione Granger is approached by Lyra Belacqua/Silvertongue to become her Apprentice. Then they embark on a journey to rescue Harry Potter, who Hermione is told she will fall in love with in the future, but is currently in danger for his life. In Harry's Alternate World, his parents escaped the threat of Voldemort - with the help of Sirius - to a clandestine, subterranean area of Muggle society, where they assist Muggles in their studies of magic, in exchange for protection and anonymity. But when Harry's developing magic threatens to expose him, James and Lily concoct a plan to smuggle him to the surface, where he can be prepared by Sirius and Minerva McGonagall to rejoin the magical community, which he has been totally ignorant of up to this point.
It will, of course, be a tooth-rottingly sweet Harmony story at some point down the line! I should point out that the first instalment of this will read like a prologue. It's a series rewrite, but just jumping in and trading on readers' past knowledge and not offering any background or build-up is just lazy authorship in my opinion. So if that sounds dull to you then skip through to later parts or just drop the fic entirely.
For those dubious about giving a crossover a try, let me first say that this series will be 75% Potter-centric. It is also fairly light and fluffy for the most part, though later instalments may need a slightly higher rating in line with how the Potter series developed. For those unfamiliar with His Dark Materials, here are the key story-world elements you need to know to get started.
Dæmon: An aspect of the human soul external to the body, but only able to move short distances away before causing terrible pain to both. Animal-formed and able to interact with others, to touch the dæmon of another person is a strict social taboo and can be a huge personal violation.
Alethiometer: A truth telling symbol reader, powered by Dust.
Dust: A mysterious substance or conscious energy that pervades all things in the universe.
The Magisterium: A powerful, repressive, church-like political body.
And that's it really. Everything else gets explained as we go and I am confident that readers can enjoy the series without in-depth knowledge of the HDM world. So if you are in the mood for something new, give this a try and let me know what you think
Thank you.