A Word of Caution

This story contains offensive language, violence, substance abuse, underage drinking, underage smoking, and mentions of sex (no smut or graphic descriptions). The ideas depicted here reflect the sentiments of the time, NOT the author's personal opinions. The 40s was an interesting, yet violent decade to live through for everyone involved in WW2, and this story will try to reflect that. Hence the Mature rating.

I'm a bit of a history buff, so apologies if I delve too deeply into worldbuilding. If anyone notices I've made a historical mistake, please feel free to contact me so I can edit the chapter and set the record straight. I will be adding short definitions and notes at the end of some chapters; they are not essential to understanding the story, but can shed some light on the more obscure concepts or vocabulary.

Lastly, while the events in the story cause deviations from the original timeline, this is not a Tom Riddle-turns-good fic. He is still driven and ambitious, callous and selfish, and his morals are questionable at best. I wanted to explore the events that led to the creation of the most powerful Dark Lord of the 20th century to see if I could get a more realistic villain, and this is the result.

As you know, Tom Riddle is his own warning.

Prologue

DAILY MIRROR

THE DAILY PICTURE NEWSPAPER WITH THE LARGEST NET SALE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1934

HITLER NOW MASTER OF GERMANY

Decree an Hour After Death of Hindenburg

Soldiers' oath of "Loyalty to Death" to new president.

Within an hour of the death of Field-Marshal von Hindenburg, Germany's "Grand Old Man" at Neudeck yesterday, Herr Adolf Hitler, the Chancellor, had assumed both the offices of President and Chancellor.

Thus, an ex-bricklayer and war-time lance-corporal becomes Master of Germany at one swoop.

The late President is to be given a State funeral next Tuesday at Tannenberg.

New laws decided upon by the Cabinet were issued soon after news of Hindenburg's death reached Berlin.

Orders issued by the Cabinet and broadcast to the nation stated: "The office of Reich President is to be united with that of Chancellor. Therefore the powers of the President pass to Herr Hitler, who will appoint his deputy."

In a letter to the Minister of the Interior yesterday Herr Hitler requests that he be referred to only as Leader and Chancellor.

By last evening all members of the Reichswehr had taken the oath. Herr Hitler as president is ex-officio Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy.

Thus the man born in Austria of humble parentage, who worked as a builder's labourer, and was war-time lance-corporal takes over supreme power at the age of forty-five.

It was stated officially last night that a plebiscite will be held on Sunday, August 19, to confirm the appointment of Herr Hitler as President.

The Reichstag will meet on Monday at noon.

THE DAILY PROPHET

SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 1939

HOME AT LAST

LAST RAVENCLAWS RETURN TO SCOTLAND

Amidst the stirrings of unrest, Lord Alvar Ravine of House Ravenclaw and his family have finally returned to their ancestral roost in Inverness.

For the last decade, Lord Alvar served as British ambassador to Germany's Zaubereiministerium, a position the Wizengamot has deemed a primary target for the Dark Lord Grindelwald, due to the ambassador's pressure on Minister Beckenbauer to act decisively against the Dark wizard.

In an interview yesterday evening, the newly minted Minister Spencer-Moon was of the opinion that the Zaubereiministerium is overwhelmed by Grindelwald's rise to power, and no longer trusts the German Ministry to keep British officials safe.

Whether the Department of International Magical Cooperation will go against Minister Spencer-Moon's thoughts, and appoint a successor to Lord Alvar remains to be seen.

Lord Alvar will resume his seat in the Wizengamot for the Most Noble and Ancient House of Ravenclaw on Monday.

DAILY HERALD

MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 1943

THAT WAS LONDON'S NEW BARRAGE

London's new anti-aircraft defenses went into action for the first time last night. As battery after battery loosened off at German raiders the barrage became without doubt the most intense we have ever put up.

The raiders, singly and in small waves, used cloud cover to approach London from the Thames estuary. As soon as the sirens sounded, the new guns opened the counter-attack.

Crowds scattered quickly at the sound of guns. They swarmed into underground shelters and hotels.

Casualties were feared to be high in one suburb where a block of small houses was wrecked. H.E. and incendiary bombs were showered on a factory area, and a paint factory caught fire. In another district a large departmental store and bank premises adjoining were set alight after an H.E. had fallen.

Bombs were also dropped last night at a number of places in South-East and Southern England, and enemy planes were seen over a North-Eastern area.

Yesterday afternoon two German fighter-bombers dropped bombs in the main street at a place in the Isle of Wight. Five of the casualties were fatal.

History Trivia

Daily Mirror: A British newspaper founded in the early 1900s that was one of the most popular tabloids during the 40s. That up there is an actual article from that newspaper, verbatim. It gave me the chills when I found it and read it for the first time, since we already know what's going to happen next.

Daily Herald: Another popular British newspaper that supported the labour movement. It ran until 1964, and then was relaunched as the newspaper The Sun. Anyway, that was also a real article from the Herald. Puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Hindenburg: Not to be confused with the Zeppelin, even if it was in fact named after the man. He was a German field marshal during World War I and second president of the Weimar Republic (1925–34). His presidential terms were wracked by political instability, economic depression, and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, whom he appointed chancellor in 1933. (From Britannica)

Troublesome Vocab

Herr: German for Mister

Zaubereiministerium: The German Ministry of Magic. Zauberei (Magic), Ministerium (Ministry).

H.E.: High-Explosive bombs used by Nazi bomber aircraft during air raids.

Additional notes:

Last Ravenclaws, you say? Wasn't Helena the only child Rowena had, and the last of her line?

Yes, she was, I am keeping that canon. That said, I am using my creative licence to give Rowena a few siblings who were never as famous as their clever sister. I can see blood-obsessed Wizarding Britain tracking every famous and powerful bloodline to modern times, (sort of like Hepzibah Smith claiming she was related to Helga Hufflepuff), even if they are not descended from Rowena herself. This is, after all, the decade that brought us the Sacred Twenty-Eight list.