A/N: First of all, I want to thank all of you for sticking around all these years. Last chapter I asked you guys if you wanted me to continue even if it was with slow updates, or if I should write what I had planned, or just drop it. And a vast majority of those of you who answered wanted me to keep going, but you also expressed an understanding if I wanted to drop it. And, well… I was planning to keep going, but I kept deleting my progress because I didn't like how it turned out, and then I kept hearing more and more of rowling's bullshit (and yes it's with purpose I write her name without capital r, and it's only to be petty) which made me avoid this even more and eventually the straw that broke the camels back was the potter game made with a nazi company. I could drop a long rant about that but I won't because in the end that's kind of irrelevant for this. So, instead of a normal chapter, I wrote down the plot I had planned and stuff I considered using, as well as a few snippets here and there. If nothing else, you get a glimpse of my most recent way of drafting outlines and maybe it's something that might work for you too (though in my non-fanfic outlines I tend to have more notes like "foreshadow this", "weave in basic magic system explanation here", "give X a reason to be/not be here" and so on and sometimes colour code things). (fun fact, these notes are still taking up about 11 pages)
Some of you mentioned you would be happy to adopt this fic, so I give you all a blanket permission to adopt this (or take inspiration from it) regardless if you simply write "continuation from chapter _" or rewrite the first part in your own style. What I would really prefer though is if you can find a way to replace the Harry Potter franchise with some other fandom, or if you (like me /3) don't know one that could work instead make it really queer and show that trans rights are human rights and include autistic characters and so on (by the time I understood what a massive ass rowling was I couldn't see a good way to make any of them trans or autistic etc. without it looking really forced, which is rather showing of my own privilege I suppose).
Also, I've seen people who say that all fanfiction based on HP is pro-rowling by default, and while I understand their view (because frankly, even fanfics promote the original works in one way or another) I also understand people who wish to keep reading HP-fanfics. A lot of them explore themes that are hard to find in most mainstream media (like being queer, overcoming trauma and not just brushing things off and so on), and it has a magic system that's easy to understand and adapt into other fandoms when making crossovers (it's why so many of my prompts are HP-based, and yes I'm gonna go through them but that's gonna be a slow going). Many of the fics I've read that have helped me understand things I weren't familiar with and that demonstrates those things aren't evil or bad or whatever, have been HP fics. So, regardless of my opinions of rowling and all the flaws I can see in the original work now that I'm an adult and know more about so many different things, I do see a value in the fics the fandom still produces because (perhaps ironically) those helped me grow. But I can't make myself write them anymore, so (well, I have an old half-finished oneshot I'm gonna finish because it's 1) a good exercise in writing verbal fighting which I need train on, and 2) it can easily be made to give rowling a big FU without it feeling forced).
Well. Like I said, thank you all for sticking around. I'm probably gonna slowly keep on posting fics for other fandoms (possibly cross-posting them on ao3 and tumblr?), but this is my (second to) last one for Harry Potter.
I hope all of you enjoy this odd update and have a beautiful day, and lastly a big sincere Fuck You to rowling.
(And yes, I know this is bordering to only being a list which technically isn't permitted on this site, but I do believe it's better to give you all that and little snippets instead of nothing at all)
"Chapter" thirteen – The plot I had planned and snippets
- Sleepover where Harry discovers Alphonse's secret and is chill about it
- Could Harry see the miniscule glow of Al's soul in the dark or was it another reason?
- Al's soul looks like a ghost in colour
- During breakfast it's revealed Maes and Gracia met at a baseball game's after party
- Hughes sends Maria to England through the trunk. He and Harry go on a short train ride to make "James Potter's" disappearance less suspicious in case any enemies have noticed him.
- Somewhere along the way they meet Major Armstrong and he figures out who they are. Asks Harry to pass along a message to Daphne Greengrass who is a distant cousin to him. (What should the message be?)
- Should they also meet Izumi and Sig Curtis? Is Izumi Snape's older sister who broke contact with him because he's an ass?
- Then they use the trunk to join Maria in the Potter Manor. Dipsy takes the trunk back to Knox.
- Hughes takes Harry to an orthopaedist, gets new glasses himself at the same time. After that he swaps his glamours for transfigurations. Adding glasses makes him look less like Remus.
- Grimmauld Place is already under a fidelius, but Hughes uses old knowledge and maps and notes and logic to figure out who the secret keeper is (Dumbledore), which area he picked up Sirius from when he ran from home, and which number is missing from which street and figures out how AD would formulate the secret and manages to trick the spell that way. He shares the knowledge with Maria and sends her to Sirius to have a "magic crash course" so she can pose as a squib assistant.
"I have a message to you, from Mr. Potter."
"And what is that?"
"Padfoot, I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Standing aside Sirius let in the mysterious woman.
"Who are you?"
"Just another innocent framed for murder."
"Oh neat, do we have a badge?"
The woman snorted. "No."
"Pity. So, what brings you here?"
She turned to the fugitive. "To find out who entered Harry into the Tournament. I will need to enter Hogwarts, but Mr. Hughes asked me to come here first to request help acquainting myself with the magic world so I can pass as a squib."
Sirius startled. "Are you telling me you're a muggle?!"
"That's what Mr. Hughes and Harry called me, yes. Are you willing to help me, sir?"
- Should she deliver a "message" from "Harry's guardian" too and scold him for being reckless and landing in Azkaban and so on? Should she deliver it with a slap or should it be mixed up with a rolled up newspaper? If so, should it be the newspaper about her?
- Mrs. Black's portrait starts screaming and Maria pulls a Riza and shoots the painting around the woman. Sirius is almost smitten with her and orders Kretcher to treat her twice as good as he treated Regulus. The house elf unwillingly complies and is surprised when Maria treats him like Reg did and even scolds Sirius for his treatment of him.
- Somehow cursed items come up and for X reason the locket-horcrux is revealed by Kretcher.
- ?
- Maes and Harry accept Winky into their family.
- ?
- Harry, Maes and Maria get to Hogwarts.
- They dodge all questions and Maes and Maria get a copy of the magical contract and the investigation Moody did
- No loophole that is fool proof is found in the magical contract (how long should it take them to analyse it? Where should the reveal be?)
- Maes, as his ex-student, notices "Moody's" report while good isn't up to his normal standard and after saying a number of very discreet code phrases he confirms his suspicion that Moody is an imposter because the real one would have dragged his wand and demanded to know how he knew those phrases that were specific for a now dead man.
- He shares his discovery with Maria and uses their own investigation as a cover to find out who the fake Moody is, how they did it and where they're keeping the real one
- While around the fake Moody they imply they're sus of Snape
- When "interrogating" Snape Maes tells him their plan and also informs him that being a spy does not excuse abusive behaviour and that they can arrange a public "intervention" if he's worried about his cover but if he doesn't knock it off they will take legal action not even AD can prevent
- Sometime during all of this is the wand weighing and photographing. Maes comes too for "interrogation purposes". Prevents Skeeter from isolating Harry and "bribes" her to leave him alone and out of the spotlight as much as possible by promising to provide evidence of how an innocent man was sent to Azkaban without a trial, all the while being able to provide laws that will protect her from legal action from the ministry. She takes that bait hook line and sinker.
- When Maes interrogates Ollivander to better understand how wands work when used by a perceived enemy (due the imposter still using Moody's wand) he uses his own wand to apply privacy wards. Ollivander bluntly/borderline rudely asks why he has "that" wand and if that's why he's asking those questions. Tells a short version of the truth and mentions Vato Falman and Sheska can confirm his second life, but request the wand maker to be careful in his wording as he's supposed to be dead over there too. Apparently this is good enough for Ollivander and he tells him welcome back and to stay safe.
- ?
- Hermione discovers Harry has two house elves. Dipsy explains how house elf magic works. Dipsy encourages her to focus on their rights instead of freeing them since very few apart from Dobby can keep their magic stable enough without a bond
- ?
"Just wait until my father hears about this!"
Maria folded her hands on the table.
"We did request the Headmaster to send a missive to the parents to inform them we would ask questions to the children in the presence of a teacher, so your father should already be informed of this. Now could you please answer my question?"
- ?
- In a Poirot-esque meeting Maes draws his wand and points it at Snape, and when fake-Moody draws his wand and turn his entire focus on Snape (because Barty knows how dangerous he can be) Maes disarms and stuns the imposter. Snape doses him with a truth potion and Maes and Maria do a thorough investigation there and then, Voldy's plan is revealed.
- Fudge is still a denying idiot and his incompetence and delaying bullshit causes Wormtail and Voldemort to earn enough time to hide their traces and change hideout before the Aurors get there.
- ?
- Edward Elric and Armstrong visit Hogwarts first instead of going directly to the desert because Armstrong wants Maria's help with smuggling weapons from Xing and he didn't know Ed already knew she's alive.
- Daphne yeets Alex when he tries to hug her. (Should Ed's first response when seeing General Armstrong much later be "Daphne Greengrass?" only to receive an even bigger interrogation?
- Ed beats the Weasley twins and transfigures their robes into a gaudy straight-jacket for two when they make fun of his height. They possibly adore him after that?
- ?
- The 3rd Tournament is set just before the eclipse that Father used in the FMA:B finale
- Due to the Coup Maes can't attend but Gracia and Elicia is there instead
- Harry is unhappy but understands why Maes couldn't be there. A part of him wishes he could be there too and help his father instead of competing in a stupid competition
- In Amestris Maes get the satisfaction of kicking Envy in the face as a stag. Envy is chocked when he discovers he isn't the only shape shifter around, and that the other one is a man he murdered. "You ain't the only shape shifter around, bastard." Tries to frighten Maes by turning into a big wolf and it backfires.
"Please, I've shared a dorm with a werewolf, you're nothing compared to him."
- Maes meets Greed
- ?
- Graveyard scene but different location. Only Harry or Cedric too? How?
- - If only Harry he is used for the second ritual
- - If Cedric is there he is used
- The Second ritual is a summoning ritual where Voldemort and the Death Eaters tries to summon a demon/spirit into Harry's/Cedric's Body and convince it to do their bidding
- If Harry, Greed absorbs Voldemort's accidental horcrux
- They half fail because the DE who touched/activated the circle was used as energy and turned into a tiny philosopher's stone inside the host. And the "spirit" they summoned was Greed because he had att that exact moment died in Amestris. Too bad for Voldy he's not interested in following anyone especially not someone like that
- For X reason there's a dementor there and when Voldy sicks it on Greed the homunculus simply does a uno reverse and absorbs the dementor because they're basically a floating ph-stone
- Greed attacks the DE:s
- Harry (as a host or bystander?) convinces Greed to grab the portkey.
- Back at Hogwarts Greed is a bit disoriented after his first ever portkey.
- - If Harry's the host Gracia is the one who realises he's possesed. Fudge is still in denial and hands over the prize money regardless. Greed is stunned by the minister's denial even after he speaks up. Flirts with Gracia until he realises she is basically his host's secret step-mother and that's too weird even for him so he apologises for flirting but still refuses to give up Harry's body. Leaves with the plan to find some town and recreate the Devil's Nest
- - If Cedric is the host, Cedric begs Greed to take Harry to the Healer's Tent to look at the younger boy's injuries. Greed picks up Harry under the arm and lugs him to the tent following Cedric's directions. Because that tent is off limits for everyone but healers, compeditors and the judges Madame Pomfrey is the one who realizes something other than shock is wrong because of Cedric's eyes. Greed bluntly tells them "this body belongs to me now, and I'm not gonna leave it unless I get another one", takes the prize money out of Fudge's lax grip and leaves for the same reason as above.
- Will the Ultimate Shield in combination with a wizard host make said Shield block against magical attacks too?
- ?
- Petunia and Vernon are arrested for child abuse and an investigation is started against Marge for child abuse as well as animal abuse or dog smuggling or forging breeding papers or something
- Maes and Gracia takes in Dudley because the blood wards are still a concern and they force him to go to therapy (both alone and with his new family) as well as anger management and gets a home tutor to help him get to the level he should be
- - If Greed is possessing Harry (Greedry) they're sending him letters with Hedwig or Dipsy trying to convince him to stay with them. (Will he agree?)
- - If it's Greedric, Harry already lives with the Hughes family and is joining Dudley's lessons because Maes wants him to have a better grasp of muggle subjects than he ever had. And he also gets therapy because his life has consisted of trauma inducing events.
- ?
- Greed successfully recreates the Devil's Nest in [muggle town that's really near the Potter Manor] in some sus neighbourhood, but instead of chimaeras it's mixed outcasts and a bunch of kids trying to be cool (including Dudley?). The kids are less enthusiastic when Greed makes them do homework and critical thinking exercises and stuff with the argument that he wants power and therefore his followers should have power and as knowledge is also power they need to know and understand as much as possible. It also turns into a haven for trans and other queer people as well as autistic people because fuck rowling.
- Should Greed send letters to Ling?
- Dementors are sent after Harry and Greedry/Greedric who was exploring the area absorbs them.
- If it's Greedric he brings Harry to the Devil's Nest. Remarks that something about Harry reminds him of someone but he can't figure out who. When Maes finds them Greedric goes "Oh! You're the stag-guy from the coup!"
- Despite no spell having been cast a letter is sent to Harry. Greed sends one back and dares them to prove it.
- ?
- Trial: Greed doesn't mind taking a truth serum because it's his policy to never tell lies. He confirms he isn't human and is accused of lying despite the serum when he claims he absorbed the dementor. Greed dares them to send in a dementor to prove he's not lying and despite protests from the sensible people Umbridge does it. Greeds absorbs it and then with a shit-eating grin poses a very important question to the rest of the atrium: "If the dementors were only supposed to be in Azkaban, and as you all confirmed earlier during this *cough* trial it would take plenty of paper work and several hours to arrange the removal of even a single one; how could this one be sent in within a minute?"
- Major Armstrong is there too for X reason and for Y reason he and Lord Greengrass start flexing. Everyone who knows either of them goes "oh no there's two of them" and unfortunately for Fudge and Umbridge the two flexers share opinions and morals
- Does Maes dramatically reveal he is James sometime during the trial in an attempt to protect Harry better or will he keep that a secret?
- ?
- Mustang and his crew + Hughes crew visits Maes family and they have a big outing in Diagon Alley. Havoc and Al are in wheelchairs that day. Meets the Weasleys there and Molly hugs Brenda as they're cousins.
- DE-attack in Diagon Alley while they're there. Wizards panic and the Amestrians not so much. Armstrong provides defence while Roy snaps out flames, and Alphonse does a bit of both. Ed (and Winrey?) punches DE:s that are dumb enough to apparate in behind their defenses before anyone else can even react and none-alchemists shoots bullets and adult wizards spells. Wizard kids are back up defence but never really needed. Also the twins throw out random prank prototypes at the DE:s. Gracia throws cobblestones at them with an astonishing accuracy. When Harry and the Elrics later ask her it turns out she was the star player of the match where she and Maes met and that she still has a mean throw. Are Izumi and Sig there too?
- Falman and Sheska voices a concern for their Great Uncle so the lot goes to Ollivanders. He saw it all and was very impressed with them. Annoying "I want grandkids" spiel?
- ?
- The Elric brothers move in with the Hughes the last week (or two?) before Hogwarts starts again. Originally only to visit but after an incidental meeting with Dumbledore they decide to attend Hogwarts for one year as research students, aka they get free access to the library (restricted area included) and can attend any lesson they want as if it was a lecture. Their aim (officially) is to explore magical energy, flows and sources and how magic interacts and affects the world compared to alchemy. The unofficial reason is to keep an eye on Umbridge as they've been informed of what happened before. It's also to give them an opportunity to get help with recovery and physical therapy from Madam Pomphrey. Ed and Al also make sure/demands that Harry (especially if he isn't Greedry) knows their cover story as the last time he saw Al he was a suit of armour.
- Year 5 start. The Elric brothers have their own suite near the hospital wing.
- ?
- Ed and Al end up joining the golden trio to their first DADA lesson because he was having an intense discussion.
- Ed bursts out laughing when Umbridge rethorically asks who would attack children, takes off his jacket and shirt and starts pointing at various scars along with how he got them (some with tweaked thruth). Umbridge is too stunned to stop him and when she collects herself the damage is done and as they don't belong to any house she can't take any points from them, and when she tries to give them detention they're refusing and quoting some obscure rule which dictates that short of breaking the law itself they can't be punished as they are "special subject scholars" and those are so rare that even the headmaster can't refuse them. The brothers learned the laws about that to the point where they can quote it word for word purely out of spite (it only took them half a day or so)
"This one is from a serial killer called Slasher. Technically it was two brothers but only one of them caused that. Anyway. This one is from a rough alchemist who tried to bury me alive by exploding a mine. Got pierced by a beam and was hospitalised for weeks. Hurt like hell."
"Language, brother."
"Whatever. Anyway, I also had a serial killer called Scar attacking me a few times but I didn't get anything more than scrapes those times. The bastard Envy mostly reopened old wounds or just left bruises. The fake priest Cornello tried to shoot us. Am I missing anyone who tried to kill or maim me, Al?"
- Al who have been skimming their new book criticises it for lacking sources, using subpar descriptions as well as contradictions on things that shouldn't have any.
- ?
- Alphonse's response to people pitying/bullying him for having a wheelchair day.
"At least in a wheelchair I can move around, because otherwise today would be a bed day and I really want to see what the deal with quidditch is."
- ?
- Various Amestrians show up at Hogwarts to visit the brothers for one reason or another.
- Should Izumi make an appearance in Hogwarts? Maybe throw knifes at Snape because they're siblings and he dodges it without even looking up cause he's used to it? Just have some Izumi based chaos? Can I include her in more stuff apart from the Order?
- Should Scar show up for the comedy potential (assuming students connect the name 'Scar' as one of those who tried to kill Ed)? What's his excuse? What's his new name? Or is he still "nameless"?
- ?
- Greed is in an order meeting in Grimmauld. Maria (who was invited for X reason) and Sirius reveals the Horcrux Kreatcher showed them. It turns out homunculi are among the few things that can destroy those items when Greed is like "That ugly thing? It looks damn weak though" and with his ultimate shield crushes it (half on accident?)
- The subject of what horcruxes are is explored. Moody, Maes and Maria scolds Dumbledore for not telling his allies vital information like that and developing a proper code, and proceed to tell him various examples that could go wrong by withholding that kind of info (including some things that happened in canon, such as Dung stealing the locker and causing it to land in the enemies hands)
- They discuss possible items, locations and confirmed and destroyed horcruxes.
- If Greedry: Greed mentions Harry was one but that shard was destroyed and used as energy when he was "put" into Harry's body.
- McGonagall informs she will discuss the matter with the ghosts of Hogwarts and see if they know anything. This will later result in Helena telling about the diadem, and McGonagall will with the help of trusted colleagues and house elves sort through RoR, find the diadem and when they find the cabinet from book 6 and Snape (?) mentions seeing/having heard rumours of its twin being in Borkins and Burkes they make sure to destroy it beyond repair just in case. The diadem is stabbed with Godric's sword.
- ?
- Horcruxes are found during the 5th year.
- - Found and destroyed: Diary, locket, diadem. Harry if Greedry.
- - Cup: Sirius as the Lord Black has access to all the account details of the family members of the Blacks and discovers Bella has the cup in her vault when digging through the paperwork. Sends missive to the goblins and they either send it to Sirius or destroy it for him.
- - Ring: Dumbledore finds it after he has been chased away from Hogwarts. AD still gets cursed. Greed, who came along as their go-to horcrux-destroyer, solved that issue by cutting the man's arm off. It's surprisingly effective but the arm cannot be regrown. Automail?
- - Harry if not Greedry: After lengthy discussions of pros and cons he permits Greed to temporarily possess him and try to destroy it that way. Cedric accepts Greed back afterwards. Should a couple of innocent souls from Greed's stone (people who were wrongfully convicted and killed by dementor's kiss elect to stay with Harry to help him with advices and possibly prevent future murder events?
- - Nagini, see below.
- ?
- Discussions of creating a body for Greed. Alphonse convinces him a metal body is a bad idea, even if Sirius would use all of his relatives' resources to make one out of goblin silver, because of how his soul was starting to get rejected and also because of food and sleep.
- ?
- Voldemort sends his fake vision (is it of Sirius or Maes?)
- If Greedry he gets to the DoM on his own.
- If Harry the Elric brothers knock some sense into him and remind him he has a magic mirror as well as two house elves who can check where Sirius/Maes is. (Umbridge's office scene does not happen.) The truth is revealed. Greedric is with Sirius or Maes at the time and decides to go to DoM to investigate.
- Greed in the DoM gives the DE a bad time. Nagini tries to bite him. Tries. Greed gets annoyed she's in the way and rips her apart.
- Greed kills Voldemort, in front of the ministry. When the matter of the prophecy comes up his response is: Prophecies are bullshit, besides…
- If Greedry: …it said Harry's hand, and these are his hands that I'm using.
- If Greedric: ...Harry gave me the info, so technically I went in his stead and therefore it still was by his hand.
- Somehow it's revealed Umbridge is an unmarked/aspiring DE
- Greed gets his new body. They had to use genetic material from several people so he looks a bit like the Hughes couple, the Elrics and Cedric. Ends up being half adopted by the Hugheses. The Devil's Nest somehow turns into some unofficial rehab/therapy/homework help centre but Greed is fine with that even if it confuses him. Cutesy end chapter.
A/N: So, that's it for this story. It's been almost 6 years since I uploaded the first chapter, and now, with the notes I posted here, the file was 94 pages. I originally thought it would land between 30-50 pages LMAO. And judging from some of my other projects, I still need to learn to estimate how many pages things will be in the end, lol.
Thank you all for reading this story, it have truly meant a lot to me. If you wish to ask me anything, feel free to either comment here or drop an ask on my tumblr (I'm called Fwoosheye there too). I hope all of you will have a wonderful time ahead of you!
Thank you!