DZ2's Dimensions of Destiny
DISCLAIMER FOR ALL FOLLOWING CHAPTERS: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters: all rights belong to JK Rowling. I do not own ANY crossover fandoms, references or similarities that appear in the following ideas dumps; all rights belong to their respective creators
1ST Dimension: God/Merlin Save The King
The entire world held its breath…
At least, that's how it felt as the combined masses of Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons gathered in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, each member of its student populace, as well as the teachers who educated them and their guests, waiting with bated breath for the commencement of the Champions' Selection.
In the centre of the assembly, standing before the legendary artefact known as the Goblet of Fire, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore seemed to be just as expectant as everyone else there.
Although, had anyone dared to ask him about the why, he would have said it was for an entirely different reason to them.
MSK
To Dumbledore, the air of expectant delight and hope was because of how, finally, after years of waiting and failed plans, finally, he was going to be successful in achieving something he had been waiting for ever since the end of the First Wizarding War.
The return of the Saviour, and the Chosen One of the prophecy, Harry James Potter.
At last, Dumbledore would have answers as to how the boy had managed to defy him, not to mention the inevitable destiny that Dumbledore knew was waiting for him – read: certain death for the Greater Good – when he'd apparently, inexplicably vanished from the ruins of the Potter Family Home in Godric's Hollow, after surviving the Killing Curse against the Dark Lord Voldemort.
It was bad enough, for Dumbledore at least, that Harry had even managed to survive the Killing Curse in the first place, but, at the same time, it proved that he was the child of the prophecy and the one who needed to sacrifice himself, so that Dumbledore could save the world.
And in doing so, become what he was born to be: the next Merlin.
Leader of the Light.
Master of the Magical World.
And, most importantly of all, the Master of Death.
MSK
However, as bad as the boy's unexplained disappearance was, it was made even worse – again, for Dumbledore more than anyone else – when Harry hadn't come to Hogwarts three years prior, where he would be Sorted into Gryffindor and guided by the hand of a friendly woman and her brood, all of whom would teach Harry to respect Dumbledore's wishes and know that Albus Dumbledore knew what was right for Harry.
He would also be humbled by being raised in a, sadly-necessarily, neglectful, anti-magical household and not wanting anything to do with his fame, which would stoke the fires because Dumbledore planned everything around that.
Harry would be forced into one scenario after another, focusing on saving everyone else at the cost of himself.
Of course, Albus would make sure he didn't actually die; no, several conveniently-placed fail-safes, including Fawkes and even the Hogwarts Sorting Hat, would make sure Harry survived until he was meant to die at the right moment.
Meanwhile, students would both flock to him and hate him, but Albus' pawns would ensure none, but them were too close to Harry, while, again, the boy's saving-people thing would make him protective of the only friends he had.
But, all of that had meant nothing because Harry Potter had not come to Hogwarts.
MSK
And, for three years, Albus had waited, searched, coerced – not directly, of course; he had an image to uphold – and made sure word spread of how the Boy-Who-Lived was going to come to Hogwarts eventually.
So, when he heard of the Triwizard Tournament being arranged for Hogwarts, thanks to the mountainous debts owed by that degenerate magpie, Ludo Bagman, as well as Barty Crouch Senior's desire to be back in power after his son's incarceration, Albus made a new plan. One that counted on the Tournament, the fickle minds of the sheep he'd spent the better half of a century moulding into the followers of his gospel they were, as well as the law of Magic itself.
Harry Potter would come back to Hogwarts.
He would sacrifice himself for the Greater Good.
And, if he was a good boy, Albus might even let him leave his pawn's only daughter with a bastard in her belly before his sacrifice came about.
MSK
"And now the moment we've all been waiting for…the Champions' Selection!"
The crowd fell silent as Dumbledore started the proceedings for the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament, intentionally putting on a show of darkening the room wandlessly, before showing a sense of reverence and curiosity as he approached the burning top of the Goblet. When the artefact's flames turned red, Albus held his breath, hoping against all hope that the other, less-important names that were coming out of the Goblet would be names that would keep people's attention on Harry for multiple reasons.
None of them good.
But all of them for the Greater Good.
With the first name released, a smirk threatened to break out across Dumbledore's face as he read the name there;
"The Durmstrang Champion is…VIKTOR KRUM!"
A Quidditch star, the hottest thing any of these girls – or guys, not that Harry would swing such a way, Dumbledore knew – had seen and a rival that was driven by Igor Karkaroff's desire for victory.
Yes, a perfect pawn indeed.
Moments later, the Goblet spat out another name;
"The Champion for Beauxbatons…is FLEUR DELACOUR!"
Hmm…a Veela…
If nothing else, It would test Harry's mental prowess and, in the unlikely event that It managed to ensnare Albus' little puppet before he could lose his purity to the redhead he knew was beyond-obsessing over the boy.
Well, that was what Azkaban, and executioners who collected the heads of their magical creature trophies, were for.
The third name emerged shortly after;
"The Hogwarts Champion…CEDRIC DIGGORY!"
A Hufflepuff…
Somebody up there liked Albus; the Puffs' need for recognition would carve a rift straight through Hogwarts, turning many against Harry while leaving the boy alone because loyalty was everything to a Hufflepuff.
More to the point, since Harry wasn't at Hogwarts, the students would never betray their school, or more importantly, their headmaster.
"Excellent!" Exclaimed Dumbledore, again trying his hardest not to laugh as he felt the magic of the Goblet stirring.
The ritual he had spent months practicing and honing, before using the not-so-clever Death Eater disguised as a foolhardy sheep to put the final piece into place; at long last, the ritual was taking effect.
All Dumbledore had to do was bide his time.
Fortunately, he'd long-since convinced them all of what a showman he was.
"We now have our three Champions…but in the end, only one can emerge victorious…when all is said and done, there will be only one of our trio of combatants whom can happily raise up this chalice of champions…this vessel of victory…THE TRIWIZARD CUP!"
The flair he put on the last words not only provided a glimmering show of light from the revelation of the piece of tin that was, apparently, the endgame for this Tournament – in reality, it was the commencement of the spinning of the wheels of fate that was the true endgame and that, for Dumbledore, was far more important…if not the only important thing to think about.
Still, the flair also highlighted the darkening of the room, accompanied by a small chorus of whispers, gasping breaths and curious looks all round as, suddenly, the Goblet of Fire lit up for an impossible fourth time, causing its fire to explode outwards, filling the room with magic and fury that had many people ducking in cover, while others were left astonished by what they saw.
At the same time, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with victory as he saw a brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it, flash of green, almost like that of someone using a Floo Portal, before a final burst of fire exploded from inside the Goblet, rising up into the air like a geyser of elemental proportions before, with a resounding CRASH, the flames hit the floor, kicking up a duststorm that seemed to blind many of the students, while the backdrafts also blew out the enchanted candles around the room.
In the midst of the darkness, a single shaft of light left Dumbledore's wand, revealing that he was holding a burned, charred scrap of parchment that, as more lights filled the room, also revealed another impossible truth to the spectators.
The name of a fourth Triwizard Champion.
"Harry Potter?"
As whispers, murmurs and confused looks danced in the light of the wands, however, Dumbledore's eyes widened when, all of a sudden, he heard something he did not expect to hear – not even with all his planning.
Clapping…
Slow…mocking…self-amused…rhythmic…clapping…
And…a voice.
"Bravo…old man…truly, congratulations…"
A man's voice; soft, but deep and mature – not the tone of voice Dumbledore expected to hear when he considered how his ritual would drag Harry Potter back from wherever he'd run off to – and filled with a tone of amusement, if not firm strength that made the very air in the room tremble and quiver with ominous emotions.
As the students, as well as Dumbledore and the other adults, heard the voice, several people jumped when the sound of someone snapping their fingers followed the man's voice.
This was the cue for firelight to once again fill the Great Hall; an aurora of warm, golden light that not only lit up the room, revealing confused, alarmed and questioning students and peers.
It also revealed the strange man standing in the centre of the hall, where Dumbledore himself had stood before approaching the Goblet, surrounded by a group of silver-armoured figures, all of whom were kneeling in apparent homage, if not subservience to the stranger that stood centre-stage, his raven-black hair brushed back and tied off by a leather strap while his eyes, which were a piercing shade of green, were locked onto Dumbledore in amusement as he continued clapping, while speaking directly to the Headmaster.
"You actually went and did it…how proud you must be…shame it was all for naught, wouldn't you say, my old friend?"
"Indeed, I would, Young One."
The voice that answered, a second man's voice, was aged, but filled with a note of sheer power that made even Dumbledore's skin crawl, his heart stop dead and his body tremble with a sense of newfound intimidation as he turned to look at the one who'd spoken.
He was an elder gentleman who almost looked like Dumbledore, although he had a smoother-brushed, more-pronounced white beard and hairdo, as well as two silver eyes that were fixed on Dumbledore with a look that could have been described as one of disappointment, if not scolding. To Albus' disbelief, the man was dressed in a long, flowing white robe and carried a staff in his left hand, which was topped by a dragon's head, the jaws of which held a glowing, blue sphere, which had swirling magical lights glowing inside of it.
As the strange elder looked to Dumbledore, his voice grew stern, if not angry, as he growled at the Headmaster.
"Tell me…do you have any idea what you have done in your self-deluded quest for supremacy and command of powers you should not own, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore? Are you so blind and arrogant in your mindset that you assume the Laws of the Great Magic are yours alone to do with as you please?"
"What…who…how…I…you…what…"
The first stranger's voice cut off Dumbledore's stammered queries.
Though his words did nothing to alleviate the man's fears.
Rather…they heightened them…
"Come on now, Emrys…you knew how this was going to turn out; we should just thank the Powers that his plans were so narrow-minded, he didn't consider all the ramifications of his hubris…otherwise, I might have actually turned up here as the fourteen-year-old he wants me to be, and not the twenty-year-old that I am now."
Twenty?
Dumbledore's eyes widened in rage, if not disbelief, as he seemed to find his courage.
Spinning around to face the newcomer, he snarled at them, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"To the second," replied the youth, indicating the now-extinguished Goblet, "That's easy, old man: you summoned me here…using an archaic ritual invoking the Goddess' will and the law of magical combat, I might add; and I admit that it's an impressive plan, but still…you summoned me here."
"No…no, I didn't…" argued Dumbledore, though the more he looked into the green eyes of the…twenty-year-old man standing before him, the more he found himself unable to deny it.
After all, only one smug little bitch who never learned her place had ever had eyes like…like his…
And only one lucky brat who should have died in the slut's belly had the same eyes now.
"Yes: you did," argued the youth, before he shrugged dismissively as he added, "As for the first…even though you claim you might know my name, since it was my name once upon a time in a land far, far away…permit me to introduce myself…"
A snap of his fingers caused one of the armoured warriors to rise up, before they bowed to the man and, turning to Dumbledore, took a deep breath before they addressed him in a proud, powerful voice that echoed around the otherwise-quiet Great Hall of Hogwarts.
"Presenting the fourth Champion in the Triwizard Tournament: His Majesty, the Once and Future King of Albion…ARTHUR PENDRAGON!"
The Great Hall exploded with noise, save for two people.
A shocked, enraged and alarmed Albus Dumbledore.
And a smug, if not content-looking Arth…no…
Harry James Potter!
Dumbledore would never call him anything else…
So, a weird, if not twisted start to the DOD and we have an idea that is my take on one of the many prompts/plot bunnies I put in my forum during my hiatus from actual writing.
If you want more info, read below…
Harry Potter vanished from Godric's Hollow when he was a baby. However, his story isn't over: on the contrary, when the Tournament reveals he's still alive, the magical world is in for a shock as Harry comes back with an army at his back that has one thing to say to the magical world: "Hail the Fourth Champion of the Triwizard Tournament...KING ARTHUR?"
(Grey Powerful Harry: when Harry vanishes, he ends up in medieval times where a family renames him Arthur as there's nothing saying his name is meant to be Harry: some years later, Harry/Arthur draws Excalibur from the stone and becomes the Once and Future King with Merlin himself at his side: how long passes between Harry/Arthur becoming the legendary king and returning to the present as the fourth Triwizard Champion is up to you: when Harry returns, Merlin MUST go with him, further adding to the risk as, without Harry/Arthur and Merlin, history will be changed: trained by the greatest sorcerer in history, Harry has a talent for magic, including spells, feats and abilities that modern-day Magical Britain wouldn't be likely to accept: he's also trained in the sword and Excalibur: ALL Harry's knights, including Sir Lancelot, are as loyal to him as family: crossovers welcome: bonus points if Harry returns with his Guinevere or discovers her in the present and aims to take her back to Camelot with him: bonus points if Harry/Arthur is older than 14 when he returns to the present - though obviously people will claim he's meant to be 14 and not however old he really is: bonus points if, instead of being evil, the Lady Morgana is an ally/sibling/lover of Harry's and not out to end him and/or Merlin)
Now, in case anyone's wondering – as I MIGHT decide to write this one in full after posting a few more bunnies and finishing all the edited rewrites I have planned – here's my idea of what would happen.
First, yes, it would be a Harry-aka Arthur/Morgana pairing and it would probably have a third, though that's TBD for now;
Also, it would feature a lot of spins on some classic themes and a few funny surprises thrown in for good measure.
And yes, it would have an evil, sadistically-driven, power-hungry Albus Dumbledore who believes only he can make the rules, have the power and even rule Magical Britain – which since his actions threaten history itself by pulling Harry/Arthur into the present, he'd say seems more-likely…all he has to do is kill the King…
But, as I said, for now, it's just a spit-balled idea…
And so, onto the next Dimension!