What If… Harry Potter Wasn't Harry Potter? A Harry Potter/Marvel What If… Crossover Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its associated characters: all rights belong to JK Rowling. I do not own Marvel, Avengers, What If… or any of their associated characters; all rights belong to Marvel, Stan Lee and all respective creators. I do not own any other crossover references used in the story: all rights belong to their original creators. I do own any OC spells explained at the end of a chapter.
Added Disclaimer and Dedication: Parts of the opening of this story were greatly inspired by another 'reincarnation' story that I've really enjoyed reading.
The story is called Doom Days (Harry PotterMCU Crossover) by FFN member "Oghenevwogaga"
As thanks for the inspiration, I've decided to do something I don't do anymore and recommend their story to those who may enjoy this one, so thanks to them and, to all who enjoy this story, go and check out that one.
Key Pairing: Evil Harry/Ginny
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
'Mental Speech'
/Parseltongue/
1st Thing: Stranger Things Happen (But Only To Harry Potter)
In the grand calculus of the Multiverse, there are always errors, mistakes and moments where logic, reason and even fate can be cheated.
For every good moment in one Universe, another can have a bad moment.
A hero in one world can become a villain in the next.
And, like all mortals, when death comes for them, that's it…the end…
Except once.
One pivotal moment in the fabric of the Multiverse where a soul, one whom is written as a hero in almost each and every rendition of his existence across time and space, became something worse.
Something that almost ended the Multiverse, and all within it, were it not for two female heroes, both of whom sent him spiralling into the unknown embraces of defeat, death and destruction…
Or so they thought.
WIHP
'NO!'
He was so close!
So close, and yet he tripped at the finish line, all because of that interfering shield-bearer and the other woman.
His destiny, his victory and his success were all in hand, but then, thanks to that damn captain and the other one, neither of whom should have been able to best a power like his, even if they had conveniently managed to gather power from the other ungrateful spirits; now, he was defeated.
Destroyed.
Sacrificed, they might even say: ha!
What did they think this was?
A romantic crap-fest where love and friendship saved the day?
He wasn't sacrificing anything; he was beaten, end of story…
Or so he thought…
WIHP
"Who's there?"
A voice, one so small and insignificant that it could only be called the voice of a child, broke through his sea of intense rage, having found himself ripped away from opportunity once again – though, this time, it was at the hands of…of another him! (1)
WIHP
Didn't they understand what he meant when he told them, "Things just got out of hand?"
He wasn't doing evil just to doom the world; he wasn't Dormammu, for Fate's sake!
He was trying to get back to her, end of story; once he got back what he had lost – namely, his heart – he would be happy, the world would be left alone and he could even hang up his power and cloak – for now, anyway – while living the free, happy life he had lost when he'd lost her.
Even his other self hadn't been able to accept that bargain, while he had sensed that, in that particular universe, the vision of her beauty and brilliance that he had seen had lost as much as him, if not more.
She'd lost her Stephen like he'd lost his Christine, so, obviously, the two of them would have been able to make it work.
So what if there was an Incursion?
With his immense power, he'd have been able to put it right, but only once he had her back, no sooner.
But no, other him hadn't been able to accept that and so, instead of letting him have her back, the selfish bastard had fought against his greater powers, thanks to him absorbing and becoming Master of the Darkhold of that universe, and sent him spiralling to his death.
The last thing he'd seen before Death claimed him being her beautiful eyes and tearful look, saying the same thing he'd said to her so many times.
"I'm sorry…"
WIHP
And now, he was…he didn't know where…
Apparently, whether through the Darkhold's power, or his own all-encompassing range of abilities – all of which came from the magical knowledge, creatures and powers that he had absorbed, swallowed up and assimilated into his magical arsenal over the weeks, months and even years he'd lived in two universes now…or three, counting this new one – Death couldn't come for him and claim him once again.
Now, he was…floating…
A ghostly spectre wandering the unknown, or so he'd thought until he heard the soft, male, childish voice that called out through the darkness.
Following the sound of the voice, he took a breath as he asked, "Hello?"
"Please," said the infant's voice, earning a frown from him as he noticed a small, barely-formed miasma of strange, light-coloured mystical energy now huddled before him; within the light, he could see a small boy, no older than a toddler, with raven-black hair and a small, red-coloured outfit that covered most of his body.
The boy was also hunched over in the foetal position, cowering before his presence as the boy whimpered, "Don't hurt me…I don't know where I am…all I want is…is my Mummy and Daddy…please?"
"Where are they?" he asked, earning a rapid shake of the head from the boy.
"I-I-I don't know, Mister…um, Sir."
"Call me Stephen," he replied, a small part of him frowning in confusion as he wondered who this boy was, exactly, much less why his mysterious way of passing from one life to the next had led him to such a…a strange place – no puns intended.
"I don't know, Mister Stephen," whimpered the boy, looking up to Stephen, who looked surprised when he saw a pair of bright, emerald-green eyes looking up at him in teary-eyed fear and understandable confusion – after all, this was a kid in front of him – both of which faded away before they were replaced by a look of awestruck, childish curiosity.
Seeing the new look, Stephen chuckled softly as he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Your eyes are just like mine, Mister Stephen," said the small boy, earning a soft chuckle from Stephen as, when he looked into the boy's eyes, he did indeed notice an air of similarity to the green-eyed colour he had once held, before he'd pushed himself into studies and power-growth in order to have what he desired most.
But now, apparently, the green eyes were back, and this boy saw something familiar in them, as did Stephen, "Huh…I suppose you're right, little one; in another lifetime…maybe in another universe, we could have been Father and Son, but you say your Mummy and Daddy are gone; how did they go away, exactly?"
"A scary thing," said the small boy, earning a frown from Stephen as he looked the boy up and down.
'Hold on,' he thought to himself, his eyes narrowing further as he asked, 'Black hair…green eyes…parents gone…and this power…it feels like magic, but…but not as strong as it can be. And he said a scary thing took them…'
"Was it a green light?" asked Stephen.
When the boy nodded, Stephen's eyes widened briefly as he let out a soft laugh.
'You are kidding me!'
He now knew who the boy was, though, in his world, said boy was meant to be nothing, but a story – all right, not once he'd ever shown any interest in, if only because of the absurd amount of plot holes and inconsistencies, not to mention the one-hit-wonder conveniences throughout them…and don't get him started on the two movie universes, one of which died halfway through because some bigshot got too big for his britches.
Still, if this was him and, in this world, he was real.
What was he doing with Stephen?
Unless…
"Child, can you tell me your name?" asked Stephen calmly, trying to keep the anticipation out of his voice as he looked at the small youth.
"Mummy called me Harry," said the infant, earning a brief look of shock from Stephen.
"Harry…Potter?"
The boy, Harry Potter, nodded.
"And…" asked Stephen, looking around the strange, dark space that he occupied along with the boy, once again letting his theory about what was going on take him to one conclusion, especially since he noted how he couldn't feel anything, not yet anyway, and yet this young soul was hunched before him, looking up at him in awe, homage and even a sense of liking, if not trust.
Still, Stephen had to be sure.
"How did you get here, little Harry?" asked the elder sorcerer, his voice tinged with curiosity as he looked into the boy's eyes. "Here, where you and I have met; how did you end up in this place?"
"The scary thing," said Harry, rubbing his hands over his arms as he explained, "It…it made my Mummy fall down and…and then she disappeared; I…I was here…and then you were here, Mister Stephen. Can you…will you please help me find Mummy and Daddy again? I…I promise I'll do anything, sir. Pretty-please?"
Stephen filled in the blank pretty easily.
WIHP
What he was seeing was, obviously, some sort of spiritual representation who felt older and, maybe, a little braver than he had been when his Mummy had fallen down, and, right now, it was highly-likely that they were in the child's Soul Room, if not the edge of the dimensions between Life and Death.
Oh well, at least it didn't look like a silly train station…well, not yet anyway, right?
Still…
It also filled in the blank on how Stephen was there, but not there.
And, more importantly, it gave him another opportunity…
But it would mean doing something truly malevolent…something that he was pretty sure no Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme – or, as he had dubbed himself, Strange Supreme – in any corner of the Multiverse would ever be willing to do.
Then again, he'd died twice, at the hands of so-called heroes, who'd refused to accept the simplest chance at making him stop.
So, why should he stop now?
If his theory was correct…
Oh…
This was going to be perfect!
WIHP
"Mister Stephen?"
Snapping himself out of his evil train of thought, Stephen cleared his throat, adopting the you-can-trust-me attitude of that other, weaker version of himself – not to mention all the ones he'd killed or led to their deaths…like that one killed by the big-mouthed speaker with the deadly voice – that he had actually been sick to notice, Stephen offered little Harry Potter a reassuring smile. (2)
"Hey, sorry about that, kid," said the Sorcerer Supreme, kneeling before little Harry as he explained, "I was just thinking of the best way that we might be able to find your Mummy and Daddy and…well…I think I might have a way to help, but, if you're going to do what I need you to do, then you have to be a very big, very brave and very quiet boy…can you do that for me, Harry Potter?"
The boy nodded faster than a dashboard Churchill dog toy.
Stephen smiled as he nodded in response, "Good boy…and, for what it may be worth, I bet you'll be happily reunited with them in due course, Harry; but first, I need you to close your eyes…and no peeking, or we may never be able to find your parents."
Harry screwed his eyes closed.
He even slammed his small hands over his ears.
This meant he didn't see Stephen's eyes darken before he rose up, his darker persona once again coming out as he sighed softly, "I'd say sorry for this, kid, but twice is one time too many for me to die; if they won't let me have her back, I'll just take the whole world from them instead. And, if I am right, you are how I do it…so…goodbye, Harry Potter."
Then, he closed his own eyes briefly, snapping them open again seconds later as he called on his most-familiar of powers.
The ability to gain powers through the absorption of other beings.
As little Harry's strangely-spiritualised body started to warp and shift, the miasma of energy that enveloped him now flowing into the beams of light used by Stephen to absorb the infant's power, the Strange Supreme noticed a small, almost-saddened smile cross the boy's face as he almost seemed to surrender to the power of the older man.
'Good boy,' thought Stephen, watching as Harry, light aura and all, flowed right into his glowing eyes and mouth, bonding his powers with that of the malefic Sorcerer Supreme; once Harry's spirit had been absorbed by him, Stephen crossed both his hands over his chest, closing his eyes as he felt the small boy's power forming with his own.
And…yowzah!
Talk about…power!
'If he'd had this in those dreary books and movies, maybe they'd have been better,' thought Stephen, before he scoffed to himself as he rested a hand on his heart, and his other hand on his stomach.
'Listen to me, I sound like Deadpool…oh well, sorry again, kid; enjoy your new home.'
Suddenly, the world around Stephen started to turn a familiar shade of green, but the Sorcerer Supreme didn't panic.
Instead, he smiled as he looked up, shaking his head amusingly.
"Oh, I don't think so…"
WIHP
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The Dark Lord Voldemort relished in his victory as his curse struck the one with the power to vanquish him, stealing away the chance to do just that by doing the very thing Voldemort intended to do.
Slay Harry Potter before he could come into his powers and become the threat that Voldemort knew he…wait!
Suddenly, Voldemort's eyes widened as, impossibly, he felt said body burning up, though where the burning feeling was coming from, or why he was even feeling it when he was so close to his victory. The only thing he knew was the feeling of his body decaying, burning up with emerald-green flames that suddenly sprang up out of his chest, eyes, nose and mouth.
As he screamed in agony, Voldemort felt a sliver of his soul breaking from his body, most-likely out of desperation, though this feeling also made him laugh coldly, cruelly and agonisingly-insanely as he knew, with his anchors out there, he would return again.
And Harry Potter would be the first to die!
Looking down at the infant, Voldemort let his anguished cry be the last thing the brat heard…
Though he would not soon forget the last thing he saw as death tried, and failed, to claim his brilliance.
A smile…
A cold, satisfied smile, and a small, infantile tongue slipping across the babe's lips as he watched Voldemort's body disintegrate into nothingness, leaving only a pile of charred robes, a wand and a band of terrified followers across the nation.
WIHP
'I…I knew it!'
So thought Stephen as he watched the so-called Dark Lord turn to ashes, as well as a pile of robes and a white wand, before the Strange Supreme felt a small, babyish sigh escape him.
'I've become this boy…reincarnated in a different form…one weaker, but with more than enough time to make sure I win the right way this time.'
And, with what he'd felt when he absorbed the power of that magic that the ophidian monstrosity had flung at him, Stephen now had a bonus that neither of his other lives had in their times.
In this world, from what very little he recalled of those dismal tales, there was one saving grace for him that would allow him time to plan;
After all, who would ever believe that the Boy-Who-Lived was really a reincarnated soul with the power to shatter the Multiverse?
Holy…Merlin…and the magic that gave him life in the first place: Harry Potter…is not Harry Potter – at least, not the one we think – and the Boy-Who-Lived is…is a world-ender with his own agenda: what will this mean for our hero's homeland?
Also, are there any who can become a threat to Strange Supreme as he seems to have kept more than just his hatred for heroes?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: "So it's true then; what they're saying on the train…Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts!" Want to bet on that, Draco?
Please Read and Review
NUMBERED ANNOTATIONS (1)
In this story's universe, Strange Supreme was first reincarnated as the evil Doctor Strange from Multiverse of Madness
(2)
We know from MoM that "Sinister Strange" was responsible for a lot of his alter-selves' deaths, so I thought it would add a hint of terror and humour if he was responsible for what led to the death of Strange 838
I daresay another 'manipulator' is in for some trouble if/when he realises things are not what they seem.
I wonder how long it will be before he realises…things just got out of hand!
(Cue Evil Laugh)
PROMPT INFO:
Also, in case anyone's wondering, this evil nugget is actually a response, if not greatly inspired by the following prompt from my forums.
After being defeated by Captain Carter and Kahhori, Strange Supreme found his almighty power reborn in the body of an innocent baby. Will this be his chance for greatness? Victory? Success? Time will tell
(Dark/Evil OP Harry: Strange Supreme MUST adapt to this different magic and world, but still have all his old powers: Strange Supreme MUST continue to grow stronger including continuing to absorb magic from others)
Suffice to say, forget everything you think you know about our hero, as well as my favourite Marvel character – Doctor Strange FTW and Evil Strange is a gift from the Gods if ever there was one!