Fic - Three Wishes - 1/1

[evandar]

Title: Three Wishes
Author: Evandar
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Gen/Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am making no profit from this story.
Warnings: Reference to abuse and torture.
Summary: Three wishes for three brothers. The story of the Deathly Hallows isn't quite what Beedle made it out to be.
AN: An exercise in headcanon, basically, because the Hallows were no where near explored enough in canon. This was written for the 'Three Wishes' prompt on my GenPrompt Bingo table.




“I wish for power.”

A twig was taken from an elder tree by the bank of a river and crafted into a wand. It had no core; it had no innate power. An enchantment was whispered over the wood as small hands wove a temporary spell to increase the power of its wielder.

Its first spell was the Cruciatus – aimed at its maker, who writhed and sobbed “brother!” – and its second the Killing Curse. When it was stolen and Antioch killed, the enchantment broke, but half of all magic is belief.

“I wish for control.”

Small hands took a pebble from the riverbank and bathed it for three nights and three days in tears and moonlight. On a whim he scratched a symbol into its side – every artefact needs some sort of symbol; they always did in the stories – and he gave it as bidden to his second brother who turned it thrice in hand.

“Is this how you see the world?” he asked, staring at the spirit of his lost love.

“No,” he panted. The spirit, he knew, would look whole to his brother, but the dead cannot lie to necromancers, and he still saw the ravages of the Pestilence that had killed her. Cadmus saw her beauty because half of all magic is belief.

“I wish to be free.”

He wove a cloak from the hair of the dead, stolen from the family mausoleum in the night. He’d crafted the items that would fulfil his brothers’ wishes and it was time to fulfil his own while they used his gifts to destroy themselves.

The day after Cadmus was buried, he left the prison their riverside home had been, drew his cloak about his shoulders and escaped into the world he’d been kept from. Necromancers were hunted, reviled in their society, but without his brothers he was free.

He believed it, and so he was.

Comments

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Very nice. I love the idea that ignotus was the maker of the hallows - and a necromant. Definitely gives a very real and tragic touch to the whole story.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I like to think that - since in Deathly Hallows the Hallows were discovered to be real - the story in Beedle the Bard was highly romanticised. A toned down, fairy tale version of reality, as it were.

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

True. Dumbledore more or less directly told us that it was romanticised. Still, considering that they developed the Hallows centuries ago, when magic was definitely less sophisticated shows that there was something special going on.

Though, that Ignotus is a Necromancer... it might explain Harry's interesting relationship with death. ;) At least his meeting of Dumbledore in Limbo could be explained that way.
Not that Harry is a Necromancer. But that he has the potential to become one... now my muse is working. *laughs*

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Magic was less sophisticated, but possibly more powerful? And experimental? I mean, we're not given an exact date for the creation of the Hallows but it was probably before the Statute of Secrecy was established and the wizard in world cut off from the Muggle one. So this could predate a lot of the crazy inbreeding (which, as we know from the Gaunts, could possibly affect magic strength) that happens later on.

I like to put their creation in around 1337-8 (when the Black Death was in England) because of the fantastic opportunity for necromancy and because it would give plenty of time for the story to evolve into the romanticised version.

But yeah, it could explain a lot about what happened to Harry in Kings Cross if he was genetically predisposed towards necromancy. Hmmm... Let your muse work! Let it! There isn't nearly enough fic about the Hallows!

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Mh,I think experimental would fit better. After all, the schooling seemed to be institutionalised only with time.

Interesting thought to wonder how much inbreeding is there in the wizarding world... The key question here is, how big is the community? We should consider, that Harry's class probably is a small one, considering that it was the high of the war. Not an ideal time to get a small child. Same for the previous classes.
Better numbers are Rowling's numbers of 1000 Hogwart's students. With an average lifespan that would make a community of just 13.000 wizards.
But there are probably different schools too, considering that Hogwarts does cost money. So, we might deal with a community in Great Britain of say 50.000 wizards at the very highest.
Which would fit nicely with Arthur's explanation that the Quidditch world cup had 100.000 seats and he barely got the tickets.

50.000 nowadays. Now, Ignots is said to have died with 76, which is described as "old age". In these days, with an average lifespan (muggle) around 40, it was old age indeed.

So, I would dare to say this: There was more inbreeding shortly after the Statue of Secrecy, than there is now (exception is Harry's generation which is smaller than usual). This could explain why we've heard of many inventions from the 19th century on, and before the Statue. But inbetween there seems to be a certain lack? Never researched this, though.

The Black Dead would be a turning point for every necromancer....

And here is what my muse has cooked up so far:
The Black Dead *created* Necromancers. Two in Three persons died, and wizards at first weren't extempt. Evolution/ magic finally produced some people that were immune to the Black Dead, because they had a special connection to death itself.
One of them was Ignotus' mother. Her three sons all had the gene - but only in Ignotus it was active. Let's say a different father? ;)
Anyway, Ignotus was a strong wizard and very intelligent. He crafted the Hallows as gifts for his brothers... but after he saw how much bad luck his gifts spread, he became bitter.
He crafted the cloak, and used it to seal the gift in his own bloodline. But Cassus bloodline wasn't sealed, but also wasn't active.
So, we jump centuries forward. And Cassus bloodline creates Tom Riddle. Who has the active gene suddenly, because his blood was more mixed. He feels a special connection to death - and grows to fear it, because unsubconsiciously he blames it for everything (his mother's death). Voldemort is born.
And finally, there is Harry - whose gene also is a suddenly active, because his mother also brought fresh blood. Though Harry doesn't notice anything, his bloodline is still sealed.
Books happen. After the final battle, Harry has all three Hallows - which were the key to unlock his Necromancer abilities. Suddenly, he's the "Master of Death" aka he's a Necromancer.
And so not prepared for it.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Gods, no. He wouldn't be prepared, would he?

My headcanon is more along the lines of this: if someone with the genetic predisposition towards necromancy is exposed to death at a young age, it triggers a change in their magic that leads them to become a necromancer. (A bit like how you see Thestrals.) So all of the Peverell brothers have the gene, but only Ignotus is one because his mother died in childbirth. He was then exposed to the catastrophe that was the Black Death, which also counted. That triggered him and not his brothers because they hadn't been exposed to their mother's magic as she died, while he had and it takes more than one incident.

That gene is passed down through him to the Potters and to the Gaunts. For me, Cadmus died childless and Ignotus, who was there, took the ring back. He gave it to his daughter when she married just like he gave the cloak to his son.

Voldemort dabbles in necromancy (inferi, Horcruxes) but beyond that, he doesn't bother with it much because a) he fears death, and b) necromancy has the reputation for being useless because not everyone can perform it. Harry, on the other hand, has survived two Killing Curses and a near-death experience with Basilisk venom. He's got the same predisposition as Voldemort, but... No one on his side would be quite as accepting. Necromancy is a Dark Art and everyone is paranoid.

Cue breakdown.

But. Pretty much anything goes here. There's shockingly little to work with because of a lack of development - even the wizards think that they're nothing more than myth and rumour.

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Got to admit I like the "exposed to death" idea a lot more than my own. Can I take it? ;)

Especially, because it would also neatly epxlain Tom. His mother also died in childbirth.
Harry, oh, Harry really has something going on with Death, hasn't he? Hit at least twice by the Killing Curse (fourth year doesn't really count, I guess...), Quirrel, Basilisk venom, Dementors that try to take his souls, priori incantatem, the gate of Death (only he and Luna could hear the voices), the Horcruxes... the list is long.

So, let's say Harry's got the same predisposition, but he never did anything with it besides it kicking him to help him stay alive. All fine, and well, but he gets the Hallows.
And they're are in short a Necromancer's tool box, to control the urges a practising Necormancer has. Harry uses them all, walks away - but suddenly there are these urges.

1. Wand: Craving for death (usually seen as one for battle, but well, what if it's really just the death?)
2. Stone: Resurrectiong - he now feels the lingering souls, not quite ghost, but still there. He could touch them and pull...
3. Cloak: He suddenly becomes visible to the souls as well - and wants to hide from them. And he might feel the gateway of death, all the time. Like a sun on his face.

You're right, there is quite little to work with, besides the fact that there are hints left and right... It's fun to develop a Necormancer in the Harry Potter verse, that could work out.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Feel free ;)

It's one of the many AU'verses that I really want to expand upon whenever I get back into the HP fandom. One of so, so many. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to pick just one to write so I end up with short things like this. By all rights, it should be continued or explored more, but I don't know if it will.

One day, though. One day, someone else will write Hallows fic, and it will be glorious. :)

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Glory to the authoress that writes Hallow fanfics. ;)

The HP Fandom is kind of special, I think. Not just because it's big.
But time and other ideas... yeah. ._. I feel with you.

I acutally searched for Hallow fanfics yesterdays. I found nothing.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Nothing! Which is why whoever writes it will be worshipped XD

Special...is definitely the word for it. It's so big and so loved and has so many little details and characters to explore that you'd think it would have all been done by now. But it hasn't. And...there just isn't the time or patience to do it.

I know there's that saying "if you want to read something, write it yourself" but this is ridiculous. And it would be really nice to read someone else's take.

/rant

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Oh the worship if someone manages to finally create a new working cliche. XD So far there is nothing really *working* as an easy template for master of death!harry. ;)

True, I really thought after book 7 the fandom would die... It did get a smaller. A little bit. I am fan of other series and books too, but in these I'm often like: "Not touching this." Because you know that every character is part of the plot.
But the HP world was... open. There were characters, beloved, wonderful characters, that were just there to be there.

That was exactly teh sentiment that got me into writing. *laugh* And it still holds true.
But with HP it's truly ridiculous. There is so much out there and yet... I think I've read in the last two years every fanfic that mentioned "Master of Death" in the summary. Seriously. And there were maybe 5 good ones?
(And too many HP/ Riddik ones. What's up with that crossover?)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Bring on the cliche! My Master of Death tends to be on the creepy side, but I know it's not the be-all. It's just my opinion on what it means.

It's how I got into writing as well, and it's all I do write these days, really XD

Link me to the good ones? Please? I need good Harry Potter fic like you wouldn't believe.

I have no idea what the obsession with Riddick crossovers is either. I just...didn't enjoy the movie? That said, there are a lot of Harry Potter crossovers with a wide variety of fandoms, and they are all almost exactly the same D:

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

My Master of Death is rather calm. Nice. Dangerous. ^^

Oh yes, I know how you feel. It's just your really make writing HP again so very attractive. Everytime I chat with you, I WANT to write HP fanfics rather now than then.

Puh. A good Master of Death HP fic? I'll dig deep, do they have to be finished? Because then it's nearly hopeless. ^^"
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6598392/1/Masters-of-Death
This is not finished, but one I enjoyed a lot. It's Harry/Methos. ^^

The movie wasn't that good, yes. And I agree, they're are really nearly all exactly the same. Riddick/ HP are worse than most, but still... It's ridiculous. Especially when Harry gets romantically involved with the main character. No matter what.

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Danger's a big part of it, I think. He has to be dangerous.

Thank you! Lol, I find our chats really useful - not only do they make me want to write more, but they also help me hash out ideas and theories like nothing else. :) I'm glad you're getting encouragement out of them too.

It doesn't have to be finished, but I'd prefer no crossovers. That's probably an impossible task, though. Oops!

It seems that there's a set formula that every crossover has to go through. There're the so-and-so from x-fandom goes to Hogwarts ones and the Harry/Hermione leave the wizarding world and meet so-and-so from x-fandom ones. And there's always twu wub or paranoia because all strangers have to support Voldemort or something along those lines. I think that I've seen...two? Two that didn't (and weren't written by me) and they were both one shots. And that's it. For a genre that requires creative hoop-jumping to exist there sure isn't very much creativity going on.

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Who doesn't love dangerous characters?

I'm so happy I have the same effect on you. ;) It seems our minds work quite similar. Don't be puzzled if someday I send you a prologue written in bad English. XD

*laughs* Well, no Crossover is indeed a steep requirement. I think there was one... but I'll have to search for it.

Well, there are some Crossovers with more variation, but essentially yes. These are the most common formulas, which I don't read at all anymore. ^^ Especially because if Harry isn't alone, I always miss Ron. Harry and Hermione only don't feel complete to me.

Two not so standard Crossover you might want to try:
"Name Confused" by enchanted nightingale is worth a read. (Sherlock Holmes / HP)
"Ain't no rest for the wicked" by stratusfish.
The last one is DeathNote/HP and yes, the Master of Death title is important. ;)

By the way, about the Master of Death idea: If Harry is a Necromancer and it's in his genes... what does "Master" really mean?
What if he has mastered his *own* Death?
It doesn't sound grandiose, but the more I think about it the more implications it has. To master your own death, means you don't age. You don't die. -> Immortality.
But it also means that you're not a tool of the fates anymore. You're outside of the circle of life and death.
Essentially, this could be the seed a new god could grow out of it. What do you think?

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

I've written this comment about ten times. I keep being interrupted by kittens. They find the keyboard - and the touch screen - on my laptop endlessly fascinating and keep deleting everything.

Send away! I'd love to see some of your ideas put into story form. I'm willing to beta read too, along with the shameless fangirling.

I've read both of those. I really liked Name Confused, especially since it was more about Mycroft than Sherlock. He's a very underrated character, IMHO.

Ron's underrated too. He's one of the most realistically written in the whole series, which is probably why people tend to leave him out of things. They don't like to think that they'd have jealousy issues or a problem going on a prolonged camping trip noble quest in the middle of a war, when the fact that Ron does makes him one of the most human characters in the book. But when they leave him out to focus entirely on Harry and Hermione, things tend to become...boring, really. There's no heart in those fics.

That said, I'm not really much of a fan of his or of Hermione. Out of the two, I'd pick Ron, though.

I like to read the Master of Death as immortal. It's actually one of the most common things I've seen people do with the title - if they do anything at all - but I think Harry would probably choose to die at some point rather than become a god-figure. The possibilities are limitless, though. Actually limitless. Hence the frustration XD

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Kittens and internet = a mix from hell. XD In any variation. But one just can't say now to kittens and cats... I love them.

Is it polite to wait a bit longer, before answering? I'm not sure... but I really just wanted to log off and go to lunch. So why not answer first?

I think you did it... if I find any free time, I write something. Just be warned, English is my second language and it does become obvious sometimes. :)

Both? We really like the same kind of fanfiction then.
Did you read this one? It's very good in the beginning, then gets abit weaker and is abadoned, but still... I love the idea. It's HP/LotR
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4963664/1/Reflect

He's realistic, yes, and I think most people underestimate just how much he sacrifies for Harry. Hermione would be hunted anyway and sends her parents as far to safety as possible. Ron doesn't have this option, his family and he could be perfectly safe - and goes anyway.
In many ways, Ron is the character that from a moral point is the most remarkable. He's not perfect no, he chooses to be for equality even though the pureblood ideology could give him advantages.

I kind of like Hermione, but out of the too Ron is my pick as well. My only wish for the seventh book was a true moment for Ron to shine. :)

Ah, I've wondered... who says gods can die? Or that Death to them is the same as to humans? The limit is the sky - or not. ;)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

I'm a qualified English as a Foreign Language teacher IRL, and I'm running for an editing qualification as well. The occasional thing is fine - your English is great, from what I've seen so far. And besides: there're no mistakes you can make that my students haven't done already!

We really do seem to. I haven't read that one yet, though, so I'll give it a go. Thanks for the rec.

I think coming back to the quest and destroying the Horcrux was definitely a shining moment for him. His leaving, which was understandable, wouldn't really have had any huge consequences for him. Going back was an immense sacrifice for him and people do tend to forget that.

Hermione just bothers me. I think it's something about the way that she's written to always be correct at all times, regardless of the knowledge and experience of other characters. There are other reasons as well, but that's the main one.

Who knows? But maybe by Mastering Death, Harry can command it to destroy him as well as stay away. He's the master, so it's his choice. :p

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

You are? Wow, I've found a professional. XD
True, I'm still improving my English and do keep playing with the thought to do the CPE Certificate. Not sure though, if I'm good enough. Some say yes, do it, some say do TOEFL. :/

It's my favourite HP/LotR Crossover. There are some others that are good, or let's say readable, but few use the world beyond what was shown in the movies. Few use the possibilities of the world at all. :|

Yes, if noticed that Ron fans tend to be "older" fans with family connections or high empathy.

True, that is annoying over the time, though I have grown to like her anyway. But then, I'm a trio fan. I do think they work best together.
Also, am I the only one bothered by Hermione's decision to erase the memories of her own parents in book 7? ^^" I thought it pretty ruthless.

:D So many possibilities. Maybe he mastered his own Death - but now has to actively learn to die. ;)

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

Websites for things like CPE, TOEFL and IELTS usually have past papers. If you're really unsure, take a couple of those - sticking to the time limit as best you can - and see how it goes. You might do better than you think you will. TOEFL and IELTS are the standardised ones for international study; CPE isn't, but it does have the Cambridge University stamp of approval, which makes it very desirable. Whichever one you go for, it'll be a great thing for your resume (and, no doubt, for your self confidence).

It's a great fic. You're right that it peters off towards the end before its abandonment, but it was very promising. That it wasn't another rewrite of the quest made it a lot more interesting. I get that people focus on that because it's what they know of LotR, but more variety (like there was in this) should be a possibility. Tolkien's universe is ridiculously well developed and underused.

The Trio do work best together, though I love reading alternate Trio fics (ones with Neville, Malfoy, whoever) because of the way that they alter characters (if not timelines, because hardly anyone seems willing to move away from the overarching plot of the books).

Still, all I can imagine with Hermione, is being handed an essay three times longer than I asked for every single week. Maybe it's just the teacher in me, but people like that are annoying - not only for the increased workload (and in the end, I'd do what my teachers did and penalise everyone who went more than 10% over the requested wordcount) - but because if only one person answers the questions, you can't tell how well the other students are learning in the classroom. Do they understand? Do they need to ask a question (without being patronised ala Ron in Philosopher's Stone)? Do they have a point to make that they won't because this one student demands all of the teacher's time or because they've come to see that they matter less? We don't see Hermione in class a lot, but given what we know about her - as well as her friends' attitudes to their own work, where they don't bother and she ends up correcting them or taking over - I can imagine her being awful in the classroom.

Also, yes. Her decision to erase her parents' memories was absolutely horrific. Not just for the massive disregard of trust and ethics, but because it's basically her saying "I know best; your opinions in this are irrelevant".

I imagine a fic that explored him learning how to die could be pretty interesting. It's easy to be killed, but if you can overcome that, how do you learn to let go?

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

I did the test online for CPE and thought it surprisingly easy. Also I contemplate to go abroad for my Master's degree. But I haven't decided yet where or how, and then there were so many degrees suddenly I was a bit surprised.
Many years ago I did the PET test with Cambridge. :) That's why I knew about the Cambride certificates. And well, TOEFL many other studets did who wanted to go abroad. But IELTS, I have only heard in passing before.
If you say it makes no real difference on the resume, i think I'll do TOEFL.

Exactly. Tolkien hasn't just written books, he described a world and it would be a pity to not use it.

Alternate trio fanfics can be very interesting and fill the lack of truly good trio fanfics. There are several, yes, but not many.

About timelines and alternatives: I think I might take Master of Death Harry and send him into an alternative universe and a bit into the past. A world where Grindelwald won the magical war, probably. Main reason? Because I thought it funny if Harry as the Master of Death lands in a place where his sign is used everywhere. Though, there are other reasons too. Grindelwald is mostly undescribed, he can be developed into any directions. Dumbledore is in prison. And Tom Riddle is full of dark potential but not yet completely insane (just... slightly, psychopathic insane).
I know you don't like such stories much, so if I write it, you wouldn't need to beta it. ^^" But at the moment I throw the ideas at you and would love to hear your opinion.

I think that's really the teacher in you. ;) But it's true that such a person would just demand too much of your time.
I was one year bored in my history lessons and in the first weeks just answered every question to not fall asleep. In the end I was the only one in the room who was allowed to doodle around and things, while the others had to listen. XD Still knew the answers, though, but didn't answer them anymore. It was an arrangement we both could live with.

About Hermione, I think she is sometimes awful, especially to teachers she doesn't like. In fifth year Dolores Umbridge clearly hated her, so did Snape for the matter.

Yeah. I mean, what if her parents had said: We accept the risks, but we stay for this or that or just as a statement? Or if they had said, "we help and print flyers?" There might have been discussions before, but the way she said it... didn't imply those at all.

Not fast and not easily. Imagine that you can only die, if you really want to. Interestingly it would tie in well with the HP verse, after all magic is all about the intention (as Bellatrix pointed out well).
I imagine it would be unimagineably difficult to intent your own death without any doubt, any fear, only determination and will.
I really like this angle of thought. :D

[hikarievandar.livejournal.com]

The Cambridge certificates are good, but in my experience, universities in English-speaking countries usually ask for foreign students to have either a 6.5 or a 7 on IELTS or the TOEFL equivalent. IELTS is the one that I've taught people for, so it's the one I know most about: there's a reading, writing and speaking section (kind of like every foreign language exam ever) where you have to give answers that progress in length and complexity to show off your ability with simple and complex English. The reading ones are occasionally nasty because they're known to use some pretty specialised academic language that you'd have to guess from context - though for the most part you're not expected to know the exact meaning.

I've been looking into a Masters as well, and yeah. There's a huge choice of what to do and where to go, and it all gets a bit baffling after a while.

It sounds like something I'd read :) I don't like a lot of stories like that because they don't tend to world-build or characterise enough for my liking. But it's a fascinating angle - Grindlewald would give an automatic connection to the Master of Death (maybe it's his symbol being used everywhere that drags him to that universe), and Grindelwald winning could have massive implications for Muggles as well as wizards depending on which route you wanted to take that down.

Can I beta? Please, please, please?

Lol, definitely the teacher side. XD I mean, even before I became a teacher I thought she was annoying, but now that I am? I just look at her and think 'oh god no, not in my classroom' because I know first-hand how much trouble a student like that can inadvertently cause. Doodling's not so much of a problem; it's if they distract or discourage the other kids or - as I can see Hermione doing - engaging the teacher in a debate during class time. Ugh.

Also, Marietta Edgecombe? She didn't deserve what happened to her. Not in the slightest. Yes, it led to trouble for the DA, but Marietta was in a horrible position herself. Thanks to Hermione, she has to suffer for that for the rest of her life.

Exactly! The way it was described made it sound like Hermione had just decided and that was that. There was also no mention of possibly contacting the Order and hiding them somewhere like they did with the Dursleys. Obviously, they wouldn't be able to do that for the families of every Muggleborn, but Hermione was pretty high-profile. Surely someone, somewhere down the line, should have realised that her parents were at a higher risk than the average and offered/arranged to help in a way that didn't involve wiping their minds and sending them to the other side of the planet. No? Really?

Oooh, that one's a potential plot that gives me chills. It really does. It needs to be done XD

[silberstreif.livejournal.com]

Then Toefl it is. :) But in autumn, not now. I'm already doing far to much at the moment to add this to my plate. Thanks alot for your information. It's sometimes difficult to determine the differences from afar, when you just want proof of your skills.
Funnily, the reading ones I'm not very afraid of. I've read several thesis papers and I understand them as well as I would if it were in German. That said, the chemical thesis paper a friend handed to me as her beta-reader was pure confusion to me. In both languages. But as long as it is about business or economics I'm fine.

Very true. I have no idea what Masters I want. I consider Logistics, International, IT... :|

Exactly. :) I actually want to think that Grindelwald was a lot more sane than Voldemort. Not less dangerous, surely, but sane, which is really not difficult to be. After all, Voldemort splitted is soul - seven times.
The universe is a bit like this: Dumbledore lost the duel against Grindelwald and was imprisoned. Grindelwald conquers Germany, France, mainland Europe. England, Ireland, Norway panic and a few Aurors have a brilliant idea: They research Grindelwald's sign and conclude that Grindelwald is the Master of Death. They create a summoning ritual, and a nice trap, not really expecting to work. But do get the "death" energy they decide to use a special portal in Britain...
and everything goes downhill from that.

Only difficult I have is this: I really would like to include Hermione and Ron. But obviously they're not summoned. So how would I get them into this alternate universe? Also, I wonder if all three of them should have seperate love interests - or if I go menage a trois. There are so few of that kind of story out there, that has plot and not just porn.

Of course you can beta. :D But I really take my time to built a universe. ;) And what I send you was more of a trial to get the "taste" of the story.

I can so see that attitude in my teachers. :D But some also relished in talking with the students. I think Hermione mellowed out a bit over the years. In third year with the Dementor here fear was funny - as long as one didn't consider the cause. Her worst fear was to return to the Muggle world, to leave the magic/ Hogwarts behind. I've long wondered if her homelife was all that good. Her parents seemed not especially caring, and in the books Hermione never seems to miss them. Worse, even during the summer months as the books go on, she spends less and less time at home.

... truthfully I always thought that Marietta would be fine after going to St. Mungos in the summer months. :| To curse someone like that for the *rest of their life*? That's really too much.

Mh, someone should've realised, yes. But cared enough to risk themselves to act? Nothing against the Order, but I think even the Dursleys were not hidden that well.
Worst case: Hermione didn't act alone. After all it was clearly stated in the books several times, that mind magic is dangerous, damaging and not good. So, a 6th year in Hogwarts? Even if it is Hermione it sees a bit beyond her skills to successfully pull off.
There is a very good possibility, that she asked for help and they told her to do this and gave her instructions how.

Added to the universe above. :D How long until one figures that out? How long until one truly overcomes the fear to die to the point that one really decides to die right here and now? My estimation? Long.