Thing you're changing: Sirius' Death How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? I think this would have affected the books in a big way, especially for Harry. Once Sirius was cleared of the murder charges, Harry would have had a guardian who cared about him. He wouldn't have had another person he loved die. He would have had a home and an adult he could get advice from. There would have been one more person on the side of good there at the final battle. Harry would have had someone who really knew his parents and could have told him about them, how they were as students and as adults. He would have had a physical connection to someone who knew his parents.
I definitely agree with you. I also wonder if Sirius stays alive, if Harry would be a lot more reluctant to die at the end of Deathly Hallows, as he finally has a real family with Sirius.
I regret that JKR didn't address the fact that Harry did have a real family. Apart from Sirius, Harry had created a family with all of his friends that was stronger and more supportive and loving than a lot of his contemporaries could claim. I think it would have been another good point to make--that we can choose a family as well as being born into one.
While Harry's friends are his real chosen family and a very strong and supportive one, especially with the Weasleys, I think Sirius also staying alive and being Harry's family gives Harry an adult/surrogate son relationship that he doesn't have. While Molly and Arthur Weasley are close, Harry doesn't rely on them or expect them to act like parents to him. (I'm totally with you on choosing family though!)
Thing you're changing: Dudley's a Wizard How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? I think Dudley being a wizard would have made a really interesting difference in the books. While I can't see it changing the way Petunia and Vernon treat Harry, they would most likely still treat their son better which would mean that once both Harry and Dudley are in Hogwarts I think more people would notice that there's something screwed up at the Dursleys. Given Dudley's actions at the end of the series, I think Dudley would also warm up to Harry earlier (not too early though) and Harry would have a slightly better connection to blood family. Also, as Dudley would end up being sorted before Harry, depending on the house, Harry might be more likely to fight against 'not where Dudley is' rather than 'not Slytherin'.
Petunia's problem with magic always seemed to stem from jealousy that she wasn't 'special' like her sister, so I'd say Dudley being a wizard might put him and Harry on much more even ground, actually. As their son or not, Petunia and Vernon wanted 'normal'. I'd imagine they'd be just as keen to try squashing the magic out of Dudley as they were with Harry, and treat them very much the same.
I could see it going that route as well, but I do think that there is the possibility that Petunia would try to live vicariously through Dudley like she couldn't with her sister. Having her son show up Harry in the wizarding world could be a form of revenge against her sister. I do believe that Petunia would have a lot harder time treating Dudley the same as Harry because she's had eleven years of doting and seeing him as her darling child. Harry was unwanted from the beginning.
True, but wouldn't the accidental magic tip her off? Since she grew up with Lily doing things like with the flower, I'd think she'd recognize Dudley doing accidental magic as he was growing up. Although, once Harry was in the house, she could always deny it could be Dudley doing it and put all strange happenings on Harry.
Thing you're changing: Hermione Granger's sorting. How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? Although she's brave and suits her house well, Hermione (in my mind, at least) just as easily could have been sorted into Ravenclaw. If that had happened, I'd say the story would have been extremely different, from year one and on. Without Hermione, I don't think Harry and Ron would have tried getting past Fluffy at all in first year, let alone made it through all the trials to reach the Mirror. So Voldemort wouldn't have been split off from Quirrel that year, and may have returned to teach in their second year. No Hermione to brew Polyjuice potion for them means no using Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and therefore never discovering the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Even if Harry and Ron had still made friends with Hermione through sharing classes, her impact couldn't have been nearly as great if she didn't share a house with them, so that one small thing would make a huge difference for the story
( ... )
Agreed. Harry and Ron would have died several times over without Hermione's help. I think Hermione as a character is even written much more as a Ravenclaw than a Gryffindor. Personally, I think JKR only includes her in Gryffindor to keep her hero alive and round out the trio, but forgot to make her fit Gryffindor's traits more than Ravenclaw's.
I've had some, ahem, heated arguments with people over this before but yeah, I agree with you. I always wondered how it was Hermione ended up in Gryffindor. Usually the opposing argument I hear is that she had Gryff traits that wouldn't emerge until later, but then - why Dumbledore's remark about sorting too early? I think Hermione's more Gryffindorish traits were more of a result of being surrounded by Gryffindors all the time. If she had been sorted into Ravenclaw, I just can't see Hermione getting involved with Harry and Ron at all. Perhaps later, with the DA, but not before.
I've always thought it is because you are not necessarily sorted based on the qualities you have, but the qualities you value. So you could have no natural intelligence what so ever, but if you thought learning was the most important thing you could do, you would still be a Ravenclaw (you would just have to work super hard).
So Hermione's line in SS/PS "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things -- friendship and bravery." is really the biggest clue to her sorting. She may possess and use the intelligence of a Ravenclaw, but she values bravery more.
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How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? I think this would have affected the books in a big way, especially for Harry. Once Sirius was cleared of the murder charges, Harry would have had a guardian who cared about him. He wouldn't have had another person he loved die. He would have had a home and an adult he could get advice from. There would have been one more person on the side of good there at the final battle. Harry would have had someone who really knew his parents and could have told him about them, how they were as students and as adults. He would have had a physical connection to someone who knew his parents.
Anna//Hufflepuff//Word Count: 111
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How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? I think Dudley being a wizard would have made a really interesting difference in the books. While I can't see it changing the way Petunia and Vernon treat Harry, they would most likely still treat their son better which would mean that once both Harry and Dudley are in Hogwarts I think more people would notice that there's something screwed up at the Dursleys. Given Dudley's actions at the end of the series, I think Dudley would also warm up to Harry earlier (not too early though) and Harry would have a slightly better connection to blood family. Also, as Dudley would end up being sorted before Harry, depending on the house, Harry might be more likely to fight against 'not where Dudley is' rather than 'not Slytherin'.
Yasona//Slytherin//141 words
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How do you think this would have affected the outcome of the books? Although she's brave and suits her house well, Hermione (in my mind, at least) just as easily could have been sorted into Ravenclaw. If that had happened, I'd say the story would have been extremely different, from year one and on. Without Hermione, I don't think Harry and Ron would have tried getting past Fluffy at all in first year, let alone made it through all the trials to reach the Mirror. So Voldemort wouldn't have been split off from Quirrel that year, and may have returned to teach in their second year. No Hermione to brew Polyjuice potion for them means no using Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and therefore never discovering the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Even if Harry and Ron had still made friends with Hermione through sharing classes, her impact couldn't have been nearly as great if she didn't share a house with them, so that one small thing would make a huge difference for the story ( ... )
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Morgan//Slytherin//6
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Noelle // Slytherin // 5
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So Hermione's line in SS/PS "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things -- friendship and bravery." is really the biggest clue to her sorting. She may possess and use the intelligence of a Ravenclaw, but she values bravery more.
Allison/Ravenclaw/1
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