General 'What If...?' Thread

[xoxhpxox]

Originally Posted by craiggles

That's so interesting! I think the books still would have been successful, look at Twilight and The Hunger Games. We already know Jo had trouble finding a publisher as is, I wonder if she would have found one at all if publishers thought that a female-led book series wouldn't be as successful...

I don't think it would have been the same series, though, if Harry was a girl. I don't want to spark a gender debate but girls have different experiences at that age when boys do, Harry would have been at least a little different, and his (/her? ) relationships with others might have been different as well - and that's where the magic in the series is for me, with the characters and their bonds and interactions.

WHAT an interesting topic! everyone here has made a fair point. the hunger games was successful and it had a female lead but the romance was definitely higher up on the list of priorities than in harry potter. maybe that would change if the main character was a boy. plus, the descriptions on her liking guys would be much much much longer and much more annoying in my opinion. would hermione become a boy then to maintain the 2 boy and 1 girl trio that is often seen in books...?

[cutie_pie_2008]

In the books, it is clear that part of the decision to send Harry to live with the Dursleys (apart from the whole love thing, no other relatives, etc), so that he would grow up away from all of the fame, etc.

How different do you think Harry would have been if he had been adopted by a wizarding family who, as Dumbledore said, treated him like a "king" and spoiled him?

Do you think Harry would have been as loyal, good, etc?

[GingerCat1]

Originally Posted by cutie_pie_2008

In the books, it is clear that part of the decision to send Harry to live with the Dursleys (apart from the whole love thing, no other relatives, etc), so that he would grow up away from all of the fame, etc.

How different do you think Harry would have been if he had been adopted by a wizarding family who, as Dumbledore said, treated him like a "king" and spoiled him?

Do you think Harry would have been as loyal, good, etc?

I suspect Harry would have been a lot like McLaggen or possibly his father (when James was super arrogant).

[LoveAlways]

Originally Posted by cutie_pie_2008

In the books, it is clear that part of the decision to send Harry to live with the Dursleys (apart from the whole love thing, no other relatives, etc), so that he would grow up away from all of the fame, etc.

How different do you think Harry would have been if he had been adopted by a wizarding family who, as Dumbledore said, treated him like a "king" and spoiled him?

Do you think Harry would have been as loyal, good, etc?

I think he would have ended up a lot like James...spoiled and selfish at first, but I think he would still have a good heart, and make the right choices when the time came. He IS still Harry, after all!

[GingerCat1]

Originally Posted by LoveAlways

I think he would have ended up a lot like James...spoiled and selfish at first, but I think he would still have a good heart, and make the right choices when the time came. He IS still Harry, after all!

I strongly believe that the way a person is raised greatly affects who they will become later in life. I tend to think if Harry was raised by his parents personality wise he would be very different to the Harry we saw in the books. I tend to believe if Harry was raised by his parents he would be a lot like James was while at Hogwarts as he would be raised with stories about the Marauders and he would be raised to believe that pranking and bullying others is something that is perfectly okay (especially if Sirius was someone Harry knew well as Sirius was very irrisponsible for the most part).

I actually imagine Harry harrassing Ginny a bit like James harrassed Lily as he would believe that that is the way to court a girl you liked (as it worked for his father).

[OldMotherCrow]

Originally Posted by GingerCat1

I tend to believe if Harry was raised by his parents he would be a lot like James was while at Hogwarts as he would be raised with stories about the Marauders and he would be raised to believe that pranking and bullying others is something that is perfectly okay (especially if Sirius was someone Harry knew well as Sirius was very irrisponsible for the most part).

I actually imagine Harry harrassing Ginny a bit like James harrassed Lily as he would believe that that is the way to court a girl you liked (as it worked for his father).

Harry would be raised by Adult James and Adult Lily, not Fifteen Year Old James, so I don't see that happening. To me it sounds like the Marauders loved pranking, but bullying was something that occured briefly, and both Adult Lupin and Adult Sirius had said they were not proud of some of their behavior as fifteen year olds, so I really having a hard time seeing James as holding on to that year as his fianl maturity level. In my opinion, very few people stay that age forever. I don't see that a single year as a teen would define James's parenting abilty as an adult, and somehow lead Harry to acquire less than desirable traits. I think being raised by two loving parents with strong morals against bigotry would have lead to a healthy and normal teen.

I do think Harry might want to emulate Teen James's adventurousness, especially if Harry had the Cloak at school like his dad did, because I think that is what Harry would get from the stories his dad would tell. I think this would make up for not learning sneakiness at the hands of the Dursleys (Harry had to sneak to the kitchen to get food sometimes after the Dursleys went to bed. I think Sneakiness was a handy trait that Harry learned by being around the Dursleys, but not a fair exchange for the abuse he suffered at their hands, in my opinion).

[MinervaRonDobby]

What if Petunia had been a witch and Harry had been brought up in a wizarding family after his mum and Dad were killed!!! :O

[leah49]

Originally Posted by cutie_pie_2008

In the books, it is clear that part of the decision to send Harry to live with the Dursleys (apart from the whole love thing, no other relatives, etc), so that he would grow up away from all of the fame, etc.

How different do you think Harry would have been if he had been adopted by a wizarding family who, as Dumbledore said, treated him like a "king" and spoiled him?

Do you think Harry would have been as loyal, good, etc?

I think Harry would have been loyal and good. He might have let fame go to his head. He might be a lot like his father. His father wasn't perfect. But, in the end his father was loyal and he did good.

Originally Posted by Miollvynir

Looking at the kinds of books that become popular, I cannot help but wonder, in this imaginative, fantastic world of Harry Potter, what if a single thing had been changed: what if Harry had been a girl?

Boys might be hesitant to read the book. Rowling used her initials instead of the name Joanne just so boys wouldn't be turned off by a female author. If everything else stayed the same (except femHarry falls in love with a boy instead of Ginny) then the stories would still be popular. Would they be as popular? I don't know. FemHarry would have to be a girl and act like a girl, which I think would change the stories a little bit. Would FemHarry feel comfortable staying in the tent with a boy, a boy she possibly has a crush on? (thinking of the DH camping trip). We don't get Hermione's thoughts on that subject, you know.

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

There would probably be a love triangle between her, Ron and Hermione starting in GoF.

Haha, that would be interesting! Maybe instead, Ron and FemHarry fall in love and Hermione goes after another Weasley. Maybe she marries George or MaleGinny.

[WelkinCooper]

What if there was no sorting process...and no Sorting Hat? Sorting seems to me to encourage separation between the students instead of harmony and cooperation.

[StaceysChain]

What if Voldemort found out that Harry was a horcrux? Personally I think if he found out before Harry started destroying the other horcruxes, I think he would have still tried to kill him because he's too much of a threat due to the prophecy and he's got enough horcruxes already. But say he found out during the battle of Hogwarts, where Nagini was his second-to-last one, he might keep him alive.

[MerryLore]

What if Lupin had taken his potion that night, Pettigrew was caught, and Harry got to live with Sirius? Would the plot have changed very much, other than JKR would have had to find a different way to remove Lupin from teaching, since the position was cursed?

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by ShadowSonic

There would probably be a love triangle between her, Ron and Hermione starting in GoF.

I wonder, though, if Harry was a girl, would that have caused the same switch in Ron's and Hermione's genders? Would Ron become Ronnette and Hermione become Herman? Though the names are certainly an exaggeration, I think it is interesting to contemplate how switching the protagonist's gender would impact other characters' genders as well.

Originally Posted by MerryLore

What if Lupin had taken his potion that night, Pettigrew was caught, and Harry got to live with Sirius? Would the plot have changed very much, other than JKR would have had to find a different way to remove Lupin from teaching, since the position was cursed?

I think the bigger impact would be caused by Pettigrew getting caught. If Pettigrew was caught and either sent to Azkaban or Kissed, then how/when would Voldemort have returned? After all, it is the secret survival of Pettigrew that enabled Voldemort's return in GoF. I think Harry's questions at the end of PoA are well founded: "But — I stopped Sirius and Professor Lupin from killing Pettigrew! That makes it my fault if Voldemort comes back!" [...] "But if he helps Voldemort back to power…"

Imagine the implications of Harry saving Pettigrew. Though Pettigrew would not alive for questioning, his dead body would have at least been proof of his faked death, etc. And, of course, he would not have been able to return to Voldemort.

But I think Dumbledore says it best, in that same conversation I quoted Harry in above: "Hasn’t your experience with the Time-Turner taught you anything, Harry? The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed…"
Except I would replace "predicting the future" with "predicting the 'what ifs'"!

[MerryLore]

Originally Posted by MrSleepyHead

Imagine the implications of Harry saving Pettigrew. Though Pettigrew would not alive for questioning, his dead body would have at least been proof of his faked death, etc. And, of course, he would not have been able to return to Voldemort.

You're right. Sometimes I forget how vital to the plot Pettigrew actually was. And I can't imagine any other character running to find Voldemort, except for a couple of Azkaban residents.

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by MerryLore

You're right. Sometimes I forget how vital to the plot Pettigrew actually was. And I can't imagine any other character running to find Voldemort, except for a couple of Azkaban residents.

Exactly. It surprises me, too, at times when I realize just how integral Peter seems to be to the plot or, at least, the chronology of it.

As I see it, no at large Death Eater tried in 12 years to find Voldemort and nurse him back to health. I do not see why that would have changed had Pettigrew been detained, unless Pettigrew's exposure awakened Death Eaters to the idea of finding Voldemort (which may be possible). However, I think a very cataclysmic event would have had to occur to replace Pettigrew's importance in bringing back Lord Voldemort. An Azkaban breakout of, for instance, Bellatrix Lestrange? Or perhaps JKR could have relied purely on Barty Crouch Jr. We know that Crouch Jr. was growing stronger and beginning to fight his father's Imperius Curse without the knowledge of Voldemort's plans for rebirth. So perhaps JKR could have just made Crouch Jr. be the one to overpower his father, seek out Voldemort, and set into motion the events in GoF (though without Pettigrew in hand to nurture the feeble Voldemort).

[leah49]

Originally Posted by WelkinCooper

What if there was no sorting process...and no Sorting Hat? Sorting seems to me to encourage separation between the students instead of harmony and cooperation.

I have no experience with boarding schools especially in the UK, but I think being "sorted" into houses is important for things like dormitories and sports. Maybe not base it so much on personality/qualities?

[SopophorousBean]

Originally Posted by leah49

I have no experience with boarding schools especially in the UK, but I think being "sorted" into houses is important for things like dormitories and sports. Maybe not base it so much on personality/qualities?

Even without houses I imagine there'd still be some way of grouping people, my school didn't have houses, nor was it a boarding school but you still had forms (classes you were put in for registration and some lessons) and other ways of dividing people, our year was split in two for example. Those would be completely random, the only other way a school would sort people from my experience would be by ability.

I think at the end of the day, the same groups of people would gravitate towards each other, even without the houses, as most people will be friends with those who are similar to them, and would work out from associating with people in lessons who they would like to be friends with and who they don't get on with. We know friendships are made across the houses in the books so without them, I think the same friendships would be formed based on those characters personalities. So it may take away that rivalry but I think there would still be similar friendship groups, and people would still end up hanging around with those on a similar wavelength to them. That's just my opinion looking at friendships and things though, I think getting rid of the houses could have much wider implications, it's an interesting thing to think about

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by cutie_pie_2008

How different do you think Harry would have been if he had been adopted by a wizarding family who, as Dumbledore said, treated him like a "king" and spoiled him?

Do you think Harry would have been as loyal, good, etc?

Had he been adopted by a wizarding family I think we would have grown up with a big head and the James-arrogance and a serious superiority complex. That family couldn't have helped but treat him differently. I think the ONLY excpetion to this would have been if Neville's parents had not been tortured to insanity and Harry and Neville raised as surrogate brothers. I think that would have been an interesting dynamic as Neville wouldn't have grown up with the legend of his father to live up to and I think Frank and Alice's fear for their own son and prior relationship with James and Lily would have led to the most 'normal' up bringing harry could have gotten in the circumstances.

If harry had been raised by his own parents i think he might have been a little more defiant; Yes, as a teenager James was quite the adventurer and had that arrogrant streak but having a son who is wanted by the most feared dark wizard of the time I think would have made James more cautious about his son. I think lily would have been the typical over-protective mother (am thinking of that bundling up randy scene in A Christmas Story - the one with the twelve jackets so Randy' can't even walk) and James might have had similar instincts but would have curbed lily's overprotectiveness with rationale such as "harry needs to grow up not being afraid of every little thing" and "he needs to be a boy and scrape his knees and roll in the mud" I think raised by james and lily Harry would have had a happy childhood but would have known that he was different than his brothers and sisters if James and Lily continued to have kids and I think any overprotectiveness on the part of his parents might have made harry want to act out even more - like the whole do exactly what your parents say not to do syndrome.

I have no experience with boarding schools especially in the UK, but I think being "sorted" into houses is important for things like dormitories and sports. Maybe not base it so much on personality/qualities?

I also have no experience with the british school system or boarding schools but based on what we know of the size of hogwarts the students would have to be divided up some how in order to keep them managable. My middle school (grade 6-8 so ages about 12-14) was the largest school I attended with about 1500 students and we were divided into three "halls" pretty randomly and each grade in each hall was more or less divided into two classes: the "smart kids" and the rest of us =^P so the first split was pretty random and the second was based on our acedemic ability, not our personalities or deepest natures as in hogwarts.

the sorting of the students, tho, was based on the founders wanting to only admit "their kind of students" or the ones with the traits they valued personally so while the sorting may seem flawed to us it's because the sorting IS flawed having been based on the prejudices and biases of four people in roughly the middle ages.

I haven't reread the thread (only the last page) so I don't know if this has been covered (my guess is yes) but I always wondered about what would have happened if Sirius had arrived to warn James and Lily in time for them to flee before Voldemort arrived. He had gone to check on Peter and then gotten spooked by his absence so I always imagined that happening slightly before Voldemort arrived at the GH cottage. Would they have had time to escape? Would Sirius have been killed instead of James?

[tru0001]

What if the events of the first draft of PS Happened? What if Mr Granger found Harry at Godric's Hollow that night (if we ignore that Potter house on the island business)?

[GingerCat1]

Originally Posted by tru0001

What if the events of the first draft of PS Happened? What if Mr Granger found Harry at Godric's Hollow that night (if we ignore that Potter house on the island business)?

Perhaps Harry and Hermione would have been step brother and step sister.

[BlueScarecrow]

This is had probably been asked before, but what if Harry had chosen to be sorted into Slytherin? Would he and Malfoy become friends, or would he have found some other, more pleasant Slytherins to befriend that hadn't been introduced in the books?

Or what if Hermione had gone to Ravenclaw like the sorting hat had suggested? Would the trio still be the trio?