Silly Question Time: If You Were Hired to Write a Harry Potter Story How Would You Go About It?

[Thebestoftherest]

Heck, before it was revealing that JK was a massive B%$#%, the harry potter world seems really wel made for trans people, a mirror that show you what you are suppose to look like, not what your body made you, shape shifting into the proper sex.

[Winter]

Heck, before it was revealing that JK was a massive B%$#%, the harry potter world seems really wel made for trans people, a mirror that show you what you are suppose to look like, not what your body made you, shape shifting into the proper sex.

Hell I'd take this a step further, the abuse Harry suffers from his muggle family because he's "Not Normal" then is told that there is something different about him and that fact is celebrated and Harry finds that there are others like him, those who embrace him for who he is.

That fits pretty damn well with ANY Queer person, so it's no wonder that HP has such a huge LGBT following even after Rowling coming out as a TERF. And as I've said before, it's nice that the series as a whole seems to have taken a stand against its creator with Hogwart's Legacy having the series' first trans character and the recent Quidditch game giving players the option to use They/Them Pronouns. Not to mention that so far literally every actor who has played the lead in every major Wizarding World story has spoken out against Rowling and have stood in support of trans people.

Made all the more hilarious that one of her most notable defenders just so happened to play Voldemort himself. The character that embodies so much of what she hates is the only one defending her beliefs.

[clearspira]

Heck, before it was revealing that JK was a massive B%$#%, the harry potter world seems really wel made for trans people, a mirror that show you what you are suppose to look like, not what your body made you, shape shifting into the proper sex.

Hell I'd take this a step further, the abuse Harry suffers from his muggle family because he's "Not Normal" then is told that there is something different about him and that fact is celebrated and Harry finds that there are others like him, those who embrace him for who he is.

That fits pretty damn well with ANY Queer person, so it's no wonder that HP has such a huge LGBT following even after Rowling coming out as a TERF. And as I've said before, it's nice that the series as a whole seems to have taken a stand against its creator with Hogwart's Legacy having the series' first trans character and the recent Quidditch game giving players the option to use They/Them Pronouns. Not to mention that so far literally every actor who has played the lead in every major Wizarding World story has spoken out against Rowling and have stood in support of trans people.

Made all the more hilarious that one of her most notable defenders just so happened to play Voldemort himself. The character that embodies so much of what she hates is the only one defending her beliefs.

I do think that it is worth noting for the record that Ralph Fiennes is NOT a defender of JK Rowling. His issue is with the continuous death and rape threats that she receives on a daily basis. And it is a real sign of our times that ''I do not believe that threatening to rape a woman is acceptable'' is apparently a controversial statement. I'm not including you in that btw.

[Winter]

Heck, before it was revealing that JK was a massive B%$#%, the harry potter world seems really wel made for trans people, a mirror that show you what you are suppose to look like, not what your body made you, shape shifting into the proper sex.

Hell I'd take this a step further, the abuse Harry suffers from his muggle family because he's "Not Normal" then is told that there is something different about him and that fact is celebrated and Harry finds that there are others like him, those who embrace him for who he is.

That fits pretty damn well with ANY Queer person, so it's no wonder that HP has such a huge LGBT following even after Rowling coming out as a TERF. And as I've said before, it's nice that the series as a whole seems to have taken a stand against its creator with Hogwart's Legacy having the series' first trans character and the recent Quidditch game giving players the option to use They/Them Pronouns. Not to mention that so far literally every actor who has played the lead in every major Wizarding World story has spoken out against Rowling and have stood in support of trans people.

Made all the more hilarious that one of her most notable defenders just so happened to play Voldemort himself. The character that embodies so much of what she hates is the only one defending her beliefs.

I do think that it is worth noting for the record that Ralph Fiennes is NOT a defender of JK Rowling. His issue is with the continuous death and rape threats that she receives on a daily basis. And it is a real sign of our times that ''I do not believe that threatening to rape a woman is acceptable'' is apparently a controversial statement. I'm not including you in that btw.

In my own defense I hadn't seen much of that and at least one of Fiennes' statements was the usually "She's just expressing her opinion." which doesn't help anyone. Standing in defense of her against those who are threatening real harm against Rowling that's something we can all get behind but from what I saw (and I admit it could have just been edited really well) made it seem that Fiennes was arguing in defense of Rowling's views in regards to the transgender community. Again, not saying those who threatened her are in the right (those assholes can go straight to hell) but Rowling is not some innocent victim in all this as what she is doing is threatening us for the crime of existing in front of her.

The fact that she went out of her way to harass a cisgender woman due to an unreliable test and kept up the harassment until Imane Khelif filed a lawsuit against her and Elon Musk for said harassment and she is STILL taking time out to harass and insult her just not as much. This is in addition to her continued bullying and harassment of transwomen and transmen online.

Again I agree with Fiennes on defending Rowling against rape and death threats but him standing by and doing nothing as Rowling harasses other cisgender women and trans women and encourages her fans to do the same makes it feel like he agrees with her.

As such I will stick with my terrible joke that Rowling's most notable defender is the guy who played the villain of her most iconic series.

If I'm wrong and he has spoken out against Rowling's views on transwoman WHILE defending her from those awful threats then I will happily apologies. I like Fiennes I think he's a great actor and his adaptation of Coriolanus is fantastic and he seems to be a real nice guy in real life too. My joke about Voldemort is just a joke at the expense of Rowling and I truly wish no harm upon her. At worst I want her to be haunted by three spirits this coming Christmas but that's about it?

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

I mean, aside from making Harry Potter transition to piss Rowling off and getting rid of the whole "happy slaves" trope, I'd roll up my sleeves and try to make a more coherent worldbuilding. Rowling is really bad at power scaling her stuff. She comes up with these game-breakingly powerful things and has no idea how to fit them into the larger world. Remember that magic knife that could undo any knot or lock which had zero story payoff? Or how just about any lock can be defeated by a basic Alohamora spell? Whereas Harry's invisibility cloak is supposed to be so powerful it's a Hallows, but other people have invisibility cloaks too. Let's really settle what makes powerful artifacts unique beyond "Uh it's complicated magic" or "must be the dark arts". Also I wouldn't have Harriet Potter use any unforgiveable curses in the final book, as that seems to really go against the thematic direction of the book.

[Winter]

I mean, aside from making Harry Potter transition to piss Rowling off and getting rid of the whole "happy slaves" trope, I'd roll up my sleeves and try to make a more coherent worldbuilding. Rowling is really bad at power scaling her stuff. She comes up with these game-breakingly powerful things and has no idea how to fit them into the larger world. Remember that magic knife that could undo any knot or lock which had zero story payoff? Or how just about any lock can be defeated by a basic Alohamora spell? Whereas Harry's invisibility cloak is supposed to be so powerful it's a Hallows, but other people have invisibility cloaks too. Let's really settle what makes powerful artifacts unique beyond "Uh it's complicated magic" or "must be the dark arts". Also I wouldn't have Harriet Potter use any unforgiveable curses in the final book, as that seems to really go against the thematic direction of the book.

Yeah, that's something that always bugged me, Harry isn't angry enough after JUST seeing his Godfather die in front of him just seconds ago to cause Bellatrix true pain but someone spitting on one of his favorite teachers is enough to push him over the edge?

Also the fact that the heroes start using Unforgivable Curses is just so bizarre given that the times their used were rather uncalled for. Honestly the Invisibly Clock thing also bugged me because there is nothing in the other six books or anything in the 7nth to suggest that the one Harry has is special. Also the Elder Wand really undercuts Dumbledore because now he's only so dangerous because of his wand meaning he had an unfair advantage over his enemies rather then anything to do with his own skills.

And there's a lot of double standards in this series like the series criticizing the poor treatment of minority groups only for the narrative to give us so few good examples of those groups. Both Werewolves and Giants are firmly on the side of the villains with very few exceptions and most of them are never fully at peace with who they are and even they are a danger to those close to them. Hagrid is a shit teacher who endangers his own students with his lessons and Lupin is always a danger to himself and those around him.

The series just kinda tosses it's own points aside for seemingly no reason and it hurts the overall narrative.

Honestly when I was coming up with ideas to adapt the series I kept needing to address plot holes in this series like why the Hell didn't Harry use the Mirror to try and contact Sirius? If House Elves can teleport in and out of places that Wizard's can't why didn't Dumbledore take one with him at Voldemort's secret lair?

[clearspira]

I mean, aside from making Harry Potter transition to piss Rowling off and getting rid of the whole "happy slaves" trope, I'd roll up my sleeves and try to make a more coherent worldbuilding. Rowling is really bad at power scaling her stuff. She comes up with these game-breakingly powerful things and has no idea how to fit them into the larger world. Remember that magic knife that could undo any knot or lock which had zero story payoff? Or how just about any lock can be defeated by a basic Alohamora spell? Whereas Harry's invisibility cloak is supposed to be so powerful it's a Hallows, but other people have invisibility cloaks too. Let's really settle what makes powerful artifacts unique beyond "Uh it's complicated magic" or "must be the dark arts". Also I wouldn't have Harriet Potter use any unforgiveable curses in the final book, as that seems to really go against the thematic direction of the book.

I have to say, and I mean this respectfully, I do not think that this plot would work as well with a girl.

Society treats girls very differently than it does with boys - for good and for bad. Boys treat girls very differently than they do boys and girls treat boys very differently than they do girls - again, for good, for bad.

Dudley, Draco and Snape would have had a VERY different fan reception if they tried their shit on Harriet. Harriet's relationship with Cho and Ginny would have been VERY different if she is het but even more if she is a lesbian. Harriet's relationship with Ron would have been INSANELY different because they would live in different dorms, suddenly Hermione would have to be the go-to friend. Harriet would know Myrtle, Harriet would probably have a different relationship with Molly, Harriet would have been in Hermiones tent at the world cup, the Yule ball would have been different due to the traditional gender dynamics of proms etc.

The love potion subplot would ABSOLUTELY have to change - not a bad thing because that subplot is already disgusting and imo one of the best examples of exactly what sort of person Rowling is. But if it is kept, Harriet's male admirers slipping her date rape drugs? Fred and George supplying these drugs to boys? That is not going to fly. It certainly would not be treated for laughs.

You would have to gender swap or somehow flip this story to hell and back to make it work. At this point, you might as well just write a different book.

[hammerofglass]

It's basically just The Worst Witch with the names changed at that point.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Dudley, Draco and Snape would have had a VERY different fan reception if they tried their shit on Harriet.

Honestly, I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. The fandom already gives Snape the Incel way too much leeway.

If you think Harry being a girl is such a huge problem, then let's make him a trans boy. Easy peasy. As long as I do something that get's Rowling's forehead vein throbbing and her lawyers chasing her around the Scottish Castle with butterfly nets.

Also, it wouldn't be The Worst Witch because it wouldn't have Tim fucking Curry.

[Winter]

Harriet's relationship with Cho and Ginny would have been VERY different if she is het but even more if she is a lesbian. Harriet's relationship with Ron would have been INSANELY different because they would live in different dorms, suddenly Hermione would have to be the go-to friend. Harriet would know Myrtle, Harriet would probably have a different relationship with Molly, Harriet would have been in Hermiones tent at the world cup, the Yule ball would have been different due to the traditional gender dynamics of proms etc.

To be honest, I don't think Harry's relationships with anyone would change all that much if the character was changed to a girl and a lesbian. On the romantic side of things assuming that Harriet is a lesbian nothing about the relationship would actually change, trust me when I say there are just as many sapphic women who pull the same BS that Cho pulls on Harry in the books and I've known just as many girls who still missed several hints from their girlfriends as guys did.

As for Ginny, if she was a girl and had a crush on Harry then nothing really changes. She's still shy around her crush and only starts to get over it when she stops pinning after him or her and grows closer to Harry.

As for the friendship side of things, Ron would still most likely be Harry's go to friend as most of their scenes together could easily just be switched to other rooms. Just because Harry and Hermione MIGHT share a room doesn't mean that the two would be friends right away.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about how to adapt this series into a TV series and even before Rowling's fall into "All Transwomen are Evil" shtick I had thought of making Harry a girl mainly as a means to distinguish it from the movies and later adaptations. And this barely really changed anything because all it really meant was I had to switch around a few scenes so Ron and Harry would be talking together in different rooms. That was the biggest change overall because the objective with this idea, at the time, was to make a faithful adaptation of the books minus one major change to the title character.

However, there is an interesting fan fic series called The Butterfly Effect over on Fanfiction.net which does explore the idea of Harry being a girl and it's pretty interesting. Check it out when you can.