Luke's HP Site

Stories in Which Harry Leaves

These stories are primarily notable in that Harry leaves Britain, the magical world, or both.

Déja Brew
Author: pottermum
Date(s):
  • Published: 2017-07-01
  • Completed: 2017-07-10
Comments:

The media coverage can be overwhelming, too much to handle. Fortunately those who love you will forgive you when you make a mistake.

Good Bye, Farewell, So Long … (title redacted)
Author: Lady FoxFire
Date(s):
  • Published: 2022-08-17
Comments:

This is primarily noteworthy for a couple reasons:

  • You rarely see Professor Sprout get called out for her behaviour in book four.
  • This is the second work I have seen with Baron Samedi. The idea of using evil against evil is middling interesting.
  • The idea that the tournament means that Harry is an adult is used as a plot device.
It's My Life
Author: Fyreheart
Date(s):
  • Published: 2010-08-13
  • Updated: 2010-12-05
Comments:

The later you wait for Harry to “wake up” and realise that something is wrong at Hogwarts and with Dumbledore, the less believable it is. This story handles that aspect, the branch point, very well. I believe the resulting take on Harry’s character is left somewhat inconsistent. I think he does a pendulum swing from more intuitive than the books to more trusting than the books. This shift happens a couple of times, and detracts from the story.

Nope, I'm Gone
Author: faewm
Date(s):
  • Published: 2022-08-26
  • Completed: 2022-09-06
Comments:

In this story Harry stays in contact with Sirius after book 3. On hearing something of his godson’s adventures, Sirius is concerned, and so the two of them make plans to escape should something happen on year 4. When Harry’s name emerges from the Goblet, they leave Britain. This could be a responsible adult story, but I think it fits here best. There are several key things about this one.

  • It gets the relationship between Harry and Hermione spot on.
  • It also captures where Ron was quite well. I think the author is right that without Harry physically present, Ron would never have moved on from that mental space.
  • It narrowly avoids Ginny bashing. I am not fully pleased with the interpretation, but it is not implausible.
  • I am a bit sceptical about the author’s interpretation of the magical economy. We have so little information though that it is entirely possible.
The Hidden Hero
Author: EveBB
Date(s):
  • Published: 2008-01-06
  • Completed: 2022-02-06
Comments:

I am using the date it was first published on FanFiction.net and the date it was completed on Ao3.

I hesitated on where best to file this story, either here, or in the Harry/Ginny category. I like several things about this story.

  • I like that Harry’s depression is treated as a disease that must be treated, and which compromises the legitimacy of his choices.
  • I like that the reaction to that depression is treated as morally ambiguous. Not because I think he would have been right to refuse treatment, but because I think it right to question the self-righteous attitudes that the culture has.
  • I like that Dumbledore’s treated as a grey figure trying to do good, and not always fully succeeding.
  • I like that the link between Harry and Riddle is presented as a disturbing thing that has consequences.

There are also a few things I dislike.

  • I am not a huge fan of the reconciliation with Draco, though I think it much better done than in the original canonical books.
  • I am not a huge fan of the way Snape is handled, though again, I think it done in a way far superior to the original canonical books.
  • Essentially I think any story (like this one) that shows one or both of these characters in their best light is in fact showing them at least somewhat out of character. I remain unconvinced that either character has a truly good “best light.”
  • I tend to prefer happy endings, this one ends on an ambiguous note that truly fits the story well, but only sometimes fits my mood.
The Sniper
Author: DobbyElfLord
Date(s):
  • Published: 2007-11-28
Comments:

This story leaves the question of Horcruxes in an ambiguous state. It is a surprisingly complete picture of Harry for such a short one-shot, but at the expense of any real epilogue to give a sense of closure. There are a number of things I like in this that are mentioned but not fully explored. The author did write a sequel, but it is not nearly as interesting.

  • Harry realises that many of his problems are self caused in one sense, but the root cause is the effectively random oscillation between expecting him to handle things as an adult (which he isn’t yet) and totally consign responsibilities over to the adults (despite the fact that he can see they are failing at handling things). I experienced this oscillation myself growing up, and it does make responding correctly very difficult. As a parent now, I also see the other side, how difficult it is to not do this to children.
  • Harry realises, looking back, that part of the separation from his friends was his own fault. We do not however, see more than hints of the outcome of this realisation.
  • This story lets Harry be an unusually strong wizard (most people cannot do nearly the wandless magic he can) without being overpowered (despite his prowess, without a wand he is still too weak to matter in a straight up magical fight). In other words, we can see him as the one marked by the “Dark Lord” as “his equal.” I’ve argued that you cannot really do that even in the actual canonical books.