An Opus Alchymicum Vol 1: The Experimental Theologian's Apprentice

Welcome to AOA

Welcome to this reboot of Volume 1 of An Opus Alchymicum!

This is a complete HP series rewrite but also a crossover fic, a blend of Harry Potter with elements of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials woven in.

The premise is fairly straightforward. Set in the year before the events of Philosopher's Stone - and vaguely at a point in time after the events of The Secret Commonwealth in the HDM world - Hermione Granger is approached by Lyra Belacqua/Silvertongue to become her Apprentice. Then they embark on a journey to rescue Harry Potter, who Hermione is told she will fall in love with in the future, but is currently facing unknown threats to his life. Leaving her world behind, Hermione - along with her spirit animal-daemon, Papageno - endures danger and personal sacrifice in an attempt to reach her future love and to help save him from the dark forces closing in.

In Harry's Alternate World, his parents escaped the threat of Voldemort - with the help of Sirius - to a clandestine, subterranean area of Muggle society, where they assist Muggles in their studies of magic, in exchange for protection and anonymity. But when Harry's developing magic threatens to expose him, James and Lily concoct a plan to smuggle him to the surface, where he can be prepared by Sirius and Minerva McGonagall to rejoin the magical community, which he has been totally ignorant of up to this point. Harry's initial forays into the magical world might just give him some insight into the trials he might face during his first year at Hogwarts!

It will, of course, be a traditional Harmony story at some point down the line. I should point out that the first instalment of this series will read like a bit like a prologue. It's a series rewrite, but just jumping in and trading on readers' past knowledge of canon and not offering any character background or world build-up is just lazy authorship in my opinion, especially as this is a crossover, so that's why this fic starts where it does.

That said, the general feedback about the original Volume 1 was that it wasn't as strong as the other Volumes, and I tend to agree with that. I wrote the original without too much planning, and looking back it could have been more dynamic and gripping, so I'm going back to reboot it and to try and give it fresh vibrancy and make it as enjoyable as the later installments. This may confuse any Wattpad readers currently going through the story, as the changes will be applied incrementally. If I post this on other sites, the new version will be the only one. Apologies for any sense of disjointedness for my Wattpad followers and bear with me while the story is improved!

For those dubious about giving a crossover a try, let me first say that this series will be 75% Potter-centric. It is also fairly light and fluffy for the most part, though later installments may need a slightly higher rating in line with how the Potter series developed. For those unfamiliar with His Dark Materials, here are the key story-world elements you need to know to get started.

Dæmon: An aspect of the human soul external to the body, but only able to move short distances away from their human before causing terrible pain to both. Animal-formed and able to interact with others, to touch the dæmon of another person is a strict social taboo and can be a huge personal violation. A human and their daemon are essentially one being; they are the same person, divided but at all times still connected to one another.

Alethiometer: A truth telling symbol reader, powered by Dust.

Dust: A mysterious substance or conscious energy that pervades all things in the universe. Many think that Dust is responsible for bringing sentient consciousness to humanity.

The Magisterium: A powerful, repressive, Church-like political body whose quest is to destroy Dust and the heresy it suggests.

And that's it really. Everything else gets explained as we go and I am confident that Potter readers (who have read my stories before) can enjoy this series without an in-depth knowledge of the HDM world. So if you are in the mood for something different and a bit exotic, give this a try and let me know what you think.

Thank you.