A/N: Foundations, my first attempt at fanfiction, was begun in January 2004. It's already reached 27 complete chapters and nearly 200 pages, and may not be done for quite some time yet.
Note that, hopeless American that I am, I've done my best to bring this fic into line with English diction and spelling conventions, but I have no doubt I've missed many details. Brit-picking welcome, as long as it's polite. Anyone who'd like to volunteer to help beta this piece will also not be turned away.
Warning: Character Death, Mature Themes, Het, Slash; Snape/Hermione, Harry/Draco, Remus/Sirius; also Humor, Angst, Action/Adventure, Multiple POV, RL Magick References.
If piddling details and explanations do not interest you, feel free to skip the rest of this intro and go right to the first chapter.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters and concepts are the property of J.K. Rowling. This story is a fan tribute to her works, and generates no profit of any kind. No challenge to the intellectual property rights of Ms. Rowling, or any other author or artist whose works may be mentioned herein, is intended or implied.
--- 0 In Which the Stage is Set
Everyone trusts Dumbledore, but no one understands his plan to bring an end to the threat of Voldemort. Could the cure be worse than the disease? The end of an era brings with it divisive questions, unexpected alliances, revelations, and blessings in disguise for Hogwarts students, staff and alumni.
Notes:
"Foundations" is set in January of Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. The plot rests on the following premises:
1. Sirius Black was not killed in his fall through the Veil at the Ministry of Magic, and was retrieved alive sometime in Harry's sixth year. How it was done is left to the reader's imagination.
2. The Age of Majority and of Consent in the Wizarding World is seventeen (no flames please; my reasons are plot-related, not perverted) and time doubled up using a Time Turner counts toward a wizard's "official" age.
3. Snape's cover was blown earlier in the year, and he is thus no longer spying for the Order.
Despite a major HP/DM subplot and chapters told from various points of view, this story is, at the heart of it, a Snapefic. Hermione obviously plays a large role as well, so expect longer and more detailed chapters for those two than any of the other characters. POV in the final few chapters will jump from person to person. I'll make every effort to ensure that this does not become confusing.
This is not a story for dedicated Ronophiles (though Ron does have his moments,) or for big fans of Sirius Black, though I have nothing against either character. Somebody generally has to get the short end, and in this story, they were it. Note that Chapter 24 gives an explanation for Sirius' actions, but also contains a fairly explicit Sirius/Remus scene. If you don't care for that particular pairing, just skip Chapter 24 and assume that Sirius does have some not-too-ignoble reasons for his behavior.
Later on in the story, a rather complex spell will be cast. Practitioners of Wicca may find some very familiar elements in this section, though somewhat bastardised for my purposes. No disrespect to anyone of any faith or philosophy is intended by their inclusion here! Nor do I advocate or personally believe such practices to be true (I don't necessarily disbelieve them either.) I use them here only for flavor. Please don't anybody sic the Fundamentalists on me.
Toward the end there will be a cameo appearance by a well-known character from another fandom. If you recognise the lady, kudos, and I hope you enjoy seeing her! If you don't, no worries; her function is fairly self-explanatory.
Bonus points to whoever can name the sources for the most chapter headings. All but one or two are lines from poems, literature or songs. (Some are referred to more than once.)