(Krista Mills / The Quill)
The internet has allowed fan fiction to spread like wildfire, nothing you know and love is safe. Including Harry Potter. So what would happen if the beloved Harry Potter was in fact Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres, a highly rational child prodigy who applies the scientific method to everything he meets in the wizarding world? Well then you get Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, where magic is just a word, and scientific experimentation is everything.
Imagine evil Harry, well, maybe not evil, but he is certainly different. You would be too if your Aunt Petunia was nice to you, loved you very much and did not lock you up in cupboards under the stairs. Oh, and did I mention that there is no Uncle Vernon, because he was far too stuffy, instead Petunia married a scientist. Sorry to the fans of Dudley, you have my deepest sympathy. To recap we have Harry, a boy who is very much loved by his mother and father (actually his aunt and uncle), he is not forced to cook is large cousin breakfast because he does not exist and he is a happy guy, if a little odd. So far there are not a whole lot of similarities, except for the fact that Harry is very much in the dark about the wizarding world. Once Harry receives his letter that quickly changes, a professor is dispatched to prove that magic is real and from there he is thrown into the wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardry. As Harry attempts to navigate this strange new world he is faced with a number of challenges. How much gold can one boy hide in his pockets without his escort knowing? How can he take over the world, wizarding and muggle alike? How does one live up to defeating the most feared dark lord of the wizarding world? I know I would not be able to sleep either.
This interpretation of the original is hilarious, whether you dislike JK Rowling’s work or absolutely love it, give it a try. If nothing else it is great for a laugh, and with chapter titles such as A Day of Very Low Probability, Hedonic Awareness, and my personal favourite The Stanford Prison Experiment, this includes parts two through five, how can you possibly say no? Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is available for free online, perfect for students on a budget. Head to the internet, where you can read the book chapter by chapter, or in actual book format by which I mean there is a free PDF. If you do not like to read your books but prefer to listen to them in podcast format HPMOR is available on iTunes. Sit back, relax, crack open a butter beer and say goodbye to all of those goals you had set out for yourself and the beginning of the term. This is your life now.
As a self-proclaimed procrastinator I look for any opportunity to avoid doing my school work. These are my diversions, maybe they’ll be yours too! If you have any recommendations feel free to email us at webeditor.thequill@gmail.com
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