HARRY POTTER VISITS THE FANTASY ISLAND
By Hedwig Edwiges
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters and world belong to J.K.Rowling and Fantasy Island was a creation and executive production of Aaron Spelling, Gene Levitt and Leonard Goldberg. I just borrow it to play with them a little, whit no harm intent.
Summary: Lord Voldemort was defeated and now Harry and some other wizards want to know what could be different about their choices in life. Instead of playing with time or dimensional travel, they ask for the help of a powerful wizard: Mr. Roarke and his Fantasy Island, where you can try a few dreams and not destroy the world in the process.
Thanks to "buttamellow" from this chapter was betaed.
CHAPTER 1 – NEW GUESTS
"Zee plane! Zee plane!"
As always, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the place was in an uproar, preparing to receive new guests for the one week vacation.
"You must really love to do that, my friend, to insist that these guests arrive on the island's plane." The man addressed his short companion while walking out of the building. He usually wore a suit, which he thought of as a uniform, so to better blend in with the people that were his normal guests. But for this special group, he would be able to use his own robes, the ones which he felt truly comfortable in and more in contact with himself and his magic.
The short being, running a bit to keep up with the taller man, waved his hand and changed his appearance before stepping out of the building.
"You don't need to do that, you know, right? They know your kind. They won't be surprised."
"The wizards would be uncomfortable knowing that I have some control over their fantasies here. Let me stick to my role. And it's certainly much more fun this way, boss."
"As you wish, my friend. But maybe you underestimate these people. They fought and won for the side of Light, after all."
"Even the bravest and most generous of wizards has prejudices. I learned that the hard way and I won't forget it. Let's keep the appearances, boss. Later, if the opportunity presents itself, I can go without glamour."
"Like I already said, it's your choice, my friend. Let's go, the plane will land shortly."
Both figures popped from where they were standing to reappear in front of a wooden passageway, leading from where the plane had landed over water to a tropical garden.
"Smiles, everyone, smiles!" The man said with a smile of his own. He had a very tan complexion that made him an impressive figure, combined with his short white hair and the white robes he was using.
The first one out of the plane was a tall and lean man with dark and strait hair and a scowl over his features. He had on black robes and dismissed the help from a young man to get out of the plane. When a beautiful girl approached him with a necklace of flowers – the traditional Lei – he shooed the girl away with an even darker scowl. His unsteadied steps attested for the not so pleasant trip, even if it was a short one.
"Your idea of upholding the island traditions doesn't seem to sit well with the Potions Master, my friend."
"Well, he should relax. He's supposed to be on a holiday!" The shorter figure buffed. "Can't the man take a joke?"
After witnessing the aforementioned man almost throw the drink he was offered in the water, the man answered: "Apparently not."
"Mr. Severus Snape came here looking for some answers and maybe some redemption. He can, grudgingly mind you, accept that part of the problems he had in his youth was his doing. He came here to find out if he had avoided so much… interaction with the Marauders he also could have skipped the Death Eater debacle and gain a more peaceful life."
"Quite an ambitious quest, boss. He is really willing to be a different person this time around?" Tattoo observed the surly man with lack of faith.
"Well, this is why he's here to find out after all. But we will also be there to help him control his attitudes this time around."
Both of them changed their attention to the next person arriving, leaving the still scowling man unwatched for the moment.
The second guest stepped out of the plane even more wobbly. His face was almost green and he needed all the help that was offered just to be able to stand up. The Lei was put over his head but the drink was refused with a clear message of the disastrous results if any attempt to drink or eat was made.
"Ah, the not quite so young Mr. Percy Weasley. Another one that wished to find out where his life would have gone if he had made quite a few different choices," the tall man said.
"But he has everything he always wished for!" The short one exclaimed. "He's a high up Ministry employee, he's well regarded by other politicians and public servants and he didn't do that bad in the war. He survived intact, after all." The comment was spoken a little derisively.
"Well, it seems that after achieving everything he always wanted, Mr. Weasley found out that it was not cracked out to what he thought it would be. In an empty room, without windows or doors, if he's all alone, he might admit to himself, inside his mind, that he misses his family and school friends. The people he lost while on the road to success." The tone was full of pity.
"I think we've got two tough cases here, boss."
"That indeed we do, my friend. And you haven't seen the other guests yet. And we will have to see if the next group did better surviving our traditional trip. But I'm glad that anyone else that has to come here will be arriving by Portkey." The amusement was in his voice, but the smile on the man's face was only polite.
"Hmph! They fought Death Eaters and Voldemort! They should have some more endurance." The little one crossed his arms over his chest, a bit annoyed.
The second guest was finally able to stand by the force of his own two legs. He tried to straighten up his robes, a dull shade of dark blue, and patted his flaming red hair. He arranged his glasses over his nose and looked around, a bit unsure.
The two men kept apart as much as possible, trying valiantly to ignore each other.
The tall man in front of them took a deep breath and started his well rehearsed speech.
"Welcome, my friends, to Fantasy Island! I am Mr. Roarke, your host for this week."
After sending his two guests to the main building of the hotel complex, Mr. Roarke and Tattoo prepared to receive the new group.
Not that dispatching these two had been easy. Both men were quite disgruntled by the plane trip and bucked when they saw the automobile they would be using to travel the short distance to the building. It took quite the persuasion to sit them inside the car with the promise of a short trip and no acrobatics.
Now the reception group was preparing again for another plane to land. This week would be quite different from the normal fantasy filled hotel. This time, all the guests were wizards and witches.
Positioning himself again at the end of the strip from the landing place to the beginning of the garden, Mr. Roarke looked around, checking that everyone was in their places so they could receive the next guests.
Having two different sets of guests was uncommon but not unheard of. And since all this was arranged by the most powerful wizard of the age – even if he himself didn't like the title – there wasn't much Mr. Roarke could do except prepare for these fantasies. And, of course, with the Island itself eager to receive this special wizard, Mr. Roarke was even more irked over this. But being true to himself, he didn't mind so much. He would still be in control of the situation and he would probably help some people to change their ways before some harm was done.
"But I do resent sentient places! The Island and Hogwarts, scheming on my back! Humpf!"
"Zee plane, boss!" Tattoo announced again.
"Smiles, everyone, smiles!" Mr. Roarke stated for the second time that day.
After the landing, the guests started to spill out from the flying machine. This group seemed less fazed by the different mean of transportation and more entertained by the experience.
"Looks like this bunch has some humor, after all." Tattoo was smiling.
"Yes, I would say they were more open to new experiences. And they will need this frame of mind to go along with their fantasies."
"So, the old man has a fantasy?"
The man being referred to was just finishing arranging his purple and silver robes after leaving the plane. He smiled at the young girl who gave him a Lei and accepted a very colorful drink with a pink umbrella in it. He kept looking around and smiling to himself. His long, white hair and beard were carefully plaited so as to not get in the way. He waived a wand over himself, probably to cast a cooling charm to survive the tropical climate.
"Mr. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, great sorcerer, defeater of the dark lord Grindelwald, partner of Nicolas Flamel in the discovery of the 12 uses of dragon blood, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founder and secret keeper of the Order of the Phoenix and last, but not least, proudly part of the Chocolate Frogs Card's collection."
"Quite a long list of titles and accomplishments."
"Maybe too long for his own good, my friend. But he's here for a vacation, one long overdue in his view. After all, he defeated a dark lord, fought another one for almost 20 years and has been reigning over Hogwarts for more than 40 years. He believes he's entitled to some relaxation before embracing his "next great adventure" as he likes to call death. He's planning to be in his beloved Hogwarts, be a well loved and remembered Headmaster and deal with some students' pranks and Quidditch House Team's rivalry."
"If he has all this planned, why he's here? Not much of a fantasy."
"These are his plans. He doesn't have a fantasy; he believes he's here just for a vacation. But Mr. Dumbledore is the focal point of Mr. Potter's fantasy. Mr. Harry James Potter, defeater of Lord Voldemort, the youngest seeker in a century for a Hogwarts's Quidditch House Team and the winner of the last Tri-Wizard Tournament, wishes to step a bit into my shoes and play with other people's fantasies and desires. While doing that, he wishes to manipulate Dumbledore's life a bit… for the great good of the Wizarding World, of course."
"Mr. Harry James Potter didn't come with the airplane."
"Well, he prefers to keep a low profile, as they say. His friends think he's at his own house, relaxing while the others chose to come to this paradisiac tropical island for a week's vacation."
"Oh, very Slytherin of Mr. Potter. And Dumbledore is in for a nasty shock, huh? Turnabout is fair play…" Tattoo smirked.
"I think both of them need to learn what it's like to be in the other person's shoes. Maybe they can overcome their emotional baggage that way."
"You're always a bit of a naïve optimist, boss."
"Well, I prefer to believe that people can learn and change. Otherwise, what would be the meaning of my life?"
Tattoo smirked at the question. "Keep playing with people's life," he thought to himself but wisely didn't comment out loud. "Ok, and these two over there, what do they want?"
Both men turned back to the plane to watch a young woman with bushy brown hair being helped out of the aircraft. She looked around, took a deep breath and accepted the Lei and the drink with a polite smile. She looked too preoccupied and was staring intensely into her drink, ignoring her surroundings.
The man accompanying her was really tall, over six feet, with flaming red hair and a lot of freckles in his open and smiling face. The family resemblance didn't hide his relationship with Mr. Percy Weasley, who arrived earlier. But this Mr. Weasley wasn't ashamed to stare appreciably at the girl who gave him the Lei and he picked the most colorful drink he could spot over the tray offered to him. He drank and looked around, quite impressed with his surroundings, in a startling contrast with the young woman's behavior.
"A couple with different expectations of this week. Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley thinks he's getting a belated honeymoon, especially because he starts a new job when they go back and this is his last change to have some fun before he becomes "an utterly responsible man".
"Ah! The Boy-Who-Lived-And-Finally-Won's best friend! I believe he was also Head Boy and Quidditch Captain for his last year in Hogwarts, right?"
"Well done, my friend. Research is good, see?" Mr. Roarke smiled with a superior and knowing look.
Tattoo rolled his eyes but refrained from commenting. "And where will he work now?"
"Department of Magical Sports and Games, in the recently reorganized Great Britain's Ministry of Magic."
"Good for the boy. Then she must be Hermione Granger, Mr. Potter's other best friend."
"Exactly. Now, she is Mrs. Hermione Jane Granger Weasley and she wishes to discover how different her life could be if she lets go of a few more rules and preconceived ideas about her own life. She's starting to think she lost too many opportunities and settled down too early with her first teenager love."
"They were married less than a month ago and she's already having regrets? For someone known as 'the brightest witch of the age' she's being pretty dumb."
"Emotions and feelings aren't as easily sorted as an Arithmancy problem or some Ancient Runes translation, my friend. And Mrs. Hermione will have to learn to rely more on her 'gut feelings.' Let's just hope she doesn't lose something irreplaceable on the way."
"Hm. I thought this would be a weekend to commemorate the end of the war in Britain and people would like to have silly fantasies, like be a famous rock star or have a harem. This will be much more tension-filled than I ever expected."
"Correct again, Tattoo. Now that the real threat was dealt with, these people are ready to experiment with some hidden feelings and expectations. But dark lords can be vanquished. Feelings, emotions and beliefs are much harder to get rid of."
"Well, after this experience, we can always keep the island for Muggle fantasies. They are so much easier to deal with and also more satisfying."
"That's true, Tattoo. But now, let's deal with the guests we have here." And the tall man turned to the people waiting by the plane and put his best professional smile over his face.
"Welcome, my friends, to Fantasy Island! I am Mr. Roarke, your host for this week."