Harry Potter Harry Potter, Harry Dresden Crossover Ideas

[seitora]

Taking it to a new thread seems like a good idea, I'll start one later tonight when I get back.

04-03-2013, 11:52 PM

lol

Anyways, this is to discuss possible crossovers for Harry Potter x Dresden Files series. It's been mentioned several times in other topics but no dedicated topic yet. The above posts below are from this topic, and so I'm requoting everything (and editing a couple of things to remove a few quoted walls of text) to start off so we don't clutter that topic up anymore.

Anyways, another one from me...

To Whom It May Concern:

My dearest Harry thought about writing this letter himself, but he requested that I write it instead.

I take great joy in having Harry as my Knight. He shares many of my views on the world, on justice, and on peace. While his relatives were hardly the greatest of caretakers, their negligence in educating him and the amount of chores they gave him allowed him to become both naturally inquisitive, along with being a hard worker who is not afraid to do what he must be done. Furthermore, that his uncle brought him to Chicago on a business trip allowed Harry to become acquainted with me, and we have never looked back since.

While I recognise Harry's parents attended your school, I believe that he has already found a better education with us here in America. Were he to have fallen under Maeve's influence, certainly I would agree he should go to Hogwarts, but we in the Summer Court have already taught him much about Hogwarts in the hopes that he should grow well into his position. I fully intend to ask him to be my consort once he ages, and I thus far see no reason why he would disagree. The boy really adores me.

As for your Dark Lord problem, I do not think Harry is in any trouble here. You may notice Lord Voldemort, as he likes to style himself, confined his activities to the United Kingdom during his reign, making only a few intermittent stops in France. If he attempts to send anybody to America, or even come himself, he will find himself sorely regretting it.

Regards,

Aurora
Summer Lady

voldemort vs. dresden would be hilarious.

I take great joy in having Harry as my Knight.

Hang on... she means when he's older, right? 'cause if the ceremony to become the Summer Knight is the same as becoming the Winter Knight... wouldn't Harry have to bone her?

I take great joy in having Harry as my Knight.

Hang on... she means when he's older, right? 'cause if the ceremony to become the Summer Knight is the same as becoming the Winter Knight... wouldn't Harry have to bone her?

I don't think it's ever been mentioned or even implied as a prerequisite. Even if that were the case, he could just be holding the Summer Knight's mantle, as Lily held it without actually being the Summer Knight (but Harry will eventually bone her, and hard).

@alucard964: You've read Summer Knight, right? Believe me, with Aurora's beliefs, Voldemort would be smote.


I would LOVE if something like this actually got written, though. But I'm not hardcore in love enough with the Dresden universe to do it good justice.

The main issue with doing a Dresden/HP cross is the complete incompatibility of the magic sysem and... well... pretty much everything else. I saw a few that tried to bridge the divide between the two systems with varying degrees of success. I suppose it's doable, but it would take a lot of work.

@alucard964: You've read Summer Knight, right? Believe me, with Aurora's beliefs, Voldemort would be smote.


I would LOVE if something like this actually got written, though. But I'm not hardcore in love enough with the Dresden universe to do it good justice.

yeah ive read all of the dresden books and i know that any of the fae queens would bitch slap ole voldie like it was nothing. but considering harry dresdens luck voldemort would end up doing something stupid where harry could see it and then wacky hijinks ensue.
[/quote]

One idea I toyed with on a Dresden/HP cross to keep Voldie interesting was actually to have the inner circle of the Death Eaters actually be secretly run by Denarians. Mostly because Tom Riddle struck me as the sort to want immortality without reading the fine print first. Snape would have had a coin, but not actually used it, making everyone think he was taken, but he'd be resisting.

Oh and for extra "ohnoes" his Fallen would keep wearing Lily Potter's face.

yeah ive read all of the dresden books and i know that any of the fae queens would bitch slap ole voldie like it was nothing. but considering harry dresdens luck voldemort would end up doing something stupid where harry could see it and then wacky hijinks ensue.

In my mind there wouldn't be that much wacky hijinks. Harry (Potter) as Summer Knight mostly devoted to the Summer Lady as opposed to the Summer Queen would share some of the same of her extremist views.

The main issue with doing a Dresden/HP cross is the complete incompatibility of the magic sysem and... well... pretty much everything else. I saw a few that tried to bridge the divide between the two systems with varying degrees of success. I suppose it's doable, but it would take a lot of work.

I always thought it would work out decently it you cast the HP wizards as beings of moderate power. They kind of exist as the exceptionally slow children of the white council, and since the white council generally has nothing to do with them, most wizards have forgotten/willfully ignore their existence.

How are the systems incompatible again? They both seem to have suitably loose rules that havewaving the differences shouldn't be too hard... Then again, I haven't read HP in awhile, so I could be misremembering.

Lemme think...

Dresden-verse magic is hard on tech. Electronics tend to fizzle out and die in their vicinity and even purely mechanical but newer devices can keel over in the presence of enough magic. In the HP-verse it doesn't seem to have quite the same effect, otherwise they wouldn't be able to maintain such a large magical building in the middle of London.

Potions work in the Potter-verse is pretty much basic chemistry of a sort. You follow the steps, you put in the ingredients and you end up with a potion. Dresden-verse potions are individualistic and involve some artistry as you need to specifically engage all the senses, plus a spiritual component plus the physical medium the stuff is being kept in.


Let's see... a large number of trivial spells in the HP-verse automatically call down the Wardens on your ass to KILL YOU for starters.

Using those kinds of spells also has a corruptive effect on the users (pretty much all the spells that violate the laws of magic do). But long story short, even a normal Obliviator just doing his job for the ministry is going to end up under a death sentence pretty damn quick.

Here's the Dresden-verse laws of magic. These are regularly violated in HP. A lot.

1) Thou shalt not kill by use of magic. - Avada Kedavra obviously, but even something as using magic to start a fire that kills someone qualifies. Casting an illusion on someone that leads to them playing in traffic and dying qualifies. Hell, most combat hexes could easily fall under this.

2) Thou shalt not transform others. - The Twin's Canary Creams? Malfoy being turned into a ferret. These aren't seen as a big deal, but again, death sentences in the Dresden-verse.

3) Thou shalt not invade the mind of another. - Legilimency. Even the Truth potions might be considered under this rule. Again. Death sentence.

4) Thou shalt not enthrall another. - Imperio obviously, but even love potions which are rather trivially sold as pranks and Obliviation falls under this.

5) Thou shalt not reach beyond the borders of life. - This one is a bit rarer, but the Resurrection Stone and Voldermort's Horcruxes, maybe the Inferni. On this point at least, there seems to be some agreement between the verses that this one's a bad idea.

6) Thou shalt not swim against the Currents of Time. - Time Turners. They gave one to a 13 year old. Admittedly a responsible one, but still. Death sentence.

7) Thou shalt not seek beyond the Outer Gates. - the HP-verse doesn't have an equivalent to the Never-never so this may not be an issue.

Not to mention just general differences in how much energy magic takes to use in Dresden vs. How HP Witches and Wizards can just keep slinging spells til the cows come home.

... this is starting to look thread-jackish. I'd be happy to continue the conversation on PM or in it's own thread if folks would prefer.

Dresden breaks the rules a couple of times, but they're under pretty damn drastic circumstances, and he still doesn't get off entirely scot-free the very first time.

Soooo...discuss!

 

[Emerald Oracle]

Well, one way I saw the magic dichotomy dealt with was that the Wand that HP wizards use acts as a buffer, as well as a transformer of sorts. Because the wand has its own magical signature/force/what-have-you it prevents the normal mental damage on the caster from breaking the laws, that being the main reason that the Laws are Laws, that breaking them breaks your brain a bit due to the nature of magic. With a wand most magic is buffered so you don't take the mental effect. The only thing that this didn't protect from was any wanded magic that had a direct emotional component, thus explaining why the Unforgivable Curses are Unforgivable. There was also the Patronus used as an example, but that was more of a 'this doesn't break the laws so it's ok but still emotional based' situation. About the only wanded magic that this doesn't cover for lawbreaking I think is transfiguring others as in DF that causes direct damage to the target as well as the caster, though I can only think of one instance of that happening in HP anyway, that being Malfoy the amazing bouncing ferret.

 

[scriviner]

Hmm... that's one way to look at it.

The thing with Dresden-verse transformations is that a disconnect between the mind/body is actually harmful. Basically being in a shape that can't actually support a thinking human mind can result in the destruction of the mind of the victim of the transformation.

On the other hand, self-transformation, IS doable, so Animagi do not break the setting. Although particularly skilled shapeshifters, such as Injun Joe, are able to change into multiple animals. If anything, it's possible that certain types of HP-verse magic could actually be Dresden-verse style magic.

One other major consideration is Apparition. For HP Wizards and Witches this is a trivial thing to do. You get a license for it like driving a car. Maybe there's a risk of splinching yourself if you screw up, but even that's not necessarily all that dangerous since you can get the bits stuck back on. PROBLEM: Dresden magic just straight doesn't allow for teleportation like this. Their major means of fast travel is going through the Never-never. The closest thing that's been shown to work sort of like apparition in the Dresden-verse was an escape potion that basically transformed the user into a ghost-like form and propelled them in one direction. Granted a spell could be set up to work that way, but it seems like something a specialist Wizard would try to do rather than one just anyone is capable of.

Here's another key item. One of Dumbledore's titles is "Chief Warlock" This is important because a Warlock in the Dresden-verse is someone who's broken the Laws of Magic.

Another distinction: HP-verse Wizards/Witches aren't able to Soul Gaze. On the other hand, Legilimency happens by looking into someone's eyes. It is possible that Legilimency is a sort of crippled half-effective sort of repeatable Soul Gaze that they came up with.

Hmmm... actually that could be a key way to differentiate. If they're in the same universe, it's possible the "magicals" of the HP-verse, in using the very specific form of wand-magic that they are using could in fact be some sort of political distinction. Perhaps there is some sort of treaty keeping the two "magical nations" separate. On the one hand you have the Wizarding World. On the other you have the White Council and mages under them. Perhaps there is a reason why HP-style magic users aren't being hunted down by the Wardens is that perhaps they don't even qualify as "human" in the same way Dresden-style magic users are, so aren't covered by the laws of magic.

One fic I remember reading made the distinction between casting styles as a difference between using internal energies and drawing from an "Outside" source that only works in very specific ways. Dresden-style mages used their own internal energies for magical effects, tapping into the energies of life to perform effects based purely on their will. HP-style mages seem to do magic by rote. If they do a specific motion and speak a specific incantation a specific effect will occur. So they seem to be "locked" into a particular limited set of programs for what they can do, whereas an Dresden-style mage can potentially half-ass it and build their own ritual to do theoretically anything they want, subject to limitations of energy and the will of others.

Going by this... HP-style magic users would be classified as Sorcerers by the White Council. Much more limited magic users than true Wizards, but the HP-users could be calling themselves 'Wizard' and 'Witch' out of jealousy. Trying to lay claim to the more powerful title as a point of pride.

Sorry, rambling. Not very coherent, but maybe we can piece something more coherent together.

 

[TC_Hazard]

The magic systems are way too incompatible and so are the creatures that live there. If you want to cross them over by trying to pretend they take place in the same verse, that's the wrong way to go I believe.

Fortunately, Dresden takes place in a multi-verse. Bob has even said Spider-man could be out there somewhere. Good old fashioned dimension travelling should be the way to go.

The magic systems are way too different. Accepting they are completely different beasts is safer rather than coming up with a long explanation of why they are both possible within the same magic system

Dresden wizards can throw around more rawpower (well, the stronger ones at any rate), and given enough time, they can prepare some really cool things. There are clearly defined rules and methods of using magic. Dresden can concentrate for some minutes, tap into a leyline for an extra boost, and redirect all the gravity for more than a mile into a much smaller area to crush the opposing vampires. The bigger the effect the greater the power needed and stuff.

HP wizards don't give a damn about common sense and physics. Arthur Weasley messes with dimensions to make his car have a larger trunk, makes it able to fly and somehow along the way gives it semi sentience, which is totally ridiculous but that's how HP magic goes. About the only thing that resembles a rule is the 'you can't bring the dead back to life'. Everything else is fair game.

 

[scriviner]

I think you may be right.

One cross that I saw that I thought was actually sort of interesting had an older Harry Potter being summoned to the Dresden-verse as an Outsider. From their perspective he was an eldrich abomination because his magic was so very strange compared to theirs.

 

[TC_Hazard]

I think you may be right.

One cross that I saw that I thought was actually sort of interesting had an older Harry Potter being summoned to the Dresden-verse as an Outsider. From their perspective he was an eldrich abomination because his magic was so very strange compared to theirs.

This one by any chance?

That was a fun one. It also has a rather cool Voldemort for all of the one chapter he appears in.

 

[NuitTombee]

He may mean Ryuugi's Master of Death. I can't recall if Harry was summoned but I believe he was by Justin.

 

[pidl]

The anti-tech field can be worked around if Dresden goes to the HP-dimension. It's not so much that magic fries technology per se but that magic has some strange side-effects and in Dresden's time and dimension it's frying technology. If you want you can make it so that in the HP-universe it's turning milk sour, like it was 300 years ago.

 

[TC_Hazard]

The anti-tech field can be worked around if Dresden goes to the HP-dimension. It's not so much that magic fries technology per se but that magic has some strange side-effects and in Dresden's time and dimension it's frying technology. If you want you can make it so that in the HP-universe it's turning milk sour, like it was 300 years ago.

Note that only applies to humans using magic.

Fae and other non humans have no problem using tech in Dresden's world.

 

[zerohour]

Tech Issue: Dresden laws have strong magic disrupting tech. Weaker wizards have less of an effect, or none at all. If HP wizards are weaker, then the issue is resolved.

As for locations, Dresden has used a spell to prevent tech disruptions, so it's possible that Diagon Ally has something similar in it.


Potion: Working with the idea that HP wizards are weaker/less knowledgable, potions may be purposefully designed to invoke the necessary associations with specific ingredients. Since most potion brewing is shown in the classroom, it's possible that the "real" potion brewing is reserved for potion masters who won't screw it up.

1: Yep, this one is an issue,

2: Not sure if this would count. McGonagall seems suitable horrified when she finds out about Malfoy, and the Twins' trick wear off within seconds, so it could be exploiting a loophole since it's done so quickly. This is pretty shaky but possible.

3: I think this is more about altering the mind of another than anything else. Soul gazes aren't regulated, and that could be considered legilimency.

then again, Soul Gaze is a one time thing, and expresses things in metaphor instead of outright mind reading, so it could go either way.

4: Dresden brews up a love potion in the first book, and doesn't seem concerned about it breaking this law. This might be more about direct mind control than anything else.

5: No real conflict here, so no need to argue.

6: We only saw the time turner used for stable time loops, so it could be extrapolated that the device as a failsafe to prevent violations of causality. Probably a fatal failsafe, given that Hermione mentioned a lot of people getting themselves killed.

 

[TC_Hazard]

Found the quote on the tech issue.

JB: Well, it's all a little bit different, but everyone interacts with that kind of energy in a different way. For instance, wizards cause disruptions in technology and other things around them because, you know, people are never all one thing or all the other, people are a conflicted group of weirdos, and so when you have human beings that are using magic, that sort of self-inner conflict, that's one of the side-effects that comes out, that's why they wreck things that are around them. If you're a fairy who's using magic, you're doing the same thing as a human being, but you don't have that cluttered human nature. You can sit around as a fairy and play X-box all you want, you're never going to ruin it, and still be an awesome wizard, but not as Dresden.

Tech Issue: Dresden laws have strong magic disrupting tech. Weaker wizards have less of an effect, or none at all. If HP wizards are weaker, then the issue is resolved.

And this is why I meant by problems popping up if you try to treat the systems as though they were the same.

Really, people who can barely do any magic in Dresden's world have problems. To the point you cannot have a cell phone if you're the slightest bit gifted, and I'm not talking White Council material gifted. I'm not even talking wizard gifted.

HP magic doesn't have that problem. HP magic even works well together with tech like it's no big thing.

It's against their law, but it works.

 

[scriviner]

He may mean Ryuugi's Master of Death. I can't recall if Harry was summoned but I believe he was by Justin.

That's the bunny.

 

[pidl]

Tech Issue: Dresden laws have strong magic disrupting tech. Weaker wizards have less of an effect, or none at all. If HP wizards are weaker, then the issue is resolved.

As for locations, Dresden has used a spell to prevent tech disruptions, so it's possible that Diagon Ally has something similar in it.


Potion: Working with the idea that HP wizards are weaker/less knowledgable, potions may be purposefully designed to invoke the necessary associations with specific ingredients. Since most potion brewing is shown in the classroom, it's possible that the "real" potion brewing is reserved for potion masters who won't screw it up.

1: Yep, this one is an issue,

2: Not sure if this would count. McGonagall seems suitable horrified when she finds out about Malfoy, and the Twins' trick wear off within seconds, so it could be exploiting a loophole since it's done so quickly. This is pretty shaky but possible.

3: I think this is more about altering the mind of another than anything else. Soul gazes aren't regulated, and that could be considered legilimency.

then again, Soul Gaze is a one time thing, and expresses things in metaphor instead of outright mind reading, so it could go either way.

4: Dresden brews up a love potion in the first book, and doesn't seem concerned about it breaking this law. This might be more about direct mind control than anything else.

5: No real conflict here, so no need to argue.

6: We only saw the time turner used for stable time loops, so it could be extrapolated that the device as a failsafe to prevent violations of causality. Probably a fatal failsafe, given that Hermione mentioned a lot of people getting themselves killed.

Sure, it's possible to do that for locations, just draw a circle around it. But that should also prevent people apparating from outside to circle to inside it.

About the mind-reading thing: when Molly looked inside Lucio's head to check if someone messed with it, both Dresden and Morgan considered it breaking the law.

And I think Dresden's love potion was about seriously lowering inhibitions, wasn't one of it's main ingredients alcohol?

Really, people who can barely do any magic in Dresden's world have problems. To the point you cannot have a cell phone if you're the slightest bit gifted, and I'm not talking White Council material gifted. I'm not even talking wizard gifted.

The people with very small gifts seem to be able to use tech without shorting it out immediatly: that order in White Night could use cell-phones and the people in the Paranet can use computers.

 

[TC_Hazard]

The people with very small gifts seem to be able to use tech without shorting it out immediatly: that order in White Night could use cell-phones and the people in the Paranet can use computers.

The still have problems though. The women from the Ordo Lebus couldn't have cell phones (except one and it's noted as being only because her gift was that weak). It's not an instant thing like with Dresden (who is seriously not the norm as far as wizard go. Guy is in the top 20 or so wizards in raw power I believe), but it happens.

Compare to HP magic. The 'let's say they are too weak for the effect to happen' thing doesn't work at all.

 

[scriviner]

If I remember right, the equipment only shorts out when magic is actually used around it. For instance Harry is perfectly fine standing around computers as long as he doesn't use magic, or doesn't accidentally leak out magic when his emotions run high. So it is possible for weaker gifted to use tech, but cellphones seem particularly vulnerable to getting shorted out (the canary in the coal mine analogy was mentioned), and so you're liable to run into having to keep replacing it.

EDIT: Actually the more I think about it, the more I recall that Harry being able to stand around computers is very VERY temporary. Because just being in his vicinity will eventually fry it no matter if he doesn't actively use magic. BUT it is possible to get lucky and have him near one for maybe a whole ten minutes without frying anything... if you're lucky.

 

[TC_Hazard]

If I remember right, the equipment only shorts out when magic is actually used around it. For instance Harry is perfectly fine standing around computers as long as he doesn't use magic, or doesn't accidentally leak out magic when his emotions run high. So it is possible for weaker gifted to use tech, but cellphones seem particularly vulnerable to getting shorted out (the canary in the coal mine analogy was mentioned), and so you're liable to run into having to keep replacing it.

Not exactly. Invite Dresden into your car and be prepared to have to replace a lot of stuff. He warns people of this. The guy's is just that strong. Susan didn't even want him to stand close to the computers because he could mess them just by being there.

A weaker talent (like the guys who use the Paranet) won't have that problem. He or she can probably hang around tech and only have to worry if he or she is actively using magic. A cell phone or a credit card being things you keep on you at all times will get messed up.

An HP wizard, on the other hand, has zero problems using as much magic as he wants on tech.

 

[pidl]

You can still handwave that by saying that in the HP-universe magic has a different side-effect, like turning milk sour. Or make them insanely attractive to the other sex, just to mess with Dresden.

 

[TC_Hazard]

You can still handwave that by saying that in the HP-universe magic has a different side-effect, like turning milk sour or something.

Or you can accept them as utterly different things and say HP Magic doesn't really have that type of side effect.

 

[scriviner]

If we're dealing with them as separate worlds, then there's a bit more flexibility and also the question of whether they'd even have access to their abilities in each other's worlds.

If we go with the assumption that the traveler who ended up in the other world is now subject to the local laws, then we get one particular type of situation. Would an HP mage be able to do their magic in the Dresden-verse? Probably so. The wand-movements and incantations make them effectively mini-rituals and the user is probably focused and fully expecting the effects to occur. On the other hand, they'd then get saddled down by the corruptive effects of the local magic. Potentially any Law of Magic breaking effect of HP-style magic could end up with the severe mental damage one often associates with Warlocks. On the other hand a Dresden-style Wizard in the HP-verse is probably going to end up having to learn the local version of magic to do anything and possibly be quite surprised when their regular spells don't work. ("Wait... you mean I can make a water conjuring spell just by doing this wand motion and saying 'aguamenti'? That's it? Nothing else? AND you can make a room bigger by just swishing a wand a couple times? What the hell.").

 

[pidl]

If we're dealing with them as separate worlds, then there's a bit more flexibility and also the question of whether they'd even have access to their abilities in each other's worlds.

If we go with the assumption that the traveler who ended up in the other world is now subject to the local laws, then we get one particular type of situation. Would an HP mage be able to do their magic in the Dresden-verse? Probably so. The wand-movements and incantations make them effectively mini-rituals and the user is probably focused and fully expecting the effects to occur. On the other hand, they'd then get saddled down by the corruptive effects of the local magic. Potentially any Law of Magic breaking effect of HP-style magic could end up with the severe mental damage one often associates with Warlocks. On the other hand a Dresden-style Wizard in the HP-verse is probably going to end up having to learn the local version of magic to do anything and possibly be quite surprised when their regular spells don't work. ("Wait... you mean I can make a water conjuring spell just by doing this wand motion and saying 'aguamenti'? That's it? Nothing else? AND you can make a room bigger by just swishing a wand a couple times? What the hell.").

And then come to a messy end: "What do you mean: circles don't stop ma-aaaagghh"

 

[IofTheBunny]

One idea I toyed with on a Dresden/HP cross to keep Voldie interesting was actually to have the inner circle of the Death Eaters actually be secretly run by Denarians. Mostly because Tom Riddle struck me as the sort to want immortality without reading the fine print first. Snape would have had a coin, but not actually used it, making everyone think he was taken, but he'd be resisting.

Oh and for extra "ohnoes" his Fallen would keep wearing Lily Potter's face.

I think this one has the most potential.

Also is it me or there is an offshot of Gendo's Law. The more tormented by reminders of Lily Snape is, the better world turn's out in the end?

@separate worlds.

One way to do it without involving the Outer gates or Nevernever, is to make the whole HP-verse like the World-under from Neverwhere, or that world from Stalking the unicorn by Mike Resnick. That subdimension in theory had shut itself off around 1000 years ago, but some beings know how to get there, cue Denarians.

It also could solve the HP-magic influence on world. It doesn't turn milk sour or switches off electronics, at least not so much.
It sustains the world under itself.

Also the corruptive influence of magic not taking effect can be explained that it grounds itself in creatures like Boggarts or Dementors. Well mostly, the unforgivables still screw up the mind.
WOG from pottermore concerning the big nasties.

Like a poltergeist, a Boggart is not and never has been truly alive. It is one of the strange non-beings that populate the magical world, for which there is no equivalent in the Muggle realm. Boggarts can be made to disappear, but more Boggarts will inevitably arise to take their place. Like poltergeists and the more sinister Dementors, they seem to be generated and sustained by human emotions.

Being a subdimension could also allow for timeturners and fidelius to exist.

The timeturners work on the closed timeloop principle, as time is sort of borrowed from the above world and reused anyway. Sadly they don't work in the world above.

The time borrowing would also cause a bit of time displacement, neatly explaining the difference between IRL moon calendar and HP dates.

Fidelius is a bit more tricky, but it could be based on principle that the world under (WW) is more Idea and Concept based, and it warps them to an extent.

 

[scriviner]

Actually, I really like the idea of the HP-verse being like London Below. Perhaps the Wizards they have were once upon a time regular Sorcerer level magic users of the Dresden-verse type, but well and truly hid themselves away from the prosaic reality that the Dresden-verse operates in. The problem does come in when you have instances where HP magic is being used in "public" and necessitating the need for Obliviators and so forth. One possible workaround for this is that the 'incidents' aren't actually occurring in public, but in sections of reality that had briefly been pulled into the HP-verse. To regular Dresden-verse mages these could be some sort of weird dimensional shift events that occasionally happen with no big deal and no one noticing, but large congregations of HP-style mages or one or more really powerful ones can cause it to happen. On the other hand, regular Dresden style Wizards might exert some sort of influence preventing a regular area of the world from sliding into the HP-verse. This doesn't happen inside already warded or separated areas. Like expanded space apartments, or in places under Fidelus, or places like Hogwarts, St. Mungo's, Diagonalley or the Ministry.

This allows for why the HP-style mages are operating under entirely different laws, without severely impacting what's going on in the Dresden-verse.

Also, yes, I do love the idea of Snape talking to his hallucinatory Lily Potter and one of his students catching him at it.

 

[seitora]

I go away for about 3 hours and you guys blow this topic up. Man...

 

[pidl]

I go away for about 3 hours and you guys blow this topic up. Man...

The topic was on fire and it wasn't my fault.

 

[IofTheBunny]

That brief disortions/sliding might be a connection point. Dresden investigates the source of new under the table potion and ritual ingredients and he is, well, just being himself and stumbles into plot.

Random thoughts about some details.
Electronic voice phenomenon is wizarding wireless being caught. Or any station from the world below.

The spontaneous self combustion? No trace of magical foul play found by the Wardens? Some poor sap caught in the way of HP spell.

The clouds looking like dragons, guess what they are dragons in a way. Same with shadows playing tricks on your eyes, the Bloody Marry in a mirror and myriad of other things we see on the verge of our perception.

Both Dresden verse and HP mages dismiss them as that, or in case of former rightly blame the Nevernever for the most of it.


About Snape, I remeber reading in one fic that the questions he asked harry during the first lesson were a code in the flower language saying "I'm sorry for Lily's death".
It probably was a bs, but using something along those lines would turn the first lesson into even more of a torment with a mockery from his personal Fallen.

Fallen making Snape not only more miserable, but creating a bond to convert him later.

It can be done that it likes Snape's theatrics, like billowing robes, looming and so on.
A subtle way of establishing itself as a conscience, part of soul.

It torments him for the greatest of his mistakes, but at the same time worms itself into his heart, by following his little eccentricies.

To limit Bob's use as the Mr. Exposition. Hmm
The best way is just flat out lack of knowledge, or just that he knows that a)they exist b)one should take nothing for granted.