Harry Potter and the Man of Unknown

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Oldest Harry Potter Fanfic on Fanfiction.net, posted by Gypsy Silverleaf on September 4, 1999. May sort-of be the only pre-Prisoner of Azkaban fic in existence. The book hadn't come out yet in the United States (yes, Virginia, there was a time when Harry Potter books weren't released worldwide on the same day) and the American author was thus only vaguely aware of the storyline. This explains a lot.

The "man of unknown" is Professor Thomas Erwin, a teacher at another Wizarding School, who seems to hate Harry for no apparent reason. Erwin was a well-loved man until Voldemort's downfall, after which he turned into a grouch and forbid the name "Harry Potter" from being spoken in his presence. It turns out Erwin was James Potter's half-brother and that he's pissed because Harry got sent to live with the Dursleys instead of him. Realizing what a jerk he's become, Erwin threatens to kill Dumbledore if he tells Harry the truth. The Ministry tries to arrest Erwin for this, but he escapes and lives out the rest of his life as a hermit before dying in misery. The End.

Not particularly good or bad, but certainly odd. Notable mainly for being the first fic written for Harry Potter, which now has the most fics on Fanfiction.net by a huge margin. You can read it here. See here to see a tongue-in-cheek version of the story acted out with the Potter Puppet Pals.

Tropes used in Harry Potter and the Man of Unknown include:
  • Byronic Hero: Erwin. The same author would later become the first to cast Snape as one.
  • Downer Ending
  • Elsewhere Fic
  • Expy: Erwin is a mean teacher who wears black robes and hates Harry Potter. Sound familiar?
  • Fatal Flaw: Erwin's jerkiness, which is ultimately his undoing.
  • Freudian Excuse
  • Jossed: The author assumed Harry was going to be actually sent to Azkaban in the third book and that Lupin would still be teaching in Harry's fourth year. Also, Erwin seems to Apparate within Hogwarts.
  • My God, What Have I Done?
  • Recut: Gypsy reworked the story in mid 2001, mainly to Retcon the bits contradicted by the third and fourth books. This version can be seen on her website and FictionAlley, but the original version remains on Fanfiction.net.
  • Tragic Hero: Erwin, very much so.
  • Ultimate Job Security: Madam Tatooli, the headmistress of Sharadine School, hasn't fired Erwin because he's just that good a teacher.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Dumbledore in Erwin's opinion. The story somewhat agrees with him.
    • If her other works are any indication, so does the author.
  • Wizarding School: Sharadine School. Hogwarts also shows up.


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