Half a Chance. A Harry Potter Ranma 1/2 crossover idea.
Before the fateful night where the Potters get attacked by Voldemort and Harry becomes the most Famous infant who lived. The Ministry of Magic is getting concerned over reports on Muggle News over events in Japan and China that are becoming noticed. Stories of shape changers, that are clearly not Lycanthropes since they happen all the time, sometimes multiple times in the same hour. Fights that destroy sections of buildings with single hits. And most recently a mountain collapsed.(Mt Horai, Kettle incident) While England has been having their own War it is getting to a point where they feel a need to send someone to investigate.
The people sent are the Potters and the Longbottoms. Two couples who are probably the best the Ministry have and both are all but sidelined in the War by the wives Maternity leave. All 4 go on the mission seeing how neither child is due until the middle of next July at the earliest.(Its currently February) They start their investigation at the recently flattened Mountain. While they find a slight trace of Magic lingering most of what they find is Life Energy. Enough that the only explanation they can think of at the time is that there were at least a million people who died here, or there is something they don't understand, beyond magic, going on.
They next go to Nerima where most of the Reports originate and entering the area sense the same energies. They decide to get as many of the facts as they can without getting involved and learn of both Jusenkyo and its victims. There is no magical ability inherent to the shape changers and most would be considered Muggles if it wasn't for the curses. But considering how much power these "victims" exhibit in their fights they know keeping out of it was a good idea.
They approach Cologne who is said to be a native of a village near this Jusenkyo and there get a slightly biased but near complete picture of the actual situation. They are all Muggles but also Martial Artists. Some of the best in their respective generations. Capable of channeling their life energies in ways rarely seen in the last 400 years. Alice Longbottom gets caught up in the drama of Shampoo's life, thinking it would make great Soap Opera material, She asks to become Pen palls with Cologne so she can keep updated on the story.
Just before the investigators were getting ready to leave a Flying Boat shows up over head while people in the neighborhood are complaining about an Elephant with a Giant Ki Manifestation that had been plowing through the other side of Town to the Tendo Dojo. Most just with amused looks on their faces as if all are thinking `Here we go again.'
Not wanting to risk being seen trying to chase the Sky Boat they try to tag it with a tracer charm. Unfortunately its magics are so strong and different the simple spell dissipates before attaching and they are left with the choice of waiting for the Nerima Wrecking Crew to come back or just filing their reports and going home.
They end up at least discretely interviewing all the remaining main players of events in Nerima. Learning the Aquatransexual Saotome Ranma is often caught up in the middle of all these events. It was his Fiancée Akane of the Tendo family that was kidnapped by the Boat, since she was holding something the Elephant's owner dropped. Not the first time she was kidnapped and most likely targeted due to the Chaos around Ranma. They even find that the destruction of Mt Horai was mostly between Ranma and one other Aquatransexual who fought there over a magical item with the ability to effect their curses. Both had gotten trapped in Female form and the kettle there unlocked it so they could again be in their birth forms. Why Cologne decided not to mention that to them when they were talking to her strikes them as odd. (She had figured since they were Magical Investigators they might try to confiscate the Kettle.)
In the end they go home before the Nekonron adventure ends. Nerima being a bit too unpredictable to chance their growing children. Sure back home has a War but at least the enemy is an evil they know how to survive.
October 31st, Voldemort's Attack should have been impossible. But considering places like Nerima that word has so little it can actually apply to anymore. James Potter is hit with the Killing curse before he manages to shake off the magical backlash of the wards being forced to instantly stop. He finds himself forced out of his body and chases after his murderer with no idea of what he can do but hoping to be able to do Something to save his wife and child. He ends up witnessing something never before seen. When Lilly was hit with the curse her soul was already leaving her body and wrapping around their child like a cocoon. The final Spell barely cracked it bouncing back and destroying Voldemort's body. The shreds of its shade quickly flowing away, Probably to his closest Horocrux. James remembering Ranma, living half his life female, takes a chance and dives at Lilly's body. Amazingly it accepts him and Harry ends up not being the only one to live this night.
This is a setup for a crossover where Harry doesn't become an Orphan. Technically he still has both his Parents. How however is a bit complicated. You see James is now in Lilly's body. So her body lives. Her body's life is powering her Soul which is Protecting Harry. James and Lilly can still communicate with each other and later on might even be able to find a way back to a more normal life together.
"Lilly" James is going to end up going to Jusenkyo before Ranma has his fight with Saffron. Living as a Woman after growing up a man isn't easy. At least Harry is no longer Breast feeding. Well not exactly to Jusenkyo, they have the Guide meet them with the water they need at the Joketsuzoku village. After getting the Drowned Man curse the Potters find they can consciously swap control. So Lilly gets to live again. Its not perfect but its better than a lingering death fighting Voldemort's Soul Shard still stuck in Harry.
Major changes, Harry never goes to live with the Dursleys, The attack on the Longbottoms goes differently because the Death Eaters are divided, still after Lilly Potter and need to end both Children to make their Master Safe from the Prophecy. The Potters and the Long Bottoms seek out Cologne to get training in Martial Arts but end up redirected to the Tendo Dojo since there is a treaty between the Joketsuzoku and the International Confederation of Wizards preventing her helping that way. (A non-interference pact going back to before Dumblrdore was born.)
Anyone know someone who could write this. As you might have noticed I didn't do any scenes or direct interaction. I have repetedly tried and failed at that but would love to see someone try to write this story.