(This chapter is mainly here to explain some of the changes to the setting. The author's changed quite a lot, after all, and there wasn't room for everything in the introduction.)
Character Changes
Harry Potter: His appearance will be closer to his mother Lily's.
Snape: He'll still start out hostile toward James and his two friends, but at school he'll only display his remarkable talents and won't get too involved with the extremist Pure-blood faction.
When James uses Levicorpus on him, Lily steps in to protect him. She also never says the words that would make him regret it for the rest of his life: "Mudblood." Seeing the girl's tears, James and Snape decide to "turn over a new leaf."
After James saves him from Lupin, who has turned into a Werewolf, the four of them officially reconcile. They agree to compete fairly and protect Lily together. After graduating, they join the Order of the Phoenix. At Dumbledore's request, Snape goes undercover among the Death Eaters for the Order.
Later, Barty Crouch Jr. overhears part of a Prophecy about a child born in July and goes to tell Voldemort. Snape gives a warning in time, but that damned traitor still helps Voldemort kill Lily and, well, that other guy. Snape later becomes both a Potions Class professor (and Dark Arts Defense professor) and Slytherin Head of House, secretly protecting Harry all the while.
Grindelwald: As for his ambitions, he believes wizards shouldn't be nobodies or be oppressed by Muggles. He's more committed to winning the rights he believes wizards deserve, but never advocates killing the innocent. However, he's later exploited by unscrupulous Pure-blood families, and the cause gradually turns into a war to establish wizarding rule over the world.
After meeting Newt and the others, Grindelwald realizes the revolution has strayed from its original purpose. After joining Dumbledore in stopping the Dark Wizards who sought to enslave Muggles, Grindelwald decides to exile himself and search for a path to a better future for wizards. In between managing the school, Dumbledore also visits his beloved.
During that time, he runs into the protagonist and his disciples several times when they come out to cause trouble (just kidding) and gain experience. The three elder leaders hit it off at once, and they become close friends with the protagonist too, despite their age difference.
Also, during the battle in Godric's Hollow, Ariana is only gravely injured, not killed. And when Ariana was young, the three brutes never succeeded in what they tried to do. Her father, Percival, arrived in time, and with her family by her side, she never developed an Obscurus.
The following is new
Bing Huan: The protagonist of this book. An unparalleled genius of the Daoist sect. Beneath his cheerful exterior lies a soul that isn't easy to get close to. He was born with the ability to sense malice and make medicinal properties adapt to his blood. Combined with his outstanding talent and status as the Daoist sect's leader's disciple, most people who approach him have ulterior motives.
The only people who sincerely treat him well are his master and mistress, senior brothers and sisters—in other words, the people who feel like family. As a result, Bing Huan prefers small animals and children, who don't have complicated motives. Over time, he's learned how to care for others, while his understanding of the concept of love that his friends and elders keep talking about has grown increasingly vague.
Special Item: A fist-sized, palace-shaped spirit artifact. It had sat in the Daoist sect's treasury since the sect was founded, without ever showing any signs of activity. But when the protagonist was brought back, it appeared, acknowledged him as its master, entered his sea of consciousness, and promptly played dead.
Inside are thousands of little compartments. Whenever the protagonist accomplishes something or gains something, the items inside unlock. They include resources for cultivation, advanced technology (to be handed over to the country), and other items that seem to come from different eras—manuals, and even living creatures. (I told you my ingredients were complicated. You should know what I'm getting at by now („ಡωಡ„))
New Factions
China/Immortal Cultivators: Multiple cultivation sects led by the Daoist sect, cooperating with the Chinese government. They promote basic cultivation methods to the public and bring the most talented candidates to the sects for training. They also research everyday spirit artifacts for civilian use.
Under the Daoist sect's leadership, even Voldemort and Grindelwald at the height of their power wouldn't dare reach into China. But they never interfere in other factions' internal affairs, and simply do business as usual. The West calls them the Heavenly Dragon, so low-key it can be overlooked.
Sakura Country: Formerly a province of China, settled by wild people civilized by China's ancestors. But as time went on, their unworthy descendants wanted to break away and repeatedly defied the country. Eventually, they committed every kind of atrocity and even turned against humanity, so they were stripped of their Chinese citizenship. They've become complete clowns. (Mainly here so I can keep beating a dead horse.)
Overall: The characters will be relatively more optimistic, and the whole world will have more advanced technology than in the original timeline. (The protagonist's technological discoveries will be handed over to the country, and China will then guide other regions.)
Before you continue