Sorting to Hogwarts
by Teddylonglong

Please view chapter 1 for disclaimer and warnings!

Rowena patiently listened to Harry's explanation, before she suggested, "Leave the device here and wish yourself four weeks into the future. Until then I'll try to invent a charm."

Harry admitted to himself that he did not really like the idea, as he rather wanted to take part in Rowena's attempts to do something about the computer, however, knowing that it would be difficult to hide from his younger self for four weeks, he grudgingly agreed.

By the time, Harry arrived back at Rowena's office, the old witch had managed to get the computer started, however, it always shut off again after a few minutes.

"I'm sorry dear," she apologized. "You can either go another four weeks into the future and let me try some more or return to the future and ask Lily to add a consistence charm. The only problem that I see is that it'll probably feed from the magic of the person who cast the charm," she said, thoughtfully. "Maybe Lily can try to involve Hogwarts in the charm, so that she can support it with her own magic, who should be extremely strong one thousand years into the future."

"All right Rowena, thank you very much for your help," Harry replied, gratefully. "I'll speak with Lily. In the worst case, I'll come back here sometime soon," he added, grinning.

"Any time," Rowena replied, smiling fondly at the wizard, who was much older but seemed so much younger than herself.

Harry remained in Rowena's office for two more hours, telling her about the most important occurrences in the future, knowing that she had seen several visions of his original timeline's future. Only when there was a knock at the door, Harry quickly whispered his good-bye, grabbed the PC and wished himself back to the future from the spot.

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Back at Hogwarts, he taught Lily and Alice Rowena's charm, knowing that Hermione and Neville had to concentrate on their NEWTs, which were going to take place in five months' time.

Finally, it was Alice who succeeded in modifying Rowena's charm in a way that the computer was switched on and remained switched on until it was switched off. Moreover, it did not even need magic except from the spell that had to be cast to switch on the device.

In order to not distract Hermione and Neville from studying, as it was the week before the test week, Harry, Alice and Lily decided to keep the matter to themselves until after the last NEWT.

When Hermione, Neville, Alice, Lily and Harry met in the afternoon after the last test, Harry invited Alice to become the professor for the newly invented subject Computer Science. At the same time, he offered the position of the Ancient Runes professor to Hermione and suggested for Neville to become Alice's assistant.

"I'll still think about this position," he added, thoughtfully. "It'll be a full post like that of any professor. If we manage to get these computers to properly work like they do in the Muggle world, we need someone who can do computer installations for the classroom as well as for all the professors, help them with problems or, for example, set up databases for them."

Neville smiled. "Thanks Harry for offering me the position," he said, "which I'll happily accept under the condition that you teach me everything that I need to know."

"I will," Harry promised. "We're going to study everything about these computers during the holidays."

"Well, I can only accept if we properly study anyway," Alice added. "How would I be able to teach anything otherwise?"

"Don't worry," Harry replied, soothingly. "We have the whole summer, and we'll be able to get this in grip."

"Harry," Hermione spoke up, thoughtfully. "Are you going to connect these computers to the internet?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied, smiling, before he admitted that he had used the time while Alice and Lily had tried to find the charm to do some research about computers and also about networks and the internet. "In fact, I'm planning to found the Wizardnet, which should be the equivalent to the internet for the magical world."

"A brilliant idea," Alice commended him, causing Hermione and Neville to nod.

"I'd still like to study together with you all, even if I'm going to become the Ancient Runes professor," Hermione said, giving Harry a questioning look.

"Of course, Mione," Neville was the first to reply. "We're going to be grateful for any help we can get."

'I wonder if these two have become more than friends,' Harry thought with amusement. 'They'd make a lovely couple in any case.'

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By the end of the holidays, Alice, Neville and Harry knew everything about computers, and Alice felt confident enough to teach the students using the dozen computers in the newly built classroom for Computer Studies. At the same time, Harry and Neville developed the Wizardnet.

Every Sunday morning, Harry taught his colleagues, including Ceridwen, how to use computers, and by the time the Wizardnet was ready to be used, Neville connected their colleagues' computers as well as those of Ceridwen and her twin daughters to the Wizardnet.

"Maybe after a few months' time and getting used to it, we'll connect the students' computers as well," Harry decided, unaware of the fact that it should only take a few years before every student was going to have their own computer, which they had to ask Neville to connect to the Wizardnet.

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When Albus Dumbledore, who had been alerted by his portrait in the headmaster's office about the new subject Computer Studies as well as about the Wizardnet, enquired about getting computers for the Ministry of Magic, Harry left the matter to Neville. Whilst being solely responsible for the computers at Hogwarts including the hospital as well as the maintenance of the Wizardnet, Neville made a deal with the Ministry and during the following years also with private persons.

"I'm very happy for Neville," Harry once said to Ceridwen. "He was so shy and uncertain when he came to Hogwarts as a first-year, and now he's well known all over Hogsmeade as the computer expert. It's also great that he can earn some extra money by the computer installations that he does in his free time."

"Yes, I'm very happy for him, too," Ceridwen agreed, smiling, before she added, "I wonder how long it'll take before he'll ask Hermione out."

"That's true," Harry agreed, full heartedly.

However, it should still take a few years before the two classmates became a couple and finally married.

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Knowing that the Wizardnet was firmly and safely in Neville's hands, Harry decided to begin using his newly found free time occupying himself with other matters, very much to the chagrin of Ceridwen, who more and more urged him to reduce his work load.

'Important potions like that of the wolvescure shall never be lost again,' Harry swore to himself and began to translate a large selection of potions recipes, which Salazar Slytherin had invented but only documented in Parselscript just for himself to read.

Harry chuckled as he thought back to the time when Salazar had - merely by chance - discovered who was the other person able to speak Parseltongue.

Flashback, 25 December, 1210

Ever since he had met Amaterasu for the first time, Harry had been visiting his basilisk friend every Sunday - if anyhow possible. On this Christmas day, he was sitting on the floor next to the large animal, leaning against her body, and told her about a prank that his twins Fred and George had played on the whole school on Christmas Eve.

Both of them were chuckling and giggling, when all of a sudden, Salazar entered the chamber, staring at the scene in front of him in disbelief.

"You're Amaterasu's friend, the speaker?" he queried, incredulously. "Why did you never tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Sal," Harry apologized, shrugging. "It just didn't come to my mind, and you never asked me. I've been visiting Amaterasu every Sunday for about fifteen years."

When he anxiously glanced at the older Potions Master, afraid that he might be angry, Salazar unexpectedly began to chuckle. "Ah, that's why you always used my way to brew certain potions, although the specific parts were written in Parselscript. I was wondering if you might be a Seer able to read behind the lines of the recipe or if you by chance somehow knew my recipes from the future."

Harry blurted out laughing. "No sir, neither," he replied, before he explained to Amaterasu about their conversation, who joined his amusement.

End of flashback

During the following months, Harry engrossed himself translating many of Salazar's recipes, and five years later, he published two large volumes under the titles 'Salazar Slytherin's Secrets 1 - Healing Potions' and 'Salazar Slytherin's Secrets 2 - Joke Potions'. To both titles he added 'Translated by Harry Potter'.

'Good that we have the computers,' he thought, when he looked contentedly at the finished manuscripts. 'It would have been a lot of work to write everything on parchments.'

"Congratulations Harry," Ceridwen said, pulling him back to reality. "You did a great job." She remained thoughtful for an instant, before she added, "I don't like it, but I believe that you should go to the past and give Salazar one copy of each."

Harry stared at his wife in amazement. "Yes, that's it. Of course. Can you believe that I didn't even think of that?" he asked, incredulously. 'Flourish & Blotts gave me twenty copies of each. Maybe I should give one to Fred and George as well,' he thought, but dismissed the idea immediately, thinking that if Salazar wanted to share his recipes with the twins, he'd be able to do so.

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Feeling relieved to travel with Ceridwen's consent for once but sceptical about Salazar's opinion of having his books published, Harry travelled to the past right away. He chose a year, when Salazar was about one hundred years old, and wished himself right in front of the Potions classroom in order to not possibly meet his younger self.

Grumpy as ever, Salazar accepted the two copies of the book, growling, "You should have just published them under your own name. No one in the future knows me anyway."

"Everyone knows you as one of the founders of Hogwarts," Harry contradicted, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, I just wanted you to have a copy and to let you know how grateful the people are who have been healed from Lycanthropy by your potion."

After a short conversation with Salazar, Harry resisted the urge of going to meet Helga and returned home to the future right away.

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Harry was surprised how fast the time had passed recently, when his younger brother Salazar received his Hogwarts letter. 'I wonder where he's going to become sorted,' he thought, 'with a Slytherin father and a Potter mother.' Although he did not really mind, he somehow felt happy when Sopho, who was still sorting the students after more than thousand years, sorted his brother into his own house.

Handing the Sorting Hat back to Minerva, Salazar cast Harry a broad grin, before he went to take his seat at the Potter table, where he was greeted with huge applause, since all Potter students already knew the little redhead. Ever since he had been able to walk, Salazar had accompanied Harry to the common room, absolutely loving to listen to the students' stories.

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During the following years, while his brother was a student at Hogwarts, Harry took much time to think and to confer with Ceridwen, whilst closely observing his brother at the same time.

Salazar was an eager student - needless to say that he excelled in Potions, since not only Severus but also Harry had taken the little tyke to the potions lab as soon as he was able to use a toddler's potions kit.

During the summer after Salazar had taken his OWLs, Harry took his brother aside to discuss the boy's future. "Salazar, have you already thought about what you'd like to do after taking your NEWTs?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow.

Salazar let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure," he finally replied. "On the one hand, I'd love to become a Potions Master, but on the other hand, Dad is already the Potions Master at Hogwarts, and Uncle Sebastian is the Potions Master at the hospital, Uncle David and Aunt Evelyn are running the apothecary in Hogsmeade..." He slowly trailed off, giving his brother a questioning look.

"I have an idea," Harry said, thoughtfully. "It doesn't have much to do with Potions though." Seeing that the younger wizard was hanging on his lips, he smirked.

"I'd like you to become my successor at headmaster," Harry said, matter-of-factly, giving his brother a questioning look.

Salazar stared at Harry in shock. "Why?" he asked, incredulously. "I can't imagine Hogwarts without you as the headmaster. You're the owner of Hogwarts."

Harry chuckled. "Oh Sal, I've given away the headmaster's position to others a few times. Other than that I've been the headmaster for more than one thousand years, and I believe that it's time for a change. With you I know that the position will be in good hands. I will also introduce you to Hogwarts. As the heir of Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin plus as my little brother, a part of Hogwarts also belongs to you." He remained thoughtful, unobtrusively eyeing his brother, before he added, "You don't have to decide now. Think about it and inform me about your decision before you take your NEWTs."

Salazar shook his head. "No Harry, there's nothing to think about. If you deem me worthy to become the headmaster, I'll do so. It's just that I'm aware that this position is about the most important position in Britain's magical world, even more than the Minister of Magic's position."

"That it is, Sal," Harry agreed, smiling.

"Don't you want Aunt Helga or Aunt Rowena to take the post?" Salazar enquired, giving his brother a sharp look that reminded Harry immensely of Severus.

"No," Harry replied in a firm voice. "Ceridwen has recently retired from being the head healer and has passed on the position to our daughters. If you don't want to become the headmaster, I'd suggest your father for the position, although I doubt that he'd accept it because he loves being the Potions professor too much."

"I'll accept then," Salazar said in determination. "Thank you very much for offering me the position."

"You're very welcome, and I hope that you won't regret it," Harry said, inwardly sighing in relief. "I will by time introduce you to the goblins and the elves as my successor."

"Harry," Salazar suddenly said, seemingly alarmed. "You'll still be around at Hogwarts, won't you?"

"I won't go anywhere else," Harry replied, soothingly.

'Thank Merlin, Ceridwen will be glad to hear that I obeyed and got rid of the headmaster's position,' Harry thought, contentedly. 'Now I need to find an appropriate successor as the Potter head of house,' he mused. 'Maybe Antonia. Since both her parents, Hermione and Neville, were in Potter house, she should be sorted there as well. On the other hand, she's not related to any of the founders, even if she's my godchild.'

The thought of his now five-year-old godchild made him smile. She was not only the spitting image of her mother, but she also had her way to speak and was as eager to know and explore everything.

'Harry Potter would be another option,' he thought. The boy, who had been named after him was his great grandson, the son of Evelyn and David Potter, the current owners of the apothecary. 'He's only five, too though,' Harry recalled and decided to put off the head of house matter for a few years. 'If neither of them fulfils my conditions, I can still make Annette the head of house, but if possible I'd prefer someone younger.'

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In the meantime, he tended to some other matters that he had been putting on hold for years, decades or even centuries. One day, he travelled into the past, to the week after Salazar's death, and let Ghost Merlin out of his prison - after speaking with Hogwarts and casting a spell at the castle in addition that would see to it that Ghost Merlin would never be able to enter the Hogwarts grounds again.

Another time, he travelled to the middle ages to meet his younger self and give him some detailed instructions about changes that he was allowed to make and those, which he had to avoid at any cost.

"I wished you could take me with you," Ceridwen said one day. "I know that you can't, and I won't allow you to travel with a passenger ever again, but I still miss Helga. Even now after eight hundred and some years, I am still missing her, not to speak of Fred and George."

"I know Ceridwen, I know," Harry said in understanding, soothingly putting his arm around her back. "I feel the same."

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To Harry's amusement, the two children, whom he had considered for the head of house position, became best friends from their first day at the primary school onwards, were both sorted into Potter and decided to get married right after finishing their NEWTs. While Antonia became Minerva's successor as Transfiguration professor, her husband Harry followed Poppy Pomfrey as the healer for the school.

Knowing that the long-time professors always had a hard time to leave Hogwarts upon their retirement, Harry decided to add yet another building to Hogwarts, a home for the retired professors.

Minerva, Poppy and Misty, Poppy's elf, were the first to move into the Hogwarts Retirement Home and thanked Harry profusely for giving them the opportunity to remain together and at the school that they all loved so much.

"You're very welcome, and I wouldn't want to miss you at Hogwarts," Harry replied, smiling.

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A year after Antonia and her husband Harry had taken their NEWTs, Harry offered the Potter head of house position to them, and the couple happily agreed.

"I will still come to the common room from time to time," he promised the students, who let out a collective groan of disappointment upon hearing the news of his retirement, even if they already knew their new heads of house well.

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It was after Salazar had taken his NEWTs that Harry introduced his brother to the goblins and the elves. Before he made Salazar the headmaster, he still had one plan to pull through with. Together with Albus Dumbledore, who was still acting as Minister of Magic, as well as the goblins' and the elves' representatives, Harry signed a contract that stated if at any of the three parties a new head was selected, the two other parties had to agree to the election of a new minister, goblin head or elder elf.

Knowing that Harry had proven more than once that he had their best interests in mind, all three parties, the minister, the goblin head and the elder elf, immediately agreed to the contract.

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Back at Hogwarts, Harry officially retired from the headmaster's position and introduced his brother as his successor.

While everyone easily accepted his decision, knowing that Harry had already resigned multiple times but always taken the position back, Severus visited Harry and Ceridwen in their private quarters late in the evening.

"Harry, what does this mean?" he queried, giving Harry a sharp look, before he turned his eyes to Ceridwen.

Ceridwen smiled, while Harry let out a long sigh.

"Severus, I need you to do me one favour," he finally spoke up, causing the Potions professor to quirk an eyebrow in silent question.

"Please invent an antidote to the elixir of life," Harry added in a soft voice.

Severus stared at his best friend in disbelief.

"You know, we both had a very long and happy life," Ceridwen explained on Harry's behalf. "However, we saw our family, the other founders and worst of all our children and grandchildren pass away. We don't wish to repeat the process with our daughters, Harry's mother and our best friends. Therefore, it's time for us to go after those who have travelled ahead."

"I understand," Severus replied, tonelessly. "Please give me a few weeks."

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Several months later, on Harry's 1111th birthday, Severus unobtrusively handed Harry two small phials.

"I believe that it'll take effect after twenty-four hours," he said, seemingly indifferently, however, Harry noticed how he secretly wiped his eyes.

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After a huge birthday party with their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, Harry's friends among the goblins and the elves and of course everyone who had remained at Hogwarts during the summer, Harry and Ceridwen retired to their quarters.

"Let's go to bed and cuddle for a while," Harry suggested, and Ceridwen immediately agreed.

"What was your favourite time during all these years?" she asked after a few hours of cuddling and kissing, curiously.

"When I first met you," Harry replied, without even having to think about the matter.

"Same here," Ceridwen agreed, smiling.

"That was my Sorting to Hogwarts and to you," Harry whispered and pulled her close, as they drifted off peacefully and happily - to their next great adventure.

The End

A huge thanks to the kind readers who reviewed every chapter of this story, which is one of my favourites among my own stories!