What if someone was willing to stand up against Albus Dumbledore
by Teddylonglong

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore bashing

In the morning, Harry, Astoria, Daphne, Susan, Luna and Julia saw their friends to the Hogwarts Express, before they returned to the founders' quarters.

Originally, they had intended to spend a little while in Hogsmeade before returning to the castle, however, Harry seemed so subdued that the girls had unanimously decided to get to the ground of his problem before doing anything else.

He had only told Astoria about the matter, when the observing witch had cornered him before breakfast.

"Where are Draco and Dudley today?" Julia asked Daphne. "Do they have lessons with the teachers again?"

"No, not today," Daphne replied, smirking. "They've gone on an urgent errand together. I suppose that they're going to be back soon enough though."

"I hope everything goes well," Astoria muttered to herself, however, Harry knew better than to question her.

Apart from that, he still felt as if he was stuck in a nightmare. 'Hermione rejected me,' he thought, horrified. 'What am I going to do with the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw family? I don't want to marry anyone else.'

HP

Back at the school, they sat in the living room of the founders' quarters, where – almost as if by a silent agreement – the rest of their family minus the friends who were on their way home as well as Dudley, Draco and Snape – joined them after a short while.

"Now Harry, will you enlighten all of us what's wrong please?" Sirius spoke up, giving his godson a questioning look.

Harry let out a deep sigh. "During the last week, I've proposed to the four witches, whom I want to marry," he began to explain, looking up, startled, when Poppy let out a small gasp.

"Polygamy, yes, but as rare as it is, it's not forbidden in the magical world," he quickly defended himself.

"That's fine, Harry. I'm sorry, I was merely surprised," Poppy replied, smiling.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "Astoria accepted to become the Lady Potter, Julia the Lady Slytherin-Hufflepuff and Luna the Lady Lovegood with me as her husband. However, last night I asked Hermione to become my wife and the Lady Gryffindor-Ravenclaw, and she refused."

Harry could not help himself blushing, as everyone looked at him with expressions reaching from pity over compassion to fury.

"It's all right, she's muggleborn and her parents are muggles, and polygamy isn't allowed in the muggle world," he explained, only to add, "The problem is not only that I'm sad, because I love her, but also that I don't know what to do with the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw family. I don't want to marry anyone else but those I love, and Susan and Daphne are already promised to others."

"Oh I tell you now, stay away from Daphne," Dudley spoke up, who had joined the family together with Draco a minute ago.

"Is Snape not with you?" Daphne asked in apparent surprise, causing the boys to shake their heads.

"He wanted to brew something," Draco replied, making himself comfortable in an empty spot on the sofa.

"Harry, perhaps we could unite the Slytherin-Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw family," Julia spoke up, hesitantly. "If we manage to have two boys, we can always separate the families again."

Harry nodded. "We could do that," he admitted, sighing.

"Nah," Draco spoke up, "just wait, Granger will come around."

"I think so too," Dudley added, smirking.

"Since when have the two of you become so smart?" Astoria quipped, teasingly.

Harry did not notice the pointed looks that the Greengrass sisters gave Draco and Dudley.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen graduates," Amelia suddenly spoke up, "we've got a lot of work to do if we want the new buildings to be ready for everyone by the first of September, especially if we consider that we have a couple of weddings to get through during this summer. I suggest that we set to work."

She handed a parchment each to Draco and Dudley. "This is your summer timetable. Don't think that you'll get off lightly. I expect that the two of you will be able to take your OWLs at the end of the holidays."

The expressions of the two young wizards, who had been smirking ever since they had joined them in the living room, sobered all of a sudden.

"Yes," they confirmed, simultaneously.

"I'll head to the Unspeakables' office," Harry excused himself. He had arranged with his colleagues that he was only going to practise with them during July, before he was going to officially take over the position as headmaster. From that point onwards, he was only going to assist whenever their team was needed and attend the weekly meeting on Wednesday evenings.

'Oh, that reminds me of something,' Harry thought, recalling that he had to urgently speak with Severus Snape. 'I just hope he'll agree,' he thought, as he made his way into the dungeons.

HP

"You want me to do what?" Snape queried abruptly, quirking an eyebrow in apparent exasperation.

"To become my deputy headmaster, sir," Harry repeated, patiently. "Please sir."

"Why not Black?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Would you deem Sirius adequate as headmaster, sir?"

"No."

Inwardly groaning, Harry enquired, "Is there any way that I can convince you to take the post?"

"Mr. Potter," Snape set to reply; however, Harry interrupted him.

"Harry," he said, "please call me Harry, considering that we're now colleagues in any case, and please think about the matter. I'd really like to have you as the deputy headmaster."

"Please call me Severus then. Why not Lupin?" Severus queried, strictly.

"Because he's as busy with little James as Sirius with Baby Lily," Harry replied, pointing out that both Marauders had babies and were already beginning to teach them to become the next Marauders.

"All right then, you win. And now leave me in peace," Severus growled, causing Harry to grin.

"Thank you, sir," he replied, feeling extremely relieved at the prospect of having an experienced teacher as his deputy.

HP

It was already quite late, when Harry returned from the Unspeakables' office that night, and he had expected his whole family to already be asleep. 'I hope they're having an Animagi night. That would just be what I need today,' he thought, as he stepped out of his room. However, much to his surprise, everyone was still sitting in the living room – apparently waiting for him.

"Hi," Harry greeted them, immediately recalling their meeting from the morning, and his mood dropped, instantly, when all of a sudden, something brown rushed towards him and attacked from his right side. He was almost ready to panic, when he recognised Hermione, who had thrown herself at him and was sobbing into his shoulder.

"Mione," he said in confusion, carefully pushing her away to look into her face. "What are you doing here? Did something happen to your parents?" he asked in concern.

"No Harry, I'm so sorry," Hermione sobbed. "I talked to my parents, and they already knew about it and said I was stupid to not accept your proposal. Is it still valid, and do you still want me to become your wife?"

"Of course," Harry replied, when his mind finally registered the meaning of the sobbed words. "Wait a moment, please," he added and popped right into his bedroom to fetch the ring, which he had buried deep in the lowest drawer. Popping back right in front of the girl, he gently slid it over her finger, where it automatically adjusted to the right size.

"Thank you Harry," Hermione said, and a huge smile appeared on her tear-stricken face.

"Thank you for accepting," Harry replied, feeling extremely happy, when a sudden thought crossed his mind. "Wait, you said your parents knew?" he queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"Apparently, Dudley and Draco went there this morning and explained everything to them," Hermione replied, turning around to look at the two boys.

"Daphne sent us," Dudley said, shrugging.

"as we're so good at explaining the habits of the magical world to muggles," Draco quipped, causing both boys to grin.

"Thanks Dudley and Draco and Astoria and Daphne," Harry replied, shaking his head in amazement. 'Draco and Dudley of all people,' he thought in disbelief.

"Well, that was our good deed for these holidays," Draco added, and Dudley nodded, smirking.

HP

At the end of July – on the day after Susan's and Neville's wedding – Harry and the four girls married in one big wedding ceremony, and at the end of the day, which was also his eighteenth birthday, Harry found himself to be the husband to four energetic wives.

Instead of going on a honeymoon with five people, he asked each of his wives out on a three-day honeymoon. Each time, he took just one of his wives to a magical resort, where they spent three days for just the two of them, which each of the girls seemed to enjoy very much.

Harry had to admit to himself that he also liked just having one of them with him. It also gave him the chance to become intimate with each of his wives, something which would certainly be difficult in the future, when he had to divide himself between the four of them.

HP

The rest of the summer was spent finishing the primary school building that also included the playschool and the building of the home for the retired teachers. On the first of September, Minerva, Filius Flitwick and Newt Scamander were going to become the first residents in the new home, and Minerva was already looking forward to watching their babies in the new combined playschool and nursery.

"I know that it's only going to take nine months, considering that you spent three days alone with each of your wives," she told Harry in apparent excitement, causing Harry to roll his eyes at the former deputy headmistress.

"Professor, even if you're now living in the retirement home, I still expect you to participate in our Animagi nights," he told the old witch, who nodded, smiling.

"I did not assume anything else, Headmaster," she replied, her mouth stretching to a rare smile.

HP

After the Sorting on the first of September, Harry introduced Professor Bones as the headmistress for the new primary school, playschool and nursery and himself as the headmaster with Professor Snape as his deputy. "Professor Hermione Gryffindor-Ravenclaw will be Professor McGonagall's successor as Transfiguration professor, Professor Julia Slytherin-Hufflepuff is our new Care of Magical Creatures instructor, Professor Luna Lovegood is the new Charms teacher, and Astoria Potter our new healer's apprentice. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Scamander have moved to the teachers' retirement home, the right of the two new buildings, which you have seen on the grounds. And now enjoy the feast."

"That was a long speech," Severus whispered to him. "Dumbledore always only said something like 'Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!' instead of explaining so much."

"Very well," Harry conceded, smirking, "from next year onwards, I'll make sure to leave the complete welcoming feast solely to my deputy."

HP

As Minerva had predicted, not only Susan's and Neville's son, but also Harry's four children – two boys from Astoria and Julia and two girls from Luna and Hermione – were born during the following spring. Harry's wives gave birth to four more children in the following year, among them three boys and one girl.

Luna was devastated. "How many children do we need, before I'll be able to produce an heir?" she sobbed, completely envying her co-wives who had at least one son each.

"We can have as many children as you wish dear," Harry replied in a soothing voice, "and if none of them is a boy, one of the girls can just marry one of Susan's and Neville's or Daphne's and Dudley's sons to keep up the Lovegood family. Don't worry about that now, dear."

"That's true," Astoria, who had unobtrusively entered the room, quipped. "It's bedtime now though, and you should join us for an Animagus night." Pointing to the new-born in her crib, she uttered, "just like her seven brothers and sisters, she's already an Animagus."

"What?" Harry asked, alert, eyeing the kitten lying in the crib with a huge smile.

"As I said, we're having an Animagi night together with the whole family," Astoria explained, "and each of the other babies just transformed as well, just like their older siblings did from the beginning."

"Amazing," Harry admitted, feeling extremely happy.

"We're the animals of the black lake, and they just followed the call. I didn't expect anything else. Anyway, let's join the others," Luna said in a soft voice, as she cradled her new kitten close. "It's a black panther baby," she added, giving her daughter a dreamy look.

=She's absolutely perfect,= Harry supplied in his griffin form, =as are you.=

Eleven years later…

Eleven years later, Harry and his wives were extremely excited, knowing that their first four children were going to be sorted soon.

"They're all going to be Hufflepuffs," Luna said, knowingly. "They belong to the animals of the black lake like all of us, so what else would they be if not Hufflepuffs?"

"I only know that they're going to be troublemakers just like the Marauders were," Minerva spoke up. "I'm really glad that I retired just on time. It was bad enough having these mischief-makers in the playschool and primary school. Thank Merlin I won't be responsible for them once they become teenagers."

"Ah but Granny Mina, we're not so bad," Rowena, who looked like the spitting image of her mother Hermione with Harry's green eyes, quipped.

"Well," Minerva conceded, "it's much easier when all of you are in your Animagi forms. They are much better to control."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, doubtfully. Even if Minerva had had her share with his children during their time at the playschool and primary school, a recent experience of searching the castle for three feline Animagi still remained in the front of his mind. They had not even been on the Marauders' Map, and only by chance had Luna thought about searching the Chamber of Secrets, where they had finally found the three felines fast asleep on Amaterasu's back.

HP

At breakfast the following morning, Harry received a message from Buckbean demanding that he should come to see him at his earliest convenience.

'So much about having time to do some last-minute preparations for the new school year,' Harry thought in annoyance, as he obediently made his way to Gringotts right after the meal.

"I've called you here to inform you about the decease of Albus Dumbledore," Buckbean informed him. "Apparently, he passed away last night in his home in Italy. He was found by his house-elves, who seem to have determined as reason for his death that he choked on a lemon drop. Oh well, I suppose that he reached a good age in any case."

"Excuse me, sir, but what do I have to do with the matter?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"Albus Dumbledore has left you all his belongings, his houses, his house-elves and liquid assets," Buckbean replied. "You're also entitled to take the lordship of the Dumbledore family."

"Buckbean," Harry groaned, "I'm already married to four wives. I don't want to have a fifth wife."

Buckbean looked at him in what seemed to be amusement. "There is another way," he said, smirking. "You could absorb the Dumbledore family into one of your other families."

"Yes, that's better," Harry immediately decided. "Excuse me though, I need to speak with my wives about the matter. Would it be soon enough if I sent you a message later today?"

"Of course," Buckbean agreed, smiling.

HP

Back at Hogwarts, Harry informed his extended family about the matter, before he enquired, "Astoria, shall we integrate the Dumbledore family into the Potter family?"

His youngest wife looked at him in apparent amusement. "Of course, Harry, why not? That way, we won't have to hear the name Dumbledore anymore I suppose," she quipped, causing his other wives to chuckle.

"Well, it's only fitting that you get to absorb his name," Harry replied in a firm voice, "considering that you were the first who was willing to stand up against Albus Dumbledore."

The End

Thank you all so very much for your continuous support throughout this story. I really appreciate it.