This is my "Thank you" for all your kind reviews and your support throughout this story! Enjoy!

Epilogue

"Good morning, sweetie; Harry, you have to get up NOW," Julia's voice penetrated Harry's ears, while he felt his shoulder lightly shaken.

Harry quickly waved his hand, casting a Tempus Charm, before he lazily opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, where the numbers '5:25' were displayed. "It's only half past five in the morning," he groaned. "Did anyone have an accident, or why do I have to get up at such an ungodly time in the middle of the summer holidays?"

Julia sighed. "Today, it's the Headmaster of Hogwarts' hundredth birthday, and all of our students took the Hogwarts Express parting from Kings Cross at eleven o'clock in the evening to spend the day at Hogwarts until they have to ride the train back at five in the afternoon. You know that the students cannot stay overnight during the holidays; that's why the teachers came up with this idea in order to give the students the chance to attend the birthday party. Anyway, all the students are going to arrive in about half an hour; so please get up if you don't want me to let our great grandchildren loose on you."

"Oh no!" Harry groaned and quickly scrambled out of bed. He hurried to take a shower and dress in his green dress robes that Julia had laid out for him.

"Wait! What did you say? Birthday party? Whose birthday is it?" he suddenly asked in confusion.

"Well yours of course," Julia replied, giving him an innocent smile. "Happy birthday, Harry and welcome to the circle of the people of a hundred years and more."

"No way; I'm going back to bed," Harry decided and with a wave of his hand exchanged his dress robes with his pyjamas, heading back to bed. 'I well remember Albus' two hundredth and Severus' hundredth birthday, and I do not want such a fuss,' he mused, while he nestled deep under his covers.

Ten minutes of Julia's intense begging and threatening later, Harry still didn't move. 'What am I going to do?' Julia thought feverishly. 'Shall I call our great grand children like I threatened, or should I call the only person really able to handle him?' She decided for the latter option and unbeknownst to Harry headed to the fireplace to call Poppy.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

A few minutes later, Poppy's voice penetrated Harry's ear. "Good morning, Harry. Julia told me that you feel too sick to attend our huge birthday party that is planned for today. What's wrong?"

"I'm tired, I'm feeling old, and I hate birthday parties, especially my own ones," Harry groaned.

"All right, Harry. You seem to be really ill this morning. I will put you on a stretcher and take you with me to the hospital wing," Poppy told her colleague, smirking. "Since the students should arrive during the next few minutes, they will be able to congratulate you on our way to the hospital wing. We're going to make a small detour through the entrance hall." Poppy waved her wand to conjure a stretcher and pointed her wand at Harry.

"Poppy! Don't even think about it!" Harry groaned and grudgingly scrambled out of bed once more, banishing the stretcher with a wave of his hand.

'Severus?' he thought to the man that came close to a father to him. 'Are you and Minerva already up?'

'Good morning, Harry. Happy Birthday!'

'Oh, don't happy birthday me; I don't want a party,' Harry thought back angrily.

'Well, since Minerva is organizing everything together with your children Lily and Alexander, she has been up and about for two hours now. I'm just on my way to the Great Hall too, and I expect you there in a few minutes.'

"Now Harry, are you going to move, or do I have to help you?" Poppy asked impatiently.

Harry quickly changed his clothes back to the dress robes. "All right, all right; I was just talking to my Dad, and since he told me that Mum has already been working for the party for two hours, I know that I will have to attend it."

"Very well," the Medi-witch replied and pulled him with her down to the entrance hall, where all the other teachers were already waiting for Harry and for the students to arrive.

When she released her grip on Harry, he walked over to his parents, who were standing close to each other in an embrace. Harry smiled at their display of affection, which could only be seen in their private quarters or when no students were in sight. "Good morning, Minerva, Severus," he said, smiling when Severus released Minerva at once, so that she could pull Harry in a bear hug.

"Good morning, son. Happy hundredth birthday!" Minerva said, smiling back.

Suddenly, the door to the Great Hall opened and twenty children of different age approached Harry. They stood in a circle around him and began to sing the Happy Birthday song, before they shouted, "Happy birthday, Granddad Harry!"

"Thanks a lot, children. You did that really well," Harry commended his great grand children as well as those of Ken and Neville, before he let out a groan, when the sounds of several hundreds of students arriving on the grounds penetrated his ears.

"Well, we better retreat into the Great Hall," Minerva suggested and led the group into the beautifully decorated Hall. Since she had resigned from her position as headmistress, she was living together with Severus, who still was the Potions professor and Slytherin Head of House. Instead of teaching students, she was now teaching and looking after the other teachers' small children until they were old enough to officially enter Hogwarts. She also helped Harry with his headmaster duties, whenever he was busy with his obligations as a Healer, which he still fulfilled together with Poppy.

Harry was pulled out of his reverie, when his daughter Lily, who was the Deputy Headmistress, clung her spoon against her glass, causing her two-year-old grandson Ben to imitate her happily. 'Now, you have to say something,' Severus mind thought to Harry.

Harry stood up and turned to the students. "Thank you very much for spending so much of your valuable holiday time and come to Hogwarts to celebrate an old man's birthday, which really is not such a big deal. Well, I hope that you enjoy your stay here in the castle for a day, and as far as I heard, my colleagues and family have prepared a rally for you. Together with your dormitory room mates, you will receive a parchment with questions that will lead you all over the castle to get to know Hogwarts better and find the answers to the questions."

"What are the prizes?" someone interrupted him.

"Each group will receive a prize," Lily answered. "However, the headmaster was not involved in the planning. So you'll just have to wait and see."

"Well, I would like to set out an additional prize," Harry announced. "The first seven groups may choose one person each, who wants to play Quidditch against a teachers' team in the afternoon." He looked around the head table. "Well, I'm going to play Seeker for the teachers' team, and I will announce my other team members at lunchtime."

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

The morning passed in a blur for Harry. While the students were busy hurrying all over the castle to answer questions and most of the younger teachers were positioned at several places all over Hogwarts to help and watch the students, Harry was busy unwrapping hundreds of presents. Fortunately, his family and his best friends were there and helped him. In the meantime, he thought about how to form his Quidditch team and decided on Rolanda Hooch, his grandson Salazar, who was the new Charms professor, and his daughter Lily as Chasers, Ken and his eleven-year-old great grandson Brian as Beaters, and Neville's grandson Frank as Keeper.

The weather on this summer day was absolutely beautiful, and after forty minutes into the game Harry caught the Snitch, causing the teachers to win the match against the students 180 – 50.

"Dear students and colleagues, thank you very much for a really enjoyable Quidditch match," Harry spoke up, when everyone once more assembled in the Great Hall for tea, before the students had to take the train back home. "For many years, I dreamed about playing Quidditch here at Hogwarts once more, and I thank you all for giving me this opportunity today. It was my very best birthday present."

HP

Later in the evening, all the teachers and their families held a picnic on the grounds, before Neville's and Luna's grandsons launched beautiful fireworks over the lake.

"Now sweetie, do you regret that we forced you to get up in the morning?" Julia whispered, while she leaned into his arms.

"No love, I really enjoyed this day. It was my best birthday ever," Harry replied, pulling her into a long kiss.

The End

HP

As you know, I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes – or tell me, so that I can correct them!

All recognizable characters belong to Mrs. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.