Harry’s mind slowly turned back to awareness. The first thing he noticed was the voices of his mother and his grandmother, and he lazily opened his eyes. He found himself lying next to his father, who was obviously still asleep, in a bed in an unknown room – oh, no, he knew that room, there was a new memory. Harry groaned when he remembered that there had been many new memories he had been watching while he was asleep.

Memories about his childhood had flashed by in front of his eyes. He had a great childhood, growing up at Hogwarts together with his parents and great grandparents. Harry watched his father teaching him as a little tyke Potions, saw himself attending the primary school in the Orphanage being taught by his mother and his godfather. He watched his small twin brothers growing up and saw himself trying to teach them little pranks.

‘I’m in my parents’ bedroom,’ he thought, glancing around curiously. Then he spotted Lily and Minerva talking to each other animatedly.

“Harry!” Lily said in a very relieved voice and came over, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

“Harry, how do you feel?” Minerva asked, giving him a piercing look.

“I’m fine,” Harry replied, looking at his mother in awe. ‘She really is alive,’ he cheered inwardly. ‘The memories were real!’ “I feel a bit confused though. I think I’ve received my new memories while I was asleep, is that what happened?”

“Yes, Harry. At least we believe so. You have been in a coma for five days, sweetie.”

While Harry let out a huge gasp, Minerva told him, “Harry, if you have questions or need any kind of help, just ask any of us anytime, please. Maybe it will help to speak about certain memories in order to fully understand them. However, as you have lived here in this timeline for nearly thirteen years, you probably won’t have any problems. Your father is still in a coma, which is not astonishing as he has many more memories to receive than you.”

Severus slept for two more days. In the meantime, Harry spent a lot of time playing with his two six-year-old twin brothers Leon and Louis, who were too cute and absolutely adored their big brother.

“Harry, what’s primary school like?” Leon asked worriedly.

“Is Mummy very strict at school?” Louis added.

“Yes, you two. Mummy is very strict, so if you want to play pranks, you shouldn’t do it during Mummy’s lesson but in Uncle James’ class since he likes pranks. He has much more sense when it comes to fun than mum, but if I hear you tell him that, I’ll use you for potions ingredients!”

“Harry, can you teach us…”

“… how to play a prank on Uncle James?” Louis finished Leon’s question.

Harry laughed. “All right, let me think of something and I’ll teach you.”

-----

During the next weeks, Harry often spoke with his parents about the two timelines. Harry was especially glad that his father had been with him the whole time and thus had similar experiences in dealing with the two different timelines.

Harry also spent some time with his friends from the past. Most of them were nearby anyway as Remus was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, Lily and James were teaching at the Orphanage, and Severus of course was the Potions Professor. Sirius was the only Marauder, who was working outside of teaching as he was an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. On the night of the full moon, the Marauders even met for an Animagus party on the grounds, and Harry was happy that he was allowed to join the party although he was the only child among the adults.

Shortly before the school year began, Harry’s parents also discussed with Albus and Minerva about what class Harry was supposed to attend classes with, and what dorm he would stay in. Before he went to the past, he had only finished his first year; however, in the past he had attended third year. Moreover, he had passed all his tests at the end of third year with excellent marks, so that it would be ridiculous to have him attend second or third year once more. On the other hand, his friends were all in second year.

“I believe we should let Harry attend the fourth years’ classes, but he should stay in the second years’ dormitories together with his friends,” Severus suggested, and everyone agreed immediately.

Harry was very pleased with this solution and couldn’t wait to see his friends, whom he hadn’t met for a whole year, although for them only a few weeks had passed. Fortunately, Harry had been sorted into Slytherin and Gryffindor in the new timeline as well, so that he still had the same friends as in the old timeline.

-----

Finally, the students came back to Hogwarts. Harry was very happy to be able to talk to his friends again, although at first it was a strange feeling to still share the dormitories with his friends in Gryffindor and Slytherin but to attend fourth class while his friends were only second years. However, Harry was soon able to adapt to the situation, and the fourth year’s students were all very friendly to him. Just like before he went to the past, he played Quidditch for his two House teams and had many friends in both houses.

The first year after his return to the future was quite eventful. Before heading back to Hogwarts, Draco had noticed his father putting a strange book into Ginny Weasley’s bag, when they were buying their school supplies in Diagon Alley. Knowing that something coming from his father couldn’t be good, he unobtrusively took the book from Ginny’s bag, hiding it in his robe pocket. During the first night back at Hogwarts, he showed the strange book, which didn’t contain any writing, to Harry, and together they tried writing into the book. After several months of communicating with a certain Tom Riddle, said person suddenly appeared out of the book, leading them into the Chamber of Secrets.

Upon their arrival in the Chamber, Harry immediately spoke to the Basilisk. “Hello, Amaterasu. Could you please change your eyes to white for me?”

“Wait!” Riddle hissed. “Ssnake! I’m your Master, and you will listen to me. Now, kill these two boysss. Go on. Now!”

“No!” Amaterasu answered. “You are evil, and I won’t listen to you. Harry isss my Master and a very good one. The only one that needsss to be killed isss you.” With that, the Basilisk didn’t only get rid of Riddle but of the diary as well, by piercing both with his poisonous fangs, and destroying both.

“Thank you, Amaterasu,” Harry hissed gratefully. “I returned back recently from the future and am sorry I have not had a chance to visit you. Have you been well during the last eighteen yearss?”

“Yes, Harry, I’m well but I have missed you although your father came to speak with me from time to time. Good that he iss able to transform into a small snake.”

Harry laughed. “That’s good, at least you were not totally alone. By the way, this is my friend Draco. Now we have to go and tell everyone what happened. But I promise to visit you again as soon as I can.”

“All right, bye Harry.”

-----

Harry’s last three school years passed relatively uneventfully. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were long gone, and the wizarding world experienced a long period of peace, continuing for many decades. At the end of his seventh year, when his friends fought with their OWLs, Harry took his NEWTs as the youngest student to ever do so in Hogwarts recorded history.

When Harry finished Hogwarts, he became his father’s successor as Potions Professor and Slytherin Head of House. Severus remained at Hogwarts with his family and continued to be the Potions Master for Hogwarts while working freelance, brewing and researching Potions for the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo’s.

A few years later, Harry married Nicole, the daughter of Remus Lupin, who remained the Defence Professor for many years, and Amelia Bones, who was teaching at the Primary school together with Lily and James. Nicole was two years younger than Harry and was a Ravenclaw when she attended Hogwarts. After Hogwarts she took over the newly invented Playschool at the Orphanage.

When Harold Potter, the father of Harry’s godfather James, retired from his position as Head of the Orphanage, Harry took over that position as well, enjoying the interaction with the small kids very much. Whenever he could spare a minute, he visited the children living in the building he had helped to plan and construct so many years ago.

On his hundredth birthday, Minerva asked him to give all his posts to some of his grandchildren and accept the position as Headmaster of Hogwarts because she wanted to spend the future together with Albus without working any more and wanted him to be her successor. After trying to refuse the post in favour of his father, Remus, or other older teachers, he finally let Minerva convince him that he would be the right person to take over the position. Minerva and Albus gladly accepted Harry’s invitation to continue residing in their quarters at Hogwarts.

-----

“Headmaster Harry, Headmaster Harry!” a small boy called the old man excitedly. “I’m sorry, Professor, but I’m Charlie, the best friend of your great grandson Jamie, and he told me about the Chamber of Secrets and that there are many really old books. But he also told me that nobody except for you is able to enter the Chamber because one needs to know Parseltongue.”

“Yes, that is true, my boy,” the old man replied kindly. “However, several of my grandchildren and great grandchildren are able to speak Parseltongue. They are in fact able to open the Chamber. And you would like to visit the Chamber I suppose?”

“Yes, I’d like that very much. I’m very interested in old books, and am fascinated by all that they might contain. Could you take me there, Professor? Please?”

“All right, Charlie, I’ll take you,” Harry chuckled at the excitement that Charlie was showing. “Join me in my office after dinner. Then we will pay the Chamber a visit. Amaterasu, the basilisk, who is living there, will be very pleased as she enjoys having visitors very much.”