The Sand Phoenix
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.

COMPLETELY AU! Partly OOC! Time travel!

It is my story, and I intend to write it the way I want it. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Reviews are very welcome, as they inspire my muse.

Twenty-four-year-old Harry Potter let out a deep sigh, causing his wife to eye him in clear concern.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she enquired, worriedly.

"Ah," Harry began to respond, sighing again. In fact, he deemed himself very lucky. He had won the war, had married the most amazing witch of his time, had a beautiful baby and was a successful businessman. He nestled deeper into his favourite corner on the sofa next to his wife in their control room as they called it.

The room was fairly small and only contained of a dark blue leather sofa as well as a small white table and a playpen for their son, however, it was surrounded by four large screens, one on each wall. One showed the inside of Harry's shop at Hogsmeade, the next the headmistress' office at Hogwarts, which was his wife's working place, the third screen showed the entrance hall of Gryffindor Manor, where the young family was living, and the fourth changed between the main street in Hogsmeade and alternating spots at Hogwarts. Each of the screens were combined with a door that allowed them to step through immediately upon noticing that their presence was requested at one or the other main spots of their lives.

"I want to fetch little Harry and raise him here," Harry finally explained. "I really don't want him to suffer all these years at the Dursleys'."

"Harry, are you sure that you want to do that?" his wife asked, eyeing him in clear concern. "You might greatly change everything, it could cause a time paradox, and Dumbledore…"

"Dumbledore," Harry scoffed. "Yes, if you're sure that you don't mind, I'm certain that I want it. Maybe we can improve things and save some friends the natural way without having to pop through time and cause people to ask questions."

His wife of five years smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. Harry was a sand phoenix, able to travel through the sands of time. Several times, things had happened, which he then went to remedy, for example to save Severus Snape and Fred Weasley from death. However, each time, things had been a little awkward afterwards, mostly caused by the fact that he had only found out about his ability right after the war. He still wanted to go back and save his parents, Sirius, Remus and Tonks, however, he still was not sure how to proceed without making the situation worse.

"Of course I don't mind. Just be careful dear," she said in a soft voice, her eyes locking into emerald orbs, and Harry felt himself being pulled into a bear's hug. "Will you get him as a one-year-old like James?" she then asked, curiously.

Harry shook his head. "No, I think there should be some age difference between them," he decided, "not alone because it would be too hard for either of us to take twins to work with us, but also because they shouldn't be too close, otherwise, it would be too sad for them to not be able to attend Hogwarts together." Hearing his wife agree to his strand of thought, he transformed into his phoenix form and flashed away in a small splash of sand.

HP

Five-year-old Harry Potter was sitting in his cupboard under the stairs nursing a bad sunburn from working in the garden under the blazing summer sun all day, while his cousin Dudley had been holding his birthday party. Unfortunately, Harry had not been allowed to participate, since no one wanted to see let alone hear a freak. 'I wished I had parents or someone who loved me,' he thought in desperation, as he drifted into an uneasy slumber, hearing like from far away that Dudley was just having his birthday dinner together with his friends.

All of a sudden, a small pop made him open his eyes in surprise.

"Hello Harry," a voice whispered, sounding strangely friendly. No one ever used such a nice voice when speaking to him.

"Hello," he whispered back, trying to make out who was speaking to him in the sparse light that entered his cupboard, only to jerk back in surprise upon seeing a figure crouched on the floor next to his mattress. "Who are you?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm a good friend of your parents, and I came to take you with me," the friendly voice replied. "You can live with us. We'd like to have you, and I promise that we won't treat you like a house-elf."

"I'd like that," Harry agreed, almost sure that this wasn't real. 'I must be dreaming,' he thought, feeling very sad that it was only a dream. So often, he had already dreamt that someone came for him, someone who wanted him and would be able to love him, but Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had made it very clear that no one wanted a freak like him.

"I'm a freak though," he warned the figure in a barely audible voice. "Will you still take me with you?"

"Of course Harry, and no, you're not a freak at all." Strangely, his visitor's voice remained as friendly as it had been. "I'm going to change into a bird now, and you need to grab my tail feathers and not let go," the visitor instructed him.

'What?' Harry thought in disbelief upon seeing the transformation in front of his eyes. However, the idea of getting away from his relatives was so tempting that he quickly grabbed the tail feathers and firmly held on.

An instant later, Harry felt the world turn around. The movement became faster and faster, before his cupboard completely vanished from the sight.

'Now that's gross,' Harry thought in bewilderment, only to blink, when the movement became slower and finally stopped.

"Hello Harry," a soft, female voice greeted him, making him look up in surprise.

"Harry, this is my wife," the man who had fetched him from his cupboard explained, only to add, "If you're comfortable with it, you may call us Mama and Papa, because that's what we wish to be for you. We wish to be your surrogate parents, while your real parents can't be here for you. They're here in the portrait though."

"Harry, my dear," another soft voice greeted him, and Harry quickly followed the voice with his eyes.

"Mummy?" he asked in surprise, seeing a beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes.

"Yes, I'm your real mummy, and this is your daddy," she replied, pointing to the man next to her.

'Is that true?' Harry wondered, giving his Mama and Papa a questioning look.

"Yes Harry, it's true," his new Mama reassured him, before she picked up a baby from a playpen that Harry had not even noticed before. "This is your baby brother James, and I hope that you're going to become good friends. Now shall we have dinner first? Afterwards we'll show you the house."

"Dinner?" Harry enquired, shooting the woman a horrified look. 'Where am I supposed to cook?' he wondered, curiously looking around.

"Don't worry, you're not supposed to cook," his new Papa informed him. "We have house-elves to do the cooking."

HP

Harry hesitantly trailed behind his new parents, still unable to believe his luck, through a large living room into the most interesting kitchen which Harry had ever seen. While one wall was equipped with all the applications needed in any kitchen, one wall was occupied with an enormous window that allowed the view onto the sea, a sight which Harry had never seen before. Another wall was completely covered by screens that displayed all kinds of different rooms. Some of them were empty, others were occupied by children and a few adults. 'Cool,' Harry thought, eyeing the various screens with interest.

His new Mama ushered him into a seat at the table, causing Harry to look at her in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in a soft voice, carefully placing the baby into a high chair.

"I'm not allowed to sit at the table," Harry explained, barely audibly. "I'm a freak."

"No Harry, you're not a freak, you're a wizard just like little James and me," his new Papa explained. "The Dursleys are muggles, non-magical people, and they hate us because we have magic. That's why they called you freak. You're a normal little wizard and a very good boy, and you're of course allowed to sit at the table and eat together with us."

"Harry, please forget everything that the Dursleys taught you," his Mama added. "You'll never return to them."

Giving his new parents a wide-eyed look, Harry nodded in understanding and hesitantly took the indicated seat, while Papa called out, "Dobby, Winky!"

Harry's eyes widened in disbelief, when two strange creatures suddenly popped up right next to the table.

"Dobby, Winky, this is little Harry," his Papa explained. "From now on, he's going to live with us as our son until he'll be of age to enter Hogwarts as a student."

"All right Master Ha… Dobby understands," Dobby replied before turning to little Harry. "Hello little Master Harry. Dobby is very happy to have yous here, and if you needs something, just calls Dobby. Dobby wills always helps little Harry Potter."

"Thank you," Harry muttered, wondering when he would wake up from the most pleasant dream that he could remember having. He stared at the table with a combination of disbelief and amazement, when all of a sudden food appeared on the table. There were many plates filled with different kind of food, and it looked mouth-watering. Uncertain what he was supposed to do, he merely watched how his Mama placed a little of everything on his table and motioned him to eat.

Not used to eating much, Harry could only stomach very little, however, what he tried was delicious, and a small smile played on his lips as he watched Mama feed James with a small spoon.

"Is that all you can eat?" Mama asked, kindly, just when an alarm rang coming from one of the screens. "Oh, please excuse me," she added. "I'm wanted in the headmistress' office. I'll be back shortly I hope."

Looking after his wife, Papa finished feeding the baby and suggested, "Shall we go and take a small tour around the manor, before you go to bed?"

Harry nodded, eagerly, and quickly followed his Papa out of the room, after he reassured him that Dobby and Winky would clean up after them and then give James a bath and that he did not have to do anything.

"Your Mama is the headmistress of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry," Papa explained, "the school which you're going to attend once you turn eleven."

"Is it really true that magic exists?" Harry asked, uncertainly. His relatives had always denied its existence.

"Yes," Papa replied, grinning, as he led him out of a side door.

"Wow," Harry blurted out, staring at the beach and the sea that were spread out in front of his eyes. "Where are we?" he asked in surprise.

"We're at Gryffindor Manor, the house which one of the founders of Hogwarts built for his family. It's situated on the Scottish coast, right next to Hogwarts. Godric Gryffindor is our many times great grandfather," his Papa explained, secretly wondering when little Harry would ask him about their relationship.

"Now since we can still come back here at any time, let's go back inside, and I'll show you your room," he suggested, causing Harry to eagerly follow him upstairs to the second floor.

Harry stared at the beautiful room in awe. It was large, even bigger than Dudley's room, and was furnished with a comfortable looking four-poster bed, a wardrobe, a desk along with a chair and a bookshelf. Everything was kept in different shades of blue. One side of the room was completely occupied by an enormous window going out to the sea.

"This is really my room?" Harry asked in disbelief, only to add, when he saw his Papa nod, "It's absolutely great."

He felt his Papa raise his chin with his forefinger. "Harry, this is what you deserve, not a cupboard under the stairs. Now this door here leads to your bathroom, and we expect you to either take a bath or a shower every morning or evening. Don't worry," he added, as if he was able to read Harry's thoughts, "the water is agreeably warm. If you want to take a bath, Dobby or Winky will be happy to draw it for you."

"Thank you," Harry replied, smiling. "Thanks for allowing me to live with you. I really like it a lot." He inefficiently tried to hide a yawn, making his Papa smirk.

"I think it's quite late for you, young man, so I suggest that you go to bed." He pointed his wand at Harry, and in the blink of an eye, Harry found himself dressed in dark blue pyjamas with a couple of coloured cats running around.

"Wow, how cool," Harry blurted out, only to chuckle when one of the cats let out a small meow. He obediently climbed into the large bed, only to look at his Papa in shock, when the older wizard frowned.

"Harry, is that sunburn?" he asked in a stern voice, causing the small boy to nod.

"Yes, I had to work in the garden the whole day, and it was very hot," he admitted in a small voice.

"Dobby!"

The elf appeared with a loud crack. "Yes Master, what can Dobby do?" he asked, glancing at Harry.

"Please go to Severus and ask if he has something for sunburn suitable for a five-year-old," Papa instructed the elf, who popped away instantly.

A moment later, Dobby was back, handing Papa a small box with cream, which Papa carefully applied to Harry's skin, causing Harry to sigh in relief as he felt the pain subside.

"Harry, if you're ever in pain, you must tell Mama or me immediately," Papa instructed him in a no-nonsense voice. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied, feeling absolutely amazed, when his Papa smiled at him and gently tucked him in. "Good night Harry," he said and carefully placed a kiss on his forehead, just when his Mama hurried into the room.

"Oh thank Merlin you're still awake," she said and equally gently kissed him on his forehead. "Good night sweetheart."

"Good night," Harry replied sleepily, his eyes already drooping close.

HP

"That went well," older Harry said, contentedly, when the adults stepped into the adjacent nursery together.

"Yes, that's true, but what are we going to do with him during the day? We don't have time to home school him. Do you want to send him to a muggle primary school?"

"No," Harry replied in a firm voice. "I have an idea, and we should hurriedly pull through with it." Seeing his wife look at him with a combination of annoyance and curiosity, he explained, "Since the Shrieking Shack isn't needed anymore, we can simply re-build it to a primary school. With ours and our friends' children, there are enough children at Hogsmeade and Hogwarts to fill a class. What do you think, Headmistress?" he added, grinning.

"Well, since you're the owner of Hogwarts, I don't get anything to say, do I?" she replied, playfully, before admitting that it was a wonderful idea. "Why don't we invite the others to discuss the plan?" she suggested.

"Brilliant," Harry commented and pulled a tablet PC out of his robe pocket to summon his friends, while his wife opened the connecting door to the control room.

A few minutes later, Fred and George Weasley and their wives Alicia and Angelina entered the room, closely followed by Neville and Luna and Susan and Draco.

"What is it…"

"… that was so urgent…"

"… that it couldn't wait until our usual Sunday afternoon?" the twins enquired in their usual singsong that made Harry listen in amusement and his better half roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Well, sit down and have a glass of butterbeer, while we tell you the news," Harry replied, smirking.

"Another baby," Luna spoke up, giving Neville a dreamy smile.

The five couples all had babies who were between one and three years old, and their children were already used to playing together on the beach at Gryffindor Manor on a weekly basis, sometimes even more frequently, as the friends took turns babysitting the other children.

Fred, George and their wives were the owners of the large joke shop that was situated right next to Harry's computer shop, Neville was the Herbology professor at Hogwarts, while his wife Luna was the owner of the Quibbler, having her own office and shop two houses further down the road from the twins' shop. Susan and Draco were living in a cosy house opposite of Harry's shop, and while Susan was working at the Ministry of Magic, Draco was Harry's co-worker. They did not only sell all kinds of PCs all over the magical world but also gave computer classes and had much work to do with maintenance of the PCs they sold as well as maintaining the Wizardnet, as Harry owned the patent for the charm that made the PCs and the Wizardnet work within the magical world, and no one but his wife, Draco and Severus Snape were privy to it. They also entertained a small internet café in one corner of the shop.

"Well, one thing is that I fetched my younger, five-year-old self to raise him here," Harry explained, causing a multiple gasp. "Please don't call me Harry in front of him, as he doesn't know who I am, at least for the time being." Seeing everyone nod their agreement, he quickly diverted the attention, "and the other point is that we've decided to build a Hogwarts Primary School on the grounds of the Shrieking Shack. What do you think?"

"Brilliant," Angelina spoke up. "Please make it begin at the age of four."

Everyone laughed. Not only Angelina and George but also Alicia and Fred had three-year-old twins, and the four little mischief-makers used to keep the adults on their toes.

"The other day…"

"… Snape taught the four to brew a prank potion…"

"… which had us sing a whole day," the twins complained, causing everyone to grin in amusement.

'Serves them right,' Harry thought, knowing that everyone else shared his sentiment.

Ever since Harry had rescued him from dying from Nagini's bite and had taken him two years into the future to his own time, Severus Snape had given up teaching at Hogwarts. Between the joke shop and the Quibbler on the Hogsmeade main street, he had his own apothecary and, together with his wife, lived in the upper floors of the building. They also had a four-year-old son, Albus, who was good friends with the two couples of twins.

"Who did you have in mind as teacher?" Neville spoke up, giving Harry a questioning look.

"Good question," Harry replied, pensively.

"Maybe Ginny," Susan said, slightly hesitating. "She seems to greatly dislike her work at the ministry."

"Oh Susan, could you please ask her then?" Harry replied. "And if we need a second teacher, maybe Andromeda. She might be willing if Teddy attends the primary school anyway."

The eight friends spent the rest of the evening planning the re-building of the Shrieking Shack and the new Hogwarts Primary School, and it was already after midnight, when the visitors left through the connecting door to the main street.

'Thank Merlin everyone is living in the neighbourhood,' Harry thought, as he closed the door behind his friends. 'I hope little Harry will like it here but won't like it too much to enjoy his own time at Hogwarts with everyone not being grownups but eleven like himself. It'll be a strange feeling,' he mused, before he followed his wife into the master bedroom, wondering when his younger self would realise that he found himself nineteen years into the future.

tbc...? (Depending on the feedback)