Chapter Nine: 21st Century Hogwarts

Tony walked down the stairs towards the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. He whistled a tune as he took the service elevator to the generator area. "How we looking boys?"

One of the engineers sighed. "The wiring is a complete mess. Two of my guys are spending the day with their kids and one wants to speak to you about the Muggle Studies workshop."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Let's get back on track." He checked the arc reactor. "Those schools are coming today, we need to have the arrival area lit up!" He shouted to the team. "Times a wasting ladies." He grabbed the wrench from the toolbox, fixing the last piece into place. "How long until the wiring is fixed?"

"If your robotic workers can do it right this time, three hours." The engineer replied. "I've got specialised glass tube wiring. It'll add another 38.5% of power to the system. It's a little more fragile than the traditional wiring, but we'll house it in protective areas so the kids can't break it."

Tony nodded. "Tank, Igor, go and set up the new wiring." He called to the suits. "Now, fleshy workers, have the system up and running within the hour, we've a school to upgrade." He checked the time.

"Where's Mr Potter, sir?" One of the engineers asked.

"Funeral...Mrs Stark too." Tony replied.

Godric's Hollow - same time

"We stand here, friends and family alike, to lay to rest Rachel Anastasia Smith. Rachel was beloved by her friends and by her adopted family. She was godmother to Harry Potter, her nephew who she, and I quote 'Kidnapped for a month'." The priest chuckled lightly. "Rachel was one of God's children, and as such I believe she had the right to be loved, like all God's children. I know this church despises homosexuality, but I believe that all love is God's love." He gestured to Lily. "I believe Mrs Stark would like to say a few words."

Lily walked towards the podium, taking a small breath. "I only knew Rachel for three years, but in that time she found herself close to my heart and a member of my family." She chuckled weakly. "I remember when she first entered my home...with my blood covered late husband and a bottle of firewhiskey in her arms." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "She apologised for ruining the carpet and poured me a glass of firewhiskey..." She sniffled. "Rachel gave her life for her family...and I owe her more than that...my son is alive because of the amazing woman in the coffin before us. I lost a lot of friends in the war...we all did...I lost a husband...who I believed was being unfaithful..." She stared at Harry and Sirius. "But the truth is he was planning an escape for us..." She sobbed softly. "Rachel...wherever you are, I'll always love you...you were a sister to me." She moved back to the remaining members of the old group, finding two arms wrapped around her. She smiled tearfully at Sirius and Remus.

Harry stood up. "C-Could I say something please..?"

The priest nodded. "You're Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I am. I don't remember Rachel, except for the sound of her screams whenever I had a nightmare..." He placed his hand on the coffin. "Thank you..." He whispered sadly, kissing her coffin. "And I'll never take the gift you've given me for granted...never again." He sniffled. It was strange, he didn't know this woman, yet all he felt was a large amount of pain. She had given her life for his. She had loved him the way an aunt was supposed to do.

Lily held Harry's hand, smiling sadly at him. "Come on, we'll put her to rest."

Harry walked out with her, staring at the graveyard in front of him. He'd never been to the final resting place of his father before, it seemed like a nice place to spend eternity. He stopped at the section that held the remains of his father. "Hi dad..." He whispered weakly, feeling tears spring to his eyes.

The rest of the day just went into a blur for Harry until they reached Hogwarts. He sat beside Hermione, resting his head on her shoulder. The day had been draining and he just wanted to relax. "So, what'd I miss?"

Hermione laughed at him. "Well Tank and Igor crashed into the bridge again. But the Great Hall is ready to be lit up soon. Mr Stark has been working on the wiring all day. I've been reading up on Technomancy and it's really interesting. Did you know there's a witch in Vermont who's working on magical movies?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded. "Apparently she's looking into setting up the magical world's first cinema. Mr Stark has been in contact with her about making a documentary about the Hogwarts upgrades."

Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes after hearing that, Tony did have a bit of an ego. "I think his head is big enough for now."

Hermione kissed his nose. "How are you?"

Harry shrugged, watching the lights on the ceiling. "I could really use some sleep and a large slice of treacle tart." He said in an offhanded manner.

Lily lodged that particular recipe into her head. Hopefully Jarvis knew how to make a good treacle tart. She sat at the Gryffindor table out of habit and enjoyed the fun atmosphere that the students provided. "Sorry dear, were you saying something?" She asked, noticing a student talking to her.

Angelina smiled at her. "I was wondering, what was Harry like as a baby?"

Harry groaned. "This is cruel and unusual punishment..."

Lily grinned, feeling a little mischievous. "Well, Harry was an extremely active baby. As soon as he could stand...he flew around on his own. Merlin help the poor cat, she had been battered and bruised whenever Harry managed to get a hold of her poor tail." Everyone chuckled at her. "Not that he hated her, he loved that cat. And I think she loved him too, when she wasn't cursing his name."

Harry felt like banging his head on the table. "Sweet angel of death, take me now." He sighed.

"I've a lot of baby pictures." Lily said, planting the final nail in his coffin.

"No!" Harry gulped. "We're fine without the baby pics."

Angelina smirked, moving closer to Lily. "Ignore him, Mrs Stark, we would be delighted to see some baby pics of little Harry."

Harry glared at his teammate, ensuring he remembered to prank her for it. She may have been the best friend of the twins, but she was going down.

Lily took out an old photo album, opening it. Most of the pictures were rather boring ones of Harry with his parents and grandparents while others showed him on a baby broom, taking a bath and chasing the cat through a rather nice looking kitchen. Some had small stains which all of the older girls knew to be water stains from tears. It was obvious that Mrs Stark must've taken the album with her when she went to America. Hermione smiled at the little baby version of her boyfriend in the pictures, laughing when she spotted one of him covered in glitter and wearing a Quidditch kit.

Harry scanned through them, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach whenever he spotted his father or Rachel. It'd always been known to him that his father was dead, but it had been the first time for it to really sink in, his dad died trying to keep him safe. "I think I'm going to lie down. I don't start the liaison role until tomorrow." He made his way to the Common Room, heading straight towards his dorm room. The day had been tiring.

-HS-

Hermione watched as Harry left, turning to Lily. "How was he?" She asked, keeping her face stoic.

Lily sighed. "It was the first time I've ever seen his mask slip when he was sober..." She whispered softly. "He's hurting. He spent most of the day just talking to Rachel and James about his schoolwork. I think it was his way of handling things."

Hermione nodded. "Tomorrow's going to be a good opportunity for him. Soon enough Harry's going to be Lord Potter, and I plan to help him when he gains his title. Harry, Sirius, you and your husband are going to change the Wizarding World for the better. I'm hoping to be a large part of Harry's plan for a new administration."

Lily smiled. "You and Harry remind me so much of James and I when we were teenagers. Don't get me wrong, we were sixteen when we started dating, but we often had long debates about Pureblood Supremacy and the idea of bringing Hogwarts into the twentieth century. We didn't get to fulfil our promise to one another, but you and Harry can not only succeed where we didn't, you can bring it to a whole new level of ingenuity and hope. You'll be part of the greatest generation of magicals since the Founders."

Hermione thought about what Lily had said. She and Harry could change the world. He had already matured slightly under Lily's soothing encouragement. She sipped her tea, messing with the saucer. "I've got to help him then." She whispered, smiling at Lily. "What's it like to be pregnant?"

Lily thought for a second. "Like having the munchies for nine months despite having nothing but constipation and vomiting." She chuckled. "Then someone decides to stick you in the bladder with a blunt object a hundred times a day." She noticed a few of the female students seemed worried. Time to really scare them. "Not to mention the constant aches on your feet. Your breasts swell, which hurts your back. And as for labour..." She shuddered. "Imagine shoving something the size of a melon through an opening that when fully dilated will only be as open as a lemon."

Half the female student body just stared at the woman as if she was cursed. A couple of the girls had been considering starting families once they left school, but none of them had considered the thought of what their bodies would have to endure.

"But it is worth it." Lily placed her hand on her stomach. "The feeling when you first hold that little bundle of love...there's nothing more exhilarating." She stared at the girls in front of her. "Does Hogwarts still offer maternity lessons?"

The girls shook their heads. A student from Slytherin stared at her. "It was ended when a baby died from an infection caused by subpar health conditions..."

Lily stared at the older crowd. "How many of you are currently under marriage contracts?" She asked softly.

Four girls raised their hands, hiding their faces.

"Speak to your Head of House tonight if you can. When my baby is born and settled, I'll start a private class for the four of you." She said softly. "If any other female finds themself in that position, feel free to come by."

The females all nodded. It seemed like Mrs Stark was going to be a huge help to the school.

-HS-

Fleur Delacour was not a happy woman. The weather in England was simply dreadful. Her Headmistress had explained that Hogwarts would be the first school in the Magical European Union to run off of electricity. The young woman was looking forward to seeing what the school would look like when lit up.

She watched as two red suits flew by her head and fitted several boxes around the castle. "Is zis project not done?" She asked curiously.

Hermione looked at the girl. "We're just finishing up now. You're from Beauxbatons, aren't you?"

Fleur nodded. "I'm Fleur Elise Delacour." She bowed her head politely.

"Hermione Jane Granger." Hermione copied her movements. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She smiled, showing off her French linguistic skills.

Fleur smiled widely. "It's a pleasure. Does our liaison speak French too?"

Hermione shook her head. "Harry's a Parselmouth, but that's about it."

Fleur sighed. "So I'll be stuck with zis silly accent?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just use a translation spell?"

Fleur chuckled. "Zey only change ze language to my native tongue."

Hermione walked with her. "I see. Harry's an extremely patient man though. Your accent won't bother him in the slightest." She walked to the Great Hall, noticing the boy in question was standing anxiously. "Speak of the devil."

Harry waited until both schools were seated before he stood to the podium. "Hello. My name is Harry Potter and I'll be one of three people speaking to you about the new Hogwarts." He took a deep breath, staring at the switch in front of him. "Hogwarts is a school built on tradition, but it's also a symbol of changing times. When Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin founded this school, Muggleborn witches and wizards were hunted down by both muggle and magical alike. This great school became a safe haven for those students. Four people, all of whom were classed as fools in their day had defied all odds. Over the years more and more amazing things have happened to this hallowed institution of education." He paused for a drink of water before chuckling. "Merlin, I must sound like an arse to a lot of you. The truth is, this school has lost its way. A lot like Europe in general. We allowed ourselves to become stagnate and weak." He watched the students. "While we remained locked within the traditions and customs of the Victorian era, the Muggle World began to gain more and more innovations that completely changed their world. Here we sit, breaking bread together and working towards the ultimate goal; unity." He paused again, staring at the ceiling. "I love magic. I really do. I've been around it four years now, and it still fills me with amazement. Now, allow me to fill some of you with the same amazement our world has shown me." He flipped the switch, causing the room to light up with electricity for the first time in its history.

The students watched in awe and wonder as the room lit up completely. The noise of the different things starting up completely freaked some of the purebloods out. The noise began to soften as the room finally settled down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 21st century." Harry's voice broke the amazement. He removed his wand from his throat, moving to the microphone. "All of the castle is now powered by a combination of magic and electricity." He explained. "There will be a two day intense course for anyone who wants to learn how to use all of the new technology within our school. Please contact Professor Burbage about it." He chuckled. "Any other inquiries can be answered by Mr Stark or Mrs Stark. With that, I'm going to turn this over to the person who installed all of this, Anthony Stark."

A loud applause came from the students as Tony came to the podium. "Well, I'm glad you're all happy about the new tech." He said softly, staring at Lily for help. "All I can say is, this is just the beginning. Hogwarts is our way of testing the waters. If anyone would like to have their home powered by such means, we will be taking orders after the New Year." He stopped for another applause. "Mrs Stark and I will be here until the end of the month so we will be happy to help you with anything you need. Please contact me after nine if it's an emergency since my wife is pregnant."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Ignore that remark. I'm only pregnant, not a blooming invalid."

Harry laughed slightly, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist. He took a sip of coffee from his cup, smirking to himself as he checked the time on the large clock behind Tony. He'd planned something a little fun. He clicked the microphone hidden on his uniform, trying not to laugh. "Tank, Igor." He whispered into the mic.

Tony continued talking about the different processes that took place throughout the last three weeks. "The two suits you've seen flying around-"

The door flew open, revealing Tank and Igor with a large vat of water. The two flew towards Tony, drenching him from head to toe.

Harry's laughter burst through the shocked murmurs that broke out around the room. He stared at Tony, holding his stomach from the laughter.

Lily frowned at her son. It seemed Sirius had awoken the prankster within Harry. "Did you do that?"

He stopped laughing. "No ma'am."

Lily swore she could see James staring back at her, it was just uncanny how much Harry emulated his father's signature smirk. "You're in trouble." She said sternly.

Harry sighed. "Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

Lily laughed. "It went out the window with your father's and godfather's legacy."

He chuckled softly. "Fair enough. But it's not done yet..." He looked up at Tony. "Do you know that wet cotton balls will stick to anything on a cold night?"

Tony frowned over at his stepson. His eyes widened as Tank covered him in cotton balls and Igor released a blast of ice cold air. He stared at his cotton ball covered body with a larger frown. "Harry James Potter!"

Fred and George Weasley laughed at their young friend, it seemed that the Son of Prongs had finally come out of his shell. It was going to be an interesting year.

Dumbledore chuckled softly to himself as he watched the smile on Harry's face, the young man was certainly becoming happier thanks to Lily and Tony. "Five points from Gryffindor and a week of detentions with Mr Stark."

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so late. It just seemed to fight me tooth and nail word for word until I finally finished it. Also I've been extremely busy with the Centenary celebrations of 1916, the year my people fought for our freedom from English rule. I'll spare you the details but will recommend a movie called Michael Collins and another called the Wind That Shakes the Barley. Both will give amazing hindsight into the history of Ireland.