To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, perhaps Weasley bashing, possible time paradox. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, as well as places is purely coincidental.
Harry instinctively listened to Hermione's voice and transformed into his phoenix form, only to flash away, as soon as he felt her grip his tail feathers. An instant later, they found themselves right in front of the entrance doors of Flamel manor.
"What was that? A nursery?" he asked, incredulously.
"Apparently, it was not your room anymore," Hermione replied, shaking her head in apparent confusion, which Harry shared.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I should have anticipated that after one thousand years, the owner of the room might have changed."
"We could both have expected such a thing, but I was so sure that it would still be our room, considering that we now belong to the founders of Hogwarts," Hermione replied, her voice laced with a hint of sadness.
Before they could continue the conversation, Nicholas' voice penetrated their ears. "Come in, Apprentices. What are you doing outside?"
HP
Apparently realising that his two apprentices were slightly distraught, Nicholas ushered them into the parlour, where his wife offered hot chocolate and homemade cheesecake, which neither of them could resist.
"Perenelle, Nicholas," Hermione was the first to speak up, "did we change much? Rowena warned us to only go to visit you but to not linger in this time nor go home, and when we arrived in what was Harry's room in the past, it's now a nursery or such."
"Don't worry, dears," Perenelle said, gently. "You have changed much, but everything will eventually be all right.
"Rowena is correct though. Do not go anywhere else in this time right now and only come back after completing your apprenticeship," Nicholas added, pensively. "I already have plans for you, which I, however, will not reveal to you at this time. You probably still have another year or two left?" he then asked with apparent interest.
"Two in fact," Hermione replied, eagerly. "First, we wish to study with Boy Fawkes in the year 1600."
"And after that, we'd like to study with Professors Abe at the Mirai School in Japan from the winter solstice 2020 onwards," Harry added, causing Nicholas to cast them a broad smile.
"That sounds intriguing," he admitted, "and I am looking forward to hearing about it."
They agreed that Harry and Hermione should only return to see Nicholas and Perenelle after completing their apprenticeship to receive further instructions. "Come to see me later today or tomorrow," their mentor demanded in a firm voice.
"We'll be here waiting for you," Perenelle added, gently. "Be careful and enjoy yourselves before coming home."
'Let's put up a bit of a show and transform into the chameguises, before changing into phoenixes,' Harry thought to Hermione, and an instant later, two chameguises stood in front of the Flamels.
"Now these are interesting," Nicholas commented, staring at them from all angles. "Well done, both of you," he then added, when both of them transformed into phoenixes and flashed away – right onto the Hogwarts grounds, as they had previously decided.
"Somehow, that was strange," Hermione blurted out, once they were back at Hogwarts in their human forms. "He didn't even ask if we passed our apprenticeship with Merlin. Somehow, I have a bad feeling. As if we had changed too much," she added as an afterthought.
"I don't like this secrecy at all," Harry agreed, as he gently pulled her close to ready themselves for the time travel.
HP
Their remaining months in the tenth century passed much too fast for their liking. On the first day of the Christmas holidays, Harry and Hermione went to see Morgana, who was still working together with Merlin in spite of the fact that her apprenticeship with the old wizard had already been finished for two years, to say good-bye to their friend.
"I'm going to miss you badly," Morgana told Hermione, as she pulled her into a bear hug.
"Me too," Hermione replied, and Harry knew that she was really sad to leave her friend.
"Please come to see us again," Morgana told them. "Wherever you are, you should have a free day every now and then, so that you can come and visit."
"We will do that," Harry promised, recalling that Helga and Rowena had told them the same.
"We won't even need a free day to time travel," Hermione added, smiling.
'Somehow, this time feels like home,' Harry thought to Hermione. 'Even if we have spent twelve years in our birth time and only three years here.'
'That's absolutely true,' Hermione agreed, giving him a sad smile. 'I'm really going to miss Morgana and Ceridwen.'
'And Salazar and the other founders,' Harry added, nodding miserably. 'Each of them is not only our teacher, but has become our friend by now.'
HP
When they returned to Hogwarts on time for lunch, Salazar addressed them in a firm voice. "Snape and Snape, I am sorry to say this, but I can't have you return to the future tomorrow."
"And why might that be?" Harry enquired, glaring at his mentor of the time.
"The Minister of Magic has been bitten by a werewolf, and he contacted Godric demanding that we invent a cure for lycanthropy," Salazar explained, letting out a deep sigh.
Harry and Hermione stared at each other. "Do you remember the details?" Harry blurted out.
"Yes," Hermione said, grinning, as she conjured an empty parchment and pointed her wand at it. "Here," she said, pointedly, as she handed Salazar the recipe. "We received it from two Unspeakables in the future. According to them, it was invented by you, sir."
"Thanks," Salazar said, staring at the recipe in front of him in apparent surprise. "I never invented such a thing though."
"You've just created a time paradox," Rowena spoke up, shrugging. "I can't see any problem with it though, as no one will be able to take your memories from you. Before you return to the future, I will give you a Pensieve. It is something that Godric developed for me, and you can put either your real memories into it or copies of them for safekeeping."
Harry and Hermione profusely thanked their mentors and promised to come back during the summer holidays the following year.
'Make a mental note to return here in the summer 994, whenever we have some free time,' Harry thought to Hermione, who nodded her agreement.
In the end, they still remained over Christmas, however, on New Year's Day of 994, they forced themselves to travel to the winter solstice of the year 1600.
"Try to call Fawkes, when you arrive at Hogwarts," Godric advised them, when the four co-founders and Ceridwen accompanied them out onto the grounds for their travel. "He told me that he's going to become my familiar in the future, but considering that I won't be around anymore at that time, he might be free or bonded to someone else, but he will come and tell you if anyone is living in our quarters then."
"We'll do that," Harry promised, feeling very grateful for the advice. After receiving a series of hugs from their friends and teachers, they embraced each other and cast the time spell that brought them more than six hundred years into the future.
Just to be sure that the grounds were deserted, they chose to arrive at five o'clock in the morning.
HP
Just like in the past, a thick layer of snow covered the Hogwarts grounds, and the white substance enhanced by the full moon lit the area, comfortably.
"Wait," Hermione muttered and in a quick succession cast the charms to change their language and outfits to those of the time.
"Thanks," Harry replied, smiling, when he suddenly became aware of how close his wife was still standing to him and leaned over to carefully press his lips against hers for a passionate kiss.
'Thank Merlin,' he thought, when she responded to it and he felt her happiness through the bond.
"Fawkes," he called out to the phoenix, as soon as they parted, wondering if the bird would answer his call.
The time travellers proceeded to confer in small voices, however, it only took a minute, before the phoenix appeared with a bright flash.
#I was wondering when you'd arrive,# he told them. #I will now bond with you if that's all right?#
"Can you bond with both of us?" Harry enquired, smiling, when the phoenix bobbed his head up and down in confirmation.
At the same time as he could feel the bonding, he could sense Hermione's happiness through their bond.
#Grab my tail feathers, and I'll flash you inside,# Fawkes instructed them. #It's much warmer in the founders' quarters.#
"Is no one else living there at the moment?" Harry enquired, alert, the image of the baby in the small cot that he had seen in 1994 pressing itself to the front of his mind.
#No,# Fawkes confirmed, impatiently fluffing his feathers.
HP
When they arrived in the living room of the founders' quarters, the first thing that caught their attention was a life size painting of their four co-founders and Ceridwen. Their friends from the past greeted them with apparent enthusiasm.
"Your rooms are untouched," Rowena informed them, only to admit, "I've charmed them, so that no one else will be able to use them without your consent."
"Thank you so very much," Hermione replied, gratefully, and Harry echoed his thanks.
They quickly headed to their rooms to enlarge their luggage and leave it there, glad that the adjustment charms even worked for the clothes they had brought with them.
Once they returned to the living room, Hermione said, "I suppose that we should go and see Professor Fawkes then. Is it by chance that he shares your name?" she added, turning to the phoenix.
"No dear," Rowena spoke up, chuckling. "Hearing from you about Professor Fawkes, Merlin named his phoenix familiar after him, as he found what the professor did to the Sorting Hat hilarious enough to honour his name."
"Pour Sopho," Godric added, glaring at them.
"Excuse me," Harry spoke up in bewilderment. "Sopho is just evil. How could he sort Hermione into Ravenclaw and me into Slytherin completely ignoring the fact that we were already married and did not even have classes together that way?" he replied, glaring back at their friends.
"Perhaps you just behave in this time, and he won't do such a thing," Godric suggested, causing Salazar to scoff.
"Sopho is just an annoying busybody," he voiced his opinion.
"Sal, behave yourself," Helga lightly scolded her husband. "Harry and Hermione, considering that you're the founders of Evans, he won't be able to sort your younger selves anywhere but into Evans anyway, so don't worry about it."
"Now go and study and tell me all about Magical Chemistry later on," Salazar instructed them, smirking.
HP
Boy Fawkes reminded Harry of the Weasley twins as well as of Giorgio and John. Even if the middle-aged wizard did not have a twin brother, he talked enough just by himself to make up for it. He was outright funny, too.
"Tell me about yourselves and why you wish to study with me," the professor demanded, causing Harry and Hermione to tell him everything about their apprenticeship.
"Did you attend Hogwarts in your time?" the professor enquired, looking at them with apparent interest.
"Yes, but only for a year. The retired healer taught us, before we became first-years, and she taught us so well that our first-year classes were outright boring. We also took our Potions OWL before officially entering Hogwarts," Hermione replied, glancing at Harry, who gave her a comforting look.
"Ravenclaw then I suppose?" Fawkes enquired.
"No sir, the Sorting Hat put my wife into Ravenclaw, where she was harassed by her older housemates, and me into Slytherin," Harry replied, still feeling upset by the matter.
"In which house were you, sir?" Hermione asked, kindly.
"Evans, and it was a good choice, as it emphasizes variety," Fawkes informed them, "just like its symbol, the chameguise, which is a magical animal able to transform into any other magical beast." He remained pensive for a moment, before he muttered, "We'll plan some revenge for the Sorting Hat then. He deserves it for doing this to you."
Before Harry or Hermione could even think of an adequate response including the founders' warning, the professor began to talk about his field of research, causing Hermione to immediately turn into study mode.
"I believe that variety is the clue to science as well as to many other things," Boy Fawkes informed them. "I am politically active in the muggle world; however, I use magic in combination with muggle chemistry, which is why I am teaching the subject of Magical Chemistry. It involves some aspects coming from the area of Potions, yet it is different from Potions. My favourites are explosives, joke items and funny things in general. I hope you can relay to my world of thinking," he finally added.
"Our main aim of our apprenticeship is variety, too" Hermione replied, thoughtfully, only to add, "We have studied all kinds of subjects, and especially I as a muggleborn am very interested in your magical take of muggle chemistry."
"Jokes and funny things in general are always very welcome," Harry added, smirking, thinking that the character of his familiar really matched that of his name giver.
"Let's go and introduce you to Hadrian Peverell, our headmaster," the professor finally said and motioned them to follow him to the headmaster's office.
'He probably is an ancestor of you,' Hermione thought to Harry, as they greeted the old wizard, who seemed very friendly and welcomed them to Hogwarts.
'Does that matter in any way?' Harry replied, quirking an eyebrow.
'Of course not, especially as the headmaster doesn't know about it anyway,' she confirmed, reassuringly.
'Thank Merlin that we named our house Evans and not Snape; otherwise, we'd have to answer many questions I suppose,' Harry thought back in relief, and Hermione immediately agreed.
HP
Studying with Boy Fawkes was interesting yet amusing, and the professor managed to surprise them with funny jokes every now and then.
Over the time, they developed a feeling of mutual trust, and eventually, Harry and Hermione told him about their time with the founders of Hogwarts and admitted to being co-founders and the creators of Evans house.
"That is why you're residing in the founders' quarters, as you told me when you came here first," the professor blurted out in understanding. "You being my apprentices in this time might even be the reason for my sorting into Evans," he added, pensively.
Later the same day, Hermione invited the professor to join them in the founders' quarters and speak with their friends for a while, knowing that they were allowed to bring people with them, but that the founders would not let people in during their absence.
HP
On the day before school was going to commence again, Boy Fawkes asked them, "You told me that you were chameguise Animagi. Did I understand that correctly?"
"Yes sir," the two apprentices replied, simultaneously.
"I am a dog Animagus," Fawkes admitted. "Now listen. The headmaster has gone to the Ministry of Magic and will not return until very late tonight. Could you ask your phoenix to flash into the headmaster's office and fetch the Sorting Hat into the living room of the founders' quarters for us?"
"All right," Harry was the first to agree and was just about to call out for their familiar, when the professor held out his arm for him to wait.
"Let's move to the founders' quarters first," he said, reasonably. "Do you remember the potion we brewed yesterday?" he continued, once they reached the founders' quarters, and held out three small phials. "You call Fawkes, and then we drink this potion, before we transform into dogs."
Harry and Hermione listened with a combination of amusement and bewilderment upon hearing the professor's instructions.
'I wonder what it will do to the Hat?' Harry thought to Hermione, who returned a glare in response.
'It must be bad for him to still have a grudge after three hundred and ninety years,' she thought back.
However, they could not deny that they had fun. As soon as Fawkes placed the Sorting Hat on a stool in front of them, the three dogs surrounded the Hat and began to lick him all over.
"Stop that," the Hat snarled; however, the dogs continued licking every single spot of the Hat's fabric, before the professor let go and told them, =It's enough.=
"Siht terger lliw uoy, stoidi uoy. Ti tuoba gnihtemos od, Cirdog," the Hat snarled, causing Harry and Hermione to stare at the Hat in surprise.
=Sorry?= Harry enquired, not caring that the Hat would probably be unable to comprehend dog talk.
"That suffices," Rowena spoke up from her portrait, sternly. "Fawkes, please take the Hat back to the headmaster's office."
"A well-done prank," Salazar commended the three of them, when they transformed back into their human forms.
"That was not all. The best part is only going to take place tomorrow," the professor admitted, pleasantly, before he turned to the apprentices. "You must come and watch the Sorting tomorrow morning."
"All right, sir," Hermione and Harry agreed, exchanging a look of foreboding.
HP
In contrary to their original time, just like in the time of the founding of Hogwarts, the students were apparated to the school by their parents. Everyone arrived on the Hogwarts grounds around eleven o'clock in the morning of the first of September.
At 11:30 a.m. in the Great Hall, the Sorting ceremony commenced.
"I don't know what's wrong with the Sorting Hat," the headmaster muttered to his colleagues. "Ever since I returned from the Ministry of Magic late last night, he's been mumbling incomprehensible stuff and seems to be in a bad mood. I just hope that he'll properly sort the students."
Hermione and Harry, who were sitting next to Professor Fawkes at the high table, exchanged an unobtrusive glance, feeling somehow uncomfortable at the Hat's predicament.
'Shouldn't we remedy his problem if he can't speak properly?' Hermione thought to Harry, who merely shrugged.
'If Professor Fawkes wants to leave it at this, there's nothing that we can do about it,' he then thought back. 'Neither you nor I know how to cure the Hat from his predicament.'
'That's true,' Hermione agreed, just when the deputy headmaster called the first student to the front.
"Nirehtyls," the Hat growled, and Hermione quickly translated, "Slytherin."
Harry and Hermione only looked up in shock, when a simultaneous, huge gasp could be heard all over the Great Hall, realising in bewilderment how a completely bold-headed first-year made his way to the Slytherin table.
"Sopho, please behave yourself," the headmaster lightly scolded the Hat.
"Ti tuoba od nac I taht gnihton si ereht. secitnerppa owt sih dna Sekwaf fo tluaf eht s'that," the Hat growled, just when the deputy headmaster placed him onto the next student's head.
At the end of the Sorting, all first-years were spiking bold heads – much to their obvious annoyance, and the headmaster pointed out in apparent shock that all their hair was glued to the inside of the Hat.
"Please go to see Professor Marchbank in the hospital wing first thing tomorrow morning," the headmaster instructed the first years. "I hope that by then we'll have a spell or a potion to grow your hair back," he added, giving the Potions Master of the time a questioning look.
Harry and Hermione realised in relief that the professor in question nodded, reassuringly.
HP
"Salazar," Harry addressed his old friend in the founders' painting, once they returned to the founders' quarters later the same day, "will you please help us develop a remedy for the Sorting Hat's problem?"
"With pleasure," Salazar replied, grinning, and the apprentices thanked him profusely.
During their remaining months at the beginning of the seventeenth century, Harry and Hermione spent their free time in Salazar's lab developing a reverse potion to their prank potion. They even invented a special potion to refresh the Hat's fibres with the help of basilisk skin, willingly contributed by Amaterasu, who just like phoenix Fawkes had become their familiar in this time.
On the day, when they received their NEWT certificates for Magical Chemistry, the two apprentices visited the headmaster's office, reassured by their co-founders that they would support them from Godric's portrait.
After greeting the headmaster, they informed him that they had developed a remedy for the Hat's predicament as well as a cosmetic potion to keep the Hat's fibres fresh.
"May I trust that this is not another prank?" the headmaster enquired in apparent suspicion.
"Headmaster, they have brewed everything together with me in my lab. The imbecile of Boy Fawkes has nothing to do with this," Salazar spoke up from Godric's portrait, causing Harry and Hermione to inwardly sigh in relief.
When the headmaster grudgingly allowed them to spell both potions into the Hat, Sopho stretched his brim to a broad smile. "Thanks for healing me, and this new potion feels really good. I like my new, fresh black colour and the effects of its purple glimmer."
"Perhaps you will remember this in the future, when our parents and our younger selves get to be sorted," Harry replied in a soft voice, giving the Hat a beseeching look.
"Maybe," the Hat snarled, seemingly back to his usual self as Harry and Hermione knew it.
They quickly bade the headmaster good-bye and took their leave – only to travel more than four hundred years into the future later the same day.
'Thank Merlin we can take Fawkes with us that way, even if we couldn't take another person,' Harry thought to Hermione, before they cast the yoyo avantus spell.
tbc...
A huge thanks to the few kind reviewers, who are still interested in this story.
The next chapter will be the last of Part II: "Smart devices".