Chapter eleven

'After everything you have told me Brian, I believe you will make an excellent charms apprentice. Naturally you will not start until the beginning of term and we are now only seven weeks until the end of this term, so maybe you could study up on aged related charm spells so you are up to date on which age learns which charms. Listening to what you have been through over the years, I'm sure your education was disrupted quite often.'

Harry gave a small laugh, 'You could say that. I'll head into Diagon Alley and get some books. There is something else I wanted to talk to you about though, something personal actually.'

'Go ahead.'

'Okay, see, Severus came to my place last night, we talked for a while, about what I have been saying, how everything seemed to be the same, especially in regards to his friendship with Lily. But he explained about something that is different, sexuality. In my world there categorised, men with woman are heterosexuals, men with men are homosexual or gay, women with women are lesbians or gay, men or women that go with either a man or a woman is bisexual, everyone is one of those. Severus explained that it's different here, that men and women get into relationships with whomever they want, even changing from one sex to another. See, I'm gay, or I like men and it wasn't really accepted in my world, whether magical or muggle, so I never told anyone, I even dated two girls just so people wouldn't find out, only a traditional male-female relationships are considered normal. Now your other self told me you were gay, you told me a little about your partner that died during the first war.'

'That is very different to here. Yes I did have a partner a long time ago, he never died, we just grew apart, but I also had a relationship with a woman for a few years. It's a natural part of our lives.'

'It's a lot better than my world. Anyway, Severus and I discussed dating, even though I hated the Snape from my world, I always liked his eyes. This Severus is younger, closer to my age, so we thought we would see what happens. How will that go if we're both here and apprentices?'

'Like any other relationship that one of the teachers have. Here we have three married teachers all with children. They live here in their private quarters, small houses you could call them, with their own garden. They are charmed so the students cannot see a teacher's private home. How is it in your world?'

'The teachers are all single, celibate and can't have personal relationships at all.'

'Then I think I should show you how the teachers here live. First I will show you from here how it looks then take you down to the grounds and you will see what the students see,' Albus stood from behind his desk and gestured Harry to follow. They walked through a door and out onto a large balcony, 'Look down.'

Harry glanced down, 'Oh blimey, gardens, I can see kids playing. There like normal back gardens,' Harry couldn't believe how this Hogwarts was, 'So the teachers partners, do they stay?'

'It's up to them, Irma's husband works as their children are older, students here, and their fireplaces in their homes are connected to the ministry. They go to their work places from there. Rolanda's husband stays home with the children and Qualand's wife is also a stay at home parent.'

'Qualand?' Harry's brow furrowed.

'The defence against the dark art's teacher, his son is in second year but he does have two younger children, nine and seven.'

'Oh, okay,' Harry shook his head in amazement, 'So when the kids are five years to ten years, do they leave for the day or what? I'm not sure what to ask.'

Albus chuckled, 'There is a few rooms on the lower floors for the younger students so they can be taught all the basics before becoming Hogwarts students at eleven. Naturally those younger students do not learn any magic, but they are shown and have everything explained to them. That is not just for the teacher's children but all magical children. A fireplace connects from that room to the ministry where the parents go to bring their children here every morning and pick them up every afternoon.'

'That's great, they are around their own kind straight away which was different to my world. Okay, another thing in my world is they buy their first wands at eleven, before coming here, is that the same or different?'

'Those young children learn what you would have learned, spelling, English, normal lessons for children that age. When they turn eleven they buy their first wand but cannot use magic outside of school, it seems to be the same with most students. You see Brian, if you and Severus wish to have a relationship including children, then that is what you can do without having to leave your jobs.'

'Well kids are out unless we adopt,' Harry kept staring down at the kids running around the gardens.

'Why do you say that, wouldn't you like to have your own child one day?'

Harry looked up feeling confused, 'Yes, naturally I would, but I'm a man, so it's impossible.'

'Oh dear, you must not have really heard me. Tell me Brian, did you have a sex education class at Hogwarts?'

'No, I heard it gets taught in seventh year, which is what I normally would be doing now. But looking for the horcruxes I had to skip my last year. But what's that got to do with what we were talking about?'

'I think it might be wise to speak with Poppy about this. I will explain the basics for now. Men in this world can get pregnant, they need potions to change their bodies so they can fall, carry and give birth. Sometimes a woman who had a difficult pregnancy does not want to do it a second time, so the man will. Or if the couple is two men or two woman then they just need a few potions to assist them,' Albus Dumbledore chuckled at the shocked look on the young Harry potter's face, 'Oh my boy, you have a lot to learn.'

'Bloody hell,' Harry finally found his voice then looked down at his body, 'Me, pregnant, blimey. I'm not sure what's the most shocking, no Voldemort or men can get pregnant,' Harry laughed, 'But it means I could have kids one day. Growing up with no family I always hoped to have a family if the war was ever over. That is another reason I never told anyone I was gay, I figured a relationship with a girl, marriage then I could have kids.'

'Yes, I can see your reasoning for that. But if you remember Brian I did tell you how I was pregnant and lost my daughter, did you forget about that?'

'Oh, yeah, you did, sorry. I was so shocked that I was in another world that some of what you said just didn't penetrate fully plus I was exhausted. You'd think hearing about a man being pregnant would do that,' Harry shook his head in amusement making Albus chuckle.

'Let's go for a walk down to the grounds. I can explain more about our world, see if there is anything else that is a major difference from your world to mine.'

'I think you're going to shock me a lot more professor, but so far, it's all been great shocks,' Harry smiled hugely then followed Dumbledore from the office down through the castle and out onto the ground. Albus points and all Harry saw was the castle wall, 'So those gardens are there, but you can't see them. That is just so fantastic professor,' Harry kept staring at the walls of the castle knowing that really there were gardens with children behind the enchantments. To Harry, this was a better Hogwarts, the teachers had a life away from the school, they had family and to Harry that was a very important part of life one now he knew he could have one day.