He doesn't remember exactly when he stopped identifying as a 'she'. Between looking at boys with admiration instead of infatuation like most girls his age, he just stopped thinking of himself as a girl.

He started with simple things first, wearing boys clothes, removing makeup then looked at his hair, the pride of his Indian heritage and wept as he cut it to his desired length.

He was thankful his sister was smart enough to not question this change, just held his hand and glared at everyone who looked at him wrong.

In India, there was a word for people like him: hijra. A respected 'third gender', bringers of good luck, now living on the fringe of society working as beggars and sex workers. He distantly recalls seeing them every time he visited his ancestral home in India, sniggering with his twin whenever he saw them at signals, begging for money. He cringes at the memory, how strong they are, how steadfast. Listening to the insults day after day, living in a world where no one accepts them.

If they could do it, accept themselves despite the intolerance they faced, so could he. After all, he was Gryffindor. Brave, daring and courageous.

He got up at the dinner table and called attention to himself.

"Mum, dad, Padma, I've known this about myself for a long time and I feel like sharing it with you. I hope you will understand and respect my decision. I identify more as a male than I do as a female. I know you all probably have questions and I will answer them all, but please for now call me Parvat."

He smiled. 'Like the mountain he would overcome.'

A/N: For my non-Indian readers, here are a few translations:

Hijra: Technically an incorrect term for transgender. It typically refers to transvestites or eunuchs, but since Hindi doesn't have a word for transgender, hijra is often used as an all-encompassing word for transgender, transsexual, transvestite and eunuchs.

Parvat: literally, mountain.