Chapter 2: Grimmauld Place
"I'm back to normal." She whispered and looked at the boy. "Thank you, Harry."
"Can I have some answers now?" he asked forgetting to lift his wand back up. He was in too much shock.
"I'll tell you more than you want to know." She said as she got onto the couch. "It's so nice to actually sit again and not perch."
"How long have you been an owl?" he asked.
"Almost fifteen years." She answered.
"Why did you wait until now to tell me you were really human?" Harry asked. "Why didn't you tell me as soon as I got you?"
Many reasons." She said. "You needed to learn more magic. I was going to wait until you were of age so that you could perform the transformation without the cover of ward, but with the rise of Voldemort…"
"You said his name!" Harry interrupted. Few people did.
"Of course I said it." She said. "I was almost in the Order of the Phoenix."
"The what?"
"The Order of the Phoenix. It's a group of witches and wizards that banded together to destroy Voldemort. My son and daughter-in-law were in it. My husband and I were going to be in it, but then there was the attack…"
"Why didn't he just kill you?"
"Voldemort wanted to try something new." She said. "He's going to be extremely disappointed considering how much he hated my husband and myself. His goal was to make us watch, as animals who couldn't do anything, him kill our son and his family, then kill us. However, his plan backfired."
"So, your husband is also trapped?"
"Yes. You know him as Crookshanks."
Harry was shocked.
"Is Pig trapped?" He asked seeing if any more of his friends' animals were originally human. Pettigrew was bad enough. "Or Trevor?"
"No. Pig is an ordinary owl. And Trevor is a normal toad."
"I should have asked this first." Harry said. "Who are you?"
"Elizabeth." She told him.
"Well, I was way off with your name." Harry sighed.
"Don't worry about it. Hedwig was my heroine. I was proud that you gave me that name."
"You do know I'll have to tell Dumbledore about you?"
"Of course. I miss Professor Dumbledore."
"Can you explain why King Arthur's sword was in that vault as well as Godric Gryffindor's sword?"
"Arthur's sword was given to the first Potter for safe keeping by the lady of the lake. My husband's other ancestor was Godric Gryffindor." She explained. "As well as Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff."
"Your husband is the "Heir of Hogwarts"?"
"No. That title goes to the eldest male of the youngest generation. My son had a son." She told him
"Oh."
"Why don't we go to the Order's headquarters?" she suggested. "I bet they are worried sick about you. But first…"
"What?"
"I can unleash some of your powers that are trapped, if you'd like."
"I have trapped powers?"
"One of them is wisdom."
Harry thought. What did he have to lose?
"Okay."
0000
A few hours later,
The full moon was starting to rise over the horizon. Harry and Elizabeth had spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the past. Finally, Elizabeth suggested that they head on to Headquarters.
"THIS is Order Headquarters?" Harry asked as he starred at Grimmauld Place.
"That's what Dumbledore said." Elizabeth told him before transforming back into Hedwig. This time at will.
Harry climbed a tree in the side yard thankful for the extra powers Elizabeth had released in him. He was now able to see past the fieldelus charm. Not to mention he now knew who Elizabeth really was.
When he got to an open window, he climbed into the house and looked around. He looked out into the halls and heard voices downstairs.
"Sirius! Quit pacing!" Arthur Weasley's voice came.
"I can't help it." Sirius told him. "Harry's missing. Only his owl, wand, and cloak gone. I'm a nervous wreck."
Harry winced. He didn't mean to scare Sirius like this. He went to the entrance of that room.
"Oh great." Sirius sighed looking at Harry. "Now I'm seeing things!"
"I'm really here, Padfoot." Harry told his godfather.
"HARRY!"
The Marauder ran to the boy and embraced him.
"Missed you too." Harry choked.
"Where have you been?" Arthur asked the boy sternly.
"Gringotts and Potter Manor. How come I was never told about that place?"
"We were waiting for you to be of age." Sirius told him. "How'd you find out?"
"Hedwig...well, really it's…"
"HARRY!"
Harry turned and saw Ron, Ginny, and Hermione come running out of the kitchen to him.
"Where were you?" Hermione asked as she hugged him.
"In the biggest library I've ever seen." Harry told her with a smirk.
"How big?" she asked.
"You can fill Hogwart's library twice over and still have room."
"Where is this Library?" she asked VERY interested.
"Potter Manor." Harry said
"Let's go!" she said as Ron groaned.
"Do you know where it is 'Mione?" Harry asked.
"You're going to lead the way." She told him.
"Nice try." Molly said as she entered. "You kids KNOW you are not to leave until the letters arrive. Harry. How nice to see you again."
"Likewise, Mrs. Weasley."
"Yes Ma'am." Hermione sighed dejectedly as Ron sighed with relief.
"Hey 'Mione?" Harry asked.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever wondered if Crookshanks was really a human trapped in a cat's body?"
"No."
"THAT'S why you were at Potter Manor!" Sirius exclaimed. "You wanted to test Hedwig, so you used the underage wards."
He quickly covered his mouth as he realized his mistake.
"Underage wards?" Ron, Ginny, and Hermione repeated.
"Did I say "Underage wards?" I meant…" Sirius tried to cover up as Molly glared at the wizard. "UnderAVERAGE wards. Not good for protection. So, what did you discover about Hedwig?"
"She was the victim of a spell that separates the soul from the body." Harry explained. "Her soul had been trapped as an owl for fifteen years."
He turned to the owl
"You want to show them?"
POP
The redheaded witch was now in the place of Hedwig.
"Bloody hell." Ron swore.
"Ron Weasley." Elizabeth acknowledged. "The last time I saw you when I was in human form was when your mother went into labor with you. You were the last child I delivered."
Ron blushed.
"You were a healer?" Hermione asked.
"One of the best." Elizabeth told her. "Then my daughter-in-law took that title."
Sirius and the Weasley adults were gapping at the older woman.
"Hello." She said to them.
Sirius made the attempt to say something, but no sound came out.
"Harry?" Molly asked with better luck. "Do you know who this woman is?"
"Elizabeth." Harry said.
"Honestly, Sirius." Elizabeth said looking at the still gapping Sirius. "Azkaban sure has changed you. You never had trouble speaking your mind before."
"Harry?" Sirius asked. "Do you know who this is?"
"I was just asked that!" Harry said.
Sirius then embraced the witch.
"I missed you so much." He cried, shocking the kids.
"I missed you too, Sirius." She told him returning the hug. "And Sirius, I don't blame you for my son's death."
"You should." He said with a sigh.
"You didn't know. And neither did he." She said.
"Elizabeth Potter?" a voice came from the kitchen.
Everyone turned to see Professor McGonagall standing there.
"Hello Minerva." Elizabeth said.
"POTTER?!" Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exclaimed.
"Did I forget to mention that I found out that my owl was really my grandmother?"
"Mew." Crookshanks spoke up.
"Oh yeah." Harry said pointing at the cat. "And he's my grandfather."
Elizabeth whipped out her wand. The two had stopped by Gringotts again and got her and her husband's wands.
"Homoinumrursus!"
The same thing happened to Crookshanks as what happened to Hedwig. However, instead of a redheaded woman with hazel eyes, a black haired man with brown eyes appeared.
TBC
