CHAPTER 2

Harry awoke the next morning to Hermione pulling back the curtains around his bed, letting the dazzling midmorning sun hit him full in the face. He moaned and rolled over. He felt odd and, when he opened his eyes, he saw that he didn't need his glasses. Since the light didn't go away, he sat up and stretched. He felt a heaviness on his chest and looked down to see considerably sized breasts. He sighed. It hadn't been a dream as he had hoped; Harry really was a girl.

'Come on, Harry,' Hermione urged, throwing some clothes in his arms and ushering Harry off to the bathroom. Harry changed, feeling awkward and clumsy in his newly proportioned woman's body. He emerged from the bathroom wearing a pink cap-sleeved shirt and tight, long, light-colored jeans. He pulled on the trainers and threw his hair into a loose bun, with Hermione's help.

'McGonagall said we can go to Hogsmeade for four hours but we can floo to another town if we can't find anything we need,' Hermione explained, leading Harry down the steps and out into the bright morning sunlight of the grounds. 'Do you want to stay in Hogsmeade or go to a muggle mall?' she asked, walking past the winged boars flanking the gates to the Hogwarts grounds.

'I never have been to a mall,' Harry confessed, looking around at the familiar and comforting town. Hermione stopped on a dime, spinning around and putting her hands on Harry's shoulders, looking him in the eye.

'Wait a moment. You've never been to a mall? How can you ever live in the muggle world and never go to a mall?!' Hermione said slowly, disbelievingly. Harry removed her hands from his shoulders and gave her a look.

'I lived with the Dursley's, remember?' he said, as though it was obvious. 'They never took me anywhere.' Hermione looked a little rebuffed and turned into the Three Broomsticks.

'Hello, Tom,' she said, directing the greeting to the bald, toothless, old bartender. 'Do you have any floopowder? We need to go to a muggle town.' Tom wheezed affirmation and handed her a small flowerpot filled to the brim with what looked like sparkling green sand.

'Harry…' Hermione began but Tom's rattling gasp cut her off.

'That's Harry?!' he said, sounding astounded. 'That's Harry Potter?!' Hermione nodded and Harry smiled sheepishly, waving at Tom. The bartender shuffled away, looking awed and muttering to himself.

'So, anyway,' Hermione said, eyeing Tom warily. She shook her head and turned back to Harry. 'I am going to take you to a mall near my home in London. This is about the time of spring break at my old school so we might even see some of my friends there,' she said excitedly, eager at the prospect of former friends, and taking a pinch of powder out of the flower pot.

Hermione stepped into the empty fireplace and said clearly, 'Pall Mall,' throwing the powder into the grate, and she was gone.

Harry stepped into the fireplace as well, trying to get balanced in his body. He wasn't too excited about having to floo when he could hardly stand up correctly. 'Pall Mall,' he said, also throwing the floopowder into the grate. He felt the emerald flames engulf him, feeling no pain, only a tickling warmth. He was spinning very fast, his elbows tucked in and his eyes squeezed shut. Then he was falling forward. He threw his hands out to stop himself from hitting the ground.

Hermione helped him to his feet and brushed the soot off his shoulders. Harry looked around and gasped. He was in a huge room, two stories at the edges but with a large hole in the floor of the top story making it one really tall room in the middle. Everything was either marble or metal and it all gleamed. More impressive was the crowd of people; it was enormous! There were hundreds of people ranging from toddlers to old geezers, from adolescent boys to teenage girls. There were stores and shops and restaurants lining the walls and people laden with bags and boxes were streaming around the mall in packs.

Harry was awed. Hermione was doubled up, laughing at the look on Harry's face. Hermione straightened up, still chuckling, and put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

'You can close your mouth now, Harry,' she giggled. Harry smiled at her. 'Oh, by the way, I can't very well go around calling you 'Harry' when you look like a girl so what do you want me to call you? The obvious choice would be Harriet but that isn't a very catchy name, is it?'

'No, it's not,' Harry agreed. He thought for a moment and snapped his fingers. 'I like the name Tia. I had a friend named Tia when I was little, until Dudley scared her off, but she was nice and I've always liked that name.' Hermione nodded and led him through the thick of the crowd of people.

'Okay, Tia, what do you want to buy first? You probably need to go to a lingerie store first to get underwear and bras and such,' Hermione said, leading him into Victoria's Secret, a store decorated mainly in pink with scantily clad manikins in the front window.

Hermione flitted around the store, pulling down underwear and bras and making suggestions and measurements. Harry had to try them all on and eventually had five bras and seven pairs of underwear that fit and were comfortable. Hermione had to pay for it all because Harry had no muggle money. He decided he would have to pay her back in wizard money, of which he had a considerable amount. They were just walking out of Victoria's Secret when they heard a shout behind them.

'Hermione?' a voice called from somewhere behind them. 'Omigod, Laura, it is Hermione! But who's that other girl?' Harry heard them talking quietly, running to catch up with them. Hermione squealed and threw her arms around the girl who had spoken.

'Omigod, Katie?' she cried, staring at the girl. It was a pretty girl, good figure, with dark brown, sleek, curly hair that fell to mid-back. Katie nodded, smiling a smile that seemed to glow. The other girl, Laura, stepped up and hugged Hermione as well. This girl seemed to be the stereotypical teenager; the blonde, blue-eyed, Barbie® type.

'Oh, sorry, Laura. How are you both?' Hermione asked.

'Oh, we've been great, Hermione,' Laura answered. 'We both have really hot boyfriends, just FYI, and we both get good grades. I still play trumpet, if you were wondering, and Katie still sings…all the time,' she said grinning.

'Ooh, who are your boyfriends? Anyone I know?' Hermione asked eagerly.

'I don't know,' Katie said, looking thoughtful for a moment. 'Mine is named Drake and he says he knows you but I'm not so sure. Both our boyfriends go to a boarding school so we don't get to see them very often. Who's your friend?' she asked, waving the other subject off, replacing it with curiosity.

'Oh, this is…Tia. Tia Potter,' Hermione said, pushing Harry forward. Harry smiled and waved, trying to appear friendly and confident. He must have succeeded.

'Hi, Tia. I'm Katie Knowles,' Katie said, putting her hand out for Harry to shake. He did so and smiled warmly at her. 'Also known as Kit-Kat.'

'And I'm Laura Lebrowski,' Laura said, also shaking Harry's hand and receiving a smile. 'So, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were at that boarding school.'

'We're on spring break, too,' Hermione lied.

'You've been there for seven years and we've never seen you anywhere on any other spring breaks,' Katie pointed out, looking a bit confused.

'Well, all the other times I had to stay there to keep Tia company. She doesn't have a very good home life so she stays there and I don't like leaving her alone,' Hermione lied. It was only partially untruthful. Harry did have a bad home life that he didn't want to go back to and Hermione sometimes did stay over the holidays to keep him company, among other reasons.

'Oh,' Laura said, looking skeptical but letting the subject drop. 'So, what are you guys doing here?' she inquired, going back to her earlier question.

'I am just buying Tia some decent clothes. She's resorted to wearing mine. Her family is really…odd…and won't buy her any more clothes so I am taking that responsibility unto myself. I want her to be stylish,' Hermione said, grinning at her old friends. 'Would you girls like to help?' she asked, knowing the answer before it came. She may not have seen them in a while but some weaknesses never change.

The faces of the two girls lit up at the prospect of a shopping spree that someone else was paying for. They nodded vigorously and both took one of Tia's hands, pulling her from shop to shop, Hermione giggling behind them.

Katie and Laura took Harry, now Tia, around to many stores and, eventually, Tia was laden down with so many boxes and bags that he, now she, was having trouble standing. Hermione's money bag was significantly lighter when they were finished. Hermione, Katie and Laura made a tearful goodbye and Hermione pulled Harry back into the shop they had arrive in.

'They were nice,' Tia said, watching them walk away, chatting. 'You knew them from primary school?' Hermione nodded and handed her the floopowder.

'Time to go back to school, Harry. Oops, I mean Tia,' she said, stepping into the fireplace. 'The Three Broomsticks,' she said clearly and she was gone in a rush of emerald green flames. Tia followed her after convincing the shop tender to send their packages after them.

Tia fell out of the fireplace in the Three Broomsticks and Hermione helped her up again. After a moment or two, their packages came flooding out of fireplace as well.

'Let's shrink these to get them up to the castle,' Hermione said, waving her wand at the pile of bags, which shrank to the size of a shoe box. She put it in her cloak. 'Not nearly as heavy and bulky this way.' Tia nodded and the girls walked back up to the castle together.

Hermione and Tia reached the castle laughing and talking animatedly. Tia had to fight to ignore the stares and whispers following her through the Entrance Hall and down the hallways all the way to her private rooms but she managed. When they reached the portrait hole, Tia said 'conform' and the two girls entered her private quarters.

'We can put the shopping away now and then, since I don't much fancy going down and facing all those stares again, you can stay with me for dinner. I have my own kitchen,' Tia informed Hermione in a singsong voice, leading her into her bedroom. Hermione pulled the pile of packages out of her pocket and put them on the bed before unshrinking them.

'Okay, so the underwear and bras go in these drawers,' Hermione said, putting them in their place. 'And everything else goes either in these drawers or on hangers.' Tia began to hang up the shirts while Hermione folded the pants and placed them in the drawers of the bureau.

'So,' Tia said simply. 'Do you have any suspicions as to who your old friends might be dating?' she asked.

'Since when do you want to know?' Hermione asked, giggling a bit in confusion. Tia rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

'Hermione, I'm a girl now, remember?' she asked, as if the answer was evident. Hermione gave her a questioning look. 'All girls like gossip and I am no exception, no matter how new I am at being a girl.' It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes. She did so, sighed, and turned back to putting away their new purchases.

'So?' Tia asked again, pressuring Hermione for an answer. 'Who do you think it is? That Katie's dating, I mean.'

'I don't know, Tia,' Hermione said, starting to get a little irritated. She sat on the bed and sighed, pursing her lips. 'Why on this Earth would I?'

'Well, Katie said her boyfriend said he knew you! He might go here,' Tia suggested, sitting beside her friend. Hermione gave her a skeptical look. 'Oh, come on, Hermione! It is a possibility, isn't it? You don't know about the home lives of everyone at Hogwarts. Someone you know could very well be dating your old friend. Now, who are the possibilities?' Tia asked, scooting closer to Hermione and looking at her curiously.

'I told you, I don't know. Besides, I don't think there are any boys here named Drake,' Hermione said, standing up and making her way into the common room. 'Come on. Let's make some food. I'm starving,' she said, dragging Tia into the kitchen.

'Hey,' Tia said as inspiration struck her. 'Let's invite Ron over for dinner with us,' she said, running over to the portrait hall, dragging Hermione with her. Hermione pulled her arm away and put her hands on Tia's shoulders.

'No, let's not. You know how awkward and uncomfortable this all is for Ron. This would just make it more so,' Hermione said gently. Tia put on a pout face and sat back on the couch, folding her arms across her chest in annoyance.

'But I miss Ron,' she whined. 'He was my first and best friend ever. Well, he probably isn't my best friend anymore. You are now, but I still want to hang out with him and all.' Hermione sat and put her arm around Tia.

'Okay, fine,' she submitted. 'I'll get Ron to come over for dinner. But he's probably already eaten.'

'Oh, come on, Hermione. You now Ron's appetite. He eats like a pig! There is never a time when Ron is not hungry. Now, go!' Tia said, shoving Hermione out of the portrait hole without another word. Then, she set about making a wonderful dinner for the new Golden Trio.

Hermione strolled down to the Great Hall, worrying over all of Ron's many possible reactions to the invitation. She glanced around the Great Hall but she didn't need to look hard, Ron's bright mop was easy to spot. She hurried over and situated herself beside him.

'Hey, Ron, still hungry?' she asked casually even though he was shoveling food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow. He looked up, smiled, and nodded, unable to say anything due to the food occupying every available space in his mouth. 'Good. How about you come eat with me and Tia?'

Ron gave her a curious, confused look. Hermione remembered that he didn't know Harry's new name. 'Me and Harry,' Hermione explained. Ron nodded and then looked thoughtful for a moment, a little reluctant. 'Oh, come on, Ron! She really misses you. You were Harry's first friend when he came here and he will always want to be your friend, even if he is a girl. And don't use that excuse that you're awkward around girls. You're friends with me and I'm a girl, so come!' Ron sat undecided for a moment, then sighed, standing up.

'Well, come on then, Hermione,' he said, already halfway to the door. Hermione followed him, directing him to Tia's personal suite and explaining her new look and name. As soon as they opened the portrait hole, Tia squealed and ran to embrace Ron. He hugged her back rather stiffly.

'Hey, mate,' she said enthusiastically, leading him to sit on couch. 'How are you? How are the other boys? What's it like without me?'

'A little lonely,' Ron admitted. 'The dormitory seems a bit empty without you in it. The others just aren't best friend material, either. I've actually resorted to hanging around with Fred, George and Ginny. How lame is that?'

'Not lame,' Tia insisted. 'Fred and George are fairly interesting, and funny obviously, and Ginny's really nice, if you don't piss her off,' she giggled. Ron chuckled, too, though laboriously. His mouth was watering from the smells drifting out of the small kitchen.

'Food's ready!' Hermione called, rushing out with platters of steak, sausage, potatoes, biscuits and chicken, along with pumpkin juice, water and tea. She arranged them all on the table and sat down on the floor beside it. Tia and Ron seated themselves around the low table as well and Ron began eating without delay.

'How many stomachs do you have?' Hermione asked, half amazed, half disgusted, and half awed. Ron, without so much as looking up, held up three fingers. Hermione laughed and Tia nearly spit out a mouthful of pumpkin juice.

'So,' Ron said uncomfortably, once the dishes had been cleared away. 'What's it like? You know, being a girl?' Tia paused, considering her answer.

'Well, it's definitely different,' she said. 'You sort of carry yourself different. You even think different, more actually, and the emotions are in full stride. That's a bit annoying, really. And, it's a bit awkward for me because I'm still in the male mind-set and that doesn't really fit with a female body,' she explained, and Ron chuckled.

'I can imagine that would be a bit odd,' he confirmed. 'Are you adjusting well?' he asked, concerned for the mental health of his changing friend.

'Yeah, I guess so,' Tia said, looking thoughtful. 'Like I said, it's a bit awkward, obviously. I still look at girls a lot and they're going to think I'm a lesbian.' Ron looked suddenly uncomfortable.

'Are you?' he asked. Tia rolled her eyes.

'Well, I'm a guy trapped in a girl's body. How couldn't I be? But, since I'm getting all the female emotions and such, maybe that'll change, too, and I'll be a full girl soon. Cool,' she said, smiling inwardly. She didn't have to change as much as you would think. She may be different physically but she didn't have to change her sexual orientation. She still wanted Malfoy, and now she had the chance to get him without his being disgusted. Yea.

Ron stared at her. 'Cool?' he said in disbelief. 'Cool?! How can you say 'cool' to turning into a girl? You're okay with being Tia now? What are you going to tell your aunt and uncle and cousin? That they suddenly have a niece named Tia instead of a nephew named Harry? How will you tell the Wizarding world that their hero, the Boy-Who-Lived, is suddenly the Girl-Who-Lived? This is going to upset the entire Wizarding world and all you say is 'cool'?' Ron yelled, gaping at Tia incredulously.

Tia stared back at him. He was blowing this way out of proportion. 'Calm down, Ron, we'll fix this,' she said reassuringly, putting her hand on his knee. 'I'm sure we'll find a way to reverse the transformation somehow but, until then, there's no point in freaking out over it,' she said reasonably. Ron looked somewhat mollified, or at least he relented his tirade.

'Ron, even if Harry does stay a girl, it won't be awkward for long,' Hermione said. 'You'll get used to it. I've already gotten used to it. The only thing you need to get is, possibly, a new best friend that's a guy. As you know, it's a bit difficult for teenage boys and girls to be best friends. Their interests are too different for constant conversation. Tia will probably be talking to me more than you now so you might want to find another guy friend,' Hermione advised.

Ron looked a bit upset by this news. As he had said earlier, none of the other boys in their year seemed to be best friend material and Fred, George and Ginny were all in a different year. There was no one left to be best friends with. Harry had been his first real friend, as well, and he had always expected Harry to be there for him. Now that he wasn't, he was a bit lost.

'I'm tired,' Ron said, and he looked it. The last two day's events had really taken their toll on him. He stood and left silently. Tia and Hermione stared despondently after him.

'Me, too,' Tia said with a sigh. 'You should go to bed. It's late,' she told Hermione, who nodded. 'G'night,' she said. Hermione nodded and returned to Gryffindor Tower. Tia went back to the bedroom and undressed. She flopped down on the bed and was asleep within minutes.