Lovely Miss Potter

By: Kibou32

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Summary: AU At the beginning of Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts, Harry's secret is discovered by the wizarding world. Several very descriptive nude pictures of Harry supposedly modeling nude in front of the camera appear on the newspapers and all the students at Hogwarts have a copy of it. The clincher is that in these pictures, Harry is not seen as he normally portrays himself to be.

Warnings: there will be things that aren't for the weak-hearted or those too morally to understand the complexity of human nature. That said… I've just realized this story will have some mystery, some abuse, some psychological discovery, etc.

:-:

III

Contrary to what Hermione believed, Cho Chang didn't like girls. She didn't even like Harry Potter. Ever since she had met Cedric Diggory in her second year – one year ahead Harry – at a Quidditch game, and was instantly taken with his strength, his courage and his abilities as a seeker. Cedric Diggory was the boy of her dreams, and she'd always believe that. Problem was that, Cedric – as a Hufflepuff – was an enigma. They flirted with each other well. He had asked her out a couple of times to Hogsmead – in her third year that is – but so far, he only considered her a friend. Her best friend Marietta Edgecombe was always very aware of her ongoing crush on Cedric and when she had noticed that Cedric was being too nice to the changed Harry Potter, she told her they had to do something about it.

Cho didn't want to harm Hayley. But she wanted to be Cedric's girlfriend and if she had to fight for him, she would. It turned out that there were other girls both in Gryffindor and Slytherin who felt threatened by Hayley's sudden appearance into this year. Beyond Fleur Delacour's beauty, there was something that Hayley had that attracted the sight of many boys in Hogwarts who wanted to 'care' of the girl.

They were the ones who helped out with the 'destroy-Hayley J. Potter's-reputation' plan. Although Pansy Parkinson protested the idea of putting Potter's body next to her precious Malfoy, she accepted it was the best way to end Potter's reputation. They took pictures of them both, all they had to do was distribute them.

They didn't account someone betraying their game.

:-:

Cho was in her Charms class when Prefect Cedric Diggory came about and her head of house looked at them in serious consideration over a parchment. Cho didn't look at her best friend, though she wanted to… really bad.

"Miss Edgecombe and Miss Chang, please go with Mr. Diggory."

She stood up and gathered her things as did Marietta. They walked over to the door and went. As they were leaving the class, Cho looked at Fleur and watched – her heart was pounding as she realized who it was that had given their game away – as the half-veela girl looked back at her with a soft smile on her lips. She shivered in response, for once losing her wits as she was no Gryffindor.

:-:

Pansy knew why her head of house was looking at her like that. She also knew why Daphne wasn't even looking at her. Was she also going to be disgraced?

The Gryffindor Prefect chose to take her and Lavender Brown out of the Potions class and towards the Deputy's Mistress Office. Professor McGonagall wasn't exactly the type of teacher you'd like to meet at the end of your Hogwarts life. Especially, if you got caught doing something naughty.

"Well… I've spoken with the professors." – and Pansy knew she had, from the grim view of all the faculty there.

Miss Cho freaking Chang was literally quaking in her boots. She was too, if she was truthful of it. Although… the Headmaster wasn't here; nice little tidbit there.

"We've decided on the method of punishment."

Marietta didn't look so good anymore, Lavender thought.

:-:

"Holy hell!" – was Zacharias Smith's exclamation once he saw ten girls marching in to the Great Hall looking like freaking convicts.

They were all carrying their hair in an extremely short fashion. So short, it looked awful in his opinion. They weren't allowed to wear make-up – that much was obvious – and they were obviously embarrassed as hell.

Zacharias wondered why they looked like that.

:-:

Parvati went to see her sister Padma like every Thursday afternoon. Even though they weren't in the same house, that didn't mean they weren't sisters. Parvati was sorry what had happened to Lavender, but she could see that she had it coming. Three Ravenclaws, one Slytherin, four Gryffindors – including Lavender – and two Hufflepuffs, ten girls trying to undermine Hayley's reputation; what a loss.

"So how are things in your house?" – Padma asked.

"Not very well. I'm kinda sad that Harry turned out to be a girl." – Parvati said as she took a bite of her peanut butter sandwich.

Padma sighed and said…

"Did you tell the Professor about Lavender?"

Parvati shook her head.

"No. It was wrong, I'll give you that. But… I didn't think telling the Professor would do me any good. I didn't stop her when I had the chance. Besides… I think there is something else that I can do to get things better. For Hayley, I mean."

"Such as?"

Parvati smiled sweetly and said…

"Freedom."

:-:

With the first task approaching, Hayley had no time to do homework. Seeing Cho like that made her realize why things weren't ok anymore. She hated being the center of attention. She absolutely hated it. She wondered and pondered about the first task and she still didn't know what she was going to do about the first task.

It was Malfoy, however; who gave her an idea.

So she practiced and practiced the 'calling objects' charm like crazy – with Hermione's help of course – and managed to be able to summon what she asked for.

:-:

Watching Hayley fly away from the stadium and the dragon that came after her was heart-attack inducing. Hermione thought she was going to puke. When Hayley finally managed to one-up the dragon, Hermione allowed herself to breathe.

Severus Snape sitting by his godson's side had also felt like he'd die from the type of flying that the girl was engaging in. Draco, however; was covered – from head to toe – in a full body flush, because his mind – dirty and naughty boy – kept launching innuendo about Potter's physique on that dratted Firebolt.

Draco's father on the side narrowed his grey eyes at the sight of the Potter girl. The girl was petite. But she was still just as powerful as before. She was perhaps… even stronger now. He had done good – although he hadn't really expected those pictures to come out – by supplying that revealing potion, a dark magic potion type in any case. He had come across good information about the Potters when he had been researching about the Dark Lord and that mysterious notebook he had been 'sent to' give it to the young Weasley girl, he had been intrigued.

There was something the Dark Lord was after besides immortality. But what could it be?

:-:

With the end of the First task, Hayley took once more to her studies until the Patil twins came over to where she was sitting to talk to her. Hayley closed the book she was reading into and said…

"What's up?"

Padma looked at Hayley and knew Parvati was right, Hayley didn't know.

"You're a girl, right?" – Parvati asked quickly and in a whisper, because she obviously didn't want anyone to know.

Hayley nodded instead of confirming things vocally.

"Parvati told me a long time ago that whilst you are indeed a strong wizard – that was before we knew the truth mind you – you weren't using your magic to the full capacity." – Padma said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Hayley stuttered out a soft 'what?' and Parvati rolled her eyes at her.

"Perhaps, it is best if we direct this conversation elsewhere, hmm?"

:-:

"… So basically… the differences in powers are due to gender?"

"Yeah. Whilst no one can deny that Merlin was the strongest Wizard of all times, Morgana was the witch which held power that even Merlin couldn't deny."

"A strong witch is on par with a low-level wizard due to the differences in gender, but Morgana and Merlin were on par with each other. Such a thing hadn't been seen here in England up until the four wizards: Salazar Slytherin was obviously very strong up against Rodric Gryffindor, but so were Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. Up against each other, however… everyone would probably tell you that the males would have won a duel by gender default. However, the truth of the matter is that both females were much stronger than the two males than what is originally told in history books." – Padma recited dutifully.

"So… does that mean that I haven't achieved my real potential because I've been pretending to be a boy?"

"Not quite. It's more like you weren't allowed to use it, someone pressed your magical center down. Wizards are more dedicated to destruction than construction and only those who are really good in heart can do so. Whereas females are more fitted to constructing, some can do both at the same time."

"You are the one case so far that can do both satisfactorily. Try it." – Parvati said.

As the twins had expected, when Hayley transfigured the grotesque object – a sharp dagger – into something meant to defend and construct at the same time, the light katana* (Japanese style sword) was what came out. It was elegant and refined. Hayley had been thinking of a dagger she had seen once on a book at grade school. This had come out. Hayley could see that at the moment she was only using a tenth of a tenth of her real potential.

She was excited. Not because she wanted the power like Voldemort, but the magic coming out of her wand was – as redundant as it was to say so – magical. The twins smiled.

"There is a reason we're telling you this."

Hayley nodded although she knew for sure that it wasn't what she expected.

"You've been groomed from the very start since your parents died to be a warrior," – Parvati said and Padma went on continuing the line of thought: "A tool for the Light, a way to finish the Dark Lord. But your nature isn't to attack, but to protect. The nurture you've received from your family is non-existent but your heart is still pure. In a wizard, that kind of nurture would make you weak and susceptible to being dominated by a stronger mind. In a witch, that makes you stronger than any other wizard can ever imagine."

Hayley understood.

"We came to you to explain this because I owe you an apology. I knew about Lavender's scheme with those 9 other girls. I should have stopped her, but I didn't."

Hayley was puzzled. What was Parvati talking about?

Padma knew then and there that 'damage control' had been issued before Hayley woke up and noticed the situation. That Hermione hadn't told her friend about it, was awful. Padma sighed deciding it was better to tell Hayley now before anyone else told her about it, especially if that 'anyone else' was Draco Malfoy.

"You were set-up by ten girls including Cho Chang and Lavender Brown to destroy your reputation. They put you in Draco Malfoy's bed naked and took pictures to ensure everyone knew that you had been 'intimate' with him." – Parvati said in disgust.

At these news hit her, Hayley blanched.

Padma instantly went to her side to comfort her, but Hayley just sat there not knowing what to say or do. Parvati – initially – wanted to let Hayley come to terms with what had almost happened, the loss of her reputation and everything that entailed was something even a clueless girl like her wouldn't like at all. Then she decided that she needed to tell Hayley about something else, but her twin shook her head and said no.

:-:

The next time Hayley saw Malfoy, she blushed to the tip of her roots, murmured her excuse towards Hermione and Ron, and then ran the other way. Draco – surrounded by Blaise Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle, and Theodore Nott – knew immediately that someone had spilled the beans to her and felt miserable instead of ecstatic as his roommates thought he should feel. He didn't show it, but her blushed cheeks showing embarrassment every time he wished to meet her eyes made him feel like the lowest scum on Earth.

But how to go to her and tell her he hadn't looked – but he had touched! albeit inadvertently - and that he meant her no harm. He scowled at the thought about how he wanted to hold her and keep her safe when three years ago – after she had denied him friendship by choosing Weasley - he had wanted to throttle her for rejecting him each and every time he fought with her. Did he know deep in his magic core that she was a strong person and that he would want her with him for years to come? He didn't know. As he went down the corridor, making his way around the halls towards the Great Hall for the dinnertime, he thought he heard something coming from the abandoned girls' bathroom. So off he went to investigate… he was a curious sort of guy.

What he found was the girl he had been thinking about all along.

:-:

Hayley looked up once she heard someone come in to the girl's bathroom. She was shocked to see Malfoy standing there like he wanted to say something but couldn't come up with anything to say. She was embarrassed about what had happened. She didn't like being a girl. All of these stupid emotions made her sick. She wanted to go back to being a boy. Boys were so much easier to be than girls.

"I didn't see you naked." – he said at last.

Hayley looked directly at his grey eyes, wondering why he was saying that.

"Are you lying? Because it's not funny at all Malfoy."

"I'm not lying. I felt your warmth as I woke up and when I looked over you were under the sheets. I ran to Professor Snape hurriedly and he took you back to your dorm-room." – he hurried on to say, but a blush covered his pale cheeks when he said he felt her warmth.

That made her even more embarrassed. But could she trust him? Then the rest of his sentence went through her mind. Professor Snape?!

She groaned in despair.

Draco smiled. At least she seemed to be doing okay now. He made to go away, but she caught him by the arm before he could leave.

"What?" – he asked.

"What do you want in exchange for your silence?" – she asked suspiciously.

Draco frowned at that and said: "Professor Snape already told me that if he ever so much as heard someone say something about it, he'd immediately know it was me who talk about it. Frankly, Potter; I fear him more than I fear you."

Hayley looked at his gray eyes suspiciously for a second, before deciding to let it be.

"Okay, if you say so."

She stood up and decided to go back to class.

He stood there looking at her back and grimaced inwardly. He so wanted to call her back, to ask her to let him be her friend. But he was still too immature and too on the dark side – his father's issues with the dark lord and all that – to be honorable and honest to approach her again. Let it not be said that he was already smarting from being denied her friendship again, even though he hadn't spoken the offer to make it real.