(A/N: Here's just a short and rather silly chapter involving Harry's birthday party. I was in a funny mood when I wrote this so...enjoy!
SlythCat19: Thanks!
Gryphnwng: The only thing is that Harry looks a lot like Lily, with just bits of Snape thrown in. If I had Harry go back to male, then he'd look like Snape :P.
leggylover03: Angst? Ahh...Gotta wait till term starts, sorry! At the moment Harry's just a bit too happy as is.
Damon Rhodes: I gotta stop Harry from using female logic on me. Your wish is my command it seems according to now Hazel...
Saimhe: Ahh!!! Get the muse bunnies away! They make writers do bad things!
Mistress-Genari: Haha. Snape being nice. Gotta love the fact that a pretty face can make even the bitterest of hearts start to melt.
RandiWeasley: I do love a good plot twist every so often...evil grin
Okay! Continue to R/R! They are definitely appreciated!)
Harry trudged through the house, feeling relatively bored now since she still had no homework nor did she feel like reading. Most of the books she was interested in were overturned and read within the next few days. Snape was fairly non-existent at this point, due to the fact that he holed himself up in the lab for most of the day and only took leave for sleep and meals. Harry had decided that after the last potion accident, she really didn't want to experiment anymore.
"Ugh! There's nothing to do around here!" She scowled, picking up the kitten that had been walking across the floor. It purred happily and fell asleep in the embrace.
"Trekni couldn't help but over hear Mistress is bored and has nothing to do. Trekni could escort Mistress Harry to the Quidditch Pitch if Mistress wishes her to."
Harry blinked in surprise; there was a Quidditch Pitch at the Snape Manor? She shrugged it off and quickly accepted the offer and grabbed the Firebolt. It stung, as it was the first present she'd gotten from Sirius and even though she's accepted that he was gone, it brought back so many memories. Shaking her head, she finally noticed that she'd already come to the Pitch and it was breath taking. For a private home, the size of it was incredible.
A huge smile broke out on her face as she kicked off and soared into the sky. A soft breeze played with her loose hair, whipping it back and forth as the girl practiced some maneuvers. It felt good to be back on the broom as she'd been banned last term. For the moment, she felt content, something that she hadn't had for awhile now. Suddenly there was a large dark shape shooting across the Pitch that almost knocked Harry off her broom.
"What on earth?" She screeched, trying to steady her broom from the attack.
"Oh, surely you recognize me, now don't you?" Snape said with a smirk, flying back over near his daughter, whose mouth was wide open and catching flies so to speak.
"D-ad? I didn't know you f-flew!" She stuttered.
"And here I thought you knew how to speak intelligently. Star seeker of Slytherin for six years!"
The girl huffed, taking off again towards the ground and found a box containing the necessary ball. "First one to catch the Snitch, wins, loser cooks dinner without magic for a week!"
With that, she tossed the Snitch out and let it go for a moment. The two floated in different directions, hoping to see a glimmer of gold sooner or later. A glint of something shiny came from the left of her face, giving her just enough time to see it before it sped away, but now Harry had seen it and knew where it was. She shot through the air as fast as the broom would go, it leaving her father in a daze as she snatched the Snitch from by his ear.
"Whoohoo! Looks like you get to make dinner for the next week!"
Severus wrinkled his nose in distaste, rather hating cooking but assumed he could con Trekni into helping. "Looks like I need to sharpen up my skills before attempting that again..."
The two landed neatly on the ground, Harry placing the broom over her shoulder as she headed in. Severus ruffled her hair; he found it easier to accept the girl more easily than Harry had been before for some reason. Perhaps because it was that she looked so much like Lily now. And seeing an almost carbon copy of himself running around would have been just as disturbing.
"SURPRISE!!!!!"
Harry gaped, not knowing what had just happened and walked into a room full of people who instantly smothered the girl in hugs. It was fairly dark so they didn't notice the fact that Harry was female until Hermione hugged her and Snape turned the lights up higher.
"Uhh, Harry? Why are you female...and.." she cut herself off there, realizing something that probably shouldn't be said out loud.
"I uh, got myself into a 'situation' with a potion accident..."
"You were brewing a potion? On Holidays??" Ron gaped, not knowing what to say was worse- being female or doing potions over the vacation.
"I uh, had nothing better to do?"
After that was explained, the guests all took their turn to greet Harry, as they had not seen her for a while. All in all, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Remus, Tonks, McGonagall, the Weasley family, Moody, Shacklebolt, and of course Hagrid had showed up. As Snape had said at one point, he knew that she'd never had a real birthday before and decided it was high time that she did.
Harry pulled her father into a near room and asked him, "Dad? Umm, do they all know about us or are they just blind to the fact that you're acting nice to me for the first time?"
Severus smiled slightly, "I haven't told them yet, but well, these are members of the Order and trustworthy...Do you wish to? McGonagall is going to need to know as she is Head of your House..."
"Well...At the moment I'm still in danger of Voldemort trying to kill me behind every corner. If you changed me back to male, you said I'd look like you, which would definitely present more problems than it's worth. If you changed me back and had me go under disguise as a different person, we'd have the problem of Voldemort finding out and I take it that the sons of Death Eaters already have predetermined fates. But if I stay like this, I look enough like Lily so that my parentage wouldn't be questioned so easily. It'd almost be easier to deal with the insults than attempting to try one of the other plans."
It was Severus's turn to stare. He never had thought Harry to be so logical at times. She'd said that so truthfully that he wondered if the potion did something to the girl's brain.
"I, uh, well put, Harry. Would have assumed you'd prefer to take the easier way out and not have to face the school like such. Umm, and still have to deal with a greasy git of a potion's teacher," Severus muttered, not really making sense at the moment.
"C'mon dad, I'm missing my first party at this rate!"
He grinned and followed Harry into the other room where a tower of presents sat. The girl was wide-eyed as she stared and had one from Ron tossed into her hands. "Hey, mate, hope you like this, even in your current ...state," He sniggered, having a hard time not laughing. Inside the package was a large book, a book from Ron? She mused, having a hard time not laughing herself. It was titled, The Chudley Cannons: A Biography.
"Aww, thanks Ron," Harry said, going on to the next gift, this one from Hermione. From her, she got a book on becoming an Animagus and of course non-sugar sweets. The pile of books next to Harry grew as more and more were unwrapped from the packages. Mostly books on Defense Against the Dark Arts as they thought they'd be rather useful. Dumbledore on the other hand, had given the girl a rather pretty matching ring and pendent set, containing rubies set in gold.
"You knew, didn't you?" Harry grinned as Snape hooked the necklace around her neck, not noticing the stares from the rest of the group.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement, "Of course Harry, you didn't think Severus was going to let that little episode go unnoticed, now did you?"
Harry grinned, guessing that the Headmaster also knew her decision that had just been made moments ago with her father. She was brought out of her reverie a second later by Dumbledore asking Severus were his presents were. This of course made the group of people sitting in the room stare with interest. Severus coughed and looked at the floor while Albus informed them of the recently found relationship.
The girl chanced a look and saw some rather stunned faces, but was quickly caught in a hug from Hermione. "Oh Harry! I was wondering if it was true, but I didn't want to say anything."
Ron just sat there, a stunned look on his face. First he goes and turns himself into a girl, and now this! Related to Snape! I sure hope that git comes up with a reverse to the potion. Augh!. That was all he seemed to be able to think of at the moment. Then again, most of the Weasley reactions were the same with the exception of Ginny who offered Harry help if she needed any with the new 'situation.' Harry quickly agreed, knowing once term started, she most likely would.
Remus had suspected something; his sensitive nose could smell the spell that Harry had been under, although couldn't tell who had been the father. The rest just sat there without saying anything, not knowing what to make of the information they had just been given.
Severus dove out of the room and came back a few minutes later with another stack of gifts. Harry cocked her head, not realizing her father would've gone through so much trouble. Inside she found a few more books, these ones being potion related though, and some new equipment. There were two more packages left and Harry went for the larger one first. It held some beautiful gowns in emerald green, dark reds, and even one made of a silky silvery material. "Oh wow..." She dashed out of the room, clutching the silver one and a few minutes later, reappeared wearing the gift, knowing how happy it'd make her father.
It did indeed get a smile on his face as she ran over and surprised him with a hug. He gawked, as it was the first time he'd gotten a hug in well, for as long as he could remember. "I uh, well, you have one more to open."
Harry blinked as she remembered the small package that was now placed in her hand. Carefully, she took the lid off and gazed at the small item inside. It was a silver hairpin, ancient engraved in it and emeralds set in the middle. There was another one in the box as well, although it was made of gold with small garnets inside the Celtic runes. "One was your mother's and the other from my mother, your grandmother. I thought it might be nice for you to have something of theirs."
The girl was misty eyed; to get something that meaningful meant a lot to her, especially that it came from her mother. He must have either known I'd stay this way, or was going to use them as a means to convince me...Darn them and their abilities to know what people are going to do. The rest of the party was fairly normal for any birthday, with the exception of Ginny and Hermione playing with Harry's long hair, twisting it up into extravagant designs to match the elegance of the gown, and giggling at their friend wrinkling her nose up at the idea.
The small kitten, which was now named Lily after Harry's mother, mewed softly and curled up on Ginny's lap. It purred happily for a while, giving it's master a rest from the hair torture. "Hey Harry, what are we supposed to call you now? I mean, Harry doesn't just fit for a girl," Ginny smirked, loving the teasing she was doing.
"Haha, very funny. I don't rightly know...didn't think I was going to be staying female."
Her friends blinked and looked rather startled by the news. "You are?" Hermione asked.
"I uh, decided it might be better than umm, being male cause if I was, my father informed me that I'd probably look quite a bit like him and that could be a problem at school...This way I look enough like my mother that it doesn't bring up questions so easily."
Hermione considered these words and nodded in agreement, Ginny smiled slowly, and Ron gaped, again. "Umm, mate? Did you hit your head or something?"
Severus had at that point, decided to wander over to the small group of friends who were staring at Harry rather oddly. His daughter explained quickly why they were doing so and Snape grinned. "Well, then I'll let you know that I'd like to use the name that I'd thought of at Diagon Alley that one day- Hazel Shara."
The girl grinned shortly, not really sure of how to take it. In one day she'd given up her male status, dressed in a gown, had her hair twisted up into some do that she didn't even want to know, and been given a new name. Hazel sighed and flopped down onto the nearby couch and was fingering the pendent around her neck. It all just felt so strange now.
The group of people started leaving a bit later that night; soon Hazel and her father were the only two left and the small kitten as well. "Are you sure you're up to this Harry...Hazel?"
"Frankly, no, but we're going to find out, now aren't we?"
(A/N: Haha...sorry, I was going to change him back, really I was. But then I got everyone saying they wanted Harry to stay female...And well, then I was having a conversation with Harry while writing this chapter and he/she was logic-ing me out and convinced me that the story makes more sense if Hazel stays...
Don't hurt me! I didn't want to do it! HARRY AND THE PLOT BUNNIES MADE ME!!!!!
Oh yea, next time OWL scores!)
