Author's Note: This has been Grammarly-fixed too. Third chapter onward should be checked pre-publish

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Mostly because slavery is illegal and even if it was, he's kick my ass for trying.

Harry is a She!

Chapter 2

Juxtaposing Justice

So that's how his first month of summer went by: in a mixture of silent treatment from the Dursleys, having fun with the kids, crazy shenanigans with his overwatchers, trying to get any information at all, be it muggle or magical media, and his awkward nights with the magazine. He did not give up on that.

He just sat in the living room, listening to the news and trying to ignore the fact that uncle Vernon was ignoring him, ignoring him, ignoring him, ignoring uncle Vernon. That's when the bell rang. Harry didn't go to open the door. He was busy being ignored. His relatives tried to live as though he wasn't there, so someone else would do it. That's why he was genuinely surprised by his aunt screaming:

"Boy! Your sort came for you! Get them out this moment!"

He needed a minute to process what he just heard. They came for him? Really, actually, honestly? He was not expecting that!

"Boy!" his uncle growled, losing their game of mutual ignoring.

"Oh, yeah. Right." he answered eloquently and went to meet the wizards at his door. But they were already inside.

Moody was waving his wand around, checking for curses or something. Remus was trying to placate Petunia, while Arthur was trying to say something to Harry, who wasn't listening. There was a girl with bubble-gum-pinkish hair going through his stuff in his room, so of course he wasn't listening!

"Hey, stop that!" he caught up to her.

"Should've packed earlier." she retorted.

"I would if you had warned me!"

"You didn't get the letter? Ooopsie, sorry. I kinda forgot to send it." she said in a voice so sweet he could get diabetes. He was probably intended to. "Sooo, what do we have here?" she went back to rummaging through his stuff.

It seemed like she used it as an excuse to find compromising materials. He made sure not to look in the direction of his secret stash. It was a mistake. She noticed. Of course she did.

"Oooh, a loose floorboard! One of my favourites. Only the best stuff there." she crouched over it, blocking him from view.

"Tonks, what's taking you so long?!" Moody barked from downstairs.

"Harry forgot to pack!"

"Just wave your damn wand and be done with it!"

She sighed. Stood up and smiled innocently at Harry.

"Too bad we haven't the time." she waved her wand and it all packed itself into his trunk. Including his stash. "But don't think we won't get there." she winked and levitated his trunk out of the house.

"What have I done to her?"

"Everything." Remus said surly.

"Like, all of it?"

"Yup." he answered, ushering the boy out the door. They mounted brooms and Moody barked some commands Harry didn't even understand.

"You mean I only ever got her? None of the rest of you?"

"Yup. And to add insult to injury, you called her out on it. And Moody has been really harsh about it. Made it seem like she shouldn't be an Auror. Like she should've done a lot better, being a Metamorphomagus and all."

"A what?"

"A shapeshifter. Now watch where you're flying."

Soon enough they arrived in London and showed Harry the secret of Grimmauld Place. He was ushered inside and dragged into a whirlwind of greetings, apologies, condolences and consolations. It was mighty confusing.

"What are you all talking about?"

"Your condition, dear." Mrs Weasley said. "I don't know what the Ministry's thinking, accusing you at such a time..."

"Wait, what? I've been accused? Of what?"

"Identity fraud." Remus said. "What, didn't you get the letter?"

"Ooopsie." Tonks offered with a shrug.

"Identity fraud? What?! Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?!"

Sirius stepped into the room at that exact moment.

"I can." He had a great sense of timing.

"Yes, please."

"Sit down, son. You see, when the Ministry heard of your gender change..."

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Harry exploded. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT IT SO CASUALLY?! HOW THE FUCK DID THE MINISTRY HEAR ABOUT IT?! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT?! HERMIONE, RON, GET YOUR BLOODY ASSES HERE!"

They tiptoed out of the corner they were hiding in. "I'm sorry, Harry." Hermione said sadly. "It's Rita Skeeter. I still don't know how she's doing it, but she must've spied on us when you told us. And she wrote all about it in the Prophet."

"We didn't tell anyone, I swear!" Ron said.

Someone threw a newspaper onto the table. The front page had Harry's face all over it, with a giant title screaming: THE BOY WHO LIVED? MORE LIKE THE GIRL WHO LIED!

It was followed by an article talking about how Harry was a girl and always had been since apparently it was impossible to change one's gender. How he deceived everyone and maybe he wasn't even the child of James and Lilly Potter, since they had a son and he was not, in fact, anyone's son. He was a daughter.

Harry crumpled the slanderous paper and ripped it to shreds, cursing loudly. It was a sign of how serious the situation was that no one scolded him for it.

Sirius was the first to speak up. "So that's how we know. Congratulations, by the way. You got into a girl's pants faster than any of the Marauders." he winked.

Harry glared at him. "Sirius," he did not shout, did not even raise his voice. Somehow, it was way worse. "if you do not stop it this very moment, I will murder you."

Sirius swallowed nervously. It reminded him of Lilly. "Ummm, right. So that's how the Ministry knows, too. And they decided it can only be resolved in court. They sent you a summons. You're expected to stand before the Wizengamot in a week. But seeing as they do not want to believe in Voldemort's return, you're pretty much screwed."

Harry sighed. "Thanks, Sirius. That's very reassuring."

"You're welcome." Sirius winked.

"If anyone needs me, I will be upstairs practising my Killing Curse." he walked away and slammed the door.

There was a lot of consolations and reassurances he didn't care about. He hid in the attic with Buckbeak, stroking its feathers and talking to it. Apparently, he had a thing for talking to animals. There was something comforting about the way they listened but didn't respond and they just stared at him like he was stupid. It was good to know his problems weren't all that important to everyone. It was like he could disappear and it wouldn't make a difference. He could hide and just forget. He wished for nothing more than to forget.

The day of judgement came. Mr Weasley took him to the Ministry. There, to everyone's surprise, they discovered that the hour of the appointment has changed. Luckily, they arrived at the Ministry three hours earlier.

"I call this gathering to order!" Minister Fudge slammed his hammer. "The matter of investigation is whether or not this young woman has committed identity fraud, claiming to be Harry James Potter, the only son and sole heir to one James Potter and Lilly Potter nee Evans. Now, let the accused come forward and sit in the middle."

Harry stepped into the circle and saw an old, bloodied chair with chains attached to it. He cringed.

"Thank you for the offer, Minister, but I will stand." he did not heed Mr Weasley's warning not to speak.

"It was not an offer, Miss." Fudge tried to sound threatening.

Harry just stood and waited. If they wanted to force him, let them come. He was tired of taking bullshit.

The silence continued for a long minute. Then, the Minister cleared his throat.

"Who is the defendant?"

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." the man entered and introduced himself. He had the most annoying sense of timing. "What are the charges?"

"The main charge is that the accused, with full awareness of her actions and breaking of the law, took on the identity of another, whom she is not. What do you plea?"

"Innocent." Dumbledore answered.

"What does the accused has to say for herself?"

"I am a man, sir. I do not like being called otherwise."

"What proof do you have of your claim?"

"Do you want me to take off my pants or what?" his wavering voice spoiled the effect but some members of the Wizengamot laughed anyway. The Minister called them to order again.

"The accused will restrain herself! You claim to be Harry Potter, but since you don't have any proof of the fact..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Minister, but it so happens that we do." Dumbledore said and called Ollivander as witness.

"What's your name?" The Headmaster asked.

"Garrick Ollivander."

"Do you recognize this person?"

"Of course. It's Harry Potter. Everyone recognizes him."

"Did you make his wand?"

"Yes."

"Do you recognize it?" the wand was passed to the old nan.

"Naturally. Ten and a half inches, holly. Phoenix feather. Nice and nibble."

"Did you make this wand?"

"Yes."

"Whom did you sell it to?"

"Mr Potter, of course."

"I object, Minister." some pink tart interrupted. "It only proves the accused has been impersonating Mr Potter for a long time. Who knows if Mr Potter is even alive?"

And thus, their witness was dismissed. Next, they called a goblin. It was not a popular line of defence.

"Name?"

"Griphook."

"Do you recognize that person?"

"It's our client, Harry Potter."

"Is it possible someone has impersonated him?"

"Not likely. At least when he first visited, he was himself. We made a blood test to grant him access to his family vault."

Thus, it was noted that the real Harry Potter must've visited Gringotts before the purchase of his wand and the wand entered as evidence was most likely his.

"But, who is to say the girl didn't steal Mr Potter's wand?" the pink tart questioned.

Harry was called to prove himself. He tried to cast the Patronus since those are unique, but he failed.

"Do not worry, Harry." Dumbledore said. "It is not always that we are at our best. Not being able to cast your Patronus is no proof against you."

But it was used that way. It was widely argued for different sides and points of view.

It seemed impossible to resolve the matter. Until Harry remembered the last time Snape threatened him.

"Why don't we just use Veritaserum?" he wondered aloud.

The crowd froze. It was as if he proposed he commit suicide.

"It is highly illegal to administer Veritaserum to a minor or an adult without a serious charge." the pink tart argued.

"Are the charges not serious?" he asked incredulously.

"Not serious enough for a minor. We cannot legally administer it in this case."

"Fine. I will drink it myself."

"WHAT?!" the crowd was baffled.

"If I just take it without anyone's help, it's not as if anyone has 'administered' it. I will have just drunk it and no one would have been able to stop it."

The gathering discussed it loudly among themselves. Finally, the Minister fired a bang above the shouts to silence them. "We will not stoop to such a level!" he declared.

But it was too late. Dumbledore had caught on to Harry's idea and had Snape deliver him the potion in the chaos.

Harry held it high for people to see. "Then I will." he said with emphasis.

And before anyone could stop him, he downed the entire vial. Snape facepalmed behind his back.

"This is a serious crime, young man!" Fudge cried.

"I don't care." Harry answered honestly. "You're an idiot."

"You will respect the Minister!" the pink one screeched.

"I do not have any other choice but to tell the truth now." he might have overdosed a little. Just a tiny bit. "But let me rephrase that. I meant that you're an incompetent, scared little man, who has no business doing a job as important as yours." he hiccuped.

"What is your name?" someone called, disregarding the protocol of court.

"Harry. My name is Harry. They say my middle name is James, but I didn't learn it until I was eleven. Oh, and Potter. Potter is my name too. I knew that since forever." he really must've overdosed. How many drops did Snape say he take?

"Are you the Harry Potter who vanquished You-Know-Who?" asked someone else over the Minister's shouts.

"You know, you really need a better name. What if someone doesn't know who? Oh, wait, you want an answer. Sorry." he began to feel dizzy. "I guess I am the kid who the tosser failed to kill. I was told so. Oh, and I met him during my first year. Has been possessing Quirrell. His presence gave me headaches. I guess that's some kind of proof."

"You met You-Know-Who?!" the person tried to press on just as another asked. "Are you a girl or a boy?"

"Yeah, I met him. Twice. Or thrice. Not sure if all the times count. And yeah, I am a boy. I was. Damnit. I'm not anymore. Fuck! I don't know! It's all so bloody fucked up!"

"What happened?" someone asked.

Unfortunately, the Minister managed to get the meeting under control by directing the interrogation his way.

"Is this your wand?"

Harry looked up at him as if he saw the man for the first time. "Yeah. Why do you have my wand?"

"Where did you get it?" Fudge ignored the question.

"Bought it from a creepy old dude. Seriously, where did you get it?" he was confused.

"Are you the son of James Potter?"

"Are you an idiot? Of course I am! I mean, I was. Fuck. I was born as his son. Now I'm a daughter. I think. Fuck!"

"How did it change?" someone interrupted the Minister.

"It was Voldemort. Voldermort stole my bits!"

The gathering erupted yet again. People wanted to know, how is it possible this boy(girl) under Veritaserum talks like Voldemort has come back while the Ministry denies the rumours.

That was when Lucius Malfoy stepped in.

"The Veritaserum could be a fake."

"You take it, then! We'll see if it works!" Harry shouted. But no one wanted to follow through with that.

"Maybe the boy is simply delusional." the pink tart said. It was a popular idea. It explained everything and they didn't have to worry about Voldemort. It was voted and agreed on, despite Dumbledore's protests of no proof of insanity.

It was further decided that Harry was in fact Harry Potter until proven otherwise and was likely born as a girl since it was impossible to change gender. The Potters were posthumously accused of mistaking their child's gender and fined for it (from Harry's vault, of course) and he was also fined for offending the court. It turned out there's no law against taking Veritaserum yourself since nobody had been stupid enough to do so before him.

His documents were adjusted and now he bore the name 'Harriet Jamesina Potter', which he hated with a passion. He was sent to St. Mungo's for treatment for mental and possibly magical damage. Since he was barely conscious from Veritaserum overdose, he did not object. It was a good thing, it later turned out. It would have been far more grave for him if the poisoning was allowed to last.

"So that's how I got there." he finished his story.

"Wow, Harry, that's a lot." his speaker said. "And you say this Voldemort has come back?"

"Yes. And he's going to kill us all."

"That's awful. There's got to be something we can do."

"Don't worry, Gil. I'm sure if you offer him an autograph, he's going to spare you. Just remember to make extra sure he knows all about your adventures."

"Will do! Thanks, Harry, you're a real friend!" the man stood up. "Now I need to write some more so that he has enough to read about me!"

"Don't mention it."

Harry watched as Lockhart went back to his wing of the hospital. It sure was fun to mess with him.

After about a week, the Order came to get him back. Mr Weasley had trouble signing him out of St. Mungo's. He could not do it. Several people visited Harry and it was always the same conversation:

"Come on, Harry, let's go home!"

"No thanks."

"What? Why?"

"I think I'll stay here for a while. The food is good, people are minding their own damn business and no one tried to kill me yet. And they're not hiding important information from me."

At that point, Mrs Weasley broke into tears. Mr Weasley promised to send Ron in. Moody would just warn him not to trust anyone. Remus started apologizing again. Sirius wouldn't even get to that point, since Harry had thrown him out for endangering himself.

Hermione would say she's with him and promise to do better. Ron just straight out said he had already apologized and if Harry wanted to be a dick about it, he would let him be.

Tonks only offered an 'Oooopsie!' and shrugged.

Dumbledore didn't show up.

The staff did, in fact, tell him he was clear to go. He wasn't under influence of any curse, the potion had been flushed out of his system and they couldn't do anything about his gender problem. Or rather 'gender identity' problem, as they put it.

But one of them, Healer Johnson, a muggleborn, seemed to believe him.

"Nothing was impossible in the world of magic." she said. "You can stay for observation. Granted, I can not promise any improvement and will probably not be able to help you with your problem but that it might be good to try to understand it. An assessment of your current state and a prediction for the future was what I'm going for."

So he stayed. In the meantime, he sat by the window next to his hospital bed and just stared out into space. Sometimes Lockhart would come and provide some amusement. Sometimes other patients would bug him. Sometimes it was another visitor determined to ruin his perfectly peaceful and apathetic day. And sometimes it was just a meal. Most of the time Harry just sat there and kind of... existed.

After just a few days, he got his second period.

"How are you feeling?" Healer Johnson asked.

"Uh, it hurts but it's not as bad as the first time."

"What happened the first time?"

"I took something called the One-Hour. It was hell."

She looked at him like he admitted to murder.

"What?! One-Hour? THE One-Hour? It could throw your hormonal system into complete chaos!"

"I know it's a bad idea. I wasn't thinking straight."

"I don't think you realise just how bad it is! It's not just painful, it's dangerous! I insist you endure your monthly pain naturally."

He thought it was more dictated by her thirst for knowledge than anything else but he nodded. "I have one condition, though. If I want painkillers, I will get my bloody painkillers, damn it."

"I need to evaluate your reaction, not to mention the damage you might've done."

"And I want an out." he snapped.

She conceded.

It was bloody fucking painful. Literally. Well, not the fucking part, but you get the picture.

She was taking notes and he was more or less dying of pain. He tried to diminish it by comparing with the One-Hour version, but it still was really bad.

Then the Healer asked him the most bizarre question.

"Can I inspect your vagina?"

He was flabbergasted. His mouth moved wordlessly, while the gears in his head turned. It would be the worst thing ever. He would die of embarrassment. But it could prove helpful. But he did not want to! But he needed to know more. But it was too intimate! But... wasn't he curious?

"Okay." he eventually said. "But I want painkillers. Now."

He got them. The pain was gone and he was happy. Then, he remembered what he agreed to.

Why did he agree anyway?

Because he was curious. And probably delirious.

He cringed inside as they began. It WAS the worst thing ever. He sat in a strange, unnatural position as the Healer leaned her head between his legs and waved her wand around. Then she began prodding him in his sensitive, alien and new, but very sensitive parts. He started hyperventilating at that point, so they had to stop.

"So... What did you find out?" he panted.

"You're perfectly healthy if a bit... Underdeveloped I should say. I've got some suspicions. We're going to continue the observation, then I can say something definitive."

So they did. It lasted up until the end of the summer. She took a sample of his blood daily, along with his general and detailed measurements and other things Harry didn't know what they were for.

They did also talk quite a bit. Mostly so that Harry would understand what she was doing (which didn't work for the most part) and to reassure her he wasn't the lunatic he was made out to be by the public opinion. What really struck him was how she believed in Voldemort's return but at the same time didn't think it that big of a deal.

"Someone will take care of him eventually. If the wizards can't, muggles will." she said once. It was a new perspective for him that took a good measure of the burden from his shoulders. Even when he inevitably failed, which he wholeheartedly believed would happen, the world wouldn't be completely doomed.

When his Hogwarts letter came, she offered to put an illusion on his scar, so that people couldn't recognize him. It made it more troublesome to access his vault, as the goblins asked for his blood as proof of identity, but he managed.

He didn't meet the Weasleys nor Grangers, nor did he talk to any of the familiar people he did come by. He didn't feel the need and it would spoil his newfound feeling of freedom. It was good not to be Harry Potter, if only for a few hours.

Finally, the last of August came. It was time to leave the hospital and go back to Hogwarts. But before that, it was time for the conclusion of their examination.

They met in her office per usual. Only this time she didn't take any samples. She did however have a thick stack of papers, which she wrote during the observation. She invited him in and offered some hot chocolate.

"I think we can say with about 90% certainty that we understand your predicament. With all the magic it's really hard to say since the damn wizards never conducted any proper scientific research. But I can tell you what I've learned now and then we can come to some kind of decision."

He nodded.

"First things first, I know now what Voldemort took away from you. It is also proof of your story, but don't think the Ministry is going to accept it. It's based on muggle science."

"So what is it?"

"Harry, do you know what chromosomes are?" he shook his head. "Genes? DNA? No? What a shame. Well, to grossly oversimplify, the human body works based on a set of instructions called the genetic code. In the code is written down everything about how we're made, how we're supposed to function. The code is divided into parts called chromosomes. Imagine them as volumes of a long textbook. They come in pairs. It's a precaution in case one of them is wrong about something and a part of your body wouldn't work because of it. It does work because you have a spare copy. Alright?"

"Yeah, I think I got it."

"Cool. Now, the things that make us male or female have their own chromosomes. The male is marked as Y and female as X."

"Uhmm... Okay?"

"Okay. The thing is, those are not two pairs. You do not have an X pair or a Y pair. Instead, it's one and the same pair. You get one chromosome from your father and one from your mother. The mother always gives you an X, since she has no other. From that, you can take that everyone has an X. Males too. But males also have a Y. They have an XY pair as opposed to the female XX pair. So if you get an X from your father, you're a girl. If you get a Y, you're a boy. Okay?"

He nodded.

"Now, it's obvious you got a Y since you were a boy. That's what made you a man. And that's what Voldemort took from you."

"Sooo... It's as if he was my father's son instead of me?"

"Not entirely. You've kept everything else. Otherwise, you would just turn into a copy of your mother, which didn't happen."

"Wait... If I lost my 'how-to-boy' instructions, shouldn't it just stop working?"

"It should. But we've got magic and it complicates things. I suspect your body didn't accept not being able to work and chose the only option it had. The other set of instructions. The spare copy, which only talked about 'how-to-girl', as you put it."

"Can it be reversed?"

"No." she said. "Not in any way I know of. Even if you found a way to get your chromosome Y back from Voldemort, it would not be enough. Your body would still work and it would have no incentive to change again. And do not think about taking the X out. It would kill you. The X has some things not related to gender that are crucial to human living functions. And you have no spare copy of those."

He nodded gravely. He wouldn't be getting a miracle.

"There's also one more problem your body doesn't know how to fix. You only have one X chromosome. It makes its code less pronounced. You've got fewer 'how-to-girl' tips in your DNA than an average girl. Half of it, to be precise. It makes your female traits less developed and your transformation more difficult."

"How so?"

"I would simply say you've got Turner's Syndrome, but you've no idea what it is. Your body structure didn't entirely shift to female because your body is not as sure as it would like of how it should work. It does not make your external female traits as visible as it otherwise would. Your breasts grow extremely slowly and are just now barely noticeable. Your hips are still narrow for a female. Your voice still did not stabilize but I bet it won't be as female as it would be. You lost your male traits but didn't get full-blown female ones."

"So I could go on as a man if not for Skeeter and her damn article!"

"No, I believe not. Your female traits will develop, only slowly. You've still got a couple of years before your puberty's done. It would come out sooner or later. And that's not even talking about the internal female traits."

"What about them?"

"They exist. And are functional. That's for one. And that's a problem. Your external... I'll be blunt. Your vaginal orifice is underdeveloped. It's too small. I can only guess the same goes for the channel and the cervix. That is the reason your menstruation hurts so much. It is not supposed to be THAT bad. But for some reason, you seem to have functioning ovaries and are exuding egg cells. You shouldn't. Egg cells are formed before birth. By all account, you should not have them. But magic is stupid and it happened somehow."

"Is there anything we can do about it?"

"There are two ways. One, we can give you female hormones. It will help your development in that direction. Your external parts could catch up with the internal ones, diminishing the side effects. The only downside for you personally would be that you would be even more female and I know it bothers you. Despite that, this is the option I recommend."

"What is the other way?"

"Sterilization. Full removal of your internal reproductive organs. It is a drastic measure and will most likely result in further physical trauma. And keeping in mind that magic is stupid and anything can happen, if you ever return to your original form, you would most likely lose your male traits."

"You mean... It would be like cutting off my bits?"

"Indeed."

"Those are not good options. Is there no other way? Can we not use male hormones to stop the menstrual cycle or something?"

"Not likely. Your body already uses magic to counter nature, so going against its plans is most probably not going to work. Best case scenario, it would just get rid of the hormones and continue as it does now."

"I... I'll have to think about it."

Harry had little time before he had to leave. He also just went through his third period, which was particularly painful despite heavy use of painkillers. He was leaning towards the first option, but it still weirded him out and he didn't want to be more female. He didn't give his answer on time. Eventually, he promised to write back and went on his way to King's Cross.