Chapter Two: What Was Becomes What Is
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or affiliated characters, places, and things. They all belong to J.K. Rowling and affiliated companies. This particular plot is mine however. And to make it seem more cohesive to the original stories I am using some of the lines from them, but they are not my material. They came for the excellent mind of their owner.
A/N: I do not like Ron at all, but to some he is a cherished person. To those people I am sorry, but Ron is not going to be shown in good light, or be painted in pretty colours. Please read and review. On with the story!
Jasmine's eyes shot open as she lurched forward in bed. Looking around revealed that she was in her room in the boys' dormitory. Ron was still passed out on the bed next to hers. Jasmine could feel the bile in her stomach move forward a little. Now was not the time to get ill from just being near Ronald. Jasmine reached for her glasses. Once they were on she walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. 'Harry' stared back at her. Jasmine clenched her fist. This shite was going to end and be damned the consequences.
Jasmine walked over to her trunk with an idea forming in her mind. She opened the trunk and pulled out her invisibility cloak, and the Marauder's Map. Putting it on she walked to the door. She looked one last time at the guys she had come to see as brothers. It was going to be hard to leave these blokes behind. Well not all of them. The red-head in the room was going to be thrown under the Knight Bus as fast as magically possible. You don't try to sell Jasmine Potter as a piece of meat and get away with it.
She pulled then hood of the invisibility cloak over hear head. It was time to get to the library.
-HAN-
An alarm went off in Dumbledore's office causing the elderly wizard to shoot up in his bed. He put on his spectacles, and looked around the room. He saw nothing threatening his well-being, or trying to take the Elder Wand. So, he walked over to his devices monitoring Jasmine Potter's well-being. When he got there two things made him panic. Jasmine's life was over according to one device, and the Horcrux in her scar was destroyed. Before he could check on the validity of this information Jasmine's life vial sprang back to blue signalling she was alive. He looked over to the vial that was monitoring the Horcrux in her scar, and the liquid was still black. He had to find Ms. Potter and fast. If he was right then she had died, and had come back to life. His only hope was that it was Jasmine that came back, and not Tom.
He looked over all the other devices. Her mind was still intact. Her magic was still active, and it looked stronger. Not as strong as Tom's though. That brought a sliver of hope to his mind. If the Horcrux was gone it would make finding the other ones more difficult, and he would have to recalculate the end game. She could still sacrifice herself to save everyone, but the loss of such a strong light side family was TOO big of a risk to take. He needed to examine the poor girl. If he was right she would be a corpse if what he feared had actually taken place. However, something else came to mind, but the odds of that were so astronomical that they were almost impossible. Even if she had encountered this rare opportunity to meet her parents, and come back the secret of 'Harry James Potter' would be revealed. That would be a disaster.
"I need to get Minerva to go check on the girl." Albus thought for a moment. "I will leave Pompfrey out of this. No need to get the two of them overly concerned."
-HAN-
Jasmine walked into the library, and closed the door quietly. She walked to the portion of the library that Hermione loved to use. It was secluded, and with the invisibility cloak she would not be seen. When she got to the desk hidden behind three bookshelves she pulled out her wand. While thinking of the two books she needed she flicked her wand and said, "Accio." It didn't take long before the two books she was wanting came flying over the book shelves. Once the books were in her hands Jasmine moved the invisibility cloak to cover up the book, and then she looked at the map. There was no one in the hall way. She left the library, and started making her way to the seventh floor.
Once she was near a vacant stairwell she started making her way up hoping that Peeves was nowhere near her path. She made her way to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She walked infront of his tapestry thrice thinking of a room where she could sit down and read for a little while, along with parchment to take notes on the potions she would need to make, and have a place to sleep. Almost as an afterthought, she wanted the room to be exclusive to her until she left. The last thing she wanted was for Dumbledore to blast his way in here like Umbridge. She was also wondering if Dumbledore knew what had happened to her, or rather the scar on her forehead. He micromanaged her life, so it only stood to reason that he would have something, what she did not know, monitoring her wellbeing, and the status of the scar.
Once the doors appeared Jasmine opened them and walked inside. There was a four-poster with Gryffindor curtains, blanket, pillows, and a night stand with a pitcher of water sitting next to the bed. There was a desk which had a lamp, an inkwell and quill, and a stack of parchment. There was also a clothes rack containing a set of girl's school uniforms, a pair of shoes that looked like flats sat next to the clothes rack, and a dresser sat in the back corner of the room. Jasmine did not ask for any of these things, but it seemed the room knew what she really needed. What was real, creepy was that for some reason her backpack was on top of the dresser. She often wondered if the school could think, and this was in its own way confirming this hypothesis.
Jasmine walked over to the rack of clothing and hung the Invisibility cloak on the rack. She then walked with the books over to the desk. After setting the books down she threw herself into the chair. It was starting to feel weird walking around in this form. She had been doing it for over fifteen years, and now it felt all kinds of wrong. Just remembering the truth about who she really was infuriating. At this moment she really wanted to harm Douche Nozzles 164.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts Jasmine turned to the books. The first one she picked up was the one on Occlumency. What she read was pretty much the same thing her Reaper had told her to do. She walked through the steps once more to see if the shields were still there. She was also checking to make sure the barriers were the same. Once she was satisfied she left her mindscape and turned to the potions manual. What it contained seemed primarily about vanity and hygiene maintenance. Hair dye, makeup application spells, removal of makeup charms, and feminine/masculine hygiene care. Once she got past the embarrassing parts she started looking for the potions she was going to have to make. They were under the section titled When Potions Make You Not You.
The detection for a gender change potion was pretty simple. Well pretty simple for someone who had six years of potion making experience, or Hermione in her second year. It would take two hours to make this particular potion, and the ingredients were held within the common potions kit. She would have to get triple the amount she currently had to make the amount of potion she would need. The next potion contained similar potions ingredients except for the inclusion of two ingredients in most love potions. This intrigued her a little. It seemed that combined in love potion formulas they were damn good, but in this particular potion if combined they were lethal. This was another reason for Snape to have nothing to do with this potion. She didn't trust him to save someone else's life. He may have been a damn good double agent, but that doesn't mean he likes her.
Jasmine looked at her watch and saw that it was two in the morning. Jasmine rubbed her eyes and thought of going back to sleep. Once she woke up later this morning she would head down to Madam Pomfrey's office. Then get this gender thing partially resolved. She looked over her notes on gender change once more. She wanted to make sure she had everything down that she needed to tell the nurse to prove her case. There was a problem with getting down to the nurse though. One look at the Marauder's Map showed all the teachers, prefects that were present, and the headmaster was searching the school. Jasmine wondered what the headmaster was thinking about right now. Whatever it was it probably wasn't a happy thought.
Jasmine walked over to the dresser, and stated packing garments into her back pack. Once the clothes were taken care of Jasmine forced the shoes in their as well. It was a tight fit once she got them all in the bag, but she felt better knowing that she wouldn't have to come back up here to get them. She would have to go shopping though once school let out because she really didn't want to be walking around wearing her cousin's old things as a girl. That would be awkward to say the least.
As she got ready for bed something crossed her mind. Dobby could get her to the Madam Pompfrey without her having to use the invisibility cloak, or having to explain how she knew apparition, but would he respond to her call. Well there was only one way to find out. "Dobby?"
The sound of a soft pop off to her left informed her that yes he would come if she called. "Is the great Harry Potter needing Dobby, sir?"
"Yes I am Dobby." Once she put her glasses back on she noticed that the poor elf seemed to have been crying. "What's wrong Dobby?"
Dobby wiped his nose before he stammered out what had been bugging him. "I f-f-f-felt Harry Potter d-d-d-die sir. I t-t-t-travelled to your dorm to check on you, and once I got there you took in a breath. I checked to see if you had been cursed, but I found nothing wrong with you except for your scar. It seemed to be bleeding. I cleaned it up sir, and then left." The elf then hugged Jasmine tightly, and Jasmine felt bad for the little guy.
"Dobby I don't want to scare you, but I did die." The elf looked up at her and his eyes were now wider than normal. "I was only dead for a second or two." Jasmine felt tears start as she thought of what she was going to tell Dobby. Jasmine pushed through the tension she felt and told the elf she had met her parents, and that her death was her body failing due to the curse Voldemort put on her. The true reason she returned to life Jasmine couldn't tell him. Instead, she told him that it just wasn't her time. "I wish I could tell you more Dobby, but I can't. I can tell you that it is really me, and I will do whatever you say I need to do to prove it Dobby. I don't want to cause you pain." Jasmine said as she kneeled down to look Dobby in the eyes.
"You don't need to do anything Harry Potter sir. Dobby knows it's you sir, your magic is the same, and your good heart shines even brighter now. Dobby is happy Harry Potter was allowed to see his parents' sir." The smile on the elf's face was beyond beaming at this news. "So is this why Harry Potter not in his dorm?"
"Yes Dobby it is." Jasmine smiled at her friend. She thought for a second on what she wanted to tell him. "I also learned that I am a girl, and that the potion making me this way will fail when I am eighteen years old. I don't want to deal with that then. I want to fix it now. So, I acquired these books," Jasmine pointed to the desk, "…and I will need to get to the school nurse. I was wondering if you could get me to the infirmary Dobby?" Jasmine asked hoping that the pleading she felt was reflected in her facial expressions.
"Dobby will do anything to help you, ma'am, but who told you about this ma'am?" Dobby asked with a confused look on his face.
"I looked different in Limbo. The potion may have changed my physical body, but it didn't change my soul. I was also told that I had to choose the gender change for it to affect my soul." Thinking back to what happened during her stay in the afterlife Jasmine smiled. "My parents also confirmed this, and my real name is Jasmine Dobby." Jasmine said with a soft smile.
"That is incredible ma'am. Just more proof how great you are." Dobby said with an enormous smile on his face. "What time do you want me to get you ma'am?" Dobby asked jumping up and down.
"About eight thirty Dobby, and thank you my friend." Jasmine said hugging Dobby once more before the elf apparated away. "Now it's time to go to bed."
-HAN-
8:45 AM
Poppy was sitting there at her desk wondering why every other staff member was wondering around the castle at the moment. Her thoughts were drifting to Potter. If Sirius black had been in the castle more than once this could be prelude to something far darker. Just thinking about this was beyond disheartening.
A popping noise caused Poppy to turn around with her wand drawn. What she saw made her smile. Harry was standing beside a house elf who seemed to be very excited. Poppy ran over to Potter and before he could say anything she started seeing if he was okay. After few quick spells Poppy was satisfied that this really was Harry Potter, and that there was nothing wrong with him. She watched as he chuckled about something. "What is wrong Mr. Potter?"
"Oh, nothing much I just learned that my gender was changed." Poppy stood there in stunned silence. Before the boy could say anything else she cast a spell to see if his mind had been messed with. When it didn't come back positive. She cast a preliminary test for stronger mind affecting spells and nefarious potions. "What are you doing Madam Pompfrey?"
"I was making sure you haven't been Confunded, Mr Potter. Since that doesn't seem to have happened. I am also making sure you were you. There are potions that can change what someone looks like. I was also looking for stronger mind-affecting spells just now. There is a curse stronger than the confundus charm, and thankfully you're not under its effects. Now I am going to check to see if what you have claimed to be true is actually that, and then I will let Professor Dumbledore…"
"No Madam Pompfrey I would prefer that Dumbledore not know until this problem is fixed. And I request that patient medewitch confidentiality be applied until this is over." Harry looked pleadingly at her.
"Fine Mr. Potter, and I am still calling you that until this is done." Madam Pompfrey said as flicked her wrist. "Now if you flash green…" Madam Pompfrey voice faltered as Harry flashed green, "it will be confirmed that your gender was changed. Well and here I was expecting it to turn blue as a false change. Well now I need to give you a potion to restore you to your original gender." She walked into her office to her personal potion storage cabinet. If students didn't accidently turn themselves into the opposite gender at least once a year she would have never stockpiled these potions. She took the small vial containing a purple liquid off of her potion rack. This was going to change everything. Once she had thought about what was going on Pomona grabbed a violet green potion as well. This one would tell them how long the body change had been a factor. She walked out of her office. She handed Potter the violet green one. "Potter this one will tell me how long you have been like this."
Potter took the vial, uncorked it, and swirled it around a little. "Here's to hoping it taste good." Potter downed the potion, and shortly thereafter flashed bright blue for two short burst, and glowed blue for about thirty seconds. Pomona's mouth fell open at this. This meant something far darker was going on here. She didn't know what it was, but maybe there was a good reason for Potter not wanting Albus to know what was going on. "What did that mean?" Potter asked looking quizzically at her hands.
"The severity of colour meant that it was longer than a day, and the length of it tells me how long you've been like this. The two short burst meant one single year each, and the thirty-second glow meant a decade. So you have been like this for twelve years. With probably a few months and days thrown in there. Given how long you have been like this I cannot say for sure. Drink this now Potter to temporarily solve this problem, and be forewarned this is going to be painful, and there is nothing I can do about that."
Potter took the potion and without a second thought drank it all in one swig. The poor girl's face cringed at its taste, but there was nothing Pomona could do about it. Once the potion was gone Potter set the phial on one of the beds. Pomona wanted to say something, but the changes started before she could. Pomona cast a silencing charm on Potter to quell the screams she knew would be coming. It was odd the first time she watched someone shift between the genders, but this time it felt even weirder. Potter's hips were the first things to change. The next to change was her hands. While they still held some of the gruff looks they had they also held a touch of soft and gentle look to them. It was quite funny that she noticed the change to Potter's hands considering that they were holding the side of her chest as her chest developed. The last thing affected by the potion was Potter's face. The shrinking of her chin didn't seem to bother the girl as much as the rest of her body. Once the girl's body stopped changing what greeted Poppy's vision was a startling image of Lilly Potter except for the girl's hair which was more like James.
Before she could say anything to the girl a flash of white light erupted from her body, and within seconds everything she had known about the girl before November 1, 1981, had been unlocked. She was there when Lilly had given birth to the girl. Even her name slipped back into her mind. It was Jasmine. Poppy wanted to know the reason both the girl's name and true nature were withheld from her. She could only think of one person who would do this to the poor girl: Albus Dumbledore. Poppy had no doubts that this was happening to everyone in the wizarding world, but to the rest of the world, it would be as if she had always been a girl. There were a couple of things that could do this, but the most probable was a single potion injunction with something akin to the fidelius charm. Poppy just wondered why Albus had done this.
-HAN-
At that very moment, the flash of light went throughout the school. The few students that were still there stop what they were doing as the information in their minds was shifted around. They became aware that 'Harry' was born a girl, but to them, the name 'Harry' was the only thing they knew her by. They were all curious as to why this had happened. Most of the girls who had been dreaming of marrying Harry Potter screamed out in frustration.
Hermione Granger stopped doing her Arithmancy homework as the information shifted around in her mind. She set her quill down to digest this information. Her best mate Harry Potter had turned into a girl. No, she corrected herself. Jasmine Lilly Potter had been turned into a boy. How did she know this though? She had known the girl for three years now, and not once did she notice any of the tell-tale signs that let you know one's gender has been changed. She picked up her things and decided she needed to find her friend before Ron did. He would make a mess of things. And right now Jasmine need a friend.
-HAN-
In Wiltshire, a blonde haired boy was talking with his friends about the things they were going to do once they returned to Hogwarts. As they were talking about what they could do to foil the 'Great' Harry Potter a bright flash of light filled the room. Within seconds all the things that he had known and done were shown in a new light. It seemed that Potty had been turned into a boy long ago. Probably by the old fraud Dumbledore. Draco Malfoy smiled at this new information. He looked around the room at his friends. Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott were just smiling at one another. What could they be thinking about? Hopefully not about what Potter looked like. Draco just cringed at the thought.
Had Draco been paying better attention to his guest he would have noticed that one of his guests was more intrigued by the idea then he was. The 'pug' faced Pansy Parkinson seemed to be awestruck by this new information. The name Jasmine crept its way into her mind, and she had no idea where it came from. She looked around the room. What she saw was typical of the boys. She knew Draco was not interested in her, and honestly, she was ok with that. They were all trying to picture what Potter would look like now. The look on Draco's face was not a good one. She couldn't chastise the boys for doing this though. She knew they were into girls, but they didn't know that she had a similar lean in the romance department. It was only her parents' insistence that she date Draco that kept her going after the… boy.
Pansy closed her eyes, and let her mind wonder for a little while on what Potter would look like now. She focused on her name, Jasmine, to help improve the image. She also used the one photo she knew of concerning the girl's mum. It was old, and in the Daily Prophet, but it was better than nothing. The young woman that her mind made up was probably a touch too pretty, but it was better to focus on that then whatever Draco was thinking. The image was also a little more revealing than she would ever admit to. There were a few new ideas that popped into her head after a while, and she didn't like them. It was bad enough that she had them about Granger. It's not that she didn't want them, but if anyone found out she had them her life would be over. There was no one in her house, peers, or family that would support her if she made this decision. Had it been a pure-blood say like Susan Bones things would be different, but they were a half-blood and a muggle-born.
Pansy sighed. 'What am I going to do?' she thought.
-HAN-
Albus was searching once more through the Gryffindor boys' dormitory when it happened. The white flash of light that signalled the end of 'Harry' Potter moved past him, and stopped Albus Dumbledore in his tracks. It wasn't long before Ron Weasley stuck his head out of the third year boys' dorm. The boy stared back at him with a happy smile. Albus didn't return the smile. If Harry…. No Jasmine returned to her normal from then that meant she died, and returned to life. Fate it seems didn't want to wait on Albus' plan concerning the horcrux trapped in Jasmine's scar. It had wanted it now, and it appeared that there was nothing Albus could do about it.
Ron was thinking about the things that he was going to do with Jasmine Potter once they were married. He was so happy that Dumbledore had let him in on his little secret. He then asked the old man if he could work up an old-fashioned marriage contract with Jasmine. The man said he would think about it, and three days later the old man let him know he agreed with his plan. The Potter fortune needed to go to someone should the girl died. Dumbledore said he would get his mother over to the school so they would get things started. It was however up to Ron to master a compulsion charm so that his mother would sign the contract without question. He had been practising simple compulsion charms over the summer on Scabbers. He found it really easy to do this. So the day before they returned home he decided to try a more complex spell. It may be illegal to use on a human, but Scabbers was a rat. The Imperious Curse was not that hard to pull off after all his practices with simpler spells. It was draining yes, but he had mastered it before they met up with 'Harry' in Diagon Alley.
The day finally came when his and Dumbledore's plan could be enacted. While 'Harry' was recovering from her injury caused by the Dementors interference during their first Quidditch match Dumbledore asked his mum to come by the office. He had Ron under a Disillusionment charm so that he had a better chance of getting his mother under his control. Once this was achieved the woman did as he commanded. Sadly, Dumbledore said he had to release her, and when he did this Dumbledore whipped his mum's memory of the event.
There was only one problem with their little plan. It was the fact that his mum was under mind control. The contract could not be magically binding because of that, but that didn't matter. So long as Potter only married his sister, and was not magically married to someone his life was going to be loads of fun. He started chuckling to himself. The odds of things going wrong were so astronomical they might as well be impossible.
-HAN-
Molly was cleaning up around the house trying to take her mind of a few things. The twins had mailed off one of their jokes to Bill. Bill seemed to think that it was funny so she couldn't get onto them for that 'invention's inconvenience. As she levitated the trash to the bin a white flash of light went through the kitchen. The information that filled her mind made Ms. Weasley stop dead in her tracks. As she came to terms with the information settled she cursed under her breath.
There was only one person who could do this, and he probably had a really good reason for changing the girl's gender, but that he did not trust his closest allies with this information was unsettling. She didn't want to go rushing into the man's office. He was probably dealing with McGonagall right now anyway. She needed to write to her son telling him to let her know when things had settled down. She knew that if she had just come out of being a fake boy for the last twelve years the last thing she would want is a huge fuss about things. Now for the first time in her life, Molly Weasley was going to wait for her son, or one of her surrogate daughter to contact her. When she did Molly would be there to support her. This was a trying time for the lass, and she didn't want to add to the drama.
-HAN-
In the Forbidden Forest, a mangy dog was gnawing at a dead rat when a flash of white light rushed past him. In that moment a flood of memories came rushing back to him. The memories of his goddaughter were spreading new joy into his life. Sure he was happy with the fake memories, but these 'new' ones were what really happened. And the thought of Jasmine making James look the fool on a quidditch field brought a smile to his face.
There was something else that caused him to smile. Jasmine seemed to be interested in a girl from Ravenclaw. If what he was thinking was true, then the red-headed boy who tagged along with her would be sorely disappointed. Sirius was going over some of the things he knew about the boy. When he thought about it something seemed off about the boy, and that troubled him. This and a few other things was something Jasmine needed to be aware of. One of these things was not a good thing for her future.
-HAN-
Jasmine felt nauseated after drinking the potion. She should have taken the taste of Skele-grow Potion as a warning as to the way a majority magical remedies tasted. If she had to put the taste of them on a scale of one to ten with ten being the most disgusting, Skele-grow was an eight, and this was an eleven. She hoped she didn't have to drink the thing that much. One look back at Madam Pompfrey told her that the transformation was complete.
Jasmine smiled up at Madam Pompfrey before she asked. "So how do I look?"
Madam Pompfrey shook her head in disbelief and glared down at her. "Honestly Ms Potter there are more important things to discuss than how good you look."
"Perhaps, but I do have to get used to thinking like a girl don't I?" Jasmine asked chuckling a little and trying to look as innocent as possible. When Madam Pompfrey raised an eyebrow Jasmine decided to err in favour of being less snarky. She decided to ask the question she 'should' ask. Madam Pompfrey should know the answers to them, so she hoped she could tap into her inner Slytherin for this con. Jasmine forced her face into a sombre appearance. "So is there any way I can find out what my real name is?"
"Your real name is Jasmine Lilly Potter. Obviously, the potion was used in conjunction with a secrecy spell. And the spell seemed to be dependent on the gender you were, so that is one thing you can be thankful for. However, I think that is the end of the good news."
Jasmine laughed a little before she asked. "How bad could it be after that painful transformation?"
Jasmine soon regretted asking that question. She was told that she would have to take the potion she just took once a day and that she should start working on the other potion that would permanently fix the problem as soon as possible. Madam Pompfrey also told her that she had enough potion to last her a week and that it was best if Jasmine herself made both potions as it was best if they were no more than a week old. As the nurse started talking about the real counter potion Jasmine interrupted madam Pompfrey's explanation.
"Six lunar cycles I know. I read the whole chapter pertaining to the potions that deliberately change your gender, and their counter potions. I believe it is also recommended that the potion is taken on or near your birthday. Am I correct?" Jasmine asked a little sheepishly as her interruption seemed to annoy Madam Pompfrey. The last thing Jasmine needed was a pissed off nurse. What if she needed help later today?
"You are correct Ms Potter, but I would strongly recommend not starting that potion until late January so that you don't have to preserve the potion for long." Jasmine nodded in agreement. "Now I think you should go talk to Ms Granger to see if she has anything that you can wear. While I go talk to the headmaster and see if I cannot take you somewhere to get you some appropriate attire. So give me a moment to…"
Whatever Madam Pompfrey was going to say was cut off by the sound of the fireplace coming to life, and the shortly thereafter the minister in his pinstriped robes that seemed to have been hastily thrown on stumbled into Infirmary. A matter of seconds after that the doors to the Infirmary burst open with both Hermione and Ron stumbling through the doors. Only one of them held a look of concern on their faces. The sound of someone apparating seemed to bring everyone's attention away from Jasmine. Standing in the middle of Infirmary was Albus Dumbledore, and given the look on his face, he was not expecting to see this many people.
It was as if everyone tried to speak at once. Hermione had run up to Jasmine and was trying to ask something about clothes. While Ron and Fudge seemed to want to know why Jasmine had done this. Dumbledore was trying to seem concerned about Jasmine's wellbeing. The commotion ended when Madam Pompfrey made an explosion noise with a flick of her wand.
"Now I know we all want to know pretty much the same thing here, but the poor girl has just returned to her natural gender, and I do not think she needs four people trying to talk over each other at the moment." She glared at the four people who just entered the room. "Now Ms Potter needs to change into something more appropriate than her sleepwear before I will allow her to answer any of your questions. Now, Ms Granger, do you have…"
Jasmine took this moment to tell Madam Pompfrey before she embarrassed Jasmine and Hermione. "Madam Pompfrey I already actually have clothes." When the nurse looked at her quizzically she explained further. How she was walking around the school looking for a place to read the books in private when a room 'mysteriously' revealed itself, and that she had found within the room some spare clothes that included undergarments and some school clothes. "So all I really need to do ma'am is change. So If you could all just give me a moment I will…"
"Ms Potter may I see these clothes, as I have never heard of such a room." Madam Pompfrey said while looking worriedly at Jasmine.
It was Douche Nozzle 164 that spoke next. "Madam Pompfrey I have had my run in with a room with similar qualities in my youth, so I think Ms Potter is telling the truth here. But what I am wondering here Ms Potter is how you learned of your condition?"
One look around the room told her that is what they were all wondering. Jasmine gave a dramatic sigh. "I don't know if you'll believe me. I mean what happened is almost miraculous." Jasmine said in a depressed tone. "Apparently I died at some point last night," there was a sharp intake of air around the room. "I met my parents, and they told me everything they could before Death ended the conversation. They told me that I was really a girl and that something Voldemort had done that night left a piece of himself in my scar." she pointed to the lightning bolt scar, "I asked if I was dead. I learned that I was not truly dead." Jasmine looked down at the ground. "I just wish there was a way I could prove all this really happened, 'cause I am guessing you all think I'm crazy."
The awkward silence that followed was only broken by the Dumbledore. "There is a way to do this Ms Potter, but I think it would be best for all involved if, as Madam Pompfrey stated earlier, you got into those new clothes of yours."
Jasmine nodded her head in agreement grabbed her backpack, and walked into Madam Pompfrey's office. Jasmine asked Hermione to come and help her as this would be her first time putting on certain undergarments. Hermione agreed to this as she could there was more to the request. Once the office door was closed Jasmine took off her night shirt, and instinctively looked down at her new anatomy. Jasmine looked over her shoulder at Hermione. She smiled to herself seeing the embarrassment she had caused her friend. She apologised and blamed her brashness off as spending the last twelve years as a guy, and having no sense of decency when it came to changing clothes.
"Honestly Harry…" Hermione cringed at that. "Sorry Jasmine, but that is wrong and you know it. This is going to take some getting used to." Jasmine nodded in agreement. "Now I am sure you know how to put on a pair of knickers?" Hermione smiled as Jasmine blushed.
'Oh, it is on girl.' Jasmine thought before she replied "Yes and I also know how to remove them… slowly."
"JASMINE!" Hermione said a little bit taken back.
"What? I am just being honest." Jasmine said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out her new school uniform, and the undergarments she had gotten from the Room of Requirement. When Jasmine looked back at Hermione the glare she was expecting to be there held a little bit more force than she was expecting. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry I took it a little too far." She smiled over at Hermione before she held up her knickers. "Now these I can get on easily, but if you don't want to see my naughty bits I suggest you look away."
Hermione nodded and turned her back to Jasmine. Jasmine took off the boxers she was wearing and tossed them into Madam Pompfrey's waste bin. Once the lower undergarments were on Jasmine tried to tackle the bra. Once she realised this was not going to be easy she asked for help. Hermione talked her through it. It took about a minute and a half before Jasmine had finally gotten the damn thing on. It was one of the most awkward sensations she had every felt in her life. Sure she felt her breast being supported, but it would take some getting used to having a second piece of clothing in that region of her body. It just felt weird. Then Hermione instructed her on how to put on her school uniform. Not that she really need it, but what else were good friends for? Once she had her uniform on Jasmine said she could handle the rest. Hermine walked towards the door, and it was then that Jasmine decided to solve at least one problem.
"Hermione," when her friend turned around Jasmine took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you. I know you were just looking out for me. I mean Sirius Black could have sent that broom, so thank you." Jasmine was looking down at the ground at this point. More ashamed of how long it had taken her last time to forgive her friend.
It was at that point Jasmine was hit with a brown haired missile. The bone crushing hug that came with it was welcome, to say the least. When Hermione backed away there were tears in her eyes. Jasmine wanted to say something, but Hermione beat her to it. "You know I am only looking out for you, ya know. I mean a gift with no name tag Harr- Jasmine is almost screaming trouble."
"Well so am I you know. I mean look at what I have done so far? Snuck out of my dorm room, went into the library, stole a couple of books, and then went to a secret room. It's almost like I am a Marauder." Jasmine smiled brightly. It would be some time before Hermione understood the gravitas of what Jasmine had just said, but it really didn't matter right now.
"You are incorrigible you know that right?" Hermione said with a smile.
"Yes, I do." Jasmine smiled at Hermione. She wanted to kiss the girl but didn't know if she should. She was one of her soulmates, but Jasmine didn't know how to initiate that conversation, or even how to prove they were soulmates. Before she could say anymore Hermione broke away and walked out of the room. Once the door closed Jasmine said "You're a real smooth operator Jasmine. Keep doing things like this, and you will have this solved in no time." She sighed before she went over to her backpack to retrieve her shoes, and then she went to sit down in Madam Pompfrey's chair and started putting on her socks and shoes.
When she was done getting dressed Jasmine put her nightclothes in her backpack, and then walked infront of the mirror in the room to get a good look at herself. She now resembled her mother more than her father, and this would change the way people describe. She would have to get used to that and pray Snape managed to distinguish between her and her mum.
Jasmine looked over at her backpack and decided she didn't need it right now. The only thing she got from her backpack was her wand. She then looked all over her new clothes for a place to put and had found a small pocket of sorts hidden in her sleeve. Once her wand was safely stored she walked out of the room. Once she had re-joined the others she regretted it. Not only were people giving her the once over, but there were some new members to the group. The two professors that had joined them were not really a surprise, but the fact that the Minister of Magic was there was a touch surprising. Snape seemed sourer than he normal was. Jasmine, of course, knew the real reason he was so miserable, but she wasn't going to let him know that just yet. Professor McGonagall looked more than a little angry at the moment. She looked like she wanted to yell at someone, and given who she was looking at Jasmine didn't need a crystal ball to tell the headmaster was in for a 'discussion' at some point. While McGonagall was holding her tongue the same could not be said for Ronald Weasley.
"Wow, Harry you're hot!" Ron brought his hands to his mouth. He then looked from Professor McGonagall to Hermione. Both witches did not seem pleased with him at the moment. "I'm sorry Harry…."
"Ron my name is Jasmine, and I would appreciate it if you used it thank you," Jasmine said curtly. She then turned her gaze to Dumbledore. "You said there was a way for people to see what I was talking about headmaster?"
"Yes, but I think it best if only I…"
Jasmine decided to cut the idea of Dumbledore being the only one to see the truth short. "NO Professor Dumbledore I don't think that is right." She gestured to everyone else in the room. "Everyone else is here concerned about me just as much as you are. These are my memories after all, and if you are going to be the only one allowed to see them I do not think I will allow them to be seen." Jasmine looked between Dumbledore and Snape, and the two men looked worried. They both appeared to be mentally worried that within the memory would be the prophecy. Jasmine had no desire to let them win this fight. They had taken so much from her. It was time that she took something from them. She knew the old man's game now, and the only way to win was to be silent. After what felt like ten minutes Dumbledore let out a sigh.
"Ms Potter there are things that your parents and I discussed in private that I wish to keep that way," Dumbledore said with this air of superiority. Jasmine knew he was talking about the prophecy, but after what she learned she didn't care if Voldemort knew the damn thing.
"No headmaster I don't think so. If Minister Fudge, Professor McGonagall, Hermione, and Madam Pompfrey here cannot see this memory neither can you." One look around the room showed four people who were happy, and three who were not. Jasmine added as almost an afterthought. "Oh sorry, Ron you can see this too."
With everyone staring at him Dumbledore knew that he wasn't getting anywhere with his attempt at being the only one who learned what happened to Jasmine. Though he was skilled at wandless magic putting Jasmine under a compulsion charm infront of McGonagall and Madam Pompfrey was out of the question. Jasmine was good at reading people she had her uncle to thank for that, and she knew the old man was about to cave.
"Very well Ms Potter why don't we all go up to my office and I will explain how we can review your memory," Dumbledore said with a hint of bitterness in what he said.
With that everyone left the Hospital Wing, and headed to the headmaster's office. On the way there they passed a few students who were staying for the Christmas Holos. Jasmine really wasn't prepared for their reactions. As they passed the students were doing a double take as Jasmine passed them. They stared in disbelief at what they saw walking past them. If this is what happened with only five students she dreaded what it would be like when rest of student body returned. She figured the only reason she wasn't stopped by the group was because she was surrounded by members of staff.
Jasmine was pulled out of her thought at the sound of the statue leading to Dumbledore's office moving. Jasmine followed Dumbledore up the stairs, but just before she walked through the door she stepped aside to let everyone else through before she herself walked through. She really didn't want to follow Dumbledore through the door as this would give him the opportunity to close the door behind her, and thus cutting everyone else off. The bastard had caged her once before. She would not let him do so again.
Once they were all inside his office Dumbledore closed and magically locked the door. He then walked over to the cabinet where the pensieve was stored. He pulled it out far enough where everyone could stand around it. He then tapped a rune on the side of stone basin causing the rim to widen. When it appeared big enough for all of them to use he tapped the rune once more. He then instructed Jasmine on how to copy her memory. Jasmine nodded her head and proceeded to copy her memory. She thought of the meeting with her parents, and the things both preceded and followed the meeting. As the memories became clearer in her mind she could once again feel the happiness and sorrow of meeting her parents. She stopped the memory flow at the moment her conversation with Death had ended. She wanted Dumbledore to think this was the moment she returned to life. Once she was satisfied she pulled her wand away from her temple. The silvery thread of memories shone brightly in the dim room. She dropped the memory into the pensieve.
Then Dumbledore explained how to use the pensieve. It was at that point they all lowered their heads to the liquid surface. Once more Jasmine felt a falling sensation as she descended into the memory. Once this had passed she had found herself once more in the white marble copy of Kings Cross. Looking around Jasmine found her memory-self wandering around the station. She was chastising herself mentally for not doing a better job at looking confused. The look of surprise when the memory version of herself finally saw what she looked like was good though. Then came the part that everyone wanted to see. Her meeting her parents.
It was at this point that she discovered that her mum and dad had entered this Kings Cross the same way you would normally enter the station. Everyone seemed to crowd around her reunion with her parents. When the conversation between her and her parents began Hermione had moved closer to Jasmine and took hold of her hand for support. When her father answered her question regarding her gender everyone except for Jasmine started to glare at Dumbledore. As the conversation went on everyone's eyes turned first to a blushing Hermione, and then to Jasmine when her mum had told her about an upcoming betrayal. The news about Sirius seemed to stun everyone except for Dumbledore. Everyone turned to look at the man. It was almost as if he was the one who condemned Sirius to Azkaban. Jasmine knew this wasn't the case, but he could have easily forced the Crouch to give the man a trial.
When her parents faded away Jasmine once again felt the cold chill that signalled the arrival of Death. Everyone looked at her in stunned silence while her memory-self talked with Death. Dumbledore seemed really interested in the tiny thing lying underneath the seat. As Death talked about disarming Dumbledore the old man looked concerned. By the end of her short conversation with Death Jasmine was certain everyone, except for herself, had a question for the esteemed headmaster.
When the memory started over Dumbledore said they should leave. Once they were all out of the pensieve Jasmine drew her wand and then disarmed the Headmaster. When everyone looked over at her Jasmine just shrugged her shoulders. "Death did tell me that I should do this before we viewed the memory."
"That may not have actually been death, Ms Potter," Dumbledore said with a little bit of concern in his voice.
"Albus," McGonagall sighed. "I know what you think about certain things, but in this situation, I don't think there is any other answer than the one Ms Potter provided. I also know you, sir, and you seem to be attempting to control Ms Potter's life. You are so concerned with her wellbeing that you changed her gender against the will of her and her parents for reason that you have kept to yourself. It is no wonder that she was asked to do this."
"Professor McGonagall brings up a good point Albus." Minister Fudge said with more than a questioning glance at the old man. "Why did you turn Ms Potter into a boy? I mean her parents seemed to have been watching you, and what they said bothers me."
Dumbledore looked around the room. He seemed to be calculating his options. Jasmine knew that he would not tell the truth. She doubted that there was anything he could say that wouldn't make him not look like the villain. "Well, I changed her gender to match peoples' expectation." He held up his hand to stop the commentary coming his way. "People were already talking about her as being a boy saved for those who truly knew her." He looked to Jasmine his grandfatherly facial expression belied the fear in his eyes. "I know that it was wrong of me to do this, but the alternative was worse. I could only stop people from presenting me with 'protective' marriage proposals if they thought you were born a boy."
"Yes well, I don't want to marry anyone based solely on things like that. I want to marry someone that I love, and that loves me for no other reason than emotional commitment. A piece of paper will not make me love someone. In fact, if there is such a thing I would more than likely hate that person." Jasmine looked around the room. Her eyes stayed a little longer on Dumbledore and Ron.
"That is only one part of the problem Albus." Fudge said sternly. "If this really did happen then we now know Sirius didn't betray them. So we imprisoned an innocent man. What are we going to do about it?"
There was some discussion about what they were going to do. McGonagall was sternly in the camp that they should call off the Dementors, and clear Sirius' name of all charges. This of course upset Snape to no end. Dumbledore tried to clear the air, but this did no good. Fudge seemed to be upset that Dumbledore had known all of this for years and that he did nothing. This one act seemed to cause him to lose credibility in the man's eyes. McGonagall had told him there was no way she would allowing the fear of Sirius to continue in her house. She looked over at Snape and told him to shut up before the man had said anything. When things had settled down a bit it was Fudge who spoke next.
"Well I think my presence here is no longer needed," Fudge said with a sigh, "…I was just coming to see if this was something to do with Mr Black, and I find out that he might not be guilty. I will have to look into this. I will look at the records of his trial for the evidence used against him. I don't think there was one, however. Though that falls on Barty's head, not mine." Fudge said all of this melodramatically.
As the minister was walking to Dumbledore's fireplace an idea crossed Jasmine's mind. "Minister hold on for a second." When the man turned to look at her Jasmine asked. "Could a pensieve be used in a court case?"
The man looked at her quizzically. "What do mean Ms Potter?"
Jasmine took a deep calming breath before she started answered. "Well, Professor Hagrid is being falsely accused, by Draco Malfoy, in regards to his first lesson with hippogriffs. What I am trying to say is what Mr Malfoy is telling people is not the truth. I figure if the rest of the class, myself included, presents their memories as evidence could Professor Hagrid present that as evidence?"
Fudge looked quizzical for a moment. Jasmine knew he was a vetted supporter of Malfoy senior, but given that right now her life was 'in danger' she was going to milk that for all it was worth. When Fudge finally stopped thinking, ok attempting to think, he said: "I do not see a problem with this Ms Potter, but if you do this the students will have to go with him to the hearing and go under Veritiserum stating that the memories they provide are truthful and unaltered." He then resumed walking toward the fireplace. Took out some floo powder, and before he tossed it into the fire he turned around once more. "They will also have to be chaperoned by a professor other than Professor Hagrid."
"Understood Minister Fudge." With that, the man tossed the floo powder into the fire. He said where he was going and stepped into the green flames. When he was gone Jasmine turned to Professor McGonagall. "Ma'am I do believe my things need to be moved to the girls' dormitory."
"I agree with you Ms Potter, but before that happens I need to talk with Madam Pompfrey about what needs to be done concerning your… condition." McGonagall said with a sombre look on her face.
"I have already told the young lady what she needs to do, and she seems to have a copy of the potion she needs to make weekly, and she will start making the potion that will truly fix her problem next month." Madam Pompfrey turned to the headmaster. "Albus I will implore that you do not interfere with what is going on. What you did will not last forever, and as a medi-witch I cannot willingly condone forcing the young lady to be a boy. So Ms Potter needs to go to Gringotts withdraw some money and go buy herself some new clothes as well as making a stop at the apothecary for the ingredients she will need."
"Of course Poppy. I think Professor Burbage would be willing to go into the muggle world to be with her to get those new clothes." The old man looked over at Jasmine and smiled. "I must also apologise to you Ms Potter for what I have done. I did this with the intent of protecting you, but I should have taken your future into consideration when I did so. It seems the dark magic Voldemort had done that night, and the potion and spell that I used did not harmoniously exist within you." Everyone scoffed at that. "Again, I am sorry Ms Potter. I will take more consideration into thinking things through concerning your wellbeing."
"I hope you do sir," Jasmine said as she walked towards the door. She knew the wand's loyalty was with her now, but if she acted on that knowledge it would seem odd. "I'll be going then, professors." When he nodded in agreement Jasmine took Hermione's hand and walked out the door.
Once they were downstairs Hermione said rather light-heartedly "You know just because your dad said you should don't mean you have to do this Jasmine."
Jasmine looked over her shoulder at Hermione and smiled at her. "I know I just wanted to see your reaction." She leant in and kissed Hermione on the cheek. "And it seems to have gone well."
With that Jasmine ran off to the Hospital wing to get her things. This, however, did cause Hermione to run after her. The chase did not last that long owing to the fact the distance between the Headmasters office and the Hospital wing was not that far, and it did not help matters that Hermione did hit her bum with the Stinging Jinx once she rounded the corner. Once she had retrieved her backpack they started walking to the Great Hall for breakfast. Although given how bad her backside hurt Jasmine didn't think she'd be able to sit down.