3 October 1986—Gringotts Albion Hospital
Leda remained in an induced coma for nearly a month. The first two weeks were spent regrowing organs and bones, clearing infections, and otherwise healing her young body from the effects of five years of abuse.
Those two weeks of healing were followed by a week of recuperation—a recuperation interrupted by the child's sudden change from a boy to a girl. Shortly after that remarkable event, Skullpiercer ordered an inheritance test be conducted on the young girl in order to check for compulsions, spells, binds, curses, and other magical impediments. Once three drops of the child's blood fell onto the parchment, the entire group gathered to read the results—save for Luna who was at home explaining nargles to Pipi, Mel, and Gilly.
They expected to find some unusual results on the test, but nothing like this:
Full Name: Leda Ariadne Costaros (changed by order of Lady Magic on 1 October 1986)
Birthday: 1 September 1980 (changed by order of Lady Magic on 1 October 1986)
Father: James Fleamont Potter (deceased)
Mother: Lily Marie Potter née Evans (deceased)
Mother: Rita Alexandra Costaros (soul bond created by Lady Magic on 10 September 1986)
Godparents:
Lord Sirius Orion Black Alice Longbottom (permanently incapacitated) Pandora Cassia Lovegood née Moon (by order of Lady Magic 27 September 1986) Xenophilius Aeneas Lovegood (by order of Lady Magic 27 September 1986)Titles:
Heiress to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Peverell Member of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of CostarosProperties:
Peverell Castle, Devon, England Graham House, London, England Insula Avallonis, Somerset, EnglandMagical Bonds:
Rita Alexandra Costaros (soul bond blessed by Lady Magic on 14 September 1986)Vaults:
Peverell Trust Vault Peverell Family Vaults Albion* Costaros Trust Vault Costaros Family Vault Albion** Costaros Family Vaults Hellas*** Access limited until child turns 15
** Access limited by family head
Glamours:
Male transformation glamour (by Lady Magic 31 July 1980, removed by Lady Magic 30 September 1986)
Curses:
Horcrux (31 October 1981 by Tom Marvolo Riddle)
Potions/Compulsions:
Passivity
Loyalty to Albus Dumbledore
Obedience to Vernon Dursley
Obedience to Petunia Dursley née Evans
Obedience to Dudley Dursley
Obedience to authority
Poor eyesight
Blocks:
Magical core (blocked 70% by Albus Dumbledore 1 November 1981)
Eidetic memory (blocked 90% by Albus Dumbledore 1 November 1981)
"Clearly, we're just actors in this story," Pandora declared as she studied these unnerving test results, "Lady Magic is writing our parts."
No one could deny Pandora's words. Lady Magic's involvement in this young girl's life was unprecedented—as witnessed by the fact that she is now a girl. Everyone was in awe of the fact that Lady Magic herself created a magical soul bond between Rita and Leda. For magicals, a soul bond between mother and child is the purest and most precious bond two people can share. The goblin healers were overjoyed to learn of this bond, and there was much rejoicing in the Goblin Nation when word spread that this bond formed within the walls of Gringotts.
But that was just the start. Lady Magic also changed the child's name and her birthday to match that of Rita's sadly deceased niece and named Pandora and Xeno as her godparents. And as far as titles…
"Where did the Potter and Black heirships go—and properties and vaults, for that matter?" Rita asked Skullpiercer, confused.
The goblin looked at the humans for a moment and said, "As I mentioned several weeks ago, the only way that Leda could lose the Potter heirship was by an act from Lady Magic herself. Given that this almost never happens, I was confident that it would not happen in this case. Obviously, Lady Magic had a different plan, as these results show us. So no, Leda will not be the Potter heir. In fact, she is no longer a Potter."
"So that's it for the Potters?" Xeno asked.
"Not necessarily," Skullpiercer said, smiling. "Even if Leda is no longer considered a Potter because of Lady Magic's actions, that does not remove the Potter blood from her veins. If and when Leda bears a child, that child will have Potter blood and will be able to claim his or her rightful place as Lord or Lady Potter.
"Ultimately, I think this is Lady Magic's way of protecting Leda from everything that made Harry Potter's life so difficult. Besides, even if she could claim the Potter title, she would be unable to do so without creating serious problems. After all, soon the entire world will think Harry Potter, the last of the Potters, is dead. What happens when a Leda Costaros goes into the Wizengamot announcing herself Lady Potter?"
The rest paused at this as the harsh reality came into focus.
"So by denying Leda the Potter heirship," Pandora said, putting the pieces together, "Lady Magic is saving her from Voldemort, Dumbledore, and the rest of the world."
Xeno added, "That also means Harry Potter is really, truly dead."
"Exactly," the goblin said. "Now, as for the Black heirship…"
"Why isn't it listed?" Andromeda said, angrily. "Sirius is still her godfather, so shouldn't the heirship also be hers? It's not like Sirius has any say. He's in Azkaban."
"There are answers to your questions, but I am not at liberty to divulge them at this time," Skullpiercer said, cautiously. "However, it is still possible for Leda to become the Black heir, but several other things must happen first. Again, I cannot explain this now, but these things will become clear in due time."
Andi was not thrilled by that answer, but she knew it was the best she was going to get for now. She'd need Ted to do some work, however. The last thing she wanted was for that little shit Draco Malfoy to be the Black heir.
"Finally," Skullpiercer said, "the Peverell heirship is still hers, and there is a very good, clear reason for this—namely, that the Costaros, like the Potters, share a common heritage with the Peverells. Additionally, claiming the Peverell heirship is not just about heritage, as the Peverell family requires that certain conditions to be met before anyone can become Heir or Heiress Peverell. That is, by the way, why there has not been a Peverell heir for over a century. If Leda meets these conditions—and it is safe to assume that she does, given that the title is listed here—then the Peverell magic itself will grant her the title. And when she does become Lady Peverell, then she stands to inherit quite substantial vaults and properties."
Pandora looked closely at the property list and almost whispered, "Is Insula Avallonis what I think it is?"
"It is indeed," Skullpiercer, smugly.
"What is it?" Rita asked, but Ted, the only muggleborn among the group, suddenly recognized it.
"Avalon!"
Ted and Pandora were smiling at each other, but Rita, Xeno, and Andi were staring at them, confused.
Ted took pity on the others and explained. "Avalon is the magic island where Morgana Le Fay lived, where the famous sword Excalibur was said to have been forged, where Arthur was said to have gone after being wounded in battle. You know, Arthur as in King Arthur?"
Suddenly, Rita, Andi, and Xeno understood and became as gobsmacked as the others.
"So the Peverells are related to King Arthur?" Rita asked.
"It's possible," Skullpiercer said. "Not much is known of the island, not even its location, though presumably if it a Peverell property, then Lady Peverell will be able to find it."
"So a mystery for another day?" Pandora asked. The rest nodded.
The rest of the test results were a mixture of surprise and concern. Pandora noted that birthday change from 31 July to 1 September meant Leda would have to start Hogwarts a year later since August 31 was the cut-off date.
"But that just means Leda and Luna will be starting at the same time," Xeno noted, making all the adults smile.
No one, sadly, was surprised by the potions, compulsions, and blocks, nor were they shocked that these had been placed on the child by Albus Dumbledore himself the very same day that he left "Harry" on the Dursley's doorstep.
All were envious of Leda's eidetic memory, and Pandora pointed out that, once the block is lifted, it will be much easier for her to learn both occlumency and legilimency when she got older—two skills that will be especially important when she goes to Hogwarts.
The real shock and worry, however, was the horcrux implanted in Leda's temple by Voldemort on the night of her parents' deaths. All were appalled by this but none more so than the goblins, who abhor all forms of soul magic and kill on sight any caught practicing it. Thankfully, Skullpiercer assured them that Gringotts had a means of dealing with foul curses such as this—and no trace of her lightning bolt scar would be visible once the process was complete.
The ritual purgings began on October 5. The first step was to remove the potions, compulsions, and blocks—a relatively common procedure. Leda was taken into the Gringotts ritual room, and two ritualists performed the spells and chants that would purge a body of all magical infestations. Normally, this is a very painful process, which is why Leda remained in her coma throughout. When it was done, all of Dumbledore's attempts to block and control "Harry Potter" were vanquished.
Removing the horcrux, however, took much longer and was far more difficult. Ritualists from Egypt and Greece had to be called in to oversee the ceremony, which consisted primarily of transferring the soul piece from Leda's body to the body of another living creature of similar size and weight as the original body. In this case, a small pig was chosen. Once this was complete, the boar was taken to a second ritual room where it was devoured by fiendfyre until nothing was left, not even embers or ash.
After the purging, Gringotts initiated a search of all its vaults in order to identify any objects that might contain additional pieces of Voldemort's soul. One such piece was eventually discovered—Helga Hufflepuff's cup, located in one of the LeStrange vaults. This cup was then used to identify to find Voldemort's other horcruxes. They discovered there were five other fragments—including Voldemort himself, who was apparently in Albania in wraith form. The local Gringotts bank was sent to investigate the wraith and search for a way to trap it before it possessed anyone.
The horcruxes were in Britain—one at Hogwarts, one at 12 Grimmauld Place in London, one in the Gaunt shack in Little Hangleton, and one at Malfoy Manor. A plan was put in place to retrieve all these items and seal them away until the Voldemort wraith could be captured. Then they would all be destroyed together, thus vanquishing the Dark Lord for good.
‡
After the final purging, Leda rested and recovered in the hospital for seven days. During this time, Rita took a leave of absence from the Prophet in order to deal with a "family emergency" and remained by Leda's side at almost every moment, often joined by Luna or Pandora or both. The healers even brought a second bed into the room so Rita could sleep beside her little girl.
She could not get over the changes to her new daughter, changes brought by the soul bond and by the purging of all those horrors. Not only was her lightning bolt scar gone, leaving no trace, but her hair had shifted to a golden brown, a nice mixture of her birth father's raven hair, her birth mother's auburn, and her own golden blonde locks. Plus, rather than short-cropped hair that stuck out in all directions, her new lush, wavy hair curled down to the middle of her back. Her skin had a hint of Rita's olive tinge, and her heart-shaped face now featured a small pug nose, a narrow chin, high cheekbones, and almond-shaped eyes that, if anything, were even greener than they were when she was Harry Potter. In short, she was adorable and would no doubt break many hearts when she got to Hogwarts.
Frankly, green eyes were the only thing that could possibly link Leda to her former self. As difficult as her life had been up to that point, Lady Magic had indeed done her a wonderful service. From here on out, Rita's charge in life was to protect her daughter from any and all threats, including that tall, bearded wizard with terrible dress sense.
The final step in reinventing Leda Costaros involved Ted Tonks taking an international portkey to Athens in order to begin the process of making Leda's new identity official. However, when he got there, he found the changes had already been made: Rita Costaros was already listed as the mother of Leda Costaros via magical bond; there was no mention at all of the first Leda's death in the Ministry's records. That is not to say that the girl herself was forgotten—far from it. She was never far from the minds and hearts of those, like Rita, who had loved her.
With the magical adoption certified in the eyes of the Greek Ministry, Ted returned to Britain and got all paperwork approved and certified, officially recognizing Rita and Leda Costaros as mother and daughter. This happened 17 October 1986, the day Leda awoke from her coma.
‡
17 October 1986—Gringotts Bank Albion Hospital
"I sure hope she likes animals," a young girl's voice said amidst a sea of darkness. "I wonder what her favorite dragon is. Do you know, Aunt Rita?"
"I don't, sweetheart," said another voice, presumably Aunt Rita. "But I think you'll be able to ask her in a few minutes."
The girl—yes, I'm a girl, not a boy—opened her eyes just a crack but closed them almost at once. Ouch.
Moments later, she opened her eyes wider until she was looking into the blue eyes of a small, smiling girl with blue eyes and long, almost white hair.
"Hello, Leda! I'm Luna. I'm your new sister. We're gonna be best friends!"
"Don't smother her, dear," Aunt Rita told Luna. "Remember, she's still recovering."
"Sorry," Luna said, pulling back but still smiling as Aunt Rita came into view. The woman's golden-blonde hair was much curlier than Luna's, but her green eyes were just as kind looking as Luna's blue. The two were both wearing strange dresses with long sleeves—Luna's pale blue, Rita's bright green. They're dressed like their eyes.
"How do you feel, dear?" Rita asked, looking down at her.
How do I feel? I can breathe…with no pain. My arms and legs don't hurt. She tried sitting up but her weight hit her elbows, she fell back down.
"Don't try to sit up yet," Rita urged, one hand on her shoulder. The touch of an adult usually caused fear and panic in the little girl, but somehow Rita's touch felt different. It felt right. "The healers said it might take a while before you're ready to move. Here." She turned and picked up a tiny bottle. "Drink this. It tastes yucky, but it should help."
Rita held the bottle to the girl's lips and poured the contents down her throat. She was right—it tasted terrible, but she got it down, and moments later she felt stronger and more awake. She didn't lie to me.
The girl tried to sit up again, and this time she made it, with a little help from Rita, whose eyes looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. With her new vantage point, the girl was able to look around. Aside from Luna and Rita, another bed, and a few chairs, the room was empty. There was a door to her left but no windows. The woman and girl stood a few feet away from her, watching her carefully. She looked down and saw she was wearing a white gown like they do on hospital shows.
"Are we in hospital?" the girl asked.
"Yes," Rita said, nodding. "You were very sick, and we brought you here to make you better. Do you feel better?"
"I think so. You're Luna?" she asked the little girl.
"I'm Luna Lovegood! Hello, Leda Costaros."
Leda was confused. "I thought I was Harry Potter even though I'm a girl and Harry is a boy name."
"You were, sweetheart," Rita said slowly, a soft smile filling her face as she poured all the love she had into explaining all this to a six-year-old girl who was a boy a few weeks ago. "But when you were Harry, bad people hurt you. So we got you away from them—your aunt and uncle and cousin. We brought you here so you could be healed, so you could become a brand new person, and so you would always be safe. You are going to have a brand new life, and part of that new life is getting a brand new name. So hello, Leda Costaros."
Rita held out her hand for Leda to shake. After a moment's hesitation, Leda took her hand. As their hands touched, both mother and daughter were filled with a sense of love and fulfillment—as if this, the two of them together, was the thing they had both been looking for their whole lives.
"This is your new mum, Rita Costaros," Luna declared. "She's also Rita Skeeter, but that's only when she's working."
"You're my mum?" Leda asked Rita, confused but suddenly very excited. "I thought my mum and my dad were dead."
Rita pulled the girl into a hug, which felt…wonderful and soft and loving. "I know, sweetie. Your parents were James and Lily Potter. I knew them a little bit. They were wonderful and brave people, but a very bad man attacked them when you were little and they died. That's why you ended up at that horrible home. But there's something called adoption. That's when a little girl who needs a mum meets a new mum who needs a little girl and together they can make a family. That's what I'm hoping we can be—a family.
"So, Leda, would you let me be your mum? You can live with me and sweet Luna here and her parents. What do you think?"
No more Aunt Petunia? No more Dudley? No more Un—? Seems too good.
"What do I have to do?"
"Do?" Rita asked, puzzled, until she realized what that implied. "Oh blessed Hera!" Tears welled-up in her eyes. "No, my sweet darling. You never have to do anything to earn our love. Real families love each other without question. Luna and I and Luna's parents, who you'll meet soon, we all love you so much. We just want you safe and happy."
Tears were flowing down Leda's face as she listened to her new mum's words. "Okay," was all she could get out until she buried her head against her mother's chest and held on tight.
"I love you too, Leda," Luna said, joining the hug.
Luna's hand found a ticklish spot on Leda's arm, and Leda began to giggle. Soon all three were giggling.
When the hug ended, Leda looked happy but pensive. She had questions to ask, but she was afraid the questions might jinx her good fortune.
Luna understood, and said to Rita, "She wants to know where she is and how she got here and why she's a girl now instead of a boy."
Rita nodded. "I figured you would have those questions. And you shouldn't be afraid to ask them either, Leda. Being curious and asking questions is how we learn, and we would never want to stop you learning—ever."
Leda nodded and smiled. "Are you a doctor?"
"A what?" Rita asked until she understood. "Oh, we call them healers. And no, I am not a healer. The healers are right outside the door waiting until we are done talking to you. They wanted it to be just us three to start with, since they are…"
"Goblins!" Luna cried, startling Rita and Leda. "And they're my friends but they look different from us but they're really nice and they healed you and there was a grammar that made you look like a boy and—"
"Glamour, Luna," Rita said, shaking her head. "But yes, Luna is right. We are in a place called Gringotts. It's a bank run by goblins, but they also have a hospital here. You were brought here quite a while ago, and the healers have been busy healing all your injuries and making you healthy. As to how you got here, well, that's—"
"Gilly did it!" Luna added.
"Yes, well, that's true. But there's more to it than that. We'll explain later. As to why you are a girl, not a boy, well…"
"Magic!" Luna jumped up and down. "We're witches and we can do magic and Lady Magic is real and made you look like a boy when you were born even though you were a girl cause she wanted to protect you and now you're a girl again because it's safer for you but being a girl is way better anyways because…"
"Okay, okay, sweetheart, that's enough for now." The laughing voice came from one of the two people walking through the door. One was a tall man with long blonde hair like Luna's who was wearing a bulky black dress with trousers underneath. Weird. The other was a woman with hair like a cherry tree, eyes as blue as Luna's and wearing a fancy purple dress that went all the way to her feet. Pretty.
"Leda," her mum announced, "this is Pandora and Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's parents and your new godparents."
"It is such a joy to see you awake and healthy, Leda," Pandora said, leaning over to hug the little girl. Luna hugged back, suddenly enjoying this hugging thing. "I'm sorry we barged in, but we couldn't wait any longer."
"You've been asleep for a long time, dear," Xeno said, "but the timing for your waking up is perfect. Rita, the paperwork has all been finalized both here and in Athens. It's official—she's all yours."
"Ours," Rita insisted.
Xeno nodded, smiling. "You're right, ours."
Soon after, the goblin healers came in to perform some final scans. Luna's joy at seeing the goblins eased Leda's anxiety at seeing these odd magical creatures in front of her. It also helped that the healers were all female and absolutely adored both Luna and Leda.
Soon, the healers cleared Leda to go home, and they were ready to do just that when, all of a sudden, a vulture patronus appeared out of nowhere, looked right at Rita, and said, "Rita, Cuffe here. Hopefully your family emergency is taken care of 'cause we need you back now. Harry Potter is dead!"
