(A/N: Hey all! Sorry it's taking so long to update. I'm currently in my last two weeks of high school so I'm involved in all those things that seniors get to do. And work, so yea, sorry!!!
One other thing: I kept switching back and forth between Harry and Hazel because I don't think he/she can accept the name change that quickly and needs some transitional stages.
HecateDeMort: takes a bow
RavenRose: Quick reviews are still good.
leggylover03: Haha, luff moments are rather fun, aren't they? Now that I have them at Hogwarts, I shouldn't have to use as many of them.
Gryphnwng: Tsk tsk! I already said what her Animagus form was! As for Dumbledore not giving Harry the Prefect position, I can understand why he didn't, although it would be nice if he got it in the next book. Hmm, ahh yes, quidditch will definitely be in this story as my other one was without it and I just plain like writing it. And one other thing: Babbling is a way of life. grins evilly
Sakura Saisaka: Heh thanks. While I'm new to the fanfiction world, I'm not new at writing by a long shot. I think I've got about 15 original works floating around online and more kept in private notebooks in my room. Anyhow, thanks and I hope you continue reading.
Pure Black: Dude! I mean, how could anyone not like Remus! I mean he's like the best character besides Sirius was. And of course Sevvy.
Sofia P.M: Oh yes, I am a firm believer that every man should have to deal with that at least once.
blubb-blubb and co.: Oh no, I don't really plan on turning Harry back to female anytime soon. Malfoy will definitely not be hitting on her. Gah, I shudder at the thought. Besides, Harry is perfectly capable of helping teach DADA as a female.
Andromeda Snape-Malfoy: Okay, the reason she was acting like an entire new character was because of the fact that she had completely new emotions thrown at her and didn't know how to deal with them. Harry will be figuring those things out now that I have the crew back at Hogwarts. And being deprived of a childhood, acting younger than he actually is during the summer wouldn't surprise me. It's one of those things that can be related to personal experiences that make it easier to both write and understand. If you'd like, take it up with me on 'Coresti' on AIM/Hotmail/Yahoo and I'll continue.
Alright, enough with that! The more people review, the more I'll get to answer questions and such and I love doing that so review please! I do love knowing what people are thinking and what I can improve on. Just well, flames aren't nice so...On with the story!)
Slowly, silver hairs sprouted and rippled down her body and coated the skin in light fuzz. The tips of her ears became pointed and crawled up her head a bit, seemingly similar to the beginnings of an elf's ear. Each of her toes hardened and looked as if they were melding together into a solid golden hoof. What caught Hermione off guard was a small protrusion on the girl's forehead that came to a sharp point. It seemed to be made out of a iridescent material that changed colors depending on the lighting.
"H-harry, you, you're a unicorn??" She stumbled over her words, very uncharacteristic of her.
"Yea." Harry responded rather sheepishly, flicking an unknown silvery tail from behind her. That startled her as she'd yet to have that part of the transformation take place yet. For those who hadn't completed the transformation yet, the process was very draining and Harry was no exception. All of her energy had been transferred over to the change and for the moment, she was stuck until her body recouped a bit. Snape decided to poke his head in at that moment to see what was going on. He was met with the image of his daughter propped up on the bed in a half-transformed state and it startled him rather badly.
"Uhh, Har-Hazel, Miss Granger, what's going on?" He asked, although he didn't need to know, as it was easy to figure it out.
"I er, was showing Hermione how much I could transform?"
The man groaned and walked back out of the room, thinking there were only a few more days until the term started and he could go back to having a bit more order in his life, even if it did mean putting up with those bumbling idiots in his potions class. It reminded him that he was going to have to put up with Harry in those as well and if he acted like he was right now, it was going to cause serious problems. At the moment, Harry looked too much like Lily to pin the other features on Severus. It had worried him that if Harry did want to change back to her male form, it was going to cause some serious problems as she probably looked like a carbon copy of himself.
Snape was a wreck to say the least. His thoughts flew around his head like a bat out of hell. How was he supposed to treat Harry badly during class now that he knew the truth? Much less treat her badly now that she resembled James in no way and rather like Lily. He slumped against the headboard of his head and sighed in defeat.
Hermione looked rather exhausted by the time Harry managed to return to her body. The time on the clock told them it was very late and should get to sleep. Of course Harry woke up late after yesterday's excursion and Hermione wasn't far behind. The two appeared in the dining room just before lunch was being served and still looked rather groggy. Severus was already present and reading a copy of The Daily Prophet. He quirked an eyebrow.
"Now, pray tell, why are you up so late?" His thin lips sneered up at the corners to show his displeasure. Both girls cowed from the low, but dangerous voice. Even though Harry had spent much time with her father, that voice could still send her into a panic mode.
"I-I-I didn't think it was a good idea to go to bed before I could transform back to my human form and it took awhile before I was rested enough and.."
Snape held up a hand to cut her off from the rambling. He could tell she was scared and gave her a quick, reassuring hug. From what he understood, the Dursley's hadn't treated his daughter very well and could be compared to as verbal abuse, and with the tones of voice he'd used in the past, considered it to be one of the reasons she was afraid of him at times.
"Calm down hon, I didn't mean it to come out like that. Old habits die-hard as I'm sure you'll find out once the school year come along."
Harry shifted uncomfortably, not saying anything but nodded as she sat down infront of a large plateful of sandwiches and soup. Every so often she'd toy with the pendant that Dumbledore had given her for her birthday and at point, realized it had a griffin engraved inside the ruby, which twinkled like the Headmaster's eyes when in the sunlight. She suspected that the gift was more than just a trinket, but kept her mouth shut until she could get the truth out of Dumbledore.
"Hazel, hazel, HARRY!!!!!" Hermione yelled, finally able to get Harry's attention a moment later when she smacked the girl in the head.
"Owww, what was that for?"
"You were completely lost in thought and weren't responding to us. Your dad wanted to know if there was anything you needed before we head off to school soon."
"Oh, sorry. But no, for the first time I actually have everything I need which includes clothes," Harry smiled; tugging at the pants she was wearing. She might be a girl, but that didn't mean she was going to wear a skirt or dress unless necessary. As she had already finished her meal, Harry excused herself from the table and disappeared into the long halls of the house and then towards a small room she'd found earlier that summer which had a large amount of books contained in it. A quick scan over the titles led her to a book on transfiguration.
"You know, at this rate I would've said you'd done better in Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor."
Harry jumped at the sudden voice and turned a head to see her father standing in the doorway. He had a smile on his face that still looked foreign from lack of use. It had been a hot summer which left Severus abandoning his usual attire of black robes and dressed in a forest green t- shirt with a dark pair of slacks and surprisingly enough, a pair of sandals.
"Naw, the Sorting Hat wanted me in Slytherin, not Gryffindor. You know that as I told you the other day."
"I still say you'd make a good Ravenclaw after this summer and all the reading you've been doing."
He got the hint a few minutes later when Harry wasn't responding and intently reading. Shaking his head, he smirked and walked back out of the room.
The last couple days of vacation went by quickly and soon September 1st rolled around and Severus groaned as he was charged with getting the two girls to the platform. His reputation would be tarnished if he were caught escorting the two, so took it upon himself to transfigure his appearance a bit. Taking his wand and taping it to his nose, he felt as it shrank and became less hooked as his chin smoothed as the rest of his features became less prominent. A quick tap to his eyes and they instantly brown instead of the onyx black that they normally were; one last feature done and...
"DAD?! YOU'RE HAIR IS BLOODY BLONDE!!!!"
He smirked inwardly; that would take care of anyone who would see the two together as who would think that the slimy git of a potions professor would have blonde hair? Harry continued gaping at his current state and quickly answered the question he knew she'd be asking.
"No, this doesn't serve as a long term fix that could be used to alter your appearance everyday. It takes a lot of energy to keep it and routine use of it could drain you of all magical strength."
She looked a bit disappointed. Severus knew that if she had the choice, she'd still rather be male and use a charm to look like her past self. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he quickly shrank the girls' stuff and pocketed it before ushering them out of the door. Hermione looked dumbfounded at the black convertible sitting outside and without a driver.
"Well, hop in," Snape motioned as he pulled out the keys and sat down in the drivers seat. Hermione squeaked in terror as she buckled herself in and clutched onto the door handle while Harry stared off into space.
"Professor, please tell me you have a current driver's license!" The bushy haired witch squeaked, which made her sound quite a bit like a mouse.
He just grinned and the car was off a moment later with a terrified Hermione every time she thought he'd crash into something. Harry noted that her father wasn't a bad driver for not doing it often or with proper instruction and rules of the road. For the entire time she continued to be in a deep thought as she had been for the last week. Suddenly the car came to a stop and woke her out of the reverie as she saw Kingscross come into view.
A moment later each girl was bundled down by trunk and cat which were promptly wheeled into the station followed by a rather amusing looking Snape who still couldn't stop sniggering at his blonde hair.
"You know, you should really keep it like that during the year," Harry said suddenly.
He quirked a brow, but it didn't have the same effect as it did on his real face. "Why do you say that?"
"Because then you'd have an excuse to act dumb instead of blaming it on the Gryffindors!" She laughed and disappeared into the 9-¾ wall before her father could answer. Hermione showed up a moment later and shook her head.
"You're in for it once we get to school...I wouldn't be surprised if there was a full-fledged pranking war ensuing from this escapade."
"Brilliant! And with Remus being there, he'll be able to help me if I get into a jam. Even if he and dad are on speaking terms now, I'd bet he'd love to help pull a prank on him. Maybe I can put a charm on his hair to turn it bright orange and can't be reversed for a week. Hmm..."
Hermione threw up her hands and sighed as she led the way to an empty compartment on the train. Explaining she'd be back after her Prefect duties were explained, she left and Harry was alone in the small room.
"Hazel?"
"Yes?" The girl answered, not even taking her nose out of the book she currently was reading.
"We were wondering if we could sit here as all the others are full."
Finally Harry lifted her head to see Ginny standing there with Luna Lovegood and Ron. She raised her eye in surprise at the last of them. "Ron, shouldn't you be in the Prefects compartment?"
His already red complexion darkened considerably as he blushed. "I uh, was umm, err, failed potions and Astronomy in my OWLs and mum was none too happy and evidently neither was McGonagall."
The three settled into the seats surrounding Harry and Luna continued to give her odd looks. Then in her normal misty and odd voice, "Harry, why are you a girl?"
It was Harry's time to blush now. "I uhh, had a potion gone wrong over the holidays?" Hoping it was enough to satisfy Luna's curiosity and evidently it was, as she didn't ask any more about the subject. About halfway into the ride Hermione came back to the compartment.
"Sorry guys, was hoping to get back here sooner, but Malfoy kept being a prat and was torturing the first years." At that moment Malfoy stuck his head into the room and grinned evilly.
"Speak of the devil," Harry muttered and turned her gaze out the window. Malfoy took no heed of this and barged in and grabbed Harry's chin and pulled it towards him. His lips spread into a large and devious grin.
"So, it's true then. Potter has gone and done the idiotic act of turning himself into a girl. Beware Potter, you might be a girl now, but that doesn't mean you've escaped the Dark Lord's wrath." His slate gray eyes bore into Harry's emerald ones. "Let down your guard and find yourself in more shit than you could imagine yet." He whispered into her ear.
With that, he strutted out the door leaving the five friends to themselves. A pain wracked Harry's head but brushed it off as to not worry her friends. She had the feeling that if the Death Eaters didn't get to her, their children would find a way. And Draco had already proved that he had no qualms with threatening Harry. For the rest of the ride, she was distant with the others in the compartment and only spoke when a random person came to see if the rumors running around the train were true about Harry's gender.
The train finally came to a stop and it couldn't have come sooner for her as she filed off and into the carriages that took them over to the castle. She knew she'd be getting asked continually about what had happened and teased, but that didn't mean she liked it. And what Malfoy had said seemed to unnerve her and made her think that he possibly knew something. Her train of thought continued as the older students sat down at the tables. The first years hadn't appeared with McGonagall yet and Harry sat there and fingered the ruby pendant hanging around her neck.
"Hazel? Hon? Are you all right? You seem distracted."
Harry jumped at the sudden voice in her head and tightly gripped the necklace.
"Calm down, it's okay. That pendant that Dumbledore gave you allows us to talk to each other's mind as long as you wear yours and I have mine. All it requires is that you be holding it at the same time as I do. And before you ask, mine is of Slytherin colors so no one will be suspicious."
"Umm, this is awkward. But okay, thanks for explaining that. Anyhow, I was distracted from what happened on the train. Malfoy came into our compartment and whispered into my ear that if I wasn't on my guard that something horrible was going to happen."
"Typical Malfoy; threaten your enemy into submission. Sorry hon, he's good at that, the stupid prick he is."
Harry looked rather surprised by her father's choice words for the boy in his own house.
"Do you think he knows something? I mean, he's never threatened me like that infront of others before. Not openly anyhow."
"I don't think so, but I wouldn't put it past Lucius to keep his numbskull head out of things that he shouldn't be meddling in. If Draco does something like this again, make sure you tell me."
"Alright dad, I will. I, umm, love you."
She said hesitantly before ending the connection and smiling inwardly at the moved looked on his face. Even though she knew he still had to be a git in class, it didn't mean she didn't want to break his habit of being an emotionless bastard.
The large doors opened with a bang a moment later with first years filing past the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Harry smirked and wondered if she had looked that terrified in her first year. The sorting took place and the new students hurried to take their places at the specified tables as the hat called them. Dumbledore's speak droned on as usual, warning them of the Forbidden Forest and mentioning that Filch had updated the listings of items that were banned.
"Ahh, and I have one more announcement. It seems over the summer holidays our young Harry Potter was involved in a potion accident and left him in a rather awkward state. Any teasing of harassment will earn you house-point deductions and detentions with Mr. Filch or Professor Snape who would be glad to have a few students liven up his evenings. So, with that! Fizzbim! Suprim! Rapyt!"
The tables were filled with the usual amounts of food and Harry delved in greedily as she hadn't gotten anything off the trolley on the train since her father had inadvertently forgotten to give her money. Although, she had a suspicion he didn't want her eating all of that instead of the food at Hogwarts anyhow.
Every so often a few questions would be presented to Harry about what had really happened and who'd intentionally slipped him the potion. She sighed and kept shoving the mindless idiots away and finally just got up and walked out of the Great Hall, which left everyone who didn't already know Harry's predicaments to find out as she stalked off.
"Dad? Is it going to be like this for the rest of the year? Are you going to do anything about this? Is Dumbledore? Can I prank anyone who teases me? Can I punch Malfoy in the jaw?"
"Most likely, Yes, Yes, Maybe, and definitely not."
He answered the questions in the given order, although he had been rather tempted to let his daughter sock Malfoy as the prat could use with someone knocking some sense into that thickskulled head of his.
"You know, storming out of the Great Hall and off to the dorms isn't exactly the brightest idea without knowing the password first. I believe it's currently 'Slimy Slytherin.' Are your passwords always this lame?"
"Well, let's see. This is the only one that's ever made sense, so I'll leave it up to you to figure out. G'night dad. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Night hon, and take it easy. And I think Lupin needs to speak to you tomorrow about working your schedule around helping out with his classes. Anyways, sleep well."
Harry entered the common room a bit later and decided sleep would be better than waiting for the rest of the Gryffindors to return. She headed up to her old dormitory and realized that she wouldn't be there anymore now that she was female. "Damn you dad and knowing old habits die hard." She cursed and headed up to the girl's dormitory. There must have been a bed added already since her stuff was sitting by a bed next to a window. A few minutes later found Harry asleep in the warm bed, but not for long. She started writhing and screeching in pain and luckily Hermione had just entered the room and found her.
"Harry! Hazel! Wake up!"
With no prevail, the witch took her wand and conjured a pitcher of ice cold water and dumped it onto Harry. Immediately the girl responded and woke up, although slightly disoriented. Her emerald eyes were wide with fear.
"He, he..."
(A/N: Oh yes, I am nice and evil to leave that there. Especially since I probably won't be able to get a good update in until after I graduate in two weeks. But hey, it's 7 pages...Which reminds me:
Would you guys rather see shorter updates more frequently or longer ones that aren't as frequently added?
One more thing! I'm one of those people who always has on my chat program so dude! I'm friendly and only bite on the full moon snickers so if ya want, 'Coresti' on AIM/Hotmail/Yahoo.)