Chapter 3

Sunlight softly filtered through the bedroom curtains, and a beam of light very slowly found its way onto the face of one Harry Potter. Harry had not felt this comfortable since the beds at Hogwarts and suddenly knew that this wasn't Surrey.

With eyes wide open, Harry slowly scanned the room to discern this new location. 'Where am I?' Harry thought. One good piece of news was that Harry wasn't in any pain. Wherever this was, they had healed each new injury. Even the old ones.

Harry heard a noise in the hall and quickly darted back under the covers, pretending to be asleep. With eyes closed, Harry could hear a feminine voice humming a song as it moved closer and closer to the bed. With eyes shut tight, Harry felt a warm, comforting hand checking for fever.

"Finally," the woman muttered with a foreign accent. "The fever has broken. I can't imagine what you must have gone through with those monsters. It's a good thing that it was Siri who saved you from those muggles. If I had been there, I would have roasted them alive."

Harry's eyes snapped open at her words!

"Siri?" Harry asked. "Sirius Black? Is Sirius here? Where is he? Why haven't I heard from him?"

"Slow down, little one," the woman giggled. Her laughter sounded like little bells, and Harry found them quite hypnotic. The woman was more beautiful than anyone that Harry had ever seen before. She was nearly six feet tall and had a body shaped like an hourglass. Supermodels would have killed for her body. Her face looked as though it were carved from ivory and her eyes were as blue as sapphires. Silken blonde hair finished off her appearance, and Harry truly thought that she was an angel from heaven.

"Yes, I am speaking about your dogfather, Sirius Black," she continued. "He has been worried about you since he brought you in and has seldom left your side. He was called away urgently but should return soon. My name is Calliope. I have healed many of your wounds and was even able to remove some blocks on your magic that had been placed upon your person. I don't know why they placed the gender block on you, but this probably saved you from being trapped in any unwanted contracts."

"What do you mean a gender block?" Harry asked Calliope.

"Well," she explained. "It would seem that you are a metamorphmagus, from Sirius's side of the family. At some point, when you were a baby, someone locked you in a male form. That's why the world thinks that your name is Harry James Potter. Sirius has just learned from the goblins of the Grecian Gringotts that your true name is Harriet Jaime Potter. As far as we can tell, your parents did this to you. We just don't have a reason for why as of yet."

"I'm a girl!?" Harry shouted before fainting back onto the pillow.

"Enervate," the Calliope incanted. "You just returned to the waking world. I don't believe any more sleep would be of help at this moment. Come with me to the mirror. I think that it's time that you see your true face."

Harry tentatively took her hand and allowed Calliope to take her to the mirror that was hanging off the far wall. Harry kept her eyes shut tight for a full minute before bravely peeking through her eyelashes. What she saw caused her jaw to drop!

Staring back at Harry was a young lady of five feet with long raven curls that couldn't seem to decide which way to curl down her back. She still had the same bright green eyes and pale skin, but her skin seemed pinker than before, along with her fuller lips. Her face was more feminine as well, and she could see a strong resemblance to the photos of her mother when she was young. At 14 years old, there were the soft curves of womanhood beginning to appear, and Harry couldn't help but grab her small b-cup breasts to feel if they were truly there. Even her hips were now showing like those of a young woman. There was also an obvious emptiness between her thighs where certain equipment was missing.

Everything seemed so very different, yet there were also similarities to her previous face. She still had the same wild air about her. The lightning bolt scar was still present upon her brow, along with the scars that she had picked up over the years. If you looked close enough, you could still see Harry underneath it all. And that's what she was really looking for. Just Harry.

The young woman couldn't help the sudden emotions that she was feeling and cried. She cried for her past, she cried for her present situation, but most of all, she cried about Hermione. Just when Harry thought that there might be a future with the bushy-haired bookworm, it was suddenly ripped away. Girls can't like other girls. Right?

As Harry cried, Calliope wrapped her arms around her and whispered soothing words into her ear. After what seemed like forever, Harry's chin was raised, and her eyes were wiped clean of her tears with a small silk handkerchief.

"There, there," Calliope soothed her. "Let's not fret just yet, little one. It is not the end of the world. Yes, your point of view has now changed, but you are still Harry. Your friends will still love you if they are true friends, and if all else fails, you will have both Sirius and me. Ok? It will get easier, I promise. Take it from me. I am Veela. If I can find happiness and acceptance, then you can also, my little metamorph."

Harry looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "Why do you care what happens to me?" she asked the older woman. "How can you care about someone you just met? We're complete strangers. Also, what's a Veela?"

"This is not the first time that we met," she informed Harry with a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. "I met you long ago when you were still a baby. Do you see? We're not complete strangers. Also, a Veela is a magical race of beautiful women. We have dominion over air and fire and are able to transform into an avian form when we battle our enemies. Many are drawn to us due to our allure, and for many years, we have been persecuted by men and women alike. If not for our power, we would have been either enslaved for pleasure or wiped out."

With shock written across her face, Harry just had to say, "That's horrible! How could anyone treat your people like that? Also, what do you mean? When did we meet? I think I would have remembered you."

"Not if you were still a baby, Harry," a kind baritone voice said behind her.

"Padfoot!" Harry shouted as she leaped into Sirius's open arms.

"Hello there, Pup," Sirius whispered into her hair as he held her tightly to his chest.

"Can't breathe!" Harry gasped.

"Sorry!" Sirius barked in laughter. " I'm still not used to this sudden change in you. I can only imagine how you feel."

For a moment, Harry's eyes glazed over. Sirius thought she would cry until she looked up and locked eyes with him.

"I guess I sort of always knew," Harry admitted. "I've always felt different. Not really one of the guys. Honestly, I didn't really feel like one of the girls, either. I suppose I feel a little bit better about it now, but I think I will need some time to get used to this."

"You will have all the time that I can give you," Sirius answered as Calliope wrapped her arms around his waist from the side.

"Woah there!" Harry said with a wink. "You have something to tell me, you old dog?"

"Ha!" Sirius barked with mirth at Harry's impish expression. He had thought Harry resembled his father with her hair and laughter the way it was, but that smirk and wink were 100% Lily.

"Harry," Sirius said. "I would like you to meet Calliope Ophelia Black née Asteropaios. My wife."

For the second time that day, Harry felt that she might feint. She held onto the bedpost for support as the world slowly steadied itself. Just then, the door flew open, and a raven-haired stranger about Harry's age entered the room. Something odd that Harry noticed was a pair of black wings that sprouted from between the youths' shoulders and flapped excitedly.

"Hey, Dad!" the newcomer shouted before tackling Sirius in a strong hug.

"Dad!?" Harry shouted before promptly fainting and falling to the floor.