Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, any of the fictional locations or characters from the Harry Potter series or any other authors work. This is a work of reworked fiction using the world of Harry Potter. However, I do own this plot and any original characters hence forth created for the purposes of this story.

Shifter

VII

After her weird non-shopping morning, Senna had a nice breakfast in her room. Luckily McDonald's had still been serving breakfast when she asked the Leaky Cauldron's landlord to get her breakfast out. She had looked over the food served, and it was fresh and everything, but it was low calorie, and it made her annoyingly realise that potions were added to make even fried food 'healthy', so she had no choice but to get muggle takeout food. Maybe she could find a house elf at Hogwarts who would willingly make her real junk food, or she would have to eat a lot to keep her energy levels high enough to be normal.

Senna began looking through her trunk, finding books on legilimency and occlumency. She lay down on her tummy to read. It seemed simple enough to shield the mind. However, reading memories looked quite a bit harder indeed. She would practice the art of course! Why wouldn't she? It sounded like with some modifications wherever that it could be used to talk to people telepathically, which would be totally awesome.

Later that evening Hedwig actually found her. It was a surprise. She had one super smart owl. Though, the smugness in the bird's expression when she spoke that out loud was funny. Considering Senna figured that her owl was smarter than most humans she knew or used to know.

After some haggling with her owl about shifting her colours, she relented and let Senna add beautiful black feathers throughout her white, and changed her name to Nightwind, as well as increasing her wingspan, and strength so she was faster and more durable. She got the name from some comic books she once read, but she wasn't one hundred per cent sure she got that right, but it was a nice owl name anyway. Hedwig-Nightwind seemed to like her new feathers and speed, so she stood a bit straighter with pride. Glad she gave in, but it would take some time to get used to her new name.

Over the weeks leading up to Senna's birthday, which she changed to the 7th of July, so that it was just the 7th day of the 7th month, and therefore easy to remember and 7 was a supposedly magical number anyway, and it was easy enough to shift so that that was her actual birthday. She trained in a lot of the defensive spells she found in her new books as well a lot of good hexes and curses. She even studied in some interesting spells that could have amusing effects if used correctly.

She had managed silently casting most spells she knew, which she was very adept at as it was a lot easier than teachers made it sound. She would promise herself to not believe the teachers or even books about what was hard or impossible until she had practically tried, as people learnt at different paces, and with her new mind, she was much improved. Even if something was supposed to be hard and the teachers really thought that, it didn't mean other people would have a hard time too, as one girl who walks out onto the ice rink for the first time with her skates could stay up and skate while others would fall and have to get up and try again.

Her occlumency shields were coming along nicely, and she felt confident that she could at least sense an attack without her necklace. She wasn't confident enough yet to take her necklace off. She had too many awesome secrets she needed to hide from evil potion 'teachers', and dippy old headmasters.

Senna had met a real goddess for one, and then the whole thing with her really being Harry Potter, or that she used to be, but now she was Senna, and liked who she was better – well, she liked the freedom, and the best part about being a girl? She can get away with much more than she ever could, even as Harry Flipping Potter. It was crazy how much a girl could get away with. Then with all the new freedom she had she was more fun and didn't have to care about dippy authority figures at all, and the thought of messing with authority made her happy.

All was going brilliantly for Senna. The only thing that nagged on her nerves was a mass murderer escaped jail, and the idiot ministry was too inept to even capture one dementor weakened man. To be honest it all sounded blah. It was like a remake of the Fugitive, but they forgot they needed their very own Tommy Lee Jones to find out the truth.

That was another slight worry: dementors! They were nasty creatures that sucked the happiness from the very air and could even suck out a person's soul through their mouths, which was creepy and gross. Supposedly, they were going to be guarding Hogwarts, and so she looked them up.

She discovered a repelling spell call the patronus charm. Therefore, she concentrated as much of her spare time to the difficult spell as she could all the while cursing some douche bag for thinking for a moment that planting soul eating monsters around a school full of innocent children was a bright idea, something was going to go wrong, no if about that.

The charm wasn't as easy as she had hoped. It was one thing to make the charm while warm and safe but another to use it while feeling the dementors cold, and having the happiness sucked away. After all, she needed that happiness to fuel her spell.

Something happy that played on her mind though, other than the newspapers mentioning Harry Potter's murder every day. The Quidditch supplies store had the new top of the line racing broom. It was smoking awesomeness, and she wanted it. She would have to wait until she finally got to Gringotts, but she had enough money to last her a while longer at least.

The Firebolt was so sleek and awesome. She had gotten a catalogue. They had other awesome brooms too and she was horrified to see some of the prices of brooms that would be classed as better than the British Firebolt because of import taxes the UK ministry charged was outrageous. She didn't doubt there was something corrupt going on there as Firebolt was owned by Nimbus.

Nimbus was the only successful broom manufacturer in the UK as others were falling apart. It made her think, without competition Nimbus could overcharge, and knowing the price of the Firebolt was sure they were. Senna had wanted one but didn't want to pay those ridiculous prices.

She made a mental note to investigate the broom market if for nothing else but to ruin Nimbus she would be happy. She hated the corruption in the magical world, and stopping a free market meant it was damaging the economy, so maybe she could do something about that.

Senna also bought many new sets of clothes for herself, mainly from the muggle world. Though, she barely wore them, as she could just shift anything, she needed she found shopping to be… kind of fun, just buying things, and they gave her new ideas for outfits, and she really needed those ideas too.

She had received her Hogwarts letter and bought her things and couldn't wait to begin Hogwarts free of fame… well fame she didn't deserve at least. She was too cool not to draw attention and would just have to go with the flow.

She had also practised her sifting, using smaller animals. It became easier and easier the more she practised. She had some fun flying with Nifes as a scarlet and black phoenix with silver claws and talons.

She was actually tempted to try shifting into a dragon as well. It would be awesome no doubt. However, Nifes wouldn't let her in case she was spotted. That was not needed at all; the muggle newspapers reporting a dragon flying over London. How would the magical world hide that? It might have been amusing to see them trying too, and maybe they would try to push it off as aliens or something.

The next few weeks passed by in a flash, and Senna was quite content and happy. It was the week before school was due to start when a large group of depressed looking people walked into the pub asking for a few rooms.

Senna was finishing the snack she had bought at the local sandwich shop at a table in the back corner. She watched them with interest as she finished off the cookie and placed her book away as it was small enough to fit in her small white leather backpack.

She was wearing a long white dress that hugged her nicely, hanging halfway down her shins, she was wearing white underneath, so nothing stood out. It was tied around her waist by a crimson silk sash, and her pumps were crimson, opened toed and heeled. It was quite the warm day, so she went with a summer dress.

Her deep silver eyes scanned the new people as she was surprised to see them before school. It was Ron and Hermione, the twins Fred and George, Percy with his mum and dad, Arthur and Molly Weasley. However, it was the small red-haired girl with cute freckles and teary brown eyes that stood out in beige short, white tee shirt and pink trainers.

Perfect!

To Be Continued…