Hey everyone,
This story has been in my mind for so long, stopping the writing is almost impossible. This is especially true because this is yet another chapter that will mention death and extensive levels of pain, yet it will also give the Weasley family a chance to repay the life debt they owe Harry for saving Ginny's life in CoS.
Merry Christmas,

Venquine1990

Chapter 02
The Legend Lives On

31st of October 2017
Hospital Wing, Hogwarts
Dumbledore's POV

The minute I walked through the doors, I just knew things were very, very wrong. This is mostly because the whole atmosphere seemed dampened with horror, grief and loss, but also because none of the students that Severus collected are behind the cots that have been changed into stations or working on any healing potions.
Then Severus comes over and the fact that he says nothing about either Remus or the dog by his side being here only further increases my sense of dread and the man sounds heartbroken as he says: "I'm sorry, Albus, but Poppy is out of all of the most vital of potions and draughts and brewing them will take at least four hours.
And Mr. Potter, if her and my scans are as accurate as I believe, will only be able to hold out for another three hours. And the fact that he is allergic to most of the pain relief potions doesn't help. We can only put him under one for an hour, but the other two –." And here the man lowers his head in pain and to hide his own tears.

"He – he seems at peace with it, Albus. He asked for you." The man then whispers and by now tears are in my eyes as I cannot believe that, even with Lady Hogwarts' warning, help in getting to the common room and the brilliant idea executed by the Weasley twins, Halloween will still repeat itself after all these years.
Snuffles then whines in heartfelt loss and Severus: "Good, Potter was asking for him as well. Wants the both of you to come see him." And I gently lead the whining Animagus to the only cot that has the privacy curtains pulled close around it. And the sight that greets me behind these curtains outright breaks my heart.
Harry's face is covered in bandages all over, bar his eyes and a small part of his chin and while his arms are on top of the blanket, are they also completely bandaged and have an extra cast to keep them in place, yet this cast makes the poor boy's arms look even thinner and all in all the boy looks like a soft tap could kill him.

"Oh my poor, poor boy. I – I'm so sorry I couldn't be faster." I whisper, but while the boy's eyes are lidded, do his eyes shine before he looks down and while I am not entirely sure, do I gently move the bandages off his mouth, trying my hardest to be as gentle and careful with the frail, ailing – dying – boy I have grown to care for.
"Thank you, sir. And you came as soon as you could, I know you did." The boy whispers, yet as he speaks, do my eyes widen as he misses half of his teeth and his lip is split in three different places. "How can he speak with all those injuries?" Goes through my mind, but then I remember that he knows he is dying.
"Professor, I can't die." The boy then says and this makes me feel like a punch to the face, but then Harry says: "If I die, especially tonight, the Boy-Who-Lived fans and people like Skeeter will have a field fortnight, if not a field month. I don't want to die, not like that. I want to die, being remembered only by those who matter."

And with that does he turn his gaze from me to Sirius and this makes tears gather in my eyes as I can barely believe that, even upon his death, the boy is thinking of things like this. "Change me." Harry then whispers and I wonder if the pain is making him delusional, only for him to go on and whisper: "Change me – into a girl."
This shocks me and he whispers: "Let my legend live on, but give me the chance to die in such a way, only those who care will want to remember me. Please Professor, I know you can do it." Yet while I feel honored that he has such faith in me, do I hesitate in concern and say: "Give me a moment, my boy. I'll be right back."
And I move back out of the cubicle and feel relieved beyond words when I see Severus standing next to one of the curtain holders. "Harry wants me to change him into a girl." I tell him and his eyes widen as I say: "It will allow him to let his legend live on, but have him die in such a way that only those that cared would remember him.

I just don't know if I should, seeing his fragile state." I tell the man, but then Severus turns to me and says: "Do it. Yes, the transformation will probably make him feel some of the pain he is going to experience when the Pain-Reliever wears out, but I'd rather him be through those few minutes of pain than two full hours."
And while this doesn't make me feel any better, does Severus then lie a hand on my shoulder and with a growl of hidden pain in his voice, he says: "Give that boy – the death he wants, the death he deserves." And I sigh as I whisper: "Curse you and your honesty sometimes, Severus." But the man just grimaces at me.
I then turn back and return for the cubicle. Harry looks at me, his breathing sounding a little heavier and Snuffles having gone to lie next to one of Harry's cast-up arms with his tail lying flat against his side and covering Harry's arm. "I'll do it. My apologies, my dear boy, but I felt I had to take your health into account."

At this Harry gives me a weak smile and I take another deep breath to gather my wits before walking over to the head of his bed. "I'm sorry, my boy, but this form of transfigurations requires your whole body to be bare. I – I will have to even take your bandages and casts off." To which the boy nods and whispers: "I understand, thank you."
And while in my mind I whisper: "Goodbye, Harry Potter." Which strongly reminds me of the night I left him with his Muggle relatives, but then I pull my wand out of my robe and use it alongside one of my finest vanishing spells, casting it upon his blanket first and then on each of his clothes, bandages and casts individually.
The boy does wince and hiss from time to time, yet Sirius seems adamant on helping me as he gently licks the boy's face, being mindful of his new scars, wounds and bruises, and also rubs his head against the parts of the boy's head that are still covered in hair, instead of shaven bald due to more wounds and bruises being there.

Finally the boy's whole body is bare for the elements and I take a deep breath, feeling glad that I could keep the boy from feeling too much pain yet hating that what I am about to do will do exactly the opposite. And with a sigh of resigned defeat, do I send the boy and his godfather one last look, both of them nodding back at me.
I then aim my wand at the very highest point of the boy's head and start chanting the spell that will change everything about the boy from his current male gender into the opposite. And while I have no doubt that the spell, as it passes over the first few scars and wounds, hurts the boy terribly, does he not let out a single word of pain.
And the pride I feel for the boy – soon to be girl's – level of endurance makes me feel better about continuing the chant, yet even his levels have their limits. And by the time I pass over a horrible looking scar that looks like it's bursting to start bleeding, does the boy let out his first moan, which is like a dam bursting.
And I know this isn't just because this spell makes a person's skin much more sensitive when the spell changes a boy into a girl, but also because his organs are rearranging themselves in order for female organs to be grown alongside them and this combination, as I go further down the boy's upper body makes him scream.

Louder and louder the boy screams, his screams and shouts becoming more painful, not just to hear, but also in the sense of how much pain the boy is in and I hate myself for the fact that I need to change each of his arms and legs respectively, yet then, just when I finish the final part – his right leg – does the boy stop screaming.
He lets out one last pained breath and then actually stops breathing all together, his whole body lying slack and Sirius letting out a howl of profound, heart-broken pain. Yet then he gets pushed to the side and to my shock, I see that the Weasley twins have rushed into the cubicle and they pull Snuffles off the bed before aiming their wands.
"CLEAR!" They shout and then cast what look like two different spells, one spell each, that both hit the new Mss. Potter. This shocks me so much I feel paralyzed with shock and then the voice of Madam Maxime shouts: "Try again, more power." And the twins repeat their shout before casting their spells a second time.
And when the body that their spells hit actually starts to moving in such a way that it is actually breathing again, do I feel my shock overwhelm me and I fall in one of the seats next to the bed. "You – you saved him." I whisper and then I turn to Madam Maxime who seems to have followed the twins and ask: "But – but how?"

"It is an emergency form of healing magic being used back in France and other parts of the continent. It uses magical energy that is hot like fire and cold like ice – or positive and negative energy – to give the heart a boost that helps it restart itself as well as gives the body the energy necessary to start working again."
And as she tells me this does the giant woman motion for Poppy, who instantly does a scan on the new female body lying on the bed. And the Healer gasps before she rushes for the entrance and shouts: "Potter's change and the defibrillation have make him more resilient. She'll hang in long enough for the four hour potion brewing."
To which Severus shouts: "YOU HEARD HER! GET TO WORK!" And instantly I hear sounds rushing through the Hospital Wing, while Poppy returns to the bed and puts new casts and bandages around the now fully changed body. And as I hear and see all this work being done to save the child, do I finally sigh in relief.

"Well congratulations, boys. You two just made up for the life debt your sister owes Potter – or should I say Mss. Potter." Severus then tells the twins, who are grinning at each other over the fact that they managed to cast the magic needed to save Mss. Potter's life successfully, but this instantly turns them both serious and the left one says:
"We don't care." And the right one says: "She didn't deserve to die." And they chorus: "Not at the hands of the unworthy." At this Severus nods and I whisper: "Severus, please get Arthur here. Before Ronald gets the idea to go complain with Molly." And the twins cringe before they growl: "Blasted little owl of his."
And I smile slightly as Snuffles whines at this, Sirius of course feeling stupid for having given the former best friend of his godson a gift like that and the twins also laugh, even if they don't know what is going on and then the two leave the cubicle. And a few minutes later, does the duo return with their very confused father.

Yet because I'd rather give the new Potter some well-respected privacy until everything has been taken care of, am I waiting for him outside the cubicle of the new Potter's bed. "Albus, what's going on? Why did the twins call me from the Hospital Wing? And why did they demand I come here instead of fetching Molly first?"
The man asks and I sigh as I say: "It's because of your other son that is here, Arthur. You see, Ronald –." But then the man gasps and I can easily sense something happening in the family magic of House Weasley, something he senses as well as he asks: "Wait a second, Albus. Why does it feel as if the life debt has been – repaid?"
And instantly the man grabs my robe and asks: "What happened to Harry? Tell me, Albus, please! What happened to that poor boy? It can't have been the tournament, was it? It hasn't started yet, has it?" But I shake my head and calmly pull his hands off my robe before I say: "It plays a role, but not a vital one, I'm afraid.
You see, somehow – or better said, through someone – Harry became an unwanted fourth Champion and – well, Ronald, Ginerva and Mss. Granger didn't take lightly to that. They rallied up a quarter of Gryffindor House and then convinced the Head Girl, Mss. Supers, to contain the other three quarter – before they attacked.
And their attack did almost take Mr. Potter his life, yet before he was about to die, Harry wished for me to change him into a girl. This to ensure that his legend would live on, but that his death would only be remembered by those who mattered. The transformation would have killed him – had it not been for Maxime and your twin sons."

The man looks shocked and I say: "And that is why I had them call you here. Ronald has his new owl, Pig, and when Minerva and I caught him in the act, he didn't portray any semblance of guilt, remorse or regret. I have no doubt Ronald will write Molly and turn the whole thing into a sob story with him as the victim.
Arthur, I know you usually –." But here the man stops and he growls: "No son of mine will get away with an attempt of murder, Albus, I assure you." And the man turns around. Yet when he reaches the fireplace, does he turn around to face me yet again and he asks: "So, when can Molly and I expect Ginerva and Ronald home?"
But I shake my head at this and say: "Expulsion is out of the question, Arthur. It will not be enough to relay the message that what they did was wrong. Lady Hogwarts has another plan in mind to punish both them and the other Gryffindors that attacked the new Mss. Potter." And the man nods before he says: "Got it, good luck, Albus."

And I nod at him before he leaves and after the man has left, does the door to the Hospital Wing open and does Minerva walk in. And because the situation is now under control, at least for the time being, do I smile at her in order to make her know that things are going much better, making the woman sigh in heartfelt relief.
I then motion her to follow me into another cubicle and pull the curtains closed before I say: "I have good news and bad news for you, Minerva. Though the bad news does precede the good." This makes the woman sigh in relief and I tell her everything; of the potions, the request, the change and the twins saving Mss. Potter's life.
The woman looks shocked and then sighs in relief, actually taking a seat on the bed in the cubicle as she asks: "So – so – so she – she'll be moved to the Fourth year's girl's dorm?" But I shake my head and say: "I'd rather she be moved to the Fifth. Mss. Bell is closer to her male form and will be a better help with the changes in her new life."
At this Minerva nods and says: "I – I guess – I'll take a quick detour to the kitchens to get myself a pick-me-up and then head back to the Gryffindor dorm to let Mr. Longbottom and Mss. Bell know." At this I nod, but then I lie a hand on her shoulder and say: "Mr. Weasley can't find out. Please make sure of that, Minerva."

And the woman nods at me, this request apparently being what she needed to regain herself and when she has left, does Poppy come at me and ask: "Albus, what do I do about that dog? It won't leave Mss. Potter's side. It has practically tethered itself to the bottom of the poor girl's bed? How do I get it to leave for Merlin's sake?"
But this makes me realize that, even with Mss. Potter now being out of danger's reach, there are still things that need to be done and yet again Lady Hogwarts has her sentient magic touch my mind, which makes me smile and say: "Just get me the Minister here, Poppy, and I will take care of everything. And don't send that poor dog out."
And while this doesn't seem to be the answer Poppy was hoping for, does she still nod and leave. I then take a seat on the bed myself, knowing that Poppy actually embeds the blanket, matrass and pillow with a few spells that will make patients feel better. And indeed, I feel the magic revitalize my energy reserves.

This makes me sigh in relief and I keep my eyes closed for a few seconds. That is, until my magical senses notice Cornelius approaching and before the man can get through the curtains, have I taken a seat in one of the chairs and turned the bed into a desk for us to sit at. The man enters and instantly asks: "Albus, you needed me."
And to my delight, do I almost hear Lady whispering a plan in my mind, as if the being herself is standing behind me and whispering in my ear. "Cornelius, thank you for coming. Please, take a seat. Poppy, could you go fetch Severus for me?" And when the snarky man has taken the last available seat, do I smile at him and say:
"Severus, it seems that, last year, some of your knowledge was a little limited." The man looks confused and I say: "According to Lady Hogwarts, you are quite the expert in Dark Magic, but you seem to have, I'm sorry to say, made a vital mistake in your comparison between the Imperius curse and the Confundus spell."
The man looks shocked and I say: "According to Lady Hogwarts, the Imperius curse can keep going, even when the target is asleep. However, I'm afraid the same doesn't count for the Confundus charm. And our three little lions from last year – were unconscious before they tried telling us that Sirius Black was innocent."

The two men look shocked and Cornelius asks: "Wait, are you saying that – that when Potter and the others said that – that they were telling the – the truth?" And I nod before I say: "However, we can't just bring this out to the public and expect them to welcome Sirius back with open arms. No, we need something to prove his innocence."
"What on earth could prove that when all we have is the word of three teens?" And while I wonder how Lady Hogwarts is planning to accomplish this, do I say: "By putting Mr. Black – on probation." The two look shocked and I say: "Cornelius, Lady Hogwarts and I will take full responsibility for this idea, we assure you."
"You are in contact with Lady Hogwarts? How long has that been going on? Why did you never tell me?" Cornelius asks shocked and I say: "I never told you, Cornelius, because Lady Hogwarts only saw reason to contact me tonight. And no Cornelius, I don't really understand why she believed this." The man hums and then gasps.

"Wait, the Champions were chosen tonight. Did something happen to some of them? Did they try to sabotage each other?" But I shake my head and say: "Someone Confunded the Goblet of Fire and it believed, I am truly sad to say, that Potter was to be a Champion for a Fourth school that only exists inside mind of the caster."
The man looks shocked and I say: "And, to make matters even worse, did a portion of the Gryffindors not take kindly to the fact that one of their own, as they believed, cheated the Goblet into letting him in as a Champion. They attacked poor Potter and, I feel angered just thinking of it, but they almost managed to kill Potter."
"K-k-k-kill? Potter is – is he – no, he – he can't be –." Yet here I stop the man and say: "Cornelius, the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived can live on, you need not to worry about that. However, Potter's injuries were horrible enough and, until a few minutes ago, was Poppy out of all of the necessary potions and draughts.
Because of this, did we all believe that, yes, Harry would die, but Harry didn't want to die in such a way that it would become a media craze, so – he asked me to change him into a girl. And I won't deny it, Cornelius, the transformation would have killed poor little Potter, had it not been for Madam Maxime and the Weasley twins."

The man looks shocked and he asks: "And – and – and this – won't hit the media." But I say: "Cornelius, even if this hits the news, it won't cause trouble for anyone other than the attackers. Not the Tournament as it was a Dark Wizard who Confunded the Goblet and not the Ministry as there was no way they could have prepared for this.
However Sirius Black is Harry Potter's godfather and, because he is innocent, he deserves this chance to be with his new goddaughter. And that is where the probation comes in. And yes, Cornelius, I will do all I can to keep a firm, close eye on the news, from the first reporter all the way to the edition of this story hitting the stores."

The man sighs relieved and he asks: "That – that sounds – that sounds fine, I guess. But – how are we going to get in contact with Black? We weren't even able to hold him captive for more than an hour last year? How are we supposed to keep him long enough to let him know all this?" Yet I already know the answer and ask:
"What do you think about this, Sirius?" And the man swipes the curtain aside as he says: "Just make sure I can keep my goddaughter as my main priority and that my probation will be over before the year ends and you've got me in." And the man smirks, leaning against my side of the desk as Cornelius jumps up and shouts:
"WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?" And Sirius answers: "I was taken alongside Remus after he finally got through to the Floo. I've been staying with him from time to time as he knows I'm innocent, just like my little girl, Granger and that bastard of a traitor.""Wait, you mean the – the Weasley boy? He – he attacked Potter?"
And Sirius turns dark with fury as he growls: "Apparently. Albus told me and Remy the whole tale on the way from Gryffindor common room to here – before we heard Snape here tell us that Poppy was out of the necessary potions. Oh and Snape, before I forget. My little girl wanted you to know that the life debt has been repaid."

This shocks both Severus and myself and Sirius shrugs as he says: "She knew that it was you who told Madam Maxime of what Albus here was doing and so feels that you are as responsible for the twins restarting her heart as Maxime and the boys are. Her heart was restarted, her life given a new chance, the life debt repaid."
And while Severus looks shocked that our new female Potter has decided on this, does he then nod and say: "Minister, I'm not sure how we'll manage to get Black a probation that can get him to stay here until the end of the year, but I do agree. He deserves his freedom and Potter deserves a devoted, determined guardian."
And while Sirius looks shocked that his rival is complimenting him like this, does he then give the man a small smile before Cornelius takes a deep breath and says: "Alright, but I still have one question." Yet I say: "Don't worry, Cornelius. Lady Hogwarts told me she will come with a solution at breakfast tomorrow."

Making the man sigh in relief, but then he turns to Sirius and says: "Alright then. Black, make sure you have Poppy look you over, follow her health regime to the letter and, most importantly –." But then Sirius turns stern and practically growls: "No one will come near my little girl without my permission, I assure you."
And Cornelius looks a little intimidated before I ask: "May I make a suggestion, Sirius? I know your goddaughter is only fourteen, but I would like to send her to the fifth year dorm as that will allow her to share a room with one of her fellow Quidditch players. I know for a fact she is closer with Mss. Bell than with Mss. Brown."
This makes Sirius turn thoughtful and he asks: "What about the rest of the team?" To which I answer: "The same." To this Sirius smiles and says: "Then I like that idea, though I would like to add that the other female members of her team are to join in on helping her getting used to be a girl. And the twins need to become her bodyguards."

At this Severus, Cornelius and I share a pleasant smile and I say: "That sounds wonderful. I will make sure to report all this at breakfast tomorrow. Now Sirius, why don't you go to join your new goddaughter. And Severus, could you please go report to the Houses that the reason behind your first visit has been covered?"
And the two men nod before I ask: "Cornelius, can I ask you to make sure Amelia will be at the Great Hall tomorrow? In case we can catch the culprit who cursed the Goblet or in case one of the attackers tries something." And the Minister nods before we all leave for our respective tasks, me for my office and later my bed.

Whew, so much has been done.
Harry Potter is now no more than a legend, Mss. Potter has been born, two life debts have been repaid and many, many lives are about to change. Now our female little girl will be waking up in two chapters from now, but next chapter will still be very grand as Lady Hogwarts will make an appearance and she will take action.
Merry Christmas,

Venquine1990