A Change is as Good as a Holiday

The summer after Harry's fourth year, he's quietly stewing in the anger caused by his friends' less-than-useless letters. By the time he joins up with them, he's positively furious and lets them know so in a rather loud argument that causes Ron and Hermione to be more than a little scared of him. However, Tonks notices something while coming across their confrontation, and intervenes, dragging Harry away. When she tells him what she witnessed, his outlook on life is changed rather drastically.

Notes:

Before beginning this, there are a few things I would like to make you - the reader - aware of to put the fic into context;

Firstly, it starts in the summer of O.O.T.P - Post-G.O.F. However, no Dementors come to Privet Drive; therefore, no trial is held. Now, the question you may be asking yourself is why exactly I have done this. The answer is simple enough - I want this to be a jovial one-shot without any worries about Voldemort or near-death experiences. Therefore, while both topics may be touched upon briefly, they will not be a significant part of the plot. All I want is for you to enjoy it and have a good laugh at any parts you find amusing (as I wrote most of it with that intention). What I am trying to get at is; please don't come at me for the lack of seriousness (or Siriusness for those who might prefer the term) in the fic, for it was not intended to be so.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and, as usual, let me know what you think or if you find any errors on my part. :-)

Harry had always been relatively small for his age. This was due, no doubt, to the circumstances he'd grown up in. Living in a tiny cupboard and eating very little food was, he was sure, bad for his health.

Sometimes, however, being small could be helpful. He could hide in small places where larger people such as Dudley could neither find nor follow him. He'd also been told that being small was good for a seeker, allowing them to manoeuvre more easily and change direction faster. Another upside, he supposed, was that it allowed him to be far more unassuming, as people often dismissed short people at first glance. It let him go a bit more unnoticed and underestimated than he might have done had he been taller.

However, it also had its downsides. He was easily physically overpowered by others - Dudley being a prime example of this. He also always felt deeply uncomfortable when surrounded by lots of people, his small stature being easily overwhelmed by the many taller figures around him. Harry was bitterly disappointed to find that being short also made people far less intimidated by him. Which totally wasn't fair! Ron even came across as more intimidating than he did! Furthermore, girls were more attracted to tall guys - or, at least, that's what he'd overheard Lavender and Parvati giggling about at some point.

Harry had been thinking quite a bit about his height and general appearance that summer in an effort to get his mind off the memories of the Third Task and the fact that he hadn't received any letters from his friends.

All those ideas, however, became forgotten as soon as some people from the so-called 'Order of the Phoenix' came to collect him from his relatives, telling him that they'd be taking him to see his friends.

His friends, who hadn't written to him all summer.

Harry quietly stewed in his anger the whole way there, so that, by the time they arrived, he was fuming. He greeted Sirius in a mixture of relief and anger - relief that his godfather still hadn't been captured and anger because he also had written only rather bland, useless letters to him all summer. He didn't say anything about it, just smiled, and nodded, where appropriate. Then Mrs Weasley hurried him up the stairs, telling him he'd be sharing a room with Ron - on the second landing, the door on the right.

So, rage still bubbling beneath the surface, he made his way up the stairs as quietly as he could until he reached the door described to him. He stood outside it for a moment and listened to the whispers of his friends from within.

"Oh, I hope he isn't too angry with us, Ron," Hermione said, sounding anxious and upset, "Our letters to him have been absolutely useless! Especially after what happened at the end of last term!"

"I'm sure he's alright, Hermione," Ron replied, "Harry's not that sort of guy. Even if he's angry with us now, he'll get over it. Besides, Harry's not really one to lose his temper, is he?"

On hearing his friend's words, all Harry's earlier thoughts came flooding back, enhanced by his fury, and, with that in mind, he grasped the door handle roughly and threw open the door.

Ron and Hermione looked up in fright and alarm, which quickly changed to plain surprise when they saw that it was Harry who was standing there. However, when they caught sight of the expression on his face, all thoughts of greeting and apologies were scrapped. It was clear they would do no good.

"'Not one to lose my temper,' am I, Ron?" Harry asked quietly, his green eyes glowing in the dark room, "I'll 'get over it,' will I? I'm not just some pushover! How could you have not contacted me? Your letters were less than useless! I've been stuck at the Dursleys for a month - a month - with no idea as to what is going on with Voldemort, while you guys are here playing buddy-buddy with the front-liners!"
"Harry, we're sorry, but Dumbledore said that-"

"That what?" Harry demanded, "That you weren't to write to me because the letters could be intercepted? That you couldn't risk Voldemort getting a hold of the information? There are other ways to contact me instead of owls, you know!"

"How are we supposed to use them? We're watched all the time, and we're stuck inside!"

"You could've at least tried, instead of just giving up!"

While they'd been arguing, Harry had, subconsciously, taken a couple of steps forward, causing the other two members of the trio to shift backwards until their legs hit the edge of the bed. Harry didn't stop, however, and came progressively closer until he was right before them, towering over them, his anger palpable in the air.

"I trusted you," he said, no longer shouting, but his bitter tone hurt more than loud words, "You let me down."

With that, he turned sharply on his heel and stalked out of the room. Ron and Hermione collapsed backwards onto the bed behind them, letting out a breath, feeling guilty at knowing they had upset their friend so badly.

Harry left the room, turning left despite being unsure of where he was headed. All he knew was that he'd need to go and apologise to his friends later. His anger was still simmering and he was paying no attention to where he was going. Inevitably, he ended up crashing into Tonks, who had been standing watching his confrontation with a frown on her face. Her gaze wandered up and down his form before, suddenly, as if a realisation had come to her, her eyes widened dramatically and, in a split second, she had latched onto Harry's wrist and started dragging him up the stairs toward her bedroom.

Harry followed, not having much choice in the matter, as she tugged him into the room, locking the door behind her and casting various privacy wards. Finally, Tonks turned to him and stared at him for a moment before uttering one sentence that explained her strange behaviour.

"Potter, there's no easy way to say this but, well - you're a metamorphmagus."

Harry blinked at her, stunned, until her words sunk in. He snorted reflexively.

"No way. I'm not a metamorphmagus! I certainly would have noticed that."

Tonks simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Just think about it," she responded, "When you arrived here, were you taller or shorter than Hermione and Ron?"

"Shorter," he answered instantly, not even having to think about it.

"And when you were arguing with them," she continued, "were you looking up at them, or towering over them?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply but stopped halfway, his eyes widening as he realised the point she was making.

He collapsed backwards onto her bed, completely stunned.

"Holy smokes, I'm a metamorphmagus."

Tonks smiled softly and knelt before him, taking his hands in her own as a gesture of comfort.

"Don't worry," she said, "Come and meet me here again tomorrow morning. I reckon that with a few hours of practise each day, by the end of the summer, we'll have another fully-trained Metamorphmagus on our hands."

…::-::...

The following morning, after a long night of silent contemplation, Harry met up with Tonks again, in her bedroom as suggested. Once the wards were up and the door locked, Harry asked the question that had been worrying him the most

"Why am I only finding out now?" he asked, "Surely I should have shown signs earlier?"

Tonks shook her head, "Not necessarily. There are various reasons it could only be showing up now. The first reason could be simply that you are a late developer. Certainly, a few metamorphs have only discovered their abilities well into their twenties. Another reason could be a block placed on you when you were younger that's finally worn off. To be honest, there are endless possibilities, but those two are the most likely options."

Harry looked relieved, "So, it's not unusual then?"

"Not at all," Tonks smiled, "Now let's get started, shall we?"

She sat cross-legged on the floor and encouraged Harry to do the same.

"The first thing you need to know," she began, "is that all metamorphs have what is known as a base form. As the name would suggest, a base form is the form you were born with - what you truly look like, I suppose you could say. It's the easiest form to change into, being mostly instinctual and is accompanied by a glow that indicates you are changing into your base form. Watch."

Harry did as she instructed, watching carefully as she closed her eyes and began to glow a soft lilac, her features changing. Her hair lengthened and darkened, her facial structure sharpened and she became slightly shorter. When she opened her eyes, they were grey, like Sirius', as opposed to their usual brown.

Tonks smiled at his awestruck expression.

"Now you try."

Harry blinked at her, "How? I mean, surely this is my base form? I've certainly never changed anything."

"That you're aware of," she countered, "Often changes are subconscious. We tend to conform to what's expected of us without being aware of doing so. So, just try it. Close your eyes and look into yourself. You'll know when you've found it."

He gazed at her sceptically in response but did as she'd told him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was in fact only a few minutes, he felt a tug from within and, slowly, his body began to shift form.

Tonks watched the changes take place with a smug grin. When he'd stopped shifting, she chuckled outright and told him to open his eyes. Harry did so, blinking a few times before his expression settled into a frown.

"I can't see a bloody thing."

Tonks laughed and shook her head, reaching forward to remove the glasses from his face.

"I thought that would be the case," she explained, "It's very rare for metamorphs to have issues such as bad eyesight. It's also rather inconvenient when trying to impersonate someone who doesn't wear glasses."

Harry nodded in understanding, "Do I look very different then?"

"See for yourself," she responded, standing and helping him up off the floor before conjuring a mirror for him to use.

Harry's expression as he caught sight of himself in the mirror could have been rather comical if it hadn't been so genuine.

His face hadn't changed much, he was pleased to see, aside from a slight sharpening of his cheekbones and jawline, along with the lengthening of his hair. His eyes, as well, looked much brighter due to the absence of his glasses. The rest of his body, however, was another story altogether.

His shoulders had broadened quite significantly, which was accompanied by a major growth in height. Before he had been substantially shorter than both Hermione and Ron, he now stood, he assumed, only an inch or so shorter than - if not level with - the latter and a whole head and shoulders above Tonks, who stood beside him. The T-shirt and jeans he was wearing may have fitted his smaller frame but were now straining at the seams. The tight shirt had the added benefit of showing off the lean, wiry muscles he'd built up during his years of Quidditch and Tonks was looking him over appreciatively.

"That's step one complete," she announced brightly, ignoring his stunned expression, "Let's move on to step two, shall we?"

…::-::…

In the end, Tonks' prediction proved true.

By the end of the summer, Harry had fully learned how to use his abilities and had even caused a bit of chaos, impersonating various members of the Order. He was, however, still giving Ron and Hermione the cold shoulder, only interacting with them when he had to.

He also had yet to tell anyone, apart from Tonks, about his metamorphmagus abilities.

The pair had managed to work out a schedule whereby he shifted a little more to his base form each day, giving everyone the impression that he was having a growth spurt. They also transfigured the lenses in his glasses to plain glass, so that he could continue wearing them to avoid suspicion. And while his new height had been commented on, no one caught on to what was really going on.

The truth was that Harry had a plan for the coming school year.

It seemed that discovering his metamorph abilities brought out his Marander side.

…::-::…

Harry's first opportunity came on the train back to Hogwarts.

He was in a compartment with Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the twins. They were having an animated discussion about what to expect from the year ahead when Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, decided to pay his annual visit.

Ron stood up, his fists clenched, as soon as the door opened but Harry waved him back into his seat as he regarded the blonde with a cool gaze.

"Well, if it isn't the ferret and his cronies. What do you want me to waste my time on now, Malfoy?"

There was a brief pause as the Slytherin seemed to digest what Harry had said before he grinned maliciously and responded.

"Well, well, well, it seems the golden boy has finally grown a pair, along with a few other things. Been taking some potions, Potter? I'm sure my father will love to hear about this."

"Your father," Harry replied, rising to his feet and moving to stand before him, "had better watch his step."

Malfoy sneered and Harry was pleased to see that his greater height forced the Slytherin to look up at him.

"Oh, why's that, Potter? You finally learnt what it's like to be a real man?"

"Because, Malfoy," he snarled, leaning down so that their faces were only inches apart, "I was at the graveyard that night. I am an eyewitness to your father's presence there and I can very easily go running to the DMLE with a copy of my memory as evidence. I'm sure daddy's master wouldn't like that."

At the mention of the word 'master', Harry changed his face to look like Voldemort for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough to scare Malfoy out of his wits. His face paled dramatically, becoming as white as his hair. He stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet and falling to the floor in the corridor. Satisfied that he had humiliated the ferret successfully, Harry slammed the compartment door shut and locked it with a wave of his wand before turning back to his friends.

All five of them were staring at him with their jaws dropped open.

Harry raised an eyebrow at them, "What?"

"Bloody hell, Harry," Ron exclaimed, "Teach me how to do that! Malfoy looked like he was about to wet himself!"

Harry simply laughed and returned to his seat, shaking his head, "Sorry Ron. That's a trade secret. Son of a Marauder and all that."

Ron grinned at him and relented, saying, he supposed, that some things had to stay secret. Hermione, however, continued to eye him suspiciously all the way to Hogwarts. Harry took note of her expression and decided he'd have to be more careful around her in the future.

…::-::...

The first few weeks of term were relatively peaceful, disturbed only by Umbridge's defence lessons. Harry had done his best to keep his head down, biting his tongue to keep from speaking out against her. It was inevitable that, eventually, he would snap and Umbridge's carefully constructed plan would come crashing down around her.

Thankfully, it didn't happen in her presence or Harry would surely have earned a lifetime of detentions. As it was, he only caused a minor storm within the fifth-year boys' dorm. Neville, who had come back from detention with the words, 'I will not disobey my elders' carved into his hand, watched The-Boy-Who-Lived pace up and down in a mixture of both fear and awe. The Harry who had come back to Hogwarts that term was different to the one who had left in June and, somehow, Neville thought they were better off for it.

Harry, meanwhile, had finally had enough of the toad's bigotedness. It was time to put his plan into action but first, he'd have to enlist a little... assistance.

…::-::...

"Harry."

"Mate."

"Our brother from another mother -"

"- and father -"

"- and family, for that matter."

"Not that we don't appreciate the brilliance -"

"And cunning."

"Yes, and cunning, can't forget cunning -"

"- a real closet Slytherin, you are -"

"Of your master prank but -"

"We can't help wondering -"

"- just how you are going to get Malfoy to cooperate."

"Yeah, he's not exactly going to do it out of his own free will -"

"- is he?"

Harry grinned at the twins, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Don't you worry my trouble-making friends, I've got it all sorted out."

…::-::...

When later interrogated, all the students who had been in the hallway near Umbridge's office attested to the fact that they had seen Draco Malfoy stride confidently up to her office and knock on the door. What exactly he said to her while there, they didn't know but all witnessed Umbridge herself leave the office a few moments later and waddle away as fast as her short little legs would carry her. Draco was not seen until later that evening and, by the time Harry Potter left the office, despite not being seen entering, there was no one around to witness the event.

The truth of the matter was rather simple.

'Draco' told Umbridge that he had witnessed a group of students, led by Harry Potter, practising illegal dark spells in the dungeons near the Slytherin common room and that they were plotting the downfall of the Ministry. Umbridge, who had been looking for an excuse to get Potter into trouble, rushed off to apprehend him, leaving Draco in her office. However, many witnesses later stated that Potter was nowhere near the dungeons at the time but was rather discussing prank item ideas in the Gryffindor Common Room with Fred and George Weasley. So, when Umbridge got to the dungeons and fell into a portable swamp instead of catching Potter, Draco Malfoy took the fall despite not being involved.

…::-::...

Ever since the incident with Malfoy on the train, Hermione had been keeping her eye on Harry.

Understandably, Harry had rather ignored her and Ron over the summer and had instead spent a lot of time alone with Tonks. At first, Hermione had found it rather suspect but had let it go, not wanting to upset Harry any more than she already had. She'd been quite surprised when he'd hit a growth spurt but shrugged it off as part of growing up. However, she just could not over the scene on the train. The way Malfoy had been frightened off so quickly and had such a severe reaction indicated that Harry had used more than words to frighten him, yet he had not drawn his wand until he did so to lock the door.

All in all, it made a rather suspicious picture and the prank that had been played on Umbridge a few weeks earlier just made it more so. Despite having seen Harry in the common room herself, Hermione was certain that he was involved somehow.

She just had to figure it out.

…::-::...

Harry wasn't having a good day.

Firstly, he'd had points taken off by Snape during potions that morning for supposedly ruining Malfoy's potion despite being at least ten feet away at the other side of the classroom. Secondly, he'd had Hermione watching him like a hawk. Granted, she'd been doing it the whole term but his tolerance was wearing thin and it was really starting to bug him. Lastly, a third-year fangirl called Romilda Vane had been trying to corner him and ask him on a date the whole day and he'd finally had enough of it. So, he did what any sensible metamorphmagus would do. He went into the boys' bathroom and changed into a nondescript, brown-haired, brown-eyed boy, took his glasses off and tucked them inside his pocket, then transfigured his robes into Hufflepuff ones before leaving again.

However, what Harry failed to realise was that Hermione had been following him, hoping to get a chance to test her theory. She watched as Harry entered the bathroom but didn't appear to leave and instead trailed after the brown-haired Hufflepuff who did.

She followed him into a rather empty hallway and waited until they were near a classroom she knew was unused before sporting forward and grabbing the Hufflepuff by the wrist and dragging him into the room, locking and warding the door behind them so that he couldn't escape. He protested vehemently, but her grip was so strong that he couldn't possibly get away.

Once they were in the room and she'd let go of him, he backed away a couple of steps, his eyes wide.

"What do you think you're doing?" he cried, "Kidnapping me from the corridor like that? What do you want from me?"

"According to 'Useful Spells for Inherited Traits'," Hermione responded, "a metamorphmagus can be forced into their base form using the spell 'ad naturalem statum', which goes through any variant of a 'protego' shield. It also states that you can recognise when a metamorphmagus returns to the base form when they glow softly during the transformation. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The Hufflepuff seemed bewildered, "'Metamorphmagus', 'base form'? What are you talking about?!"

"Don't play games with me, Harry," she demanded, "I saw you go into that bathroom and come out again looking like this! Don't make me use the spell on you!"

Sweat trickled down the boy's forehead, which contrasted with his seemingly-confused state.

"You're barmy!" he declared.

Hermione grinned, "Well, let's see, shall we?"

With a deft flick of her wand, she cast a bright purple spell towards the boy, who only just managed to dodge, ducking below it and rising just in time to miss the second one coming his way.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" he cried, diving behind a nearby desk to avoid yet another spell, "What the hell are you attacking me for?!"

Hermione scoffed, "You're a good actor, Harry, I'll give you that, but if you don't give it up now I'm afraid we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"Isn't this hard enough?!"

After many more minutes of ducking, diving, dodging and splintered desks, Hermione's aim finally hit true, her spell striking the boy in the chest and causing him to collapse to the floor, his whole body spamming and glowing a soft green as it shifted and grew. Hermione stalked over and watched in smug satisfaction as he became recognisable as none other than Harry Potter, albeit without the glasses.

Once the transformation was over, Harry sat up and leaned back on his hands, his legs stretched out in front of him, and looked up at her.

"You really don't give up, do you?" he panted, recovering from the rather painful process of having his body forcibly changed.

Hermione preened.

"I did give you the option to give up," she responded, clearly enjoying herself immensely.

Harry chuckled slightly, "Yeah, you did, didn't you? I suppose I just couldn't. It's the Gryffindor in me, you know?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but held out a hand to help him up, which he took, stumbling to his feet.

She looked up at him questioningly, "So, that's what you were doing spending all your time with Tonks this summer?"

Harry grinned sheepishly, "You noticed that, did you?"

"I'm a Muggle-born, you know?" Hermione responded, "We tend to be rather more observant than the rest of the wizarding population."

Harry laughed and shook his head, "Unfortunately, that's true enough."

Hermione smiled and raised an eyebrow, "So, aren't you going to explain everything to me?"

Harry nodded abashedly and led the way to a pair of desks that were still standing.

Once they were seated, Harry began his explanation, up to and including his prank on Umbridge. Hermione threw back her head and laughed as she heard just how Harry had ensured his alibi.

"You got Tonks to be you while you went off and played Draco? Why not get her to be Draco while you stayed in the common room?"

Harry grinned, "Well where's the fun in that? After organising it I was hardly going to miss out on the action, was I?"

Hermione shook her head in bemusement, "So, who else knows your secret? Besides Tonks?"

"Just you," he responded

"Really?" she was surprised, "Not even Sirius?"

Harry shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I wasn't sure how to tell him. To be honest, I didn't really want to. I want to tell everyone only when I'm ready to in my own time and, knowing Sirius, as soon as I tell him he'll probably go and blab to anyone he comes close to."

Hermione studied him intently, "I think you underestimate just how much he would do for you. He'd die for you if he had to, so keeping your secrets is next to nothing in comparison."

Harry blinked, "You really think so?"

"I know so."

"Oh."

They sat in silence, thinking for a moment before Hermione spoke again.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Knowing you, when you do eventually tell everyone, it will be through some big elaborate display so, when you're planning to do so, please let me know so I can be there to witness it all."

Harry laughed, "Of course! If you like, I'll even organise a camera."

…::-::…

The rest of the year passed rather peacefully - if one excluded the O. . Harry had, at last, buckled down to study properly and felt confident in the results he would achieve - much to Hermione's pleasure. Ever since she'd discovered his secret, the pair had begun to mend their relationship, which was progressing smoothly. Harry had also started trying to make amends with Ron who, as of yet, was not very receptive, but the metamorph was working on it.

Another development had been a rather loud but altogether successful conversation Harry had had with Dumbledore about his living arrangements. Harry had decided that enough was enough and steadfastly

refused to return to the Dursleys. After a rambunctious argument between the pair, they finally came to a compromise; Harry would stay with Sirius at Grimmauld during the summer, leaving only to visit Ron at the Burrow and go to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies. Harry was still not too happy with his lack of freedom but thought it a step in the right direction and so agreed to the arrangement. Also, he was sure Sirius would be pleased to have some company other than the Order members.

Plus, it was a fantastic opportunity to play with the various residents.

Harry certainly planned to have some fun that summer.

…::-::...

Hermione grinned as she read the letter she'd just received from Hedwig. She'd been expecting it for some time and was pleased that everything was finally taking place.

Harry had certainly kept his promise.

…::-::…

Two days later, Hermione was in her bedroom at Grimmauld Place, unpacking her things, having arrived roughly an hour earlier. She was removing things mostly absent-mindedly, keeping an ear open for any noise coming from downstairs, knowing that Harry's scheme was planned for the Order meeting taking place that night.

Sure enough, she heard a shout a few moments later and made her way to the kitchen to watch things unfold.

However, despite her prior knowledge of the plan, nothing could have prepared her for the reality she faced upon her arrival.

The Order, including Sirius, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Moody, Molly, Arthur, Bill and Remus stood around the table, staring at the two identical Tonkses who stood upon it, each vehemently exclaiming that they were the real Tonks.

At the sound of raised voices, Ron, Ginny and the twins also appeared and stood behind Hermione to watch the scene unfold. The bookworm herself smirked, knowing that it was her cue to intervene.

"They're both metamorphs," she said to the room at large, causing everyone to turn and look at her, "One of them must be the real Tonks. Does anyone know a spell that can turn a metamorphmagus into their normal form?"

Both Remus and Bill raised their hands, clearly not wanting to disturb the pair who were still arguing on the table.

"Right," Hermione instructed, "Bill, you go for the one on the left, Professor Lupin the one on the right. Then we'll be able to tell who's who."

Remus and Bill glanced at each other, seemingly for confirmation, before drawing their wands and simultaneously firing off the spells which struck the pair squarely.

Around them, the Order watched in shock as the glowing figures collapsed, shuddering, as they returned to base form. Soon enough, the transformations stopped as they were recognised. One was certainly Nymphadora Tonks, although slightly different in appearance from the way most knew her. It was the identity of the other figure that shocked the group.

The familiar form of Harry Potter clambered to his feet, grinning despite the painful process he'd just undergone. He looked around at the speechless order before catching Hermione's eye and winking.

"Uh, I guess I forgot to tell you," he chuckled, "It turns out I'm a metamorphmagus. Who knew?"

Notes:

Well done! You've reached the end of my light-hearted drivel. Despite its, admittedly, rather poor plot quality, I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think!

Until next time, Happy New Year - let's hope it's a good one. 😉