Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, I am just playing in her world
Who give's this daughter to that daughter?
Previously
Obviously the tiredness at least was mirrored as all four went bed. Heather of course verbally demanding that Crookshanks was not allowed in her room, which only got a response from Crookshanks that she swore, was smiling wider than the Cheshire cat ever grinned, even if he shouldn't be able to smile.
Normally Harry had no trouble waking up. It probably helped that both the smallest room at number four privet drive and the Gryffindor dorm room, he had lived in at school for the last six years, both had easterly facing windows that allowed the sun to naturally chase away the last vestiges of the night's shadows. In fact the conditioning from his relatives of his life's earlier years, even though the cupboard under the stairs had no window, likely made the morning sun redundant. He was however, this morning, slouched at the kitchen table inhaling coffee fumes. Even though he could likely count on one hand, and have most fingers left over, the number of times he had previously had a cup of coffee.
The thought that the Dursleys' didn't have a kitchen table, reminded him that, yes, he was at the Granger's house. It was his third reminder so far this morning on his departure from normal, but his brain was still struggling to reboot. He probably had the blue screen of death; yes he was at the top of his game today.
Initially it was the incessant polite knocking on the door. He had figured either his aunt or uncle needed Dudley for something. For it was far to civilized of a disturbance to have anything to do with him. So wake up number one was from Hermione on some need of a family 'pow-wow'. Harry was not yet enough awake to decide if the word 'pow-wow' could be considered a second wake-up call or not.
The second-and-two-third wake-up call was his realization after splashing cold water on his face from the vanity basin that he was going to have to sit in the bathroom. He was fairly sure the Granger's wouldn't have been impressed if their guest chose to decorate the bathroom floor with a golden shower. He was not going to even admit to himself how close they had come to said gift. Part of him argued that the whole wrong plumbing had to count as half a dozen wake-up calls by itself. However, the argument, that was sustained, was that here he was. Slouched at the kitchen table inhaling coffee fumes, and with fingers crossed hoping reboot number three would get a few of the synapse to fire at a better rate than a one cylinder moped, with a shaker of salt in the fuel tank.
"Not a morning person?" Mr. Granger pleasantly asked.
Harry took a swig of coffee, swirled it in the hope it would do a better job going down agitated and swallowed prior to trying to get visual input. Namely begging at least one set of muscles of his eyelids to open an eye. The right eye flickered and provided him with the knowledge that aside Mr. Granger, who was so awake it should be a criminal offense, Hermione was the only other member of the four at the table awake. Further, Hermione's status of awake didn't have the most solid of foundations.
Having closed his eyes, Harry at least did face in Hermione's Dad's direction whilst stating, "Mr. Granger, as you seem to me the only one awake I think we could delay the family 'pow-wow' for a while."
"Sorry Harry all important family meetings are held in the morning over pots of coffee."
This comment actually enabled Harry to open his eyes. "Mrs. Granger, if this is how you two are normally in the morning I think you put yourself at a disadvantage for family meetings."
"Don't worry daughter, he needs all the help he can get; and yes, I know you are not Hermione, but I've decided you are my Heather."
"Seconded," stated Hermione.
"Third; Heather has been unanimously voted into the Grangers. Heather for all subsequent motions you now have a vote. Er, do we allow Crookshanks to determine in case of a tie-breaker?" Mr. Granger pondered.
"Seconded," added Hermione once more.
"You can't be serious!" Harry challenged.
"Well we are playing a bit Heather, but it is how we sort things out if we can. You might be at a complete handicap though, with the whole slow waking-up and not knowing our routine." Mrs. Granger informed.
"Being tired in the morning is not normal for me. I am unsure if it is the magic drawn by the polyjuice change to this whole," Harry indicates his new body. "The ward keystone or just all the weirdness of yesterday that caused this. Also how can Hermione's votes count, she has just said the same word twice and could be saying it while half asleep."
"You also Heather, have a new body now. I am not a morning person and you might not be now like your bodies mum. It will take a few days to know for sure. As to Hermione, she is playing with you."
"Seconded," Hermione smiled at Harry. "Anyway Mum, Heather you two awake now?"
After both nods, Mr. Granger addressed them. "Heather, you are now our daughter too, and part of the Granger family. So you get a vote just like your older sister, who has a vote. We had decided on the event of two way splits that Crookshanks would help out. We decided this prior to waking you up then went through this to show how we try to get agreements as a family. So we were playing and also showing you the Granger 'pow-wow'. It is not rigid in formality like our spoof. If you later become Harry again we will re-address, but that currently is irrelevant. You unanimously are Heather Granger, and are an adult, thus get a full vote in the family. When Hermione was a little girl, I think she was about eight we gave her half a vote."
"Yeah, and I quickly worked out that gave me nothing too." Hermione replied. "If I had you then Heather we might have had some ability when one parent chose to abstain."
"We likely would each have been given third votes, Hermione." Harry said.
"Oh she's good."
"Well she is a Granger." Mr. Granger replied to his wife.
"I think the intelligence is from the Goss side more than Granger." Mrs. Granger added.
"Now then Heather, moving on, when you drank the potion to become half-kneazle you planned to wait at least twenty months until returning to normal?" Mr. Granger asked.
Heather replied, "Unless the whole mad-evil-wizard that wants me dead was resolved, yes."
"Right, ignoring the quick 'get-out-of-jail-card' option let's just say you were willing to be what the potion made you for twenty months. You willingly drank the potion and then discovered it came with a side effect that made you an identical twin to our daughter, Hermione. What we are saying, is for your health you must accept this side effect for the next twenty months. Vacillating between Heather and Harry is only going to cause issues. While this potion is in effect, we are going to call you Heather, and treat you as our daughter. You are going to think yourself as Heather, Hermione's younger twin sister, our daughter. We are your Mum and Dad." Mr. Granger continued.
"Seconded," Hermione said whilst sticking her tongue out at her sister.
"Third," Mrs. Granger pointedly looked at Heather.
Harry looked around the whole family of Granger's that were now saying nothing, just staring at him. "How the hell is this, a democracy?" Mrs. Granger raised an eyebrow. "You're going to make me say it?" Mr. Granger nodded at the statement. "If I nay or abstain, it is meaningless as the three votes beat my one or no vote if I want to disagree." Mrs. Granger nodded now, while smiling knowingly. "This is not fair!" Hermione started laughing at her. "Is this not duress?" All three shook their heads at her. "You are going to force me anyway and you have the majority. You could argue that by you already having the majority I have to agree and vote with you. As me voting against it, means I am not following what the majority family voted." The room was filled with Cheshire cat grins.
She had to think. How would Hermione handle this? She had to have a similar thing happen to her when she had half a vote. If she was Hermione's identical twin sister shouldn't she have the intelligence that Hermione had also? Drawing blanks she went with option two, use the only power they had inadvertently given her. Use the relationships against them. "Mum, three on one is bullying. You wouldn't stand by while your baby was picked on. Please change your vote." Her mum shook her head at her. Fine big guns she allowed the frustration of the situation to overwhelm her. The loss of self, the confusion, the conflicting feelings on how to handle being stuck in a woman's body, she also dug the claws that were under her glamour thus no one could see into her leg near her inside knee and scratched them up the accessible in side of her leg to her short bottoms. With tears and pouted lips, "Dad, please, for me?" Dad also shook his head. She would get him back, the drawn blood and new scratches hurt. "Sister?" Hermione couldn't prevent a laugh, but disagreed on changing her vote. Heather looked over them a final pass but the tyrants hadn't budged. "If you truly were my parents and sister you wouldn't gang-up on me!"
Even while she was presenting her arguments and attempting to use her power as their daughter, several things were going on subconsciously unknown to all. Firstly, Heather had already accepted the Grangers as her parents the prior evening on the drive home from Kings Cross. Secondly Harry had accepted them as Heather's parents because it was something he always wanted. Next both had noticed how much everything seemed to be coped with if they looked at the problem from Heather's point of view and how it was the perfect way to escape being the boy who lived. Lastly fickle magic cemented a decision it had began the prior evening when it appeared that Heather was being attacked by friends and foes alike, from all directions.
What it had decided to work with was the source of fairy tales where the put upon girl is saved through the power of her godmother. Old entrenched magic that was even read within the world where magic was oft otherwise scorned. The prior evening it had locked down the Black wards to protect her, but Harry wasn't the closest claimant to keep them. Harry's godmother was unable to help, his godfather too could not, being dead.
However, if she was encouraged to Heather's thinking over Harry then as godson became goddaughter, could not then the godfather be the more magical godmother. A godmother capable to do the only magic that could help while dead. Namely enable Sirius to have been Heather's father. In a tapestry in the second floor drawing room of number twelve Grimmauld Place a new name was added as daughter to the scorched out name above. Heather 'smudged ink' Black was born. In the Granger's kitchen a girl's psyche was nudged to accept the change better.
"Well it is under duress, but fine, fourth."
Hermione squealed and hugged her little sister, joined by mum and dad in short order.
"So more coffee?" getting only one yes from Heather, she filled their two cups. Re-sitting and savoring a sip mum queried. "Will the Weasley's also start preparing marriage contracts for one or both of you, girls?"
"They're members of the order so they know who Heather is so unlikely, though they are handling it oddly." Hermione informed their parents.
"How are they handling it oddly?" Dad asked.
"Well it is more as they see Heather at fault for anything they dislike, but don't want anything from her. They expect Harry, when he returns, to owe them for these supposed transgressions." Hermione replied and her sister nodded.
"Fine we will worry about odd Weasley behavior later. I take it that as Heather is an adult as long as she doesn't accept the Longbottom contract, when Neville's grandmother presents it then we don't need to worry.
"Correct." Heather replied.
"Actually Heather we might need to worry." Her sister disagreed. "While I was researching laws for defending Buckbeak, I thought I had a valid case. After losing that case I spent my spare time over the next three years really studying magical laws and the problem is that it is magic that makes the magic world so messed up."
"Why gee's sister, who'd have thought? If we just cured the magical world of magic it would then work as well as the muggle one."
"No what I mean is that magic is based off of rituals, beliefs, old wife's tales, suppositions. Ideas get entrenched and time provides weight. Each time a spell is cast it makes it more likely for the next time it is cast, for it to work. Magical laws, actually have magic within them. They also disagree with themselves far more than muggle laws do.
"In the world we grew up in, solicitors and barristers argue their current cases based off of prior verdicts that support the ruling they desire. Good ones can win the same argument on both sides. In the magical world the legal powerhouses are enchanters and enchantresses, because they can coax the magic to support their side of the argument.
"The basis of the law in the muggle world is from the most eloquent argument. Logic lends itself a bit, but as I stated the good ones could win both side, so it is more a case of emphasizing the logic that supports your position, while hoping the opposition fails to utilize those areas of logic that undermines what you want.
"In the magic world it is creating the desired result, and the best enchanter twists all the magic that flows in agreement to their argument, if there is a strong source of agreement that is in logical juxtaposition to another you are using, it doesn't matter. The two can be used together and though illogical you aren't hindered by this.
"After last night I realized magic influenced us yesterday and can illustrate what I am talking about." Hermione took a break and looked at her family. They were all following her and paying attention.
"Once you accepted you were stuck as a female. We started to think of a name, as calling you Harry would be confusing. Why did you choose Heather?" Hermione asked her sister.
"I wanted to keep my initials for my monogram, like on my trunk to not be impacted, and women in my family are named after flowers. I liked, Heather. I wouldn't pick Hyacinth. You suggested Perdita; planning on informing your parents they were grandparents." Heather answered.
"We will come back to my 'Perdita' later. How many things do you have monogrammed?" Hermione asked.
"One, just my trunk," her sister said.
"So in order, to agree with one monogrammed item that after next year would likely not be used, you wanted to restrict yourself to a name starting with the letter 'H'?"
Heather thinking for a moment wondered why she had been so set on not even allowing the idea of looking at flowers starting with another letter. "It is odd."
"Not odd, magical." Hermione while holding up her hand said, "Wait on me I'll explain shortly."
"Heather, you know lots about James and Lily Potter."
"Lots! All I flippin' know is that I looked just like James Potter, but with Lily's eyes. My father was a prankster, bully, illegal animagus, head-boy, and just yesterday something that will make it difficult for me with Gringotts, until I am twenty-five. My mother I know even less on. She was studious, smartest witch, head-girl, and had the horse, Petunia, as a sister." Heather angrily replied.
"Heather you said all the females in your mother's family were named after flowers." Hermione pointed out.
"Well they are. Lily and Petunia, those are both flowers." Heather stated.
"There is an example of how magic is in the laws in the magic world. You knew nothing of Potter naming conventions, but a pattern was formed from the only information you had from your mother's family. The black's name their children after constellations. A pattern formed and it became a naming convention. Naming conventions are not as prevalent in the muggle world because it doesn't have magic backing it up. I fell afoul of magic when I suggested Perdita. Your current body is from polyjuice from one of my hairs and one of Crookshanks. Magic made an argument that we are your parents, and thus my subconscious suggestion of name.
"So now we return to Neville's grandmother's imminent marriage contract. If you were not magically mature then your magical guardian would accept or deny the contract on your behalf. Unfortunately, firstly, Dumbledore is dead. The ministry is potentially compromised so it is unclear who would be your magical guardian now. That leads to secondly, from use of polyjuice you emancipated yourself. However, thirdly your method of emaciation was by making yourself a hybrid, and through history the enchanters and enchantresses have entrenched the wizard laws to limit other creatures' power.
"When I chose this method I was thinking of war not courtroom battles. What I am unfortunately stating is if magic chooses option three as the enforcement. Then the first person that writes a magical marriage contract against your legal name would be able to force you to marry them and you couldn't stop them."
"What is that clause against my legal name?" Heather's voice trembled.
"Good, that is our largest loophole. I now am going to muddy your name up so you don't entrench yourself in a single legal name. Don't consider one more appealing. Recall magic is belief and intent based. You're better off thinking how any can fit. Thus you can use your strength of other names, to shrug off a binding contract against only one name." Hermione continued.
"Now Heather, don't mention the parts of the conversation on the train I omit, I don't want my parents to be limited, and mum and dad this name I don't want you to discuss with each other or us, OK?" Hermione asked and waited for acceptance from all three.
"While on the train we discussed that as you would be my identical twin we should allow my parents to choose your middle name as we were forcing a second daughter on them. This was magic actually enforcing a perceived cost on you. Just as life debts are reinforced by magic this was actually a payment, and we didn't notice magic influencing us."
"Wait! Hold on a minute, Hermione. You are going on currently as if magic is alive." Heather challenged.
"Magic, isn't alive as we think of the word alive, but it is entrenched in prior rituals, patterns, beliefs. Just like Ollivander said, 'the wand chooses the wizard'. Magic is not alive but it is very old and has got weight behind it because it is so old." Hermione countered.
"So mum and dad, internally chose a middle name for Heather. Just try not to say it around each other or us. Next Heather, try not to see yourself as a Potter, Granger, or Crookshanks, while thinking you could also classify as 'Granger ne Potter'." Hermione continued.
"Hermione, dear; you are going to run that last one by us and explain what you mean by it. I think I speak for both mum and myself, when I say we have a problem with that one." Dad chimed in, while Emma also had a keen interest in hearing what their daughter meant by this too.
"Well in a way Heather is both the same person as Harry and someone else entirely. This is similar in a marriage where the spouses are thought to being held jointly and severally liable. Sort of two individuals, and yet at the same time together a whole made up of two halves. So one could argue that 'Harry Potter' and 'Heather Granger' are a fusion of two that in marriage became one person 'Heather Granger formally Harry Potter', or in simpler terms 'Heather Granger ne Potter'. The advantage of her being married to her prior male self is that as you can only marry one person the current marriage to herself will prevent other marriage contracts from becoming binding."
Dan Granger relaxed from the explanation that thankfully didn't have his daughter married to his, well other daughter.
