Chapter 12

Lily Blooms

Lily had so many questions she wanted answers for, especially for how there weren't ways for someone to transition in the magical world. After all, they were witches and wizards; they had magic! Couldn't magic do everything? Lily began to shake as the group made their way to the Hospital Wing, dreads filling her chest at the thought of being stuck this way… forever.

"It's okay, Lily," Minerva gently coaxed the girl through the double doors of the wing. The students had eyed the group with curiosity but a protective glare from Professor Black chased them away. It was certainly an interesting sight for a Saturday, with two teachers and three students walking with purpose towards the wing.

Madam Pomfrey sighed as she saw the way the group was circling Lily, who was paling by the moment.

"Mr Potter, I swear you need your own bed with the rate you visit. What's the purpose for today, then?" Pomfrey asked, looking at them in turn.

"Poppy, we're here for a consultation," Minerva said. "Do you want all of us with you?" she looked at Lily, who nodded. Ron and Hermione were holding her hands as Sirius placed a hand on her shoulder.

As they sat down in Madam Pomfrey's office, Minerva and Hermione explained everything as Lily fought back the urge to break down into anxious tears. She had wanted this moment for so long. She mentally begged and pleaded for a way that magic could help her finally become female and almost missed it when the Matron began talking to her.

"Miss Potter, I won't lie to you, I've never heard of such a thing before, but what you should know about me is that when I find out about something I don't know, I make sure to discover all I can about it." Madam Pomfrey looked excited at the challenge, but her eyes were kind as they took in Lily's worried form. "We will find a way to help you, especially if the muggles can do it," she promised.

Lily nodded; the nausea slowly being replaced by hope.

"In the meantime, Lily, how would you feel if I let the other teachers know? I don't want to do so without permission, but I don't want them calling you by the wrong… what was it, Miss Granger… pronoun?" Minerva asked. Hermione nodded, as did Lily. "Very well then. I'll see to it, and make sure they understand properly."

"Thank… thank you, Aunt Minnie," Lily squeaked, trying to hide her masculine voice. Unbeknownst to everyone around her, Lily had broken down when her voice began to break. Hedwig had offered as much comfort as she could, hooting in concern and even brought Lily a few dead mice, but of course it couldn't stop the course of puberty.

"I can run Lily through the basics, and speak to my aunt as well, see if she can give me some guidance," Hermione offered.

"And I'll help however I can," Ron insisted.

Lily pulled Ron and Hermione into a hug.

"I… you guys are amazing," Lily said tenderly, gazing at them with adoration. "You're the bestest friends anyone could ask for."

"Hey, that's what friends are for," Ron reminded her.

They shared a grin as Sirius knelt in front of Lily and looked her in the eyes.

"I'll always be proud of you, and I know your mum and dad would love you no matter what, Lily bud," Sirius said. "I know they always hoped for a daughter."

Lily leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her uncle's stubbled face.

"Love you, Uncle Sirius," Lily told him. "I hope you don't think I didn't say anything because I don't trust you or whatever…"

"No, of course not! You had to be ready. But do remember, you can talk to me about anything at all," Sirius prompted her again. "That goes for all of you," he added, looking to Hermione and Ron. "And you too, Minnie, even if it is about hairballs."

The Transfiguration Professor rolled her eyes as she lightly shoved at his shoulder. The three students looked at each other in confusion as Sirius jumped out of range of McGonagall's hands, a wide grin on his face.

"Come on, let's get you kids back to the common room. It's a Saturday! Freedom!" Sirius said, guiding them out of the hospital wing. "Freedom!" he insisted loudly at the mention of "studying and homework" from Minerva, who audibly sighed before turning to talk some more to Madam Pomfrey. "Oh boy, I'm in for it later," he grumbled light heartedly to the grinning Gryffindors. "Don't grow up, it's a trap!"

Hermione and Ron were making a list of something that Lily couldn't see, smiling as they did so. She tried to peer at the piece of paper as she returned from the dormitory, having cleaned her face to remove any tear residue. "What are you doing?" Lily asked, curious.

"Making a list of things we can try, and things we need to get for you. Clothes, make up, voice, research for hormones and the wizarding version of them, shoes, and the rest we'll figure out on the way," Hermione explained. "You're never going to be alone Lily. First thing you might want to do is tell people, but only if you're ready. My aunt told me that being misgendered or dead named can hurt a lot."

Lily winced. "I know what you mean. It… it's been hurting for a while," she admitted. "I just don't know how to tell people. I'm kinda scared how the twins will react."

"Why's that? They see you as a little broth – I mean, little sister. I mean, oh bloody hell, they'll accept you and still think of you as family," Ron blundered, blushing. "We all do."

"But everything is a joke to them, isn't it? I've never seen Fred and George…" Lily started but stopped as the twins walked in.

"Doth my hearing deceive me, dear brother, or are we being spoken about?" Fred asked as they walked to the group. "It can't be about any pranks; we haven't done any just yet!"

"Right you are, Fred," George agreed.

"Fred and George what?" the two asked simultaneously.

George blinked. "Blimey Harry, have you been crying?"

"You… you can tell?" Lily inquired, looking between them.

"Course we can. What's wrong?" Fred questioned. "Do we need to curse the Slytherins or something?"

Lily shook her head before taking a deep breath.

"I… this is… well, I want…" Lily stammered, before pleadingly looking to Hermione for assistance.

"There's something in the muggle world known as being Transgender, where someone is born in the wrong biological sex. Harry is… well, Harry is Transgender, and she wants to go by Lily," Hermione explained.

Fred and George looked at Lily, seeing that she wasn't joking. If anything, she looked terrified! Fred and George smiled at each other before Fred reached forward and ruffled Lily's hair.

"Alright, Lily-kins," Fred teased. "If hair ruffles are good enough for Ginny, they're good enough for you."

"If this is who you are, Lily, of course we'll support you. Just tell us what we need to know so we don't make an ass of ourselves," George added. "Though I'd make a pretty attractive donkey…"

"You… you won't make fun?" Lily asked, her eyes widening.

The twins laughed, but Lily could tell that it wasn't at her.

"Never about the serious things, Lily, don't worry." Fred reassured her. "Believe it or not, we do know there is a time and a place for such things."

"It pains us so, but we must adhere to the norms of society some of the time," George said dramatically. "Hee-haw!"

Fred shoved his twin with a grin. "But seriously, Lily, you can always talk to us," Fred said. "We don't know anything about this but we're willing to learn… for once!"

"And if anyone has a problem with this, they can come see us, and we'll deal with them," George added. "We know some students who would make really ugly donkeys".

Lily got up from the chair and hugged both twins happily, laughing.

"Oh, girl mushiness. This is the worst part," George joked, although both twins returned the hug. "Don't worry Lily, you've been our friend for three years, and you're a good person. You'll always have our support. We'll help you tell the others as well if you like."

"Thank you, both of you," Lily gushed. "All of you! You're so, so amazing."

"Hey, you've done so much for others, it's about time others did something for you, right?" Ron told her. "You stopped You Know Who twice, and you're the youngest person awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class."

"He's not wrong," Hermione agreed, smiling at Lily. "Let's take this one step at a time, though; so we should tell our classmates first, and then others who have questions can look them up. It might even spread a little awareness about this as well. People should know about who you are and understand you as well."

"Okay," Lily approved. "I trust you, both of you… hell, all of you."

"Thanks Lily-kins," Fred said, grinning as he and George once again began to ruffle Lily's shoulder length hair.

Lily groaned, trying to escape the assault. "My hair is messy enough as it is, you guys!" she complained. The group began to laugh and after the twins promised not to exacerbate the nest of Lily's hair, they spent the day planning how to tell everyone the news that Harry Potter was dead.

The weekend had been the most unusual of Lily's life, but one thing she was grateful for was how her classmates had listened to the news of how Harry was now Lily carefully. Hermione's research – with the help of a handful of muggle books posted by her family - had helped answer most of the questions they had, and the few of them left Hermione with plenty to research during her downtime. The one question that made Lily blush was Seamus asking if she would grow breasts. They had, however, accepted Lily as herself. "Explains why you were moved out of the boys' dormitory this morning," Neville said thoughtfully. "Surprised Lavender and Parvati didn't spill the beans before you told us all, though, Ha – Lily."

"Hey, we might gossip but this wasn't for us to tell," Parvati protested. "We're just happy to have another girl in our year!"

Overall, Lily had been overwhelmed by the acceptance and love from her Gryffindor classmates. They didn't understand Lily, but they swore to try.

Before the news could spread around the rest of the school, Lily was in Transfigurations class with the Slytherin's. As she handed in her test, Minerva smiled at her, nodding as she gave the paper a cursory glance over. "Excellent work, Miss Potter," Minerva said, nodding with pride.

"Miss Potter? Did you just say Miss Potter?" The Slytherins began to whisper.

"Why did she call you Miss Potter?" Pansy Parkinson demanded, glaring at Lily. Before she could answer, however, Minerva walked over and collected the rest of the test papers with a stern glare, effectively hushing any more talking.

By the time classes ended for the day, a majority of the student body were talking about how the teachers were now calling Lily (to them, Harry) "Miss Potter", with everyone wanting answers. Lily knew that she'd need to answer the questions before too long, and as she, Ron and Hermione entered the common room that evening, she saw that it was full of the Gryffindor students. The rowdy conversations quickly silenced when the trio walked in.

Lily shifted, uncomfortable with so many eyes on her, but felt a wave of relief as Fred and George whistled to get the attention of the common room.

"Did all of you literally just forget what we said?" Fred asked, rolling his eyes. "No photos, Colin!" he yelled out, as George used his wand to cover the device with a nearby scarf.

"How long have you felt like this?" first year student Romilda Vane asked.

Lily took a breath. "I guess I knew since I was six, but I was afraid of saying anything because I didn't know being transgender was, well, allowed," she replied honestly.

The crowd parted to let Lily, Ron and Hermione sit down.

"How are you feeling now you have come out?" Oliver Wood asked. Lily had told him during the weekend (he was, after all, her Quidditch captain, and it was a huge relief to know that he wasn't going to kick her off the team) but she was grateful for his question.

"I don't think I've ever felt as relieved in my life," Lily answered, with a smile. She was wearing her emerald necklace, and it gave her some confidence. "When I first came out to Ron and Hermione, it felt… like a huge burden had been lifted, and a dark room was now brightly lit. I had to pretend not to be myself for so long, and I didn't want to pretend anymore."

"What are the professors doing about this? They moved you into the girl's dorm yesterday but what else are they going to do?" Lavender Brown asked, tilting her head slightly. She smiled encouragingly at Lily.

"They're investigating to see how they can help me transition properly, using either muggle or wizarding medicine. I don't know what they can do yet, but they'll find something."

"Can we help do your makeup?" Parvati Patil asked excitedly.

"You've been begging to ask that since yesterday, haven't you?" Lily grinned. At Parvati's embarrassed nod, Lily laughed. "Yes please," Lily agreed.

Parvati squealed with happiness. "Hermione never lets us do hers. It'll be fun to experiment. You have such pretty eyes, imagine how gorgeous they will look with some eyeliner and mascara!"

Some of the boys groaned and Hermione huffled indignantly, looking like she was about to argue.

"I know not everyone is going to appreciate or understand this. The Slytherin's are going to mock me for sure. Let's face it, that's what they do," Lily quickly said.

"They can deal with us, first," Oliver said firmly. "Anyone disagree?" Lily looked around and saw the same look of determination in all of them.

"We're all going to help you. H… Lily, you've helped us all, you've saved us all. You stopped You Know Who, twice, you stopped a Basilisk, and you're one of us. We're always gonna have your back," Lavender said, taking Lily's hand. "Gryffindor Pride!"

"Really?" Lily must have looked close to tears as Lavender pulled Lily into a hug.

"Hey, you're one of the girls, sweetie, we'll help you completely," Lavender promised.

"Thank you," Lily sniffed again.

"We can do the hair spell now, if you like," Parvati suggested. "My mom works as a hairdresser for witches and wizards, so I know it. Come on, let's get some privacy," she added.

"Okay," Lily agreed. She looked at the rest of the Gryffindors. "Thank you, all of you. This means… a lot to me."

"Gryffindor's stick together, Lily," Angelina Johnson from the Quidditch team said firmly. "Girls stick together as well."

"Come on, let's go do your hair," Parvati said, as she and Lavender took Lily's hand, pulling her up to the girl's dorm. Behind them the rest of Gryffindor's went to their usual evenings.

Hermione quickly followed, and Lily smiled as she was led to Lavender's bed and gently pushed onto it. Lavender, Parvati and Hermione looked at her hair. Lily had been growing it out anyway and the dark locks reached her shoulders in messy curtains.

"We definitely need to be rid of the scruffy look, but something simple to manage will work best, I think," Parvati said thoughtfully.

"What about a simple, long hair look, like ours?" Lavender recommended. "I think it'll frame her face and let us do any kind of style Lily wants us to give her. Curled, crimped, straightened, what have you."

"That makes sense," Parvati agreed. "Lily, what do you think?"

"I… it sounds good to me?" Lily said, sounding unsure. "I mean, whatever you think looks best.". Parvati smiled again, and tapped Lily's head with her wand, muttering a spell. Lily's scalp began tingling as she felt her hair growing longer, passing her shoulders and stopping just before her elbows.

"Have a look, Lily," Hermione suggested, holding up a mirror. Lily gasped; her hair wasn't messy anymore, it was long and sleek, and she looked much more feminine than before. She touched the soft strands, threading them through her fingers in awe.

"Wow," she breathed out, eyes wide.

"And before classes begin tomorrow morning, we'll work on makeup, and give you the feminine look that you deserve," Lavender said, with a pleased smile.

"I'd like that. Thank you so much."

"You should also look at wearing girl's clothes if you want. I'm sure we all have something spare you could wear in the meantime." Parvati got up from beside Lily on the and went to go to her dresser, before pausing and turning back to Lily in alarm. "I mean, I hope we're not being pushy?"

Lily shook her head. "No, I… it's just…" Lily struggled to find the words.

"Are we pushing this too much?" Lavender asked, looking horrified.

"No, it's not that!" Lily exclaimed. She took a breath. "I'm a little scared, I guess, of… of everyone…"

"Of how they'll react?" Hermione finished in understanding. Lily nodded.

"Lily, it doesn't matter what anyone else things. What matters most is how you feel, how you see yourself," Parvati told her, returning to her side to hold Lily's hand. "If anyone wants to start trouble, they can go to hell."

"I… I never realised… how lucky I was to have friends like you all," Lily swallowed through another lump forming in her throat. "I was so scared for so long and thought this would never be possible. I thought… I thought I'd be called a freak, kicked out of school or something. I thought I'd be abandoned…"

"That will never, ever happen. We're the lucky ones. We have Lily Potter as a friend, the bravest girl we've ever known," Lavender said. "Harry Potter was cool enough, but Lily Potter is even better."

"Can… can I ask one more favour?" Lily asked, after a moment's hesitation. Parvati nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Can you change my hair colour?"

"What to?" Parvati smiled as she spoke, raising her wand in preparation.

"I'll show you. Give me a minute," Lily answered, getting up and rummaging in her suitcase that was nestled next to her bed on the opposite side of the room. It didn't take long to find what she wanted, and she opened up the photo album that Hagrid had given her during her first year. She held up a particular one to the group.

"Is that your mum?" Lavender asked. Lily nodded. "She was so pretty, just like her daughter," she complimented. Lily blushed as Parvati studied the photo. She then gently tapped Lily's head, and she felt the same tingling as before. When the tingling feeling went away, Hermione held up her mirror again, and Lily's mouth opened in shock.

She looked like her mother now. Her face shape was the same, but framed by her now elbow length auburn hair, Lily could see her mother's reflection in her.

"You look so beautiful Lily," Hermione admired.

"Do you want me to do your hair, Hermione? Maybe something other than busy?" Parvati asked. "You've seen how quick it is to alter it."

"Actually, yes please. I'll go for the same style as Lily, but I'll keep the colour," Hermione requested.

"I always wanted to give you a new hair style," Parvati admitted. "It always looked so lovely, with all of those natural highlights but it could be done so many ways."

"My hair's always been frizzy," Hermione sighed as she tugged at the ends of her own hair. "A little like my mum."

"Well, let's start the change," Parvati said, grinning as she tapped Hermione's head gently. Lily watched in amazement as Hermione's hair glowed faintly, straightening itself, and then shrinking a little to match Lily's style.

"Me next!" Lavender exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight. "We'll be like a gang!"

By the time Parvati was finished, all four girls had longer hair, but different colours. Lily's was auburn, Hermione's stayed brown (though now it was straight, her natural golden highlights became more prominent), Parvati's black had hints of midnight blue in certain lights and Lavender's was now an ombre blonde.

"Maybe I should see if Colin can take a few photos so I could send them to my parents?" Lavender said thoughtfully. "They never let me help out during the summer holidays but maybe, now they will."

"You've done an amazing job, Lavender," Lily encouraged. "I never thought my hair would look so pretty!"

As the girls made their way back to the common room, Hermione and Lily quickly found Fred, George and Ron. The Weasleys were playing a game but when the two girls got closer, Ron looked up and grinned. "Hey!"

"Changing your hair to become one of us? You got the shade a little wrong," Fred teased when the twins saw who was there.

"Mom loves her more than us anyway," George joked, all three of them laughing.

"Seriously Lily, you look great," Ron said. "It suits you."

"Thanks Ron," Lily said, feeling a blush dust her cheeks. She looked away from the intense gazes of her friends and her eyes fell onto a nearby mirror. Slowly, with a sinking feeling, her happy smile faded.

Lavender, who must have been watching nearby with Parvati, quickly came to Lily's side. "What's wrong?" She asked, putting a soothing hand on Lily's shoulder. She then gasped, and whispered to Parvati and then Hermione, both of whom nodded.

"Lily, stay here, we'll be right back," Hermione said, the three of them racing out of the common room.

"Where are they going?" Ron asked, confused.

"Dunno," Lily mumbled quietly, letting her longer hair cover her face.

"So, what's wrong?" her best male friend said again. "Seriously, you look amazing!"

"Don't be a prat, Ron," Fred scolded, slapping the back of his head. He then whispered into Ron's ear, and Lily watched him nod in sudden understanding. Was her problem that obvious? Fred and George began going over strategies with Lily for Quidditch, making suggestions and doing exaggerated arm movements to distract her, something which she was grateful for.

Fifteen minutes later, the girls returned with Professor Flitwick. The small Professor smiled at all of them, nodding appreciatively at Lily's longer, coloured hair.

"Ah, Miss Potter, you look lovely. The girls have done an amazing job," Flitwick commended. "Not an easy branch of magic to learn, physical alteration. And while they have done a brilliant job, these three girls have come to me and asked for my help with something currently a bit too advanced for them. For their care and devotion towards you, I'm giving Gryffindor thirty points. Girls, each of you do your house, and the school, proud," Flitwick said, all three of them blushing at the praise. "Gather round now, all of you can learn this. You two especially, since you were messing around in my class earlier," Flitwick pointed at Fred and George, who nodded with mild looks of embarrassment on their faces. The students sat down on the sofas, and Flitwick cleared his throat.

"I'm about to teach you a new spell that the two older Weasley's here would know if they paid attention more," Flitwick scolded. Fred and George looked suitably chastised, so he continued. "You see Miss Potter, there is a spell that allows you to make your voice louder, or softer. First, we'll try the basic version, so you know you have a grasp of it," Flitwick said. Lily smiled eagerly at the Professor; this was one class she wouldn't miss.

"Wands out," Flitwick instructed. Everyone took out their wands, looking at the professor. Lily noted this was the first time even Ron was fully paying attention.

"So, the spell to increase your voice is Sonorus, and you point your wand at yourself, and say the charm. It's pronounced soh-NOHR-us, emphasis of the NOHR," Flitwick explained. "The counter charm is just as simple when you're done. It's the Quietus charm, pronounced KWIY-uh-tus," the charms professor continued. "Like so."

Flitwick pointed his wand at his throat. "Sonorus," he said. "AS YOU CAN SEE, MY VOICE IS NOW AMPLIFIED QUITE LOUDLY," Flitwick's voice filled the room, making a few of the students who were still lounging around jump in surprise, before he pointed his wand at his throat again, using the counter charm.

"So, one at a time now, let's try it. Miss Potter, you first," Flitwick said. Lily nodded, pointed her wand at her throat, and cast the charm.

"MY NAME IS LILY POTTER!" Lily exclaimed.

"Excellent, excellent, now the counter charm," Flitwick encouraged. Lily cast the counter charm, smiling as she did.

"Like this?" she asked.

Flitwick beamed happily. "Excellent work Miss Potter, excellent. Now, Miss Granger," Flitwick said. By the time all of them had cast the spell Flitwick was beaming with satisfaction.

"Now, the spell you need Miss Potter, and the spell all of you will learn, alters your voice to a different tone. I confess, it is a new spell, and one I recently discovered. I have been researching this as asked by Professor McGonagall and your uncle, and the ladies tonight caught me as I finished it, so I can't guarantee how long it will last," Flitwick said in warning. He cleared his throat. "Having a grasp of the Sonorus charm is imperative for this spell. It will allow you to alter your voice to that of the opposite gender. Ladies, to alter your voice to become masculine, the incantation is Masculum Vox. You point it at your throat and say the spell. To end it, you use the counter charm, Feminam Vox, which returns your voice to a feminine one. Gentlemen, for you, it's the other way around. Miss Potter, you first," Flitwick stated.

Lily cast the spell and took a deep breath. What came out was the most beautiful sound Lily had heard; her voice as a girl.

"My name is Lily Potter, and I am a girl," Lily said. She grinned and lunged at the tiny Professor, wrapping him in a surprise hug, feeling a surge of happiness run through her. "Oh my, I'm sorry Professor, I…"

"Not to worry, Miss Potter," Flitwick brushed aside the apology as Lily sat back down again, blushing furiously. "I'm exceptionally impressed. This level of magic is usually something only fifth years and above can manage, but I believe you have a high level of motivation."

"Definitely," Lily agreed.

"The rest of you, your turn," Flitwick guided them. Ron and Lavender needed to try a couple of times, but before long, all five of them could perform the spell. Flitwick was pleased with all of them.

"Not a normal class, but I'm impressed. Fifty points to Gryffindor for your hard work," Flitwick complimented, smiling. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off, but Miss Potter, I look forward to hearing your new voice in class. You may need to cast it several times, but the more you practise and cast it, the stronger should be and the longer it should last. Good evening," Flitwick left, leaving the seven of them smiling and grinning.

"Thank you so much, all of you," Lily said, her voice remaining feminine. "I just… I never imagined feeling like this, even in my dreams."

"Well, this is who you are, and who you're meant to be," Hermione pointed out.

Lily, having held back her emotions over the last few days, finally burst into tears but this time, out of joy. For the first time in her life, she felt authentic. As Harry, she had been pretending. But now, Harry was gone, and Lily was free.