Harry awoke in a strange bed.  Harry awoke in a strange body in a strange bed in a strange room in a strange house and when she pushed the curtain aside the sky looked absolutely green and for a moment she thought she might be on another planet, because magic right -who knew?  She jumped about ten feet when she heard her professor sneer, "don't worry, the sky is often green over the mills."

Harry had to grab the wall to steady herself, everything felt wobbly suddenly and her vision seemed to be tunneling -the ground was too close, her arms the wrong length, even her lungs weren't working the way she thought they should.  A vial was thrust in her face and she thunked her head on the wall recoiling.  Snape put his hand on Harry's shoulder to steady her, "it's a calming draught, drink it all."

Harry obeyed.  She felt better immediately: legs, arms, lungs, private parts were all still utterly wrong and foreign but it didn't seem as pressing a crisis.  She took a breath with the weird lungs and handed the vial back with the stranger's hand.  Maybe it was some polyjuice curse thing that the Death Eaters had slipped through the wards and she was with Snape because Snape had a cure.  Yeah, that seemed plausible her very calm brain supplied.

"Have a seat Mr. Potter,"  Snape realized as he said it that every part was wrong, the mister and the Potter, but he was going for calm here and remaining in character would help Harry for now, he hoped.  He guided Harry to the small arm chair wedged between the bed and the window and then conjured a straight back wooden chair for himself, another arm chair would not have fit and one of the headmaster's squashy monstrosities might have confused Harry even more.

They settled themselves and Snape flicked his wand at the bedside table, conjuring a glass of water.   "Drink that too please," the boy-girl-child looked very pale and he remembered the diagnoses of the night before.  Harry complied immediately but seemed to have trouble holding the glass with the unusual size of her hands.  She drank deeply and then set it down.

"Harry, your mother was very young when she became pregnant with you.  You have figured that out haven't you?"

"Yes sir," a soft girl voice answered him.  Snape was surprised at the wave of tenderness that rose up in him at just the sound of it.

"Bill Weasley and I have conjectured that James Potter was not your father Harry and Lily took a potion while she was pregnant that would make you look like James when you were born.  Either so James wouldn't know or perhaps so other people wouldn't know."  He paused until Harry nodded.

"The potion was very powerful though and it changed all of you to be more like James, it even changed your sex Harry."  Harry nodded during the pause again but it was a lot shakier this time.

"And now Harry, the potion has worn off, or perhaps your magic became powerful enough to throw it off.  But either way, now you are the way you were always meant to be Harry.  The way you were conceived to be."

Harry was quiet for a while; Snape let it settle for as long as Harry wished.  He wasn't enjoying this and wasn't particularly looking forward to the next bit.  He wanted to get it all over with though.  Finally the soft girl voice spoke again, "Do you know who my father was sir?"

"Yes, Harry.  Your mother and I were close friends from childhood, she and Petunia grew up just a few blocks away from here.  We stayed friends through most of Hogwarts, though it was difficult with the house rivalries and with my own idiocy..." he trailed off as they both thought about Snape's worst memory.  "But towards the end of seventh year and after graduation we grew close again and we would, meet, in secret..."

"Are you saying that you are my father sir?"  Harry interrupted, quickly before -gag- Snape could get into -heaven forbid- details.

"Yes, Harry, I used a charm on you to check, I can teach it to you and you can check for yourself, or..."  Snape trailed off and Harry looked up quickly in challenge.

"Are you going to suggest that I look in a mirror sir?  I might need another calming draught before I attempt that, sir." 

Snape stood abruptly and vanished his chair.  "Why don't you rest a little more and I will send up some breakfast for you."  And he made his way out of the room, leaving Harry sitting in the chair and staring out the window.  Looking as beautiful as any girl Snape had ever seen.

It was quite a bit later that same day; the lying to Albus had gone well, small amounts of the food he brought upstairs were disappearing and Harry hadn't required another calming draught, well it was a close thing after her first trip to the loo but she had managed.  There were tears of course but, who wouldn't have indulged in a few tears at that point?

Severus was, to his own surprise, relieved when he saw Bill's face in his grate and Bill asked if he could come through.  There was no need for niceties between men sharing such an enormous secret, "how's Harry?" Bill asked skipping all preamble. 

"One when she woke up and almost one after the first trip to the loo.  I don't think she's looked in a mirror yet and she certainly hasn't come down the stairs.  All in all, about as I expected."

"You must have done a good job explaining then."  Bill tried to offer his support, Snape shrugged lightly.  "She's probably awake if you'd like to visit, provide a friendly face."

Bill grinned, "That was my plan.  Kind of let her rage at me if she needs it."  Snape rose to trigger the hidden door and reveal the stairs to Bill.  Bill patted his shoulder as he went up them.

He knocked and was surprised by the softness of the voice that called out to come in.  He stuck his head around with as big a grin as he could manage, "hey Harry, I would ask how it's going but..." he paused, "I'm not sure I'd be able to comprehend the answer."  Bill was valiantly stamping down his shock and channeling the twins as best he could, the reward was a smile that made it very worth his effort.

Harry was really quite pretty, especially when she smiled.  "Hey Bill, I'm not sure I could answer you anyway."  Harry was sitting on the bed, and she gestured to the chair for Bill.  Bill sat down and noticed the tray of congealing dinner.  Actually, it didn't seem that congealed and he patted for Harry to scoot closer so they could share a bit.  He was pleased when Harry complied.

Bill spent a long time listening and nodding and trying to respond with brief supportive comments that he hoped matched the tone of Harry's feelings.  Harry was disappointed with her mother and wasn't sure if she was conceived before the wedding or after, Bill wasn't sure either but he promised to try and find out -as surreptitiously as possible of course.  Harry was confused about why her patronus was a stag if James wasn't her real father.  Bill was able to reassure Harry that it was because James had loved him like a father and died to protect him and his mother, of course his patronus was a stag. 

Harry was filled with rage at the years of loneliness and misery she endured at the Dursley's when she had a living father.  Bill didn't have a response to that; he had grown up surrounded with so much love that the memory of Harry's tiny cupboard with the cot in it still made him nauseous.  He didn't dare to tell Harry that both he and Snape had seen the cupboard so he just nodded along and rubbed Harry's arm a bit.  But not too much because it felt weird when Harry was such a remarkably pretty girl, sitting on a bed in a room with a man who was not a relative.

Bill almost started blushing when he realized how mixed up his feelings were getting.  But then he would look in Harry's eyes and it was simply talking to his little brother's mate again.  Her eyes were extraordinarily the same and Bill realized there might be another stumbling block to their new identity plan.  He also realized that Harry apparently hadn't thought about the future yet, otherwise she surely would have mentioned it in her rambling.

Harry seemed to be getting down again and Bill tried to figure out where she was now with her thought train.  "I was just thinking about Sirius.  He and Snape hated each other and he died trying to save Snape's daughter, I, I, I don't know if I'm glad he died before he found out or, or, or what."

Bill grabbed Harry's arm and dragged her across the bed to his lap again, he squeezed her as tight as he had the night before, "oh Harry," he said to her hair, "you can't think of yourself as so-and-so's sprog all the time, you are a person all by yourself and you are very worth knowing and rushing into danger for all by yourself.  When you saved Ginny from the basilisk was it just because she was Ron's sister or was it because she was a person worth something all on her own?"

"She didn't deserve to die down there all alone," Harry responded, horrified.

"Do you think so little of Sirius that he wouldn't rush in like a Gryffindor fool to save a bunch of students just because they were in danger and not because of their blood purity or parentage?"  Bill was pleased when he felt Harry shaking her head emphatically, one crisis sorted he sighed to himself.

"I, I still think I'm glad that he died before he found out I'm not James' son."  Harry sniffed.

"Well," said Bill was as much force as he could muster, "I'm glad to know you like this and not be dead."  Harry chuckled a tiny bit at Bill's deliberate obtuseness.  

They sat quietly for a while and then Harry whispered, "what will everyone say?"  The thin arms wrapped around Bill's neck and he held tight and rocked the poor miserable girl. 

When he woke later he found a blanket draped over the two of them and the congealed plate was gone.  He felt a flash of embarrassment at the state in which Harry's father must have found them but he got over it quickly.  Harry wasn't a girl girl yet in Bill's mind.

The next time Bill awoke Harry was slipping back into the room.  Her cheeks were slightly flushed and she seemed a bit dazed, "need another draught?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'm trying not to make it a habit of taking one every time I need to use the loo."  Harry replied tightly.  "It becomes counterproductive to the using of the loo actually," Harry continued wryly.

Bill burst into laughter at Harry's comment and suddenly felt as if Harry might survive this.  He smiled easily at Harry and stood up to stretch and crack from a night in an armchair, a night in an armchair with a person on his lap.  It was actually the first time he found himself standing next to the new Harry and he marveled at how petite she was.  Five two, five four perhaps, eight stone tops, with wide cheek bones and mussed up dark dark auburn hair.  ‘Don't forget the giant green eyes!' his mind supplied helpfully.

Of course Harry looked even tinier because she was swimming in the clothes she had on.  The track pants were slipping down her hips and just the tips of her toes were peeking out from where the legs puddled on the floor.  Even the neck on her t-shirt swam on her revealing collar bones and a long white neck.  His laughter kind of died away as he took in the picture before him.  The silence was starting to become noticeable so he roused himself a bit and drew his wand.  He gestured at Harry's pants and shirt and plastered on a charming smile, "Shrinking charm?" he offered.

Once they had Harry's clothes better fitted to her new frame Bill managed to convince Harry to venture downstairs for breakfast.  It felt normal for a little while until they both seemed to remember they were in Snape's house.  Although it was hard to forget with the dark dingy hallway and the creaky stairs.

The kitchen wasn't much cheerier but Severus did have coffee and toast waiting for them.  Severus was sitting at the table with the Daily Prophet when they stumbled in.  "Harry, Bill," he greeted them each with a nod.

Bill darted towards the coffee pot with a mumbled, "Sev'rus."  Harry gave a more polite, "sir," before she pulled out a chair not too near her professor father. 

Snape peered intently at the Harry creature before him, bone structure and delicacy aside Harry had been through quite an intense few days and in the hub bub she seemed to have let a few things slide.  "I think it's past time for you to take a shower Harry, would you like a calming draught before?"

Harry had been about to take a bite of the toast she had just drenched in marmalade and the question made her wrinkle her nose.  Shee put the toast down and pushed the plate away a bit.  "I suppose before sir."

Bill pushed the plate back in front of her, "there's plenty of time, eat first." he chided and sent Snape a glare over Harry's head.  Snape managed to look contrite for a moment or two, but dropped it as soon as Harry started to lift her head again.  She picked up one piece of the toast and took a minuscule bite from the corner.

Severus summoned a big glass of pumpkin juice and yet another vial to thunk down in front of Harry.  Harry peered suspiciously at the vial, not recognizing it.  "It's a nutrient potion," Snape supplied when Harry looked up at him.  At Harry's continued look, he shrugged, "drink it, you need it, and eat the toast too."  Then he returned to his paper.

Bill had flopped down in a chair too by then and was perking up more with every sip he took.  "So," his voice suddenly broke the quiet, "Harry needs to buy some clothes."

Harry's hands moved as if to push the plate away again, but at the glares she was receiving she hesitated and settled for just shrinking in on herself.  "It's okay," she said, "I can learn that shrinking charm and just resize what I have."

"Of course," Bill nodded, "to some extent you can but it doesn't work too well on shoes.  The arch always ends up in a funny place, you'll definitely need to buy those.  No one was suggesting that we get you girl clothes, well, obviously they would be -but they don't have to be pink and flowery or skirts or anything." He trailed off, a bit miserably.  Snape and Harry both stared at him and Bill would have been amused by the similarities of the glares if they weren't making him squirm so much.

"Harry does need clothes." He started again, "if we don't get him proper ones he will use it as an excuse to stay in his room and mope for the rest of the summer.  He needs clothes so he can go out and get fresh air and learn how to adapt." 

"Nobody cared before if I went out for air or moped in my room all day."  Harry objected stubbornly.

"Well, people care now," was Bill's simple response.  He met Severus' eyes for back up on the statement and got a nod in return.

"Finish your toast, your juice and all of the potion Harry.  Take a shower and then Bill will escort you to a muggle shopping center for a few necessities.  Is that acceptable Bill or do you need to return to work, I can escort him..."

"No, no, that's fine," said Bill, "I have the whole weekend free.  The joys of being a young bachelor," he was going to wink at Harry but stopped himself at Snape's glare.  Instead he drained his coffee and stood up, "Why don't I head home and get cleaned up too, meet you back here in two hours Harry?"

Harry had finally taken a reasonable bite of her toast so she nodded and waved to Bill.

Snape pretended to go back to his paper so the magic of Harry eating would continue.  Not that Harry looked emaciated, just tiny.  But then Snape thought about it, nobody would have called Harry tall before, he was always on the short side, which was odd because his parents were average to above average, but Harry had shrunk when the paternus potion wore off so -what did he look like before he shrunk, when he was five six and eight stone?

Behind the safety of his paper Snape allowed his lips to curl into a snarl he was careful not to voice.  His mind catalogued all the non-uniform clothes he had ever seen Harry wear, and of course it visited that cupboard again.  How dare she treat his daughter like that!  Not that he had done much better, of course he didn't know Harry was his daughter but still, he had treated the child horribly.  There was no denying that.

"Harry," he spoke up just as Harry was putting her neatly washed dishes in the drying rack and leaving the room.  "I know this is hard, I can't really imagine how hard it is.  But for now, just try to adjust and don't worry too much about the future.  You will have options and you can make the choice about what you want to do.  Right now everyone believes you are sick with dragon pox and you're free of those decisions for a few weeks still.  Take these weeks to just adjust and don't worry too much."

Harry had stopped when Snape addressed her of course, and Snape's words went right to her heart.  They were exactly the thoughts that were troubling her and Snape had reassured her, like a parent would.  It was nice, shocking to hear such niceness from Snape, but still nice.  Harry nodded and left to go take a shower.  She wasn't really looking forward to confronting this new body but it was going to have to happen at some point. 

Snape's bathroom was cramped so it was impossible to get a good view of oneself in the obligatory mirror over the sink.  Harry had sighed in relief when she realized it was a plain muggle mirror and wouldn't be telling her to comb her hair, but now she realized a magical one might have some flattering words to say and that could have been useful.  She really didn't know how to see herself, or judge herself.  Her face looked weird; she tried to pretend she was looking at a picture in a magazine -would she think this girl attractive?  Maybe, she wasn't sure.  Her hair was a strange color she thought, red but really dark red -almost black and not like the Weasleys at all. 

Even though she could see without glasses now pretending it wasn't her own face didn't work at all once she saw her eyes, they seemed to be exactly the same to her and she knew it was herself, duh.  The scar was still there too, although now she could probably grow her hair longer and flop it over the mark.  Eyes wouldn't automatically flick to her forehead now that she was a girl, she hoped. 

Harry realized she was dawdling and Bill would be back eventually so she took a deep breath and pulled off her t-shirt.  She took a step back from the mirror and looked at her chest.  She had hoped, a bit desperately, that being only sixteen and being skinny would keep things on the small side in the chest area, and for the most part it did.  But small boobs were still significant compared to no boobs at all.  She made sure that the door was locked and then gave a small experimental shimmy.  And as the blush rose up her face she realized that, good lord, she and Bill were going to have to purchase a bra today. 

Harry suddenly remembered that she had left the breakfast table without getting that calming draught from Snape.  Oh well, she decided.  I'm not putting the shirt back on and walking all the way down there again, I'll be okay.  This is okay.  She thought about touching them to see what that was like, she hadn't touched another person's yet.  She shook her head and decided that she'd wait until she was in the shower and it was foggy and not quite so pervy. 

Speaking of pervy, she pulled off her track pants.  There was no way at all to look at her legs in the tiny room, she stuck one to the side a bit and twisted her ankle, decided it was just a leg and she could bear it.  And then she was standing there in boxers.  The boxers were better than y-fronts but they did look dumb.  I guess we'll be in the unmentionable department anyway, Harry told herself with a deep breath.  And slowly lowered the boxers.  Words like smooth, curvy, missing!  threatened to overwhelm her so she turned abruptly to the shower.

The shower was hot and good and she switched mostly to automatic pilot, not over thinking what she was doing.  Her eyes were closed and as her soapy hand trailed over new parts none of it seemed too traumatic.  She enjoyed washing her hair, it seemed wavier and nicer to her now.  She enjoyed having knees that were less knobbly than before.  She marveled at how tiny her new toes were and then began worrying that Snape might have placed the calming draught in the shampoo or something crazy like that.  Then she thought about Snape shampooing his hair right here, naked and that would have grossed him out if he could picture Snape shampooing his hair.

Eventually she was done and pleased with herself for managing so well.  But then she had to get out of the dark steamy shower and towel off.  Then she had to go back to her room, where the sun would be streaming in, and get dressed.  Not many options though, it was already getting chilly.

When Bill finally came back it was at least three hours later but he seemed suitably abashed.  Harry was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that Snape had shrunk for her while she was in the bathroom.  Her feet were bare and her hair was clean and softly curling around her ears.  Snape wasn't around but Harry was curled up in the front room with a book.

"Hey mate," Bill said as he walked in, "sorry about the delay, my mum called and wanted to know how you were doing.  It took forever to escape."

"That's alright," Harry replied, "it was nice of her to ask about me."  She marked a page and put the book down on the table beside the chair.  Her toes curled in the carpet as she was suddenly shy in front of Bill of all people.

"Yeah, whatever," Bill dismissed, trying to drum up some adventuring spirit.  "So Harry, have you ever apparated while conscious before?"

"I don't think so, what's it like?"

"You hold on to my arm very tightly, I don't think that will be a problem for you, and then it's like you're being horribly squeezed to death and you can't breathe and you're going to die and then you're there and it's over.  Not much to it.  Unless I splinch you, but I won't do that."  And he smiled.

Harry didn't smile, she knew she hated travelling by floo -inhaling ashes and winding up in the wrong place, she knew she hated travelling by portkey -winding up in front of mass murderers and getting tied to headstones and all that, but this apparating did not sound the slightest bit better.  Bill was still smiling and it was starting to look less like winning and more like deranged.  Harry took a step back, "there's floo here isn't there?  We could go to the Leaky Cauldron and then pop right out to muggle London?"  she tried adding her own version of a winning smile.

Bill paused for a moment, "I was hoping to avoid all wizards but if we change or cover up your eyes, it should be okay..."

"The eyes are really that noticeable aren't they?  I was looking in the mirror and trying to pretend it was another person to you know, judge unbiasedly or something, and every time I saw my own eyes it all went to pieces." 

"Well, it's rather nice isn't it, to keep a bit of the old you?  And they are a really cool color and all.  Plus with your hair more red now it isn't so odd.  Maybe the shade is a little -it's the brightness, if you, if you wanted to pretend to be someone else you could be Lily's niece or younger sister or something, you know.  We can work with it."  Bill's voice was very soft because he knew that Severus didn't want Harry to worry about these things yet.

Harry appreciated learning that Bill was working on what sort of options she might have too.  Surely between Bill, Snape and herself they could come up with a good plan.  When they needed to, but Snape had told her that they didn't need to yet.  She had weeks to just adjust.  Weeks. 

"Okay," she said, "I might as well give this apparating a whirl, I'm sure I'll hate it since I hate all the others but it seems easier than bothering with a whole disguise and talking to Tom and worrying."

"That's the spirit, Harry" and he flicked her nose for good measure.  "Do you have anything we can transfigure into shoes for now and we'll hit a department store?  I wasn't thinking a grand expedition, just one or two of a few things so we know your size and then you can owl order more if you want." 

"Spoken like a true man Mr. Weasley."  Snape commented as he swept into the room.  He had a tiny pair of black trainers in his hand, "try these on Harry and see how close they are."

Harry dropped back in the chair and tried them on, the fit was plenty good enough for someone who was so used to wearing Dudley's hand me downs.  She stood up again and before she could reassure them that they were fine, Snape was waving his wand some more and they fit even better.  Harry looked down in surprise, "wow, these are really comfy!"

Snape just sneered, Harry thought it was at her but it was at the invisible Dursleys behind her back.  A deep red flush slowly travelled up his neck and across his cheeks, Bill and Harry watched in amazement.  "Also," Snape coughed a little, "make sure you purchase the proper... under things and perhaps some supplies for when Harry gets his menses."

Snape's head could have burst into flames at that point, because Bill and Harry were every bit as red and not looking at anyone anymore.  Harry was just about to demand a calming draught and a trip back to her room when Bill miraculously found his voice.  Or his squeak, "yeah Severus," he coughed too, "I thought of that."  He fought really hard not to check out Harry's chest now that he was wearing a more fitted t-shirt.

Harry had crossed her arms over her chest anyway, "I know," she bit out, "I sort of checked and I suppose I do need something for my,,, a bra."  She said the word like it was the most filthy thing ever.

"You know Harry, Tonks is in the order and I'm good friends with Fleur Delacouer, she owes you a life debt -or she feels that she owes you a life debt which is just as good and she could take you b-bra shopping."

"Mr. Weasley, are you seriously suggesting that it's worth calling in a life debt to not have to go bra shopping?"  Snape was back on form already.

"Maybe," Bill squeaked looking a little miserably at Harry, "It was actually the menses thing that really threw me."

"I've decided not to ask what that is until we get back and I have already drunk the calming draught," Harry supplied helpfully.

"Well, that's sorted then," Bill declared helpfully.  "I'm sure those ‘supplies' can be mail ordered to an anonymous post box three towns away with an assumed name."

"Super-sorted," declared Harry feebly.  "Shall we have a bit of a pinky swear about anything sparkly or sweet or in unmanly colours?"

"I'd rather suprise you." Bill smiled.  "Let's be off then before Severus recommends I take you for a diaphragm."

"What the hell is a...  or maybe I'll just jot that down for when I have that vial in my hand."  Harry didn't look anywhere near Snape and so missed the way he went from deep red to deathly white.

"That would be best, ready?"

"Yes," Harry nodded with determination and moved closer to Bill.  She tucked one arm up and around Bill's forearm and then wrapped her other hand around it the other way, it was a pretty solid death grip. 

"Good," Bill patted her hands.  "Severus," he nodded to Snape, "we're off to Harrod's, if we aren't back by dinner send a patronus and call in the reserves.  And maybe make a few extra batches of the calming potion this afternoon.  It couldn't hurt."  Harry laughed and Bill swelled a little to have such a charming creature hold his arm so tight and laugh like that at his jokes. 

Severus was going to say something and puncture whatever that emotion swelling Bill up was but then he decided they were less likely to splinch themselves if Bill was happy and confident so he let them go.