Harry Potter; A Transgender Tale

Chapter Three

A new term, a fresh start, Harry thought to himself as he walked towards the Gryffindor common rooms. Harry rolled his eyes. Not likely.

He'd left the Great Hall soon after the sorting. Not hungry.

The portraits whispered to each other as Harry passed them. He felt their painted eyes burning into his back as he listened to their mutterings. The famous Harriet Jane Potter. The girl who lived. Was now, a boy. That was definitely a cause for gossip. Perfect.

Harry arrived at the portrait of the fat lady and mumbled the password. Gillyweed.

He stood in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the two corridors leading to the girl's dormitories and the boy's. A wave of dread washed over him. He cleared his throat, and stepped towards the boys dorm apprehensively, shuffling up the stairs. He walked up the stairs without incident. That's a good sign. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He truly was home.

Once inside his dorm, he took off his wizarding robes, leaving him in just trousers and his binder. He looked in the mirror and fingered the grubby fabric, thoughtfully. His arms were sore. And his back ached. Was that supposed to happen? He sighed and performed a quick scourgify on the binder, leaving it clean. He only had one. That would have to change.

Harry suddenly felt fatigued. Abnormally so. He yawned and let himself fall back onto the bed. He let his mind wander as sleep claimed him. He thought of his parents. Sirius. His best friends. And eventually, his thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Draco on the train. He touched his cheek where Draco's long fingers had brushed against him. Such an intimate gesture for someone who was supposedly his archenemy..

The black veil.. A flash of green light.. Sirius falling. Dead.

Harry woke up in a cold sweat. Another nightmare. Sirius. Harry ran a hand through his tousled hair, shaking his head. He groaned, trying to hold back a sob. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes as he sat up. But he couldn't stop the tears spilling from his eyes.

"It was my fault.." Harry choked.

He looked around, relieved to see there was no one to watch him cry. Although there was something different.. Under the bed next to Harry's, was a shoe. Not just any shoe. It was attached to a foot.

"Who's there?"

He demanded. The thought of someone seeing him cry horrified him. There was no answer. Just the muffled sound of someone breathing. Harry frowned and stood up.

"I can see your foot. There's no point in trying to hide."

Harry heard a resigned sigh then some shuffling. After a moment, Draco Malfoy crawled out from under the bed and stood in front of him defiantly.

"What are you doing in here, Potter?"

The light demeanor from earlier had been abandoned, leaving the prick Harry had come to know.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my dorm, idiot."

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"I meant, shouldn't you be in the great hall?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"I had something more fun planned."

"And that is?"

"I was going to hex the dormitory. But you're in here."

Draco looked him up and down, taking in his still damp cheeks and puffy red eyes, and his face softened. Harry crossed his arms over his chest defensively.