"This is… what I used to wear."
Aunt Petunia used a dry towel to rub down Harry's—no, Holly's—long black hair. The two of them faced the mirror as Petunia spoke softly.
[At a 2007 event in Edinburgh, Rowling mentioned that if Harry had been a girl, she would have chosen "Holly" (meaning holly, to match his holly wand) as her name. In British pronunciation it sounds more like "Holly," while in American pronunciation the connected sounds are closer to "Ha~lly." We won't fuss over it too much here.]
"Your mum had one just like this too. Exactly the same. Your grandmother always bought us two of everything so we wouldn't fight over which one looked nicer."
"I don't really understand why this has happened, but I want you to know, Holly—you really are so much like your mother. Not just your eyes. The first moment I saw you, I honestly thought she'd come back."
"Your mum had deep red hair, darker than mine. We used to argue all the time about which color was prettier. I wouldn't admit it back then, but I thought your mum's dark red hair really was more beautiful. When the wind blew through it and the sun hit it, it was like a warm dawn—golden red."
"Other than the hair, you're like you were carved from the same mold. Especially your eyes—they're just as beautiful as hers. The clearest emerald green, brighter and more dazzling than any emerald."
Holly stared a little blankly at the girl in the mirror. Her vision was blurry without her glasses, but at this distance she could still see clearly enough.
"Don't worry. And don't be afraid."
After tying Holly's hair, Petunia gently wrapped her in a hug.
"Auntie's here. Don't be scared, Holly."
Right now, a thousand things were jammed in Holly's chest with nowhere to go. She clenched her fists tight. Just as Lynn had told him—told her—after eating that biscuit, the result really had come immediately. After paying the price, Aunt Petunia's attitude toward her had done an earth-shaking one-eighty.
This gentle concern wasn't fake. The strong, warm hug was real.
Her fists loosened slightly… then balled up again.
She could not accept what she had become—not yet.
She wanted to find Lynn right away, but had no idea where that guy had gone. Her only choice now was to wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow, Lynn would be back by the swings.
Petunia took Holly's—Harry's—hand and led her out of the bathroom. Only the two of them were in the sitting room. From upstairs came the sounds of huffing and puffing and things being moved; Vernon and Dudley were hard at work. Dudley, who usually did his best to slack off, was surprisingly diligent today—probably scared straight by his mum. Boys always grow a bit after getting knocked around by life.
"I've had your uncle and cousin clear out a room for you—Dudley's old toy room. I'll tidy it up for you later. You'll sleep there tonight."
"It was my fault before, but Holly, don't blame your aunt. It's because…"
Petunia went quiet for a moment, then bit her lip, as if making some big decision.
"Your mum and dad didn't die in a car crash."
The moment those words came out, Holly shot upright. Her reddened eyes locked on Petunia and didn't move. Her lips trembled, then she bit down on them hard, almost breaking the skin.
"Lily… she…"
Petunia swallowed.
"She wasn't like me."
After a short pause, Petunia continued.
"When she was eleven, Lily got a letter. An owl brought it. It said that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was inviting her to study there. It wasn't an ordinary school. It was…"
Petunia took a deep breath to steady herself.
"It was a magic school. A school that trains witches and wizards and teaches them magic."
"But only your mum could go. I couldn't. I didn't have any talent for magic. To tell you the truth, I was very jealous of her back then. I felt it was unfair."
"But later, I came to terms with it. Your mum graduated from that school, but from what she told me, that world wasn't peaceful. There was a man called… called… Voldemort, a terrorist who went around killing people everywhere."
"Ten years ago, the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, came here. He handed you to me and said that your mother had died to protect you. She left a protective magic on you. That magic only works if you live in the home of your blood relatives. Your grandparents on your mum's side passed away while Lily and I were still at school, so there was only me left."
"I was terrified, because that man's followers were still out there. They said Voldemort was dead, but his followers were searching for you. According to Professor Dumbledore, Voldemort died because of you. Naturally, those people would hunt you down to avenge him."
"I was so afraid of you showing anything… abnormal, because it was dangerous. What if those people found you? Right?"
Petunia tightened her grip on Holly's hand. Her fingers trembled slightly.
"Don't blame Auntie for how I treated you before. Don't blame me for losing my temper. If any of this were discovered… the ones in danger wouldn't just be you…"
"I'm sorry…"
Holly lowered her head, her voice rough and hoarse.
After Aunt Petunia laid everything out, she finally understood why her aunt had gone into such a rage every time she caused something strange to happen.
She wasn't stupid. She understood perfectly well what all this meant.
"But I never meant to… I can't help it… I don't want to…"
Holly stammered, flustered.
"I don't even know how I did those things…"
"I really am sorry…"
"It's all in the past now. It's over, Holly. You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who should say sorry."
Aunt Petunia gently hugged her again, then took Holly's face in her hands and stared closely at it. The longer she looked, the redder her eyes grew, but she forced back her tears. Suddenly, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"You really do look like her. Before, you looked more like your father. To be honest, your uncle and I never much liked your father. He was unreliable, odd, rude. I was very uneasy handing my sister over to him. But I couldn't stop her. And now—you're almost exactly like your mum."
Petunia stroked Holly's hair softly, muttering:
"Except for the hair. But black hair is lovely too, like silk, like the finest satin. Tomorrow we'll go out and Auntie will buy you new clothes. If you're not used to it yet, we can still choose boys' clothes—you'll look good in them anyway. Just like your mum—she looked good in everything."
At that, Holly's embarrassment got even worse. She bit her lip, not knowing how to answer.
"When Lily couldn't make up her mind, she'd do the same thing. She always bit her lip."
"R-really?" Holly tightened her lips again and lowered her head.
About half an hour later, the noises upstairs finally faded. Petunia turned her head just in time to see two sneaky faces peeking from the landing. The moment she looked, both big heads snapped back out of sight.
"Whatever the case, we have to face this, Holly."
Petunia patted the back of Holly's hand, then called:
"Vernon, come down."
Uncle Vernon's pudgy figure appeared at the top of the stairs. His face wore an awkward little smile as he came down step by step.
"I have something to tell you, Vernon. Sit down first."
Although he had no idea what was coming, Uncle Vernon obediently sat.
"Just now," Petunia pointed at the bathroom, "Harry turned into a girl. I saw it with my own eyes. And—"
"YOU! SAY! WHAT!!"
"Shut up!"
"Oh—right, right…"
Uncle Vernon instantly hunched his shoulders and sneaked a nervous glance at Harry—Holly—whose back was to him.
"And Holly looks almost exactly like Lily. Except for the hair, they're nearly identical. When I first saw her, I thought Lily had come back."
"That's impossible… impossible…"
Vernon muttered, stunned.
"This has to be some sort of freakish trick. It can't be real…"
"But it is. I saw it myself. Holly."
Under Aunt Petunia's encouragement, Holly slowly lifted her head and turned toward Uncle Vernon.
The thick-necked, red-faced man stared, completely dumbstruck. His eyes were glassy with shock.
It was a long time before he finally came back to himself and spoke in a very small voice.
"She… she really does look like Lily… Petunia, you're saying she's Harry? My God… she's exactly like Lily."
"There's no mistake. I could never forget my sister."
Petunia's tone was firm.
"But how could a boy…"
"Maybe it's to protect Holly?"
Petunia guessed, thinking it through:
"Everyone thinks Harry is a boy. But one day, Holly will have to go back to their world. You know how strange things happen around her—but if she has to go there someday…"
"Lily got her letter when she turned eleven. An owl delivered it. Holly will be eleven this year too—at the end of July."
"Oh! I get it!"
Uncle Vernon slapped his thigh.
"If Harry isn't Harry, but Holly, then Holly can… right?"
Their theory sounded halfway plausible at first, but Holly, who knew full well what had actually happened, knew it was complete nonsense. She really had been a boy before—100%, solid, iron-clad boy.
As for the current situation… Harry—Holly—had no idea how to explain it. Turning into a girl from eating a biscuit… that was even less scientific than magic existing in the first place!
The two self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmeses kept analyzing, and the more they talked, the more sense it seemed to make to them.
Uncle Vernon's gaze toward Holly slowly changed. Honestly, if Harry had been a girl from the start, he never would've roared at her like that. And if she'd been as cute and pretty as Holly was now, he'd have found it even harder to speak harshly.
Back when he hadn't gone soft around the middle, Vernon fancied himself a proper English gentleman. The old Harry had reminded him too much of that infuriating father of his, and the more he looked, the more annoyed he got. But now, everything was different.
He already had a son. A little girl to dote on would've been perfect. Even if she wasn't his by blood, well—he'd been the one working hard to feed her all these years.
Their Holmes-and-Watson act didn't last long, because a heavy thud~~DUANG~~~ came from the stairs, followed by a loud "Ow!" Dudley, who had been sneaking a look from the landing, lost his footing and rolled down the steps like a ball.
Everyone turned at once. Dudley's eyes were watering from the pain, and when he opened them, he met Holly's gaze.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Dudley let out a panicked scream.
"Shut up!!!" ×2
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia shouted together, cutting him off.
"It's too much trouble to explain, so I'll keep it simple. You've now got a girl cousin, Dudley."
Uncle Vernon grabbed Dudley by the arm and hauled him upright.
"Holly is a girl. We just mistook her for a boy before. Got it?"
"Got… got what?" Dudley's mouth hung open. He was shaking.
Smack!
Uncle Vernon slapped him between the shoulder blades, making Dudley jump and twist in pain.
"Do you get it?"
"Get it! Got it! I totally get it!!!"
Dudley blurted out at once:
"Holly was a girl all along, and I treated her like a boy! I'm terrible! I never should've bullied her… That's it, right, Dad?"
Uncle Vernon nodded. That one slap had sent Dudley's few brain cells into maximum overdrive.
"Exactly. And you don't say a word to anyone. Holly will be going to a new school soon. You just keep your big mouth shut. I'll handle the rest."
Right then, Uncle Vernon truly showed the authority of the head of the household. To be honest, he even wanted to move somewhere else, but the mortgage on this house wasn't paid off yet. That wasn't happening any time soon. He could only hope their sharp-eared, gossip-loving neighbors wouldn't find out too quickly—ideally not before he'd earned enough to buy a new place.
"If anyone asks where Harry's gone, we'll say he's been sent to boarding school. This is your distant cousin, here on holiday to visit you. Holly, you'll use a fake name too so the neighbors don't suspect anything—let's go with Leah. Leah Evans."
Holly stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. She didn't have any other choice.
Unless she changed back. Back into a boy.
But will I get that chance? she wondered. A faint sadness and despair rose up in her again, though it wasn't as sharp as before.
"Tomorrow we'll take Har… Leah to the mall and buy her some new clothes, Vernon."
"Not a problem at all. Even though Li… Leah looks very nice in this as well, we should buy more. Lots more. I can take half a day off and drive you."
Uncle Vernon didn't complain even once. Holly had never seen that smiling face aimed at her before.
Just then, Dudley suddenly had the feeling he'd lost something very important. He went blank for a moment—but then his lips curled up and he started giggling to himself.
"Leah? Leah! Hehe… I've got a girl cousin now… hehe~"
"What're you giggling at, you little brat!"
Another slap from his dad snapped Dudley to attention.
"Get back to your room and go to bed."
"Oh…"
"And—"
Aunt Petunia stopped him.
"Starting tomorrow, Dudley, no more snacks. Didn't you take boxing for a few years? You're starting it up again. Understand?"
"Huh?" Dudley's face collapsed into the perfect picture of a sad cartoon pig.
"Why, Mum?"
"You're the big brother now. All you ever do is eat, eat, eat. Your father was thinner than you when he was your age. What girl would like you like this? If you don't lose twenty pounds before school starts, you're not getting a penny of pocket money this entire term!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
"Shut up!" ×2
The realization of what he'd truly lost finally hit Dudley. The light of life left his eyes. Like a Boomer zombie, he dragged his heavy body up the stairs, every step dropping a little more of his broken heart behind him.