Temporal Paradox: The Second Chance of Harry Potter

August 13th, 1976

Enter, stranger, but take heed,

Of what awaits the sin of greed,

For those who take, but do not earn,

Must pay most dearly in their turn,

So if you seek beneath our floors

A treasure that was never yours,

Thief, you have been warned, beware

Of finding more than treasure there.

A small grin tugged on Harry's lips as he ascended the last set of stairs to the bright marble building of Gringotts wizarding bank. After successfully breaking into the British branch, the poem on its entrance seemed a lot less threatening already. Still, Harry in no way would want to repeat one of his most bizarre adventures. On further thought he could most definitely do without facing a dragon ever again.

"Mr. Peverell." The teller addressed him after making him wait for an entire minute: "How may Gringotts be of service today?"

"I have an appointment with Director Ragnok." Harry answered in a business-like tone.

"Very well." The goblin said as his dark eyes stared at him through a small leathery book: "You will be led to the director's office shortly."

A few moments later Harry found himself facing the head of the branch once more. The last time he had met him was when he needed to take on the new identity of Harry Ignotus Peverell. That was actually the exact day that he time traveled to the past. Back then the greedy goblins had charged him a small fortune simply for claiming what was already rightfully his. This time however Harry hoped to hopefully take something back.

"I would like to make discrete inquiries on the contents of two vaults here at Gringotts, please." Harry stated formally: "I have reason to believe that I am the closest living relative to said family and I am prepared to defend my claim."

The old goblin folded his wrinkly hands and said "Very well, wizard. What vaults do you claim to be the rightful owner of?"

In response Harry slipped his hand inside of his robes and bought out a small note. He then silently handed it over to the director.

The goblin stared at the piece of parchment for a few seconds before he looked up. His mouth twisting into a sharp grin: "A very absurd claim but do go on I want to hear your reasoning."

"Before I begin, I will remind you that the contents of this meeting shall be handled with extreme confidentiality. Something that by your very own policy is to be provided to every business meeting." Harry said, his voice taking a slightly threatening tone to it.

"Of course, wizard." Ragnok hissed in displeasure at the hint of Gringotts breaking their own laws. "We goblins always adhere to the laws created by our ancestors and none of them shall ever be breached."

Harry nodded seemingly satisfied with the response: "Then here is my proof, you greedy little bastard."

Harry said finishing the second part in a hiss of Parseltongue. He mentally patted himself in the back for pulling off a prank on the leader of goblins and enjoyed how the goblin's eyes widened in shock for a split second.

Ragnok, however, recovered pretty quickly and cleared his throat "While that is unexpected, it is not something distinct enough. You after all are hardly the first client who thinks that the blatant display of that certain ability was enough to validate his claim."

And just like that the small satisfaction that Harry felt was gone. So it seemed that Voldemort must have tried the same thing after finding out more about his ancestry. The question then however was when did he visit the bank? During the summer he killed his father and grandparents?

The goblin seeing Harry's veiled displeasure continued with an evil grin: "In any case, I will give you the same answer I gave the other claimant, both vaults you made do not hold any galleons, sickles or knuts to their name."

Harry swallowed the small stab of disappointment he felt at the goblin's words. However, something about the director's wording bothered him. Did he mean that there were other heirlooms that he could claim? "Are the vaults actually empty or simply empty of any gold? Since you did not deny my potential claim to either of them, I would like a complete list of any assets and contents inside each vault."

The goblin's old nostril flared in anger at his attempted trick being seen through. He then said, "Very well, wizard." He opened a drawer in his table and skimmed through it for almost an entire minute. He then pulled out an old roll of parchment and with extreme reluctance handed it over to Harry. young Harry picked it up and was unable to hide the smirk on his face at finally getting one over the goblin.

FULL VAULT STATEMENT

Name Vault: GAUNT

CONTENTS:

Galleons: 0 / 0

Sickles: 0 / 0

Knuts: 0 / 0

Number and estimated monetary value of book(s): 0 / 0

Number and estimated monetary value of jewelry and heirloom(s): 0 / 0

Number and estimated monetary value of other item(s): 0 / 0

FULL VAULT STATEMENT

Name Vault: SLYTHERIN

CONTENTS:

Galleons: 0 / 0

Sickles: 0 / 0

Knuts: 0 / 0

Number and estimated monetary value of book(s): 2 / 2000

Number and estimated monetary value of jewelry and heirloom(s): 11 / 4689

Number and estimated monetary value of other item(s): 3 / 789

Harry's eyes gleamed in triumph at checking the entries in the Slytherin vault: "Let me guess, Director Ragnok, the last person who inquired about the status of these two vaults did not bother inquiring about any of the other contents in the vaults?"

The angry goblin did not bother giving an answer to the question and just said "Gringotts will charge a total fee of 2% of the vault's current assets for transferring any and all contents to a different vault. Shall I proceed, wizard?"

Harry did not need to think over the question. Transferring the items was undoubtedly the smartest choice, as Voldemort might make another inquiry in the future. This was especially possible after Harry's little prank on him during their latest encounter. However, he was on a roll today and did not intend on letting the goblin win this trade. His eyes scanned the statement once more with him then saying "We are talking about two books, eleven pieces of jewelry, and three additional items..."

Looking up he flashed the goblin a bright smile and said: "Your services for this transaction are not required. I myself will simply withdraw all 16 items today. Seeing that I am a young and healthy man. I surely can carry them to my own vault. In addition..." He twirled the Elder Wand around his fingers: "... I am a wizard, as you so repeatedly reminded me. I can shrink the items and use other charms to assist myself."

"Very well." The goblin spat: "Do you have any other business with Gringotts today? My time is too valuable to listen to your petty insults." He said wanting to get rid of Harry.

"Actually, I do." Harry said as he smiled and pulled out a small list. Handing it over to the director he said: "You will find 15 muggle companies on this list, which recently had their initial public offering. I would like you to take 70% of my current assets, liquidate them and invest them in all fifteen companies. The investment should be evenly spread out."

The goblin shot him another evil grin thinking that Harry was making a foolish mistake "You are aware that Gringotts does not offer any guarantees when it comes to investments in muggle currency. Should the exchange rate fall or any of the companies go bankrupt, you should expect no financial compensation."

"I am fully aware of that fact." Harry nodded "And I remain confident in my decision."

"Very well. It shall be done." The Director said, placing the list in a drawer: "Anything else, wizard?"

"Only one last thing." Harry nodded and pulled a small journal out from his pocket: "This is my will in the unfortunate case of my premature death. It shall be read to the entire Potter family, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, and Marlene McKinnon. Inside you will also find letters addressed to each aforementioned individual."

It had taken Harry a few days to put his will together. It was not because he possessed so much that could be passed on and had to reasonably split it. 'No.' It had taken that long because he had struggled to find the right words to describe to each of those people who he truly was. The Potters, Sirius, and Lily were absolute no-brainers. They deserved to know who he truly was, and Harry had explained his reasons for not yet telling them in each of the letters.

In addition, the Potters would also receive the first two Hallows. They were the last living relatives of the Peverells and it only made sense to place the Hallows with the blood of their original owners. The Cloak would go to Lily, along with detailed instruction on what it was and how to use it.

Dumbledore was only mentioned because he was the one other person who actually stood a chance in defeating Voldemort, should Harry fail. The Headmaster would get no gold or any other possession from Harry. Only a highly detailed analysis of Voldemort's Horcruxes, his followers, and the best possible way to defeat him. In addition, Dumbledore would receive a small vial of Basilisk venom, because Harry knew the old fool would never dare to use Fiendfyre.

Finally, everything of value, apart from the Hallows, that truly meant something to him would be given to Marlene. This included all of his assets and anything else he possessed. Harry prayed that things would never come to that, but it would be foolish not to take precautions.

A few days ago, Harry had told the girl that he loved her. It had been the first time in his life that he had uttered those three little words, and it had cost him a lot of willpower and emotions to even say them to her face. Nevertheless, Harry was certain that his feelings for her were just that serious. He had never in his life cared about someone as much as he did about the blond Ravenclaw he proudly called his girlfriend.

Over the time that he had known her, Marlene had seemingly managed to always make him smile. No matter how heavily pressured he was at that certain time. She had always been there for him, and Harry was completely sure of his feelings for her. Yet, if for some reason he was unable to do so, then Marlene would be cared for for the rest of her life. Of that, he had made sure.

August 20th, 1976

The scent of fried bacon and eggs hung in the air. Old gas lights made a rather poor substitute for the warm summer rays the room could be bathed in if it had more windows. Alas, natural light was a scarce resource at 12 Grimmauld Place. He watched as the nastiest elf he ever had the displeasure of meeting sneaked around the table to refill the glass of his mistress.

"How dare those thugs attack a daughter of our House in the open street like that!" Walburga Black roared from her side of the table. Her fat fingers curled around the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet and she slammed the paper down on the table. 'Great... another outburst.' He could almost feel the headache building up already.

"Shut your trap, Walburga!" His grandfather shouted from the head of the table: "Do you have any idea how many strings I had to pull for Bellatrix not to get arrested by the Aurors on sight? She was casting Unforgivables into a crowd of shoppers over what seems to be a stupid prank! There were children in that crowd! Bellatrix, her shitstain of a husband, and his idiot brother should be lucky they did not get thrown in Azkaban for life!"

"Whatever mudblood or blood traitor attacked them deserved any curse heading at them." Walburga jumped up from her chair in anger: "How could you not take your granddaughter's side in this?"

"What actually happened?" Sirius asked curiously. He had stopped reading the Daily Prophet for three days and suddenly there was open warfare in the middle of Diagon Alley? Talk about being unlucky…

Walburga sneered at him with disgust: "Bellatrix, your pureblooded cousin and her noble husband's family were attacked by some filth on their way to Gringotts. Those cowards did not dare face her head-on, so they conjured some pathetic cloud of smoke and cursed her in the back."

"Was she injured?" Sirius could not help the slightly hopeful tone in his voice "Did the attackers get away with it?"

"Why, you ungrateful little shit!" Walburga jumped from her seat intent on harming him.

However, before she could act, Arcturus Black's steel gray eyes narrowed on Sirius's mother and he said "Orion, take your wife upstairs. I do wish to spend this lovely morning having to listen to her disgusting bickering."

His father led a fuming Walburga Black out of the kitchen. Sirius could hear her bigoted vulgarisms all the way until they reached the upper floors. He let out a sigh of relief. Any morning his grandparents visited was a true blessing for him. Arcturus Black did not tolerate Sirius' mother's outburst and never failed to put her in her place. Soon, he would be seventeen and then he could leave this hellhole. He hated this place and could not wait to get back to Hogwarts in two weeks.

"Narcissa dearest, have you taken your time to ponder over what we discussed?" Arcturus Black said as he placed the newspaper to the side and addressed his cousin.

His eyes darted over to the other side of the table. The youngest of his three cousins slowly placed down her fork. Her entire posture was perfect, as always. He knew that the blonde might not be as bigoted as her older sister, yet at the same time, she clearly enjoyed all the advantages that came with growing up as the pureblood daughter of one of Britain's most prestigious households.

"I have, grandfather." She fixed a single stray in her otherwise perfectly prepared hairstyle: "After my internship this summer I received an offer for a trainee position under Healer Alderton."

"Congratulations, my dear!" Melania, Sirius's grandmother, said as she sent her a warm smile.

"I will have none of that!" Her father Pollux said as his knuckles tightened around his knife. He turned to his father: "She is 18! Her most promising match might be lost, due to Peverell's... "He almost spat the name"... interference, but I will not have my daughter work in a hospital like some half- or mudblood!"

Sirius cringed internally. Despite the part where his uncle used a term Arcturus Black had avoided for the last few months, even Sirius was aware that it was not the smartest choice to trash talk the occupation of Lord Black's sister before she had married... This would not end well for his uncle.

Arcturus' nostrils flared threateningly. His wife placed a hand on his arm: "Even with your peanut-sized brain, you should remember that my sister, your own aunt, became one of the most respected healers of her time before she started a family of her own. How dare you bad mouth those members of our family, who have actually brought glory to this House! You have no longer say in the matter, you dimwit! Should you interfere with Narcissa's work, I will have you thrown out of this house and stricken from the tapestry. Do not cross me, boy."

He turned to address his granddaughter, whose usually neutral facial expression became slightly concerned: "My congratulations, Narcissa. Healer Alderton is known for only taking on students who show dedication and skill in their field. You may start your training as a healer. My only request is that you occasionally escort potential heirs of other houses to social events. There will be no courting agreements. I would simply like you to get to know the young men. Perhaps you may even grow fond of one of them on your own."

Sirius watched as his cousin nodded and relief flooded her face. He had known about her dream to become a healer, even though she had stopped mentioning it at some point during her second year when her parents had pointed out that putting on Healer's robes was close to having their daughter work as a whore in Knockturn Alley.

"Gideon Prewett, the older of the Prewett twins has asked me to accompany him to a small Auror ball at the Ministry next week," Narcissa spoke up. Her hand trembled ever so slightly: "May I have permission to be his date for the night?"

Sirius almost spewed the contents of his mouth over the table. 'What was that? His cousin and a Gryffindor?' Who would've thought…

Everyone knew of the Prewett twins. Gideon and his brother had been something like idols to the Marauders until the skill level of their own pranks had surpassed them at some point in third year. Despite their age difference, the Marauders had grown rather close to the twins during their time at Hogwarts. Both joined the Aurors after graduating two years ago. How did his perfect Slytherin pureblood cousin get in contact with him, let alone be invited to a Ball?

Pollux was about to interfere with a sneer on his face, but their grandfather was quicker: "Of course, my dear. The Prewetts are a family almost as old as ours. Enjoy yourself and try to actually get to know the boy."

"Thank you, grandfather." Narcissa nodded and Sirius did not miss the small smile that tugged at her lips. He couldn't help himself.

"You seem to have gotten over Peverell quite quickly, dearest cousin." He snorted with a teasing lint in his tone.

A small blush crept up her porcelain skin, yet she remained seemingly unbothered "I don't know what you are referring to, dearest cousin."

"I am sure you don't. Well, perhaps it's better this way." Sirius chuckled amused "The poor lad is completely smitten with McKinnon."

Arcturus hummed in agreement "Peverell was already smitten with her when I negotiated the courting agreement between him and House McKinnon. He was making eyes at her during the entirety of the meeting. Of course, I would have liked to strengthen our alliance with him even further, however, I would be a fool to try to interfere with such strong emotions. My sister mentioned they visit each other all the time. It is quite clearly a very good match."

"Good match... It's bloody annoying." Sirius grunted in exasperation "He was supposed to become another Marauder, break hearts and steal knickers with James and me. Instead, he got completely whipped by the first pretty face he stumbled over at Hogwarts. I had such high hopes and so much to teach him." He shook his head in mock disappointment, making Arcturus snort in amusement; however, Melania was far from such.

"Sirius Orion Black!" His grandmother scowled at him while Narcissa and Regulus, who had been very quiet so far both snorted: "I thought I raised you better than this, young man. I will not have my own grandson build such a reputation for himself! Why don't you actually find yourself a girl and have a proper relationship? I have heard from Camille Fawley that you have worked with her daughter Florence in a few classes. Why don't you try and get closer to her?" His grandmother asked at the end of her rant.

"I don't think so grandmother, it's true that I have worked with Fawley before, but we are acquaintances at best, and I don't see her that way." Sirius answered dismissively.

"You are just disappointed that Harry Peverell snatched away the one girl that had resisted your incredible charm for five years." Narcissa's lips curled upwards: "Don't worry, little cousin. I am certain we will find someone suitable for you as well. Celina Bullstrude should be in your year, isn't she?"

Sirius gagged and acted like he wanted to throw up as he said "I'm good, thanks. It looks like we both didn't get what we wanted, little Cissy."

Her gray eyes narrowed, yet the playful banter was interrupted by Arcturus "That is enough. Sirius, if you see Peverell over the next few days, make sure to let him know that I'd like to meet him before he returns to Hogwarts. There are important matters I wish to discuss with him."

"I'm visiting him today." Sirius nodded with a grin "James and I managed to finally isolate him from his blond harpy so we can continue teaching him about a - uhm - summer project of ours."

"Very well." Arcturus nodded "Give our best wishes to Lord Potter and my dear sister while you're at it."

Potter Manor

"Letters for Lily?" Harry asked as he casually entered James' room at Potter Manor.

James' head snapped up and he quickly hid the open envelope under some random parchment on his desk "How did you get in here?"

"Come on, mate." Harry grinned and jumped onto the couch that was placed there. "We both know I will crack any locking charm or ward you might place on your door."

"Well, thank you for letting me have some bloody privacy." James remarked, his voice dripping with sarcasm "I wonder how you'd like it if I burst into your room while McKinnon is visiting."

Harry smirked at the attempted threat and said "Well you might learn a thing or two, for when Lily finally decides you have finally matured enough for her. But you shouldn't get your hopes up. Even Dumbledore would struggle with my locking charms."

"Pompous git! And they say I'm the overconfident one..." James grunted out as he tried to position his own body so he could block Harry's view on the letter: "Why are you even here, Harry?"

"Sirius will come over soon so we can continue with our summer project." Harry twirled the Elder Wand around his fingers "So I thought I'd use the time until then to see if you needed some help."

"Relationship advice from you?" James snorted "Thanks, I'm good. I never want to end up being as whipped as you are."

"You're missing out then mate." Harry grinned thinking about his time with the blonde girl. "I am having the best time of my life."

James ignored him and turned his attention back to the letter. It seemed to be unfinished. Harry spotted several parts that were crossed through or scribbled over: "How long have you two been writing to each other?"

James shot him a suspicious look before he placed the quill back down and sighed: "I sent her a letter a week into the holidays. I didn't want to come off as too clingy or needy."

"Good idea." Harry nodded approvingly "She just lost her closest friend only a few months ago but given time, she will be able to make some new connections."

"I hope so as well." James exhaled deeply and ruffled his hair.

"Is it not going well then?" Harry inquired carefully. He did not want to pry into his parent's private affairs, yet at the same time, he was interested to see how heavily his interference on that day affected the events in this timeline so far.

"No, I did not mean that." James replied: "It's going bloody brilliant. We exchanged almost a dozen letters already." He bit his bottom lip. "I am just wondering if she will ever see me as something more than a friend."

Harry internally grinned at the absurdity of the situation. He was ironically giving his teenage father advice on dating girls: "I would just stick to what we talked about, James. Be her friend, be there for her. You don't have to change for her completely. You are still a Marauder and can play all the pranks you want. Dark days lie ahead of us and all of us could use the occasional laughter, even Lily. Just mature a bit and try not to make her a target of those pranks anymore."

His father seemed to ponder over the words for half a minute. "What if someone else asks her first? Do you have any idea how many blokes at Hogwarts fancy Lily Evans?" James shot him a glare. "Well of course you don't... You're head over heels for your blond girl, you lucky git."

"I'm in love, James, not blind to what's going on around me." Harry laughed. "And do you think it was fun watching Marlene going on dates with bloody Rabastan Lestrange? Of course, it wasn't. Still, I played the long game and now I reap the benefits. And so could you one day."

"It's different." James shook his head "At least it was obvious that McKinnon was never in it because she actually liked Lestrange. I don't know if I could bear watching Lily go on dates with anyone else."

"But it's an eventuality you should be prepared for, James." Harry walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder "Let her experience things on her, just as you should. Be her friend and be there for her. At the same time, be open and have some fun with a different girl, just not the kind of fun Sirius would suggest." He quickly added "Take out a different girl and gather some actual experiences on how to behave on a date. It will make things easier when Lily says yes one day."

"You think she will?" James looked up at him, hazel eyes full of hope. It was almost adorable "I know she will come around and at least give you a chance one day. Your job will be to make the best out of it and for that, you need to know what you're doing. There is no point in waiting for her right now. Invite someone else you think you could get along with on a date to Hogsmeade and get some experience. It's not like Hogwarts lacks beautiful witches."

"Perhaps you're right." James' shoulder slumped down and he sighed "I just know that I will be thinking about Lily, no matter what girl I take on a date."

Harry nodded in understanding. "That might seem cruel to the girls, but it's okay. You're simply going on a date to get to know each other. You're not dating yet and there are no promises or rings."

James sucked in a breath of air: "Fair enough. Now let me finish this letter and keep Sirius away from my room for a few more minutes, I am almost done."

"You got it, mate!" Harry slapped his shoulder: "Now, let Lily know I said hi and tell her not to worry about that Outstanding - in Defense. Her strengths lie in other areas."

"Wait, how did you..." James' head shot up in confusion, but Harry had already crossed the room and reached the door.

"PEVERELL!"

It was roughly an hour later that Harry found himself sitting in the middle of his room with Sirius and James in front of him.

"So did you get it?" Sirius moved back and forwards it was obvious that he was excited.

"Of course I did." Harry pulled a small vile from within his robes "Unlike you guys, I don't have the time to keep a mandrake leaf in my mouth for an entire month. It would complicate things with Marlene..." he said with a wink.

"Yeah, we don't really need to know what kind of things you guys get up to." Sirius wrinkled his nose and shot a suspicious look over to Harry's bed: "How much was it?"

"50 Galleons for this small dosage." Harry uncorked the vial: "I found a vendor in Knockturn alley who promised not to ask any question as long as I paid cash."

It was a lot of money spent simply for learning what his form might be. However, Harry had the necessary Galleons and certainly preferred it over the alternative.

"Do you have an idea of what kind of animal you'll be?" James asked curiously: "Perhaps a Thestral, the totem of your family?"

Harry shook his head: "Your Animagus form cannot be that of a magical animal. Imagine Dumbledore turning into a phoenix anytime a killing curse was sent his way. He'd simply be reborn..." 'It'd also give him the ability to bypass any wards with the exception of the Fidelius.' Harry frowned.

"That makes sense, I guess." Sirius scratched his chin: "Just don't be something embarrassing or completely useless. We already have a rat, but at least Wormtail was useful for scouting the castle during the creation of the map." He turned to James with a teasing grin: "Imagine Harry was a tortoise or some fish. That'd be hilarious."

"I don't think so." James shook his head, though there was a small smile tugging on his lips. "He will either be something large and strong, or some super-smart animal. Anyways, let's get started and find it out."

"Right you are." Harry grinned. He threw his head back and downed the small vial in one gulp. It was not exactly an unpleasant taste. Certainly better than a few of the potions he was forced to take during his many stays with Madam Pomfrey, or Goyle's Polyjuice in second year. The voices of James and Sirius slowly faded into the background as Harry closed his eyes and took steady, deep breaths.

The world swirled in his mind, almost as if he was shown a memory of someone else, or forcefully penetrated someone else's mind via legilimency. Cold air hit his face and he felt lighter than ever before. The wind carried him from one gust onto the next. He was flying, but he could not feel a broom underneath him. It must be wings then.

A beautiful landscape passed underneath him while he remained high in the air. Harry easily spotted individual leaves on trees in a thick forest or the small stones on a wide riverbank. Whatever kind of bird he was, its eyesight was exceptionally good.

His eyes drifted sideways, to get a better look at himself. Long black feathers spread over the entirety of what he expected his right arm to be. The same held true for the other side. They shifted ever so slightly in the wind, lifting him upwards as the next gust met him.

Unfortunately, his neck's rather limited range of motion did not allow him to see anything besides the edges of his left and right wing. He needed more information if he wished to start the transformations soon. Many birds had black feathers. He could be an eagle, a falcon, a crow, or even a vulture.

His sharp eyes darted back down to the river. Its surface should make for a somewhat decent mirror. He dived low, aiming for the large rock close to the shore. Sharp claws secured his hold, even on the slippery surface of the rock. Finally, he could see his own reflection.

The thick black feathers spread from his wings all the way up a slim torso to a sharp face that finished in a pointy peak. 'He was a raven.' Said beak opened and a loud crow of pridefulness echoed over the river's surface when Harry caught sight of his eyes. Despite the shift of his form, an ever so faint touch of emerald green had remained in the raven's iris.

Suddenly the world swirled back past him. His lungs were squeezed together painfully until Harry found himself back in his own room at Potter Manor. He pushed himself off of the floor, panting lightly.

"And?" James helped him back up on his feet while Sirius handed him a cup of water: "You were gone for almost 30 minutes. What was your form?"

Harry downed a couple of gulps of water, thankful that the boys had taken preparations: "Give me a second and I will try to show you."

"Don't be naive, Harry." Sirius shook his head: "Even you won't be able to change that quickly."

'I know.' Harry acknowledged. 'But I have been able to make small progress already.' He sat back down on crossed legs and closed his eyes while steadying his breathing.

He recalled the memory of watching the Raven's reflection in the mirror and allowed himself to be fully consumed by the sensation. His senses became more animalistic. Complex thoughts were banished from his mind and replaced by instinct. He must become the raven. Before his inner eye, smooth pale skin changed into lined up feathers.

Harry focused on those sensations and slowly pushed them from the center of his body up to his shoulder and down the length of his arm. Then he felt a prickling sensation right under his skin and opened his eyes.

"I told you it does not work that quickly." Sirius chuckled good-naturedly.

"So you did," Harry smirked and rolled up the sleeve on his right arm.

A single long black feather dangled out of the skin of his forearm, looking horribly out of place next to normal hair. He plugged it out with two fingers and handed it over to Sirius:

"That should be enough for you guys to come up with a name for me, shouldn't it?" He finished with a grin.