Life was absolutely determined that Harry should not be normal, at least that was what he had decided by the time it came to Friday November the twelfth. So far his Seraphim heritage had given him wings; three growth spurts so that he was now five inches taller than he had been and, although still slim, broader as well; nails that could gouge through anything softer than stone and which he had to trim every morning with a charm; and a craving for ice mice that just would not go away. Even Poppy couldn't explain the craving for sweets.

It was during Quidditch practice that Harry noticed something else was not quite right with him, or rather, it was as it ended after he descended to the ground having been chasing the Snitch all over the sky while Ron had the rest of the team running complicated strategies. Everything was very loud, or at least it was for the first few moments when he met up with the rest of the players, almost as if everyone was shouting. He winced when Ron did actually yell at Ginny who was chasing down one of the bludgers, because it was so loud that it hurt.

"You alright, Harry?" Ron asked as he turned and caught the tail end of the grimace.

Much to Harry's pleasure, by the time his friend had finished the sentence his voice seemed to be back to a normal level.

"Yeah," he replied quickly, not wanting to worry Ron, "I think my ears must have got cold while I was flying; it was a bit weird for a moment."

His friend moved closer as the rest of the team headed towards the changing room.

"You sure," Ron asked quietly, "it's not something to do with your changes?"

Harry did take a moment to consider this, but he shook his head.

"Nah," he replied, almost sure of his conclusion, "those seem to be permanent and this went away."

He didn't realise he was completely wrong until they had washed, changed, made it back to the common room and he was on his way to the library to find a book for his Transfiguration homework. About halfway there his footsteps suddenly became rather louder than he expected, and he could hear some people talking. When he rounded two corners and made it to the library, he found a couple of Ravenclaws chatting outside the door in what should have been hushed voices. To him it was like they were talking loudly.

Changing his mind, he headed straight for the hospital wing; Poppy was probably ready to give him a bed permanently.

"Your hearing is definitely more sensitive," the healer said as she examined the results of the spell she had just cast on Harry, "and I believe your eyesight is changing as well. I can adjust your glasses for you and place a spell on them so they will alter with your eyesight a certain amount; however, I suggest you come in for daily check-ups until whatever changes are taking place stop. As for the hearing, I have some ear plugs which will lessen the effect, but I suggest you only wear them for sleeping. You'll need to learn to cope with the extra sensitivity at other times. It doesn't hurt does it?"

Harry shook his head.

"Only when someone shouts close by me," he replied, "but I think I can cope with that."

Poppy smiled at him.

"Good," she said and gave him a warm smile. "If you have any problems, Harry, I want you to come straight to me. These changes must be hard on you, but they will eventually stop, and even if I am far too old to be saying so, you are becoming quite the dashing young man."

Harry felt himself go red, but couldn't help the embarrassed smile that played at the corners of his mouth. He had never really been the epitome of a hero, no matter what role life had thrown him into, but even he had to admit that he was beginning to look more the part.

"Thank you, Poppy," he said gratefully, "I think I'd be lost without you."

"That's all right, Young Man," Poppy replied with a twitch of her eyebrows, "though I do say so myself, so would the majority of the school. I have absolutely no idea how the staff, let alone the pupils manage to find so many dangerous things and walk straight into them."

That drew a full-fledged grin from Harry. Over the time he had been a constant resident in the hospital wing he had seen several members of staff visiting Poppy's care and it had been rather eye opening.

~*~

The common room was full of people all going about their own business and Harry sat by the fire with his nose in a book, pretending that he was taking no notice of any of them. However, with his hearing as sensitive as it was, it was difficult not to notice that several of the conversations were about him. Even though he was not an attention seeker it was hard not to realise that the changes he had been going through recently had not gone unnoticed. If he had been the densest Gryffindor known to man, it would still have been obvious.

"I know," Lavender was saying to Parvati, "I had no idea a boy could change so much in a month."

"It's like he's been for one of those wizard's makeovers," the other girl replied with a note of adoration in her voice, which disturbed Harry somewhat, "only he doesn't even have to try. Did you see him after the last Quidditch match, covered in mud thanks to Malfoy and still gorgeous."

"Malfoy wasn't half bad either. Could you imagine the pair of them..." Harry flicked his attention to another conversation before he could blush too deeply.

"How on earth did he grow his nails so fast?" Ginny was whispering to May, one of the other girls in her year. "Three weeks ago they were bitten to the quick, and now they're long and hard."

"I'd give anything to know what potion he's using," her friend agreed equally as quietly. "Do you think he's finally coming round to the idea of being a superstar?"

"I don't know," her companion replied, and she sounded a little confused. "It sure looks like he's taken an interest in his appearance, but he's still Harry and he seems embarrassed that everyone is looking at him."

"Which makes him twice as hot," was May's response and then the pair dissolved into giggles.

Harry moved his attention away and sank down further into his seat trying to hide his face with his book. Maybe if he kept his features distant no one would notice quite how furiously he was going red.

"... you'll be honest won't you, Hermione," his focus caught the end of something Ron was saying where his best friend and Hermione were snuggled up on the other side of the room.

"Of course, Ron," the young woman returned in a loving tone that made Harry smile even though he wasn't supposed to be listening and 'Potions for the Auror' should in no way have caused such a fond expression on his face.

"All the girls are thinking it right?" Ron replied quietly. "It's not just the rest of us getting inferiority complexes. Harry has gone from the cute and innocent saviour of the world to the sexiest thing on legs in just over four weeks?"

His best friend's tone sounded resigned and a little unsure. Hermione greeted the enquiry with a small laugh and a gentle sigh.

"I wouldn't have put it like that," she replied, "but if you mean everyone's looking at him in a different light, then yes. And Ron, I hate to break it to you, but it's not just the girls."

"I know that," Ron's voice was full of laughter, which surprised Harry, "bloody hell, if I wasn't in love with you, I might give him a second glance."

Harry dropped his book.

That was most definitely something he had not expected to hear. The wizarding world was nowhere near as hung up about sexuality as the Muggle world, but there were some constants in Harry life that did not need tearing down. One was that his best friend was firmly heterosexual.

Several pairs of eyes had turned to look at him as the heavy book crashed onto the floor, but as he sheepishly picked it up only two gazes remained in his direction. Harry looked up to meet the eyes of his friends and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think Harry heard you," she observed to Ron, keeping her voice low and Harry knew he was being watched for a reaction.

Quite aware that he had been caught Harry closed the tome he was holding and unfolded himself from the armchair. It still surprised him when he kept going up from where he thought his eye level should be. He was used to being shorter than all his male friends and several of his female friends as well. His extra five inches was still something he was coming to terms with. He walked over to his friends slowly trying to look innocent.

"How did you hear us from all the way over there, Mate?" Ron asked in his usual blunt but friendly manner.

"My hearing's improved," Harry admitted quietly with a small shrug having chosen to keep that new fact quiet until he was used to the whole idea, "along with just about everything else. These glasses aren't real anymore either, Madam Pomfrey changed them for window glass this morning. I'm going to start dropping hints about getting my eyes fixed and then get rid of them for good."

He was going through so many changes that he sometimes felt that he was no longer living in his own body.

"So, does this mean if you go for a little walk by the Quidditch pitch when the Slytherins are practicing, you'll be able to hear their strategy discussions?" Ron asked thoughtfully.

Hermione hit him, and Harry laughed. Right about then that was just what he had needed.