A Nundu for A Pet

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Chapter 8 (Parseltongue), Chapter 9 (The  Language of Magic), Chapter 10 (A Letter from Hogwarts), Chapter 11 (A  Nundu Core), Chapter 12 (Talismans and The Sorting Hat), Chapter 13  (First Week, Talisman, and Snakes), and Chapter 14 (New Friends and A Troll) are already available for Patrons.

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Harry felt the softness of the bed, his head resting against the pillow. He could hear the faint sound of his aunt speaking. He expected her to start knocking on the cupboard door at any moment and tell him that he needed to cook or clean the house, but Harry was too comfortable. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had felt so comfortable.

He heard footsteps beyond his cupboard, and he expected to hear Aunt Petunia's annoying voice at any moment or, worse, Vernon talking to him; he didn't know which one was worse.

But the knocking didn't come. Instead, he heard the sound of wood creaking; he knew someone was walking downstairs as the footsteps grew quieter until he couldn't hear them anymore.

Wait, Downstairs?! But we have no basement, Harry quickly remembered. He jolted upwards, his green eyes opened, and he found himself staring at a room he didn't recognize. The three ledges that he expected to see were gone, including his books. The ceiling was too high for a cupboard, but he quickly remembered something else as he moved up his blanket, expecting that she was hiding under it.

"Itisa," Harry called out right away, moving away the blanket covering him that fell over the bed frame; he looked around in panic when he heard her.

Meow

He looked up, and near the ceiling were several wooden beams one could grip from the floor and climb up, but there was nowhere to go since the ceiling didn't have any ceiling door or window that led outside, but standing on the wooden beams appeared Itisa, the sight of her, Harry sighed heavily in relief.

"What are you doing up there, girl?" Harry asked softly as he stood up from the bed. The Nundu let out another meow as if answering his question.

Again, Harry wished he could talk to her like he could do with Snakes; he could already imagine all the questions he could ask her, but most importantly, how she got here, in the United Kingdoms, since Professor McGonagall had explained to him last night that Nundus always came from Africa. In a way, it was a blessing for everyone. Harry wanted to know more, but the old Professor had told him that she didn't have all the answers for him since she didn't study magical creatures and that someone like Hagrid or Newt Scamander might have the answers to his questions. Harry didn't know why they were, but he figured he could learn more about them.

As he looked around, Harry remembered getting this room last night. Now everything returned back to him, the place he was staying right now, The Leaky Cauldron.

' " I've never been to London," Harry said with a look of awe as he looked at the many different colorful buildings, much different than the grey-looking 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging.

They had taken the train to get here. The Old Professor had kept mostly quiet through the whole ride. Every time Harry tried to ask a question, she would remind him that Muggles aren't supposed to know about magic and that he should keep the questions to himself until they reached Leaky Cauldron.

Harry thought that was a dumb name and said as much to the Old Professor, who mumbled something about him being like his father.

The people on the train often glanced at Itisa, her size; she looked like a normal cat, but the tufts of fur at the end of her tail were what grabbed the attention of some of the people, thankful they didn't start asking questions, and soon enough, the train stopped at the station.

Harry and the old Professor walked outside without much trouble. Much to his surprise, the Professor knew how 'Muggle Money' worked; he had been sure he would be the one buying the tickets.

After walking through the bustling streets, she suddenly pointed out, "There's the Leaky Cauldron." Harry looked forward and saw a sad-looking pud. He was sure even Dudley, with his infinite wisdom, wouldn't want to stay here.

"That's the one! It looks more like a morgue. Did someone die?" Harry commented without much thought. McGonagall rolled her eyes at his antics as they walked closer. Harry looked over his shoulder and noticed that no one was even looking at the sad-looking pub. He wondered if they didn't like the design, and he wouldn't blame them, or perhaps they couldn't actually see it somehow.

Before he realized it, McGonagall opened the door, and he walked inside with her. Itisa seemed on edge, and he knew it. He could almost feel her looking at every corner of this place, almost afraid that someone would jump them.

Inside the pub, it was dark and shabby, with a bar and a number of tables in the shadows of the corners. Harry saw three people wearing odd-looking clothes, long robes, and top hats; for a moment, he felt he was back in time. There was a bar, and the Bartender looked at the door as they walked inside; the pub fell extra quiet as the Old Professor strode forward; many greeted her with smiles, some fake, some real. Harry knew when one's smile was fake; Vernon had played that game many times with him.

"Professor McGonagall, a pleasure to meet you. I wasn't expecting you here. What can I get for you?" The Bartender greeted her with a friendly smile, not even noticing Harry, who stood two feet away.

Harry looked around the place. He was more interested in this pud. There was a certain smell in the air, almost like Dudley's room. He wondered if there was truly a corpse somewhere since the smell wasn't the most pleasant.

"Not for me, Harry." He strode forward as she placed her hand on the should that Itisa wasn't occupying.

"This is my nephew, Harry. I want him to stay here for a few days. I hope you don't mind." McGonagall said the Bartender arched an eyebrow before looking down at Harry, almost as if searching for something.

Harry knew no one could see his scar right now. The Professor told him to hide it for now. If they found out he was here by next week, he would have people coming here just to talk with him; perhaps even the Minister of Magic would show up to greet him. Harry didn't need to be told how badly that could go.

"Alright, he can get one upstairs, and the-" The Bartender stopped speaking and looked at Itisa, whose golden eyes looked back at him. "-Cat! She can go with him, but I don't want any problems from her." The Bartender agreed. Harry said nothing and watched as the old Professor gave money to the Bartender; Harry didn't understand what kind of money that was but asked no question.

When they walked upstairs, Harry expected the room to look just as gloomy as the pub downstairs. Surprisingly, it looked quite comfortable and had quite a few colors on it. It didn't look like a morgue, that's for sure, and it was much better-looking than Dudley's rooms.

"Professor, you said we were going to Diagon Alley, right?" Harry asked as he walked into the room. Itisa quickly jumped from his shoulder, landing on a comfortable-looking bed, while McGonagall stood on the threshold as Harry looked around the room.

"Yes, but it's too late right now. You can stay here, I already paid enough for you for a whole month, the three rations of the day are included on the payment. If you want to buy something more, then you can tell me. Tomorrow is holiday, so I will come here again, and I will show you Diagon Alley." The thought of her paying for him didn't sit well with Harry, but he had no money with him, and he doubted the Muggle money he had would be accepted in this place.

"Is there any way I can get money here?" Harry questioned right away, not wanting to feel like a burden for her. He was still angry at her for letting him live with the Dursleys, but the fault lay solely on Dumbdore, or whatever his name was; Harry had forgotten.

"I believe your parents left money for you at their vault." "Vault?" Harry questioned with an arched eyebrow as he opened a cabinet, finding dresses, pants, and quite a few cloaks.

The old Professor explained how the vault worked and how one could open their vaults with the key of their House. If they weren't from any house, when they wanted to create a new vault, there was a process they needed to go through before the new vault was made for them. Once the vault was made, they would be given a key that would open the vault for them.

"Where is the key?" Harry asked when he understood that if his parents had left anything for him in his vault, he needed said key to open it and take money from the vault.

"I'm afraid I don't have the key, Mister Potter, but there's another way to open your vault without the need of a key, but I think we should talk with goblins there, we can do it tomorrow." Harry didn't like that he didn't have the key, but he could somehow understand it; he was still only eight years old, he was an orphan, and he doubted the key could be trusted in the hands of Aunt Petunia, knowing her, she would have probably thrown the key somewhere out of spite, but he wondered who held the key.

"Who has it?"

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I Think Dumbledore might have the key, but if I ask him about it, he will want to know why I need to know—" Harry understood. He had told her that he didn't want to meet this old Headmaster anytime soon, and McGonagall had agreed, knowing it could lead to both Harry and Itisa getting angry with him.

"Is there anything else you need?" she asked gently, looking at the windows. It was pitch black outside, and the faint noises of wizards and witches walking and talking outside were growing fewer and fewer.

"Books," Harry answered right away with a bright smile; if he was going to stay here for some time, he wanted something to do, and reading books was the best thing he could think of. Usually, someone of his age would have wanted toys, but the books were all the toys he needed, and with a completely new world, Harry wanted to learn everything he could. The old Professor seemed pleased by his answer as she smiled at him, almost looking proud of him, but Harry didn't return the smile.

"Of course, as I said, tomorrow, I will have no class to teach, so I can show you Diagon Alley, visit your vault if we can, and buy you books. Now, before I leave. I need you to understand something Harry." He knew it was important since she was using his name instead of calling him 'Mister Potter,' as she pointed towards Itisa with her chin, who was busy climbing on the wall.

"Your...friend shouldn't cause any trouble here, Harry. I mean it. If the words get out and people learn what she is, at best, she will be returned back to Africa; at worst, she will be killed. She should act like a normal cat and not try to...claw someone's eyes out. I want you to promise me that nothing bad will happen here." Harry didn't like that he would need to restrict her; at this moment, he was regretting coming here if it meant Itisa needed to restrict herself, but she seemed to have understood every word as she jumped down on his shoulder, weighing nothing for a second, the weight returned back, and she licked his cheek as if to say that she wasn't bothered by the restriction. Harry quickly caressed her little head; she purred while McGonagall looked at the scene with awe.

How Itisa came here was still a mystery to her, but seeing the way the two were acting with one another. As if they had known each other for years.

"I understand, Professor. Itisa won't cause any trouble; she's a good girl." Harry spoke softly, caressing the nundu under her chin. McGonagall seemed pleased and turned on her heels, ready to leave the room, but she stopped just on the doorstep and turned around to look at Harry.

"Before I leave. The Tonks know of Itisa, but they are trustworthy. They won't tell anyone about your little friend here, but their daughter has expressed desire to met you. Would you like her to come here for a visit?" Harry wasn't sure how to answer; on one hand, the same girl had attacked Itisa, but on the other, he knew he needed to get to know more people in this new world, and perhaps talking to her would be a good start, as long as she didn't try to attack Itisa again with no provocation.

"What do you think, Itisa? Should we let her?" Harry asked in a cute voice. Itisa looked a little annoyed before making a face as if to say, 'As long as she doesn't attack me. Again.'

"She can come, but not now. Perhaps next week." Harry accepted. The old Professor seemed relieved to hear his answer, and soon, she bid him good night and left the room.

Harry lay on the bed with his back against the headboard. Itisa cuddled against his shoulder. He could hear her breathing as he looked at the ceiling.

"Just you and me, Itisa." '

Harry walked downstairs. The pub was as ugly as last night, even with sunlight pouring through the windows. The Bartender gave him a plate with food: a boiled sausage, bread, a glass of milk, and some food for Itisa, or as the Bartender called her, a 'wild cat.'

Harry wondered how he would react if he knew just how wild Itisa was; he could already imagine it, but he quickly stifled the thought as he enjoyed the food. It wasn't as delicious as the one he could cook, but that didn't bother him much. It was much better than the poison Aunt Petunia could sometimes cook; Harry had told her as much.

"You know if you are trying to poison us, there's actual poison that will do a much better job, and won't taste as bad as this piss you call soup." Aunt Petunia hadn't appreciated his comment and had thrown the cooking pot at his face; thankfully, Harry had ducked before it could hit him and had run away.

After eating, Harry wondered what he was supposed to do now. His books of the muggle world were left in his cupboard back with the Dursleys. The old Professor had promised him that she would bring him more books, including those from the magical world, but she had yet to return.

After finishing the food, he wondered if he should clean his plates. Harry could hear an old man talking in the corners about the new prices for the new brooms. The Bartender was talking about someone named Rita Skeeter, something about what she had written. Harry turned his attention to two men with canes talking quietly in the corner, but Harry could hear their words just fine. He wondered why they weren't talking more quietly.

"There was a strange magical burst yesterday, we checked every house, but we don't know what could have caused it."

"I heard from Mister Weasley that some Muggles have reported strange earthquakes happening—" "Harry." He quickly looked up to see Professor McGonagall walking up to him, wearing her usual kind smile. Itisa meowed at her, but it wasn't a greeting; she was warning her, eyeing the wand suspiciously.

"Good Morning, Professor." Harry greeted her politely enough as he pushed away the chair and scrambled to his feet. The Old Professor asked how he slept and if he liked the room; after he answered, Harry asked where he was supposed to clean the plates, pointing at the dirty plate left on his table. McGonagall explained there was no need for him to clean anything since the Bartender would take care of it himself.

Harry was a little relieved to hear that, and soon, she led them through the bar and out into a walled courtyard.

Harry could see nothing interesting about this place besides the wall in front of them.

"Stand Back, Harry." He did as he was told as McGonagall tapped the wall three times with the point of her wand; for a moment, nothing happened until the wall started shaking and the bricks moved away from the center of the wall, slowly creating an archway for them to pass through that led to a street.

Harry was left with his mouth open. McGonagall looked back at him before smiling proudly. Before walking through, Harry quickly followed behind, almost afraid that the archway would be closed off. They walked onto a cobbled street.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Harry," McGonagall said warmly, and Harry was left even more amazed. There were shops everywhere. Harry looked everywhere around him. He wanted to see everything and memorize everything. He almost feared that he would forget about it as they passed through a shop with animal cages inside. He noticed most of them were owls, but he could see cats and even rats. He hoped Itisa wasn't hungry.

He saw a shop for brooms and even one for wands. Harry really wanted a wand, but he reminded himself that he needed to wait until he could have one. He could already imagine doing amazing things with one. He wondered if he could change stuff; perhaps he could use natural lightning, use it as a weapon. He even thought of spells that perhaps could make him invisible. He wondered if that was possible, and as if McGonagall could read his mind, she smiled sweetly at him.

"I'm afraid you can't have a wand, yet, Harry, but I'm sure I can show you a few spells if you want." She winked at him, and Harry smiled in excitement.

Harry saw shops selling telescopes and other items that he couldn't recognize; he saw a strange tube swirling around itself like a snake. A globe of the earth, but unlike the one he had seen in the muggle school, this one had clouds moving around it, and the water seemed real. Harry wished he had more eyes; he wanted to see everything, but he wondered why he couldn't see Magical Creatures; the only animals he saw were Cats, Owls, and Rats.

Their first visit was to the Bank, or as McGonagall called it, "Gringotts." But before they could go there, she turned and stopped Harry and Itisa, who were still resting on his shoulder. She glanced around furtively to see if anyone was paying attention to them.

"Harry, she can't come with us in Gringotts." She told him hushedly, but her voice was serious, letting him know this wasn't up to debate.

"Why not?" Harry didn't want to leave her alone, and he didn't want to be alone without her.

"Harry, Goblins might not look much, but they will see right through her. They will know what she is and will raise the alarm before we can even utter a word. She needs to stay here, until we are back. It's much safer this way." Harry heard what she said, and he knew she had a point.

If this place was as secure as she was making it out to be, then there were most likely different spells to ensure that no dangerous magical creature was entering it. Even if the goblins couldn't tell, he didn't want to take the risk, so with a heavy heart, Harry grabbed her and placed her on the ground.

"Itisa, I will return soon. Be a good girl and don't cause any problems." Itisa meowed at him, letting him know that she understood everything. Harry smiled cutely at her before petting her head.

"I will give you some steak once we return to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry promised. As he stood up, Itisa's face brightened at the thought of eating meat. Harry watched her walk away. He turned around and followed the old Professor, who gave him a look of reassurance as they walked towards a building that was unlike the others around them.

This one building was as white as snow and towered over all the other shops nearby. Near the bronze doors of the building stood what Harry assumed was a goblin that McGonagall had told him about. He was as short as Harry, who could still be considered a child.

He had a swarthy, clever face and a pointed beard, and Harry noticed he had very

long fingers and feet. Harry walked through the bronze doors and upstairs through a silver staircase that led to a pair of silver doors, this time with words written on them.

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.

"Gringotts is one of the safest places to hide stuff, Harry. The vaults here are difficult to robb and are bewitched that if someone is able to enter without permission, the vault will close, trapping them inside, and all vaults here have Anti-Apparate spells, so no one can escape if they are caught." McGonagall told him with a hushed tone; Harry listened to every word; he wanted to know everything there was to know about the Magical World. He didn't know yet what Apparate was, but he figured he would learn it soon.

They walked into a massive marble hall; there was a long counter at the far end and what seemed like countless doors that led outside of the hall. Harry paid little attention to the other people as they walked towards the counter and one goblin who wasn't working turned to look at them as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, looking down at him with her sharp eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"I would like to see Mister Potter's Vault." She said, while gently pushing Harry forward.

"Do you have the key?"

"I'm afraid not, but Harry Potter wants to visit the vault," McGonagall said quietly, not wanting to grab the attention of the people around them. Harry noticed some of the other goblins working behind the counter, turned their heads, and stopped working when they heard his name.

"Is that so?" The Goblin said quietly with a greedy smile as he stood on top of his stool with his feet, peering down at Harry, almost as if trying to frighten him. Harry wasn't afraid, as the ugly Globlin looked at him keenly before leaning away and sitting down on his stool.

He started searching for something behind the counter until he pulled out what seemed like a lancet, his other hand extended towards Harry.

"Give me your finger, boy. All I need is a drop of blood," the goblin said with the same greedy smile. Harry looked up at the Professor, who nodded back to him. Reluctantly, he extended his left hand.

The goblin roughly grabbed his index finger and pricked the tip of his finger. Harry felt a burning sensation as the tiny container filled with blood; it wasn't exactly a drop of blood, but Harry was happy when the goblin let go of his hand, red crescent marks on his wrists that slowly faded away.

"Wait here," the goblin instructed as he stood up on his feet and walked away. Harry and McGonagall remained there waiting. He wondered if she knew how much money his parents had in the vault, but he figured his parents probably didn't tell their own Professor how much money they had.

After an hour of waiting in the hall, the same goblin returned, holding a little black box in his hands. He told them to follow him into an office. Once they walked inside, the goblin placed the box on the table near Harry.

"It matches with the blood of Mister James Potter and Lily Potter." The Goblin informed them before looking at young Harry keenly.

"Inside this box, there's a new key for you. Since your blood matches and there are no other relatives. We created this new key; the old one will not work anymore." Harry thought this was a little too easy but decided not to ask questions and took the box; upon opening it, a key rested on a soft pillow that filled the bottom part of the box. The key had a diamond head shape, a diamond hole shape in the middle of the head, and a strong green color, and the rest of the key was colored gold.

"Has the Vault been used by anyone, since the Potter's unfortunate passing?" Minerva asked.

"No. No one has used the Vault for eight years and a half; the last time it was used was by James Potter," the goblin answered before scrambling on his feet and leading them outside the office.

Harry and Minerva visited his vault. Harry was quite surprised to see an entire mountain of coins appear before him when the vault door was opened, and even Minerva seemed a little surprised to see how many coins there were inside the vault.

Harry didn't know how the money worked yet, but the Professor explained it to him. "The gold ones are Galleons," she explained. Seventeen silver Sickles to 59 a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle." She finished.

He didn't have a bag with him, but the goblin gave him one, and he took as much as Minerva told him that it was enough.

"That should be enough for an entire year. I doubt you can spend all that, but we can talk later about the coins." Minerva told him, and soon enough, they found themselves out of Gringotts, with Harry carrying the bag; surprisingly, it was quite light; he figured a spell was making it so light, but the moment they were outside.

Harry looked around in angst, trying to catch a glimpse of Itisa, but he couldn't see her anywhere.

"Itisa," Harry called out her name, and soon enough, Itisa ran from a dark corner between two shops. She ran up to him and quickly jumped on his chest.

"Good Girl," Harry said in relief, hugging her tightly. She purred against his chest and quickly took her place on his shoulder. Minerva was delighted to see that the Nundu hadn't caused any problems despite Harry not being around. She was almost tempted to ask if he had known the Nundu before the park. It still baffled her why the Nundu was being friendly; it went against everything that was known for them.

After the little reunion, they went to a bookshop. Above the door was a large wooden sign with paintings of books and quills; in large, green, bold letters were Flourish and Blotts.

Upon entering, there was a wooden counter on the right side of the shop, hugging the wall, and behind the counter was an old man reading a book.

Harry paid him no mind when he looked at the left side, which was the entire rest of the shop. It was massive. The shelves reached as high as the ceiling, higher than the entire two-story house of Dursleys. There were ladders across the shelves to climb up and pick up books out of reach.

Harry had never seen so many books, and not even the library at his Muggle School had this many books, which were not even close. Minerva was paying close attention to him and seemed pleased by his reaction.

"So how many books do you want?" Minerva asked teasingly.

"All of them." Harry blurted out right away, earning a soft giggle from Minerva.

"Filius Flitwick might have a new Raven on his hands." He heard her comment with a hint of teasing. He remembered her bringing up his name while she told him about the Professors at Hogwarts, but he didn't understand what she meant by 'New Raven. ' Will I become a Raven? Harry wondered, thinking it would be awesome to have wings and fly.

"What do you mean? Will I become a Raven?" Harry asked, confused, turning to face her. Minerva giggled at his cute, confused face. "I will explain later." She said dismissively before clearing her throat and talking more seriously.

"I'm afraid it would take longer than three years to read all of them, Harry, but I think I know which books you need." Harry decided to listen to her and let her choose the books since he still had no idea how magic worked or what he would even like. One thing he wanted was a book about Magical Creatures, and the ones he needed were easy to find: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.

Harry furrowed his brow when he read the name. "Who is this Newt Scamander?" Harry asked curiously as Minerva carried the books for him despite his wanting to carry them. She told him that he was still young.

"He is a famed Magizoologist, Harry. He is perhaps one of the best; he knows everything about magical creatures and even countered-" Minerva moved her chin towards Itisa, who seemed to be paying as much attention as him. Harry gasped silently and looked at Itisa before looking down at the book he was carrying.

Harry paid for all the books and the quills he would need to write, including black paint for the quill; when they walked outside, Harry couldn't help but ask. "Is he still alive?"

"Yes, he is old and living in Dorset with his wife, Tina Goldstein."

"You said he had contact with a Nundu, how is still alive?" Harry asked, bewildered.

"Harry. I'm afraid I don't have all the answers, but he knows everything about Magical Creatures; it's said that he even had Storm Birds in his possession and even Eisenelephant." Harry had no idea what these Magical Creatures were, but he wanted to know.

"Storm Birds? Eisenelephant? What kind of Magical Creatures are these?" Harry asked excitedly, feeling tempted to open the book about Magical Creatures right now, in the middle of the cobbled street.

"I'm afraid I can't answer you. All I know is that Eisenelephant looks similar to an elephant, but he can be as big as a house, and it's said his skin is made of metal." Harry arched an eyebrow. That sounded amazing. He couldn't wait until he started reading his books, so much so that he started walking much faster, and the old Minerva had to keep up with him.

Suddenly, Harry remembered something that had been bugging him a little; he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Minerva. "Professor, how can I talk with Itisa like I do with snakes?" Harry asked excitedly, but his words made her face go white; her wrinkled face immediately turned serious.

"Harry, you can talk with snakes?" she asked seriously, her voice losing all the teasing it had a moment ago. Harry didn't understand what the big deal was; he was sure many people could talk with snakes.

"Yes, before I met Itisa, there was a snake under the bench, and I could talk with him." Harry answered airly. Minerva looked mortified for a moment before clearing her throat.

"Harry, I need to tell you something, but let's return to your room," Minerva said with worry in her voice, speaking faster than usual. Harry still didn't understand why she sounded concerned, but when they tried to walk away, a voice stopped them behind them.

"Professor Minerva, what a surprise to see you here." Said a voice with a well-hidden sneer. Harry turned around immediately, and in front of them stood a man with long blonde hair. Itisa suddenly grew tens at the sight of him, her eyes turning red, but thankfully, she hadn't started growing in size...yet.

The man has a pale, pointed face, pale blond hair, and cold, pale grey eyes. He was carrying a walking stick with a snake head on it. He was wearing a collared black shirt under a black vest.

"Mister Malfoy, what an unpleasant surprise to see you here. What businesses were so serious that you had to leave your mansion?" Minerva asked with a blank look, her voice dripping with poison. The man's fake smile wavered, but soon he put on another fake smile, while Harry was softly pushed behind her by Minerva's hand.

"Nothing serious. Minister Fudge needed my help." The man answered with a wide smile, enjoying Minerva's glare at him. Harry had never met this man, but he was already convinced that he didn't like the way he looked. Harry peeked his head, and at that moment, Mister Malfoy made eye contact with Harry.

"Who are you?"

"He's my nephew, Harry." Minerva answered before Harry could utter a single word; the man looked at the old Professor with an expression that made it clear that he didn't believe her when he noticed Itisa, who was glaring at him, her eyes red.

"That's quite an interesting cat you have there, boy." Mister Malfoy said with a hint of interest as he tried to get closer, but Itisa let out a quiet roar, snarling at the man who narrowed his eyes.

"Aren't you too old to play with cats, mister? Or do you just like staring at people's cats?" Harry said with a cold look as he stepped forward, no longer hiding behind the old Professor.

"Has your aunt taught you no manners, boy?" The man asked with a mocking look.

"She did, actually, but she told me that I didn't need my manners when talking to someone with bleached hair that look like a wet white socket." Harry answered without hesitation. The man's fake smile disappeared as he looked at Minerva, whose hand was on her wand.

"Your nephew should know to keep his mouth shut, or-" "-Or, what Lucius. Are you so little that a kid's words hurt your Ego the size of Hogwarts? There's no need to put on that fake smile. Even a blind man could see through you. Now, will you leave us?" Minerva asked with a stern voice.

Mister Malfoy seemed like he wanted to do something as he gritted his teeth, his hand reaching for something inside his cane when Itisa let out another roar. The ground shook, and the cobblestone cracked under their feet, but the shaking ended as soon as it appeared.

Harry saw the way Mister Malfoy looked at Itisa; he seemed frightened, but he looked...intrigued.

"See you later, Harry." The man said with a gleem in his eyes as he walked away.

"We need to go."

*

*

"Who was that man?" Harry asked the moment they were back in his room. Itisa jumped down from his shoulder, landing on the bed. The old Professor closed the door before turning to face the young boy.

"Lucius Malfoy, the man is the head of House Malfoy, he is a pure blood, and it is said that he was one of You Know Who's closest men, but I'm pretty sure he filled the pockets of everyone at the ministry after the war was won, and he was let free," Minerva told him as Harry threw the bag on the end of the bed.

Harry started pulling out the books one by one. He didn't like what he was hearing. He still remembered the way he looked at Itisa, especially after she made the ground shake. He wondered how everyone else hadn't heard the ground.

"Do you think he knows about...Itisa?" Harry asked a little anxiously. Hugging her close, she licked his cheek before settling on his shoulder as always.

"No, he knows she's not a regular cat, but there are other magical creatures he could think of, before even coming close to thinking that she is a Nundu." Her words made Harry sigh in relief, but a part of him knew this couldn't go on forever.

Sooner or later, the world would learn the truth, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do when that happened. One thing he knew: He needed to grow stronger as a wizard. He remembered Minerva's warning: If they learned who Itisa really was, she would be taken away or, even worse, killed.

Harry might be a child, but he knew he could protect her if he grew stronger and smarter than he was right now.

"That's good to hear, Professor McGonagall. Thank you for showing me Diagon Alley," Harry said sincerely, looking up at her. He still hadn't forgiven her for what she had done eight years ago, but it was a start.

"Anytime you want, Harry. I will visit as often as I can, but don't expect to be every day; otherwise, Dumbledore might get suspicious." Harry knew that much. He didn't know how the old Headmaster would react to Itisa, but he didn't want to find out.

"I understand. As long as Dumbdore doesn't find out, then we will be fine." Minerva gave him a pointed look for messing up the name but eventually made no comment. She was about to leave when Harry called her.

"Professor, you said back at the Book Shop that I can be a new raven for Filius Flitwick. What do you mean?"

"Oh, well, I didn't tell you last night, but at Hogwarts, there are four houses, and the students are sorted into one of them: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. I'm the Head of Gryffindor," she said with a little smile.

Harry wondered which Hogwarts House he would be sorted into. "How does one sort into their Houses?" Minerva explained that the Sorting Hat would be placed on his head and would shout out the name of the house he would be sorted into. Harry wondered how a hat could do that; could it read their minds?

"Those from Gryffindor, from my house. They are brave, courage, and full of determination. You can find the greatest of friends there." Minerva spoke with a proud smile.

So Griffindor is full of brave people, Harry concluded, but he noticed that she mentioned nothing about them being smart; he wondered if those in Gryffindor had muscles for their brains.

"What about the other houses?" Harry asked excitedly, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, facing the old Professor.

"Ravenclaw, those who are smart and want to learn will go there. They can be great friends, great smart friends." Harry liked the sound of that; it sounded like everyone there would achieve a lot.

"Hufflepuffs are loyal and kind, Harry. They work hard, and are good people." Harry thought there should be more about this particular house.

"And Slytherin." Harry arched an eyebrow from the way she pursed her lips; from her voice, he knew she wasn't a big fan of Slytherins.

"They are ambitious Harry and cunning, but you can make real friends in Slytherin. Those from that house will use any means to achieve their goals." Harry was impressed by what he heard; it sounded like those from Ravenclaw and Slytherin were the most successful.

He wasn't sure yet in which house he would end up, but he would accept it in whichever house he would be sorted at as long as they were nice to Itisa; if they tried to bully her, he would show no mercy.

"Now, you said you could talk to snakes, Harry?" The boy nodded again; the old Professor looked a little uncomfortable.

Minerva knew better than to tell him the Dark Lord could speak Parseltongue, but she wasn't one to think that this made Harry the Dark Lord reborn or anything else that is as ridiculous, but she didn't want the poor boy to feel like he had any connection with that man.

"The ability to speak with snakes is called Parseltongue. Not many people can speak that language. Harry. I want you to keep that information to yourself. I think there's a book in Hogwarts about Parseltongue, but for now. Don't tell anyone about it." Harry wanted to know why she sounded so concerned, he knew right away she was hiding something from him.

"Can Parseltongue harm people?"

"No, is simply an ability to talk with snakes."

"So, why go to Hogwarts to find a book about such a simple thing. I'm sure I can find something at the book shop."

"No, you can't. Books about Parseltongue are kept in Hogwarts."

"So if I can't buy it in the shop, and is something only found at Hogwarts, is something bad isn't it, or maybe has a bad reputation?" Minerva refused to say more, she could see the boy was trying to forcefully gain information from her with simple words, and the worst part, he already realised that is not an ability that people saw as a good sign.

"Have a good day, Harry. I have to leave now. You can visit Diagon Alley, but don't go anywhere else, and remember. Itisa should keep her emotions in check." She bolted out the door before he could tell her, 'Have a Good Day.'

Once the door was closed, Harry wasted no time and dove his face into the books.

Five Days Later

Changing the page, Harry kept reading about StormBirds. Apparently, they were a type of bird able to control the weather to a degree. Thankfully, they were mostly peaceful creatures and rarely hostile towards humans. The page for StormBirds showed a moving photo of a group of StormBirds. The page went on to explain how they looked and behaved.

StormBird

Rank of Danger: XXXX

Found in High Places like Mountains and Hills. They prefer the cold weather.

Weakness: Really Loud Noise

Nickname: The Ruler of Thunder

How to Protect yourself: If you see one, it's recommended to turn around and walk away. If you don't appear hostile, they will leave you alone.

Their best ability was to disguise themselves as normal birds, often as owls and eagles. The only way to tell a StormBird from a regular bird was if the StormBird showed its powers or with a blood test.

Harry had already checked about Nundus, but sadly, even this book didn't cover anything that Harry didn't know, except that the Female Nundus tended to be very hostile towards their cubs when it was time for them to be on their own; there were even cases of them killing their own cubs for territory.

Harry wondered why Itisa was so tamed. As if whoever had left her at the park had already taught her how to behave around humans.

The book also mentioned that it was unknown how long Nundus could live. There has never been a registered case of a Nundu dying of old age, and every time they died, it was because of being attacked by other Nundus or an army of Wizards and Witches.

Nundu

Found in East Africa

Danger Level: XXXXXXX or Army Level Threat.

Nickname: The King of Magical Creatures

Weakness: Unknown

How to Protect yourself: If you see one, you should get away as soon as possible and pray they didn't notice you.

The books covered that their skin was incredibly valuable, including their blood and a few internal organs. Apparently, one sample of blood from a Nundu was worth a lot of money, and their hair could be used for Wands, but this part didn't interest Harry that much.

As Harry flipped through the pages, suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. He figured Professor McGonagall had come to visit him, but he was too comfortable to get up, so he lazily said, "Come in, Professor."

As the door opened, the one on the other side wasn't McGonagall as he heard a clearing of a throat; he looked up from the books, and his eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded, with Itisa jumping before him, growling at the old man.

"I didn't mean to startle you, my dear boy." He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles, and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.

"My name is Dumbledore."

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