A Nundu for A Pet

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Chapter 13 (First Week, Talisman, and Snakes), Chapter 14 (New Friends and A Troll), Chapter 15 (A Thunder Bird), Chapter 16 (A Voice in the Magic), Chapter 17 (Can A Man still be brave if he's Afraid?), Chapter 18 (The Magizoologist's Visit), Chapter 19 (The Impossible Familiar), Chapter 20 (Do you want to be a Magizoologist?), Chapter 21 (Runes and Shadows), and Chapter 22 (The Bridge Between Worlds) are already available for Patrons.

A Week After Harry started living with the Tonks

' "You asked for me, Dumbledore?" Minerva questioned with a tight lip as she passed the threshold, walking up the small, straight staircase that led to his desk. The old Wizard sat behind the desk, and with a flicker of his wand, two glasses were filled with a yellowish sweet drink.

"A Sherbet?" Dumbledore asked, but Minerva's silence was more than enough of an answer.

He sighed slightly in disappointment. He didn't understand why so many people refused to drink a sweet drink like Sherbet. He looked up and noticed how tense she seemed; if he didn't know any better, he would think she was ready to duel him in a wand fight.

"Sit down, Minerva. You are not in any trouble." Dumbledore said with a casual tone as he took a sip from his drink.

"I'm not?" Minerva didn't try to hide her surprise. "I thought you would try to fire me," she said as she scooted out a chair.

This made the old wizard forrow a brow in confusion. "Why would I do that, Minerva?" He asked as he leaned back against the chair, causing its legs to creak. "You have been a teacher of Hogwarts for thirty-two years since the last December, and you are one of the best teachers that ever walked this School." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling as he said it.

Minerva was relieved to hear that, but she furrowed a brow, giving him a questioning look. "It's about Harry Potter. You wanted him to be raised with his relatives, and I went behind your back, and found him a good apartment, where at least he wouldn't have to suffer any longer with these people." Minerva said the word 'these' with venom, almost letting out spit bits from her mouth.

From the very beginning, she had told Dumbledore that these people were no good and that Harry should be raised in a different family. At the time, she had thought of Longbottoms, but after hearing what happened to them, she was glad that he wasn't sent there. Who knows what Bellatrix Lestrange would have done to poor Harry if he had been there, but she remembers suggesting him to Amelia Bones; she had a niece the same age as Harry, and she was a capable witch.

"I still think he should be with his relatives, Minerva. My opinion on that hasn't changed. The blood wards that protect him from Voldemort will get weaker with time, and I think he should at the very least stay with them for at least a month within a year." Dumbledore said calmly, ignoring the furious look and slight disappointment he had received from Minerva.

Minerva could not believe she was hearing such words from him, so she decided to be blunt with him for once. "Do you hate Harry Potter?" Minerva's question made Dumbledore stand up abruptly, for a brief moment, there was genuine anger in his eyes, and the old witch backed away, but his face quickly turned back to calm and collected as if flipping a switch.

"Never say that again, Minerva," Dumbledore said seriously in a deep voice that shook the room; his blue eyes seemed made out of ice for a brief moment.

The old witch nodded quickly as her Headmaster continued. "I have never hated any student that ever walked this earth. Even Tom, despite what he turned out to be in the end. I never grew to hate him. In contrast, he could have been so much more if only he had used his genius for good things. But that part of history cannot be changed. Not even Grindelwald, even after—" A pained look spread on his face; his mouth felt dry, and he quickly ignored the thoughts of that cursed day as he looked back up at Minerva.

"As for Harry. I do not have any vendetta against him. His parents were good people, and from what I have seen. He is a good kid, a bit hotheaded maybe, but we all were young, so I can understand his desire to be on his own. I'm not blind. I know he is not happy with his relatives, but I genuinely believe that Blood Wards are important, and he would be much safer with his aunt."

"They treated him like he was dirt under their boot," Minerva growled with growing anger in her eyes. "He told me a little of what they did, and I'm sure there's much more that he hasn't told me. Being safe is important, but who knows what kind of person he would have become if he kept living with them? Grown without love. What would you have done if he—he became—unrecognizable?" Minerva said the last word with a hushed tone and a hint of fear in her voice.

The last thing she wanted was for Lily's son to become someone with her eyes but not the kindness his mother used to have; instead, only cold eyes without any kindness left in them.

Dumbledore looked genuinely distraught to hear that. "I would have never let them do something drastic. Lady Figg had reported to me every month on how Harry was treated, she never said anything about him being abused, only that she saw him sometimes cleaning the garden, and doing other things inside the house." he explained, knowing that children in every house would often be told to do little things inside the house, he knew that was normal in every house, taking out the trash, watering the garden, and other small things like that.

"Ohh, what about love, Dumbledore? You know how a child can grow up to be if they don't feel warmth from anyone during their childhood. You know that better than all of us." Dumbledore almost frowned upon hearing that, his mind remembering things he would much rather leave in the past.

"And did this Miss Frigg ever inform you how much Harry works around the house? He does everything there, he's like their servant and not only that, but he told me that Petunia once slapped him in the face, cutting his cheek with her ring when he presented her a drawing of the family for Mother's day. What kind of woman does that?" Minerva demanded with a clenched jaw, for the first time, glaring at her Headmaster.

Dumbledore looked troubled to hear that Lady Frigg's information had apparently been inaccurate; if he had known they had forced him to do so much work and had even caused Harry physical harm, he would have never let it slide.

"Minerva. Trust me, I wasn't aware of this. Lady Frigg has been a friend for almost two decades, she has never lied to me, and I saw no reason to doubt that her report was incorrect." Dumbledore defended himself, but Minerva wouldn't forgive this easily.

"If you have at least once bothered to check yourself, you would have seen the truth, but I suppose. We are both to blame for this. Lily, she was almost like a daughter to me, and I still failed her son, and not once visited him for the last eight years. Even I failed him and her." Minerva said with sadness in her eyes as she looked down at her feet in shame.

Dumbledore frowned, wondering if Miss Frigg had purposely lied to him or if she hadn't been able to see that Harry hadn't been treated well. Whatever the case, Dumbledore was still convinced that the boy needed to spend at least one month with his relatives once a year, but the boy was dead set on never seeing them again, and the last thing he wanted was to force him to do something.

"I'm to be blamed for his treatment, there's no doubt on this, but I think it's better—" "What are you two old worms talking about?"

Minerva didn't recognize that voice for a moment, but Dumbledore looked up at the top of the bookshelf to his right. Instead of books, the shelf was filled with different magical instruments, and on top was the Sorting Hat.

"Sorting Hat. How delightful to hear from you." Dumbledore said with a friendly smile, but the hat didn't seem to appreciate his sass.

"We both know you are lying, old Dumby. But from what I hear, you two old fucks were talking about James Potter's leftover sperm, weren't you?"

Minerva glared at the hat, and from the way her fingers curled around her wand, Dumbledore knew she was on the verge of hexing it, not that it would do anything. Godric Gryffindor himself created the hat. He was sure that he couldn't do much to shut the hat up even if he tried. The only things he knew that could burn through Godric's magic were the Black Breath of a Nundu, Fortissax's Red Thunder, and A Basilisk's Poison.

"Harry Potter, his name is Harry Potter, you old Hat." Minerva corrected him as she put down her wand, knowing it would be pointless to try and make the hat shut up.

"Ahh, good old Minerva. You know I have sorted stupid, ungrateful children for hundreds of years, and from all of them. You took me five whole minutes to sort you in the bloody Gryffindor, and even today, I feel that you have been excellent at the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuff. But you are in the ninth place. There are eight others that took longer than you to sort to their house."

"Sorting Hat, what are you trying to say here? Is there any reason you decided to talk with us, or just want to insult us?" Dumbledore cut him off, not in the mood to hear Minerva and the Sorting Hat bicker with one another.

"As much fun as insulting you is. What I want to say is that I had a dream." For the first time since its creation, the Sorting Hat had a troubled look on its hat expression!

"A Dream!" Minerva repeated the word, looking over at Dumbledore, who seemed just as shocked as her. "But how can you dream? That shouldn't be possible for you." Minerva continued, sounding a little baffled.

"I know that Minerva 'The Terror of Gryffindor'" Minerva gave him a warning look not to say another word about her old nickname, and Dumbledore motioned for the hat to continue.

"Whatever the case. I somehow dreamed last night, and I saw a boy with a scar on his forehead, and green eyes, and since I'm incapable of forgetting the students that I have sorted. I take that kid in my fucked up dream is James's leftover sperm." Minerva fumed, her face turning a little red with anger. Why couldn't the Sorting Hat be more respectful?

But the Sorting Hat didn't notice or care about Minerva's angry looks. "Whatever the case, this brat sang a song; his voice was strange. I have heard many songs in my lifetime. I had the displeasure of hearing Helga Hufflepuff sing, that bitch made my ears bleed for a decade." The Sorting Hat would have continued with his insults but decided to continue with the dream when Dumbledore grabbed his second wand, giving him a look to stop insulting the Founders.

"Anyway, his voice, it caused mountains to move and shift, and I watched the Moon changed, turning Gold, and all the Magical Animals around the world bowed down to him as if he was their master, but not just the Magical Animals. Magic itself swirled around him as if he was Master of Magic itself."

Minerva wasn't sure what she was hearing. If it were anyone else, she would have assumed they were talking madness, but this was the Sorting Hat, something that shouldn't be able to dream since, in a way, it's not really alive. And Dreams existed only for beings with a Soul; one without a Soul cannot dream, and the Sorting Hat didn't have one as far as she knew. Despite being hundreds of years old, no one really knew how the Sorting Hat still had magic inside to work. She wondered how Godric Gryffindor was capable of making this Hat work even centuries after his death, and his magic was no longer connected to the Sorting Hat.

"Is this a prophecy?" Dumbledore questioned with a furrowed brow, a look of concern behind his blue eyes.

"I'm sure is just a dream, but—Does this brat have a Nundu with him, because I'm sure I saw him having one in my dream." The Sorting Hat questioned, and from the way Dumbledore fell silent, he already knew the answer.

"How do you know what a Nundu looks like?" Minerva questioned, knowing Nundus can only be found in Africa, and she was sure the Sorting Hat never left Hogwarts since the day it was created.

"I'm hundreds of years old, young lady." Minerva gave him a pointed look for calling her that, and the Sorting Hat chuckled in amusement. "Back then, Africa wasn't the only place with Nundus. But Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin made sure their numbers would decrease until their number hit zero."

"Did—did they kill them?" Minerva questioned, a little horrified, knowing it took a whole army to kill one Nundu, yet The Sorting Hat was making it sound like two of their Founders were alone capable of killing all the Nundus that used to live in the United Kingdom.

"Killing isn't the only way one can deal with something they don't like." Minerva wished the hat would have elaborated further, but from the way it shut its mouth. Minerva knew she wouldn't receive answers from him.

Her mind went back to the dream, and she could tell that it had troubled Dumbledore. "It's just a dream," she pointed out, but that didn't seem to comfort the old Professor.

"It might be just a dream, but the Sorting Hat is not supposed to be able to dream. It doesn't have a Soul."

"Thank you, jackass."

Dumbledore ignored the insult and sat back down. As he massaged his forehead, he reminded himself that this dream didn't mean anything bad. It was not like the hat just told them that Harry's Nundu would use her black breath in the middle of Hogwarts.

But he remembered the Voice Harry had used when he told him to use Parseltongue.

Dumbledore had wanted to see if his theory was true, but he hadn't expected the boy to speak a language he was sure he had never heard of before. He had been pondering for a long time why Harry's eyes turned like that of a snake and why the whole house shook like that. All those were questions that he had no answers to, and Dumbledore didn't like it when he had no information; that was one of the things he didn't like because having no information increases the chance of getting caught off guard and having to deal with things he could not understand and solve.

Dumbledore didn't want to believe that Harry could truly become someone dangerous in the future, but his eyes turning snake-like, and being able to speak a language that he had never heard of before. Dumbledore knew he needed to keep an eye on him and make sure there wouldn't be another Tom Riddle in the future.

It's alright, he told himself before looking back at Minerva. He decided to bring up the most important reason why he started this small meeting.

"Minerva. I only was with Harry for half an hour, but I could already tell that he and his little friend are quite close."

"They are. I'm still wary of her, but she has yet to show any sings of real danger." Minerva said with a ghost of a smile, earning a scoff from the Sorting Hat.

"Well, duh, if the Nundu really decided to show how dangerous she can be, we'd all be dead by now." The Sorting Hat said smugly, but Minerva ignored the annoying hat and focused on Dumbledore, who seemed too deep in his thoughts.

"Minerva. I want you to keep an eye on that Nundu..." '

Now - Harry Potter

After saying goodbye to Nym, Ted, and Andromeda, the Boy Who Lived and Itisa boarded the train. He could hear the engine letting out a sound as the wheels started moving.

Harry looked across the entire passageway. The number of students wasn't as big as he hoped, but he figured those born in Magical families had no real reason to be part of this program since they already knew everything about the magical world by now, unlike the Muggle Borns, who only found out the day they received the letter from Hogwarts.

Harry saw many compartments, and each one had a number above them, written in gold with a green frame around it, and the compartment closest to him held the number twenty-one. Harry figured the numbers were there to make it easier to find a certain compartment if the need to do that ever rose.

Harry checked many compartments until he found the first one that was empty. While he wanted to make new friends and get to know people of his age, he didn't want anyone to look at him as if he was an animal in a zoo, but Mister Ted had warned him for a whole year now that many, many people would immediately look at his scar the moment they realized who he was, and had told Harry that he needed to get used to people only seeing him as 'The Boy Who Lived' and not much else.

Not for long, Harry thought, his parents deserved all the praise and the credit for what happened that night, not him, but soon, people would know him for other things besides that, and soon enough, that title would look like nothing compared to what he will achieve, while he cared not about the Titles, he wanted to become powerful and capable of many great things, and he knew Titles would come because of that.

As he walked inside, Harry noticed an enchanted luggage compartment overhead, possibly where he could place his trunk when the school started, but Harry only had a notebook, an enchanted quill, and his wand with himself. He figured there wasn't much else he needed for this visit.

As he sat down, he looked outside the window at the countless green, brown, and yellow fields they were passing. "Look, Itisa, isn't it beautiful?" Harry said, pointing at the view before them.

Itisa let out a meow before jumping on the armrest near the window and looking at the view. Since Hedwig became part of their family, Itisa had spent most of her time lashing out at Hedwig whenever she tried to cuddle with Harry. The boy was sure his Nundu thought he was replacing her, and despite telling her that wasn't the case, Itisa was still quite annoyed by Hedwig's presence in their room.

But Harry didn't fear that she would try to harm Hedwig; her behavior was similar to how she used to act when Tonks became his friend after moving into her house. Eventually, with time, Itisa warmed up to Tonks and wasn't as annoyed by her presence anymore.

Knowing it would take hours until they arrived, Harry decided to have some small talk with his cute little friend.

"Itisa, do you think Hogwarts has any magical creatures? Tonks told me the Forbidden Forest is near the school and is full of dangerous creatures. Maybe we can go there to check. Perhpas there's even another Nundu there." Harry highly doubted that, but he laughed at the unamused expression he got from Itisa.

"Tonks said that she had been there once, and in the heart of the forest, there's a giant golem there," Harry said in a childish voice; again, Itisa rolled her eyes at his face, almost mocking him and wanting to say.

'That girl is bad influence on you, Harry. I told you she belonged in the trash can but No, I'm wrong. You will rue the day you did not listen to me.'

Harry chuckled at her expression, knowing she just loved making funny faces. She nuzzled her head against his wrist, and he started scratching the back of her head, earning a purr from her.

Then he heard the compartment door slide open, and Harry whirled around, facing the opened door. Brown eyes stared back at him. It was the girl from the Train Station. Ahhhh...Oh, right, her name was Hermione.

"Hi," Harry said a little nervously as Itisa jumped up on his shoulder. Her golden eyes stared back at the girl, almost trying to determine whether or not she was a threat to them.

Her hands gripped the door frame as she leaned in, a pleasant smile on her face. "Hello, Harry. Can I come inside? All the other compartments I checked were empty," Hermione said hopefully, and Harry could see loneliness in her eyes; he wondered if she had bad luck finding friends.

"Sure, come in." Harry said right away, hoping this was an opportunity to have a new friend.

"Thank you," Hermione said brightly as she walked inside holding a bag with books sticking out of it, much to Harry's amusement, before pointing at her bag.

"Why do you have them with you? This is just a visit." Harry reminded her.

"Oh, I know, but I got a few books that I enjoy the most, like Hogwarts: A History." Hermione said as she placed down her bag on the seat, and she plopped down with a huff.

This quickly peaked his interest in her. "Oh, you like reading books, don't you?" he asked, watching as she looked into her bag, pulling out a book with a red cover and the letters; Harry quickly realized it was her favorite book.

His question made the girl brighten up like a star, looking up at Harry. "I do. I didn't even know magic existed until I received my letter from Hogwarts and when I went into Diagon Alley with my parents. I wanted to buy every book in the library, but the man behind the counter told me I didn't need to buy all of them right away." Harry quickly realized that she liked talking, and she kept telling him everything about her first day in Diagon Alley until she realized that she had been running her mouth for far too long.

"I'm sorry, I just got excited." Hermione apologized with a flush on her cheeks, trying to hide her face with the open book on her hands.

"No worries, I like reading books too, but try to breath more often next time you talk." Harry said with a smile, and Hermione nodded enthusiastically.

"Really! Which one is your favorite?" Hermione tried to say something more about herself but, this time, held her tongue, waiting for Harry to answer first. She quickly reminded herself that this new school was a good opportunity to make friends for the first time.

"Oh, I like reading Hogwarts: A History, but my favorite book is Runes and Their Importance." Harry could tell right away from her confused expression that she didn't know what he was talking about as she slowly laid the book on her lap.

"Runes? I don't remember reading about them in the first year's material, and I read every book already." Hermione said, sounding a little irritated with herself as she started searching in the pile of books in her bag, trying to see if she had somehow missed this book that Harry was talking about.

"Oh, we don't start learning about Runes until the third year. A friend of mine, Tonks. She handed me the books of the third year when I read the books of my first year." Harry informed her, which caused the bushy-haired girl to look at him with a bright smile, which showed her two front teeth that were larger than the others.

"Third Year! You are already studying third-year material!" Hermione exclaimed, sounding amazed, and Harry chuckled at her expression.

"Well, yes and no. I found Herbology to be boring, it's all about plants. Potions, while I found a few interesting things about it, it wasn't really anything special to me compared to Charms, Defence against the Dark Arts and Runes. Lady Andromeda, she is my adoptive mother, she loves Herbology, and tried to teach me, saying 'Harry, with Herbology you can grow plants that grow as tall as the sky." Harry explained while mimicking her voice at the end, earning a giggle from the bushy-haired girl.

Hermione then noticed the cat sitting on the armrest near Harry; it was one of the most beautiful cats she had seen; it reminded her of an old cat that her parents used to have when she was younger, but she passed away when she reached seven years old.

"Her name is Itisa, right?" Hermione asked, pointing at the cat; at that moment, her golden eyes stared back at her, and Hermione didn't know why, but she felt a cold shudder in her body as if a winter wind just passed through her inside the train.

"Yes, she is my good girl," Harry said in a childish tone, scratching the back of Itisa's head, not noticing Hermione's tensed-up expression.

Hermione was sure she had heard of that name before...Itisa, where have I heard..."Ohh, you named her after one of Shakespeare's characters."

"Yes, her name means 'Free Spirit,' " Harry said with a smile. He noticed Hermione averting her eyes from Itisa, but he was sure it was just his eyes playing tricks on him.

Hermione was ready to ask something about the Muggle Born program and how excited she got when she received the letter that she could visit Hogwarts earlier than usual, but her eyes went to Harry's green eyes, and then from the corner of her eyes, she noticed the scar...

"Holy Cricket, you are Harry Potter," Hermione exclaimed, her eyes locked on his forehead as she leaned closer to her, almost falling from her seat.

"Great," Harry mumbled under his breath, but he reminded himself that this was normal, and Hermione was simply the first in the long list of people who would probably freak out when they realized who he was.

"No, you got me wrong. I'm his twin brother, Sherlock Potter." Harry teased her with a smile. Hermione looked at him, dumbfounded, before understanding the joke and laughing with him.

"I read about you; you are in many books." Hermione quickly dragged out three heavy books from her bag before showing them to Harry. "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Lord, Harry Potter and his adventures—" Hermione went on and listed ten more books about Harry's adventures when he was a child. She even told him that he supposedly slained a dragon with a sword in one of them. By the end, even Itisa looked just as mortified as him.

"That's all bullshit." Harry quickly said with a hint of anger in his tone.

"Language, Harry." But the boy rolled his eyes. He was almost tempted to use one of the more foul words that Tonks used around him, but he figured he didn't want to be known as the student who swears a lot.

"Whatever, all written in those is all nonsense. I was raised with muggles until I was eight years old. I have yet to see a Dragon, and they think I have slain one." Harry said heatedly, pointing at the books on Hermione's lap, glaring at them like he wanted to burn them. He knew he could do that with his voice magic, one word, 'Incendio,' and the books would combust into flames, but he would rather not. He wanted to keep Voice Magic to himself for now, and the books weren't his to burn.

Hermione looked a little conflicted by his words. "But—But are you sure? This was written in books, by an author? Why would they put lies in a book?" Hermione questioned a little defensively, looking down at the book about Harry's adventures when he was four years old.

"Hermione, just because something is written in a book, that doesn't automatically make it the Truth. Trust me, the author who wrote these books only wanted money and to spread nonsense rumors. From my experience, it's better to use your own brain to find out the truth about something, rather than just trusting the grown ups, and thinking they are always telling the truth." Harry said a little heatedly, leaning back against the seat.

Hermione wanted to say something to counter him, but she realized Harry had a point. One could easily tell lies even in books. While this felt like a bitter pill to swallow, she knew Harry was right, and she was the one in the wrong now that she thought about it. Harry had no reason to lie when he said he lived with muggles until he was eight, and the mere thought of a four-year-old fighting a dragon with a sword sounded ridiculous to her now.

"You might be right. This is all nonsense," Hermione said, looking a little dejected. She pushed the books about Harry's adventures away. Once she got home, she would place them somewhere and probably never use them again.

The rest of the ride went without mentioning the stupid books again. Hermione started bombarding Harry with questions about his wizard life, asking how it felt to live with wizards all the time. Soon, a smiling woman with a trolley full of food and candies opened the door, asking if they wanted to buy anything from the trolley.

While Harry wasn't hungry, he decided to buy two of every sweet she had. After paying, he gave one of each sweet to Hermione, but she didn't seem to be the biggest fan of the many sweets that Harry had bought.

"My parents are dentists. I'm not really into sweets." Hermione said in a bossy voice when Harry opened a candy box and tried to give her the chocolate ball.

"I don't think you should eat them, they will rot your teeth," Hermione added with an even more bossy voice, leaning away from the candy that Harry was trying to give to her.

"Come on, one won't kill you." Harry insisted, but when Hermione shook her head once again, a sudden idea popped into his head like a lightbulb.

"How about this: You eat this one, and if you don't like it, you can ask me one question about Runes, and I will answer it." This immediately brightened the girl's eyes as if Christmas came early.

She looked at the candy, and she seemed to be having a battle with herself until, eventually, the winner was declared. With a defeated groan, she said, "Fine," before throwing the chocolate ball into her mouth.

Harry watched with satisfaction as she hummed delightfully before swallowing the candy. "Did you like it?" Harry asked with a big smug smirk.

Hermione huffed, realizing that she had lost the small bet. "Good enough." She said, crossing her arms and refusing to look at Harry as he laughed along with Itisa.

For the rest of the journey, they talked more about the Magical World, and despite losing her bet, Harry still told her a few things about Runes, and the more she heard, the more interested Hermione looked at the thought of studying them.

The Train stopped, and all the students walked out. Once they did, Harry realized there weren't that many students, but he figured many who were raised in the Magical World didn't see the point of coming here a month before the First Year started. Still, two first years walked up to them as they followed a grown-up who told them to follow him.

Looking up at a Place Name Sign, Harry realized the train had stopped at Hogsmeade, the same place he had gone with Nymphadora on his birthday.

"This place is beautiful." Hermione beamed, looking around the village at the many different buildings. Harry spotted the Three Broomsticks when someone cleared their throat behind them; the two turned around, and in front of them stood two first years, a girl with bright red hair and a boy with blonde hair.

"Hi, my name is Susan Bones."

"My name is Neville Longbottom." The two introduced themselves, and Hermione and Harry did the same. Once he said his name, the two first years quickly looked up at his scar in amazement, especially Susan, who had red hair like fire. Harry found it quite pleasant to look at her hair.

"Quite a beautiful cat you got there." Susan beamed at the sight of Itisa, who quickly bore her teeth when the first year tried to pet her, earning a yelp from the girl, who quickly backed away in fear.

"I'm sorry about her, Itisa doesn't like strangers." Harry apologized right away, feeling bad, before giving Itisa a look, hoping she would act softer with the others.

"No worries," Susan brushed it off with a dismissive hand, while Neville quickly got hold of the frog in his hands. Harry found it a little difficult to tell that it was a frog. The boy looked frightened for the frog as he opened a bag that he carried and shoved the frog inside before closing the fog, only leaving a little open so the air could come inside.

"No need for that, Itisa wouldn't harm your pet, she's harmless." Harry quickly said with a comforting voice, not wanting people to think Itisa was some bloodthirsty cat, but Itisa wasn't helping when she eyed Neville's bag while licking her teeth; this made the boy quickly back away a little from them, almost using Susan as a shield.

"So, are you two Muggle-borns?" Susan asked, ignoring Neville and pointing at him and Hermione as they walked along Hogsmade towards several carriages that seemed to be carried by strange black horses. Harry wondered what kind of creatures they were.

"I'm, but not Harry." She answered as they walked inside the carriages, using a set of small steps to walk inside. Harry sat with Hermione. Susan and Neville sat across them.

"You know, for the first years, we usually use the boats to sail to Hogwarts, but since this is a brief visit. They are saving it for when we truly become Students of Hogwarts." Susan informed them as the carriage started moving towards the castle through a cobbled road that led to the castle in the distance.

As Harry looked at it, he had to admit the castle looked amazing. Now he could understand why Tonks always said that Hogwarts was one of the most beautiful Wizarding Schools in the world, only beaten by Magithian, the Wizarding School from Japan. Tonks told Harry that many wizards and witches who had visited the place had said the Japanese Wizarding school was the most beautiful they had ever seen.

As the carriages rode towards the castle, Harry started talking with Neville and Susan, wanting to know them. They talked about the upcoming year, which house they would be sorted into, and all the other mundane things.

"I hope I'm sorted into Hufflepuf, I feel I would do well there." Susan said with an adorable smile.

"Same here. I'm too much of a coward for Gryffindor." Neville said with a downward look. Harry quickly realized that out of all of them, Neville seemed to be the one who was downplaying himself the most, while Susan seemed like a cheerful girl.

"I'm hoping for Ravenclaw." Harry snickered at her answer, and Hermione swapped at him playfully on the shoulder.

"What about you, Harry? My aunt said your parents were from Gryffindor." Susan asked, resting her elbows on her knees, looking at Harry.

The boy wondered why it sounded like her aunt was someone important but decided to ignore that for now. "Just because my parents were from Gryffindor doesn't mean I will be sorted there. I wouldn't have minded Ravenclaw, or maybe Slytherin." Harry answered casually, but the looks Susan and Neville gave him. Like he said something wrong.

"What?" Harry asked when the two gave him weird looks.

"No-nothing, but my Grandma always says that only the worst are sorted in Slytherin. I don't really believe it, but that's what she says." Neville explained, stumbling on his words, while Susan kept her mouth shut, but Harry knew she wanted to say her piece as well.

Harry already knew the Slytherins didn't have a good reputation, and why wouldn't they? The children of all former Death Eaters were in that House, and Voldemort was from that school, but Harry wasn't one to judge them like that.

"Well, I believe that's—" Harry wanted to say that his grandmother was naive for thinking like that but decided that insulting the boy would gain him nothing, except someone who might not be on his side if he ever needed him to be, and he knew from Lady Andromeda that House Longbottom was quite an important house, so instead of insulting, Harry figured, he needed to be more discreet on his opinions.

"Just because, Vold-" He stopped when Susan and Neville flinched at the name. "Just because You-Know-Who was from that house doesn't mean we have to paint the whole house with the same paint. One of Slytherins's traits is ambition; one can say that is a bad trait, but if there was no ambition in the world, we would still be stuck in the stone age. Ambition is what drives all people to be the best version of themselves. So, no. I don't think all Slytherins are bad people. Not all Gryffindors are brave. Not all Ravenclaws are smart, and not all Hufflepuffs are kind." Harry finished his little speech, and Hermione, Susan, and Neville looked at him with awe.

Harry wasn't sure what they were thinking, but from their looks, he had impressed them.

"You are right, Harry." Hermione quickly supported him, with Itisa letting out a meow, making it clear that she, too, supported him.

"I do too, my aunt always told me to never judge people too quickly." Susan said with a cheerful voice, nodding in approval.

"I believe you are right, Harry." Neville said a little reluctantly.

Soon, they reached the Hogwarts front gate, which led them to the Hogwarts Grounds. A wall surrounded the castle, and Harry could see that the lawn in front of the castle was quite large. A piece of the lawn was saved to be used for Quidditch practice, and further away, he could see a small house with a sign near the house that said 'Beast Classroom.'

The doors of their carriages opened themselves, and Harry walked outside before helping Hermione and Susan.

"Thank you, Harry."

"I didn't know you were a gentleman."

"I only aim to please," Harry said with a cheeky smile as Neville jumped from the carriage instead of using the small stairs. He landed right beside Harry.

All the first years gathered in front of Professor Minerva McGonagall. Harry was tempted to greet her, but he didn't want to do that in front of all the First Years that had arrived today.

Harry counted around twenty-five students. He didn't know how many of them were Muggle Borns, but he was sure at least half were. He stood beside Hermione, Susan, and Neville as Minerva cleared her throat before addressing them.

"Now, as you already know, this program was made to prepare the Muggle Borns for their first year in Hogwarts. You will be given a tour of the entire castle. All of you follow me; no one of you tries to split away. Do you understand that?"

"Yesss!!"

"Good. My name is Minerva McGonagall. I'm the Professor of Transfiguration, Headmistress of Hogwarts, and the Head of House Gryffindor. Now follow me, and try not to make too much noise." Minerva told them strictly with a stern look as she led them inside through the door.

"This is the Bell Tower room," Minerva informed them as they walked into the first room; a giant pendulum was hanging above them, moving from the right to the left, hovering five meters above their heads.

"There's no need to worry, the clock is enchanted and cannot fall." Minerva reassured them when she noticed a few looking quite worried at the thought of the giant pendulum falling on their heads.

Harry had never seen a more beautiful place. The Professor showed them every single place in the castle, including the Library, which Hermione had been the most excited to see. The Library had two floors, with two sets of round staircases leading to the second floor.

She showed them the North Hall and Central Hall, the largest hall in the entire castle. She showed them the many different classrooms, the courtyard outside the southern gate, and the main hall. The Gryffindor Tower, a few students were a little scared when the fat lady in the painting talked to them. She showed them the basement and the Slytherin Common Room.

After three hours of walking around Hogwarts, Minerva told them a feast was prepared for them in the Main Hall, where they could eat, rest, and then return home.

Harry had been caught off guard when the food appeared before him, but he wasn't about to complain. He noticed the way Dumbledore gave him looks every now and then.

Throughout the whole tour, Harry met a few other students, like Padma and Parvati, two identical twins; Lavender was introduced to him by Hermione, who had started talking with the girl, a few other students, and a blonde girl who seemed to be glaring at everything around her. Her eyes were ice cold and blue like the ocean. Harry noticed she wasn't talking to anyone, so he figured he could try to talk with her; he knew how lonely it could be to be alone.

"What is your name?" Harry asked the girl the moment he stopped before her. Since they already knew the names of almost everyone else in the little group who had come to visit Hogwarts.

Harry had been annoyed every time someone asked about his scar, about that night, and one even asked if he remembered anything from that night; thankfully, Itisa growled at the boy for the foolish question, and the boy ran away in fear.

The girl turned to look at him blankly, and he noticed her eyes went to Itisa, resting on his shoulder. "What is she?" She asked with a narrowed gaze.

"A Cat." Harry answered automatically, without thinking, but the girl arched an eyebrow at his answer before looking back at Itisa and then looking back at him.

"A Cat, sureee." She gave him a look, making it clear that she knew he was lying to her, and Itisa didn't help when she growled at the girl.

"What is your name?" Harry asked again, giving Itisa a look.

"Daphne Greengrass, and based on your scar. You are the all-mighty Harry Potter," Daphne said, her voice reeking of sarcasm.

Harry knew she was making fun of him for some reason; she seemed not to like him much, even though all they did was exchange names. "That would be me, and now bow before me." If she wanted to play word games, he could also play that game.

"No, thank you. I don't bow before people whose ego is bigger than their brains."

"And I don't like girls who think they are so perfect from everyone else. We are not worthy of your presence, your majesty." Harry said with a snark; he had seen the way she ignored everyone and gave many people looks as if she was above all of them somehow.

Daphne gave him a furious glare, but if she thought that glare could scare him away, she should realize that was nothing compared to Vernon's nasty glare. "You know, if you glare at me hard enough, I mighty actually freeze to death," Harry commented sarcastically.

"I might just do that. You know you are quite annoying."

"Well, aren't you just a ball of sunshine, Lady Grass." Harry said sarcastically, earning a glare from Daphne.

Daphne opened her mouth to counter, only for Dumbledore to stand up, clapping his hands. "I hope you all have enjoyed this tour. I'm happy you all are here, the new generation of Wizards and Witches. Now, follow Professor Minerva. She will lead you back to the carriages." Professor Dumbledore spoke loudly, his voice echoing all the way to the high ceiling of the Main Hall.

Daphne gave one last glare before walking away. Harry and everyone else stood up, ready to leave, but before he could leave. Minerva walked up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and stopping him. "Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you. Stay here for a moment." She spoke in a hushed tone before walking past him and leading everyone else out of the hall.

Hermione waited for him, but Harry quickly told her to follow the others since he had to talk with the old Professor. Once the giant door closed, Harry turned to face Dumbledore, who rose from his seat before walking down the four stairs and approaching Harry.

"I hope you have enjoyed the tour, Mister Potter."

"I did Professor, is the most beautiful place I have ever seen." Harry said sincerely, looking up at the high ceiling above them.

"Indeed. I have been in this place for many, many years, and I never get tired of this castle. I have visited other Wizarding Schools, and none compares to Hogwarts." Dumbledore said with a hint of melancholy.

"What do you want from me, Professor?" Harry asked a little warily. Since they were alone, Itisa jumped from his shoulder, growing in size until she was as tall as Harry, with snake-like scales growing on her body and face. Her eyes turned red with rage, and Harry could tell Dumbledore was a little tense for a moment before relaxing.

"As beautiful as always, but still the most dangerous magical creature in the world," Dumbledore said, sounding a little amazed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a round medallion the size of his palm; the medallion was made of green metal, with rune letters carved into its face and on the edges of the round medallion.

"What is this?" Harry asked warily, knowing the thing was emitting magic, and even Itisa could tell as she bared her teeth.

"This Mister Potter is a Talisman. I have made it myself for your little friend." Dumbledore answered as he handed it to Harry, who looked at the rune letters on the front.

"You used runes to make this?" Harry said, astonished by what he was holding as he studied it closely.

"Ahhh, I'm happy to see you have read the books I gave you, and not just runes, my boy. To make a Talisman, one needs to combine Runes, Arcs, Different materials and Enchantment spells. There are even different runes one could use. Each country in the world has their own runes they use. Indian runes are the most difficult to understand. I tried to for five whole years, but so far I can use only one out of nine they have, and still I fail at using it properly. Now, tell me, can you guess what this Talisman does."

Harry gave the old Professor a look; he still didn't trust the man, but his knowledge was something he could use, and Harry quite liked the thought of studying runes. He wanted to see just how far one could go with Runes and, if possible if there was a way to make his own artifacts and talismans. As he read the runes, he understood half of it but not the other half.

"I don't understand. It holds magic, I think." Harry said, scratching his head, trying to understand what he was reading, earning an amused chuckle from the old Professor.

"You are close, my boy. I made this Talisman to keep your little friend's magic in check." The moment he said that Itisa roared in anger, and Harry's hand grabbed his wand.

"What?" Harry growled in anger.

"Harry, I understand Itisa is your friend. But you need to remember how dangerous she is; what if she accidentally harms someone? This medallion will make sure that won't happen." Dumbledore spoke calmly; despite the furious look he was receiving from a Nundu, there was no hint of fear in his eyes.

"Itisa would never hurt anyone." Harry quickly defended his friend.

"You don't know that, Harry. Trust me, I believed the same thing a long time ago, beliving that-" Dumbledore pressed his lips into a thin line, a brief look of sadness in his eyes, but it quickly faded away as he looked back at Harry.

"What I'm saying is that you don't know what can happen. What if someone here insults your parents, or you get mad at someone? Even if it's justifiable, Itisa will want to harm the one that caused you anger, and if she does cause someone pain, her magic is not something that anyone in this world can cure. There's a reason Nundus are Feared from every corner of this world. Some say their magic can destroy magic itself in other beings. By the time you calm down, whoever faced Itisa's wrath will be injured beyond help. Whatever Itisa does cannot be cured by Madam Pomfrey or anyone else. I'm allowing you to keep Itisa. I'm allowing you to bring her to Hogwarts despite how dangerous she is, but I need her to hold this to make sure that if an incident happens. Itisa will not cause permanent damage to someone." Dumbledore said with a sense of seriousness in his voice, pointing at the medallion in Harry's hand.

The boy looked at it before looking up at Dumbledore. "How do I know this talisman won't do something else to her, what if it kills her?" Harry asked, not trusting the man who handed him to the Dursleys.

Dumbledore looked insulted for a moment before his face turned back to calm. "Harry, if injuring Nunds was as easy as using a talisman like this, then Living Nundu Cores for Wandmaking wouldn't be as rare as it is now," the old man said, his blue eyes flickering at the wand Harry had hidden on his hostler.

"How—How do you know?" Harry asked, a little baffled, wondering if Olivander had betrayed his trust.

"I know many things, Harry, and Olivander has said no words to me, but my point still stands; this medallion will make sure your friend doesn't cause permanent damage to anyone in this school, and remember, Harry, if she does something drastic. Even if I say nothing, it will come out that Harry Potter's companion injured a student, and if that happens. It will only be a matter of time before the Ministry finds out what she is, and I don't think I need to remind you what happens if they find out about your Nundu." Dumbledore reasoned, looking at Harry with kindness, but he could see the seriousness behind his eyes.

Harry could see the logic in that; after all, he was still weak to defend Itisa, and if she did injure someone too much, then someone from the Ministry could come to check and find out about her. But Harry didn't want to accept the Talisman.

"I—I will think about it." Harry eventually answered, sounding reluctant.

Dumbledore wasn't pleased by the answer, but he would accept it for now. "Very well, Mister Potter. You can leave now."

As he walked away with Talisman in hand, Harry looked at Itisa, who had turned back to normal form and was standing on his shoulder. He showed it to her, and she looked at it with wariness, baring her teeth at the Talisman. Harry walked out of the main hall, speaking to her in a hushed tone.

"Don't worry, Itisa. I took it only to examine it at home, and learn how to make talismans. I would never put this on you." Harry reassured her with a cunning smile. Examing a Talisman was one of the best ways to learn how to make your own, and the one he was holding in his hands was a good one.

September First

As he boarded the train, a part of him still could not believe this day had finally come. He would finally be a wizard of Hogwarts and could start learning even more.

Lady Andromeda had made sure to wake up Tonks much earlier than usual since she enjoyed oversleeping, but not today. Today, he would travel to Hogwarts and stay there for the whole year, and Mister and Miss Tonks wanted to make sure Tonks couldn't ruin it by being late.

After arriving at the station, Harry said goodbye to the two of them; they shared a family hug, much to Tonks's annoyance, who grumbled something about her being 'A grown woman' or some bullshit like that.

Unlike last time, this time, Harry had Hedwig with him, much to Itisa's annoyance, especially when the owl would hoot at the Nundu, causing her to growl quite often.

"Alright, Harry, find your friends, and make sure not to cause any trouble," Tonks said, causing the young wizard to arch an eyebrow. She, of all people, was telling him not to cause any trouble.

"But if you do, make sure no one sees you," Tonks said teasingly before kissing his cheek.

"I know I'm irrestiable, Tonks. But I'm sure this is not a good look for the Prefect of Hufflepuff." Harry couldn't help but tease her.

"Ohh, we will see how you will talk like that after two years, Mister Potter." Tonks teased him with a wink before walking away.

Harry rolled his eyes before searching the train. It didn't take long for him to find Susan sitting alone in a compartment.

"Hello, Harry. Itisa, and...Hedwig." The girl greeted them, and Harry greeted her back as he sat across from her near the window.

Soon enough, Hermione and Neville joined them and started discussing what they had done the last month. Since they were friends, they had been sending letters to each other the whole month.

Hermione talked about the many books she had read, and Susan talked about how her Aunt had started teaching her Charms. While Neville said that he wasn't doing good with his wand.

"What about you, Harry? What have you been up to?" Hermione asked, nudging him softly with her arm.

"Not much. I'm still studying runes. I'm hoping to create my very first Talisman." Harry answered like it was no big deal, but the looks of awe he got from his friends said otherwise.

"A Talisman, but Harry. My aunt told me they are very difficult to make. There are only fifteen known Talisman makers in the whole world." Susan said, astonished that Harry was already ready to make his first Talisman.

"Well, look at this," Harry said enthusiastically, in a hushed tone, pulling out his imperfect talisman.

"Why is it so small?" Hermione asked, her chin resting on Harry's shoulder, peering down at the Talisman resting on his palm.

"Yeah, it looks like a coin." Neville observed.

"It might be just a coin now, but once I carve the final rune that I'm still studying, it will no longer be just a coin. It's effect will be activated." Harry answered with a big grin, sounding proud of himself.

To make Talismans, one needed to use a metal that could handle certain runes, and the most used metal for 'Novice' Rank Talismans was Nickel and Copper. Both metals could be found in every coin that Muggles use, so it was easy for Harry to get a handful of them and start his training.

He had already wasted almost a hundred coins every time he failed, but that didn't make him give up; if anything, with each fail, he tried harder and harder, and what he was holding in his palm right now was the best he had made, but it was still incomplete, and all it could do right now was absorb a little bit of magic and hold it for a few minutes, but its real effect would be activated once Harry was done with it.

"What can this Talisman do if you complete it?" Susan asked curiously, grabbing the coin from his palm and looking at it from up close before handing it back to Harry.

"That's a surprise, my dear lady. But you three will be the first to know what it can do," Harry promised with a wink at the redhead before storing the coin back in his enchanted pocket.

They continued talking, and it seemed the entire journey to Hogwarts would go without any trouble, but the moment Itisa tensed up on his shoulder, Harry knew the trouble had found him.

They hear footsteps stop in front of the door, and the door slides open, revealing a blonde boy with two boys standing behind him, almost like bodyguards.

All three look and see a tall, pale boy with slicked-back white-blonde hair standing in the doorway.

"So, it's true, what they're all saying. Harry Potter really is in this compartment. So it's you, isn't it?" The boy looks down at Harry; he darts his eyes between the two large boys on each side of the blonde kid.

"Did they never teach you to introduce yourself first?" Harry asked instead of answering the question as he stood up with Itisa resting on his shoulder and Hedwig hooting from his opened cage.

"My name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." The boy introduced himself, sounding proud of his own name.

"Harry Potter," Harry answered right away before looking at the two bodyguards-looking boys standing like statues behind Draco.

"Oh, well this is Crabbe and Goyle." He points back towards his two lackeys.

Malfoy, Harry knew that last name. Mister Ted had once told him that House Malfoy was one of the biggest supporters of Voldemort and after his fall. Lucius Malfoy had spent a lot of coins to save his own ass from being imprisoned in Azkaban.

"Who are you three?" Malfoy looking at the other sitting behind Harry.

"My name is Neville Longbottom." He introduced himself, lacking confidence in his voice.

"Ahh, I should have known. Stumbling on his words, weak looking. You must be as weak as your parents. I heard they didn't last long; should be expected from someone as weak as them." Malfoy said with a smile, enjoying the moment that only grew when Neville paled, his eyes turning red with tears.

Malfoy looked back at Harry with a smug smirk. "You'll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to be making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He extends his pale hand towards Harry.

"You are right; I should stay with my own sort," Harry said, sounding earnest, before shaking Malfoy's hand. The blonde boy smiled but looked a little surprised. He quickly walked past the two statues, but once the three were outside, Harry closed the door of the compartment before murmuring a spell under his breath.

"What the... Aahhhh!" Malfoy shouted in pain; his hand had turned bright red the moment he tried to open the door.

"Take your bodyguards, and jump off the train. Do the entire world, and even your poor mom a favor." Harry said with a glare.

Malfoy had turned bright red, but the pain on his palm made him run away like he just shat on his pants.

"You okay, Neville?" Hermione asked, concerned, and only now Harry noticed the tears running down his cheeks.

"Hey, don't listen to him. He just runs his mouth because that's the only thing he's good at." Harry tried to cheer him up, but nothing they did worked on him until they all heard a voice speaking.

A voice echoes throughout the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the schools separately."

⚯ ͛

⚯ ͛

As Harry and the rest of the Hogwarts students push their way towards the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. A lamp comes bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry hears a booming voice: "Firs years! Firs' years over here!"

Everyone looks up and sees a huge black-bearded man with a lamp. Harry sees that the giant is at least eight and a half feet tall.

"I pity the person that makes his clothes..." Harry mumbled under his breath. Based on his description, he was sure this one must be Hagrid, which Tonks had mentioned, so he quickly made sure Itisa wasn't on his shoulder. He didn't know if Hagrid was informed of Itisa's presence, but if not, the last thing he needed was for Hagrid to recognize her and yell for everyone to hear.

Slipping and stumbling, they follow the man down what seems to be a steep and narrow path. It leads them in front of a big Great Lake.

"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant calls out, pointing to a fleet of little boats in the water by the shore. Harry eventually sat in a boat with Hermione and Neville. He didn't know where Susan had gone but figured he would meet her again at the castle.

"Everyone in?" The bearded man shouts, Who has a boat to himself.

"Right then—FORWARD!"

They soon go underneath the castle and clamber out into the rocks and pebbles. "Everyone here?" The giant asks.

"Good." He leads them up a flight of stone steps and crowds around the huge Oak from the door. The man raises a gigantic fist and knocks on the castle door thrice.

The door swings open at once. Professor Minerva stood before them almost like a vampire, judging by how serious she looked."The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." He says to the older lady.

She looks around the crowd and instantly spots Harry. She keeps her eyes on him for a solid two seconds before turning her attention back on the large man.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." She claps her hands together. She then explains that once they are sorted into their respective houses, that house becomes like a second family for them. She explains how House Points work and how one can earn and lose House Points. Harry thought House Points sounded a little pointless but kept quiet once she told them to form a line.

Everyone looks around in awe as they walk through the double doors and admire the Great Hall, which is decorated with candles and many tables with students watching them. Harry looks up and sees the roof itself, which appears to be a night sky.

"Cool ceiling."

"It's not real, it's just bewitched to look like the night sky." She starts to explain in her "know-it-all" voice.

"I read about it in-"

"Hogwarts: A History." They both say at the same time, causing Hermione to get slightly pink in the face and Harry to raise an eyebrow.

"All right, will you wait along here please? Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words," She announces before moving to the side.

Dumbledore stands up from his seat. "I have something to announce. The Forbidden Forest near our school remains Forbidden for everyone. Magic outside of classes should not be used, and the third floor corridor on the right side is out of bounds for everyone who does not wish to die a slow and painful death." He smiles before sitting down.

'Painful Death!'Harry mumbles to himself before looking at Itisa, who seems quite tense. He wondered why when he noticed that she was looking in a certain direction, and he quickly followed her gaze, only to see that she was looking at one of the Professors wearing a purple turban.

"Itisa, what's wrong?" Harry asked with a hushed tone, but the Nundu did not move her gaze away, and Harry knew right away something was off with that Professor, especially when he saw Itisa's eyes turn red, and he could tell she wanted to attack this Professor.

"Itisa, stay put, do not try anything. Not now, at least. Do you understand?" Harry quickly said with a commanding voice, knowing it wouldn't be a good idea for Itisa to attack a Professor in front of the entire school. Itisa's body calmed down slightly, but her eyes remained red.

McGonagall walks back to the group with a stool, scroll, and an odd wizard's hat. "When I call your name, you will come forth. I shall place the sorting hat over your head, and you will be sorted into your houses," she informs as she opens the rather long scroll.

"Abbot, Hannah!" They watched as the girl quickly sat on the stole, and the hat was placed on her head; they all fell silent. —

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouts.

"Bones, Susan!" It didn't take long for this one to be sorted. "HUFFLEPUFF!" shouts the hat again.

Harry clapped for her with a bright smile, happy she was sorted into the house she wanted.

Harry doesn't pay much attention to the others until-"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost runs to the stool and eagerly jams the hat on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouts the hat.

Harry knew that just because they wouldn't be in the same house doesn't mean they could not still be friends.

Then, Neville is called, the boy stumbles a little as he sits on the stool, and Minerva places the hat on his head. For half a minute, the hat remains silent until it shouts. "GRYFFINDOR,"

When Malfoy's turn came, the hat only touched him slightly before sorting him to Slytherin.

Harry didn't care much for the others until his name was finally called. "Potter, Harry!"

As he steps forward, several whispers break out like hissing snakes. "Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?!"

"He's so cute! I hope he's in Ravenclaw."

"I didn't know he was arriving this year."

"Why does he have a cat on his shoulder?"

As Harry sits down, McGonagall places the hat on his head, "Ooooh." The hat draws out. "Harry Potter. It feels like it was yesterday when I sorted your parents." The hat speaks in his head, causing the boy to flinch for a brief moment.

"Wait, are you reading my mind?" Harry asked, a little alarmed, trying to put up his shields to protect his mind when he heard a chuckle from the hat.

"Good try, Harry Potter. While impressive, your level of occlumency is still weak to protect you from me, but bear no worries. As the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts. I cannot spill any of your secrets, even if the Headmaster of this School asked me to. I can never spill secrets on anyone, and my mind is strong enough that even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to see anything. So, open your mind, boy. There's nothing to worry." Harry didn't feel comfortable doing that, but he slowly dropped his defenses.

"Ahh, quite a mind you have Harry Potter. I have to be honest. A long time has passed since I have read a mind as complex as yours. Ahhh, I see, you want to protect your companion, quite a Gryffindor trait, you are brave, but that's not all. You want to prove yourself, you are smart, and doesn't rush to problems, you think first before doing something, hmmm, That's a Ravenclaw trait. But that's not all, I can see you are kind to your friends, and especially to you companion. Your are kind despite your childhood, that is your most impressive trait that I can see, very Hufflepuff, but that's not all. Ahhh, deep down. Hahaha. You are just full of surprises, Harry Potter."

"What do you see?" Harry asked in his head.

"I can see ambition, such ambition that even Salazar Slytherin would be jealous of you. I see protecting your companion is not the only thing that drives you; nooo, you want people to acknowledge you for things that you did, not for something you can't even remember. Where to put you? Where to put you?" The Sorting Hat fell dead silent, and Harry was stuck there, waiting for him to sort him.

For everyone else in the hall, ten whole minutes passed, and some were starting to get worried that Harry wouldn't be sorted at all.

Minerva looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to explain or do something, but the old Headmaster seemed to have all his attention on Harry and not saying a word.

"What is taking so long?"

"What happens if you don't get sorted?"

"Has it ever taken this long to sort someone else before?"

"I think Professor Dumbledore should do something."

"You Belong in..." The entire hall fell silent, waiting for the Sorting Hat to finally sort him...

Gryffindor

Ravenclaw

Hufflepuff

"SLYTHERIN."

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