A Nundu for A Pet

Hello, Drinor here. I'm happy to publish a new Chapter of A Nundu for A Pet.

If you want to Read 11 More Chapters Right Now. Write 'www.Patreon.com/Drinor' in the Websearch.

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), Chapter 22 (The Bridge Between Worlds), Chapter 23 (A Nundu's Gift), and Chapter 24 (A Grand Prank) are already available for Patrons.

"SLYTHERIN."

The moment the Sorting Hat shouted the name of his House, the entire Hall fell dead silent; unlike all the other students who were sorted tonight, Harry got no applause from anyone.

The other three houses looked beyond shocked. The mere thought that Harry Potter might be sorted into any other house besides Gryffindor hadn't crossed anyone's mind, especially not in Slytherin. Even the Professors had fallen quiet. Minerva, for the first time, looked lost. She looked at Dumbledore, thinking he might have to say something.

Harry Potter in Slytherin? How could that be possible? She would have understood if it was any other house, but not the Slytherins. But she was out of luck. When she looked at Dumbledore, it seemed he, too, seemed a little disturbed by the House selected, but that was still nothing compared to Snape.

Snape seemed as if someone had thrown cold water in his face. No, one hundred buckets of cold water; he seemed lost for words and furious, glaring at the back of Harry Potter's head.

The students started speaking with each other; they all too, seemed just as lost as everyone else.

"Why is he in Slytherin?"

"Did the Sorting Hat made a mistake?"

"I knew it, Harry Potter will become a Dark Wizard like You-Know-Who!"

"Both his parents were in Gryffindor, how is this even possible!!"

"They should try again, you saw how long it took, just tell the Sorting Hat to try again."

Harry didn't understand what was happening; what was the big deal if he was sorted into Slytherin? They were making it seem like his fate was already sealed; he would turn into a Dark Wizard, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. From talking to Susan and Neville, he knew there was a belief that only the worst kind were sorted into Slytherin, but he hadn't expected everyone to react so negatively.

Did everyone forget that ambition is also part of being in Slytherin, or did that part slip everyone's mind? Harry wondered, getting a little annoyed at how everyone seemed to be taking this as a sign that he would undoubtedly become a Dark Wizard.

The stool he was sitting on was getting a little uncomfortable, and Harry decided to clear his throat. He was sure he didn't need to keep sitting on it. He turned to look at Professor McGonagall over his shoulder. The hat almost fell over his forehead as he tilted his head.

"Professor, can I sit with my housemates now? Or should I stay here?" His voice seemed to have made Minerva escape her thoughts and quickly cleared her throat.

"Of course, you can go, Mister Potter." She pulled the hat out of his head, and he jumped from the stool and made his way over to the Slytherin Table.

He felt magic flowing on his robes, and he saw the sigil of House Slytherin appearing in the breast area of the uniform. Harry wondered who made these cloaks; from what he had read about Runes, this sounded like something Runes could do since he didn't hear anyone cast a spell for his clothes to change. He wondered if he could study his own cloak in private later; perhaps there was a way to enhance it. He was sure the Professors wouldn't be big fans of him messing with their property, but he figured he could do that when he was alone and with no one to bother him. Harry's mind returned to the coin he was trying to turn into a fully functional Talisman. He was sure he was almost done with it.

Harry had so many different thoughts. He wanted to see what else he could do with Talismans, Runes, Arcs, and, most importantly, his Voice Magic. It's been some time since the last time he talked with Loretta. He wondered what she was doing, and when they would talk again, he wanted to ask more about her Nundu pet, Azash.

Harry escaped his thoughts; he would have time to think about magic later. However, as he neared the Slytherin table, he noticed the way they all looked at him as if he were some plague. Harry didn't understand what their problem was; they looked at him as if he had just murdered a puppy.

'Is this really House Slytherin? Because none of them seem to be that cunning. They are making it way too obvious they don't like me,' Harry mused. Not impressed with them, he tried to find a good seat, but it seemed none of them wanted him near. He saw an empty one, but as he walked closer, a sixth-year quickly placed his hand on the soft cushion of the chair when Harry tried to sit.

'Okay, so they not only did not applaud for me, but now they think they can force me to stand.' Harry thought; he remembered what the Dursleys had done to him, and he had promised himself that he would never tolerate anyone's bullshit ever again.

"Edó." He mumbled under his breath, and the chair moved on its own, freeing itself from the sixth year's grasp and placing itself right where Harry was. He quickly sat down, earning a round of gasps from those nearby who saw the chair move.

Harry looked at the sixth year, who looked pissed off, it reminded him a little of Vernon, except this one seemed like a thinner version of him but much more uglier, and that was saying something. "Thank you for offering me the chair," Harry said with an innocent smile before looking across the table in hopes of seeing any familiar faces; sadly, the only familiar face was Draco and the two statues near him, not forgetting the blonde girl who was busy glaring at everything around her. Harry wondered what had caused her to think she was so high and mighty.

Eventually, the silence among the professors broke, and Minerva was the first to point out what everyone else was thinking as she turned her head to look at Dumbledore.

"We can't have Mister Potter in Slytherin. We have to do something." Minerva prompted, hoping the Headmaster had a solution for this little new problem they had never seen coming. Even Snape seemed to be in the same mind as her.

"I'm afraid there's nothing to be done for this. Sure, we can try to sort him again, but you all saw how long it took for the Sorting Hat to, well, sort him. No, I say we wait for now, and if Mister Potter wants to, we can try to resort him later. For now, nothing will be done." Dumbledore said with a furrowed brow, sounding troubled about the situation.

McGonagall's resigned sigh and Professor Filius's shake of his head in disapproval indicated that the two Professors didn't agree with this decision.

Filius still remembered Lily; she had been one of his favorite students. Eventually, James Potter entered that list after he started caring more about studying than just messing around with his group of friends. If Mister Potter was anything like his parents, he would likely not have a good time in House Slytherin.

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"Why do you have a cat with you? Scared without her?" One sneered at him, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Not really, the cat is here to hold my down. I tend to get annoyed when morons start speaking nonsense."

The Third Year scoffed, glaring at him with anger. "You must have your head very deep up your ass if you think you can do anything against me."

"You are probably right because all I'm hearing right now is shit." Harry countered back at him, and he heard many whistling. The third year turned red in the face, and he was grinding his teeth like a stone breaker.

"You are quite cocky, Mister Potter. I don't know where you were raised, and I don't care, but here, we earn our own reputation and if you think we will throw the red carpet for you, then you are wrong. You are in Slytherin. In this house, only the best come here." One-seventh year said with a much calmer tone before whistling at the rest of the table.

"And all of you, enough staring at him. Mind your own businesses." He ordered, and Harry was glad when many did as they were told and decided to start talking with one another. But Harry had no one to talk to right now. He tried to talk with one, but he quickly moved his chair away from his.

The girl...Daphne. She was sitting on the other side of the table and was talking to a girl with dark hair, and the other first years who weren't in the Malfoy club seemed quite reluctant to speak with him, not that Harry cared much. If they didn't want his friendship, who cares? He had Itisa and Hedwig; that was more than enough, not counting Hermione, Susan, and Neville; just because they were in different Houses, that didn't mean he couldn't talk with them anymore.

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After the shock of Harry being sorted into Slytherin settled, Minerva sorted all the other remaining first years.

Harry watched in silence as Albus Dumbledore rose from his seat. With a beaming smile, his eyes landed on Harry for a very brief moment, and he was sure his eyes lingered on Itisa before moving away.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words, and they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" he said, giving everyone a brief once-over. "Thank you!" he said before he sat back down to an eruption of applause and cheers. Harry was confused by that, though. It seemed the Headmaster was a bit eccentric.

Then suddenly, all the plates and goblets on the tables were filled with food and drink, respectively; Harry smiled and took some of the food, setting it on his plate and eating it with the manners taught to him by Lady Andromeda.

"Ah, it seems someone has manners," a new voice said in a hoarse whisper. Harry looked over and saw a Ghost sat next to Malfoy, who didn't look happy with the seating arrangement. The Ghost had blank-staring eyes, a gaunt face, and a curly powdered wig. He was wearing robes covered in Silver bloodstains and had heavy chains wrapped around his body.

"My adoptive Mother taught me well. Might I ask your name, good sir?" Harry asked, deciding to be respectful because the man looked like a Nobleman, and it was only right to show respect to a nobleman, even if he was... disembodied.

"I am the Bloody Baron, the resident Ghost of Slytherin House... I hope you will do well to represent this House, we've won the House Cup for the last 6 years in a row, and I will be most displeased if that streak is broken," the Bloody Baron said as he fully turned to speak with the much taller young Man.

"6 years? My, that is quite impressive rest assured I shall do my best to represent this House," Harry said as he gave the bloody Ghost a polite smile; the Ghost returned it with a smile of his own and a polite nod and the two continued their conversation before Harry felt eyes on him, he looked around when he heard Itisa meow at his ear. He quickly followed her gaze and saw a Professor staring right at him, wearing a black cloak, talking to a Professor with a purple turban around his head.

Itisa let out a quiet growl, and her eyes turned red; for a moment, Harry was sure she was staring at the Professor staring back at him, but after doing a double-check, he realized that it was the Professor with a purple turban, he remembered she did the same a while ago, he wondered what was with this Professor that was setting alarm bells for Itisa.

"Don't try to attack him, Itisa. Not now, we should wait." Itisa let out a meow once again, letting him know she understood before jumping from his shoulder onto the table. Suddenly, she snatched a whole roasted chicken, and a few students tried to grab it from her mouth, but she jumped down onto the floor and hid under the table.

"Potter, control your cat." One Second Year shouted at him the moment Itisa was out of their view.

"Please forgive Itisa. She was just hungry, and look, there's another chicken there." Harry pointed out right away in a polite voice, but it seemed the second year wanted to argue more as he slammed his hand on the table, opening his mouth.

"Enough, Salan. The Potter is right, there's another chicken there, unless you think you need more than one to fill your belly." The second year turned bright red when many other second years started laughing at him.

Harry then turned to face the Professor and could see he was still staring at him. "Hey, who is that Professor?"

"Oh, he's Professor Quirrel, the one with the purple turban."

"No, the one talking to him."

"Did you read a single page about House Slytherin before coming here, Potter?" The same fifth-year scoffed at him before answering. "He's our Headmaster, his name is Snape. I would watch myself if I were you, Mister Potter. He's not like the rest. Our Headmaster is fair to everyone and knows if you lie to him, he will not show mercy to a lying snake." The Five Year explained, and Harry stared back at the Professor.

Harry remembered what Tonks had told him about Snape. She had told him that Snape was a Professor who favored House Slytherin and someone who never, not once, tried to correct his own students for their bad behavior; that didn't sound like a good Professor to Harry.

Suddenly, he felt pain on his forehead, which was only growing; he looked back at Snape and quickly used his Voice Magic. "Edó." Snape's chair quickly tilted to the side, and the Professor slid down and fell on the floor; many in the Hall burst out laughing, and Harry quickly looked back at his food, trying not to laugh with everyone else, and he noticed that from all the Slytherins, only two seemed to know he was the one who made Snape trip, Daphne, and the Seven Year Student who spoke for him a few minutes ago.

Tonks looked at Harry from the Hufflepuff table and couldn't help but be concerned about his well-being. Everyone knew that Slytherins were nothing but snakes, and the ones studying right now, the majority of them, were the children of the Death Eaters that lost in the previous war; she knew there was a high chance they would try to take revenge for their fallen Dark Lord by doing something to Harry. She knew he was safe while here, but who knew what could happen once they entered the Slytherin Common Room.

"Tonks, you have said only good things about the Potter boy. Why is he in Slytherin?" One of her friends asked with concern; everyone knew that placing Harry in Slytherin was a bad idea. She could only hope that Itisa could protect him. She knew he was more advanced than all the other first and second years, maybe even more than the third years, but she knew Harry had no way of protecting himself from those in the fifth year or higher. She knew Snape would do nothing if they wanted to hurt him; if anything, he would encourage it.

"...I have no idea."

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Snape, who had fixed his chair, looked back at Potter with a nasty glare. He knew the pathetic boy had done something to make the chair move and humiliate him in front of everyone, but he would make sure to get back at him. Snape had Harry Potter right where he needed him to be; he would make sure his life from now on would be a living hell; he could see it as clear as day; he was just like his father, if not worse. He would personally make sure the boy paid for everything his father and his friends had done, and he would make sure to get that annoying cat poisoned somehow. Snape was already thinking of ways to make sure that happened.

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Thirty more minutes passed, and Dumbledore stood up once again. "It's bedtime, off you trot!" the Headmaster said, clapping his hands as if it were a signal for everyone to rise from their seats and make their way to their respective Dorms. Harry stood up from his seat and followed the Slytherin Prefects.

They followed them out of the Great Hall and through the corridors deeper under the school until they stopped at a stretch of bare, damp stone wall, the Male Prefect stood in front of the wall.

"Serpent-Fang," the Prefect said clearly, and a Stone door concealed in the wall slid open, making the First Years look awed at the sight of it. They all walked inside, with Harry having to duck through the doorway and into the Slytherin Common Room.

The Slytherin Common Room was a long, low underground room with rough Stone walls and ceiling. From that round, Greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A Fire was crackling in a fireplace under an elaborately carved mantlepiece. The room was decorated with multiple low-backed Black and Dark-Green button turfed leather sofas and chairs, Skulls, and dark wood cupboards. Tapestries hung on the walls, too, but also, there were the windows, from which the light had a strange Green tinge.

"Hmm? How curious," Harry said as he walked toward one of the windows with a few of the other First Years following the giant Man curiously. Harry stopped at the window and looked out into the green outside.

"Are the windows painted Green to match the house colors?" Harry asked curiously before suddenly several Fish swam past the glass window, surprising the boy who lived.

"No, the Slytherin Dorms and Common Room have been built so that we may get a view under the Black Lake, the creatures that live in the Lake tend to swim past from time-to-time, like the local Mermaids," the Female Prefect said with a smile, as other First Years rushed over to marvel at the sight of the underwater view.

Suddenly, they all heard the door open, and everyone turned to see Professor Snape striding towards them as if he was going to kill one of them. Everyone quickly straightened themselves up, as did Harry. He knew Itisa was probably somewhere exploring and using her shrinking ability to not be noticed as much.

All the students formed seven rows, from the oldest to the youngest, and Snape looked down at the new students of House Slytherin. His eyes lingered on Potter for a brief moment, but now wasn't the time for that; perhaps later.

"First years, you have been chosen as the new generation of House Slytherin; as part of this house, everyone here is welcomed," Snape said with a cold, piercing voice as he strode around the room, always making sure the First Years could see him and keeping a close enough distance. "But House Slytherin is unlike the rest, not like the Gryffindors who run after trouble like headless chickens, unlike Hufflepuffs who are...just there, unlike Ravenclaws who are smart, but not smart enough to be cunning or to have ambition. As Slytherins, you have the best qualities." Many puffed their chests at the compliments with pride, but all the smiling died down when Snape's eyes turned icy, and at this moment, he made many of his students shudder in fear, especially the first years.

"But even the best qualities will get rusty if not properly taken care of; that is your duty. You are born to be great, but as I said, you should make the whole world see your greatness, and we do that by being better than everyone else. As students of House Slytherin, each one of you will have his own room; you won't have to sleep with your housemates unless that's what you want. If anyone here wants to sleep in the same room with their friends, then come to my office and we can easily arrange that, and if I'm not there, then talk with the head boy or head girl, and they will take care of your needs, but by friends. I mean, boys with boys, girls with girls. All of you must study hard and show everyone why we are the best House in Hogwarts. If any of you show anything less than that, then I will personally make sure you never see Hogwarts again from any other place but the newspaper. Are we clear?" Snape's voice was quiet but still echoed; no one dared to say a word to him.

"Yes, Sir/Professor." Harry simply murmured 'Yes' under his breath, and the way Snape's eyes snapped at him. He seemed to have noticed Harry's lack of respect.

"Now, I should let you all know that here, you all will be treated equally; I don't care which House you come from or what title you hold. No one here will receive any special treatment from anyone." Snape said with a sickening smile, looking right at Harry all the time as he said it, making it clear to everyone that he didn't like Harry.

"Now. I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore," Snape said in a hurry before turning on his heels. His long robes moved dramatically as he walked out of the common room. Harry looked around once the door was closed, wondering if he should try to make a friend or stick with the ones he already had from the other Houses.

"Hey, you, Potter." Harry turned around, and the same girl he saw talking with Daphne at the feast stood before him.

"You are?"

"Pansy Parkinson." She said with a puff of her chest, speaking with pride before fixing him with a glare. "Listen here, Potter. Just because you were sorted into Slytherin that doesn't make you one of us."

"And just because you were sorted into Slytherin, that doesn't mean you are smart, or even cunning for that matter." Harry fired back at her, getting a little annoyed. Who does she think she is to talk with him like that, but someone quickly came to her rescue in the form of one annoying blonde.

"Watch your words, Potter. Here you are defenseless." Draco revealed his ugly head. With the two statues following behind him, the two cracked their knuckles quite loudly. Itisa growled from where she was; her eyes focused on Draco and his goons.

Harry didn't understand why they were cracking their knuckles. They had magic, so why not use their wands to threaten him? "Defendless from who, because if I remembered correctly, you screamed like a little girl back at the train, and the two statues behind you are dumb enough, if they were any dumber, they would be walking backwards." As Harry said that, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle turned their heads around, trying to see where were the statues that Harry was talking about.

Draco turned bright red when many first and second-years started laughing at him. "You DARE! POTTER. Listen Here. You are in Slytherin. I will send you back where your filthy parents are. where your whore of a mother—AAAHH!" "Itisa. Enough." The Nundu growled with anger at Draco as he clutched his bleeding hand, backing away in fear.

The Nundu didn't listen to Harry; instead, she slowly approached Draco, who quickly started running away in fear, still holding his hand. Many third years and four years pulled their wands, aiming them at Itisa.

"Itisa. Here. NOW." Only then did the Nundu jump back to Harry's shoulder. The boy knew he was in trouble when he saw that Draco had three scratch marks on his hand. They were dark purple, and the blood dripping out was dark instead of red.

Harry would rather have him endure the pain, but he remembered what Dumbledore had told him, and as much as he wished not to acknowledge that, he knew this would bring too much attention to Itisa and him. So, quite reluctantly, he remembered the spell Loretta had told him to use if the need to heal a Nundu attack ever came.

'Harry, this will only heal minor wounds. So don't think this can work in more...nasty wounds. A Nundu has poison in its claws, but is a weaker one, the one in their spikes is the most dangerous. This spell can help, but make sure to always keep Itisa out of trouble, her attacks can destroy magic itself.'

Harry quickly thought back at the spell and murmured it under his breath.

'Haeland.'

The wound on Draco's hand started healing and slowly closed entirely. The bleeding stopped, but Harry knew he would be in trouble nonetheless.

"Why it's gone? What happened?"

"Is not even there anymore!! Did someone use a healing spell?"

The seventh-year boy who helped him during the feast quickly approached him, grabbed him by the wrist, and started dragging him away. Harry made no attempt to escape as the boy opened a door and threw him inside, with Itisa quickly following.

"Mister Potter, what do you have to say for yourself?" He demanded the moment the door was closed; his dark eyes lingered on Itisa as he spoke instead of Harry.

The boy leaped onto his feet with a look of anger. "He insulted my parents." Harry defended himself.

"...I agree that Draco was out of line, and no matter what you think about us, we are not a House full of pricks and assholes. But your...cat. You are lucky your little spell helped him, but I believe I don't have to tell you that Professor Snape will hear about this and next time. Keep your cat in control; if you can't do that much then send her back to whatever place you call home, do not bring her to Hogwarts again. We do not tolerate this kind of behavior." The seventh-year boy said strictly, ignoring Harry's look of surprise when he said that he knew about the healing spell.

"How did you know about the spell, mister..." "Name is Lendyell, and that's not important right now. Your pet attacked a student of your house, and usually, that would have been more than enough of a reason to have your cat kicked out of the school. Remember that well, Mister Potter. Despite what you think, you are not special, and if that happens again, even Dumbledore will not tolerate that your...pet stays here any longer." The seventh-year explained with a strict voice before leaving the room.

Harry said nothing as he saw his Trunk, which had his belongings in it, sitting close to his bed.

Harry ignored the Prefect and quickly unpacked his Trunk. However, suddenly, he got the feeling he was being watched and also noticed the room had suddenly gotten darker. He turned around and saw a large shadow by the window. He walked towards the window, curious to know what it was when suddenly, a large eye opened from the shape!

"Holy Merlin. What the bloody hell is that?!" Harry exclaimed as he backed up, looking at the eye with wonder and a slight fear on his face. But he noticed an intelligence and a gentleness in that eye before the shape silently moved away from the window, many large, thick tentacles slowly waving through the Water as it drifted away into the murky Green depths of the Lake.

"Amazing..." Harry said in awe, amazed at the sight of such a large creature, something that no one had ever seen up close and alive. This was going to be a very interesting year indeed!

But then he remembered that Itisa had caused a small problem and quickly looked at her. She lowered her head as if knowing that Harry wasn't happy with her little stunt. "Itisa, come here." The Nundu did as she was told and jumped to his lap, but she still didn't look at Harry. Instead, she looked downwards in shame before letting out a sad meow as if apologising to him.

"I'm not mad at you, but I need you to understand that you can't attack anyone who is...well, not fair with me or say bad things and make me mad. Itisa, I want you to listen well. Do not attack again who is just bullying me, I can deal with them myself. No matter how angry I get with them. I can handle it, but I cannot handle the thought of losing you." This made Itisa look up at Harry, her golden eyes looking back at him with tenderness, before meowing as if to say:

' I promise you, Harry.'

"Good girl," Harry praised her, scratching her head. "Remember, do not attack someone unless I am in real danger, and always let me know when you think someone is dangerous or there's something wrong with them." Itisa quickly followed with another 'Meow,' and Harry knew she understood. His mind went back to Professor Quirrel; he wondered why Itisa was wary of him.

HOGWARTS, A FEW DAYS LATER

A few days passed since the Sorting and the first day. It had been quite a challenge for Harry in multiple ways after the little incident with Draco and Itisa. Snape had demanded that Harry be expelled right away. But when Dumbledore asked to see Draco's hand and the so-called wound, there was nothing there. Dumbledore ignored Snape's warnings about Harry and told them to drop it since no one was hurt, but before leaving the office, Dumbledore told Harry to make sure something like this didn't happen again and reminded him to use the Talisman he had given to him.

It hadn't taken long for Harry to realize that no one in Slytherin seemed to want to become his friend; even Daphne avoided him the moment he tried to start a conversation with her, so he was left alone, and because of Itisa's stunt, many were quite scared of her, so, at the very least, they avoided Harry and didn't try to bully him. For now, at least.

' Harry watched as the Slytherins moved their chairs away once he sat down. He sighed and decided to ignore them when Itisa jumped from his shoulder and walked away from him.

"Itisa," He called her with a hushed tone, but she ignored him as she walked up to Tonks of all people at the Hufflepuff table. Harry watched as many at the table cooed at the sight of Itisa, and Harry chuckled when Itisa jumped on Tonks's head when someone tried to pet her.

Harry realized what she was doing, so he stood up and walked up to the Hufflepuff table. "Harry, can I pet Itisa? Pretty Please!!" Susan begged with her best puppy eyes, and she wasn't the only one. He knew from Tonks that those in Hufflepuff tended to love animals, well, the majority of them. He smiled warmly before nudging Tonks on the shoulder.

"Can I sit here?" Harry asked with hopeful eyes.

"Of course you can, Harry. Here." Tonks quickly placed a chair right next to hers, and Harry sat down without a second thought. He felt a warmth in his chest when Itisa jumped back on his shoulder.

"Wait, but you are a Slytherin! Why are you sitting with us?" A boy his age asked, a little confused, looking at the other first years as if asking if doing this meant breaking any rules.

"Thank Merlin. We have you, Justin. Without you, we would be hopeless," a fourth-year said humorously, sitting on the other side of the table before extending his hand toward Harry.

"Name's Cedric. Captain obvious over there is Justin Finch," Cedric said with a teasing smile as he shook Harry's hand. The young wizard smiled back. He had expected the others not to want his presence, but the way many of them were smiling at him. It felt good. It felt right. Harry was already thinking of going to the Gryffindor table later to spend time with Hermione and Neville.

"Hey. I didn't know students from other Houses could sit here." Justin defended himself, crossing his arms. Many laughed at his expression, and even Harry chuckled a little, but all attention turned to Itisa when she jumped on the table and grabbed a chicken leg.

"Beautiful cat you got here, Mister Potter. Where did you buy her? I don't remember seeing her in the pet shop, and I got my cat back in May," another first-year asked, looking at Itisa from up close when he noticed the puff of hair at the end of the tail.

"Just call me Harry. I got enough of that with my housemates, and her name is Itisa. As for where I found her, well..." Harry goes on to explain how he found her in the park, but he leaves out the part that she is a Nundu, the most dangerous creature in the world.

Many Hufflepuffs looked pissed when he explained that Itisa would have died from hunger if he didn't find her. Tonks then explained a slightly different version of why Harry lived in her house instead of living with his relatives. Harry didn't want their pity, and explaining his childhood to them was something he wanted to avoid.

"Huh. I can barely endure Tonks during the school year, and you have her at home. I wish you good luck, Harry Potter." a girl sitting on the other side of Tonks said humorously. Much to Tonks's annoyance, she groaned, giving her a look when the other fifth-year girls giggled.

"Oh, I already know that. Tonks is the worst, she even once try to put the blame on me when the last chocolate frog 'magically' disappeared one night." Harry said teasingly; those around them laughed at Harry, and Tonks gave him a look that said.

'You Traitor.' '

Despite being from Slytherin, many of them didn't seem to mind his presence, and Harry made sure to spend time with Hermione and Neville whenever he could.

Harry quickly figured out that he hated Filch. The man seemed to have some vendetta against all the students, and his cat showed her teeth every time Itisa was nearby, causing Filch not to like Itisa in return.

'If I see that cat of yours walking around during the night, I will kick it until it stops moving, and if she hurts my dear Mrs Noriss. I will show no mercy, boy.' Filch had told him when Itisa had been quite close to doing something terrible to his cat.

The most boring lesson was History of Magic, the only class taught by a Ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he fell asleep in front of the Staff Room fire and got up the following day to teach, leaving his body behind. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates and mixed up Emric the Evil and Ulric the Oddball.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms Teacher, was a small Wizard but quite good at his job. In the first class, he told them to perform a simple spell that made a pencil move and spin around until it made a full circle. Harry had quickly done it with a single word out of his mouth.

"Mister Potter, you already did it!!" Filius said, amazed when Harry's pencil moved and made a full circle.

"Yes, Professor." Harry said, feeling good to receive a compliment from him, and the wizard beamed at him.

"Ten Point to Slytherin, Mister Potter." Yet despite that, it seemed his fellow housemates weren't interested in talking with Harry. It was not that he cared much, but one of them seemed interested. Daphne.

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"Harry, how do you do that?" Hermione demanded from him the moment he walked out of the classroom, with Susan following them closely.

"Wandless Magic." Harry answered, knowing he couldn't give her the actual reason why he was able to do that.

Hermione's jaw almost hit the floor. She looked at him with a hint of awe, but that awe quickly turned into a challenging look. "Can you show me too? Or the book you read to use Wandless Magic?" Hermione almost pleaded, and Harry chuckled at her expression, knowing she was very similar to him since she, too, liked reading books as he did.

"Sure, we can talk later in the Center Hall, or maybe in the—" "Library," Hermione said with a beaming smile.

"Yes. The Library seems perfect, but you should try the Viaduct Courtyard near the Entrance Hall. Studying with the sound of nature around you is the best place for me to study." Harry added, and Hermione seemed deep in thought before eventually agreeing with him.

"That sounds lovely, I haven't really given it much thought. I always only study in the Library." Hermione answered sheepishly.

"Yes, the Library can be quiet, and the books are right there, but trust me. Try my method, and you will never want to study somewhere else ever again." Harry said with a soft smile, and Hermione cocked an eyebrow.

"I suppose we will see." Hermione mused with a playful tone.

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McGonagall's classroom had been much better than all the other classes. He had been looking forward to this one; he had known Minerva for a long time now, but this would be the first time she would be a professor, and he would be her student. Tonks had told him some horror stories about Minerva's punishments that he was sure she was exaggerating.

Once she walked into the classroom, she told them all to always be on time and not cause any trouble while in her classroom, or she would give them detention; so far, she seemed very strict. She showed her Transfiguration by turning a table into a pig. From what Harry could see, it appeared to be like a normal pig, but he knew magic doesn't allow someone to create life out of nothing, so he was sure that if someone were to throw a cutting curse on the pig, it would immediately turn back into a table.

With a flicker of her wand, matchboxes floated toward their desk, one for each student; Harry already had an idea of what he needed to do.

"Each of you shall turn the matchbox before you into a needle. Do not worry if you can't do it within this hour, but you should be able to within two weeks." Minerva instructed them with her sharp voice, showing them how it's done; her eyes briefly glanced at Harry, who wanted to greet her but decided not to make it obvious to everyone that he knew her.

Harry looked at the matchbox before him and said the spell easily, and within a second, the matchbox turned into a needle. "Professor, it's done," Harry said with an innocent smile as Minerva's eyes snapped at him, looking at him with a hint of disbelief. While the two had known each other for three years now, she barely knew just how capable Harry was with magic.

"Already!!" She said incredulously after watching his display of power. "B-but mister Potter. It's—Only been a minute since we started." Minerva said, looking at her watch to make sure, before looking back at Harry, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Well. I'm done. What should I do now?" Harry asked a little dryly, hoping she had something for him to do other than watch the others try to do their work. They were paired with the Ravenclaws, and it seemed even they were having trouble with this work.

"Well..." Minerva's words trailed off. She had known from Lady Andromeda that Harry was gifted, but not this much. This was just ridiculous at this point.

For the rest of the hour, Minerva gave Harry work they would need to do throughout the rest of the first year, and he could do all of it without any problem.

Turning a living creature into a cup was needed to pass the Transfiguration exam for the First Year. Everyone watched with wide eyes as Harry did so without needing a wand. The others thought he was doing wandless magic, but only Minerva could tell that what Harry was doing was different but still impressive.

'I need to speak with Dumbledore,' She murmured under her breath, knowing the boy had already done all he needed to in the first year. She wondered if she would need to give him special hours to go over what he would study in the second year.

Lily and James. You two have created a monster; she thought with a proud smile as she looked at Harry getting bombarded by questions by the Ravenclaws, but not the Slytherins; despite being one of them, they all seem quite reluctant to praise their housemate, and instead decided to give him the cold shoulder.

The class Defence Against the Dark Arts was an absolute disaster. Harry had been looking forward to it, but much to his disappointment, the man seemed afraid of his own shadow. Throughout the entire hour with him, Itisa was tense all the time, and that only reassured Harry even more there was something wrong with him. But that's not all. He had seen the way Professor Quirrell had looked at Itisa when he thought no one was paying attention.

After Defence Against the Dark Arts, the next class was with the head of his House. Tonks had warned him that Snape could get exceptionally cruel with students and warned Harry beforehand to take a look into the Potions Book before the class started.

Suddenly, the classroom door slammed open, and a dark figure strode into the room. He stopped at the front of the room and turned to face the class. He crossed his arms across his chest and began his speech.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making," he began. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stop death. If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Snape then turned to look right at Harry. "Harry Potter, our new celebrity." He sneered, and many housemates chuckled around him, but Harry ignored all of them as he looked back at Snape. Not impressed.

"Yes?"

"Tell me what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry gave the man a look and blinked twice at him. He had absolutely no idea what the hell the man was talking about. He had read the entire first-year potions book before coming to Hogwarts and knew it was not even in the book. The man was trying to make a fool out of him. Well, Harry would show him. "Forgive me, sir, but if you're truly wondering then I would check the potions book on your desk. It might be in that one because I don't remember reading about that in mine."

The entire class was quiet. Harry could tell that some of them wanted to laugh but were too scared to. Even Malfoy had a look of surprise on his face. Snape gave Harry a fierce glare, but Harry thought he saw the man smirk slightly before doing so. "Your cheek is not appreciated here, Potter. Let's see if you know this one; tell me where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

He knew this one, but not because he had read it in the first-year book about Potions: "In a goat's stomach, sir."

"Five points to Slytherin, good answer Draco," Snape said with a sickening smile as he said it; the Gryffindors looked absolutely furious despite him being from Slytherins, while the actual Slytherins seemed a little confused, except for Draco, who quickly smiled at Harry, puffing out his chest.

"Thank you, Professor. I always try my best," Draco said. His statues laughed with him, but the other Slytherin students didn't seem as impressed.

Harry didn't really care about the points, but giving the credit that belonged to him to someone else, especially to someone like Draco. No, he would never let that slide. He felt the man's eyes stay on him as he cleared his throat for a third question.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Why don't you ask Draco since he's clearly your favorite?" Harry asked dryly. If this 'man' wanted to play this game, he was out of luck.

"Answer the question, Potter." Harry ignored him and instead looked at Hermione, who was still raising her hand towards the ceiling, almost standing on her tiptoes.

"Hermione, what is the answer?" He could feel the man's glare on his back, but he ignored it as Hermione looked at him and reluctantly answered.

"They are the same plant but different name." Hermione answered with a smile.

"No one asked you, Granger. Five points from Gryffindor."

"Now now, Professor. Just like how you handed all the credit to Draco over there who can't tell the difference between right and left. I'm choosing my favorite friend to answer the question in my stead and take the credit. It's only fair since you want to play favorites." Harry said with a sneer, and everyone gasped when Snape's fingers curled around his wand, something many noticed.

"You dare, Potter. You will have detention with me for the next two months. I hope you like the smell of bathrooms." Snape bellowed with a growing smirk that faded away when Harry said.

"I'm afraid not, Professor Snape. As a Student. I have the right to give my memory to Professor Dumbledore to prove my innocence and prove the clear favoritism from you, but can you do the same?" If possible, Snape's glare turned malicious; he looked ready to curse Harry, and many students looked frightened. His fingers curled around the wand underneath his cloak.

"You are just like your father, Potter?" The venom in every word he spoke was evident in the way his lips curled into a sneer and his eyes narrowed.

Harry formed a genuine smile on his face. "I never expected such a good compliment from you, Professor Snape," Harry said with satisfaction. Everyone knew this was like twisting the knife as Snape marched towards Harry, pulling out his wand.

"What is happening here?" The sound echoed through the classroom, and soon Professor McGonagall appeared, her stern eyes scanning the room. The students turned to look at her. But what caught their attention was the sight of Itisa, Harry's cat, walking beside Professor McGonagall.

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall walked up to Snape, her piercing gaze fixed on him as she glared at him with a mixture of anger and suspicion.

"Might I know why you have your wand out, Professor?" Her eyes darted between him and the students, all of whom were silently observing the exchange. The room fell silent as Snape held his wand between his long, slender fingers. From the redness of his face and the way he was still glaring at Harry. Everyone expected the professor to start shouting about Potter, but instead, he moved the wand away.

"Nothing McGonagall, just a little... misunderstanding with our celebrity here." His tone was laced with such venom that it seemed to drip from his lips like poison, and he glared at Harry as if he were a literal snake.

"Professors are never to draw their wands to their students, Snape." She then turned towards the rest of the students and commanded, "You're coming with me to Professor Dumbledore. Everyone else. The class is dismissed." The entire class fell silent, and the sound of rustling bags and books echoed around the room as the students began to pack up their belongings.

Snape looked like he wanted to protest, but the way McGonagall was glaring at him, almost daring him to do something.

"D-Dismissed." Snape stuttered out. He glared at Harry as he packed his things and walked outside of the class, but before he left, Harry turned to give Snape a triumphant smirk. As he left, the smirk made Snape's blood boil more than ever before.

Once they walked out of the chamber, Hermione quickly catched up with Harry. "That was reckless, Harry." Hermione scolded him with her 'Matter of fact' voice.

"Oh, come on, Hermione, you can't tell me the man didn't deserve it. Tonks told me all the time how unfair he was with all the students that weren't from Slytherin, and since I'm in his house. He can't take away points, but he will try anything to make me angry, so he can have an excuse to expel me." Harry answered with a huff, and Hermione looked a little conflicted for a moment, but she remembered Harry's words to her on the train the first time they met.

'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.'

Hermione slowly nodded and looking back; it was clear as day that Snape had a personal vendetta against Harry for some reason.

Whatever the reason, he was being unfair towards him. "You are right, but I think you should be more discreet next time you try to mess with a Professor." Hermione mumbled under her breath, a part of her not believing what just came out of her mouth, and Harry snapped his eyes at her.

"Did I just hear that from you, Miss Bookworm?" Harry asked playfully and laughed when she swatted at him playfully with her hand.

"Shut Up," Hermione said under her breath, her face going a little red.

SLYTHERIN DORMS, Harry's ROOM, FRIDAY

Harry groaned and sat up in his bed, his black hair a mess as he looked around the room. Then his eyes went to the source of his joy right now. "Okay, almost done," he mumbled before striking the coin with a hammer. The moment he did, the final rune was made.

The magic surged inside, and the runes across the surface glittered red, almost blinding him, but once the light faded away. He opened his eyes, and the coin remained there; it wasn't melting; it didn't explode into thousands of pieces; it was still in one piece.

Harry slowly grasped the coin, carefully studying every little corner, and once he was sure the surface was alright, he spoke the words needed. "Anoixe."

The Runes across the surface flashed red, confirming that it was working. "YESSS. HELL YEAH!!!" Harry celebrated by jumping from his bed and dancing around like a little kid before looking at Itisa, who had woken up from his screaming. She gave him a look as if to say:

'You better have a good reason for waking me up.'

"Itisa, it's working. It's bloody working. I did IT!! I Created my very own first Talisman!!" Harry shouted with joy, not being able to hide the excitement from his voice.

"I will try it right now," Harry told her, quickly running out of his room and into the Slytherin Common Room; Itisa had jumped at his shoulder before leaving.

"Potter, what was all the shouting?!" One-fifth year asked as he ran up to the door.

"I created a talisman," he said before leaving the common room, leaving whoever was inside a little dumbfounded.

"He did what?!"

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Harry ran into the Hogwarts Grounds, and since it was the middle of the day, it was full of students walking around, but Harry paid little attention to them; it had taken almost half an hour to find his friends and tell them the Talisman was ready.

"Harry, are you sure this is safe? Do you even know what it will do?" Hermione questioned him throughout the whole walk out of Hogwarts, with Neville seeming a little insecure at the thought of something bad happening.

"Hermione, would I have gathered you four to show you something I think is dangerous?" Harry countered. Hermione had no real answer to this, and Tonks giggled at her Harry.

"That's my Harry. Hasn't started first year properly and already made his own first Talisman." Tonks praised him with a pat on the back.

"Harry, if this really works. Can I tell my aunt about this; she can call the Talisman Tester to come and test your Talisman, and your name will be placed on the United Kingdom's List of Talisman creators." Susan said with more enthusiasm than all of them, even more excitement than even Harry.

While Harry didn't like the thought of the publicity he would earn because of this, he knew this would be part of this, and he simply needed to accept it. "We can talk later about it," Harry said with a smile at the auburn-haired girl before reaching a good enough place to test it near the wall surrounding Hogwarts Ground.

Harry stopped walking and placed the Talisman on his palm before murmuring the activation spell. This time, the runes did not simply flash red; instead, they stayed red, letting him know the Talisman was currently active, but he needed to keep using his magic to keep it activated.

"Tonks, I want you to use a minor attack spell on the talisman." Harry said as he turned around to face the group.

"Are you sure, Harry? Because this seems dangerous." Neville said doubtfully, looking at the others for support.

"I appreciate your concern, Neville, but I'm sure it will work," Harry told the blonde-haired boy before turning to face Tonks, who already had her wand in hand, aiming it at him.

"Dýnami," Tonks said carelessly, and a bolt of white magic shot out of her wand and right at Harry, but before it could make contact. A golden circle flashed around Harry, and the bolt of magic collided with the golden circle before being sent away in a random direction.

"Holy Crickets, Harry. What was that?" Hermione exclaimed, quickly running up to him to get a better look at the golden circle, but it quickly faded away, and only then did they notice the Talisman on Harry's hand was enveloped by a golden light.

"Harry, are you telling me this can deflect spells?" Tonks exclaimed, amazed by what she saw, not realizing that her loud voice was gathering everyone else's attention in Hogwarts Grounds.

"Sadly no, so far it can only deflect small spells, a more powerful spell would burn right through the golden shield," Harry said, a little disappointed with myself.

"Still, that's Amazing, Harry." Susan exclaimed with a bright smile, and Harry found himself smiling back at her. She was right; this was his first Talisman. He would soon create better ones.

The crowd looked amazed by Harry's accomplishment, but they all soon started to move away as someone walked through the crowd. It turned out to be Dumbledore himself, his blue eyes twinkling with pride and something else that Harry couldn't quite tell.

"Professor?"

"You know, Harry. You might be youngest student in Hogwarts, maybe in the entire world to create a Talisman. Now, can you come into my office. I want to speak with you." Dumbledore said with an inviting smile, and Harry wasn't sure he liked the sound of that.

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