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Chapter 10 (A Letter from Hogwarts), Chapter 11 (A Nundu Core), Chapter 12 (Talismans and The Sorting Hat), Chapter 13 (First Week, Talisman, and Snakes), Chapter 14 (New Friends and A Troll), Chapter 15 (A Thunder Bird), and Chapter 16 (A Voice in the Magic) are already available for Patrons.
"Harry, why are we here again?" The Professor asked quietly, audibly only for the two of them as the Potter boy pushed the shopping cart, walking through the muggle market.
Harry snickered at the way the old Professor looked around the place; he figured she had never been in a muggle market before in her life. Itisa let out a cute meow from the cart. Since they had gotten hold of the cart, she had jumped on it and let Harry drive her around. Many muggles cooed at the sight of the Nundu, but Itisa got defensive every time one of them tried to scratch her ears.
"To buy food, Professor. If I'm going to live with the Tonks from now on, I want to pay for my own food. They still don't know what I like to eat, so I figured I could come here, and since you happened to be there. You wouldn't mind coming along." Harry answered her question as they finally reached the food section of the supermarket. He made sure to get everything he needed, but he reminded himself to get vegetables, including fruits he liked eating, like oranges and peaches. Even if Aunt Petunia had barely ever taught him anything, she had at least taught him what he needed to eat to be healthy since the vegetables were always cheaper than whatever Dudley ate to become like an elephant.
"I don't mind, Harry, but I have never been in a place like this," The Professor mumbled under her breath as Harry grabbed several jars with something red and dark inside. She didn't know what they were filled with, but she found that she didn't mind this place. It was a little too bright, but that was the only thing she didn't like.
"This is how muggles shop, Professor. They don't have spells or anything to make things fly on their hands." Harry said jokingly while keeping his voice down, now wanting anyone to hear them.
Minerva wanted to retort that things didn't fly in their hands like that without the use of a spell, but she decided to ask something else. "Tonks have enough food for you too. Why are you taking so much?" She asked softly as she followed him around. She got many odd looks from the muggles but ignored them as she noticed that Harry had yet to answer her question; his cart was full, almost overflowing with food.
"Harry," Minerva repeated his name, this time a little louder, but he acted as if he didn't even hear her; when it struck Minerva, she realized why he was trying to buy so much food.
"Harry," she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. The cart started riding away, but the boy quickly grabbed hold of it.
"Tonks will not try to starve you, Harry. They are good people." Minerva tried to reassure him, but the boy quickly shook her hand away from his shoulder before turning to face her, and only now she realized how cold his eyes could sometimes be.
"Professor, I have never met these people, and the only experience I have with them is them trying to kill Itisa," Harry said bitterly and continued when Minerva opened her mouth to defend them. "I know what you want to say, but right now, the only adult I trust to some degree is you."
Minerva didn't know what to say to that. She felt touched to hear that, but she wanted him to know there were many other adults he could trust, including the family he would stay with from now on; she knew Harry had told her that he would stay in that house only for a few months, before moving somewhere else, but she was hoping that he would change his mind eventually, she didn't know all the details of his childhood, but she didn't need to know all of them to know Harry had no friends beside Itisa. With his desire to read books and the way he would sink into them, she knew they were the only things he had to spend time on; it was no wonder the first thing Harry wanted to buy in Diagon Alley were books.
"Harry, I have taught enough students to know that my words will not change your mind, but you will see it for yourself. Tonks can become like a family for you," she reassured him in a sweet voice.
Harry gave her a skeptical look but decided not to spoil her mood. He liked it more when she smiled like that, so he continued what he had been doing before he was interrupted.
Soon enough, after grabbing oranges and peaches. They reached the cashier and waited their turn to pay for everything they had; thankfully, in front of them was a single man with red hair holding a box of cereals. Harry figured he would be done with it very quickly. He placed the box down before staring at the girl working there.
"Hey,"
"Hi."
"I would like to ask a few questions about this breakfast cereal." the man said almost too seriously; Harry wondered why he was asking the girl working on the counter.
"Yeah, a bunch of tricks," the girl said, pointing at the name on the box; from its image, Harry figured it was food bought for little kids.
"I'm lead to understand that the tricks inside the box are exclusively for children. Is that correct?"
The girl seemed a little caught off guard, and Harry even raised an eyebrow, wondering what this ginger man was trying to say.
"They say tricks are for kids in the commercials," the girl said with a slight stutter, pointing at the box's image of a little boy.
"Is that enforced by law?" the man asked in a very serious voice; now Harry was sure this man was probably too far into the deep end.
"Ahh...not to my knowledge. No," the girl answered with a growing irritation in her voice.
"So if I purchased these tricks, there would be no trouble."
"Noo...ahhh...you should be fine," the girl stammered, hoping this was it.
"You do understand that I am not a child," the man said in a grave voice, pointing at himself.
"It was difficult, but I was able to notice that." the girl said, shaking her head at the man, but the man didn't seem to notice the irritation in her voice.
"Okay I'm bringing this to my house, and... I won't be followed. Right?"
"No, that's not in our budget here." the girl said, exasperated.
Minerva, who had been too deep in her thoughts, only now noticed that Harry had yet to pay for the food and quickly saw the reason why it was taking so long. "Mister Weasley, what are you doing here?" Minerva asked with her grumpy voice.
Harry was sure he had heard Minerva mention that name once, but he stepped aside when the man turned around, a smile on his face growing. "Professor McGonagall. What are you doing in a mugg--this supermarket?" The man looked friendly enough, but from the sigh of irritation that escaped Minerva's lips, Harry realized this man wasn't the brightest.
"We can talk later, now. Pay for your food, and let the others pass." The man flushed in embarrassment, like his hair, before quickly handing the girl the money.
Harry sighed in relief and quickly paid for everything he wanted to buy. The girl smiled at him the whole time, and he turned red, especially when she giggled. Harry realized he liked that noise before walking out of the supermarket with Minerva carrying two bags.
As they walked out of the supermarket, a voice interrupted them. "Professor McGonagall. I wasn't expecting to see you here." the man approached them when they walked into the parking lot in front of the market.
"I could say the same for you, Mister Weasley." The old professor turned to face the man, looking at him like she was about to scold him.
Harry didn't pay much attention to what they were saying when he noticed that Itisa was a little tense that this new man, who was clearly a wizard, had approached them. "It's okay, good girl. I will protect you," Harry said sweetly, scratching the back of her ear. She purred from his attention. Harry chuckled when Itisa jumped on his shoulder, and the ginger man turned to look at Harry, with Minerva walking up to him.
"Harry, this is Mister Arthur Weasley, he works in the ministry. This boy is Harry." The man arched an eyebrow when Minerva mentioned nothing of a last name, but he seemed to shrug it off as he gave his hand to Harry, who shook his hand back.
"It's good to meet you, Mister Weasley. Professor McGonagall has said a lot of good things about you," Harry said politely, knowing this man worked in the ministry. He knew better than to be impolite towards him. He didn't know what his role was, but that mattered little when the man flashed a grin, and he seemed a little skeptical.
"Really!" the man said bemusedly, looking at the Professor briefly before looking down at the boy, only now noticing the cat on his shoulder.
"Quite a beautiful cat, you got there." the man said with a smile, but when he tried to pet the cat, Itisa growled, and the man quickly moved his hand away with a slight stutter.
"Quite a fierce one," Arthur said jokingly before noticing the puff of hair on the end of the cat's tail; he found that a little odd but ignored it as he turned to face the Professor.
"Have a good day, Professor." The man said before walking away.
Later
The next day, they all appeared in front of a house. Harry had expected to see a house with floating floors or something similar when he thought of a house that belonged to wizards, but the house in front of them seemed simple. If he didn't know that Wizards lived here, Harry would have never assumed this house was anything special.
The house was built on top of a small hillock overlooking the vast green fields. Behind it was a small garden, and Harry could see a forest far into the distance. The house was a simple two-story building painted white, with a red roof and two chimneys on top, one of which had smoke coming out. Harry noticed there were other houses, but those seemed at least a kilometer away from them.
"You ready, Potter?" Minerva asked softly, looking down at the boy beside him.
Harry looked at Itisa, who sat on his shoulder. She meowed, letting him know that she was ready. "We are ready," he said with a hint of excitement as he carried the trunk with his hands. The trunk was magical, so he could fit everything he needed inside, even the food he had bought for himself.
Upon walking up the stairs, Minerva rang the doorbell. For a few moments, nothing happened until they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The door opened, revealing a beautiful middle-aged woman with brown hair and kind eyes.
"Professor Minerva, Harry. It's good to have you here." The woman greeted them with a friendly smile. Harry shook her hand, but he noticed the way she eyed Itisa, who was resting on his shoulder.
They passed the threshold and walked into a hallway. A staircase near the door led to the second floor, and the hallway had four doors to the right. Harry noticed the door for the cupboard under the stairs. He swallowed thickly, hoping she wouldn't tell him that he would sleep under the stairs. As they were led through the hallway, the woman exchanged pleasantries with Minerva before walking past them and opening the first door to the right.
Upon entering, Harry's eyes found the man who had attacked Itisa. His name was Ted, he remembered, and the girl standing next to the man. Her pink hair was a dead giveaway. He felt Itisa tense up, quickly jumping from his shoulder, watching them warily, and growing in size just a bit more, almost wanting to intimate them. Harry noticed the woman had her wand between her slender fingers.
"Itisa, calm down, girl. They will not hurt you," Harry said with a playful voice. He knew she relaxed as she walked in between his legs but kept her size to that of a fully grown wolf. The woman put back the wand when the man whispered something in her ear before turning to face Harry.
"Harry Potter, welcome to our house. My name is Ted Tonks." The man greeted him politely. He seemed hesitant to shake his hand until Itisa walked out of his way. The man smiled in gratitude before shaking Harry's hand. "I'm really sorry for what happened that day. I didn't know your friend was tamed. I was only looking out for my daughter."
Harry didn't want to forgive him, but Itisa was fine, and he figured forgiving him would be a good step to gain people he could trust. "You are forgiven, Mister Tonks. Everyone would have done the same." Harry said politely; the man seemed relieved, and at that moment, the pink-haired girl quickly spoke with quiet energy.
"Can I hug your Nundu?" The girl asked excitedly, looking between Harry and Itisa, who let out a loud meow, making it clear she wasn't a fan of the idea. Harry snickered at her expression, but he knew Itisa wasn't friendly towards people she didn't know.
"Itisa, doesn't like hugs from strangers." Harry warned her, scratching her ears as he said it.
"Can I pet her?" Harry opened his mouth to answer when she started bombarding him with questions. "Can she fly? How much can she grow? Can she use the black breath? Did you see her use it?" She would have continued with her questions if she hadn't been interrupted.
"Nymphadora, stop it. This is not the time to play twenty questions." The woman quickly scolded her daughter. Harry noticed the way her hair turned from pink to red when the girl turned to face her mother before shouting.
"I HATE THAT NAME!!" She shouted, her voice echoing throughout the house.
Harry and Itisa exchanged looks. His Nundu had a funny expression on her face, almost wanting to tell him.
'It's not too late yet; just tell them that you want to live alone. We don't have to live in this house.'
"Not in front of the guest, Nymphadora. Show young Harry his room." The man ordered his daughter, pinning his daughter with a look for acting like that in front of their guest, and on the first day on top of that.
Harry noted not to call her that name, though he didn't understand why; her name was quite beautiful.
The girl's hair turned back to pink before turning to face Harry.
"Come with me Harry. Let's leave the annoying adults and have fun," Harry chuckled slightly as he followed her behind without saying a word, with Itisa quickly following behind.
He was glad to have the books with him; he doubted they would be against him reading them. As they walked through the hallway, he felt dread creeping into his chest when he saw the cupboard door. Thankfully, Nymphadora walked past the door and headed upstairs.
"So, you are in the third year, right?" Harry asked curiously, wanting to know more about Hogwarts, while the girl was not so subtly glancing back at Itisa, who growled back at her every time they made eye contact.
"Yes. Professor McGonagall teaches me Transfiguration--" She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed that Harry was carrying the bag by himself. She quickly grabbed the bag and started carrying it for him.
"No worries, Harry. I can carry this for you," She reassured him when she noticed he was ready to protest.
Harry found himself smiling as they walked upstairs; he could hear the Professor talking something with Miss Andromeda and Ted from the common room.
"Thank you, I don't know this house has such good service, my lady." Harry couldn't help himself, especially when she rolled her eyes at him.
"Well if this is a service, then I expect something in return." she teased back at him.
"You know you are not supposed to take money from little children." Harry fired back at her. She pulled her tongue at him as they stopped before a door.
"You are not a little child, you are the Devil," She teased.
"A cute devil, then." Harry quickly fired back at her, enjoying the way she smiled. This time, she even giggled at his words as she pulled down the bag he had been carrying.
"Whew! Finally, what is this bag filled with, anyway, elephants?" She japed, but suddenly the thoughts weren't as ridiculous; when she remembered that Harry had a Nundu with him, a part of her still couldn't believe that a Nundu. A Freaking Nundu was right beside Harry, the same ones who had enough strength to level entire cities; she really wished Penny was with her right now, to see her face.
"Not elephants this time, but muggle books, and wizarding books." Harry explained as Tonks opened the bag to see the mountain of books he had with him.
"Oh, didn't take you for a nerd." Tonks teased him, looking away from the books just in time to see Harry's flushed face.
"If be nerd, you mean smarter than you, then yeah. I'm a nerd." Harry quickly fired back at her with a smile, trying to get rid of the flush from his cheeks.
Tonks hated to admit that Harry was quite adorable, but that didn't mean she would allow him to say something like that without her saying something back at him. "Girls don't like nerds, Harry. You will never have a girlfriend like this."
"Don't worry, my charm only attracts smart girls, so you are safe from me." Tonks gasped at his words. Since when a child could talk like that, she really wanted to fire back at him somehow, to gain the upper hand, but she quickly realized she was fighting a losing battle with this evil child.
"So, what should I call you if not your name?"
"Tonks, call me Tonks." She quickly answered, happy that at least someone in her house would finally start calling her by the name she wanted to be called.
"Tonks...hmmm...." Oh no, she quickly thought, seeing him looking as if he was thinking deeply about something. Probably something else to embarrass her. She wondered how it was possible that he was able to embarrass her when it was supposed to be the opposite.
"That's not good enough for you."
"Okay, smartass. What would you call me?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Nyma, or Nym. It's simpler, and sounding better." Harry said with a grin. Itisa let out a meow beside him as if agreeing with what he said.
Huh, she thought that was not so bad, but she didn't want him to know she liked the nickname. Instead, she let out a 'huh' from her lips and turned to open the door of his room.
"Welcome, Harry," she said in a comforting tone. Harry stepped inside and was greeted by a sight that made his eyes widen in amazement.
The room was well-lit, and the gentle rays of the sun peeked through the window, casting a warm yellow glow on the walls. As Harry walked further into the room, he noticed the full bathroom on the left, complete with a shower and a bathtub. On the right was a large closet, big enough to fit all his belongings. In the center of the room was a cozy bed with soft sheets and fluffy pillows.
A desk on the opposite wall was perfect for studying or working on his assignments. Nymphadora noticed Harry's excited look and chuckled. "I'm glad you like it, little devil," she said, her voice tinged with satisfaction. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or my annoying mother," she added, gesturing towards the door. Harry nodded, his bright smile widening as he took in his new surroundings.
"I will, Nyma," Harry said with a slight smile, looking at her over his shoulder.
Harry sat on his new bed, feeling the softness of the fabric under his fingertips. He looked around the room, taking in every detail. The walls were painted a deep shade of blue, with a hint of silver glitter to give them a magical touch. The bed was large and comfortable, with a silk duvet and fluffy pillows.
"It's wonderful, Nym. Trust me. It's much better than my old home." His eyes twinkled with joy as he looked around the cozy living room, taking in the warmth of the fireplace and the loving atmosphere surrounding him.
Nymphadora, too, couldn't help but feel pleased, but a slight tension crept into her body when Harry mentioned his old 'home.'
For a fleeting moment, Nymphadora considered asking Harry about his previous living situation, but she quickly dismissed the thought. She knew from experience that some wounds were best left to heal on their own and that Harry would feel uncomfortable discussing his time with the Dursleys.
"Dinner will be ready shortly, little devil. I'll be sure to give you a holler when everything's set." Nyma left and closed the door of his room leaving Harry alone with Itisa. The Nundu quickly jumped on his bed before jumping on his shoulder.
"Itisa, this is our room now," Harry said with a wink. This room was easily ten times larger than the cupboard.
Knowing it would take time before dinner was ready, he quickly grabbed his books and began reading about the magical creatures.
Four Hours Later
She spent all day in the kitchen, perfecting her recipes and adding a touch of magic to every dish. She had never cooked for Harry before, but she wanted to make sure that he felt welcome and appreciated. The table was set with beautiful dishes and glasses, and the aroma of the food filled the air. Andromeda had even set out a special plate for Harry, adorned with glittering stars and moons. Her husband had left for his job and would return soon. She hoped he would return in time to eat with them. Professor McGonagall had left shortly after Harry was settled in his room. She felt her eyes burn a little when the little boy hugged the old Professor.
'Thank you, Professor, ' Harry said with a bright smile. The old witch, who usually had very cold eyes, looked down at the boy softly. When she kneeled to his level, she almost seemed on the verge of tears.
'You are a sweet boy, Harry. I only wish I could have helped you more and if you ever need to talk about anything. Do you know how to call me?' She said gently, kissing his forehead. '
"I'll call Harry," Tonks said as she walked upstairs.
As Andromeda settled down in the living room, she couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over her as she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
She turned her head just in time to see Harry Potter stride in.
As he walked into the grand dining hall, the tantalizing aroma of a sumptuous feast wafted through the air, filling his senses with delight. With a grin on his face, Harry approached the head of the table. "It smells delicious, Miss Andromeda," he said genuinely.
"Thank you, dear," she said with a warm smile, her eyes sparkling with joy as she welcomed him. "Come on, let's have dinner. You must be hungry," she declared with a gentle touch on his shoulder.
Harry scooted out of the chair when Nym tried to sit; she smiled at him before telling him he was too young to be her boyfriend. The boy turned red before shaking his head, a little in disbelief. Once they started eating, Harry started bombarding Tonks with questions about Hogwarts. The girl answered each question she could, and Andromeda watched them with a smile, but her eyes would occasionally fall on the Nundu eating with Harry. She knew the Nundu was tamed; anyone could see that, but that still didn't stop her from getting worried that the Nundu might decide to destroy everything, and she knew if that happened, none of them was powerful enough to stop her.
"How did you change your hair? When your mother called you by your other name? Did you use a spell?" Harry asked excitedly after he swallowed what he had been chewing. He knew not to talk with his mouth full. He knew people could get disgusted.
"No. I'm Metamorphmagus." She answered casually, but when she saw his confused face, she quickly remembered that Harry had no idea what she was talking about.
"A Metamorphmagus is someone able to change into anything they want." She demonstrated that by turning her mouth into a beak before turning it back into a human mouth; she giggled when Harry's mouth fell open.
"Wait, can you turn into different people?" Harry quickly asked, amazed by the sight.
"Yes and No. I can't just turn into whoever I want. It takes a lot from me to turn into someone else, and even then, is not a perfect copy, unless I know that someone else very well." Harry nodded in understanding as they continued talking about Hogwarts. Harry couldn't stop asking questions, and Tonks was more than happy to answer all of them.
"Dinner was delicious, Miss Andromeda," Harry said with a small smile. "Let me wash the dishes."
"Oh no, Harry, you're a guest here. I will wash them with magic," Andromeda offered to Harry, her voice filled with concern as she noticed him staring at the pile of dishes in the sink.
While Harry was relieved to hear that, he wanted to cook at least. He found it quite enjoyable and wanted to make a good impression on them.
"Miss Andromeda," he began, his tone carefully respectful, "if you want, I can cook for the house tomorrow morning."
"You know how to cook, Harry?" she questioned, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Harry turned to face Nym, his innocent smile hiding his inner apprehension. "Yes. I...I used to like it, but I haven't cooked in a while. If you let me, I would like to try again," he offered, hoping his words would convince Nym to let him prepare a meal.
"No problem, Harry," Nym answered, flashing a warm smile at him before her mother could even respond.
"Thank you, Nym. I will make the best dish." Andromeda was ready to ask how he learned to clean and prepare food when they both heard a loud whooshing sound coming from the floo network in the corner of the room. The bright green flames suddenly erupted from the fireplace. As the flames subsided, a tall man stepped out of the fireplace, dusting off the soot from his clothes.
"I'm here, Andromeda," Ted declared with a broad smile. He walked over to her and gave her a warm embrace. Andromeda smiled back at him, grateful for his timely arrival. Ted pulled away from his wife to greet the young man.
"I hope my daughter is treating you well, Harry, but be careful. Behind that innocent smile is a devil," Ted almost burst out laughing when his daughter gave him a glare for saying that, while Harry couldn't help but chuckle.
"Oh, and here she was calling me a devil," Harry added wittyly. Angry, she grinded her teeth but couldn't stop the smile of amusement from growing on her face.
*
*
"This is not working," Harry groaned in frustration as he moved his hand around, trying to do wandless magic, but nothing was happening.
Two weeks had passed since he started living with the Tonks, and so far, they were good people; they never showed any signs that his presence was too much, they fed him regularly, and they never seemed annoyed when Harry wanted more food. They only told him to do something in the house if he wanted to. They never complained about his presence in the house, as far as he knew. The only downside was Lady Andromeda sometimes gave Itisa wary looks as if expecting her to attack them at any moment, but Harry tried to ignore that; he was sure that sooner or later, she would realize that Itisa would not harm them.
For the past two weeks, Nyma has tried to hug Itisa at any opportunity she can find, which results in Itisa growling at the girl for daring to approach her. Mister Ted scolded his daughter, telling her that Itisa wasn't her pet and that she should stop trying to hug Harry's pet, but that did little to stop the pink-haired witch; she still tried to do that. Thankfully, Itisa didn't try to attack the girl and simply ran away from her.
On his first day here, Harry wasted no time starting to study everything he could. He started reading the books he had bought. However, he still made sure to learn a few things from the muggle books he had, like Geography and biology, a few things about the human body, and how to speak new languages, like French, Italian, German, and probably Russian.
When Tonks had caught him learning new languages, she had called him a 'Super Nerd' and had quickly run out of the room before Harry could say something back to her, but that didn't mean he left her off the hook; he would get his revenge.
On the fifth day, Harry decided to start learning wandless magic. Since he was still too young to have his own wand, he figured he could start using spells with wandless magic. One day, he had expressed his desire to have a wand so he could start learning spells, but Tonks had crushed his hopes by telling him.
' "It's forbidden to use any sort of magic outside of school when you are still an underage wizard, Harry. I'm afraid even when you go to Hogwarts, you can practice your spells only while you are there." '
That was the dumbest rule Harry had ever heard. He couldn't fathom why that would be a rule in the first place. Sure, he understood why an underage wizard couldn't do that when they were in the muggle world, the whole thing about secrecy. Still, he didn't understand why he couldn't do that when he was in his own house or when he was clearly living in a piece of land where only magical families lived.
But Harry quickly reminded himself that just because a rule said he couldn't do something, that didn't mean he needed to follow that rule, and since it was a dumbass rule, that gave him even more reasons not to follow that rule, and since he was doing wandless magic, he was sure they wouldn't be able to track him, and know he had been using magic.
So, Harry had started reading everything he could about wandless magic, and he followed the instructions to the t, but despite his best efforts, all his tries had been fruitless so far, but that didn't mean he was giving up, no, he would never give up.
And now, he found himself trying to use the Aqua charm. According to the books he read, the charm was supposed to shoot a jet of water from the wand's tip; it was a charm used to put out a fire. But since he had no wand, the book described that the water would form on his hand. But so far, no matter how hard he tried, his hand remained as dry as a desert.
After a few more tries, he huffed loudly. "Any idea, girl?" Harry asked hopefully, looking up at Itisa, who was busy climbing the walls without a care in the world. The nundu turned her head to face him before letting out a meow sound. Harry was sure she was trying to help him, but he couldn't understand a word she said.
"Very helpful, girl," Harry said dryly as he tried once again to use wandless magic, but once again, his hand remained dry. The book mentioned something about needing to focus on what he wanted, that he needed to imagine the water on his hand. He closed his eyes firmly and imagined a ball of water floating above his palm, and he made the movement needed for the spell. Much to his disappointment, despite trying ten times, it wasn't working.
"Come On..." Harry said, exasperated; he grabbed the book and flipped through the pages, trying to see if he had perhaps missed something, when he heard a much louder Meow.
"What is it, girl?" Harry quickly asked, looking up at her with a hint of concern, but the nundu didn't answer him. Instead, she jumped down from the ceiling and landed without making noise. She opened her mouth, and Harry expected to hear meowing, but instead, she let out a strange growling sound, almost like she was struggling to breathe, and then closed her mouth. Harry didn't understand what she was trying to say when he remembered how he had talked when Dumbledore told him to use Parseltongue; he still didn't understand what had happened that day.
"Are you saying I should speak my...other language before performing the spell?" Harry asked with a tilt of his head, and the Nundu nodded her head, her golden eyes looking back at his emerald eyes. He didn't know why, but sometimes he felt that he had seen those sets of eyes before like he had known Itisa even before he met her in the park, but he knew that wasn't possible, and instead focused on his wandless magic.
He closed his eyes and imagined that a snake was in front of him—the same snake he had seen at the park.
"Aqua." He drawled, but nothing happened. He took a deep breath and tried to use a different one.
"Aaaquuaaa!!" The moment he hissed those words, his hand got soaked in water. He gasped and opened his eyes, only to see his hand dripping with water and a small orb of water floating above it. But the moment his focus was broken, the orb fell down on his palm, losing form, the droplets falling on the carpet below, but Harry was far too excited to care.
"YES!!" Harry shouted in excitement, jumping on his tiptoes. He quickly grabbed Itisa and hugged her tightly.
"We did it, girl. Thanks to you." Harry shouted in excitement before pulling her away; when she landed on his bed, she gave him a smug look as if to say.
'What is this 'we' you are speaking of? I did everything. Without me, you will still be banging your head against the wall, trying to figure it out.'
Harry laughed, scratching the back of her head; she purred from the attention; he knew just where to scratch her. "Don't worry, just for this. I will cook you your favorite meal. How does that sound?" Harry asked with a grin and chuckled when Itisa's face brightened up as if Christmas had come early before licking his nose, making it clear that she liked the thought of eating her favorite meal.
Harry quickly started trying again; he knew this spell needed to be done better.
For the next five hours, he kept trying to make the water float in an orb form above his palm, but so far. The orb would keep its form for a few seconds before losing it. Harry wondered if the spells he was trying to do were a little too advanced for him right now. After all, this spell was a third-year spell.
"Huh, I wonder if Nyma still has her school books from the first year," Harry mumbled before leaving the room.
At this point, he was so used to Itisa jumping on his shoulder that he didn't even notice that she did as he was leaving the room; his hand quickly reached up, scratching her nose, and she purred delightfully as he walked up to her room.
He knocked on her door and heard her shout for him to enter. Opening the door, he found Tonks lying on her stomach on her bed, scrambling something on a parchment. She was surrounded by books and notebooks. She looked away from the parchment, and her face brightened up when she saw him.
"Oh, Harry. Did you miss me? Is that why you are here?" He turned a bit red from her teasing smile but quickly regained his composure when he reminded himself why he was here in the first place.
"Nyma, do you still have your books from the first year?" Harry asked; she arched an eyebrow before chuckling.
"Nerddddddd." She dragged the letter 'd' with a growing smile before sitting up on her bed when Harry rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, Nymphad—" He stopped just before he was finished when she gave him a warning look, a look that promised pain if he finished saying that name, but he simply flashed her an innocent grin.
"Do you still have them?" Harry asked again, wanting to return back to studying as fast as possible.
"Luckily for you, I still have them, but what do I get in return?" Tonks asked with a greedy smile.
"You know they should have sorted you into the Slytherins where you belong." Harry retorted half-heartedly; she giggled slightly before standing up from her bed.
"You should work on your flattery, Harry. Girls like compliments." She teased him more when she approached him.
"I have plenty of flattery, Tonks. Is not my fault that all my compliments fly over your head."
"Whatever, what do I get in return?" Tonks asked with an eye roll, especially when Harry chuckled.
"Well, if you give me the books. I won't tell your parents that you sneaked out of the house two nights ago." If possible, the smugness on his face grew beyond human comprehension, especially when Tonks's face fell.
"How!" she almost screamed before quickly closing the door behind Harry and pinning him with what she assumed was an intimidating look. However, from the way he chuckled, she figured she wasn't doing a good job. "How do you know about that?" She whisper shouted at him.
"Nyma. I like you, but you are as stealthy as a brick." Harry said a little dryly before adding. "It's a miracle your parents don't know about your late-night dates."
"I'm not dating anyone, Harry. I just went out with my friends, Penny, and a few others, but why haven't you told my parents?" She asked, genuinely curious as she folded her arms.
"Nyma, I know what is like to have your every move watched, and everyone needs to have a bit of fun in their life." Harry answered, suddenly sounding much more mature than he looked.
Nym was a little taken aback by his tone and words. She wondered how bad his life with the Dursleys had been, but she knew better than to ask. She had asked her parents about it, but they had strictly told her never to ask Harry about his childhood and not to bring it up unless he brought it up himself.
"Oh, thank you, Harry." She noticed that he was about to say something along the lines of 'think nothing of it,' but she quickly stopped it. "I mean it, Harry. My parents, well. I love them, but they wouldn't let me go out at such a late hour, so Thank you. I really mean it."
Harry felt his heart swell with joy, especially when she hugged him; for a moment, he was stuck there, not knowing what to do, his arms limply swaying, before returning the hug.
Pulling away, Tonks walked up to a shelf, opened a drawer, and grabbed the books one after the other. Eight books in total, she handed them into his stretched arms.
"Here, I hope you enjoy them more than I did. I can already see the faces they will make when you finally enter Hogwarts." Tonks said as she helped him to carry half of the books to his room. Once they carried all the books, Tonks gave him a light kiss on the cheeks.
"Huh, that was interesting." Harry said cheekily, looking at her with a grin.
"Oh, shut up." she rolled her eyes before returning back to her chamber.
Two Weeks Later
"Do you think they will let me keep Itisa?" Harry asked as he used a knife to butter his toast. Itisa let out a meow, knowing they were talking about her, as she ate what Harry had given her.
Andromeda eyed the Nundu suspiciously. A whole month has passed since Harry started living with them, and despite that, she found it difficult to relax knowing a Nundu was sleeping under their roof.
Tonks sitting beside Harry perked up at the question. "Dumbdoor will probably-"
"Nymphadora. Show some respect." Andromeda interrupted her daughter with a scolding look; Nym glared back at her for using the name she hated.
Knowing this could escalate into another match of shouting between the two, with his daughter yelling that she hated that name, he put down the newspaper and looked at his family.
"What my daughter is trying to say is that Dumbledore hasn't told anyone yet about your little friend. From the Professors, Hagrid might be the most welcoming of your little friend."
Harry had heard that name from McGonagall, and she said he loved magical animals and might take a liking to Itisa.
"What is he like?" Harry asked before taking a bite from the toast, not wanting to talk while he ate.
"He's eleven feet tall, Harry. He lives in a small house in the grounds of Hogwarts." Nym answered and looked back at the boy; Harry's eyes widened as he swallowed the piece of toast.
"How is he so tall?" Harry asked incredulously as Itisa jumped on his head, using his hair like a pillow for her to rest. She, too, seemed to be paying attention to their conversation.
"He's a half-giant, Harry," Andromeda answered softly, but a certain energetic pink-haired girl interrupted before he could ask another question.
"Wait, he's half Giant!" The surprise in her tone caused Ted to snicker.
"Yes. Did you think he became like that by drinking too much milk?" Mister Ted teased, causing Nym to blush adorably, and that only got worse when Harry snickered before looking up at Andromeda.
"How is he a half-giant?"
"His mother was a giant, and his father was a normal wizard," Andromeda answered airly.
"Wait, so how did they-how did they..." Nym's words trailed off as she pressed the tip of her fingers together, making it clear what she was insinuating.
"With a ladder and a lot of determination," Harry mumbled audibly before he could stop himself, earning a burst of laughter from Ted and Nym, while Andromeda didn't seem quite as amused as she glared at her daughter.
"No talking during eating." Harry chuckled as he gave Itisa another piece of bread.
During the last two weeks, Harry kept practicing his magic. He didn't know what it was exactly, but somehow, he was able to use spells when he spoke that language that Dumbledore mentioned. The only thing that annoyed him was that none of the books he had mentioned anything about this language, something Dumbledore had warned him about.
With the first-year spells, it was much easier; the first spell he had successfully performed with his voice was Alohamora. It took a few tries, but after imagining doing the spell and speaking the spell in the other language, he was able to do the charm as if he had a wand; for a moment, he had thought that he was doing wandless magic, but the book mentioned nothing of one being able to cast the spell without the move of hands. Harry still needed to use his hands a little, but it was nothing compared to what the book described, so he concluded that whatever language he was speaking allowed him to cast spells.
The second spell he had successfully used was Lumos. A ball of light had formed on his hand; the orb was smaller than a penny but bright enough to lighten up the entire room during the night, but Harry wasn't done there; he wanted to see if he could change the spells with just his voice. At first, nothing happened, but after two days of trying, he was able to make the orb grow in size and even heat up in temperature. Harry figured out that somehow his voice was using magic, and by focusing more on what he wanted, he was able to add a few changes to the spells he was using.
Right now, he was stuck with turning a matchbox into a needle. No matter how hard he tried, all he accomplished was making the matchbox shrink on itself, but it never even came close to turning into a needle.
Night
"What am I doing wrong?" Harry asked himself with growing irritation as he closed his eyes once again. He imagined the matchbox turning into a needle and said the spell using the unknown language. When he opened his eyes, the matchbox had once again shrunk on itself, but this time, it had formed a tiny ball, smaller than a penny.
As he sank into his bed with a huff, he felt Itisa walking up to his neck. "What do you think, girl? What am I doing wrong?" He asked, but Itisa did not answer. Instead, she opened her mouth and released purple breath.
Harry wondered why she kept doing this every night when he suddenly felt...sleepy. His eyes felt heavy like rocks, and the desire to sleep became too much. He tried to keep his eyes open, but he just couldn't.
What is happening...
*
*
Harry opened his eyes, but instead of the ceiling, he was staring at a yellow sky, the yellow clouds letting him know he was outside; he could feel the rough surface of the ground on his back.
Wait, outside! Harry quickly stood up, looking around in confusion and bewilderment. As he stood back on his feet, he realized he was standing in the middle of a flower field. All the flowers were purple and white, and each one was half a meter tall. The smell felt heavenly. He couldn't remember ever smelling something like this, and his eyes searched around for anything familiar. He noticed a hill in the distance, with a castle built on top and walls around it.
"How did I get here?!" Harry wondered out loud when he heard faint footsteps from behind. He spun around, and in front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His face turned red when she smiled sweetly at him, flashing her beautiful white teeth.
She had a heart-shaped face and thick and curly silver-gold hair that she wore long, half of which fell freely on her front, covering a little of her face. She wore a white gown with a strange symbol stitched into her chest area and a Riviere necklace around her neck, holding three gemstones: green, red, and blue. She had mismatched eyes, one emerald and one red like blood. She had long, beautiful legs, but her feet were bare, yet no dirt was in them.
Harry was ready to ask who she was and what this place was when a creature walked from behind the woman. A gasp escaped his mouth at the sight of this magical creature.
"A Nundu!" He gasped, but this one was a little different from Itisa. This one's fur was all red, and his head was similar to that of a tiger. Unlike Itisa, this one had horns growing from behind his head like a dragon. He could even see snake-like scales around its body. The tip of his tail was engulfed in purple flames.
Harry looked at the Nundu closely when his attention turned back to the woman.
"It's a pleasure to meet thee. I have waited centuries for thy return, young wizard." The woman's voice was like a song to his soul. He felt relaxed, sleepy, and comfortable; he felt like he could trust her every word, and he felt a growing warmth on his chest.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Loretta Emrys. As my succesor. I will help thee to learn the tongue of Magic and Creation. Maageia's Tongue."
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