The Familiar- A/N- This is my first fanfiction so please be nice, constructive crticism is welcome.

Chapter 1

Being swung around in circles isn't exactly a nice sensation so it was no wonder that I was feeling very sick and about ready to rip the head of my tormenter. If only I would stop feeling so dizzy I might actually be able to see who they were. Some deity must have heard my prayer as the motions promptly stopped and I was held at arms length, facing my tormentors. There were four of them the first two larger than the others both with dark hair, one wearing glasses. The other two stood a little further back one constantly twitching as though he was nervous, the other calmly reading a book. However I could sense that the first pair were more of a threat to me being the two dominant males of the group, the others were merely lesser males and no threat to me.

"What shall we do with it?" asked the one with the glasses

"Give it to me," replied the other dominant male "I could have some fun with it"

"I didn't think that dogs really ate cats," laughed the spectacled one

"I'll make an exception"

He reached out to take me from the spectacled one who was holding me by the scruff of the neck. All the while I was silently fuming about the condition of my fur after this encounter until I finally noticed that the one dominant male was reaching out for me. I didn't like the look in his eyes and immediately began to struggle in the grasp of the spectacled one.

"Oh just let it go Padfoot!" exclaimed the one with the book "It's not even a kitten it's a ferret kit!"

"Looks more like a rat to me," Padfoot replied still with his hand hovering near enough for it to pose a risk but not near enough for me to touch it.

"Oi!" exclaimed the furtive looking male

"Oops sorry Wormtail," replied Padfoot

Laughing the spectacled one drew me back slightly from Padfoot and just as I began to hope that I was saved, I was suddenly flung in the air. The world turned upside down until Padfoot deftly caught me.

The idea that this brute could really hurt me when I was so young, adding on top of that, that I looked like an adorable, fluffy baby ferret that could melt the hardest of hearts sent me into overdrive. I'm not naturally a nice animal and although I look fluffy and cute I have a vicious temper. It just so happened the man called Padfoot was at the end of it. 10 minutes later Padfoot sported various deep scratches along his face, hands and arms. Peeling me off his right forearm which I was then using to sharpen my claws he flung me away from him as he ran off, the other three hard on his heels no doubt going to help him to tend to his wounds.

It was lucky that I landed in a nearby fountain otherwise I could have been badly hurt in the fall. However I didn't feel so lucky at the time cursing to myself silently as I dragged myself from the water all the while coughing and sneezing, thoroughly shaken with my close encounter. I collapsed on the stone edge of the water feature and tried to catch my breath. That's when I first noticed him, hiding behind a statue of Poseidon. Curiosity irked despite my condition I dooked to him (a noise any ferret will make when happy or in this case trying to entice someone to come closer), hoping to attract his attention and some means of help. Slowly and hesitantly he made his way over to me, the time it took for him to do so, allowed me to have a closer look at him. Black shoulder length hair hung around his sullen face, and he wore green and black robes. He glided towards me all the while looking around to check no-one else was in the quiet courtyard. Suddenly he stopped around six feet from me and he clearly did not want to get any closer. I smirked to myself; at least this one had some common sense. Normally a ferret is just that, a ferret simply an animal however ferrets or other animals that have been brought up in the magical world tend to be slightly different. Many can interact with their masters or mistresses and it is said that those who share a close bond with their owners can even hear each others thoughts. Like that would ever happen, I may be a young kit but I am not naïve, it's merely a story told to kits by their mother, to give them hope that they may perhaps one day have this special bond. It was no wonder the boy was nervous though, I had after all probably scarred the boy named Padfoot for life if not physically then mentally. But I needed help, there was no doubt about that, I was cold and wet and so I flopped over onto my back hoping to entice the boy to come closer. I would have started rolling around in a cute manner if I had the energy. Edging closer the boy stretched out a hand as though to touch me, I flinched slightly at the thought of being touched, I never was a very sociable creature always distancing myself from my brothers and sisters, but I needed his help so I stayed where I was. Slowly he laid a hesitant hand on my head only to leap back suddenly when a flash of light and heat erupted between us. I can only say that my reaction was completely instinctive and that I didn't do it deliberately but the fact remains that I still bit him, and hard.

"OOHH!" screamed the boy as he leapt back from me.

I however was chasing my tail in wonderment. I had never felt like this before all warm and fuzzy just after the initial burst of heat and light, like I was part of the bigger picture.

I was interrupted when the boy began muttering vulgarities. "Well there's no need to be so rude" I thought turning back around to look at the boy "Honestly I didn't bite you that hard"

"What do you mean you didn't bit me hard its…" trailing off the boy as he stared at me wide eyed.

I gaped at him in shock; he'd just heard my thoughts that meant that we had bonded. Of course the heat and the flash of white light was a sure sign of bonding.

"What do you mean? What Bonding?" asked the boy taking out his wand and healing the bite that I had given him. Oh yes I had forgotten about the whole reading each others thoughts, well this would take some getting used to.

"Are you really so dense human, that you don't know what happens when a wizard and familiar bond?" I thought

"Of course I do" replied the boy still keeping his distance (not that I blame him) "But hearing each others thoughts are rare and besides you're not a cat or an owl"

"And you think that familiars can only be cats or owls? Who would want an owl anyway? They leave droppings everywhere and there gone half the time on errands. And cats! Bah! Such pompous creatures not nearly as intelligent as ferrets" I stopped my internal rant when I realised he was smirking at me.

"Don't smirk at me boy! By the looks of it we're stuck together now and I should probably mention that as I was born in the magical world I'll probably live as long as you will. Oh and what fun that will be."

"Your speech is very mature for one so young you're only a baby" replied the boy

I arched my back in my displeasure "What are you talking about boy I may be young, 7 months old for your information, but then so are you and you're nowhere near as incoherent as males your own age. What is your name?"

He sniggered at that and I calmed enough to hear his mumbled name, something that sounded like Sev'rus.

"Don't you have an owner already?" he asked

"Do you really think that if I had an owner they would allow me to be chucked into a fountain? No I do not have an owner but now I do. Oh and you may want to know that you should never wake me up when I'm sleeping, I get very aggressive. Bring me toys to play with and read to me when you can. Oh and my name is Sophia."

"Wait a minute," he protested "I've never wanted a pet before why should I wish for one now?"

"Bad luck then you're stuck with me". It was my turn to smirk at his shocked expression; I was going to enjoy this.