A/N: PLEASE NOTE. THIS CHAPTER IS DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL ONE I POSTED. THE ORIGINAL HAD CHANGED HARRY'S OTHER FORM INTO THAT OF A WOLF. I DECIDED THAT DEVIATED A BIT TOO FAR FROM WHAT PET WAS AND WAS NOT WHAT I HAD PLANNED.

Well, here I am, a few years later. This is the rewrite of Pet. (sorry for those of you waiting for Paradise Lost(on hiatus…I'll explain), A Beautiful Reflection(hit a snag in the next chapter that I'm working out), and Of Darkness and Black Skies(Gabumon wants to stay as Garurumon but I need Gabumon for this chapter) )

The first edition of Pet was rushed, and grammar was a hot mess. Now, my grammar is better(I've learned not to use , so much; and the wonders of ; and : and - ) and since I have it all written out already, it won't be rushed!

There are a few major changes from Pet that I will note here, one being Animagi. I had everyone being one in the first edition. This one, not everyone will be one. Tom, and Severus will still be. A drastic change is what their forms are. Tom is still a snake, but Severus now only has a Felidae form- a snow leopard. Luna and Neville are Animagi- an Andean Mountain cat and black bear- as is Draco(an Artic Wolf) But that's it.

There are other animals…but that's a little secret.

(Lucius still dies though, sadly. But, the person I brought back in Pet, is here too. I won't spoil that for new readers.)

Warnings: Angst, MAJOR AND MINOR CHARACTER DEATH(Rest assured, it's not Severus or Harry…), Evil!Dumbledore/Good!Dumbledore(It actually depends on how you see Tom's side of the war in this story.)

A little more explanation…bold is pretty much always going to be used for A/N's. Italics are going to be used for thoughts, ζparseltongueζ (Using the Greek letter Zeta.), or familiars such as Hedwig ϠspeakingϠ(using Greek letter sampi.) Other Animagi speaking will be using ϧ(Greek letter khei) though not all Animagi can speak in their animal form, it depends on their magical levels. If a witch/wizard can speak, they lose the ability if their levels drop below 62% . Italics have another use…but I'll leave that be for now. All I will add is that they will be 'like this'. Underline will be used if a prophecy/omen is being said, or if something holds major significance such as from a book(whether said book be made up or real). Book names shall also be underlined.

Uh…I think that's about it? So without further ado, here is the first part of Pet's redo: RHYTHM OF THE WAR DRUMS.(yes I'm still using Pet by A Perfect Circle for this.)

Prologue: Between the Resurrection and the Prophecy Unborn

The sound of locks sliding into place were a grace he thought he would never receive that night. Harry collapsed into the small, hard bed, uncaring of the deep red stains that would remain from the harsh movement.

ϠOh, my sweet little one…Ϡ The cooing came from beside his bed on a nightstand. Hedwig, his Snowy Owl, watched him with sad eyes as Harry tried to stretch out. His ribs just would not cooperate. Something that day had knocked them hard, and he could feel the strain in them.

Most summer days were like that. Long, tiring hours of working for his relatives, and beatings when he could not finish in time. This time, he was lucky. The beating was not as long and the night still young. He would have time to fix the strain.

"Damnit." He muttered. Stretching out was doing no good, only sufficing to bring him close to tears from the pain. It was then that he felt familiar talons on his back and screwed his eyes shut.

ϠHold still, I think I can fix this- it feels like it's too high.Ϡ Hedwig was balancing on his back with one foot, the other raised and her wings out to steady her. She could feel what was troubling her Family- what all familiars called their human counterparts- and it was a quick fix for her. As Harry stilled, she struck downward with her raised foot. A pained gasp was the only sound Harry gave, and it signaled to Hedwig that she had been right. She could feel the light buzz of magic doing the best it could to help. ϠWhatever for this time?Ϡ She gingerly ran one wing over a place she knew to be blood soaked.

"B-burned dinner." Harry mumbled. He opened his eyes as Hedwig moved his glasses off his face. Everything began to sharpen and soften all at the same time in his vision, forcing him to focus on his Familiar's black and white down.

His eyesight had been acting up all summer. Some days it hurt his eyes to wear his glasses, making everything either far too sharp or too blurry for him. Other days they seemed perfectly fine, and there were some days when he could not see anything clear at all.

Harry could not help but think ruefully at other things that had not been clear in his life. How about that prophecy that came from a crazy woman who could give Bellatrix a run for her money? There was no way in hell a prophecy like that could have come from the woman who predicted his death every time he walked into her classroom. How about Dumbledore saying he couldn't save Sirius, but then that strange letter signed with Padfoot's paw print? It was a recent one too. Harry kept the letter underneath his pillow, the only words on it being 'I'm safe. Don't worry.' He knew it was from Padfoot, because only a Marauder would think to sign a letter with rainbow ink.

Beside that letter, was something Harry kept hidden even from Hedwig. Parchment that smelled of wild flowers and dew. Something vital to him, something that gave his life reason. Something that explained so much in so little detail.

Something that kept him grounded and unwilling to do what he so very much wanted to do to his 'relatives'.

ϠYou should sleep little one.Ϡ Hedwig moved back to her perch. She could see the exhaustion in Harry and knew it would be best for him.

"Yeah." His head fell against the pillow and the last sound he heard was two pieces of parchment rusting under the added weight before he was asleep.

-.-.-.-.-

"What news do you bring me, Severus?"

The snow leopard sat just behind and to the right of the tall figure dressed in dark robes. Dark eyes lowered respectfully in the presence of the powerful wizard. With his tail uncurling around his paws, Severus stood up. "My Lord, there are plans to collect him two days before the thirty-first. The Headmaster told the Order," he sneered at that word- they were no Order, just a bunch of mindless followers, "that it would be safer for the brat to be at the Mutt's place."

"Will he go is the question." Silver eyes narrowed at the two in the room. "With his godfather…at my manor, will Potter even accept it?"

Severus shook his head. "It is not a matter of acceptance. Dumbledore plans to…get rid of the brat."

The third man in the room shifted around to look at Severus. "Get rid of, as in kill him?"

"Yes, My Lord."

Voldemort grew silent as he thought over what his spy had brought him. The Light side's leader was planning to get rid of his 'pawn'. Voldemort thought about what that would mean. "The prophecy would be null and void, with him dead. And would Lupin even allow him to kill Potter?"

"It is already voided, it was fifteen years ago." Severus explained. "For all intents and purposes, you did not survive. The brat did though, which fulfilled the prophecy. And Dumbledore was planning for something to go wrong with the apparation."

"Really now?" Voldemort hummed. Severus was right, the prophecy held no meaning. Their fighting, all five years of it, was for nothing. The Light Side had won, for the moment. Which meant… "Severus, has the old man said why he wants Potter dead?"

"Something about blood and power, that was all I was able to get." The headmaster thought he was alone when Severus overheard him talking to himself. It was what made him a great spy, being able to hide even from more powerful wizards and witches. "What about the watching spell you have on the area around him?"

With a wave of his hand, a heavy mist appeared in front of the three men. Voldemort whispered an incantation and the mist projected an image onto itself like a screen. "It all seems quiet, not even one of the Order members are there."

But something was moving in the picture. What they saw was a small section of Privet Drive, consisting of eight houses and the main roadway between them, with an alleyway behind four of the houses. In that alleyway, a shape was moving about.

"A stray dog, perhaps?" Lucius guessed.

"No," Severus shook his head. "That's no dog…not a wolf either. Looks a hell of a lot like a big cat." He thought of his own Animagus form.

"Pretty far out of its habitat isn't it?" The only big cat Lucius had seen around that area was an escapee from a nearby zoo.

"An animagus?"

Voldemort looked closer at the wolf on the makeshift screen. It was peculiar. None of the Order, according to Severus, were leopard Animagi. The only one that came to mind was Severus himself. There was something familiar about the cat though, Voldemort thought as he studied it.

Everything pointed towards the direction of it just being a normal dark leopard. The black pelt seemed to blend endlessly into the shadows of the night, giving only a very gentle reddish glow in the street lights. Nothing out of the ordinary- sans the glow- could tell them anymore than that the creature was magical.

"Look!" Severus pointed to the screen. Out of the window in one of the houses flew an owl. "It's Potter's."

The owl seemed to hover for a minute in front of the leopard, holding a conversation with it before landing on the ground. The leopard laid down, resting its head on large paws as Hedwig kept talking. The exchange was short as Hedwig flew off in one direction, the leopard going in another.

"Lucius, send Goyle, McNair, and the LeStrange brothers to track down that cat. Severus, find out what you can from the order." Voldemort decided, turning to face the two. It was more of a suggestion than an order; Severus and Lucius shared the spot of being his second-in-commands, and had more freedom to do as they wanted. But in the end, all decisions and orders were given by him.

"Yes My Lord." They both said before apparating out of the room.

Now…Let's just see if the boy's been practicing blocking his mind. Tom thought, looking back to the now still screen. Maybe, the animal was one that Potter had seen before. There was only one way to find out.

Never again am I letting Hedwig fix ribs like that. Harry grimaced as he heard a small pop from his back as he woke up the next morning. Wincing when he tried to use his hands to get himself into a sitting position, he looked around for the owl and found her asleep on her perch. Outside too late hunting then? He questioned with a silent laugh.

No matter what the previous night brought, Harry always awoke happy yet sad. His dreams last night had been so peaceful and numbing, how could he not be in a good mood after them? But there was still the underlying sadness that accompanied the war that was going on around him. While he was stuck at the house, everyone else was out fighting a useless war. A war that he was supposed to end himself.

A war that he never expected to survive.

Coming out of his thoughts about the Wizarding world, Harry frowned as he listened intently to the sounds in the house, or, lack thereof. It was the middle of the week, and the time had to be well after the others would awaken. Where were they? Getting up, and ignoring the pain in his wrist, he walked over and tested the doorknob. It's open? Cautiously, he pushed the door open and peered around. There were no sounds from Dudley's room, no sound coming up from the living room, and definitely no sound of Petunia in the kitchen.

They're…gone? Harry blinked in confusion. Usually when the Dursley's would leave, someone would barge into his room with a list of chores to do before they returned. He was not going to worry over that though. A quiet day was exactly what he needed. Maybe he could get some more sleep…

Deciding to get that extra sleep, he walked back to his bed. Before he reached it, he cast a sidelong glance at the mirror and grinned. Mom, this is awesome! It was still a few days before his birthday but, as his mother had described, he could already see a few differences.

Harry,

My little one. If you have this letter, then your father and I must be dead. Or James chickened out of telling you.

No one else besides Remus, Sirius, and Severus knows what I have to say here. You should have gotten this letter seven days before your seventeenth birthday. I had originally planned for this on your seventh, but I have a feeling you will be with…ones that I do not approve of. So seventeen it is.

After reading this, look in a mirror.

Harry was shocked when he first saw the differences. It was vague, almost like a shadow, but he could see what his mother wrote of.

Now, I know it is very shocking- you should have at least seen a few changes by now- but that is why I am writing this, to help you.

Harry, do not believe what others tell you about me. I am not a muggleborn. My mother, and my grandmother, and her father and so on have kept this secret hidden within the family. Prirodni is what we are called. You will understand what this is the closer your birthday gets.

And he did understand. The closer it got to his birthday, the more he understood what it meant. A hidden birthright that was his to reveal. In just three days, no longer would the image in the mirror show a ghost-like appearance, but a corporeal one.

Once you turn sixteen, run. Do not trust anyone but the three I mentioned. People will be after you and they will be out for blood. I'm sorry, my little prince, that you must go through this. But you must be a leader in my place. Trust in Remus and Sirius' judgment, and you will be safe.

Love, Lily.

The golden-green eyes looking up at him from his reflection were steeled with determination. He would live up to his mother's wishes. He had to, in order to save himself.

-.-.-.-.-

The next two days passed in silence. The Dursley's were gone, and Harry was too.

"Hey! It's that damned dog again!"

"Get it!"

He chuckled silently at the yells of the younger teenagers. The city he was in seemed to be bursting with life since he got there.

Dumbledore's letter to him two days ago had set him on edge. The Headmaster was coming alone to get him, and would take him to a "Ministry approved apparation point". A quiet place where no sound would be heard. Did the Headmaster take him for a fool?

Harry knew about the place that Dumbledore was going to take him to apparate. It was far from quiet, and even Dudley and his gang stayed away from it. Rumors of a vicious dog there kept pretty much everyone away.

Dog my ass. Greyback's no more of a dog than I am. Harry had learned quickly in the first week of summer vacation to keep a wide distance from the abandoned building that howled every full moon. He guessed the Dark Lord had placed the werewolf there to keep an eye on him, and possibly to kill him if Harry strayed too far.

"Mister! Did you see a dog go by here? Scrawny, gray-white fur, with some ground beef in its mouth?" The three teenagers had reached the café that Harry was sitting outside of.

They would not have used 'Mister' if they knew he was just a few years older than they were. But as close as it was to his birthday, magic had altered his appearance to make him seem around thirty years of age. As soon as it was safe, he would drop the glamor. "You just missed it by about a minute." He pointed down the street before taking a small drink of his coffee. "Poor thing looked half-starved, why are you chasing it? To get back the meat?" The teenagers nodded. "I'd just leave it now, no one would buy the meat and it's useless to cook with once it's been in a stray's mouth."

"He's right." The only girl of the group whispered. "Dad would never want it."

"It's the fact that it stole the meat in the first place sis!" They continued to argue even as they walked away. It made Harry smile softly, how they could argue over something so trivial compared to what was going on in his world.

So, there's another… Closing his eyes and finishing his coffee, Harry sighed.

"Are you just going to sit there, professor? That charm doesn't last forever." The stiffing muscles at his leg confirmed his suspicions. A few minutes ago, he felt something brush up against his legs, and they remained warm even against the cool July breeze. Whatever brushed against him had stayed still when the children yelled. "You have three seconds to remove yourself from in front of my legs before I shove you Snape."

ϧHow did you know, Potter?ϧ

"It's easy to tell when you eliminate all other candidates on who would be near me without either kidnaping me or killing me." Harry opened his eyes, narrowing them and looking at the shimmering Disillusionment charm. At his feet sat a snow leopard, the Potions Professor's animagus form. "Why are you here? Did Dumbledore send you to find me? Or is this a mission from the Dark Lord?"

ϧNeither. Your werewolf sent me.ϧ The pressure against his legs moved away as Snape sat beside him.

"Since when do you listen to what Remus says?"

ϧSince it became the only way to keep him silent. He couldn't come himself, with the full moon tomorrow.ϧ Harry hummed. He had forgotten the full moon fell on his birthday this month. ϧFinding you would be the only way to keep him from howling his head off from losing his mate and his pup going missing.ϧ

"I'm surprised he even wants to see me," Harry sat back in his chair, "after all, it is my fault Sirius fell through the veil…though, I doubt Remus is missing him that much. Sirius is very much alive, isn't he Professor?"

His only answer was a short growl. So it's true… Animagi can't keep talking forever. Harry remembered reading a bit on Animagi in one of his Transfiguration books. After a certain limit was reached, the animagus could not speak. "It seems our talk is done then Professor." Standing up, he looked down at where he knew Snape was. "You can tell Dumbledore that he can look all he wants, but I won't be found by him again."

Snape narrowed his eyes as Harry walked away. He could follow, but his job was done.

"Hey! It's that cat!"

The yell came as Harry had turned a corner. Snape's ears swiveled towards the yell, and his head turned just in time to catch something running from the corner that Harry turned.

But- that's…! It was the leopard that he, Lucius, and the Dark Lord had seen in the screen. The leopard was running right towards him and Snape was able to get a better look at the snarling beast. It was scrawny- no, emaciated was the better world. It's ribs and hip bones were sticking out more than the scattered scars. For a leopard in such bad shape, it did run fast.

As it passed Snape, he noticed something that he had not before. A collar, made of a thin silver rope, holding two coats of arms. But what truly caught his attention, were the golden-green eyes that seemed to stare at him and beyond him at the same time.