Disclaimer: All rights to the Harry Potter universe belong to Jk, not me. :(

warnings: Slash TR/HP Creature Harry, Manipulative Dumbles, OCCness

"Parseltongue"

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Since he knew the conversation with his parents would take quite a while, he made himself comfortable and sat cross-legged on the floor beneath their portraits. He began with the Halloween night they both died. Then how Sirius had been unjustly blamed for betrayal and the death of Pettigrew and innocent muggles and subsequently sent to Azkaban. He told them of how he was left on the doorstep of the Dursleys and the years he spent under their roof knowing nothing of who he truly was.

Harry's eyes remained on the floor and Lily and James had kept their silence throughout most of his tale, but when he began recounting his life at the Dursley's, telling them far more about the abuse then he had anyone else, he could hear his mother's quiet sobs. He knew it was probably cruel, but Harry felt that the people who had loved him enough to die for him, deserved to really know him. And as much as he loathed it, those early years at the Dursley's played a large role in his life. His parents deserved to know who their son truly was.

Haltingly, while staring off into space he told them about the beatings, the times he was staved or locked into his cupboard for days at a time. How hard it was to see them treat Dudley with such praise and adoration while he was looked upon as if he were something nasty under their shoes.

He told them honestly of his confusion, his fear, and his hate as he was subjected to their scorn and derision because he was different. A freak.

Harry paused to collect himself before moving on to receiving his first letter from Hogwarts and the subsequent joy from learning that he wasn't a freak, he was a wizard. And his parent's weren't filthy drunks, they were heroes.

He then recounted all of his adventures at Hogwarts, the pitfalls and the highpoints. He was soon chuckling at James' exclamations of pride or indignation and Lily's anger that her son hadn't been better looked after.

"But I was looked after mum." Harry said quietly.

"Really?" She said scathingly "It seems that Albus and the other Professors did nothing, absolutely nothing to keep you safe. You could have died so many times!" She put her head in her hands.

"I had friends looking out for me and as much as I hate to admit, Professor Snape was there mum. When Dumbledore just let me fumble around like a foolish Gryffindor, letting me get away with anything and everything, Snape tried to keep me in check. Even though we hated each other, he always kept an eye out for me, even though we both made mistakes. I don't understand why… and I certainly didn't thank him for it."

Lily's eyes softened. "We used to be close friends at Hogwarts, until a…disagreement come between us. He's a good man Harry. I know he has his faults and unless he's changed drastically, I think you can trust him. I'm glad he's been watching over you, for whatever reasons."

Harry just nodded. Ignoring his father's mumbled depreciating comments about the man, which stopped as soon as he caught his wife glaring at him with that look in her eye. On one hand he knew his mother was probably right about his most hated professor, especially if they had been such close friends. But Harry had spent so much time being at odds with Severus Snape. Not to mention that despite looking out for him, the man seemed to hate him with a passion. Maybe that could be changed. He couldn't afford to be ruled by childish prejudices anymore and Snape would be an invaluable ally, but it would be difficult finding out who he was truly loyal to.

He shook his head and decided to move on with the conversation at hand, finally getting to his recent discoveries. He steeled himself, gaining a bit of comfort from the purring kitten in his lap before he started.

"A lot has happened lately and as a consequence I've made some of decisions that you will probably not agree with. All I ask is that you listen until I've finished."

He waited for a moment before both Lily and James gave a, affirmative nod, even though they looked hesitant.

"A little over a week before my birthday I received an owl from my muggleborn friend Hermione. She told me she had found out some important information and wanted to meet me at the Leaky Cauldron in a few days time. When I did so, she told me that during the school year she had decided to brew a potion to see if she had any wizarding blood. She ended up sharing a brewing room with a student named Draco Malfoy…"

"Malfoy?" James sneered. "their nothing but a bunch of-"

"Dad. What did I tell you?" Harry interrupted, giving his father a stern look. It was bad enough he had to put up with that crap from Ron most of the time. He wasn't going to let anyone, even his father, getting away with such asinine comments in his home.

James looked sheepish for a moment before replying "Um, you said to listen…Sorry."

Harry gave a small smile before continuing. "Anyway, Draco decided to help Hermione with her potion because he was impressed that she was trying to establish more of a link to the wizarding world. It turns out Hermione is actually descended from a Greek wizard from the Anastas family."

At that James' eyes went wide and Lily, seeing his expression asked.

"I've never heard of them…Are they important?"

"Apparently mum. Draco told Hermione they were a very powerful family in Greece. He also suggested that Mione go to Gringotts to take a hereditary test, to find out if she could be the heir."

He paused for a moment before looking up at his parents with guarded eyes. They had placed so much trust in Dumbledore. He hoped they believed him. "This is where we get to the serious issues mum, dad."

James looked at him encouragingly and said. "Go on son."

Harry merely gave a weak smile in return before complying.

"She followed his advice and this summer took the Complete Magical and Hereditary history test at Gringotts. It turns out she is the Anastas heir but… the test also revealed that she had been placed under several compulsions which were cast by Albus Dumbledore. He had obliviated her a few times as well.

A few moments passed before what Harry said finally sunk in. Lily spoke first, looking eyes darting between her husband and son in confusion. "But why? Why would Albus do something like that?"

James kept his expression blank while asking. "Tell us what the compulsions were for."

Harry nodded.

"The compulsions placed on Hermione were to insure that she trusted Dumbledore completely and also so that she would confide in him about me.

Things were silent again for a moment before James spoke up; face still mostly blank although there was a spark of something in his eyes Harry couldn't identify. Harry briefly wished his awareness worked on portraits the same way it did on live witches and wizards. "I assume there is more to tell us."

"Yeah, since both compulsions were related to me, we went to Gringotts and I took the same test." Harry smiled wryly. "I found out a lot of interesting things. Hold on a moment." And Harry left to retrieve his test results that he had placed in the locked and warded compartment of his bedroom desk. Whisper was displeased to say the least, and made it known with a small growl. She did not appreciate having to give up her comfortable seat in Harry's lap.

Harry returned and sat back down in his place on the floor and Whisper returned to his lap, this time gripping his jeans with her claws. She would not give up her place so easily a second time. Both portraits chuckled as Harry gave a small wince as her claws dug in. He scratched her ears in apology before returning to the conversation.

"This is what I received when I took the test. Mum did you ever do something similar?"

She shook her head no.

Harry nodded to himself before he started to read off the list.

"So, I'm Heir to the Potter and Black lines, which you probably already know. I'm also heir to Gryffindor…"

"That's wonderful Harry! The Potter's are very distantly descended from Gryffindor but only those deemed worthy enough by the Gryffindor family magic can become the heir." James said excitedly.

"I didn't know that." Lily and Harry said at the same time. James grinned at them.

Harry let out a smile and went on. "I'm also the second heir to Slytherin."

At that both portraits frowned and James said "How?"

Harry huffed. "It's not a bad thing and I'll explain the how in a minute. Or at least the only reason I can think of. But I have more important things to tell you first. Mum, did you know you were a magically bound Naga?"

Both James and Lily gaped at him. Harry found their expressions so amusing that he began to chuckle. Whisper seemed to agree with him and let out a few amused sneezes.

Lily opened and closed her mouth a few times before saying "What?"

Harry had to fight off more giggles.

"You were a naga, but had your true nature bound by magic. If you need proof I'll show you." He gave Whisper a quick apology and set her on an armchair and then shifted forms. James let out a gasp while Lily stared at him in rapt attention.

"So..this is what I should have been?" She asked quietly after a few minutes if study.

"Yeah. Pretty fantasstic huh? I don't know why, but the goblins said you were most likely stolen at birth and hidden away for some reason. I'm planning on looking into it after things settle down a bit." Lily nodded and offered Harry a smile.

James finally regained enough composure to speak. "Merlin Harry." He breathed and smiled. "That is fantastic. I don't know much about Nagas. Why don't you tell us what you can do."

"I can use Parselmagic. Which is magic cast in Parseltongue. I can also turn into a cobra and I have venom. I can also manipulate the weather a bit but since it's tied to my emotions I don't quit have the hang of it yet. I also have the gift of healing! Isn't that amazing? I've decided to become a healer after Hogwarts, instead of an auror."

Lily and James gave him a gentle smile which had Harry blushing a bit.

Harry cleared his throat and decided it was time to move on. He coiled his tail beneath him, flicking the end so Whisper could play with it. It felt really nice in this form. He felt more relaxed and in tune with things. His awareness was much shaper, but it didn't irritate him the way it did normally. The only thing Harry could compare it too was being submerged in a lagoon. He could feel the ambient magic in his home and the surrounding areas lapping against his senses, individual wizards and spells darting about like schools of fish. Some more friendly than others. Wards and other anchored magic stood out like patches of seaweed or coral depending on their strength. The only negative was what he felt from Knockturn and that was more like a warning to be cautious, like it was an area filled with sharks and hidden things that were better left hidden. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a small, contented hiss.

He stayed like that for a few moment s before opening his eyes. Both Lily and James were looking at him with worry.

"It's alright. It just feels nice being in this form." The worry left their eyes and his parents nodded in understanding. Harry picked up his list to start again.

"Now we start with the lasting magic's that were cast on me. To begin with, there was the magical creature binding that was passed down from mum to me. It was weaker though and broken completely on my birthday when I went through my inheritance."

"There was also a blood protection tied to some wards at the Dursley's but they also disappeared after my inheritance. Do either of you know why I would have had a blood protection? And why it was tied to the wards around the Dursley's?"

Both of them looked thoughtful for a moment before Lily said "It might have had something to do with me. I remember searching for information on blood magic…but I can't say for certain."

Harry nodded, only a little disappointed. It didn't really matter, now that it was gone.

Harry looked down on his list and grimaced at what was next. Deciding just to jump in and get it over with he said. "There was a magical block that restrained 65 percent of my magical core. As well as a compulsion to trust Dumbledore, another to feel the need to sacrifice myself for the greater good, and another to treat anything Slytherin or dark with distrust and aggression. I was also obliviated twice at age 7 and 12. All of these were most likely cast by Dumbledore himself. Thankfully the compulsions had been eroded and were destroyed during my inheritance along with the blood protection and binding. Just to be sure, a goblin healer checked me before I went to my vaults." Harry paused to let this sink in and made a mental note to ask Marvolo about removing the obliviations next time he saw the man. If anyone was powerful enough to undo something cast by Dumbledore it was the Dark Lord.

There was a few moments silence before Lily Potter broke out in a stream of curses and threats against Dumbledore that would have had Harry wincing in sympathy for the old coot had his mum been alive to carry them out. The feeling didn't last long though.

During her verbal tirade, both Harry and James had been watching her in a mixture of amusement and not a little bit of awe, after she ran out of steam his father turned serious and said.

"We trusted Albus Harry and I never thought that he would do something like this, but he has and now we need to make him pay for it." James let a malicious grin onto his face before looking at Harry with concerned eyes. "First though, are you safe from him right now? Does he know that you know?"

"I don't think so. He knows I've left the Dursley's and am now considered a legal adult because I'm Gryffindor's heir, but that's it."

"That's good. You said Sirius and Remus are coming tomorrow, do they know any of this?"

"I've only had the chance to talk with Sirius. I'm planning on telling Remus tomorrow. But I'm not finished with my news yet. Remember at the beginning I told you I made some decisions you might not agree with?"

At their nod he continued, hoping he wasn't making a bad choice telling them. "Before I start, you need to know that nagas have a heightened awareness. We can tell if someone means us harm or if magic is wrong etc. I also have Whisper here to let me know if anyone is lying to me. So with all this, I'm very confident in the decisions I've made and nothing you say with change this."

His parents looked taken aback for a moment before nodding in acceptance.

"While Hermione was brewing her potion with Draco they became…close. This led to a meeting with him this last week and we had a discussion. Under a magical oath he swore that the Dark Lord no longer saw me as an enemy, but rather a potential ally. He also said that if I decided to remain neutral in the war I would be left alone. He told me that your deaths were caused because of a trap set by Dumbledore and that the Dark Lord wished to meet with me to discuss some truths and talk about an alliance."

Harry ignored the wide eyed looks he was receiving and went on before they could voice whatever objections that were on the tips of their tongues. He told them about his meeting with Voldemort and the Malfoys. How the Dark Lord had been driven to madness with the help of Dumbledore which led to the perversion of his magic. How Dumbledore had set them up as a trap to destroy the monster he had created and then sent him off to the Dursley's to mold him into an obedient little tool. He then told them about the Horcrux inside him and how his healing ability had cleared it of the taint of twisted magic and the subsequent positive changes in the Dark Lord after he had contact with it in the graveyard. How the man had regained his sanity and made changes in his policies and goals.

He paused for a moment before continuing. "I know he killed you. I know he's tried to kill me and that he has done horrible things. But in all honesty, it's a war. That's what happens. It's not right, I know but after meeting him, after getting to know him I can't help feel that he's lost so much. Because of Dumbledore, he spent his teenage years obsessed and in fear of something that shouldn't even have been on his mind. He should have been dating, studying and making a life for himself. He's a genius mum, dad. He had so much potential and it was lost due to the meddling of a power hungry fool. Now..." Harry took a breath. "Now he can get some of it back. He's free from the taint of twisted magic now. He's finally got the chance to make his own decisions free from the madness that plagued him and from what I can tell, a lot of good will come from the changes he wants to make. I want to help him make those changes."

After he finished, Harry was greeted by silence, and he could feel his heart sinking. He chewed on his bottom lip waiting for whatever shouts of anger of indignation the portraits might shower him with.

Looking down at their son, who looked so apprehensive James and Lily found they couldn't blame their son for his choices.

"Harry" James said softly. "We're glad you feel you've made the right choices, and while we are worried we will trust your judgment."

Harry looked up from the ground and felt a burning in his eyes. "Thanks dad, mum. It means a lot."

"We're proud of you Harry." Lily said. "Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"Not at the moment." Harry said.

"Well then, it's almost two in the morning. I think it's time for you to go to bed young man."

Harry chuckled. "Yes mum. I'm going to conjure a curtain over you two before I go to bed. Is that okay?" Both said it was fine and after he bade them both goodnight he conjured a dusky sky blue curtain on a silver rod to cover both portraits. Harry then picked up Whisper, who had tired herself out playing with his tail, and went to prepare for bed.

As he slithered down the hall his mind was filled with relief. He had honestly not expected his parents to be so understanding of him allying himself with Voldemort. Now hopefully Sirius and Remus will be as accepting.

He made his way into the bathroom, intent on a shower. He sat Whisper on the vanity and then stripped off his shirt. He took this opportunity to once again admire the changes in his physique. While he had never been particularly vain, it was nice to look at himself in the mirror and feel pride instead of shame, to see all the damage done to his body through years of abuse and neglect wiped away.

Harry found himself pulled from his musings when Whisper bit down on his hand.

"Ouch! Whisper why did you bite me?" Harry scolded. He looked down and saw The Brat had bit him hard enough to draw blood. He scowled at her, but before he could fully draw his hand away, she licked the puncture wounds on his hand.

"Don't think that acting all sweet is going to make me forgive you, little devil." Harry said.

"I am not a little devil. I am a purrfect angel. I didn't do anything wrong. You are my snake. It's only right I lay claim to you before anyone else."

Harry stood dumbfounded for a few moments, staring at the kitten.

"Did you just speak?"

"Of course silly snake. But only in your mind."

"How?"

Harry swore she was looking at him with a smug look in her eyes. "I bonded with you, so I'm your familiar now and you are mine. Now no one else can take you from me. Not even that dark one."

Harry sat on the edge of the tub. "What exactly does that mean? And why?"

Whisper cleaned her whiskers for a moment before she deemed to reply.

"It means we are connected. I'm just a kitten so I don't know everything about it but I know our minds are connected, and our magic. You can see what I see, feel what I feel and draw upon my magic and skills as needed. There's a lot of other stuff, but I don't know what. The dark one could tell you. As for why, you are kind and fun, and even though you were afraid tonight when you spoke to the painted ones, you didn't waver. You are a good snake Harry and I want to help you and stay with you."

Harry looked thoughtfully at the kitten before smiling and reaching out to scratch her ears.

"Mmmm. That's nice." And Whisper started purring.

"I'm glad you're my familiar sweetling. I'm seeing Sirius tomorrow, you know, the dog? He or Remus should be able to tell us more about the bond."

His familiar let out an irritated hiss at the thought of that annoying dog. Harry just smiled and rubbed beneath her chin.

In a matter of moments Whisper became a puddle of happy kitty goo and let out a small contented meow. Harry gave her one last scratch before turning around. It had been a long day, but a successful one and Harry was looking forward to a nice long soak.

He managed, with only a little difficulty to fit his long tail in the tub and was soon drenched beneath the stream of warm water. He hissed in pleasure. The feel of the water against his skin was almost intimate and he could swear that it felt alive as danced across his back and front before deftly tracing amongst his scales. He raised his face to feel the gentle pressure against his lips and eyes before grabbing his shampoo and lathering his hair.

He stayed in for longer than usual, thankful for a magically heated water supply. All too soon though, he forced himself to leave, dried himself and then curled up on his bed with Whisper tucked under his chin.

Harry awoke to Whisper poking his face with a single claw.

"Hnnnn, Whisper..." He whined. "Let me sleep."

"You need to wake up Harry; the dog is here with a werewolf."

He lifted his head groggily from his pillow. "What time is it?"

"Time to get up. Hurry, I'm hungry too".

Harry groaned then obediently slid out of bed. He looked at the cloak and saw it was almost eleven. And now that he was more awake he could hear the knocking at the door. He changed forms quickly, only unsteady on two legs for a moment, before throwing on a clean pair of dark blue jeans and a dark green t-shirt.

He then went to the front door and was greeted by an armful of excitable dog.

"Sirius." He said with a grin while he scratched his ears. "What's got you all excited?"

"I think he's just happy to see you, though it's also related to this morning's Daily Prophet."

"It's good to see you Remus." Harry said and Sirius kindly moved out of the way so Harry could give the werewolf a hug.

"It's good to see you too Harry. I was worried for awhile. It's good to see you're alright."

Harry led them into the living room and sat Remus down on the couch, not allowing Sirius up until he changed back into a man.

"I don't want fur all over my furniture Sirius!" He jokingly scolded.

"Ahh pup. You let that cat on them."

"She doesn't shed."

They spent a few more minutes bantering back and forth before they settled down.

"I have a surprise for you." Harry said.

"Really, what!" Sirius asked excitedly while Remus just chuckled at the antics of his friend.

"I went through my vaults yesterday and I found some family portraits."

He paused to gauge their reactions. When both men merely widened their eyes he continued.

"Specifically portraits of my parents. And before you ask, they already know everything. I stayed up late last night talking to them. Do you want to visit with them while I make something to eat?"

"Yes." Both men said simultaneously.

Harry smiled slightly and led them over to the blue curtain hanging on a far wall of his living room on the other side of the staircase. He opened it and woke up his parents.

"Mum, dad Padfoot and Mooney are here to talk to you." He left then to give them some privacy and went into the kitchen with Whisper. On his way he said good morning to Hedwig and told her if she wanted some bacon to come into the kitchen with him. She hooted excitedly and went to perch on one of the chairs in the breakfast nook.

Harry busied himself cooking several rashers of bacon and eggs and setting out Whisper's breakfast. When he was finished he called both men into the kitchen and the three sat down to eat.

"I never knew Lily and James had portraits. I'm glad you found them Harry. You deserve the chance to get to know them." Remus said as soon as they were seated.

"Yeah. It was really nice talking to them last night, and nicer still to know they approved of my choices this summer."

"So pup," Sirius broke in staring at Harry intently. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

"Do with what?" Harry asked. Sirius took a copy of the Daily Prophet out of his robes and slid it across the table. Harry eyes scanned the front page and he couldn't help the large grin that grew upon his face.

Sirius Black Innocent? Pettigrew Found Alive!

By Corvin Florington

The Ministry of Magic received quite a surprise yesterday evening when none other than Peter Pettigrew showed up in the Ministry's atrium. As most should know by now, Peter Pettigrew was thought to have been murdered along with a group of muggles by the infamous Sirius Black. The same man who escaped from Azkaban two years ago and has been on the run ever since.

Pettigrew was immediantly apprehended by aurors and is scheduled to be interrogated with veritaserum as soon as possible.

The article covered the entire front page and Harry was beyond happy. Marvolo had kept his promise! Sirius would be cleared!

He looked up with wide, innocent yes at his godfather but from the disbelieving look on his face it wasn't working very well. Damn.

He cleared his throat and announced he would tell them after breakfast. Sirius gave him a look but thankfully didn't make a big deal about having to wait. They spent the next half hour catching up and visiting before Remus reminded Harry they wanted answers.

Harry sighed but dutifully led them to the living room. Whisper jumped up on his shoulder and said

Don't worry. If they get upset with you, I will scratch them.

Harry sniggered before sending a mental thank you.

What followed was over an hour of explaining and while Remus seemed to take it in stride, or at least not freak out completely, Sirius was another matter altogether.

"What were you thinking?" He roared. "He's a monster, a murderer! You can't trust him!" and he continued in this vain, ignoring everything Harry and Remus had to say before the naga finally broke down in tears.

The sight of Harry so distraught, and the furious yowling and spiting Whisper sent in his direction stopped him in his tracks.

He slumped down on the couch next to Harry and pulled him into his lap, not quite avoiding the angered kitten's claws.

"Oh pup, I'm sorry." He let out a long sigh. "I'm just worried. The thought of you alone with that monster, especially after last year…it terrifies me."

Harry kept silent for a moment before saying. "I don't blame you for that Padfoot." Harry said quietly, tightening his hold on the man and burying his face in Sirius' neck. "But you have to understand, I think it's the right thing to do and I know I can trust him. I just don't want to lose you and Remus because of it."

"Harry you won't lose us." Remus said as he came to sit beside the pair, brushing the hair out of Harry's face.

"Mooney's right. While I can't say I'm happy with this, we'll both stick by you and make sure you stay safe."

"Thank you." Harry said and he spent a few moments simply enjoying the company of two people who truly cared for him.

Once things were settled down Harry asked both men what they knew of familiar bonds.

"Why do you want to know pup?" Sirius said as he had Remus mutter a healing charm on the deep scratches inflicted by Whisper. Said kitten was currently back on Harry's shoulder and the naga could feel the satisfaction coming off her in waves. She had thoroughly enjoyed punishing Sirius for his outburst.

"Last night Whisper bonded with me and while we know some of what that entails, we don't know everything."

"That's wonderful Harry." Remus said as he put his wand away. "You are very lucky to have a nekomata as your familiar."

Harry nodded and waited for the man to continue.

"Now a familiar bond is one of the strongest bonds a wizard can enter into, second only to a soul-mate bond…"

"Oh, can you explain those too? The test at Gringotts revealed that I have a half completed one."

Both men stared at him, making Harry shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Is there something wrong?"

Sirius let out a barking laugh. "Oh no pup. We're just shocked. It's very rare to have a soul-mate bond but it's a very good thing. You definitely deserve it."

Harry smiled then turned his attention back to Remus.

"I'll continue with the familiar bond and then move onto the other. Is that all right?" Harry nodded.

"As I was saying, a familiar bond is very strong. Basically, it creates a tie between the mind and magic of a wizard to a magical creature. This allows the wizard to communicate telepathically with the familiar and also draw upon the creature's magic to augment or ground their own."

"What do you mean 'ground' magic?"

"If, for example a wizard was having trouble controlling their own magic or talent the familiar can serve as a focus. There are many spells which draw upon a large portion of your personal magical core and would be hard to control by yourself. In that case your familiar would help ground your own magic as it is the only outside focus that can directly affect your core. Now, if you have a magical talent, such as an elemental affinity for fire, your familiar would be able to help you gain control of it by keeping it in check while you master it yourself."

"Inversely you can also work with Whisper's magical core, drawing power as you need it. This is very helpful when forming wards as the combined magic makes it far more powerful and harder to break than a ward made by you or in conjunction with other wizards."

"You will also gain access to Whisper's abilities. As she is a nekomata, you will have a more direct connection with shadows and be able to travel their realm more freely. Spells that work with shadows with also be easier for you to cast. It is also a growing bond, meaning that as your bond grows you'll be able to access more of each other's power etc. Do you have any questions?"

Harry shook his head no. Remus smiled at him and went on to the next bond.

"Now a soul mate bond isn't very complicated, but it is the strongest bond a person can have with another. As Sirius said earlier, it's a person with the other half of your soul. Before the bond is started you will feel drawn to each other. The biggest difference between the soul-mate bond and other similar bonds is that it results in the pair becoming romantically evolved, though there have been a few cases where it's occurred between siblings. This is because they are part of one soul, so neither can truly harm the other without grave consequences. Most other bonds can either draw people together as friends, lovers, or even enemies depending on the circumstances."

"The bonding usually starts at the first interaction between the pair. As the bond grows, so does the urge to be closer. One of the books I've read on the subject described it as an itch that won't go away and keeps growing until the soul mate bond is complete, usually through intimacy. Long term separation after the bonding has started is extremely harmful to the mind, body and soul especially as it gets stronger. Some negative effects of prolonged separation include a weakening of the mental state, like extreme depression or rage, and physical weakness or illness."

"What happens after you complete the bonding?" Harry asked.

"It depends on the couple Harry, but you will gain someone who will always be there for you and will strive for your happiness and safety above all else."

Harry felt a soft smile form on his face. That would be nice…

"So pup," Sirius said. "Since the soul bond is half complete that means you've met him or her, do you know who it could be?"

Harry let himself fall over to lie on the couch as he thought about it. Was there anyone he had felt particularly drawn to? He couldn't think of anybody from Hogwarts that fit the bill…So where?

Unbidden, a pair of burning red eyes appeared in his mind.

Slowly and reluctantly the pieces began to fit together and as the images and recollections flitted through his consciousness he felt himself go into a state of shock.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep calming breathes, ignoring the inquiries from Sirius and Remus.

After a few moments, in which he barely prevented himself from having a panic attack, he noticed a sudden weight on his chest. At the gentle prodding of her paws he opened his eyes to look into Whisper's knowing amethyst orbs.

Kitten. He mentally whispered. My soul bonded is the Dark Lord. I can't…it…

Whisper licked his nose to silence him before replying. He will be good for you. I like him. Don't worry.