At least there is no rain, Harry thought as he was walking down the street, towards the park not too far from his home. An enchanted bag was thrown over his shoulder, looking bored as the houses around him were silent. Now he just needed to find a quiet spot to set up shop, until morning when he could be able to return to the house. It wasn´t the first time his relatives locked him out, nor would it be the last. But luckily for him, ever since the incident in his second year, he started to carry everything important in a backpack, which he never left behind. Said back contained his father´s cloak, his trunk shrunk at the size of a matchbox, wand, broom and a wizarding tent, which he owl-ordered last year. He knew the last one would once come in handy, and he was right.

As his feet carried him forward, the small voice in the back of his head warned him that he was no longer alone. He heard nothing, but as he honed his senses and magic, he could feel it.

Something was following him and that something wasn´t human.

The wizard let his body language show nothing as he stopped, then slowly turned. He was ready to scan the street and houses for his potential stalker, but instead, he yelped as something grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hoisted him into the air.

He held his bag tightly as his feet dangled in the air, then everything was a blur. When he was finally let down and his feet touched the ground again, he wondered what did just happen to him. It was like what he felt apparition would be like, only it didn´t feel so disorienting – instead it reminded him of a flight on his beloved broom. High speed, with the wind in his hair, he had no problem saying that he liked it. But before he could research what happened he had to find out where he was… which proved to be difficult with his sight blocked by an animal´s body.

He blinked in surprise, as he looked around, only to recoil when a huge face hovered close to his own. The first thing he saw was a pair of big feline eyes, yellow and innocent like they belonged to a curious and playful kitten. Then came four fangs curling out of a mouth, revealing the rest of the razor-sharp teeth. A scraggly mane decorated the huge head along with a pair of horns. His green eyes travelled further, to a lean but strong body with yellowish fur decorated by black spots, that looked rough but the wizard bet it was soft to touch. Finally, he saw a long tail, that halfway turned into what resembled a veil.

Damn, thought Harry as he looked at the animal that in size easily surpassed an elephant. He blamed Hermione and Hagrid for contaminating him with love for cats and for magical beasts respectively. And since this odd animal was clearly a magical one and had a kitten-like vibe to it… he stood no chance. The only thing that kept him from throwing himself on the creature was the fact he had no idea what it was and how dangerous it actually was.

But it was still technically a cat so…

As carefully as he could, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small pen-like object. The creature watched his hand as he moved it so the pen was pointing on a small rock formation not so far from them. Once the unknown feline looked at the rocks, he pressed the button on the side of the pen. A small red dot appeared and the feline´s attention immediately honed on it, body getting ready to jump. With a grin, Harry moved the laser pointer and the feline jumped after the dot. And so the teen wizard spent a while making his furry companion run, jump and roll around in wain attempts of catching the stubborn red thing. He couldn´t help but coo at the creature that might scare others, but to him, it represented the cutest thing in the world.

When the giant feline finally had enough of the chase and laid down, he turned off his toy and carefully walked closer. He stopped a short distance away and extended his hand. The feline looked at him before leaned closer and brushed the side of its mouth against his hand. Another grin appeared on the wizard's face as he slowly set down his bag and started to pet the odd creature. A loud purring was his reward for the effort, making him feel very pleased with himself.

"That does it, I´m keeping you," decided the raven. "There is no way I would ever let you-ow!" He had to pull away when he accidentally cut his hand on one of the curled fangs. "Damn, I should have been more careful. Those things are just as sharp as they look."

As if feeling guilty over the injury, the feline let out a small whine and licked the blood from his wound. A smile appeared on the wizard´s lips at such a touching show of kindness. But before then he felt his magic crack between them like electricity, causing his eyes to widen.

There was no way…

"What was that?" asked a young female voice and the feline tilted its… her head to the side curiously.

"We just bonded, since apparently, my luck decided to up… only this time in a way I actually appreciate," said Harry. Mentally he was marking a list of clues towards what occurred, just to be sure.

An ability to understand each other, even though they were from different species?

Check.

A pact created by the animal drinking the wizard´s blood?

Check.

Magical compatibility between the animal and the wizard?

Double-check!

Add it together and one would get a familiar bond between the wizard or witch and their perfect animal companion. And Harry knew, because once he got Hedwig, as she bonded to him exactly the same way.

Now he only had to find out what exactly what kind of creature was his new familiar and… where exactly they were. Because as the raven looked around, he saw nothing but a deep forest, where the only light was the full moon. Not particularly a friendly place he wanted to be alone, but he bet his new companion would scare away anything that would want to hurt him.

"I bet you are tired, girl. Would you like if we moved to my den?" he asked, setting down his pack.

"Sure, I don´t have one anyway."

"Okay… So, what´s your name? And where are you from?" asked Harry as he pulled out his tent and started to set it up.

"The people I ran away from called me beast or freak," replied the feline, making him twitch at the last word. "And I don´t know where I came from. Since I was little, we were constantly moving, after the mean people killed my mother."

The wizard twitched again. Yet another thing they had in common, and another reason for him to make sure she stayed with him.

"Well, then I guess I will think of some good name for you later. How does that sound, girl?"

"I would like that! But what are you doing now?"

"Building us a den to spend the night in. After all, it might be summer, but the night is too cold to sleep outside. And don´t worry, the den is bigger inside than it seems."

"Oh, okay then!"

Once the tent was up, he held it open for her to come in, which she eagerly did. He followed right after her, chuckling as she looked around the inside in curious wonder. With several quick spells, he made her more room to move, while putting away the easy to break things. Mentally, he was thankful for deciding to buy the biggest tent they had to offer since it was a perfect fit now. Especially considering the sheer size of his companion. On the outside, it was the same size as the one he shared with the Weasley family on the World cup, but inside it was a completely different story. The tent had a huge living area, ten bedrooms, a big bathroom and kitchen, as well as a set of wards and enchantments that made it a veritable fortress. It cost him a pretty penny, but with the odd wanderlust he had since he could remember, he knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to travel. A wizarding tent was more practical than renting in some deadbeat cheap hotel, after all.

He smiled when the feline curled up in the middle of the living room, satisfied with their dent. Then he walked over to the master bedroom and unpacked his thing, taking time to lay them in their appropriate places, besides his bed and on the night tables and desks respectively.

Finally, he pulled out a special case he created during the fourth year. He pushed a bit of his magic into the ornated decoration on the top, before unlatching and opening it. A white blur flew out of it, before settling on Harry´s shoulder.

"Hi, Hedwig. How did you feel inside the case? Was it comfortable?" asked the raven with a smile.

"Aye, Harry-chick. You did a good job, I had more than enough space to fly and move around. And the habitat you created was marvellous, the only thing missing was some prey for me to hunt," the snow owl praised as she ran her beak through his hair.

"I´m glad to hear that," chuckled Harry as he closed and picked up the chase, before turning. "I would like to introduce you to someone."

"Oh?"

He returned to the living room, where his feline familiar immediately honed on him and the bird on his shoulder.

"Girl, allow me to introduce you to Hedwig, your new big sister. Hedwig, meet your little sister, whose name I´m still working on," the wizard said.

"Big sister?" asked the feline curious. "But she is so small, how can she be the big and I be the little? Shouldn´t it be the other way?"

"Afraid not. It is actually because I´m with Harry longer than you," replied the owl patiently as she abandoned her spot on her wizard, to move to the one on the chair closest to the larger creature. "I had been with Harry-chick, for nearly four years now, which means I´m your senior, young one."

"Oh, I see. But where did you come from? I didn´t see or smell you before?"

"I was inside the nest our human created for me. One where I can move around freely while remaining out of sight. You couldn´t smell or see me, just like I couldn´t smell or see you until now," explained Hedwig patiently.

"Really? Can I see it?" asked the feline excitedly.

"You will, once it is a bit adjusted to suit you," Harry promised her. "But first of all, I think we should come up with a good name for you. After all, if you are to stay with us, you need something for us to call you."

Though, now that he was, once again, observing her, an idea was forming in his head. With proper light, he could clearly make out the colouration of her mane and tail. It strongly reminded him of the sky at dawn, with streaks of gold thrown into it, colours flawlessly bleeding into each other. It only made her more beautiful in his opinion and have him a better foundation for her name… or at least the meaning of the name.

After a quick look into the book, which allowed him to search names based on any criteria he could come up with, he found one he liked.

"Dagian. How does that sound, girls?" asked Harry, looking back at his familiars.

The feline tilted her head. "Dagian?"

"It means dawn. I thought it might be appropriate, with your amazing mane colouring," admitted the raven wizard. "It is English, but it has a nice ring to it. But if you don´t like it, I will look for another one."

"Hm… Dagian…" the giant feline repeated before her expression brightened. "Alright! From now, my name is Dagian!"

"I like it, it is more than fitting for you, little sis," Hedwig quipped in.

"Thanks!"

"I´m glad to hear that."

The next couple of hours was spent talking between the trio of wizard and familiars. They discussed various things, asking questions about each other. They learned that Dagian escaped from what they guessed was a magical circus, where they paraded her because she was a hybrid, but of what races, she had no idea. She only knew that she had been with the circus for three years before she felt the urge that forced her to escape. Afterwards, she followed the pull, until she found and abducted Harry. In turn, Harry and Hedwig explained to her what that pull meant and what exactly was a familiar bond. Well, the owl did most of the explanations, while the raven wizard prepared the supper, occasionally adding a bit into the debate. He made sure to prepare a lot of meat, deducting that his new familiar probably never had a proper meal in her life.

Mentally, he made a note to buy more meat, the next time he would go shopping. That or arrange something to buy it in bulk, since his feline friend would consume a LOT. He only hoped there were some good butchers or, even better, farms that would be open to negotiations.

That or maybe employ a house elf for help.

Things would have been easier that way.

"Wish Dobby was here," the teen muttered.

Pop.

"Great Harry Potter sir!" the enthusiastic call nearly caused Harry to spill the dinner. Only a quick-acting from Dobby´s side saved their meal, much to the young wizard´s relief.

"Hecate, Dobby, you scared me," said Harry, putting a hand over his heart. "Don´t do that anymore."

"Apologizes, Great Harry Potter sir! Dobby was just so happy that Master called him that he couldn´t help himself!" apologized for the house elf.

"It´s alright. Just avoid startling me in the future," the wizard recommended, before looking at the elf. "What are you even doing here? I thought you were one of the castle´s elves."

"Dobby never bonded to the castle! No, he stayed here to be closer to Great Harry Potter! And… he would like to become Master Harry Potter´s personal elf if Master Harry Potter would have him?" said the house elf, looking hopefully at the wizard.

"But… what about your freedom? Don´t you like it?"

"No, Dobby is just happy to be away from Bad Master and his family! He would very much like to serve someone again. Preferably the Great Harry Potter, since he was always nice to Dobby! So will Master Harry Potter have him, please?" asked the elf again.

The raven wizard hesitated, before sighing. "Alright, Dobby. If you wish it, then so be it. I accept you, as my house elf." As soon as those words left his mouth, his magic reacted, for the second time that day. It reached out for Dobby and when it touched him, the raven felt something fall into place.

"What can Dobby do for Master?" the eager elf asked, sounding more energized than before.

"Well, I would welcome some help with the dinner for myself and my familiars," admitted the wizard.

"Leave it all to Dobby, Master!" replied the elf. Harry quickly found himself pushed out of the kitchen and towards his amused/curious familiars, while his new servant finished their meal.

"Motivated little fellow," commented an amused Hedwig.

"That he is."

Dagian cocked her head to the side as she watched the odd being moving around in the kitchen. "What is that?"

"That´s Dobby, our new little helper. Hopefully, with him, it would make taking care of you guys easier."

Hedwig flew over to his shoulder. "Hopefully he would also make sure you take proper care of yourself, Harry-chick. And he seems loyal. From what I saw, he was eager to serve you and fulfil your wishes."

"Don´t remind me," said Harry with a grimace. He had nothing against accepting the elf into his service, but that didn´t mean it wouldn´t take some time to get used to it.

Hopefully, he would be able to scrub some of Dobby´s hero worship.

After the pleasant dinner, Harry took his familiars to the special habitat the wizard created in his case. It was a small project he made during his fourth year, to take his mind off the stupid tournament. The basic idea of it was based on the case of the famous Newt Scamander. Said wizard turned his case into a set of portable habitats, each accustomed for the different mythical beasts in his care. But since Harry didn´t have any creatures like that, he went with creating a single habitat based on the forest around his school, only with a clearing and a small lake placed in the middle. It took some serious effort and more research than one could believe, but he managed to pull it off and when he showed it to his Charms teacher, the professor was delighted. So much that the professor believed Harry could earn a Mastery in Charms if he submitted his project and shoved it to the examiners, which the raven was really tempted to do.

Right now the wizard watched, with no small amount of pride and satisfaction, as Hedwig flew into the small forest. Dagian followed her, running around the trees and rolling in the grass.

Like a big kitten, thought Harry with a chuckle as he adjusted the spells in the small rocky area on the outskirt of the forest. With a firm hand and small adjusting, he was able to create a cave, inside the biggest rock. He had no idea, what exactly was a natural den for Dagian´s species, but he figured something like this might suffice. At least until he figured out just what kind of beasts made up his newest familiar. Then he would adjust it accordingly.

"Wow! This is all for me?" asked Dagian, once he showed her his achievement.

"Yup. Feel free to make yourself at home," the wizard told her.

"I like it! Thank you, Harry," she licked his cheek, before moving to look around and, if he was interpreting her behaviour right, scent mark the place. When she finished, she looked back at him. "Are we going to spend the night here?"

"Well, you probably will, considering my tent might be a bit cramped and hard-to-move-in for you," the raven tried to explain.

"What? And what about you? Or big sister?"

"My room is in the other den. And Hedwig can decide if she wants to stay here or come with me."

"But I want to come with you too!"

"What, don´t you like this den?"

"I do! But I don´t want to leave your side! Please, let me sleep with you!"

"There will hardly be…"

"Please!"

"Dagian…" he trailed off when he was confronted by a big pair of pleading kitten eyes. "…argh! Fine, you can sleep with me," he said, with resignation. Then he looked at his owl. "And you don´t even dare to laugh at me!"

"My break is sealed, Harry-chick," replied the amused avian.