I don't own Harry Potter in any format, this is a fanfiction only.
Harry decided to go to sleep for the evening and he changed into his Panther form and went to sleep on the stone floor. "Albus why must we train him away from the other students. Next year he will attend his first year. Why not train him with other students so that he can get used to the idea of living with other people."
Dumbledore looked sad and worried as he saw Harry sleep. "Because I am afraid the damage the Dursleys did to him was so severe that he now mistrust humans. Remember the only reason he even accepted to come is because of our bluff. We threatened his feline family, something we would never actually make good on. But he believed us capable of doing so. "
Albus sat down on an armchair and told Minerva to take a seat. " I saw how he killed them, it was methodical, almost instinctual the way he killed the Dursleys. He decided to sleep and instead of asking for a bed he changes into his animigus form and sleeps on the floor like he was an actual Panther."
Minerva watched him as he truly was sleeping as if he was indeed just a big cat. "This could mean that he will need some therapy and to learn to trust humans again. It would cause a scene, if not outright panic if the students in his dorm room woke up to see instead of their fellow student. They find a big Panther sleeping on the dorm room floor. Albus, he seems to equate human to being evil. "
" After the abuse, he suffered and the cruel treatment he received from his aunt and uncle. Would you not think people are evil if you had endured that treatment since before you could talk or walk? Minerva this is going to take us a whole year. I hope that I can teach him to trust others, and you as much magic as you possibly can. Let's begin with Occlumency. That is a branch of magic should help him focus and organize his mind. "
Minerva saw the wisdom of his words, and knew that she would try her best, who else could teach him, Snape? No, he would traumatize him even more, simply because he was the son of James Potter, his romantic rival. The only thing that would keep him from killing him was the fact that he was also the son of Lily Evans, who is, in reality, was Lily Gaunt. No one ever told her the truth, that she was actually adopted by the Evans when she was just a baby.
Probably the reason Petunia hated her so much, the fact that she was admitted to attend Hogwarts without even trying made the supposed sister hate her even more. Petunia sent hundreds of letters, pleading if not begging to be allowed to attend. But without magic, there was not a chance she could graduate, and so she was rejected time after time.
Harry woke up the next morning feeling rather hungry. He then spotted the nice looking bird, as hungry as he was the bird looked delicious. He began to grin and walk towards the bird. Dumbledore pretend to clear his throat, "Harry if you are hungry just ask, and the house elves will bring you some food, but please don't eat my Phoenix familiar. He is an old friend of mine."
Fawkes for once in his life he felt real fear. The cat looked like he could eat him whole, feathers and all. "Why don't you change into a more human form, and try some of these clothes we bought for you." Harry had no reason to deny it, but he asked for a nice slab of meat first. Still in animal form the house elf left the few legs of lamb and ran away for dear life.
Harry began to devour the meat in a brutal and quite frightening way. In less than half an hour he ate six lamb legs and began to clean his paws with his tongue. Like he had done this his whole life, he changed form as he finished his bath. "Thank you, but I will admit the bird still looks yummy."
"I don't doubt it, but believe me Fawkes is better to have as a friend than a meal. Now come on and try to get used to wearing some decent clothes, and we can get rid of those rags. " Harry was not very trusting so he changed back to his animal form and began to smell the clothes seeing they were not poisoned. He changed back and tried to put his clothes on.
Dumbledore soon realized that he did not even know how to put on his clothes. It made him feel horrible imagining what the supposed relatives had done to him, but from the memories, he saw they had been fiendish. He began to tell him how to dress in the robes and other pieces of clothes.
The clothes were black with golden highlights, and he had boots instead of shoes or sandals. "Well, now at least you have something decent to wear. I have four other changes of clothes so don't worry. The house elves are very good at doing the laundry. Come on over and sit down we have a lot to talk about."
Harry walked towards the desk almost with a posture of caution. Dumbledore waited for him to sit down on the chair. "I know that you have had some horrible treatment by humans, but Harry you are a human being too. You will find that most humans are rather nice." Harry asked a simple question for him to name one human that was nice to him.
Dumbledore said he would do better he would name two. Himself and Minerva were the two humans who had been nice to him. "Oh, yes, very nice. First, you threaten to harm my family if I did not come with you, then you look through my memories without even asking permission. Yes, is that what you call nice? I have seen hyenas with better manners."
"Harry, honestly it was just a bluff, I would never harm them at all. There is no bigger animal lover than me. I just needed for you to come here, I can help you. Believe me, one day you will find that special someone and you will thank me for all the things I am doing. Even though right now you are more inclined clawing my face off. "
Harry did not want to believe him, but in the end, if these magic lessons made him able to defend himself, maybe he should listen to him." I am not sure how honest you are, seeing how you lied to me when I first met you. But if these so-called lessons will help me, then let's get started. "
Dumbledore looked happy that he began to accept his offer." First I saw your memories, but I think I need to listen to what happened to you while you lived with your aunt and uncle. Harry asked him if he had his breakfast yet? Albus told him no.
He began describing his typical day." Harry was not too happy about it, "I woke up early in the morning from the smelly room they kept the garbage under the stairs when I got dressed in my rags I was greeted with the morning beating with a broom handle by my aunt. She then sat down being tired from beating me. I was ordered to cook breakfast and if they did not like it, which they never did, I got another beating with a whip by my uncle. "
" For breakfast, they told me to go and dig through the local restaurant's garbage. But if anyone saw and they complained to them, I would get another beating. I went to my school where my teachers berated me for my clothes and the smell of my breath. In the afternoon Dudley and his friends chased me around the yard and they all joined their favorite sport. They called it Harry Bashing. "
" My teachers got a note for my breath and my clothes which I had pinned to my rags for my aunt or uncle to read and sign. They took turned insulting me and beating me till they felt satisfied or were too tired to continue. I was sent again to dig through garbage and I went to sleep after that."
" This happened five times a week, and Saturday they did not because they would go out to have fun, and they left me to do all the house cleaning, and if I did it wrong I would get my usual punishment, a beating of course. Sunday they did nothing to me and cause their faith actually forbade them from doing anything strenuous during that day. Repeat that for five years and you pretty much know how my life was. "
Dumbledore began to wonder how in the world did he survive such a hell, he had the feeling that his magic had something to do with it. Something like a passive healing magic was clearly at work.
" Now you tell me that you would not kill a person that did that to you? Oh, I know I am supposed to go to the police and tell them. And they would use an ax to chop my head off since according to them I was an intruder and the school had my address as the same one as the local garbage dump. "
Dumbledore was going to say that and he knew he was giving him the sugar-coated version of what they really did to him. " If anyone has a reason to want to kill humans like them, it's me. But why to bother killing them at all,they do a marvelous job by themselves. My whale of a cousin was a perfect example of a person with a ticking time bomb for a heart. Killing him was practically merciful. "
Albus looked at him, he had no remorse, he felt nothing about killing them at all. To him, it was as natural as breathing. " Harry, life is precious and fragile. Your relatives did horrible things, but killing them was not the best choice. Killing should always be the last option, not the first."
"Okay, how about we do this then live like I did for five years, and then tell me you would not kill the person who did it to you? They planned to sell me as the sex toy for a dog. Where was my humane treatment in all that hell? I was happier with the panthers than I ever was with them. "
Dumbledore asked if they really made him dig through garbage to get something to eat."It was an all you can eat buffet restaurant they liked to eat in. You be surprised how much food gets thrown in the garbage on the daily basis. I did have to fight off a few rats for the good pieces, but when I got big enough I fought them off easy. "
" Harry some people actually poison the food they throw away to kill rats. Did you ever think about that? " Harry looked at him and simply ask if death living with them would really be a sad thing." Every day they reminded me what a worthless piece of shit I was, they tried their best to kill me or came close to it. This was supposed to be my family, but a lady Panther in a zoo showed me more love than they ever did. "
" Harry, trust me you will find good people here, why don't you take a nice night stroll through the castle. You might like it. " Harry did just that, but he did so in a form he was comfortable in. His Panther senses made the castle look beautiful, even at night. The walls were vibrant and colorful, the air fresh and free of the city smog. The light of the moon illuminated it in ways that made it almost feel homey.
He was so absorbed in his sightseeing that he did not notice the gray tabby that was following him, till he reached the great Hall. 'So how do you like my home?' Harry turned around and looked at her with suspicion. 'There is no need for that, I know you could kill me and eat me as a snack. I merely wished to ask you how do you like it?'
He did the honorable thing and introduced himself. 'Pleasure to meet you, they call me Mrs. Norris. I help the caretaker of this place. I am still waiting to here your answer Harry.' Harry looked at the hall and he could only answer with one word he said it was magical. 'That it is, and if you wonder too much on the third-floor corridors, you might meet the one that hates our kind. Don't go there unless you can fight or reason with a three-headed dog. "
Harry wished he a good night and she did the same. He walked around the first floor and he found many places where the painting seems to be alive. The ghosts came flying through sometimes. But the one that looked at him was a man in royal clothes as if he had been a noble while alive.
"You may fool others in that form, but you will never fool me. I can sense that you are a member of my old house. So tell me, young Potter, what is your first name? " Harry asked that he introduced himself as he changed into his human form." The people in this castle call me the bloody baron for obvious reasons. People have called me that for so long, that I forgot my name I went by when I was among the should I call you then? "
Harry smiled and answered in the same manner he did," I am Harry, and it is a pleasure meeting you baron. I hope you have a pleasant evening, now if you will excuse me, I need to take a form that is more comfortable. " The baron almost laughed as he saw him turn into a Panther again. But this time, he saw that he had flames on his claws as he appeared as a Panther.
" You might not know this, but seeing the flames on your paws confirmed my suspicions. The species that form belongs to is one that should not exist anymore. They were myths in my time, they were called the hellfire panthers, or the soul devourers of hell. If the legends are true your claws can even kill ghosts like me. Be careful of who you strike with your claws, there is nothing left of the soul of those they kill. And you will gain the knowledge of those you eat. "