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

Warnings: slash FWxHPxGW, OCCness, only loosely adheres to canon, some facts changed/ Fred and George are in their second year when Harry first goes to Hogwarts. Creature fic! And other stuff that might happen in M-rated fanfiction.

Thank you to all the people who reviewed!

Last time

"Master Nik?" Harry said after a few more minutes of internal debate. "I think I want to help you with your experiment."

"Wonderful." Nikodemus said as a large, somewhat feral grin grew on his face. "I think a celebratory dessert is in order. What would you like? I am particularly fond of apple strudel myself…"

Chapter 2 The Experiment

After dessert, Nikodemus led Harry into the alley behind the restaurant and told Harry to grasp his arm firmly. That was all the warning he gave before he apparated them away.

After a few moments where Harry felt he was being squeezed through a mouse hole they reappeared in a brightly lit entry hall. Harry's eyes were wide as they took in the large elaborate chandelier and double grand staircases that were the center of attention in the two-story entry hall. Between the staircases was a circular mosaic of an eight-headed hydra whose dark colors stood out strikingly against the tiled floor.

"Is this your home?" Harry whispered as he found himself clinging subconsciously to Nikodemus' arm as he took in the unfamiliar environment.

"Hmmm? Oh yes. This chateau was built by my grandfather for my grandmother Seraphine's wedding present. She was originally from France you see. Now come along. We need to get you situated so you are rested and prepared for the experiment tomorrow."

"We're doing it tomorrow?"

"Yes, no sense wasting time." Nik said with a smile as he led Harry up the left set of stairs. "Now I'm going to have to ask you to remain out of the first floor of the east wing as well as the cellar as my lab and experiment rooms are located there. You have free rein to roam the island and the rest of the chateaux as long as you are careful. But do avoid going into the stable house out back without me, as that is where I keep my creations."

Harry's mind was filling with questions but he settled on asking. "You said Island. Aren't we in London anymore? And how exactly did we get here?"

Nikodemus paused in front of the door he was about to open. The little one is very curious. How delightful. I love minds that like to question. It makes things more interesting.

"We came here by apparition Harry. It is a method of travel wizards use to disappear from one place and instantly reappear in another. As for where we are, we are on a small island between Morocco and Spain, just east of the Strait of Gibraltar."

"I know where Spain is sir, but not the other places."

"Well I expect you to use the library and tell me where they are at the end of the week. The library is just past the door between the entry stairs. Now come on in and I'll show you your room." Nikodemus then opened the door and pushed Harry gently inside.

They were greeted by what a good-sized study. There was a large roll-top desk in front of the window and two forest green wing chairs and a table in front of a stone fireplace that sat in a corner of the room. On the left wall by a door was a matching chaise with comfy looking pillows. There was also plenty of built in shelving for books and things. The room had warm cream walls and wide dark oak trim that matched the furniture. There were also a few landscape paintings.

"This is your own personal suite. This room here will be the room you use for your studies. The bathroom is just past that door," and Nik pointed to a door on the left wall. "As is the closet. If you go through the door on the right you will find your bedroom. I expect you to be tidy and if you need anything just call for Linny, the house elf who will be attending to your needs. She will also be waking you up in the morning."

Harry pulled his gaze away from his new room and asked. "What's a house elf Master Nik?"

Nikodemus blinked. "Oh yes, I guess I should introduce you. House elves are bonded servants for wizards. The bond between a wizard and house elf is what keeps the house elf alive." He then called out.

"Linny!" and suddenly there was a loud pop and a small figure with floppy ears wearing a plain red frock appeared. Harry could only stare.

"Master called Linny?"

"Yes, Linny. I'd like to introduce you to Harry. You will be seeing to his needs from now on and I will soon be adopting him as my son."

The elf turned her large doe eyes on Harry and said excitedly. "Oh Linny is very pleased to meet young Master Harry. Is you be needing anything?"

Before Harry could speak Nikodemus said. "Can you bring a pair of my pajamas Linny? I think that would be all for now."

"Right away sirs." And she snapped her fingers. Harry was very surprised to see a set of sleepwear appear in Linny's hands. She handed them to Nikodemus who whispered a spell and they shrunk down to Harry's size.

"Magic is brilliant" Harry breathed.

Nikodemus gave him a knowing smile as he handed to clothes off to Harry. "That it is little one. There is nothing a witch or wizard can't accomplish with enough magic, hard work and imagination. Now, head off into the shower. Linny will bring you a pair of clean clothes in the morning. After we see how the experiment goes we'll see about going shopping."

Harry was just about to the bathroom door when Nik called. "I'm leaving a beginners book on magical creatures on the desk. I want you to read the parts I bookmarked before going to sleep. The creature you will be bonding with tomorrow is called a 'Shadow Panther'." And before Harry could say anything Nikodemus was out the door.

Harry bit his bottom lip and opened the door to the bathroom. He wasn't sure how he felt about things going so fast, but it was probably better than having to worry while waiting. He paused when he took in the view.

It was large, as big as the kitchen at the Dursley's with walls the same cream color as the study. The wall in front of him had a dark green granite topped vanity and full length mirror from which his scrawny reflection…waved at him. Harry blinked. Now it was smiling. Hesitantly Harry waved back and his reflections smile grew wider. Weird.

Harry looked to the left and saw a door he figured led to the closet. To his right was a large glass enclosed marble shower and tub. The center of the dark tan tiled floor was covered with a long vine-patterned green rug that extended from shower to the closet.

Harry put the pajamas down on the counter and quickly slipped out of his clothes and into the shower.

As he scrubbed himself clean he couldn't help but reflect on how different everything was. He had never been allowed his own room before and now he had his own room, bathroom and study! Nikodemus even said he might take him shopping! He'd never had anything that wasn't handed down from Dudley, except his glasses. Those had been picked out of a recycle bin.

This new life would certainly take a while to get used to.

He gave his hair a final rinse and turned off the shower. He got out and put on the pajamas that turned out to be silk.

He found his clothes missing and guessed Linny must have picked them up. He padded back into the study after drying his hair and grabbed the book Nikodemus had left for him. He then made his way into his new bedroom.

He jaw dropped again and Harry briefly wondered whether it was going to fall off or not with all the abuse it was taking today.

His bedroom was just as large if not more so than Dudley's had been. It was again done in the same cream color of the study with dark oak trim work. The room was dominated by a queen sized wrought iron canopy bed with slender tree branches forming the decoration on the headboard and footboard. It was covered in large fluffy cream and forest green blankets and overstuffed pillows. On either side of the bed were nightstands with antique looking lamps. There was a large bay window with a plush window seat that would have a wonderful view of the shrub land and coastline in the daylight.

Harry walked over to the bed and crawled under the covers while sighing in contentment. He rolled onto his side to turn on one of his bedside lamps and noticed a glass of milk waiting for him. He wondered if it was Linny who had left it and reminded himself to thank her in the morning. He drank it before leaning back against the comfy pillows and examining the book.

It was titled A Beginner's Bestiary for Young Witches and Wizards. Harry opened it and after a quick scan of the contents went to the page about Shadow Panthers.

The Shadow Panther

Other names it is known by are the Raven Panther or Winged Panther.

Description: The Shadow Cat resembles a leopard with a long lean body and a long tail. Its fur coat is a shadowy black in color and some who have seen it have reported a faint pattern. On its back are large raven-like wings. Starting at the base of its skull and extending down its back are small feathers hidden among the fur. When agitated or excited the Shadow Panthers edges tend to blur, mostly around the tail.

Abilities: Shadow Panther's are extremely fast and strong. They also can poison prey or cause sickness with their bite. A Shadow Panthers mind is also naturally shielded from invasion. The most amazing ability of the Shadow Panther though is their ability to control and travel through shadows. Making them one of the few creatures tied to the element of shadow. With their strong connection with this element, theses large cats can actually 'read' a person's shadow to find out their hidden thoughts and feelings. Shadow Panthers can also manipulate shadow into solid form. Their feathers when plucked become hard as steel and very sharp. They are very useful in a variety of complicated and powerful potions are very expensive.

Behavior: Shadow Panthers are highly curious in nature but prefer to watch things from a distance. They tend to have little or no interaction with humans.

Origin: Popular theory says Shadow Panther's are said to be the result of the pairing of a Night Raven (p84) and Nundu (p137) though nothing is proven.

Wow. Harry thought. That sounded brilliant. He supposed he could live with this, if he couldn't be a dragon.

He then went to the other chapters Nikodemus had bookmarked, not surprised to see they were the ones about Night Ravens and Nundu's.

Night Ravens, it turned out, were the descendants of the Norse God Odin's birds Huginn and Munnin who traveled the world to bring him information. The Night Ravens could travel through shadows like the Shadow Panther and could find anything hidden.

The chapter on the Nundu said that it was native to Africa and was a gigantic leopard capable of breathing out diseases. They had destroyed whole villages and it took at least a hundred wizards to subdue one of them.

After finishing the last chapter Harry laid the book on his nightstand and shut off his lamp. He had had only a little difficulty reading the passages and understood most of it and was very pleased with himself.

He laid back and fell asleep quickly. His dreams filled with cats of epic proportions and cawing birds.

Linny woke Harry up at eight the next morning, bringing with her a pair of black trousers and a plain long-sleeved white shirt. Harry dressed quickly and the happy little elf led him to the dining room where a single place was set.

"Master Nik is being in the lab young sir. Yous is to finish your meal and go there. Linny will wait for you."

"Thanks Linny." Harry said as he dug into his meal of honey sweetened oatmeal and fruit. It didn't take him long before he was finished. He was nervous and his stomach felt a little queasy.

Linny frowned at his breakfast for a moment before leading him into the east wing and then down a set of stairs into the cellar. She knocked once announcing their presence before Nik's voice told them to enter. Harry did so with considerably more trepidation than Linny.

"Good morning Harry! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes sir"

"Excellent. And did you read the chapters I wanted you too?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now go over to that corner and greet Leila while I finish prepping things." and Nikodemus gently shoved Harry into the direction of a shadowy corner.

When Harry got closer he began to distinguish a form sitting there, as well as two glowing eyes. Harry gulped and looked back over at his shoulder at Nik but the man was occupied so he slowly made his way closer.

When he could clearly make out the shape of a large cat he took a deep breath and murmured a quiet hello.

"Hello yourself youngling." Came the soft reply. "It is good to see that Nikodemus chose someone who is not a coward. My name is Leila child. What is yours?"

"Harry, Miss Leila." He said and the creature huffed in amusement startling him a bit.

"You may call me Leila. After all, after today we will be quite close."

"So you are the one who's doing the experiment with me?"

"Yes"

"Can I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"The book I read last night said that Shadow Panther's don't like to interact with humans. Why are you doing this? I'm sorry if that's a rude question though…"

"It's a good question Harry. It is true most of my kind prefer to stay in the shadows, but I owe Nikodemus a debt. This also benefits one of my own selfish desires."

At Harry's quizzical look she continued.

"I was imprisoned by a horrible witch who sold off my feathers to gain wealth. Nikodemus rescued me. Also, due to my treatment while I was captive I cannot have children. By participating in this scheme of his I can gain one. A child of both my magic and blood. Even if you will be a little different."

Harry stared at her for a few moments before saying quietly "So…so you'd be like my mother?"

"Yes child. And I would be happy if you would call me such."

Harry had to fight to blink back tears. As he rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt Leila came forward to bump him gently in his chest. Harry put his small hands on her head and hesitantly scratched her ears.

"Oh that feels wonderful little one. Don't stop." And Harry was rewarded for his efforts when she started to rumble in happiness.

Nikodemus came closer and smiled at the pair. "Well, it seems you two are getting along just fine. Though I'm afraid it's time to start the experiment. Come over here Harry. And take off your shirt please."

He then had Harry lie down on a metal table with restraints for his arms and legs.

"It's just a precaution. Normally I would have you unconscious for something like this but you are going to need to be awake so your magic is as powerful as possible throughout the procedure. This is going to be painful."

Harry just nodded, too nervous to speak. Nikodemus dipped a slim paintbrush in a clay jar and began to paint figures on Harry's bare chest.

"These are runes and will allow your magical core to fuse with a piece of Leila's. It will also help fuse your DNA. He then went over to where Leila was lying in the corner and put the same marking on her chest. "They will activate when I mutter the proper spells. He then went to his worktable and grabbed a needle filed with a clear substance. He injected it into Harry's arm.

"Now I will cast the spell to fracture a piece of Leila's magical core."

Harry heard him speak some words he thought were Latin. After he was done Leila said.

"It doesn't feel different."

"It won't until it is pulled away to Harry. Now, little one are you ready to begin?" At Harry's slight nod Nikodemus gave him a small smile before starting another string of spells.

After the first phrase was uttered the waves of pain began to shoot through Harry and he screamed. It felt like he was being torn apart, inside and out. All thought emptied from his head as his body tried to deal with the ferocious onslaught of agony.

To Harry the pain seemed to last for days. Just as he was about to give in, just when he thought he couldn't take anymore it finally began to taper off. As the pain left his awareness he could feel his body trembling. Nothing had ever hurt like that before. Nothing. Not his uncle's beatings or his broken bones. Not even when his aunt held his hand on the stove for almost a full twenty seconds.

He began to feel unconsciousness tug at his senses and fell blissfully into its open arms. The last thing he heard was Nikolas' cry of success.

So what do you think? Do you like the creature I had Harry fuse with? Please review and let me know!

Follow the url below to see what I'm basing the Chateaux on. Don't forget to remove the spaces.

http:/ .org /wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Boisclaireau