A/N: The idea behind this story was to have Harry raise a large Siberian tiger and have him well-trained to take out Death Eaters. I especially pictured a scene where Lucius Malfoy gets taken out that way. I really like the story but my muse has been silent for a while.
Sib
by Roff
CHAPTER ONE
The ride home with the Dursleys after they received a talking to by a few members of the Order was tense, to say the least. Harry could see the vein on the side of his uncle's head threatening to burst. Harry knew he wanted to shout and threaten, perhaps even hit Harry, but knew that they were being watched and Harry had to send an owl every three days to report on his health. This made Vernon even angrier but he refused to lose it and risk being exposed. He kept it all in which caused his face to take on a reddish-purple color as he drove.
Aunt Petunia's worried look every time she looked at her husband in the car said enough. If anything, she was worse than he was about looking normal. The last thing she wanted was for Vernon to lose his temper and expose them to the rest of the world. After all, it was important to appear normal, even though their treatment of their nephew over the years was far from it. Not to mention that their nephew was not normal. In fact, he was everything but normal.
Dudley was cowering in the corner behind his father on the other side of the backseat, getting as far away from Harry as he could possibly get, given the size of the car. Unfortunately, he was extremely overweight like his father and took up enough space on the seat for two people. Consequently, the car had a lean to that side where father and son sat. Luckily, Harry was skinny so was able to sit on his side and not have to touch his whale of a cousin.
Harry was apathetic and quiet with an occasional tear slowly leaving a track down his face. He mostly just stared at the back of the seat in front of him, thinking about his godfather whom he would never get to see again.
When they reached number 4 Privet Drive, Vernon parked the car in the driveway, popped the boot so Harry could get his trunk, and all three Dursleys filed into the house, leaving Harry to himself. Harry slowly got out of the car and retrieved his trunk and Hedwig's cage from the boot. He closed the boot then slowly carried his trunk and the bird cage into the house.
He was in no particular hurry.
The last place he wanted to be was back with his relatives but if they were willing to leave him alone this summer, then that would be for the best. However, when he entered the house his uncle was all set to yell at him and let him know how little he appreciated being talked to like that by a bunch of freaks.
He started in on Harry as soon as the door was closed to the outside. He was letting all his frustration out when he noticed Harry wasn't even paying attention. He had no reaction at all to Vernon's yelling. As soon as Vernon stopped mid-sentence, when he realized he was wasting his breath, Harry mumbled a 'yes, Uncle Vernon' and proceeded up the stairs to his room completely oblivious.
Vernon looked over at Petunia who still looked worried. He then shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious Harry wasn't even aware that Vernon never actually finished his rant. He just gave the obligatory answer and went up to his room when he sensed his uncle was done yelling at him. They really didn't care about the boy all that much so decided to not worry about his state of mind.
He was a freak after all.
Harry closed his bedroom door, put his school trunk at the foot of his bed with Hedwig's cage on top of it, and then fell face first into his pillow as he let his tears flow unhindered for the godfather he barely got to spend time with. After he finished crying, he got up and placed the bird cage on top of the old dresser where he normally kept it. He then opened the window so Hedwig could come in when she arrived. He let her fly back instead of having to ride in her cage and put up with the Dursleys.
Harry just sat down on his bed and stared at nothing.
It was this scene Hedwig discovered when she arrived. She knew Harry was upset but she didn't know what she could do to help him. She flew over and landed on his bed beside him. She then rubbed her head on the back of his hand.
He absentmindedly raised his hand and started petting Hedwig as she enjoyed the attention. However, she noted that Harry was still not happy. What could she do to fix this? She just wanted to help him.
Two days passed with not much change in Harry. Meanwhile, downstairs the local news was on. They were reporting on the usual stuff when they had a breaking story.
"This just in," the news anchor said as she was handed a piece of paper. "A white female Siberian tiger has escaped the local zoo. They're not sure how she managed to get out yet, but are certain she is no longer at the zoo. The interesting thing is she's pregnant and due anytime. That may have something to do with why she escaped they theorized."
"While she is accustomed to being around people and generally well behaved with the zookeepers, she is an older and rather large Siberian Tiger so extreme caution should be used if you happen to see her. Do not approach! Instead, get to a safe place and contact the authorities immediately. Dial 999 to report it."
"Wow! A Siberian tiger on the loose! Stay very alert out there people!"
What they didn't report was that the tiger had been gone for a few days from the zoo. They had hoped to find her before they had to report it, plus they needed to check every place at the zoo first to make sure. However, she took off as fast as she could go to get away once she was free.
Vernon started ranting about the inept zookeepers letting a tiger get lose to terrorize neighborhoods. He was rather loud so it disturbed Harry up in his room. Harry had not responded to much at all for the past three days, nor had he eaten anything either.
Hedwig was starting to really worry about him now. She had just got back from delivering his first letter to the Order, but it was a complete lie. He was obviously not okay.
When his Uncle Vernon started his yelling and brought Harry out of his stupor, Harry started putting on his shoes. He was so tired of hearing his uncle yell at anything and everything.
"Hedwig, I'm going for a walk. You can join me outside if you want," Harry told her then left his room once he was ready.
Hedwig flew out the window immediately and waited on top of the house until she saw Harry. Harry went downstairs and headed for the front door.
"Where are you going?" Vernon bellowed before he could get to the door.
"For a walk. I'll be back later."
"Well, they just reported that a large white Siberian Tiger escaped from the zoo and she's pregnant. Be on the lookout for her."
"Alright," he responded and started to leave.
"Oh, and she's super friendly so you can walk right up to her," he said with a smile and a bit of hope that the tiger was very hungry by now.
"Got it," he responded half-heartedly and left.
Harry could smell stale tobacco and even staler alcohol when he stepped off the front stoop. Mundungus Fletcher was covered by an invisibility cloak but Harry had no problem pinpointing exactly where he was. Not only could he smell him but he could hear him lightly snoring behind the hedges in front of the house.
Harry walked on and soon Hedwig joined him. She would land on his shoulder on occasion before taking off again and flying around. Harry had no particular place in mind he wanted to go but ended up heading to the park. The neighborhood park was a pretty good sized one. It even had some small woods that met it on one side.
Harry was still walking and minding his own business when he spotted Dudley with his gang hanging out in the park. To avoid having to hurt them when he knew they would inevitably start something, Harry veered away from them and found himself near the woods. He peaked back over in their direction and could see they were looking around for someone to pick on. When they started to turn his way, he went into the woods and stopped behind a big tree until their eyes passed his location.
He then decided to head further into the woods to continue his walk. That way he could stay away from Dudley and his gang and not be disturbed. Hedwig just followed along, keeping an eye on Harry. No one usually ventured into the woods normally. They were safe enough as far as Harry knew, since he had been in them before. Mostly only younger kids used the park and their parents always told them to not go into the woods.
False stories were started by some of the kids to make them seem scary, but to Harry, after wandering through the Forbidden Forest with all its dark creatures a few times, he wasn't overly concerned or scared about a few trees.
He went a good ways when he heard a noise. It wasn't a normal noise either. It was like a deep throaty growl, followed by a whine. It almost sounded like some animal was in pain. Hedwig flew to check it out but Harry took a more cautious approach and went slow.
The scene he came upon was nothing like he expected. He remembered seeing big cats in the zoo when he went that one time with the Dursleys and set that big snake lose. But to see a fully grown Siberian Tiger laying down in front of him in the local woods was amazing. She was so big.
Then Harry noticed she was in pain. He remembered his uncle telling him about an escaped Siberian Tiger that was pregnant and that she was super friendly. However, it would be just like his uncle to lie to him like that in hopes he would get himself killed and eaten by a wild animal.
It appeared she was in too much pain to move much so Harry double-checked to make sure his wand was in his sleeve holster and was at the ready before he approached the big cat slowly.
"Hey girl. Are you hurting?" he asked calmly.
She raised her head up at his voice and did a short growl but then her head flopped back down on the ground. Harry knelt down beside her and petted her. He wished he had a cell phone so he could call the authorities but he didn't and it was not likely one would work around him anyway.
He worked his hands down her long body and looked to see if she was actually giving birth. He found a small cub already on the ground but it wasn't moving and another halfway born. At least its head was clear of the canal. It was wiggling slightly, trying to get free he supposed. Harry looked back at the momma but it looked like she was passed out.
Harry gently grabbed the slippery cub and pulled it the rest of the way out of the mother before setting it down on the ground and checking the other cub. Unfortunately, it didn't make it. The second one though was alive. It was still trying to move, but its eyes were not open yet and its breath was erratic.
Harry picked it up and carried it to the mother's mouth and set it down. He then started petting and rubbing her again.
"Come on, you have to wake back up and say hello to your new cub. I think he needs your help. He's not breathing right. Can you help him?" he said scratching behind her ear.
She woke and smelled her new cub who was right in front of her nose. She then began licking the cub as best she could. After a while he started breathing normally and even let out his first cry. Harry went back and picked up the first cub and brought it to the mother.
"I think this one didn't make it but you be the judge of that," he said as he placed the cub that wasn't breathing in front of her.
She immediately sniffed and licked the cub but gave up quickly and laid her head back down while the live one continued to squirm a little. Harry picked it back up and put it where it could nurse. A couple of minutes later it was drinking its fill before falling asleep. It was worn out from all the activity.
Harry was thinking that he should now go get help so the mother and one cub could be tended to properly but suddenly the mother stopped breathing and the last breath she let out was a big one. Harry quickly knelt beside the mother and started petting and rubbing her again a little more vigorously.
"Come on. You can't do this," he pleaded. "You have a baby to take care of. Come back, please?" he begged. "He'll die if you aren't here to feed him and raise him. You have to live. PLEASE!" he said yelling that last word. He had seen enough death lately and this was not what he needed.
She refused to breathe again though and Harry knew his efforts were in vain.
She was gone.
Harry was frantic. What should he do now? Was the cub safe here with his dead mother until he could call for help? Were there predators around that would kill the cub while he was gone? He didn't know what to do.
Suddenly he remembered.
Magic. Magic might be able to help. But he didn't know what to do using magic, plus the Ministry would come after him if he used magic out of school before the age of seventeen. But what if he called someone else who could use magic?
Then he remembered again. There was only one person who he could call without using a phone or owl.
"Dobby?"
Pop!
"Yes, Harry Potter sir. What can Dobby do for the Great Harry Potter?"
"Dobby, I need your help desperately" he pleaded as he gestured to the tiger and the cubs.
"Oh my, Harry Potter sir! That is one big cat!"
"Yes, Dobby. She just gave birth to two cubs. One didn't make it but one did. Now the mother has died too and I must find a way to save this remaining cub. Can you help me?"
Dobby thought it over for a few seconds and looked at the mother and cub.
"Yes, Harry Potter sir! Dobby can help."
"What are you going to do, Dobby?"
"Dobby wants Harry Potter sir to pick up the live cub and hang onto it. Dobby will take all the milk from the mother and place it in a container. Once Dobby has Harry Potter back in his room with the cub, Dobby will increase the amount of milk so it will last the cub for several weeks. Dobby will then go get a baby bottle for Harry Potter sir to feed the cub."
"Wow, Dobby! You're really good at this. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Dobby is noticing Harry Potter sir is not looking well and thinks he needs to eat something. How is the Great Harry Potter going to take care of a baby cub if he does not take care of himself?" he fussed.
"You're right, Dobby," Harry responded thoroughly understanding. "I do need to take better care of myself. Can you bring me some food when you go get the bottle?"
"Dobby will be happy to help the Great Harry Potter."
"Thank you, Dobby."
Hedwig, sitting up on a branch of a tree, was liking the sound of that.
Dobby had a container appear in his hand and then he motioned with his other hand. Harry watched while he held the sleeping cub as all the milk from the mother appeared in the container Dobby was holding. Dobby put a lid on it then held out his hand for Harry to hold.
As soon as Harry took Dobby's hand they appeared in Harry's room. The little cub made a small complaint about the sudden travel by elf, but went back to sleep. Dobby increased the container size and the mother's milk that was in it before making sure it stayed fresh. He then came up with a bed for the cub before placing it on the floor.
Harry laid the cub in his new bed while Dobby popped off to get the bottle and the food. Harry sat on the bed and looked at the cub sleeping peacefully, watching it for a while. He was so afraid that it would stop breathing too but after several minutes of seeing the little two pound cat breathe in and out normally, he started to relax a little. He then looked up at Hedwig who had returned and was staring curiously at the cub as well.
"What do you think, Hedwig? Do you think we can do this? Raise a white Siberian tiger? If I remember right these are the biggest of the cats. The males, which is what he is, get much bigger than the females. You saw how big the mum was? He will likely get much bigger than that. I'll have to look at the information again to refresh my memory but I believe the males average about eleven feet long but can get as much as thirteen feet long. Wow! That's more than twice as tall as me."
Hedwig flew over and landed on Harry's bed so he could pet her. She was already liking his change in attitude. Seems that a baby to take care of was exactly what he needed to bring him around and take his mind off his troubles.
"I think we can do it, Hedwig," he said gently petting her, "especially if Dobby continues to help us."
"Hoot!"
"I'm glad you agree, girl."
Pop!
"Harry Potter sir. Dobby has your food. While the Great Harry Potter sir eats, Dobby will prepare the bottle and make the milk in it stay fresh, like the container. Can Harry Potter sir eat at his desk?"
"That'll be fine, Dobby, and thanks."
"Harry Potter sir is too kind to be thanking Dobby."
"You deserve it for being so helpful," he said sitting down at his desk to eat. "As a matter of fact, I have a few more things I could use your help with, if you're willing that is." Harry took his first bite and savored it.
"Dobby will do anything for the Great Harry Potter sir. He only has to ask Dobby."
"Great!" He took another bite and was starting to feel a little better. "I was wondering if you could take my Gringotts key and get some money for me? I'll need galleons, plus pounds for the Muggle side."
"Oh, Harry Potter sir, Dobby is so sorry he can't do this."
"Why not, Dobby? Can't you take my key and get access to my vault? I trust you."
"Dobby is very happy that the Great Harry Potter trusts him, but the goblins can sense a magical bond between house elves and masters, so in order for a house elf to take money from the bank, they must be bound to that master or the master's house."
"Oh, I see. So, since you prefer to be free then that won't work for me."
"Harry Potter sir should know that Dobby would gladly give up his freedom if the Great Harry Potter would be his master."
"Surely, you don't mean that, Dobby? Giving up your freedom is a big thing. I would not want to give up my freedom, not that I have that much."
"A wizard and a house elf are very different, Harry Potter sir. Dobby would not give up his freedom to serve the Malfoys again or any other wizarding family. Dobby chooses to serve Harry Potter sir because it makes Dobby happy. Isn't freedom about choice? Dobby's choice is to serve Harry Potter sir. That's why Dobby always comes when the Great Harry Potter calls."
"I think I understand now Dobby. How do I bond with you?"
"Harry Potter sir only needs to state is name and that he wishes to bond with Dobby. The magic will do the rest."
Harry had finished eating so he stood up and faced Dobby, giving the needed words. A bright light appeared that flowed between and engulfed both Harry and Dobby. Then suddenly when the light dissipated, Dobby was taller and looked healthier.
"Dobby, you look different, better even."
"The Great Harry Potter sir is very powerful and Dobby has benefitted from that. Dobby can now sense what his master needs and Dobby's master needs help. Does Harry Potter sir know that he is housing a different soul in his scar?"
"A different soul?"
"Yes, a very dark soul."
"No, it can't be. That must be why it hurts to be in the presence of Voldemort. Dumbledore told me about the horcruxes but he didn't mention this one. Does he even know? My money says he does but he simply didn't want to tell me I have to die to get rid of it," he said a little heatedly.
"Harry Potter sir will not be dying to get rid of the extra soul piece," Dobby responded excitedly. "That is not necessary Harry Potter sir. Dobby will bring his friends and they will help Dobby to cleanse his master of this foul piece of soul magic."
"You can do that?"
"House elves can do many things for their masters. Dobby just needs a little extra help with this one."
"How soon can we do this?"
"Dobby would like to do it here," he said looking around, "since the blood wards will help to get rid of it once the elves extract it, but the room has to be prepared for the ritual first."
"Dobby, do whatever you need to do to get this done."
"Dobby will take care of it for his master. Should Dobby go to Gringotts now? The goblins will recognize our bond right away."
"Good, so you can get me some money?"
"How much do you need Harry Potter sir?"
"Make it 2,000 of each, galleons and pounds. I'm going to need some clothes and food, plus the cub there will probably need some things as well pretty soon. Oh, can you also pick up some more owl treats for Hedwig? Get extra in case I get deliveries from other owls."
"Anything else Harry Potter sir?"
"Maybe you better put a charm on the room so my relatives can't hear anything in here but we can hear normally what goes on out there. The cub sometimes makes a noise and they don't need to know about him… at all."
Dobby snapped his fingers and the charm was in place along with locking the door with magic.
"Here's my vault key," Harry said handing it to Dobby.
"Dobby will be back soon."
Pop!
The cub woke up with the sound of Dobby leaving and started squirming and making a sort of mewling sound. Harry picked him up and then grabbed the bottle Dobby prepared. Harry sat back down on his bed and cradled the cub with his arm before placing the bottle nipple on his mouth. He soon began sucking down the milk. He couldn't hold that much yet but he drank it with gusto.
Hedwig stayed close by and watched as well.
Harry noticed his eyes were still closed and couldn't remember how long before they opened them. He needed a book so he could refresh his memory on those facts, not to mention needing to read up on all things Siberian Tiger just so he's better prepared.
He was undoubtedly a cute thing, especially with the excess milk he didn't swallow sitting on his maw. He seemed to be enjoying his full belly. Harry put him back in his bed for now and decided to think on all the things he would need Dobby to do, now that he was at his beck and call.
While they waited for Dobby to come back, Harry noticed that the cub urinated on his bed. Harry moved him away from the pee but wanted to clean it up with magic really quick. Before he whipped out his wand though, he knew that he should wait on Dobby. Then he wondered if Dobby could do something so he could use magic himself instead of having to wait for Dobby to do everything. He decided he would just have to ask.
When Dobby returned with his money and news that his friends would help him tonight with the ritual, Harry asked if there was some way Dobby could make it where Harry could use his magic without getting in trouble for it. He pointed out the pee on the cub's bed and how he couldn't even do a simple cleaning spell while Dobby was gone.
Dobby waved his hand and the bed was clean again.
"Dobby will fix it, Harry Potter sir."
Dobby then waved his hand at Harry, told Harry to hold his wand, waited for a few seconds, then waved his hand again.
"Harry Potter sir can use his magic all he wants now. The trace has been removed from his wand."
"How did you do that, Dobby?"
"Dobby made Harry Potter sir's body feel like it was seventeen to Harry Potter's wand. Once that happened, the trace automatically removed itself. Dobby then changed his master back."
"Will the trace come back?"
"No, Harry Potter sir. The trace would have to be recast on the wand for it to work again."
"That's amazing Dobby! I never realized how great it could be having a house elf to help me."
"Dobby is very pleased to hear that."
"Wait a minute, Dobby. Does this mean that the pureblood children with house elves get to use magic even when not in school?"
"Yes, Harry Potter sir."
"Figures."
Dobby began changing the room a bit and cleaning it up while Harry went downstairs to look at the encyclopedias. He wanted to see what it had on the Siberian tigers. The small bookcase for the encyclopedias was located in an alcove just past his old room, the cupboard under the stairs. Harry was sitting there on the floor reading about Siberian tigers and their young when his Uncle Vernon saw him.
"Boy, what are you doing?" he asked brusquely.
"Reading."
"Who said you could use my encyclopedias?"
"No one else is using them."
"Those were bought for Dudley, so keep your hands off them."
"Dudley? Does he even know how to read? I know he's never once looked at these books."
"How dare you! I'll thwart you good for insulting Dudley," he said as he approached Harry in a huff.
Harry pulled his wand and aimed it at Vernon. "I don't think so."
Vernon stopped dead in his tracks. "You can't use that. You'll get in trouble and they'll expel you from that freaky school of yours," he said with confidence and a sneer.
"Not any more. I can now use my magic all I want and no one will care."
Harry pointed his wand at the small table his uncle was standing near and blasted it to kindling. Vernon almost jumped a foot in the air in surprise, sputtering the whole time. Harry then cast a Reparo and returned it back to normal.
"Any questions?" Harry asked calmly.
"Won't one of those ruddy birds show up now?" he asked with less bravado.
"Nope, but you're welcome to wait on one all you want. I'm borrowing this encyclopedia for a bit and taking it to my room. I'll bring it back when I'm done with it. Enjoy your wait!"
Harry got up and walked right by his uncle who was in a bit of shock. When he got back to his room he was in shock too.