Chapter 7. Learning and Growing

Minerva McGonagall was smiling at the letter in her hand. She had not expected to get a letter from Harry and Anissa. She found it endearing that they wanted to keep in contact with her. From what she had gathered through their conversations, they did not have an adult to talk to, especially about magic.

So, she really should not have been surprised that they had latched onto the first person who gave them that stability. Many Muggle-born students had done that with her, but none had written to her after her initial visit. Smiling brightly, Minerva opened the letter.

Dear Professor McGonagall,

We know you said to call you Min, but it will take time for us to be comfortable with calling you that. We mean no disrespect, that is just how we were raised.

Our purpose in writing to you is to request permission to ask you our questions about magic. We know that you are very busy with getting ready for the start of term, but we know nothing about the magical world and would like to not stand out. Especially Harry.

We appreciate all that you have done for us and the time you have spent with us. We await your response eagerly.

Your friends,

Anissa and Harry

"Oh, those dears. As if I'd mind answering their questions." she said to her empty office.

Minerva sat there thinking about how sweet and polite the two had been during their trip to Diagon Alley. How inquisitive they were about everything and so ready and eager to learn it all. They were such a joy to her.

Minerva smiled as an idea went through her mind, one she hoped they would agree to. If the children were willing, she would be more than happy to visit them again and answer their questions personally.

She would get to know the two a lot better then, and maybe understand better this pull they had on her. Her feline Animagus form had already staked a claim on them. She felt very fond of them after getting to know them for just one day.

They called to her like nothing else ever had and it was a fierce feeling. She knew she would be very protective of her kittens and woe betide anyone who hurt them. Minerva took out parchment and her favorite quill and penned her reply. Hopefully they accepted her offer.

August went by too fast but also too slow for Harry. The Dursleys were worse than ever. They were scared of Harry, now that he knew about magic, and so they took their fear out on him. He spent a lot of time healing in his cupboard or doing as many chores as they could give him.

The slightest thing would set Vernon off, and Harry got the brunt of it. His aunt found everything she could to scold him for and then would tell his uncle so he could 'discipline' him. He had so many cuts and scars on his back, chest, butt, and thighs that you really could not tell the wounds apart.

Dudley also took it upon himself to add to his misery by playing his favorite game: Harry Hunting, as often as possible. He and his friends would chase Harry all over the house and yard, down the street and through the park. If they caught him, they would beat him up.

He lost count of the times he had to repair his glasses from Dudley punching him in the nose. Although the activity did make Harry fast and extremely nimble. He was not afraid of heights or tight spaces, and he could withstand quite a bit of pain and still keep going. His reflexes were also honed to perfection. He always knew what was going on around him at all times.

There had been days that he could not meet Anissa and Snuffles at their secret spot because he was hurting so bad from the beatings that he could not move. Things at home were bad, but in other places it was great, which was when time moved way too fast for Harry.

For his birthday, Anissa gave him a card, a small cake, and a kiss on the cheek. It was the first time he had ever received a cake or had someone be happy that he had been born, and he silently cried as she held him.

That was also his first kiss – even if it was on his cheek – and he blushed furiously. Snuffles had also brought him a gift, a skull of some animal. It was clean, bleached white, and beautifully preserved and Harry wondered where the dog had gotten it from.

Normally, Harry just drew a cake with candles in the dust on his cupboard floor for his birthday and blew out the candles at midnight. He made the same wish every year, to have a real family, one that loved him.

That was his ritual, which he had done that very morning. He had not expected anything else. Anissa's card made him feel wanted. He made sure to hide it and the skull under the floorboards to keep them safe until he could pack them in his trunk.

One thing he could say was that he learned a lot these last few weeks. Harry and Anissa spent every second they could together, pouring over their schoolbooks. They devoured those books, soaking up the knowledge like a sponge.

They were full of such interesting things and explained a lot. Then there were the days that Min visited them, answering their questions, and explaining things they did not quite understand after reading about it.

Min had told them that they could not do magic outside of school as the Ministry of Magic had a trace on every underaged witch and wizard, and doing magic would eventually get you expelled, and your wand snapped. Harry definitely did not want that to happen.

While reading in one of their extra books, the one about advanced magic, they came across a way to protect an area from detection. They would be able to perform magic inside this area without the Ministry knowing and they agreed to make this place so they could practice.

It was done with Wish Magic and it was nontraceable. Wish Magic was classified under Accidental Magic as most of the time you had no control over it. Your magic did it without conscious thought.

They looked for a place that was hidden and out of the way of normal neighborhood hangouts. It would not do for the Muggles to see them doing magic, after all. Once they had found the perfect place, they pictured the area in their minds and wished with their whole heart and soul for a protected place where they could practice without being detected or causing harm.

They could feel their magic working, if the tingling in their bodies was any clue. When they opened their eyes, a shimmering dome covered the entire area. It winked out of sight once they got up from the ground, but they could still feel it in the air. Their grins stretched from ear to ear. They had done it. They had accomplished their first piece of dual-focused magic.

Harry and Anissa were determined to be the best at everything, the top of their class, so they studied hard. They practiced until they could do the spells easily. Sometimes it did not go right, and they had to scurry to fix what went wrong, but they followed the instructions and then discretely asked Min if they still could not quite understand it.

They were pretty sure Min had no idea they were actually practicing the spells. When Harry had first tried the wand lighting charm (Lumos) he nearly blinded them both, it was so bright. Anissa was the first to learn to detach an orb of light from her wand, but Harry got it soon after. What really interested Harry was Wandless Magic.

That was what they had been doing when he and Anissa threw sticks for Snuffles. It was advanced magic, based on power and intent, but Harry was a very focused person and had a pretty good feel for his magic and magic came easy to him. He thought he could learn it. Maybe he would ask Min to help him master it.

The only thing they could not practice was Potions, but they had bought an advanced book – Secrets of Potion Masters and Alchemists – and learned about many ingredients, their uses, and how to prepare them, so they were hopeful that the practical part of class would come easier since they knew so much of the theory.

They could not wait to get to school and learn even more. Already, they felt like they could protect each other so much better than they could before. They just needed instruction to help them fine tune their skills.

Today was the last day before they left for Hogwarts and Harry was sitting in the park looking at the clouds in the sky. He thought about the last couple of months and all the crazy things that had happened. He smiled when his owl, Hedwig, landed on the bench next to him. He stroked her soft feathers as he remembered how they had found each other. The day that he learned he could heal.

Harry was on his way to the park for one of his daily study sessions with Anissa. Today, they were going over all the steps in a potion they would be making that year. He wanted to make sure he had it memorized, so he could focus on the lesson instead.

Suddenly, he heard a noise to his left, and he turned towards it, his wand already in his hand. He and Anissa had been practicing flicking their wrists to get their wand into their hand from the holster. It was actually a lot harder than it looked, but he had finally gotten it.

Harry slowly moved toward the sound. 'It had better not be Dudley and his stupid gang. I just might hex them this time.' Harry thought to himself.

As he approached the sound, he realized that it definitely did not sound human, and there was a lot of thrashing going on. He could feel the distress of the animal and it called to him. Harry paused. That was new. He had never felt what an animal was feeling before. Was that a normal wizard thing?

Shaking off his thoughts, Harry quickened his pace to get to the suffering animal. When he made it to the clearing, he saw it. A beautiful white owl with black speckles was thrashing around on the ground. From the look of it, a wing had been broken. Its thrashing was going to hurt the wing even further and Harry needed to get it to stop.

He stepped closer and the owl suddenly froze. Harry froze too, watching the bird. He could feel the bird's presence searching, so he let his magic flow out towards her. How he knew it was a girl he did not know… he just knew.

He filled his magic with thoughts of safety, calmness and healing. The bird slowly turned her head and looked right into his eyes. Harry was stunned. The intelligence in her piercing golden gaze was startling. It was like she could see into his soul.

"It's okay girl, I won't hurt you," Harry crooned and slowly made his way to her side. The bird just watched him and then cooed when he gently touched her head.

"Blimey. What happened to you girl? You're a mess."

The bird just gave him a look that said, 'You think I don't know that.' Harry chuckled.

"Sorry, that was stupid of me. Can I look at your wing? I might be able to help you." asked Harry. He had become pretty good at setting bones.

For some reason it was imperative that he help her. The owl bobbed her head. Harry took that for a yes and gently ran his fingers over the bad wing. The bird cringed a couple of times and nipped him hard once when he hit a too sensitive spot.

"I apologize, girl. I didn't mean to hurt you. Looks like your wing is broken in two spots. I can splint it for you, but I will have to bring you home with me. Will you trust me to help you?"

Harry felt kind of stupid talking to the owl, but her eyes said she understood everything he said. Again, she bobbed her head, and Harry cradled her gently in his arms. She only hissed at him once and he apologized profusely. They made it home quickly and Harry took her to the garden shed. He knew Anissa would forgive him for not showing up after he explained what had happened.

"You'll have to stay out here. I can't bring you inside or my relatives would probably kill you. They aren't the nicest people." The bird looked at him with sympathy, seeming to understand that they were not nice to him either. "It's okay, don't worry. I'll get you fixed up in no time and you can go fly free."

Harry could not help the wistful notes in his voice. He would love to be able to be free by flying away. As he talked, he had set her down on the table so he could gather some wood to make a perch. He knew there was some in here somewhere.

She would need a place to rest and there was not much out there to work with. Her keen amber eyes watched his every move and studied his face. It was a bit unnerving, but he could still feel her inside him, so he sent her calmness and peace. He hoped it helped her.

After the perch was finished, Harry gathered all that he would need for the splints. In a forgotten drawer he found an old shirt of Vernon's and ripped it into strips. Carefully, and murmuring reassurances to her, he slowly pulled the wing out. She hissed at him, and he apologized profusely.

It was a slow process, but he finally got the wing out all the way and placed the wood strips in the right places. Feeling the separated bones, he had to push them back into place and the bird passed out. During that time, Harry quickly worked on the larger broken bones and set the splints.

He felt horrible for hurting her so badly, but her passing out made it easier to work on her. By the time she woke back up, her wing was splinted, and Harry was petting her head softly and crooning to her. She cooed back and Harry knew she was thanking him.

"You're welcome, girl. I only wish I could do more. I can't get you any food, but I got you some water."

Harry felt horrible that he would have to leave her in the shed that night, but she seemed to not mind it. A few days later he checked the bones to see how they were doing. She seemed to be lethargic and extra tender with her movements, and when he went to touch her, she actually bit him and drew blood. Harry was very worried now. Something had gone wrong. He did not know what he should do?

Harry sat next to her and put his head in his hands. Tears filled his eyes at the thought of losing her. An infection could easily kill her, and he knew she had a bad one. While he wracked his brain to figure out what to do next, Harry felt a tug on his hair. Lifting his head, he saw the owl's eyes right in front of his. She seemed to be staring straight into his soul.

'I can't lose you,' he thought to her.

While staring into those intense amber eyes, he lifted his hands and placed them on either side of her body. He had no idea what he was doing, he just followed his instincts. Once his hands were placed, he started to push his magic into her.

His thoughts of love, friendship and healing filled his magic. His mind was filled with scenes of them together. Running/flying together, playful nips and soft petting, both older and still together. Pictures rushed behind his eyes, and as they did, his magic flowed into the bird.

Harry could feel something happening. He could understand the bird better. Not really words, more like thoughts and images. He understood her perfectly, every want, every need. It was like their souls were connected. She was as familiar to him as he was with himself.

Suddenly he could see inside her. He could see where the infection was, see the bones that were broken. With precision, he directed his magic to those areas, envisioning everything healthy and watched as the infection faded away, the bones knit together, and the muscles filled with blood.

He worked his way through her body, repairing everything he found and strengthening her. When he could no longer find anything, he felt himself slipping away. His vision was going dark, and his mind was turning fuzzy.

Harry pulled himself out of her and slipped wearily off the stool. She screeched at him, and he just smiled back up at her. He tried to reach for her, but his arms were as heavy as lead. Why couldn't he move? He felt her concern for him, and he looked at her. He tried to tell her he was okay, but the words were just a jumble of sounds. He sent her his love as he lost consciousness.

When Harry finally opened his eyes again, it took a while to remember where he was. His body still felt extremely heavy, but he could at least think and remember. Turning his head slowly he saw his owl. That's right, HIS owl. They had chosen each other and bonded closer than he ever thought possible. Even closer than he and Anissa were.

"Hey, beautiful girl. You're looking better." he croaked.

She waddled over to him – Harry almost laughed at the absurd way she looked – and ran her beak through his hair. She had somehow gotten the splints off her wing, probably in her attempt to get to him, and he hoped she had not hurt herself again in the effort. He could feel her love flowing over him and it gave him strength.

"I love you too girl. I need to give you a name if you're going to stay with me, yeah? How about Hedwig? I think that's a pretty name."

Harry could feel her approval as she bobbed her head, and he smiled at her. She continued to run her beak through his hair as he regained his strength enough to sit up. He groaned with the effort and his head spun a bit, but he gave Hedwig an encouraging smile.

Hedwig has been with him ever since and he could not imagine her not being there with him. It would kill him to lose her. Harry had been worried when he introduced Hedwig to Anissa. He hoped that they would get along, as he loved them both.

Although they did not have the connection that Hedwig and Harry had, she and Anissa shared a love for each other as well, and they both loved and would do anything for Harry. They were a family and Harry was very happy.

When Hedwig was introduced to Snuffles, that was intense. They stared at each other for the longest time. So long, that Harry had started to get very worried. Harry could feel her concern and fear at first, but she seemed to understand something Harry did not, and her feelings eventually changed and now Snuffles was family too.

Hedwig always welcomed Snuffles when he visited by landing on his back and preening his head. The sight always made Harry smile. What was funny was that Snuffles seemed to enjoy it. He would let her do whatever she wanted, not that anyone could tell Hedwig no.

Hedwig had also taught Harry about another part of himself that he never knew or could have ever dreamed about. He may have never found it if it was not for her. They had had so much fun together since he found out he could change and fly with her as a raven. Harry closed his eyes and smiled.

Running through the grass with Hedwig flying next to him was one of Harry's favorite things to do. If he stuck his arms out, it almost felt like he was flying himself. Oh, how wonderful that would be. To just soar in the open air, free to go wherever he wanted. It was a beautiful dream for Harry, to just fly away from the Dursleys.

Panting, Harry flopped onto the grass and closed his eyes. Today was an odd day when Anissa was too busy to meet him, so it was just him and Hedwig, and he had no idea where Snuffles was. He felt Hedwig watching him and knew exactly when she landed next to him. He smiled when he felt her pull on his hair. Turning his head, he met her brilliant eyes.

"Hello, beautiful girl. You are so graceful in the sky, did you know?"

Hedwig tilted her head and gave him a look that said, 'duh' and Harry laughed. He had done that a lot more since he had met Anissa and Hedwig… laugh that is. He had no reason to before. Though he could not forget Snuffles either, he had given him his first real laugh ever. Shaking off his maudlin thoughts, Harry sat up and looked around him, this was a new place. He was not quite sure where he was as he looked around.

"Hedwig, where are we?" A small hoot was his answer. "You don't know either? I guess we weren't paying attention as we flew."

Harry smiled and stood as Hedwig flew up to perch on his shoulder. Looking at his watch, he saw he had plenty of time left before he had to return to make dinner. He decided to walk around a bit and explore this new place. As he walked, he started talking.

He did this a lot too, talking to Hedwig. She knew absolutely everything about him. It helped that they were linked together and could feel what the other was feeling. That helped him take care of her as well.

"This place is so quiet and peaceful. I'll have to memorize how to get back here. This would be a great place to fly uninterrupted. No Dudley to hide from, no one staring, just the wind and the open sky."

Harry sounded wistful, and he was, he would love to fly like Hedwig, and maybe one day he could get a broom and then he could really fly with her. Harry stood still and put his arms out. He closed his eyes to concentrate better on the feelings he was imagining.

The breeze blew past him, and he could feel it move through his fingers, pull at his hair, slide around his face and tug on his clothes. He wondered what Hedwig felt as she flew and imagined he was a bird just like her.

Hedwig had moved to perch in a nearby tree and watched Harry curiously. She could feel his desire, so she decided to help him. She sent him images of flying, the joy she felt as he ran beside her. The almost caress-like feel of the wind sliding over her feathers.

They stayed that way, time slipping away, and neither caring. It could have been minutes or hours, they just enjoyed being together. They were so lost in their shared feelings that neither of them noticed Harry changing.

A loud "Caw" brought them out of their trance. Harry looked up and saw a crow sitting on a branch near Hedwig. He cocked his head and was about to say hello when Hedwig screeched. Startled, Harry quickly looked at Hedwig to see her flying right at him, her sharp talons extended. He barely ducked at the last second and watched her swoop back up into the sky.

He opened his mouth to say, 'What the heck, Hedwig?' but all that came out was, "Caw caw, caw!"

Harry froze. What the… He slowly looked down and saw black feathers. He stared in shock, then lifted his arm and a black wing came into view. Harry was beyond shocked now and stood there slack jawed… well slack beaked.

"Well, well, lookie here, a new toy to play with. What fun I can have." said a voice to his right and Harry cocked his head to see the crow from the branch landing next to him.

He was also black, but Harry was almost a size bigger than him. The crow almost sounded like that bullying blonde kid from Diagon Alley. Harry did not like this crow. Apparently, neither did Hedwig. She soared down and tackled the crow. Holding him down, she got in his face.

"He is mine!" she hissed. "Leave!"

She gave the crow a hard squeeze with her claws and the crow squawked painfully as her talons punctured his skin. She hopped back towards Harry, puffed up and watched the crow closely. Harry stared at Hedwig, both shocked at her venom towards the crow and grateful for her protectiveness.

"I didn't really want him anyway. Too scrawny, not worth my time." The crow took off and they watched him till he was out of sight. They turned and looked at each other, Hedwig tilting her head.

"Well," Harry could hear her in his mind. She had a smooth alto voice full of peace and comfort. Like a mother singing her child to sleep. Harry let it wash over him. "You got your wish, little one. I didn't know it was you at first. I am sorry that I attacked you. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. I was enjoying flying with you so much, I could feel what you did, and it just called to me. It felt right, so I let go and just went with you."

Harry hopped around a bit, getting a feel for this new form. He flapped his wings and jumped, then fell flat on his face. If Hedwig could smirk, that would be the look on her face right now. Although, he did hear her chuckling, which made him blush in embarrassment. He could feel Hedwig's amusement.

They spent the rest of his available time with Hedwig teaching Harry how to fly. They soared through the sky and Harry realized they were not that far from Number Four. They flew into the garden shed, which had a window that Harry had left open so Hedwig could come and go as she pleased.

"That was amazing. We'll have to do that again soon." said Harry, exhausted. He was not used to such physical exercise and knew his arms would be killing him tomorrow. He would have to gain strength so he could fly for longer.

"Of course, little one." Hedwig preened his feathers.

Harry looked around, realizing he needed to change back so he could fix dinner, but he did not know how he had changed in the first place. He could not think of how to change back, he could not think of any spell that he had read. Harry's mind was racing, and he was starting to panic.

"Um, Hedwig. I don't know how to change back."

Hedwig bopped him on the head with her beak. 'Ouch!' thought Harry. But he stopped and paid attention to what Hedwig was showing him. She was going over how he had changed into a raven, for that was what he was, a beautiful raven.

Closing his eyes, he studied the transition and thought he knew what to do. He focused on his human form. What it felt like to walk, to bend, to run his fingers through his hair, and followed that sensation. When he opened his eyes, he was Harry again.

"Hey! Look, Hedwig, I did it!"

He could feel the smugness coming off Hedwig. He grinned at her. He would miss her soothing voice, but he would hear her again soon, and he could always feel her.

It was a while later that Harry found out that he could change into more than a raven. Oh, the fun he had once he had learned that. He snickered as he remembered Dudley's frightened squeal when he saw the giant rat in his bed. He had refused to enter his room until it was thoroughly checked. By Harry of course.

Anissa had helped him study up on it, she was determined to be able to change too, at least into one animal as an Animagus. It still amazed Harry what he could do, and he had his parents to thank for it. His dad was a stag Animagus and his mom a doe Animagus.

This made him a natural born Animagus, his base form was the raven, but somehow his magic tweaked it so he could change into any animal he wanted, even the magical ones. He did not know how, and probably never would, but he loved it.

"Hey there, handsome. What cha doin?"

Harry opened his eyes to see Anissa standing by their bench, watching him in amusement. He could feel a blush staining his cheeks, he was not used to those kinds of compliments, and she knew it. Anissa grinned cheekily at him and plopped herself down.

"You ready for Hogwarts? I have everything already packed." Anissa was wiggling in her excitement.

"I'm ready. I'd leave now if I could. The Dursleys have been extra mean this week, probably since they know they won't be able to get at me for the next ten months."

Anissa frowned and lightly laid a hand on Harry's arm, giving it a slight squeeze. Harry covered her hand with his and shook his head. He did not want Anissa to exhaust herself over him.

"No, I'm okay." He squeezed her hand.

Anissa had been amazed when she had heard what Harry had done for Hedwig and she wanted to be able to help Harry like that when he had a punishment. They spent weeks pouring over their books and meticulously going over what healing spells they could find.

Finally, Anissa picked some of it up. She could now heal Harry – up to a point – when his uncle laid him open with his belt or whatever else he could find. She could take away the swelling and some bruising and heal minor cuts, but the bigger stuff was still beyond her. At least she could help, and that was the important thing.

Once, she had asked Harry why he did not just heal himself like he had Hedwig, and he said that he could not. He could not 'see' into himself like he could with everything else. Hence why Anissa wanted to learn. She wanted to do for Harry what Harry did for everything else.

"I hate them." Anissa hissed. 'When I'm older I'm going to hex the crap out of them.'

She'd had that thought many times since Harry had opened up about his home life. Harry could feel the heat coming off Anissa, so he put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. He hated them too and hated her family as well. Just a few more years and they could leave this place for good and go off together. Harry looked at Anissa.

"How is it with John?"

Harry was worried about her. John had gotten more aggressive with Anissa since Min had first visited them. Anissa let go a long sigh knowing Harry would find out – he always did – and held out her arm. There was a long cut from her elbow to her wrist. It was red and angry.

'How did I not notice that?!' Harry shrieked at himself. Carefully he took her arm and examined the cut. Placing his hand over it, he sent his magic in to heal it. Soon there was no trace of the wound.

"How?" Was all Harry could grit out through his anger. He wanted to kill John. How dare he hurt his best friend and sister! Anissa mumbled something and Harry shook her arm a bit. "You know I hate it when you do that. Just tell me, don't try to hide it from me."

"He caught me while I was sleeping. He cut my arm to try and make it look like a suicide. He had a note ready and everything. I don't understand why he hates me so much!"

Anissa had tears falling down her face and Harry's rage increased. Arm healed, Harry hugged her close, petting her hair. Hedwig flew over and landed on her knee, offering her own comfort. Anissa smiled as she stroked a cooing owl.

"He is jealous, Anissa. You're special and he's not. He wants to be able to do what we can do. If he can't have it, then no one can. I don't even want to imagine what he would do with magic. He's pure evil. Didn't you lock your door?"

Anissa blushed and ducked her head further under Harry's chin. "I was reading up on becoming an Animagus and I fell asleep. I'm sorry, Harry."

"Don't apologize. You shouldn't have to protect yourself like that in your own home. Can I kill him now?" Harry asked hopefully.

Anissa just shook her head and sighed. She let a small smile tilt her lips up. She loved how much Harry cared for her and would do anything for her. She would do the same for him but doing what they really wanted to do to their relatives would cause more harm than good.

"One more night and we're gone. Remember to set your locks tonight. I can't lose you Anissa." Harry reminded her. He knew he would fall into the deepest depression if he lost his light. He might even go mad. Anissa wrapped her arms around Harry's waist, and he pulled her into his chest. Hedwig nestled in as well.

That was how Padfoot found them. He knew instantly that something had happened. He sighed heavily. Those poor kids had been through too much in their short lives. He was determined to fix that, and now he was finally able to do so.

Padfoot barked and ran up to them, licking them all over. Hedwig squawked in indignation at the impromptu bath and flew off. Harry and Anissa laughed, then they spent the rest of their time throwing sticks and chasing each other.