Prologue: Getting Started

Harrison James Potter. Boy-who-lived, symbol of light, Gryffindor Golden Boy, He-who-hated-his-fame...was ready to go.

He looked at his cat, Emerald. She stretched opening her mouth in a gaping yawn and started licking her tail.

Harry remembered seeing her in first year, a tiny black fluff ball with eyes like his. He'd promptly begged Hagrid to get her and the next thing he knew, he had a new owl and a kitten.

Hedwig hadn't minded the cat's presence nor did the cat terrorize the bird. They got along well with the kitten attempting to groom the owl a few times messing up her feathers. Hedwig had been more amused than annoyed and had fixed her feathers, placing them back into prime condition.

The kitten had been fairly abashed and made no more attempts to groom her.

He named her Emerald because that's the color you would expect her eyes to be. She managed to both agitate and pacify the Dursley's with her presence. On one hand, she was a cat- an animal associated with witches and dark magic. On the other hand, she was a cat and that was a normal pet.

Not like his 'ruddy owl.'

He'd smuggled her onto the train in first year unaware if he was aloud to have a second creature along. She'd followed him everywhere that year making no attempt to stay inside the dormitory, much to Harry's despair.

The amount of detentions he almost got from Snaps because she was in his class and had to be physically removed was ridiculous. Thankfully, she played the role of being the Gryffindor mascot and let any of the students with red and gold remove her taking the suspicion off of Harry.

She would sit near the walls and watch the lessons like a hawk, her stare was so intense Harry would swear she understood every word.

This of course omitted DADA as professor Quirrel did nothing more than stutter. He had a feeling she disliked the smell of garlic as Well seeing as she was always badgering the Gryffindors for a bath whenever she spent a prolonged period of time in his presence.

She straight up stopped attending history with him on day two.

In second year, she'd hated Lockhart with a passion. She eyed him with barrels of distrust and never left Harry alone in his presence. When he reached out to pet her she'd hiss at him. And Merlin forbid he tried to take a picture with her.

Harry wasn't the only one to laugh when she'd instantly twisted around in his arms and scratched him across the cheek. She'd taken his jolting as a cue and promptly sprinted down the hall and his behind Harry snarling.

Lockhart had tried nothing with her afterwards.

When she realized Mr Binns was still the history teacher, she started wandering off and returning with snacks and candy for him. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out where she got it as a kitten.

At some point a first year reported that she showed up in Transfiguration a lot. Another student provided he'd seen her walking towards the Forbidden Forest.

It solved the mystery of what she did during History.

The Gryffindors had started training her when she first made her appearance in first year. They had done surprisingly well because she was fairly compliant for a cat. Sure they had to repeat commands seven times, show her what to do then bribe her with treats, but it worked.

It ended up being completely worth it when Harry was able to tell her to attack Lockhart when he tried to obliviate him and Ron.

When they snuck into the Chamber of Secrets, she'd managed to slip in after him. He tried to protect her from the glare, but she'd managed to get bitten slashing at the oversized snake her claws skidding off the thick hide.

Of course her smaller body meant that the venom has needed less time to cycle fully through her body and it was only the timely intervention of a helpful phoenix named Fawkes that she'd survived.

Then they picked up Ginny and with Fawkes on his shoulder left to find Ron. Ron had been waiting with professor Lockhart who apparently has tried to memory charm him, unfortunately for him Ron's wand had been all but pointless since the beginning of the year.

The spell backfired and he ended up wiping his own memory clean. Harry wasn't all too surprised by the man's incompetence. He'd only proved to him and Ron that he didn't deserve a resemblance of the respect that he was given.

The school was in an uproar when they disappeared, the teachers searching frantically. The Weasleys especially had become disheartened when it looked like they had lost another family member to the heir of Slytherin.

The panic and despair was quickly replaced but a sense of awe and disbelief when the brave children staggered into view of the Great Hall.

Harry was standing his bottom pants covered in mud and dirt, sword in hand with Ginny leaning on his right shoulder, Fawkes on his left. Ron was standing by just as dirt covered as he, while Emerald sat loyally at his feet. The sword was covered in blood as was Emeralds paws.

Exhausted and tired he addressed the teachers with wearily sigh.

"Monster was a ballisk."

That was all he said before he and his group promptly matched off towards the infirmary welcoming the idea of potions and a long sleep.

In first-year, Harry had chosen to introduce Emerald on the train ride home. After explaining how he'd managed to hide a car all year long, they'd happily pet her. This resulted in glowing lines like links running between them.

They'd spent the rest of the ride trying to decipher what had taken place.

Hermione researched them as soon as she got back in second year, completely submerging herself in books for the first few weeks. It was a thankful reprieve from her trying to convince them that Lockhart was a good man.

It took a while and there was little information on the subject but they were soul bonded to each other. Not the love bond, but the bond that drives you to give up everything for the sake of the others. The kind of bond that forms from having someone save your life and to save theirs so many times you each stop counting. It was just a more tangible representation that they received.

Now, in the summer of his third year, Harry sat on his bed silently thinking about the past few years attempting to take his mind off of how his summer was going so far.

"You should leave here. You'd be happier."

A voice he didn't recognize spoke. Feminine in sound, Harry searched his room. Deeming it ghost girl free (making him relieved Moaning Myrtle hadn't followed him home), he looked at Hedwig who merely continued preening her feathers.

He twisted and stared at Emerald.

The black kitten groomed her pelt drawing her tongue across the fur on her back. She twisted and lapped at her stomach.

Harry felt silly but he was certain that he'd heard something. He observed her some more.

She licked her paws drawing them across her face.

'Stupid' Harry thought to himself. He laid down and drifted off to sleep.

Emerald stopped grooming herself.

Thankfully Harry had gone to sleep. She didn't know how much longer she would have to keep cleaning herself. At least her coat was glossy now.

She'd slipped up, speaking aloud like that. She regretted that action but it wasn't like she could take it back. Regardless, her words had been true.

After the incident with Dobby the Elf, Harry would probably starve. He already split his share between himself, her and Hedwig.

The bars on the window were insulting. They could move them, open them but the Dursley's hadn't bothered to remove them. No way to call for help and unless they knew what they were were doing, no way for help to get in. In fact-

Emerald's ears perked up.

She stalked towards the window jumping up on the window sill searching through the night. He'd eyes roamed as she tried to find whatever had caught her attention. Then she saw it.

Emerald stated at the strange large shaggy dog pacing in the street. It ambled into the sidewalk and walked back and forth on the lawn.

Then it glanced up.

Emerald was startled to see eyes like her own, filled with so much intelligence they must be human. The two animals stared into each other's eyes for quite some time. The dog broke eye contact first, trotting down an alleyway.

Emerald back away and hopped up into the bed next to Harry's head. She yawned and laid down.

Hogwarts would be interesting this year.