A/N: SO SORRY that it's been so long, but this chapter gave me issues… and it made me sad to type. I read this over and pretty much spazed at the fact that I WROTE this thing… anyways… I promise to try and not let it be such a long wait next time… and that I'll update Hogwarts' Lords this week. I PROMISE. Well, now that that's over with… here ya are.

Chapter 7: Shopping and a Portable Zoo

The Grangers stormed angrily into the hospital room to be met with low murmurs and the two soulmates embracing. Dan blinked in surprise as Emma rolled her eyes and, once she had his attention she just mouthed 'told you they would be back here' with a triumphant smirk. Neither noticed when the two on the bed winked at each other and began silently counted down from ten.

Emma sat next to the bed and placed her hands gently on both of their backs and smiled reassuringly, surprised when they leaned into her touch and smiled shyly.

'And how was your exploration of the hospital?' Emma asked with a raised eyebrow at the now fully blown smirk on Harry's face.

They just shrugged and chatted amiably for a few moments before suddenly they started snickering. Right before cries of shock were heard from far above.

'Good Merlin!' one of the voices shrieked, 'the Longbottoms are cured!'

After a quick hi-five, Harry faced Dan with an innocent face.

'Mr. Granger,' he began, 'what's the plan now that I can't leave 'mione yet?'

'Er,' Dan blinked again not comprehending the mischief conveyed in the congratulations, 'well, surely we could arrange for you to stay with us during this summer. That was actually what Emma and I were discussing earlier.'

'Really,' Harry said with happiness before withdrawing into himself, 'but I wouldn't wanna be a burden…'

'Not at all,' Emma said in a rush, 'it wouldn't bother us in the least to have you live with us during the holidays, Harry.' She watched as the two seemed to zone out, eyes glazing over.

/Well, it certainly will give us a chance to get planning for the rest of the year, and also an excuse to act so alike and close already, if we don't want the bond to be common knowledge. / Hermione pondered as plan after plan whirred through her head only to be discarded almost instantly.

/Stop trying to micromanage. Seriously, have you ever read a dictionary? /

/Yes, why do you ask? / Harry snorted but carried on.

/What about Murphy's Law? /

/If something can go wrong it will… alright, I get your point. Hell, your face is next to it! /

Harry snorted in amusement and withdrew, 'alright,' he chirped, 'I can do that.'

'Good, well, I'm sure that you'll be glad to hear that the healers are letting you go?' Emma joked as a murmuring came from Hermione. They faced her and nodded, beaming.

'Right,' Dan clapped, 'time to go, then.' They filed out happily, laughing and joking with one another. As they passed by a couple who were being escorted by a troupe of healers, no one saw a quick glance shot in their direction by two children that was met with the slightest bowing of Frank's head.

'We hope you aren't too tired,' Emma said as they walked away and were transported to Diagon Alley, 'but one of the professors was free today, so she's taking us shopping for your school supplies today.'

'No, that's fine,'

'Say, is that her over,' Hermione continued seamlessly as Harry finished her sentence again.

'There? She seems kind of strict looking.'

'Yeah, didn't we see her at the zoo?'

'Yes, you most certainly did,' McGonagall confirmed as she heard the last sentence, 'how do you speak the way you do, anyway? I have two students that do the exact same thing, I never could figure out how they did it.'

'We're soulmates,' Hermione shrugged.

'So that might have something to do,'

'With it; makes things much more fun.' Harry nodded sagely at the comment of his mate as McGonagall groaned and muttered something about the twins having successors.

'Come along now; let's get money from the bank,' the Professor said as they passed the entrance to Knockturn Alley, 'then your uniforms, books, wands and if we have time perhaps a pet for school.'

They finally reached the bank, and the small group stepped inside, met with rows of goblins and stacks of coins on each counter.

McGonagall strode over to the nearest clear teller and began to speak, 'Mr. Potter would like to visit his vault,' she said as the goblin looked up and sneered down at him.

Harry bowed his head slightly, maintaining eye contact as his hand fluttered to his heart, he stood and kept staring at the goblin for a few seconds, smiled widely without showing his teeth, and relocated his eyes to the goblin's forehead, which blinked in surprise at the polite greeting of business partners.

'Very well,' he snarled softly with a small smirk replacing the leer, 'does Mr. Potter have his key?' McGonagall was shocked, never before had she seen a goblin smile at a wizard, but she just shrugged it off as the goblins showing respect to the Boy-Who-Lived.

She placed the key on the counter where it was snatched away and handed back down to Harry, who stepped forwards and took it, still looking a millimetre above the goblin's eyes.

'All seems to be in order; Griphook will take you and your mate to your vault. She may share it with you as your souls are bound.' He motioned Griphook over, Harry and Hermione shared the same greeting with him as well before stepping to the tunnels. They were followed by a quick, 'Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, and welcome back; may you succeed in your endeavours.' The cruel laughter that followed from the waiting room drove quite a few customers out for a few hours.

'So, you found the Calling of Ra and decided to use it,' Griphook said, eyeing him appreciatively, 'pray tell, what earned the urgency for you to use Black necromancy to such a degree?'

'I should've known goblins would see past my "innocence" to the distortion of time within and around me,' Harry said nonchalantly, 'magic died. I was the last wizard in the world by the year 4503, and the last magical source by 4999. I left in the year 5000 when I felt my magic crest.'

'So, I wish to be able to recognise the work of my new Lord, what is your chosen name?' Griphook growled happily, smelling bloodlust slumbering within the eleven-year-olds soul as his glamours all dropped at once and he assumed his combined form, snapping away the illusion of a weak, broken child.

Luminous, slit green eyes slashed with violet shone brightly from a curtain of swirling, thin feathers in the place of hair reaching to curve along his chin. Spiralling bands of dark silver scales flowed upon his neck, reaching to curl next to each eye and cheek. His arms and legs both were covered as the natural, spiralling armour undulated over muscles and around pale skin, stark against the background. His skin glowed with dark light from the blood runes.

'I am the Lord Samael, do meet my Lady Hecate,' Harry said as he pulled Hermione closer to his side as her own wandless glamours fell.

Her eyes were a glittering, icy gold shot through with bright crimson as the brown lightened, scales of shifting colours rippling gracefully over her face, neck and limbs like oil over water. Her skin paled and her hair smoothed, reaching the small of her back in a cascade of light against the dark shirt as it turned a brilliant silvery blue with streaks of green and red rising to be seen before disappearing once more. Both bore sharpened nails upon their fingers as well as elongated incisors, poking slightly over their bottom lip. The smell of ozone permeated the air as magic cracked idly over skin.

Griphook bowed in acceptance at the power before him, Light and Dark in perfect harmony, never fading to grey yet indecipherable where they met. After a few moments, the power was reigned in and bound as the glamours sprang into place and the light softened and disappeared. They all climbed into the cart and they were off into Gringotts.

'Can this thing go any faster?' Harry yelled over the wind as a surprised goblin shrugged and kicked it into high gear, they rocketed along the rails as whoops of elation were torn from the trio.

They all stepped from the cart and walked up to the door of Harry's trust vault. Once Griphook opened it, they snatched a bag and filled it with Galleons, Sickles and Knuts for school shopping.

'Griphook,' Harry said, 'do you have a bag that connects to the Inner Vaults?'

'Of course,' Griphook smiled in what would've been called by others a dangerous leer, 'just place your hands on a blank wall and channel magic inside. A bag that responds only to you and your mate will appear in your hands. Just think how much you want and it will fill, short of 10,000 Galleons. And it's unlimited for you two, nothing is too much.'

They did as they were instructed and felt goblin magic batter at their bodies. Wincing, they asked once more and added more of their own magic as it blended naturally with each animagus form and vanished. Glamours dropped again and they called back their strongest forms as power granted from the Founders and each Goblin Chief before them added to the assault, they fell to the ground.

The magic was coaxed gently by cobalt and ice blue into a single location around their hands. The attack ceased and two embroidered bags came into existence, and the excess was absorbed back into the walls of Gringotts.

'Well,' Hermione breathed tiredly as once again glamours came into existence, 'that was fun.' Griphook burst into laughter as the two picked themselves up and brushed themselves off, grinning happily.

'Let's get back to the surface, my Lord and Lady,' Griphook turned the dial back to full and they catapulted off, the wind once more stealing cheers from the group. Too soon, it stopped and the children bounded off, laughing joyously to the incredulous stares of the rest of the bank.

'That,' Hermione began with a splitting grin.

'Was,' Harry said loudly.

'Awesome!' they shouted together, the goblins schooled their faces so as not to grin at the young humans who seemed to enjoy the ride.

'You know,' Harry said as he turned to Griphook, 'muggles have this thing that I heard about called a roller coaster, and it's just like this but with loops and hills and drops and corkscrews, which are like spinning as you go in one direction. You should try recreating one here, it'd be great!' The adults in the bank turned faintly green and shook their heads in despair at the thoughtful faces on more than one goblin.

'Come along,' McGonagall called to them, 'time to get your robes and books.'

They walked into Madame Malkin's and hovered around the front of the store.

'Hogwarts uniform, dears?' asked Madame Malkin as she noticed them standing there, 'just stand up here and let the tape measure do its job. I'll be right back, I have to finish something then I'll be with you.' Twenty minutes later, they walked out with a bottomless, feather light bag and headed to the book store.

They glanced at each other and bolted in opposite directions, leaving the shocked professor behind as Hermione snatched up the books for the first two years of school, one copy of Hogwarts: A History and a small stack of books on magical theory, runes and arithmacy.

Meanwhile, Harry was hidden in the back of the store grabbing books on the animagus transformation, Dark and Light magic, histories so he could pass Binns' class, a few on exorcism, a creature index and quite a few on Occlumancey and Ligilimancy, around five tomes of advanced runes, the curse breaker's bible and, for good measure, a self-updating book on laws and old families.

He rushed back to the front of the shop to ring in his purchases, winking at Hermione as he passed.

'I'd like to buy these, please.' He said meekly to the man behind the counter who stared at him in surprise. Before he could kick up a fuss, Harry's gaze darted to the sides and he flipped up his fringe. With a gasp of recognition, he bought the books at half price with no trouble at all. Hermione slipped past McGonagall and bought her own small stack, smiling brightly.

'Professor, we're done,' they chimed as McGonagall jumped and whirled around to see them standing calmly behind her as if they hadn't disappeared into the recesses of the shop for a good half an hour. She shook her head forcefully and led them to Ollivander's, the elder Grangers trailing behind in a daze.

The bell above the door rang and Ollivander entered looking much younger and energetic than McGonagall had seen him in ages. She blinked as a flicker of reverence passed through his eyes and passed it off as the light.

Ollivander removed a wand of smoky grey wood that was engraved with realistic flames and waved it at the two. A flash of magic later and two boxes hurtled into each of the children's hands.

'That'll be 7 Galleons, 6 Sickles each,' he said happily as the wands sparked brilliantly, a dull thrum of magic filled the air as small bolts of lightning crackled over the shop. 'Your wand, Ms. Granger, is unicorn hair and oak, eleven and a half inches. And yours, Mr. Potter, is Holly and phoenix feather, also eleven and a half inches. It is curious, very curious.'

'Excuse me,' Harry said, 'but what's curious?'

'I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter,' Ollivander began gravely, 'and it just so happens that the phoenix who donated a feather for your core dropped one other,' he leaned over the counter and stared into Harry's eyes.

'The brother to your wand, well I'm sad to say that it was the one that gave you that scar.' He pointed to Harry's head and leaned back. Everyone gaped at the old man. Harry just smiled brightly and chirped out thanks. A tiny flash of brown disappeared into Harry's 3- compartment trunk that the Grangers bought with McGonagall, and they were off to a pet store.

/Hey, do you remember how we had a veritable zoo of familiars in the old timeline? / Hermione asked as Harry nodded absently.

/But they were all sold down Knockturn Alley… / Harry sighed, /alright Hermione, follow my lead and we'll find a way down there. /

'Professor,' Harry said softly as his gaze whipped around, 'is it normal to feel pulled in a direction? I feel like parts of me are over there, sorta like I did with 'mione but not as strong.'

'I feel the same way,' Hermione fretted, 'what does it mean, professor?'

McGonagall smiled reassuringly at her charges, 'well,' she said soothingly, 'I think your familiars are calling to you. Follow it carefully and find what you're looking for, they'll be in a pet shop, I do believe.'

Her charges looked relieved and they shocked her by heading absently to Knockturn Alley, McGonagall was sorely tempted to pull them away, but if their familiars were in there, she had to let them go or face the consequences of an unfulfilled, straining bond. She just told the worried parents to wait by the Portkey point and rushed after the wayward children.

She walked confidently to the Alley only to be unable to follow the children. She stood back and paced anxiously as the two melted through the shadows of the crowd. Her prayers that the place holding the familiars being close to the entrance went unanswered, luckily the crowd moved unconsciously around the children as they walked confidently through the Alley, perhaps they are doing an accidental notice me not charm, she decided in relief. Finally, they tucked themselves into a dark store filled with cages of common pets.

Harry and Hermione each made a beeline for a cage with a silvery white owl within with tawny eyes. Harry's was darker and larger then Hermione's, its talons a gleaming light in the gloom of the shop. Even though it was dangerous and larger, it was obvious in the mannerisms that the owl was a female. The shopkeeper watched as Harry opened the cage and lifted the owl to his shoulder, mirrored by Hermione on his other side.

'A fine choice,' the shopkeeper called over as the children refastened the cages and placed them on the floor, 'not many see those two, and they're a rare breed of magical creature, called an Arial, rated XXX by the ministry.'

Hermione nodded and the Arial matched the unblinking stare the other three leveled at the shopkeeper.

'We wish to see the back rooms,' Harry said as he allowed his aura to leak out slightly his green eyes slashed with violet, the Dark coming from him unmistakable as clientele, not a ministry lackey.

'Fine,' the shopkeeper said as he motioned them to the rooms out back, 'but don't blame me if something scratches at you.' He stated coldly as the door opened to reveal a much lighter corridor.

Harry walked into one room as Hermione went the other. Harry looked up at his Arial and spoke to her gently, as she was obviously mistreated. He flicked his wand at her and cast a Cooling Charm around his shoulder, causing the poor dear to relax immediately, sending him a grateful look.

'What do you say to the name Hedwig?' Harry asked as he stopped outside of a bolted door, at the bob of her head, he grinned and stepped inside the room that held his second familiar. A blur of red flashed as fangs snapped at his throat from a long muzzle.

He stepped to the side and sank to the floor, letting his magic release from his tight control once more, but stopping it from exiting the room. The wolf stopped as a silver chain snapped taut, it turned and raced at him after recovering from the first leap. Harry just sat and waited for it to leap again before grabbing the small cub and casting a reducto at the shackles.

It stopped struggling and sat shaking in his arms, awaiting the expected punishment with its eyes firmly shut as Harry ran his fingers gently through deceivingly soft fur. The set of sharp golden eyes met his, and Harry felt yet another bond snap into place. He smiled softly at the red wolf cub, his hands glowing with his silver light as he hissed a single phrase in Parseltongue.

:Heal, little warrior,: he said as cuts and scars melted away from the cub's skin, 'there,' he murmured with the cub cradled to his chest, 'you seem to be a fighter indeed, by the way you attacked,' Harry murmured in amusement, 'how about I call you Ares, after the Greek god of war?' The cub pawed him once and leapt nimbly to the ground, blissful at the scent of freedom and promise of happiness.

Harry chuckled as he crossed the hall to another door and allowed his magic to seep into the room as he stepped inside to find a black panther curled at his feet in a room without shadows, the light relentless as the chained feline shuddered in its own blood, left over from her own thrashing. She whined and Harry understood the pitiful request perfectly; 'Kill me…'

'No, little one,' he said with a tear in his eye as he crouched, once more healing a familiar, 'you shall live, and I think to name you Nocturna, it means of the night.' The Shadow Panther sighed in relief at the absence of pain and the natural shadow cast by the dark wizard above her, a grumbling sort of whine that tore at his heart. The last of his words sank in and she hauled herself to her feet, striding purposefully along beside her new master, he seemed decent and she did not wish to anger him.

'I feel one more connection, let's go find the fourth.' With that, he walked to the end of the hall to a door covered in warning signs. Harry opened the door and stepped inside, feeling lightning prickle over his skin as ozone filled the air. He recognised the signs immediately and hurried his explanation in Parsel.

: Hush: he hissed: I am here to ressscue you, little ssserpent. : The black snake with electricity calmed at the Parseltongue knowing that you cannot lie, uncoiled and slithered to Harry's arm, head resting in the hollow of his throat as it tasted its new master's magic. His coils tightened in surprise at the taste of scales and lightning, fire and venom as well as pine, an unusual combination but not a bad one.

: Greetingsss, I am Lightning, massster. : He hissed in reverence of the being before him. Harry nodded with a smile and reluctantly suppressed his magic once more.

Hedwig alighted on his shoulder while Lightning curled about his neck, Ares jumped into his arms as Nocturna flowed gracefully at his side, flickering in and out of his shadow. Together, they marched to the counter, where the shopkeeper staggered back in shock at the sheer number of familiars that were bound to the dark child. Not only that but they were all, aside from the owl, classified XXXX by the ministry, but the worst treated of his entire stock.

'Ah,' he said weakly, mouth dry, 'that'll be 150 Galleons, sir.'

'90 with supplies; that's generous and you know it.' Harry hissed in counter as his soulmate walked back in with another, larger, Shadow panther by her side who she informed him promptly was named Ohanzee (Zee for short and male), a white Firefox named Guinevere draped around her neck, and a blood tiger named Jira (female) cradled in her arms. Along with her Arian Tharin on her shoulder and his own group of familiars, it was quite the menagerie.

'90 for her as well and we'll be on our way.' Harry said to the stunned shopkeeper and forked over 180 Galleons. Minutes later they exited the Alley with the most controversial animals (Lightning and Jira) disillusioned but the owls, panthers, fox and wolf to be met with the professor gaping at them.

'These are all your familiars?' McGonagall asked in a choked voice, 'I don't know if you're aware, but usually creatures of this classification are aggressive and barely tolerate a single presence. Add that to the fact that there are a school's worth of students they need to put up with and it's rather frightening.'

Hermione shrugged and stepped in front of Harry, who was pretending to withdraw into himself for the Professor's benefit (and to avoid snorting out "you don't know the half of it… literally.") McGonagall sighed in resignation that she would get no conversation and led them to the elder Grangers.

'Come along, then,' she said, 'time for you two to go home.' She smiled at the shocked parents and tapped a bus ticket, 'portus,' she said as it glowed blue.

'Here you are; grab hold and brace for a fall.' All four touched the card, the menagerie had contact with their bonded so were transported as well. A tug behind the navel and a stumble later, all were inside the living room of the Grangers' house where the true numbers were revealed.

Emma stumbled to the couch and promptly fainted and Dan went pale at the implications.

'Er, how exactly will we feed all of them?' He asked weakly, gesturing to the eight predators who were glancing about.

'Don't worry, they feed off of us,' Hermione explained to the horrified look of her father.

'Our magic, to be precise,' Harry interjected soothingly.

'And the owls hunt,'

'In the towns, cities and parks, my snake is fed on pure magic as is my wolf,'

'And mine too, but Jira, my tiger, feeds on a few drops of my blood daily, larger amounts can keep her sated bi-weekly.'

Dan still looked pale as he slumped into his chair and moaned, 'what did we get ourselves into? My daughter has a future husband and two animals that eat her energy, a vampiric tiger, an owl that appears to control ice, if the cold near it is any clue, and every memory of a ten year old boy crammed into her skull.'

A terrifying thought seemed to occur to him, 'how in the bloody nine hells will we keep this quiet?'

Harry decided to interject before the poor man had an aneurism, 'I can cast very precise invisibility charms, courtesy of the Dursley's. How do you think I went unnoticed for so long? And 'mione can to, since she knows what I do. We just cast it on each of our familiars. When we go to the train station they can be hidden.'

'Yup,' Hermione nodded, 'Gwen can rest around my neck,'

'Lightning will for me,' Harry said as said snake waved its tail in greeting.

'Zee can hide in my shadow,' The Panther did so.

'Ditto over here,' Harry piped up again as Nocturna melted away.

'Jira can walk beside me,' the tiger was disillusioned and stood stationary beside her.

'Ares can probably just sit on my trunk,' Harry said as the wolf cub smiled, well, wolfishly.

'And there you have it, well, the owls can just be in cages, we can claim they're exotic pets or something,' Hermione finished smugly.

Dan nodded, 'well, it seems plausible, but what about the school year?'

Both Harry and Hermione's eyes glazed over just as Emma came around. The familiars ceased to hide.

'What'd I miss? All I remember are seeing a bunch of predatory animals in our…living…room.' Her voice trailed off at the sight of aforementioned animals still there.

'The kids explained how they were going to hide and feed their new… familiars.' Dan repeated the conversation narrating which animal was which, nodding at the soulmates as they came back into full awareness.

Emma repeated the question Dan had asked, 'and the school year?'

'The owls, panthers, wolf and fox will stay visible, common knowledge. The snake and blood tiger will be known only to friends and allies.' Harry said seriously as Hermione rolled her eyes.

'And this is why Slytherin chose you…' she muttered under her breath, much to Harry's amusement.

The solemn statements laid out so bare, delivered by two children that had aged far too quickly was eerie and intimidating, the parents shuddered in apprehension. They barely noticed the rather bloodthirsty glint buried deep within Harry's eyes, smothered carefully but there. How had a child learned the feeling? And such control to keep it chained?

They turned quickly to happier topics expertly shifted to for a few hours; dinner was an enthusiastic affair with many mentions of Hermione's "fears" of being behind those raised in magical households.

Harry cemented his status as pitiful with a birdlike appetite and so many flinches he thought for sure he'd develop a tic… that would make Moody's paranoia look like a curious child playing tag.

Harry yawned as the sun dipped low into the horizon. He excused himself from the dining room and slipped away to his new room. Curling up next to his familiars on the bed, he slept as the night crept through the neighbourhood.