HPP6

A Nundu for A Pet Chapter 6 (The Boy Who Lived)March 28I hope you all enjoy this Chapter. If you did, leave a Like; it helps a lot. Enjoy It ;)

"No worries, but, are you Harry Potter?" She spoke gently upon hearing her words. Harry tensed up; Ititsa seemed to have noticed his sudden change of demeanor; her spikes grew once again, but in a way to not harm Harry's shoulder.

Harry wondered if he should ignore her and walk inside the house. He doubted that would stop the old woman. If she was one of them, she most likely had a way of forcefully opening a locked door, but as if she could read his mind, she quickly added.

"No, I'm not here to harm anyone. I want to talk with you, Harry." She said gently and with a kind voice, almost like a mother. Harry didn't know what that really sounded like, but he wondered if it sounded like that. Only she and Teacher Bukuria ever talked to him with softness. The only other woman who talked to him was 'Dear' Aunt Petunia.

Harry narrowed his eyes; this woman knew his name, and he was certain he had never seen her before.

"About what?" Harry demanded.

The old lady took a breath before speaking. "Have strange things happened to you that you couldn't explain?" She asked.

Harry remembered the many times something unexplainable had happened to him or those around him, even what happened to Vernon today in the car.

"Yes, do you know why?" He asked hopefully, stepping down the short staircase, almost reaching the last step.

"You are a Wizard, Harry."

"I'm a What?" Harry blurted out as he looked at the old lady as if she had suddenly spawned a second head.

A Wizard! He wondered if she meant like Merlin from the stories he used to watch on TV. He knew what wizards were, but as far as he knew, they were nothing but stories for children; they weren't real, right?

"Do you want to talk inside or outside? This can take a while, Harry?" she asked gently. Harry opened and closed his mouth, but he realized that she was right. They were outside, and anyone could see them talking. Since cars rarely drove by, he knew someone could eavesdrop on their conversation and hear every word.

Harry looked at the strange old, kind-looking woman. He didn't know who she was, and if she was lying to him, a part of him was still telling him that he shouldn't trust strangers. While Aunt Petunia was awful, one of the few good lessons he was taught from her was never to follow strangers, but Harry remembered that he wasn't really alone.

Meow

As if knowing what he was thinking, Itisa let out a cute sound; Harry chuckled. He reached up and scratched the spot she liked the most. She leaning into his fingers, her eyes were still fixed on the strange old woman.

"Very well," Harry said after moving his hand away from Itisa and looking back at the woman. He didn't expect her to look at him with a hint of awe. He wondered why, though. He did nothing extraordinary besides petting his pet. Do Wizards have no pets?

"How do I know that you are a witch?" Harry asked suspiciously, wanting to make sure she wasn't just speaking nonsense.

The old woman smiled gently before slowly pulling out a sharp stick. Itisa got tense but didn't try to do anything. "Harry, this is a Wand, and Wizards and Witches use their magic through this. It helps you channel your magic and is much easier than trying to do magic without a wand." She explained, feeling like she was suddenly talking to one of her students, and Harry listened to every word she said.

"Now, a wizard or a witch can use hundreds of spells, but muggles are not supposed to know about us." She explained before making a move with her wand, like the letter 'W'. Harry watched in awe as a leaf on the ground suddenly turned alive, forming a set of wings before flying off. He looked at it until she fully disappeared, then looked back at her.

Harry noticed something off. He could see a faint light floating in the space where she did the spell. It seemed like a ball of light pulsating that slowly faded away. It reminded him of the sensation he felt when that person at the park abandoned Itisa. After the person disappeared, Harry remembered feeling the same sensation at the place he had been standing before disappearing.

"Was that enough for you, mister Potter?" Minerva asked firmly, the same voice she always used with her students.

"You mentioned the word 'Muggle', what is that?"

"Non-magical people like your aunt. We keep the magic secret from them and should stay that way. That's why you don't see Wizards and Witches running around with wands," Minerva explained.

"Do you want to talk inside, Harry? Will your... aunt mind if I come in?" She spoke of his aunt with venom, the same way he had heard his aunt talk to him many times, but much tamer.

"My..." He stopped and looked up at the door on top of the staircase. On second thought, the last thing he needed right now was for them to be present, especially his uncle, whose hand he had burned like four hours ago. The young boy wasn't sure how bad it was, but he was sure it was really bad. He still remembered the way the skin had charred and blistered.

That had been the first time he had done something to him. Any other time, he could throw insults but not much else. Being able to make him feel pain, Harry would lie if he said that it didn't feel good to see him in pain.

"There's a small restaurant nearby. The owner gave me food a couple of times. There, we can talk. Everyone there talks all the time, so no one is going to listen to us." Harry proposed as he jumped from the second step to the foot of the staircase; the old woman accepted with a smile.

"Wait, is your... cat coming with us?" she asked with a hint of wariness in her voice. Harry wondered why, his friend was harmless—well, most of the time, she was harmless.

"Yeah, the owner allows pets inside as long as they are well-behaved, and Itisa behaves very well, don't you, good girl?" Harry spoke with a cute voice at the end, and while scratching her nose, she quickly nodded. As if she could understand everything he said. He knew there were ways to train cats to understand the owner's commands, but Itisa had understood his every word from the beginning.

"What?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at the old woman's expression, as if she thought he was performing a miracle.

"Nothing, just. I never expected to see a Nundu from up close." The woman admitted with a look of awe as she looked at the Nundu, but despite looking relaxed, Harry could tell the old woman wasn't really; she looked ready to fight; despite her age, she looked much tougher than any other person he had ever met, including the people he met yesterday that started attacking Itisa for no reason, Harry felt a burst of anger at the thought of them. They had almost killed the only friend he had.

"A Nundu. Those two yesterday called her by the same name. What is a Nundu?" Harry asked eagerly as they walked across the street, up the road, and turned around. They saw the small restaurant that Harry had mentioned.

"I never introduced myself. My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I'm a Professor from Hogwarts, the School for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Harry couldn't wait to ask more questions as they entered the small restaurant. The owner was an old man, he greeted Harry the moment he saw him step inside, the doorbell ringing as he opened the door.

"Harry, it's good to see you." The man said with a wide smile when he noticed the older woman accompanying the young boy.

"A new friend?"

Harry looked up at Minerva before looking back at the old man. "Yes, the usual for the two of us, Haccop." The old man chuckled in amusement as he walked into the kitchen behind his desk.

Harry found a place much further away from everyone else, Minerva did a small wave of her wand, causing Itisa to tense, her fangs growing, giving the old woman a warning look.

"What was that?" Harry asked right away, seeing a flash of light remain in space where she made the small move with her wand.

"A Silence spell, Harry Potter," Minerva answered; now she looked more relaxed, leaning back against the chair. Harry cocked an eyebrow wondering why she wasn't talking about the light that was slowly fading away.

"What about the light?" Harry asked humorously, pointing at the floating light; he expected her to answer, but instead, she looked at him in confusion.

"What light?" Harry looked at her pensively. The same light appeared when she made the leaf fly away. Now that he thought about it, he remembered the same light appearing when these two started using their Wands against Itisa.

"Forget about it. Can you tell me more about Hogwarts, and the Wizarding World?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Did your aunt and uncle never tell you anything?" The old woman asked with a flash of anger in her eyes.

"No. They never said anything, every time I did something...strange, they would say that was proof that I was a freak and..." Harry stopped talking, suppressing the feeling of isolation he used to have when he was alone in that cupboard.

He remembered one time during winter when the door had been locked. That night, he had felt cold like never before. A part of him had even wondered if he would live until the morning came. But as he was freezing, he had thought of fire and wished for the cupboard to be warmer, and then it got warmer within a few minutes. But Harry had never told his aunt about that, knowing she would call him a freak and get angry with him.

"A freak!!" Minerva said the word with venom, almost standing up from the anger, but she reminded herself that she was in a public space.

Harry heard her curse someone under her breath. He wasn't sure what she said, but he heard the name 'Dumbledore' mentioned.

Soon, Haccop brought the food: two toasted sandwiches filled with meat, cheese, and other ingredients. He also brought a piece of bacon for Itisa, who quickly jumped down from his shoulder onto the table and started eating. Harry searched into his pockets, ready to pay, when the old man patted his shoulder.

"I don't want to see your money; it's from the house," the old man said with the same wide welcoming smile before walking away.

"Thank you," Harry said, feeling a bit sad that he never accepted his money. Before grabbing the sandwich and taking a bite, his mouth exploded with flavor: ketchup, mustard, cheese, freshly cooked meat, and small pieces of garlic to add more flavor.

"Now, can you tell more about this Hogwarts?" Harry asked amidst chewing, unable to hide his excitement; Itisa seemed as excited as him.

"Well, as I said, Hogwarts is a school—" Minerva went on and explained everything about the school and how it worked. She said that a student was supposed to pass all seven years to be an official wizard or Witch. She talked about what they learn at Hogwarts and a little about the Professors there, but she made sure not to mention Snape.

She mentioned something about a sport named Quidditch and the Dueling Club, where wizards and witches fight one another with harmless spells. Those who reached the top ten in the Dueling Club could enter the Dueling Tournaments, which were held every year around the country.

When Harry asked if he could go to Hogwarts right now, Minerva had the displeasure of explaining that he had to wait until he was eleven years old; once he reached that age, then he will receive the invitation to Hogwarts, until that day came he has to wait, while Harry wasn't happy to hear that, he knew there was much more than he wanted to ask, something that he had asked from Aunt Petunia countless times, but she never answered truthfully. Now he had a feeling that Minerva would be able to answer.

"Did you know my parents?" Harry asked with a pleading look, sounding vulnerable. Itisa quickly jumped on his shoulder before licking his cheek to make him feel better.

Minerva watched the scene, and a part of her almost forgot that she was a Nundu, not a normal house cat. She hated to admit it, but despite seeing her act so normally around Harry, she couldn't stop herself from always being on guard; she knew it would be pointless if the Nundu really decided to attack them.

"I knew your parents, Harry," Minerva said with a motherly voice. However, she wondered if Petunia had really kept Harry in the dark about everything, including his own parents, so with a hint of reluctance, she asked, "Did your aunt never tell you anything about them?" She asked, fearing the answer. Harry grimaced as she had already suspected before shaking his head, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"They said my parents died in a car crash because they were drunk." Minerva felt like she was just slapped in the face, only her many years of experience prevented her from doing anything drastic.

Now, she regretted leaving the poor boy with them more and more, but she still remembered Dumbledore's words about how it would be better for Harry to be raised with the only family he had left. Minerva wasn't sure what to even think about her headmaster, someone she used to respect more than anyone else.

"They didn't die because of a car crash, Harry," Minerva said gently. For a moment, she wondered if she should tell him about the dark lord. He was too young to know about that monster, but she knew deep down that Harry would ask himself if she didn't bring up the topic.

"What happened to my parents?" Harry asked right away. His green eyes reminded her so much of Lily that Minerva looked away. For a moment, she felt like she was looking at her dear student once again before looking back at Harry.

Knowing she couldn't lie to him, she spoke with a voice filled with dread. "Harry, this part is... not pleasent. Are you sure you want to hear what happened?" Minerva asked with a hint of warning, wanting to make sure that he knew this part of the story wasn't a happy one.

Harry looked at Itisa, who meowed, showing him she was there for him if he needed support.

Harry was thankful to have her. He never believed in miracles, but finding her that day was the closest to a miracle he had ever seen; he still didn't know who was heartless enough to abandon someone like Itisa in the middle of the park, but a part of him was happy for it if that mysterious man hadn't done so, he knew his life would continue to be just as miserable as it had been the first eight years of his life. With her support in mind, he looked back at the old woman before nodding.

"Before you were born, Harry. This dark wizard rose in power, he gathered support from all over Britain, and wanted to take over the place. He was a powerful man, his ability with a wand was unmatched, only one person was more powerful than him, but just as he had many supporters, there were many who fought against him, including your parents-" Harry felt his heart fall into a pit, a part of him already knew where she was going with this, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel pride.

"Your parents were one of the best we had, and a year after you were born, things were only getting worse, more and more wizards and witches were joining his ranks." Harry noticed that she had yet to mention the name of this dark wizard.

"What was his name?" Harry interrupted her, he wondered if she was afraid even to speak the name.

"Everyone in the Wizarding World avoids using his name, Harry, and simply refers to him as 'You-Know-Who', so you should do the same when talking to people, but if you really want to know. His name was Voldemort." The moment she uttered the name, Harry felt a sense of dread in his stomach, like a knot, but that was nothing compared to Itisa, who let out a roar of pure fury; thankfully, the silent spell still worked, but Harry could see she was pissed.

"Itisa, calm down girl." Harry stroked her fur, but instead, she jumped onto the table and looked around, her fangs scratching the top of the table; her eyes had turned red with black slits, and her body started growing, but Harry knew he couldn't allow that to happen.

"Itisa, calm down." Harry said again, this time much louder than ever before. Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes turned back to normal purple, but she still looked on edge. Harry looked up at the old woman, and he could see her face had turned white. She was holding her wand in her hand under the table.

"Let's leave this place; we can continue this conversation elsewhere." Harry proposed; Minerva agreed, but even the slightest movement from the Nundu put her on edge; she reminded herself that it would be pointless to fight a nundu; she doubted that any of her spells could even affect her, besides her strongest one, she was sure all the other spells were useless against someone of her rank of danger.

Soon, they were at a nearby park. It was almost dusk, and no one was there. They could hear nearby crickets singing, the cooing of a mourning dove, and cars driving far away.

Harry was sure this was a good place to continue their conversation. "Why are you so scared of Itisa?" He asked.

"Harry, Itisa is a Nundu." The boy looked at her blankly; he had no reaction to that.

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"A Nundu is a magical creature, Harry. There are many in the Wizarding world; some are friendly, some not so much. Since they are magical creatures, we make sure the muggles never learn of their existence and try to keep it a secret." Minerva explained as they walked through the park, Itisa following behind them. Harry knew how much she liked walking on grass.

"So Nundus are not usually friendly with people." Harry said, looking back at Itisa, who looked back at him, knowing they were talking about her kind.

"Harry." Minerva said, grabbing his attention. "Nundus are the most dangerous creatures in the World; only Basilisks are in the same rank, and that's debatable."

Harry frowned. How can someone like Itisa be considered the most dangerous? Sure, he knew she wasn't weak, and he had seen as much, especially when she survived everything that the two yesterday threw at her, but being the most dangerous creature!

"Surely not. I mean if they can be tammed, then they are not that dangerous." Harry said defensively while pointing at Itisa. They had stopped walking and now were in the middle of the park.

"Harry, your friend, she is the only tamed Nundu in History. No wizard has ever tamed them. There's a reason why an entire army is needed to... take care of them if they go anywhere near public areas. They are powerful enough that not even the most powerful dark wizards ever dare to tame them: Grindelwald, Merwyn the Malicious, You Know Who, and countless others would have tried to tame them." Harry didn't like how she was talking about them; he didn't know if the Nundus were really that dangerous, but even if that was the case. Itisa has been with him for over a month now.

"Well, Itisa is tamed then. She's my companion and friend. I will never let anyone ever harm her." Harry claimed with determination, the kind that Minerva had seen countless times on both James and Lily Potter.

Minerva wanted to say that the rest of the world won't see it that way. While Nundus were dangerous, they were extremely valuable, and their blood, skin, and other things could be used as powerful ingredients for creating wands and powerful potions. Their blood can be used in blood magic, to cure sickness, or as the perfect poison. She knew without a doubt that the Ministry of Magic would never tolerate Harry being allowed to walk around freely with a Nundu. Their Black Breath can flatten entire cities.

Minerva was pleased and concerned to see how bonded the two were already as the Nundu walked around Harry's legs, purring as she did, but her eyes were always on Minerva, and the old Witch knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she tried something stupid.

While Minerva wanted to tell him more about the problems he would face, Harry remembered something. "Professor Minerva, while in the restaurant, you talked about Vo-You know Who. Can you tell me what happened to him and my parents?" Harry asked somewhat hesitantly. He might still be a kid, but he knew something bad must have happened that involved Voldemort.

Minerva and Harry resumed walking across the park. The old Witch pondered how she would be able to tell him but eventually decided to be blunt about it. "As I was saying, your parents were against the Dark Lord. One year after you were born, he attacked your house, Harry. No one knows why he was there and what happened that night. But your parents—" She sniffed. Her eyes suddenly burned as Harry looked up at her with concern.

"They died protecting you, Harry, but something happened that night. No one knows, but somehow you did something and the Dark Lord was no more. Dumbledore thinks that when he tried to use the killing curse on you, it backfired, but as I said, we don't know for sure, and the only mark he left you." Minerva kneeled to his level and removed a strand of black hair covering his forehead before touching his lightning scar. "Is this scar. Since that day, you have become famous. The whole world knows you. Everyone calls you 'The Boy Who Lived.'" Minerva explained as she stood up.

Harry quickly touched his scar; now, it all made sense. He remembered dreaming about a flash of green and someone screaming. It must have been his parents. He wondered if Itisa didn't like his scar because it was made by Voldemort, but as the words he heard fully sink in, he still had more questions, one of them especially.

"Professor Minerva, why was I left at The Dursleys?" The moment he asked that, the old Witch sniffed before looking away, almost in shame.

Do they not know how they treat me? Do they not care at all? He wondered, wanting to know the answer to that question even more now. He knew their treatment of him had changed only after Itisa entered his life; if it weren't for her, they would still treat him like an ant under their boot.

Minerva felt her lips trembling; she knew this question in particular would eventually be asked. She had prepared herself to answer all his questions before meeting him, but she still found herself not fully prepared. But mustering all the strength she had, she looked back at Harry. Her eyes briefly flickered at the Nundu, and she knew this could end badly if Harry got very angry.

"After the Dark Lord was gone, Hagrid found you inside the house and took you-" Harry wanted to ask who Hagrid was but decided to wait after she explained everything. "He brought you in front of the Dursley's house. I was there, and Dumbledore arrived a few minutes before Hagrid arrived with you. Dumbledore decided that it would be better to leave you there and be raised by the only family you had." As Minerva expected, Harry's inviting green eyes widened, his face went white before turning red from anger, and just as she expected, Itisa quickly got in between her and Harry.

"Good For Me!" Harry said with bitter laughter. He didn't know why he was laughing, but he did.

"Did you not know what kind of people They Are?!!" Harry shouted with anger; he couldn't remember being so angry before. Itisa quickly started growing in size. Minerva stepped away, and her face went white as the Nundu grew as big as a Tiger. Her spikes grew, and her eyes went red.

"Harry. I know you are angry-" " Did you know what kind of people they are?" Harry interrupted whatever she wanted to say; he was too angry to listen to her, telling him to calm down. No, all he could think of was the eight years he had spent in the damn house.

Minerva took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to say would make him even more angry. She knew he had every right to be. His whole childhood was gone because they had left him in the care of people like Lily's sister.

"I watched their house the whole day. I told Dumbledore that you shouldn't stay there, but he said it would be better for you if you grew up away from fame. While what Dumbledore did was a mistake, I'm to be blamed, too. I could have tried to be more persistent, but I didn't. I'm sorry, Harry Potter." She apologized sincerely, her eyes burning with unshed tears, but she wasn't one to ever cry in public.

Harry looked betrayed. Suddenly, thunder struck down, violently shaking the entire ground. Minerva knew it wasn't the Nundu doing this; it was Harry! But how?

"You abandoned me. You Just Left Me There Without A Care In the world! Why? Because an old man said so!!" Harry shouted, his voice now echoing through the air like a horn of war. The tip of Itisa's tail suddenly burst in blue flames, and her dark fur glittered blue as if a fire was building up inside her.

Minerva grabbed her wand; she knew this could easily get really bad. "Harry, please calm down. Your mother wouldn't have wanted this," Minerva pleaded loudly.

Thankfully, her words seemed to have had an impact on him; slowly, he calmed down, as did Itisa. The fire on her tail faded away, and her spikes sank into her body, but her body didn't shrink. Instead, Itisa turned to face Harry, who had fallen on his knees. She quickly licked his face, making circles, almost forming a shield around him, while she kept her eyes on Minerva, who breathed much easier now.

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so outmatched. Every part of her body was telling her to attack the Nundu. She was getting angrier, but Minerva reminded herself what happened the last time someone attacked her. Ted almost got himself and Nymphadora killed. So, despite her instincts telling her to fight and kill the Nundu, she stood down, and thankfully, Harry calmed down by himself.

"Harry." "Leave me alone." Harry snapped at her.

"Harry, it's very late. You can't stay here," Minerva said with a motherly voice, genuinely concerned for his well-being. She pointed everywhere around them. It was night, and the only source of light was the half-moon in the sky. The lights around the streets were far away.

Harry didn't say anything until he stood up, his hand caressing Itisa's fur, before looking up at the professor. Minerva wasn't pleased by what she saw; from the beginning, Harry looked at her with warmth, especially when she was telling him about Hogwarts and the magical world, but now, his eyes were colder.

"Is there anywhere I can sleep? Because I doubt Vernon will open the door for me after what happened, and even if he did, the last thing I want right now is to be back in that house." He spoke of them with venom. Minerva knew all that anger and hatred wouldn't do good in the long run, but she was sure that things would get better from now on; at least, she hoped they would.

Minerva was tempted to ask what he meant but figured she could ask later after things were calmer. "You can come with me to the Tonks." She offered, but Harry looked at her with confusion.

"The wizard and Witch from yesterday. His name is Ted Tonks, and his daughter is Nymphadora Tonks." She answered, and Harry snarled.

"The same two that attacked Itisa without any provocation." Harry growled.

"Harry. Ted wasn't prepared to see a Nundu. I told you how dangerous they are, and they are not tameable. If he had known that Itisa was your friend, he would haven't attacked." Minerva explained, and Harry could see the logic in that. If Nundus were truly as dangerous as she was making them out to be, then could he really blame the man for watching out for his daughter?

But Harry still reminded himself that he didn't know these people. Even Minerva, he only met her today, and his first meeting with Ted wasn't the most pleasant one. Harry would eventually need to meet someone, but he didn't want to sleep in their house without knowing them first, and he knew Itisa wouldn't be happy to see them again.

"Is there any apartment in the magical world?" While Minerva was displeased that he didn't want to go to Tonks's house, she could understand his wariness with them, especially after she had confessed that they abandoned him in the lion's den.

"Harry, what about her? If anyone realises what she is, you will have the entire Ministry of Magic on your doorstep." Minerva warned him, and the last thing they needed was for someone like Fudge to hear that a Nundu is free and in a public area.

"Itisa." That's all Harry said, and Minerva watched as she started shrinking until she was the size of a cat.

"That might work." Minerva said, knowing only someone like Newt Scamander would recognize a Nundu even if she were that size, but it wasn't a perfect disguise; her tail still had tufts of fur at the end.

As they made their way, with Minerva leading the way, she couldn't help but ask a question that had been bothering her since the moment she learned that Harry had a Nundu.

"Harry. How did you find her?"

"At the park. The Dursleys and I went to the park for Dudley's seventh birthday the same year. While walking around, this man was wearing a long black coat. I saw him leaving something, and he just disappeared. When I went to check. I saw Itisa alone, so I took her with me." Harry explained while playing with his favorite friend.

Who would leave a Nundu alone in the park?? She wondered. It made no sense; Nundus were powerful creatures and rare to come by. So this man must have somehow captured Itisa and then left her at the part, at the right moment for Harry to be there.

Is someone playing a game here? She wondered, knowing she needed to look deeper into this. It made no sense for someone just to leave the Nundu there. If he wanted her dead, then there were other, much more efficient ways to do it.

No, someone left the Nundu there so Harry can find it...

"Harry, you should try to keep Itisa a secret for as long as possible, if the Ministry of Magic finds out about her, they will make your life difficult."

"A Difficult life. I wonder what's that like." Harry said with a look as if he was thinking deeply about something. 

At that moment, Minerva realized that Harry might have his mother's eyes, but he had his father's talent for messing around with people. She already knew Snape won't be a big fan of Harry.

Dumbledore

With his arms knitted together above his stomach. He waited patiently, and it did not disappoint. The owl flew inside through the open window. He smiled at the beautiful creature, giving her food as he took the scroll from her leg.

As he opened it, he felt his heart stop beating for a moment once he read the short message.

'There's no doubt anymore. Harry Potter has a Nundu.'

Note: So Harry is still wary of them because of Ted attacking Itisa, and after what Minerva told him, but now he knows the truth. Minerva told him everything because she feels guilty that she allowed Dumbledore to let him be raised by his aunt, so she feels that she owes it to Harry to be honest with him.

Also, Dumbledore knows about Itisa now. Is that a good or a bad thing?!