Harry Potter Breaking The Chains

"Yeah, how did you make it back here?" Ron asked.

Ginny's grin faded for a second as she thought back to how close she had come to being captured. She sat down and urged the others to do so before telling her story.

"After the building collapsed, I rolled out of the way and think I twisted my ankle. Anyway, I came up and started battling the Death Eaters in front of me. There were three of them approaching, and I managed to stun one while holding off the other two, but I got snuck up on and disarmed from behind," Ginny explained.

"He started dragging me off into an alleyway while I was struggling to get free. I couldn't see where we were going because I had my back to him. Anyway, as we're going through the alley, this cat comes streaking through. And I'm not talking about a house cat, this was a jungle cat, like a panther or something. It leapt over our heads, and the next thing I know, the man holding me is slumped on the ground unconscious. I turn around, and there's a man, couldn't have been more than a couple years older than me, conjuring ropes that tied themselves around the one holding me and another Death Eater at the end of the alley."

"He came up to me, told me I was safe, and grabbed hold of my shoulders and pulled me in to his chest. The next thing I know, we're right outside the Burrow. He told me to run inside and that he'd make sure everyone else made it home okay. I turned around to say thanks, but he had already left. So I ran inside and waited in front of the fire for you guys, and here we are now," Ginny finished her story with a sigh.

She had respected his wishes and not mentioned his wandless abilities, but she was still highly curious about it. There was something altogether familiar about him. When he was in his panther form, the eyes had really stuck out at her. They were startlingly green, just like the kitten she had been looking at… just like Harry. The man didn't resemble anyone she knew, though. He had blondish brown hair and brown eyes. He was probably about average height, definitely not Ron's height, but Ron was abnormally tall. And he was slightly muscular as well. When he had grabbed her and held her to him when he apparated, she could feel the muscles underneath his shirt. She had felt safe in his arms, just as he had said she would be.

"Well, whoever he was, thank Merlin he was there to help," Mrs. Weasley spoke after a moment of silence. "Did he tell you his name?" she directed toward Ginny.

"No, he didn't even give me a first name. But he knew my name," she explained. She finished softly to herself, "He called me Gin, almost as if he knew me." She didn't tell the others that. He had seemed like he wanted his identity to remain secret, and she would respect his wishes. It was the least she could do after he had saved her life.

.....

Hedwig returned later that evening with a letter addressed to Harry in long, loopy handwriting. The headmaster had written back to him.

Harry,

Much as I hate the manner in which we received the information, your vision and prompt letter to me saved the lives of your friends today. The targets for the attack were Ronald and Ginevra Weasley. It seems your friend Ron wrote you a letter late last night and sent it with his owl to let you know he and his family were going to Diagon Alley today. We were able to respond before the alarms alerted us to the attack, thanks to your letter, and we managed to stop the attack before they were able to fulfill their purpose. The Weasleys are all safe once again, and there were no known casualties during the attack.

There was some damage done at the alley but none that cannot be easily repaired. Thank you for alerting me of your vision when you did. You have saved countless lives. Nevertheless, the fact that you are still having visions worries me. I will be glad when you resume your Occlumency lessons, but might I suggest that you spend the rest of your summer trying to prepare yourself for those lessons? The more effort you put in to protecting your mind, the harder it will be for anyone to break into it. As always, I will be here if you need anything.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry read through the letter and was pleased overall with its contents. No one was seriously hurt or killed in the attack. Diagon Alley would be put back to normal soon enough. The only real ramification from the attack would be the response from the public, but it could be as good as bad. Now that Voldemort had really threatened the people in general, they would not stand for the ministry's lack of action. Now was the time to start fighting back.

Harry fed his owl some treats in gratitude for her help today. He fed Pig a treat as well. The small owl had apparently decided to rest a bit before heading back to the Burrow. Considering the fact that Death Eaters had already intercepted him once, Harry couldn't really blame the owl.

The next day Harry returned to Diagon Alley to find ministry personnel scattered throughout the streets helping with the cleanup. He walked over the Magical Menagerie which was mostly put back together from the attack the day before. It was open at any rate, so Harry went inside. He quickly spotted what he had come for, a small black kitten with bright green eyes. Harry picked it up and scratched it behind the ears. It purred happily and rubbed its face against his hand. He walked over to the shop owner and asked what he would need to buy to care for a cat.

The man collected the magical equivalent of a litter box, where the waste vanished after it was deposited by the animal. He stacked some cat food, and Harry told him to give him enough food to last for a year. He didn't know if there was a shop in Hogsmeade that sold pet food, so he thought it would be best to be prepared. The man had grinned at that and was only too happy to oblige. He had asked if Harry wanted any toys or catnip for the kitten to play with, so Harry selected a couple toys and picked up a bag of catnip as well.

The last thing he needed for the little critter was a carrying case. The man fetched one for Harry, and tallied up all of his purchases. Harry paid the man, retrieving the exact amount out of his money bag before depositing the kitten in the carry case and putting all the food and other accessories in his trunk. With that settled he walked out the door and disapparated with a pop, his business concluded.

Ginny's birthday was coming up, and after seeing her with the kitten the day before, he couldn't resist. Besides, after the scare she must have gotten the day before during the attack, she could probably use something to cheer her up. He was surprised that he remembered her birthday at all and was rather proud of the fact. The only reason he knew was because he had been there when they celebrated her birthday the summer before his second year. He hadn't sent her anything for any of her birthdays, so he was surprised that he remembered the date four years later.

Harry decided to keep the kitten in the rooms inside his trunk so that it didn't manage to sneak out into the rest of the house. He made sure to spend some time with it every day and showered it with attention. Harry was glad that Hedwig couldn't see him when he was in the trunk; otherwise, she would probably be quite jealous of the attention the little kitten was getting.

He realized that he hadn't really spent much time at all in his trunk's rooms. He inspected the kitchen area and decided that he really should take advantage of his resources. He always hated eating with the Dursley's and really avoided it as much as he could. He had forgotten that he had a kitchen of his own at his disposal. He still had some muggle money left over from his excursion into muggle London, not much, but he figured it would be enough to get a few groceries to stock his kitchen. So he did.

....

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