Chapter 11

Together Harry and Ginny left Grimmauld place just a few short hours later. They'd gone through a few more letters, but had spent most of the time just holding each other quietly, and talking over mundane things.

They stepped out of the door and Harry checked to make sure the coast was clear before he took Ginny by the hand and they disapparated into Diagon Alley.

Harry still had most of the money he'd removed from his vault that day he'd come previously with Hermione. There wouldn't be any need to return to Gringott's bank, which suited Harry just fine.

He and Ginny walked down the alley hand in hand, slowly making their way past the shops. Harry really didn't want to have to get a new owl. He really missed Hedwig. She'd been with him since he first learned he was a wizard.

When they finally stood in front of Eyelop's Owl Emporium, Harry stood outside for a minute, not entirely comfortable with going in. Ginny stood with him patiently until Harry worked himself up to going inside.

The noise was startling. There were owls of every kind. Dozens of pairs of eyes looked at him from perches and platforms along the walls. There were owls of every size and shape. Every color and every kind. He looked carefully at each one, finally settling on a common Barn Owl. It was roughly the same size as Hedwig had been, but had more beige coloring to the otherwise white feathering.

"That's a good one," said the sales wizard from behind the counter, "A Barn Owl is a good choice, up for short trips across town, but easily capable of flying cross country if you want him to. Only just got him in last week."

"I'll take him." Harry sighed.

He also bought a cage and some pellet food and left the shop with Ginny teasing him a little on the way out.

They walked on to the next shop, where Harry stared inside the window. He was startled to see it was Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Fred and George's joke shop.

"Oh, let's go inside!" Ginny exclaimed happily.

Harry agreed, and inside they went. However Harry couldn't help but notice a strange feeling come over him. One like he was being watched.

He let Ginny in first, holding the door for her. He used that moment to surreptitiously glance around the Alley, but no one was behaving strangely in any way. Harry decided he was just imagining it.

Inside the joke shop Harry and Ginny looked around. George himself spied them and came from behind the counter to greet them.

"Harry! Ginny! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked.

"No reason. Ron and Hermione left for Australia today, and we just decided to come to Diagon Alley." Harry answered.

"Well you know our rule still stands Harry. You take as much as you want of anything you want. No charge." George said.

Ginny looked from Harry to George and back to Harry again.

"I take it she doesn't know?" George asked.

"Not really, no." Harry answered looking suddenly interested the new bottles of Instant Animagus! Choose any animal and turn into them for an hour of grrrowling good fun! Harry looked and saw the dozens of different animals: dogs, cats, birds, squirrels, rats, lions, tigers, horses, stags, snakes, mice, penguins, and the list went on.

"Harry gave us our start up money. He was our jump start." Harry heard George explain to Ginny.

"How did you get the money?" Ginny asked Harry in amazement.

"It was my winnings from the Tri-Wizard Tournament. After everything that happened, I really didn't want it. But I did want it to go somewhere good." Harry explained, then added saying to George, "I'm glad it went where it did."

Harry was feeling really awkward when Ginny piped up,

"Hey George, did you know Harry will be teaching at Hogwarts this year?"

George did a double take. "Come again?"

"It's just for the year," Harry answered, "Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor McGonagall asked me to teach until she can find a permanent replacement."

"I couldn't think of a more qualified person." George said seriously. "I mean it. When you taught us all in the D.A., we learned a ton. I bet you'll be everyone's favorite teacher."

George stepped away for a minute to ring up a customer who had come in and was done with their shopping. Harry and Ginny used the time to pick out some things to take with them. Harry picked up a few of the Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougats, and Fainting Fancies. He also got some Peruvian Darkness Powder, and a few bottles of Instant Animagus. He let Ginny select the animal types.

They were about to leave, when George stopped them and added a few gifts of his own to what they were taking. Most of them were things like Filibuster's fireworks, and extendible ears. There was something that caught Harry's eye, a Marauder's Map, or something very like it.

"It's no where near as good as the one we gave you but I expect it will be great fun for those who want to take a discreet walk around the school." George explained.

George escorted Ginny and Harry out of the shop. Harry, now beginning to feel weighed down with his purchases, suggested they go for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron before returning back to Grimmauld Place.

They had just turned to walk back in that direction, when they stopped dead in the street. There in front of them were two figures, each in a dark cloak, and each with a Death Eater's mask.

Harry didn't think. He just acted.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted, directing the curse at the Death Eaters.

The two figures ducked to one side, and were turning to retaliate when the alley went black.

Harry had thrown down some of the Peruvian Darkness Powder, and in the ensuing darkness he turned on the spot and disapparated out of Diagon Alley taking Ginny with him.

They apparated on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place.

"Harry! What was that?" Ginny asked her face ashen.

"Are you alright?" Harry demanded.

Ginny nodded. Harry quickly opened the locked door and followed Ginny inside. Tyto, Harry's new owl, was screeching horribly. Harry was just starting to try and calm the bird down when the painting of Sirius' mother started screaming.

"Filth, Blood Traitors and mudbloods invading my house!"

Harry pointed his wand at the painting, and said,

"If you make one more noise old woman, I'll blast that painting off the wall!"

The old woman in the painting went quiet immediately. Harry closed the curtains over her, and escorted Ginny into the kitchen.

"What was all that?" Ginny asked, her voice shaking.

"Death Eaters. Don't ask me how they knew we were there, I haven't a clue."

"What could they want? Voldemort is gone!"

Harry went about making Ginny a cup of tea. He knew what they wanted, he kind of expected it.

"They want me. They want their revenge." Harry said with a sigh. "Are you alright?"

"I'm good; I was just surprised is all." Ginny said.

Color was coming back into her cheeks. Her voice was steady. Harry took this as a positive sign. He sat down at the table with Ginny, he needed to think. He looked at her. The thought of what could have happened flooded into his mind. Then said, "I think the first thing to do is to get you somewhere safe." Harry said standing up.

He wished he had his invisibility cloak, but that was back at the Burrow, with the rest of his things. He hadn't expected he would need it.

A steely look came over Ginny, "What do you mean 'Get me somewhere safe'?" she asked.

Harry should have known, of course she wouldn't want to be left behind. Not this time. This was going to complicate things considerably. He would not; he could not see her get hurt.

"Ginny look," Harry started to say, however Ginny cut him off.

"No, you look!" she said. "I spent the last year going through hell while you were out running around saving the world. The only thing I wanted was for us to be together, and I'll be damned if you put me through that again!"

She was on her feet now, her temper rising with her.

"I lost friends, I even lost my brother! I went through hell, and now you, you..."

Ginny was in a towering fury. Tears of anger in her eyes and beginning to run down her cheeks.

Harry got up and went around the table and took her in his arms. He gently wiped the tears out of her eyes and off his cheeks. She tried to resist for a moment, and then sighed and let Harry comfort her.

"Look, we got away. We're safe, at least for now. Let's get you back home and we can plan the next move from there. I need to talk to your dad and see if the Ministry has any idea as to what's going on. I should probably send George an owl too. I'm sure by now he's heard what happened."

Ginny nodded agreement, helped Harry to grab a few things, and held his owl while Harry locked up his house. He then took Ginny by the hand and apparated all of them back to the Burrow.

When they appeared in the yard outside the Burrow, Harry and Ginny were greeted by George, Mr. Weasley, and a wizard Harry didn't recognize. All three were aiming wands at them.

"Ginny!" George said rushing forward.

He was closely followed by Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley came to the door and hurried out into the yard.

"We were so worried!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed.

"What happened?" asked George.

"When we left the shop," Harry answered, "There were two Death Eaters standing in the street. I didn't wait for them to do anything; I just tried to stupefy them and threw down some darkness powder. I used the distraction to get Ginny out of there."

"I saw that part." George said. "I came running outside to see if I could help, but you were already gone. I thought you would come here."

"I just went to the first place I could think of, it just happened that was Grimmauld Place." Harry said.

"Ginny, are you okay?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm fine." she said looking sidelong at Harry. "Harry just knew what to do. He was great."

Harry felt some pride at hearing Ginny praise him like that. She'd been so mad at him just a few minutes before.

He caught her eye, and knew right away that she was still mad at him. Then he realized she probably didn't want her mother to worry. Well, he would make it up to her.

The group started walking back towards the house. Then a thought struck Harry.

"Hang on," Harry said stopping in his tracks, "Mr. Weasley, how did you know something happened? We didn't spend that long at the Grimmauld place before coming here."

"I went straight to the Ministry after you got attacked," answered George, "I figured they would want to know that there are Death Eaters after you again."

"And we came straight here," Mr. Weasley said gesturing toward George and the wizard Harry didn't know.

At this point the wizard stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Zeke Gifford Mr. Potter, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Harry shook the wizard's hand. The group resumed walking back towards the Burrow.

"We just figured this is where you would come," Mr. Weasley added.

Harry just nodded and went with the group inside the Burrow.