Stockholm Syndrome

Shopping, Escape, and Rescue

Chapter 2: Shopping, Escape, and Rescue

  Harry ended up flying all the way back to Grimmauld place, wanting some time to process what he had just witnessed. It had certainly done nothing for his conscience to know that there were that many people who obviously loved Ginny and were worried about her. They had no reliable way of knowing whether or not she was actually alright, and he could not imagine what that would be like.

Then there was the encounter with Albus Dumbledore. Did he suspect something? He certainly gave off the impression of knowing considerably more than he let on.  His presence at Ginny's home was not something Harry had counted on.

For the famed Headmaster of Hogwarts to take a personal interest in this kidnapping was a bad sign. It meant that Dumbledore was close to her family in some way, and probably would do everything in his power to ensure that she was returned safely to them.

They would have to tread carefully from now on. Having the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix looking for you was most definitely not something to laugh at. The wards and spells he and Sirius had cast were clever and powerful, yes, but not infallible.

Harry winced mentally. Sirius was not going to like this latest development. Escaping Dumbledore when Harry was younger was hard enough. Having to run all over the globe to escape him once more was not something they needed right now.

He arrived back at number 12, only to find the library window closed and locked tightly, something it only would have done if Ginny had approached it. He shook his head amusedly, knowing that she would undoubtedly try a much more thought-out escape attempt soon. She was scared and alone certainly, but she also seemed to be quite the fiery tempered person her hair suggested. A few locks and wards were hardly going to keep her anywhere.

Harry had purposely neglected to tell her what would happen if she approached any possible exit in the house, certain that she would try anyway, and firsthand experience was far more convincing than any warning, in this case.

He used his ability as a phoenix to "apparate" inside, and flew off down the hall, looking for her.

Evidently, she had gone exploring during his absence. He found her down in one of the spare bedrooms, poking through the closet. Rude, ordinarily, but since she was a kidnap victim in her captor's house, she probably didn't care if they thought she was rude.

He trilled from the foot of the ancient bed, and she jerked up, striking her head on the shelf she'd been peeking under. He laughed, which sounded rather strange as he was still a phoenix, and she glared at him.

Her glare dropped, however, when she spotted the letters tied to his leg, and she nearly tripped over herself in her eagerness to get to them. Fingers trembling in anticipation, it took her several minutes to get all of them untied, but she eventually managed it.

He decided to let her read them in private, and flew off to his room to transform. Remembering that she thought he'd been in the house the whole time he was actually gone, he changed into some muggle clothes and waited an hour or so before going to see if she was ready to go shopping.

He found her sprawled on the bed in her room, reading her letters (probably for the third or fourth time). The door was open, but he knocked politely on the door frame anyway.

When she looked up at him expectantly, he asked, "So, um, you about ready to go?" Seeing her confused look, he added, "Shopping. We were going to get you some necessities; clothes, that sort of thing."

"Oh," she stared at him for a moment. "Okay." She crawled off the bed and stood before him, and he waved his hand, transfiguring her patched and faded hand-me-down wizarding robes into a simple muggle t-shirt and jeans.