HP : TRIUMPH

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(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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Harry slipped into the older looking alley, hood drawn up, but not drawn so high his whole face was hidden. He'd been in Knocturn before. No one walked with their whole face covered, it would make you suspicious. Harry walked down the steps not with a confident gate or a wary one, but one that said 'I know where I am'. That was it. He didn't act like he belonged, just that he was here and he knew it.

"Pickled dog eyes." An old hag cackled showing him a jar as he passed. "Fresh and ready for any potions, or just to eat."

He smiled politely and shook his head.

"No thank you."

He was slightly surprised at how quickly she had backed down. When he'd acted scared and wary last time they had crowded him, freaking him out. Now he could see they had known he was easy prey. Now he wasn't.

Harry strode down the alley way until he neared a bookstore. He entered quickly and started to browse. It wasn't all 'dark arts' or nasty curses. It was a wide selection with a few more questionable books, but most were quite good. Flourish and Blotts only held ministry approved books. And with the ministry so riddled with incompetence….The bookstore down Vertical Alley had a larger selection but they also had to be careful about what they put on the shelves. This store obviously didn't bother. It had to have more then a few defences in case Aurors came calling.

Harry soon had a large selection in hand and was paying a tired looking man at the till. The man graciously wrapped the books in brown paper and shrunk them down for him. He stuffed them in his satchel smiling.

"Can you tell me where I would find a, um…Herbology store?" He asked uncertainly.

The man chuckled.

"Muggleborn then?"

"Sort of. I'm looking for a place to buy plants, seeds, and the like."

"Four stores down there's a narrow alley on the left. If you follow it for about a hundred feet you'll find a door. It leads into a 'gardening' store."

"Thank you." Harry nodded as he headed out the door.

He followed the man's instructions and did indeed find a door with an old sign above it that said 'Smith's Plants and Pots'.

Harry entered to find himself in a well lit store that held shelves of seeds, half grown plants, and soils and stuff. Harry was met by a smiling store clerk who quickly helped him find the plants he wanted and some Grow-Fast-fertilizer. It helped plants growth speed up; including non-magical plants. Harry wanted his vegetables and such grown before it got to cold for them as he'd planted them late in the season. He thanked the man and hefted the bag of fertilizer onto his shoulder and stuck the other bag on his arm. Most of them couldn't be shrunk because of certain magical properties.

Harry hummed cheerfully as he walked down the alley. He saw more then a few people take an extra step from him as he did so, slightly unnerved by the morbid tune he was humming. He'd heard Snape hum it once. It had sounded ten times as morbid then. You had almost been able to see the blood and gore you thought were in the tune.

He had almost reached the exit from the alley, Talon's Inn when he heard some angry mutters and a yelp of pain. He scowled and set his bags down slipping in one of the many narrow alleys that were shortcuts between blocks and buildings. He saw a man nursing a scratch on his hand who brushed past Harry.

"Stupid cats. Just going to take the white one with me." He muttered hurrying off.

Harry frowned and sidled down the alley farther until he came upon a cranny in the brick wall. Inside sat a crate. Inside the crate were three huddled forms. Cats. Three cats, one pure white that was whiter then any cat Harry had ever seen and prettier too, one was a mangy ginger orange, and the last was a scruffy grey. They were curled together. They weren't quite cats but neither were they kittens. Harry leaned over and warily stuck his hand in. they watched him suspiciously but allowed him to scratch their ears. He went farther and went to pick the white one up. The other two hissed and lashed out at him. He let go and raised his hands in a non-threatening manner. They hissed at him.

"Ah, I see." He said smiling. "You don't want to be separated. Well then, guess I'll have to take you all home."

He hefted the crate up tucking it under one arm and balancing it on his left him. He strode from the alley. He stepped back into the wider alley and gathered his things shooting a glare at the man who was eyeing his things. The man quickly looked away and Harry shouldered his dirt and other items.

He soon was walking through Talon's Inn dodging a sloshing beer cup and ignoring the loud laughter and chatter. Once outside he headed down the sidewalk making sure the magical picture on the fertilizer bag and plant bag was hidden. He reached his car in a matter of minutes and dropped the plant supplies in the trunk while he set the cat crate on his front passenger seat.

Harry was about half way home when he ran into trouble. Blue and red lights started to flash and he nervously pulled over to the side of the road. He was a bundle of nerves seeing as how one mistake he made may get his license taken away. He had no idea though what he'd done wrong. The policeman who had pulled him over strode up to his window and he quickly unrolled it.

"Can I help you?" Harry asked, all his nervousness shoved behind his occlumency shields.

He'd been working at this mind arts thing and it was a great help with controlling emotions. It was even helping him see when people lied, hid things, hid emotions, and it even helped him get to sleep faster. It also helped him organize everything. His memory had been getting better since he'd started this.

"I'll need to see your license and some ID kid. Don't panic, just a check. You look slightly too young to be driving." The cop said smiling simply.

Harry sighed in relief and pulled his wallet out, pulling out his license and ID card. He even had his birth certificate just in case. Griphook had some how gotten a hold of it for him. The man looked them over carefully, a slightly glazed look taking over his eye. He shook his head and then nodded to him.

"Thanks kid. I'll send a message to the other guys in case someone has the same suspicions I did and thinks you stole your parent's car for a joyride.

"Thank you officer."

The man tipped his cap slightly and turned to walk off. Harry was suddenly struck by a thought.

"Sir, do you know where I could purchase a motorcycle at?"

The man blinked, then grinned.

"There's a good dealership on 283rd Street. It has some good reliable vehicles."

"Thank you officer."

"Yup. See ya kid."

Harry rolled the window back up and took off again glancing back at the cats who sat quietly and calmly.

"Okay." He said. "You're creeping me out a bit with those intelligent stares. You guys have to be half kneazle or something."

The flick of three tales was all the answer he got. As he headed down the road, enjoying the view of the streets of London he saw something that made him flick on his turning lights and turn sharply. He parked expertly and slid out of his car grabbing the keys and cats as he shut the door. He'd barely spotted the animal clinic before he'd turned a corner. He walked inside carrying the crate of cats where he set them on the front counter. A lady at it eyed the cats.

"Ah, giving them up?"

"No, actually I was wondering if you could check them over for me."

"Of course."

She took them to one of the back rooms and Harry followed, waved to one of the seats inside the room. She set the cats on a flat table and looked each over carefully.

"They seem to be in perfect health. Where did you get them?"

"I found them in an alley."

"Ah. I'd best give them some shots then."

Harry was smiling fifteen minutes later when he exited the vet with three grumpy looking cats. He strode next door where a connecting pet shop was, obviously owned by the same person who owned the vet as it had the same name and designs. The first thing he did once inside was head to the food isle where he hefted a large bag of cat food to the front till before heading back down the isles to get dishes, three small collars, and a large puffy pillow for the three to share. He also took time to grab them a few toys he hoped would keep them busy.

He decided to gaze around the store which was part SPCA part pet store. In the end Harry had somehow been talked into also buying a large fish tank and a bunch of fish.

When he finally did make it home he had to levitate the fish inside along with their tank which he set up on the second floor in the living room by the red couch. He cast a bunch of spells on the tank to make sure it remained the right temperature and that the water was regularly cleaned. Another spell made sure the fish were automatically fed every morning and evening and the light would turn off and on when needed. Spells were much easier then trying to get a stupid pump and heater working and feeding everyday.

Then he set up the cat's bed on the first floor behind the high back chairs. He set their food and water dishes near the back door, which he immediately filled. Then he opened the three new collars and strapped them onto the now more calm cats. He'd gotten a bright blue one with a large bow on it for the white cat, a thin dark maroon one for the orange scruffy ginger, and a thin white one for the mean looking grey cat. The vet had informed him that the white one was female and the other two were male. Harry easily believed they were siblings by the way the two males cats watched over the female but didn't fight over her.

He'd read that Kneazels were unlike cats in the way they lived and remembered. They remembered their family all their life and if kept together would be very protective of them. Kneazels also always turned out varied in color. Unlike a litter of normal kittens they could all be completely different colors. And if some regular cat was mixed in then they could be even more different.

Harry was amused to see the white cat strut around with her bow, following Harry everywhere while the other two crept behind her keeping an eye on her and looking surly. They looked like two bodyguards following a mistress. Harry laughed as the followed him to the back yard where he was going to plant his magical plants in the greenhouse and his spread his soil in his gardens.

Loving the story so far? There's a whole world of magic and mystery waiting for you with over 85+ chapters still to come! By supporting my Patreon.

You not only get early access to new chapters but also exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and special perks just for fans like you.

Join us on this enchanted journey and help shape the future of the tale. Your support makes all the difference—discover more and become part of the adventure today!

http//patreon.com/BLAKE025

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

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