Like The Rain

Chapter 1

She wandered through the dark forest, pausing every few minutes to look around. This forest was unfamiliar to her, and she wasn't sure which way was out. Every little noise would frighten her. She didn't know how long she could keep going. Thoughts of home, family, and friends drifted through her mind. Will I ever see any of them again? Tears swelled in her eyes and blurred her vision. She stumbled through the trees, the tears streaming down her dirty cheeks. Everything seemed hopeless. The clouds overhead shifted, revealing the full moon. A howl sounded to her left. It sounds almost exactly like the one in my head earlier. Lonely and depressed. She broke into a run, heading right. She ran until she stumbled into a large clearing. Then she stopped. In the middle of the clearing stood a large cabin, and a light was shining through an upstairs window. Hope filled her heart and she quickly ran to the front door. Not bothering to knock because she was so happy to have found civilization, or at least one person, she barged right into the firelit parlor. She was about to cross the room and go upstairs when a low whine stopped her. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room, they came to rest on a dog-shaped figure lying in the middle of a large rug. A dog, she thought. I wonder if it'll bite me? She slowly advanced across the room and crept around the seemingly asleep dog. She had almost reached the stairs when the dog let out a long, low growl. She stopped dead in her tracks. Maybe if I hold still, it'll go back to sleep. After a few moments, it seemed to do just that. By now, her eyes were completely adjusted to the light. The *dog* on the floor now looked more like a wolf. Oh no, what if it is a wolf? How did it get in here? Should I warn the people upstairs? She was about to do that when the wolf-dog growled again and moved as if to get up. Panic struck her and she looked around the parlor for a weapon or anything to protect herself. The wolf-dog moved again, this time raising it's head to look at her with its bright, yellow eyes. Her eyes fell on an open door and she quickly ran into the dark room, shutting and locking the door behind her. She fumbled for a light switch, and finding none, crept around the room, arms stretched in front of her so she wouldn't bump into anything. She stumbled onto a large and rather comfortable couch that she immediately dropped onto and fell instantly into a quite peaceful sleep, forgetting all about the *thing* outside the door.

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Earlier That Day

"Harry," came Aunt Petunia's shrill voice, "hurry up! You're going to make us late!"

Harry Potter sat up right in his bed. Oh no, he thought. I've slept in. Today's Dudley's birthday. He climbed out of bed and threw his clothes on. They're gonna kill me if I make them late for the party. He ran downstairs, frantically trying to flatten his messy black hair, to no avail. Uncle Vernon was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"There you are. Well, hurry now boy. You're not going to ruin Dudley's birthday this year," he said gruffly.

Harry quietly followed him out the front door and got into the car. Piers Polkiss, Dudley, and Aunt Petunia were already there. Piers frowned and pointed at Harry.

"He's not coming again, is he?" he asked with horror.

"Of course not," Dudley answered with a complete look of terror on his face. "We're dropping him off at Mad Lady Figg's house."

Piers smiled.

"Good. I don't want anything weird to happen again."

Harry just sat there ignoring them both. It was something he was very good at since he had to do it a lot. Uncle Vernon started the car and backed out of Number 4 Privet Drive. A few minutes later, they pulled into Mrs. Figg's driveway.

"Well, go on boy. Tell Arabella we'll be back at 8 to pick you up. And don't cause her any trouble, you hear me?" he snarled.

Harry nodded and climbed out of the car. He slowly made his way to the front door. Uncle Vernon's words swam around in his head. It was the first time he had ever heard Mrs. Figg's first name. Harry was sure he had heard that name somewhere else. He reached the door and knocked. From inside the house he heard meowling and muffled footsteps.

"Where have I heard that name before?" he asked himself aloud.

Then it came to him in a rush of memories. The night Voldemort had come back. He vaguely remembered Dumbledore telling Sirius to round up the *old crowd* and Arabella Figg had been one of them. But was it the same Arabella Figg? And if it was, why did she pretend to be a Muggle? Tons of questions filled Harry's head as the footsteps grew louder. Harry was determined to find out if this was the Arabella Figg that Dumbledore had been talking about by the time he left tonight. But when the door opened, Harry found himself standing not in front of Mrs. Figg, but Dumbledore himself.

"Well, hello, Harry," he said. "Please, come in."

And he led a very bewildered Harry into the house.

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"Wren! You have to come look at this!" squealed a very excited Faye McNeely. "It's that red halter top I've been looking for! I can't believe that such a tiny town would have this!"

Wren Scot slowly came around the clothing rack. She was looking very bored.

"Yeah, yeah. That's lovely and all. Can we please go now?" she pleaded.

Even though Faye was her best friend, she couldn't help but be annoyed sometimes at Faye's never-ending, over-entusiastic attitude towards fashion. She was constantly trying to keep up with the changing styles, and often dragged Wren along with her. Wren had never really cared too much about stuff like that. She had her own style and didn't want it any different.

"Oh, come on Wren," her friend begged. "Please try some stuff on with me? For once, try to be normal."

Wren glared at Faye.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked haughtily.

"It's just.. just.. I dunno?" Faye shrugged. "Just forget it. We can go now."

Wren could see she was trying to avoid another argument, so she nodded and turned to leave. Just then, a woman came running into the tiny store screaming about.. what was it?.. Dementors? What in the world is a Dementor? Wren wondered with curiosity. Most people in the store looked at the woman like she was crazy, although some seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. They pulled long wooden looking sticks out of their pockets and rushed out the door.

"Ooo.. let's go see what's going on," urged Faye.

Wren nodded her head okay, and followed Faye outside. As soon as they walked through the doors, Wren felt a cold blast of air pass through her whole body. A crowd of people with the long wooden sticks were gathered around something she couldn't see. They seemed to be shouting at it. Bright, silvery figures appeared out of nowhere and Wren heard Faye gasp with wonder beside her. But the wave of coldness was growing stronger, and Wren shivered despite the scorching summer sun. Her head started to pound and she put both of her hands to her temples. A long howl sounded somewhere in the back of her mind, accompanied by screaming and a blinding green flash. Her vision blurred and her knees buckled. She was vaguely aware of Faye asking if she was alright. She tried to focus and looked around. She needed to get out of there. The forest. The forest was the only direction she could look without being hit by the cold chill. She mustered all of her strength and bolted towards the trees, oblivious to the fact that Faye was yelling for her to come back.

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Professor Remus Lupin sat down at his kitchen table and sighed heavily. Tonight was the full moon, which meant he had to take the Wolfsbane Potion this evening. Professor Snape had sent him a goblet of it earlier on the orders of Professor Dumbledore. Otherwise, Snape would let him run wild as a werewolf, biting and killing as he pleased. Suddenly, Sirius Black bounced into the kitchen, still in his pajamas.

"Mornin' Moony," he mumbled quite cheerfully, and poured some coffee.

"Morning?" asked Remus. "It's 3 in the afternoon. Honestly, Padfoot, you're going to sleep your life away. And you are way too cheerful this morning. What's got your spirits up so high?"

"Hey," Sirius retorted, "I've been up 'til the crack of dawn for two weeks now trying to get some work done. Helping Dumbledore with this whole Voldemort thing isn't easy, ya know. And I can't believe you forgot! Harry's coming to stay with us tomorrow! And he's bringing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Remember now?"

With that said, Sirius stomped into the living room. Honestly, thought Remus. He's acting like he's five years old with that stomping. He couldn't help but smile at his best friend's behavior, though. Remus sighed again and followed after him.

"Sirius, you know I was just joking. I know how stressful this is for you," he said gently. "And yes I do remember now. I'm sorry I forgot. My memory's just been.. er.. slipping lately."

Sirius looked up at him and smiled.

"I know, I know. I'm just worried about Harry and all. Dumbledore said that even though this place, other than Hogwarts, is the safest place for him, it's still dangerous."

At the mention of dangerous, Remus frowned.

"Speaking of dangerous," he said bitterly. "You do remember what tonight is, don't you?"

"Of course," Sirius replied, his eyes suddenly turning grave.

"I know you've sat with me before, Padfoot, and now I have the Wolfsbane Potion, but I still don't want to take any chances, so I'd appreciate it if you would stay upstairs and lock yourself up tonight. And don't look like that. It's the only way to be safe, what with the Dark Lord running around and all."

Sirius looked as if someone had just told him Peter Pettigrew was right behind him.

"But.. I have to be with you Remus! What if something's wrong with the potion? What if it doesn't work?" he pleaded.

"Ha. Something wrong with the potion?" Remus asked with heavy sarcasm. "You know Snape would say he liked you before he'd let any of his potions go wrong. No, it's best for you to stay upstairs tonight. And that's that."

With this said, he stalked back into the kitchen to prepare the Potion.

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"Please sit down, Harry," Dumbledore said, and gestured towards a chair.

Harry looked at him with curiosity written all over his face, and slowly sat down.

"Wh.. where's Mrs. Figg?" he managed to stutter.

Dumbledore smiled and also took a seat.

"Mrs. Figg was called away on urgent business a few minutes ago. I agreed to watch you. I need to have a little chat with you anyways," Dumbledore said, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"S.. so.. this means that Mrs. Figg is a witch.. right?" Harry asked and Dumbledore nodded. "But then why did she pretend to be a Muggle?"

"Ah.. those were my orders, Harry. See, when your parents were killed, I knew that just placing you under the care of your Muggle relatives wouldn't be enough to protect you. So, I decided to put someone of magical status in charge of watching you as a neighbor and often as a babysitter. Arabella Figg volunteered. I placed her in this house and she has been watching over you ever since."

Harry sat there with a look of understanding on his face. Then the look of curiosity came back.

"So.. where did Mrs. Figg go to that was so important?" he asked with innocence.

"Now that I cannot tell you, Harry. Later, maybe, but not now," Dumbledore said, and Harry nodded his head.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" he asked again.

Dumbledore's eyes lit up. When he spoke, the note of amusement was back, although he seemed to be trying to hide it.

"Ah.. yes. I know you'll be very pleased to hear this bit of news. I convinced everyone that since Arabella would be gone quite some time, you weren't protected enough here. So we agreed to find you another place to stay for the summer. I suggested that you stay at Remus Lupin's house, since it was unplottable and almost impossible to find. They agreed to this, but wanted still more protection. We performed a Charm with some of your closest friends, who agreed to help. The Charm is much like the Fidelius Charm, but not quite the same. Instead of using one Secret Keeper, you use five. And they aren't necessarily Secret Keepers. It's true they keep your whereabouts a secret, but they also go into hiding with you. And when the time comes, they will transfer all their powers to you and you will be able to summon one of the most powerful Charms in history to defeat Voldemort," Dumbledore finished with a look of triumph in his eyes.

Harry looked like he couldn't quite believe his ears.

"But.. but.. isn't that dangerous? What if I take their powers and they need them? And who are these Secret Keepers?" Harry asked in a hurry, though he thought he already knew the answer to the last question.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for a moment in deep thought before he continued.

"I will not lie to you, Harry. It is dangerous. It's entirely possible that something could go wrong and their powers could be transferred to you too early. But I for one see no need to worry about that, since Ginny Weasley was the one who performed the Charm."

"Ginny?" Harry asked, taken completely by surprise. "But, she's only 13!"

"Ginny is the only person I would ever trust to perform a Charm as complex as that one. True, she may only be 13, but I see great potential in her. She has a talent, Harry, that I have only seen in one other person. Your mother."

"My.. my mother?"

"Your mother was excellent at performing Charms. Each one she did was absolutely perfect. But on to your other question. The Secret Keepers. They are quite obvious, but they had to love you for it work, so we couldn't just pick anyone. I'm sure you already know who some of them are, but if not, let me fill you in. They are Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Virginia Weasley, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. And mentioning Sirius, I believe this bit of news will cheer you up quite a lot. Remus will also have a pet staying with him this summer. A large black dog by the name of Snuffles I believe," Dumbledore said, without trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

Harry's face lit up at this.

"Sirius! You mean it? I actually get to spend a whole summer with him? And Hermione and Ron and Ginny?" he rattled. But then the last thought sunk into him. A whole summer sharing a house with Ginny. He'd done it before, but he'd only been 12 then. Now he was 14, almost 15, and Ginny was almost 14. They were growing up a little too fast. And even though Harry was scared to admit it, he got a fluttering feeling in his stomach everytime Ginny even smiled at him. He knew her 11 year old crush on him was gone now, but he still couldn't help but feel that something was still there.

Dumbledore sat and watched Harry think. A lot of thoughts seemed to be rushing through his mind. Finally Harry looked up into Dumbledore's bright eyes.

"When do I get to leave?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Tomorrow morning. You will pack your things tonight and go to the Weasley's. You will meet Hermione there. Then, in the morning, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and you will all travel to Remus's house. I will make a brief connection between his fireplace and the Weasley's for you to travel by Floo Powder," Dumbledore finished. The rest of the day went by with Harry sitting around Mrs. Figg's house watching T.V. as he usually did and talking with Professor Dumbledore about school and other nonsense.

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"Are you sure you're going to be alright, Moony?" Sirius asked, his voice full of concern.

"Of course, Padfoot. Nothing's going to go wrong. I promise," Remus answered for what seemed the 50th time.

"Oh come on, Moony. Let me stay down here. You know it'll be better for you that way," Sirius pleaded some more.

"I told you, Sirius. No. Now go upstairs. It's almost time."

With one last, pleading glance at Remus, Sirius slowly made his way upstairs into his room. He knows it'll be worse without me. So why won't he let me stay?

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"Harry!" squealed Hermione as she threw her arms around his neck. "It's so good to see you! We've all missed you!"

Harry had just arrived at the Burrow, via Dumbledore, and walked through the door when everyone practically launched themselves at him. Even Bill and Charlie, who were staying for a couple weeks, had to give him a hug. The only one who didn't was Percy. He had shaken Harry's hand in a very formal way.

"Aww. Percy Weatherby has to be all formal and stuff," Fred started, but stopped at a look from his mother. George just snickered behind him and whispered something in his ear. Fred's face brightened and a mischievous grin spread across his face. Apparently they had something planned to do to Percy later. Harry couldn't help but grin. Those two are always up to

something.

"Come, Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley was saying. "You look hungry. I have a lovely dinner in the kitchen. Don't those awful Dursleys feed you at all?" she said. The last sentence seemed like it was more to herself, so Harry chose to ignore it. He did, however, follow her into the kitchen because she was right. He was very hungry.

After Harry had eaten, he followed Ron and Hermione up to Ron's room. It was just as Harry remembered it. Bright orange. The color of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons.

"So, Harry, excited about tomorrow?" Hermione asked, even though she already knew the answer. She just had to hear it from him first.

"Of course! I can't wait. A whole summer with you guys, Professor Lupin, and Siri- I mean Snuffles," Harry almost blurted out Sirius's name. Even though Mrs. Weasley already knew Sirius was going to be there and that he was innocent, he didn't want anyone else to hear in case they didn't know.

Ron and Hermione looked unfazed by him almost saying Sirius's name. Suddenly, as Harry looked at them, he became angry. What were they thinking when they performed that Charm? What? They knew it would be dangerous. It must have been evident, because Ron's expression went from amused to worried.

"What's wrong, Harry?" he asked innocently.

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. I can't believe you guys agreed to that Charm. What were you thinking? You know it's dangerous! And you know that if anything happened to you guys I could never forgive myself because it would be my fault that it happened! Because you were protecting me!"

"Harry, calm down," Hermione said gently. "We know it's dangerous. But if it's what's best for everyone, then we're going to do it. I could never forgive myself if I had a chance to protect you and defeat you-know-who and I passed it up. And besides, Ginny performed the Charm. And Dumbledore trusts her, so I trust her."

"That's another thing. How do we know that it'll even work. I mean sure, I trust Ginny. I'd trust her with anything. But she is only 13, and even though Dumbledore said she has some hidden talent with Charms, it could still go wrong," Harry finished.

"It won't go wrong," came a small voice at Ron's door. Ginny stood there, leaning in the doorframe. And suddenly Harry remembered she hadn't been down there when he arrived. He sat there, staring at her. She is so beautiful. Does her hair always glow like that? Why am I staring? It's rude to stare. And Harry forced himself to look away.

"How do you know?" he finally managed to ask, without looking in her eyes.

"I just know," was her reply. "I can sense these things. I don't know how to explain it, but I just know." And Harry knew she was right. He could tell it just by listening to her. She wasn't lying. She just, knew.

"Kids! Time for bed! We have to get up early in the morning!" Mrs. Weasley yelled from the kitchen. With one last look at Harry, Ginny turned and walked down the stairs to her room.

"Well, good-night, Harry, Ron," Hermione said.

"G'nite," Harry and Ron both mumbled together as Hermione walked out the room.

"I suppose we should get to bed, too," Ron said, sleep evident in his voice. "G'nite, Harry. See ya in the morning."

"G'nite, Ron," Harry mumbled and fell instantly asleep.

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