The Figure Clothed in Black

Chapter Six: The Meeting

Yes, yes, she is connected to him. Step 1. Now I have to figure out how to tap into her mind more and figure out where she is. She's staying with him. He's staying with the werewolf, but where are they all staying? I have to find out and then attack.

"Wormtail! Come here," he barked.

The small quivering man came forward. "Yes, master?"

"Leave and don't come back until you have figured out where Harry Potter is staying. No arguments."

The small, rat looking man stared at him for a moment before leaving the room puzzled, wondering how in the world he was going to be able to find Potter. The boy was too well protected. How was he supposed to find him?

Voldemort watched as Wormtail left, a sense of accomplishment filling him. He was one step closer to getting the boy.

*~*

Harry was eating breakfast when he felt Voldemort's feeling of accomplishment. Harry's stomach knotted. This isn't good.

~ What isn't good? ~

~ Voldemort accomplished something. I can fell what he's felling. Not all the time but if it's something big I can. He just had a feeling of accomplishment, which isn't good for us. Now the question is what did he accomplish? ~

~ No, that really isn't good. You better tell Remus. Maybe he'll have some idea about it. ~

~ I will later. ~

~ You should do it now. ~

~ I don't want to. I'll tell him after breakfast. ~

~ No, now. ~

~ I told you I'll-~

His thought was cut off as Kayla turned to Remus and said, "Remus, Harry just had one of Voldemort's feelings. This one was a feeling of accomplishment, which can't be good. I'm telling you since he was going to tell you after breakfast, and I thought he should tell you now, and I want to annoy him."

Remus blinked. "Are you sure it was of accomplishment, Harry?" Harry nodded. Remus sighed. "Well, I don't know what he accomplished, but it won't be good for the light side that's for sure."

"What time are we leaving for Ron's?" Harry asked changing the subject.

"In an hour or so, once you've eaten and everyone gets here," Remus said.

"Everyone?" Harry asked.

"Tonks, Mad- Eye, Kingsley, McGonagall, and Snape."

"Snape? Snape is going with us to the Weasley's?" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes, Snape. We have some business to attend to that involves him, and we all agreed that the Weasley's was the best place to do it. Besides you'll be outside playing Quidditch so you won't really see him, and he's leaving before supper."

Harry just stared at him.

"Why are they all coming here instead of going onto the Weasley's, and us meeting up there?" Kayla asked.

"It's easier and we won't have to wait an hour to start the-" Remus broke off almost saying something he shouldn't. "We won't have to wait forever for everyone to get there. We'll be using a portkey since the floo network is down. If you want to bring more stuff than just your brooms bring it down here, and let me shrink it so you can carry it easily."

They both got up from the table and went upstairs after putting their dishes in the sink. They came back down ten minutes later laden down with stuff.

Remus raised his eyebrows. "We're only going for a day not a whole week. Why so much stuff?"

"Ron and Hermione both asked me to bring over some of my birthday presents," Harry said shrugging.

"Ginny and Hermione wanted me to over some things too," Kayla said.

Remus shrugged then shrank all of their stuff so that they could put it in his or her pocket. They thanked him, and then went into the living room with Kirsten, Dustin, Kayla's parents, and Professor McGonagall, who had arrived a few minutes ago.

Remus had told Kirsten and Dustin why Harry had been so withdrawn for the week the day after his birthday. They had both reassured him that nothing like that was going to happen even though they were in the Order. They weren't the fighting type. They were helping with strategy and things like that. They weren't fighting. If something came up they would fight of course, but they were very good fighters, and they wouldn't be killed. He still wasn't completely sure he believed them, but he was at least talking to them now and giving it a chance, though very reluctantly, and he was very careful not to tell them too much.

The person who he had been telling everything to was Kayla. She knew his life history and he knew hers. They had spent hours talking in their minds during the day and during the night. He had told her more about himself than he had anyone else. She knew about all the abuse he had endured from the Dursleys, she knew how he felt about Cedric and that night, and Sirius though he hadn't told much about that. Harry had bothered her about her birth mother, asking for details about her, and why didn't she want to know who it was. She had said that it didn't matter; that Britta and Josh were her parents and nothing was going to change that. That was what he was bugging about at the moment.

~ Why did you say no when they asked if you wanted to know about your birth mother? ~

~ Harry, I've already told you. I already know my parents. ~

~ Aren't you at least a little bit curious? ~

~ No. ~

~ Well, I am. I wonder who she is. I mean she could be someone you've already met! ~

~ I don't think so. She gave me away, Harry. She didn't want me when I was born, why would she want to know me? ~

~ I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think about something that you don't want to, it just seems to me that you would be curious about her, that's all. I didn't mean to make you sad. ~

~ No, it's okay. She didn't want to have anything to do with me and I don't want to have anything to do with her. ~

~ Okay. Sorry. ~

~ Don't be. ~

~ Can't help it, that's the way I am. Great, Snape's here. Oh joy. Why does he have to come? Why can't he leave me alone? Its summer time. I'm not supposed to see him for another two weeks. Why can't I have those two weeks? ~

~ Come on, he can't be that bad. ~

~ Yes, he can. He hates me. He hated my dad, and he hates me because I'm my dad's son. I'm also in Gryffindor, which is another reason to hate me. If you're in Slytherin he likes you. If you're in any other house he hates you. ~

~ Why is his hair so greasy? ~

~ No clue. Scientists have done tests on it but they can't figure out why it is so greasy. Since all the tests turned up negative they think its aliens or nerds. ~

Kayla snorted out loud at this making the adults in the room look her way. She shook her head and said, "Something Harry said, never mind." They all turned back to what they were talking about before.

"Aliens?" she whispered aloud to Harry.

"It's possible."

She rolled her eyes at him though she was smiling. In ten minutes everyone was there that would be going, and Remus gathered them around an old soda can, they all touched it, felt the tug around their navel area before slamming feet first into the Weasley's living room. Harry and Kayla toppled over while everyone managed to keep their balance. Harry had just got up when Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George came down the stairs greeting them. Mrs. Weasley came into the room shortly after them, hugging Harry tightly and fussing over him before giving Kayla a hug. They all talked for a few minutes before Remus said, "All right all of you outside, go play Quidditch. Someone will come and get you when it's time for lunch.

"What if we don't want to play Quidditch?" Hermione asked.

"Take a book out and read. Harry and Kayla both brought a bunch of stuff so you'll have something to do if you don't want to play," Remus said.

"You need to un-shrink our stuff, Remus," Harry said.

"Fred or George will do it for you when you get outside."

Harry nodded and then headed outside with everyone else calling good byes to the all adults in the house. Once they got up to the place where they played quidditch Fred un-shrunk Harry's stuff while George un-shrunk Kayla's stuff.

"Bring enough stuff?" Fred commented to Harry.

"Ron and Hermione wanted me to bring some things."

"Did you bring the music player thingy?" Ron asked.

"It's called a CD player, Ron. Yes, I brought it along with everything else you asked me to bring."

"Can I listen to it? What bands do you have? Do you have The Weird Sisters?" he asked.

Harry shook his head and said, "No, I have muggle bands, Ron. Evanescence, Marron 5, Black Eyed Peas, Good Charlotte, stuff like that. Hermione I brought Kelly Clarkson, Stacie Orrico and Avril Lavigne for you."

Hermione grinned her thanks while Ron looked slightly confused. "Muggle bands?" he asked.

"Yes, muggle bands. Just listen to them. Especially Evanescence, that's my favorite," he said while putting the CD in the player before clamping the headphones over Ron's ears and hitting play. Ron jumped startled at the sudden burst of music now playing in his ears. Harry hit pause and asked, "Can you hear it all right? Is it too loud? Here's the volume control, to turn it up and down." Ron nodded and Harry hit the play button letting him listen to it. None of them were in the mood to play quidditch just yet, so Hermione and Harry started explaining about the muggle stuff that Harry had got for his birthday, like the CDs and the CD player. After they understood that they started talking about the Order meeting that was going on in the house, and why it was so important.

"This is the second big meeting in two weeks. The other one was the day before Harry's birthday that lasted almost five hours. Harry, have you got any more feelings from Voldemort?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, one this morning. He's accomplished something, which you know isn't good for our side," he said. Hermione paled slightly, but didn't say anything.

"Maybe they know what he accomplished and are trying to fix it. or keep whatever form happening. or having more people to assist in what is/going to happen. Or it could be about the same thing that the other one was about," Ginny suggested.

"What do you think they would be in a meeting for five hours about?" Harry asked. Everyone was silent for a minute thinking before shrugging his or her shoulders.

"Come on, let's play Quidditch now," Fred suggested. They all said their agreement before taking off into the air, leaving Hermione and Kayla on the ground talking since neither of them wanted to play. Ginny played for about half an hour before she got bored and went back down to sit with Hermione and Kayla. Harry, Ron, Fred and George played for about two hours before coming back to the ground and sitting with the girls.

"When do you think someone will come and get us for lunch? I'm starving," Ron said.

"All you ever think about is food," Ginny said. Ron rolled his eyes.

"How's the shop doing?" Harry asked Fred and George.

"Splendid. It's a hit. We've made loads of money all ready. Everyone loves it and it's all thanks to you mate," George said as Fred nodded.

"Glad it's doing so well," Harry said before turning and talking to Ron. Half an hour later Remus came and told them lunch was ready and to come on in.

"We're going to eat outside since there are so many people here," Remus said leading them back to the house.

"How many people are here?" Harry asked.

"About thirty."

Harry was surprised at first, but then remembered that they had had a meeting so there was bound to be a lot of people.

Once they got seated at the tables set up in the yard Harry looked around at all who was there. The whole Weasley family, his family, Remus, Hermione, Kayla and her family, Professor Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall, Kinglsly, Tonks, Mad- Eye, a few people he recognized as some of the people who had got him from the Dursley's the previous summer, and more people that he didn't recognize, but assumed they were members of the Order.

The food was already sat out, and Harry piled his plate with food and started to eat. All through the meal Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Kayla, Fred, and George listened to see if they could hear what the meeting was about, but all the members were talking about normal things.

"Why won't they talk about the meeting?" Ron hissed in his ear.

"Because they know we'll listen to try to find out what it was about," Harry hissed back before turning his attention back to his food.

Everyone was done and it was starting to get cloudy, and looked like a storm was about to come.

"You better go get your stuff that you left at the paddock, if you don't it'll get rained on. You're going to have to stay upstairs and stay out of our way," Molly said. They all looked up at the sky before heading back to get their stuff. Fred and George shrunk Harry and Kayla's stuff again for them before they all headed back to the house. They were herded upstairs by Molly saying someone would come and get them when they could come down, but to stay upstairs until then. Fred and George protested saying they were adults now and why did they have to stay upstairs, but she whispered something to them, and they shut up and went upstairs without further comment.

"We've got the Extendable Ears. We can try them later once the meeting gets under way, and they'll be too busy to notice the ears," Fred said.

They watched some of the music videos Harry had on the player he had got for is birthday. They waited thirty minutes before creeping down the stairs and running the Extendable Ears into the living room where they were all seated. Each of them had their own Extendable Ear and held it close to his or her ear to hear well.

"Do you think we should tell him?" Mr. Weasley said.

"No, it would get his spirits up now, and he wouldn't be as depressed, but then if something went wrong and he died, or if this turns out to be a trick or something, he would be even more crushed. We can't tell him," Remus said.

"Harry's a strong boy, I think he could handle it," Dumbledore said.

"Albus, he may be strong, but he's borderline depression right now. Yes, this would his spirits but if something goes wrong... he wouldn't be able to live through it. He means too much to Harry for him not to be even more depressed if he lost him a second time," Remus said.

Fred, George, Kayla, Hermione, Ron and Ginny all glanced at Harry. He kept his eyes straight ahead listening intently.

"Remus, maybe you are mistaken. We could tell him and make sure he knows all the possibilities of what could go wrong. He would be much happier," Dumbledore argued back.

"And what if something goes wrong? He cannot take losing him a second time, Albus! You haven't had him living with you for the past month, I have, and I'm telling you he doesn't need to know! It will only distract him during school, it's all he'll ever think about and that's not healthy! I know it would make him happier, I want to see him happy, but if something goes wrong he won't be able to get over it! What if it turns out not to be true? I'm not saying we shouldn't tell him at all, but we need to wait until we're sure that he'll be all right. That he won't die of complications any time with the next thirty- forty years! We. Can. Not. Tell. Him. Now," Remus his voice rising.

"I agree with Remus," said Mrs. Weasley.

"So do I," said Mr. Weasley.

Everyone in the room agreed that they shouldn't tell Harry until they were sure he was going to be all right except for Dumbledore. They argued for a few more minutes until finally Dumbledore said, "Fine, we won't tell Harry until we're sure that everything will be all right."

Everyone nodded and seemed to release a breath they had been holding and didn't know it. They could tell the meeting was coming to an end quickly so they pulled the Extendable Ears back to them and hurriedly, but quietly, went back upstairs to Ron's room. They had only been in there for about five minutes before Kayla's mum came in and told them the meeting was over, and that everyone would be leaving soon.

Fred and George shrunk Harry and Kayla's stuff again. None of them were speaking. They all said quite good byes before Harry and Kayla went downstairs.

Most of the people had already left. Only the Weasley's, Remus, Kayla's parents, Prof. McGonagall, and Kirsten and Dustin were still down there. Prof. McGonagall left after saying good-bye to Kayla. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry and Kayla one last hug before they portkeyed back to Remus's house. He un-shrunk Harry and Amanda's stuff and they went upstairs to put it up before coming back down and sitting in the living listening to everyone else talk, both of them thinking about what they had heard at The Burrow. They had found that if they thought normally, just to themselves, that the other person couldn't hear them, which was what they were doing, neither of them sure what to say. Harry decided to break the silence between them and thought to her.

~ What do you think they meant? They said I couldn't take losing him again. I wouldn't be able to go on. ~

~ I dunno. Maybe some one that you loved came back to life. ~

~ People don't come make to life even though that's what it sounds like. ~

Amanda sent a shrug through her mind.

~ Do you think someone came back to life? Like my dad or Sirius? They said the person was a he. Do you think one of them came back to life? ~

~ I don't know, Harry. But it sure sounds like someone has, but Remus is right. Now this all you're going to be able to think about until you know. Why don't you ask Remus what they were talking about? ~

~ No, he probably wouldn't tell me anyway. ~

~ Yeah, probably. ~

"Harry, Kayla come on. Dinner's ready," Kirsten called from the kitchen.

"Coming," they called back and went into the kitchen and sat down and started to eat. Neither of them said anything unless they were asked something. They didn't talk very much in their minds either, both closing the other off hearing the other's thoughts.

No one else thought that Harry and Kayla not talking was odd or suspected anything were wrong just yet. They just assumed that they were mind talking.

I hope Harry will be all right. If his dad or Sirius is alive that would be wonderful but... what the Order said. Complications and making sure that he wasn't going to die? I hope everything's all right.

*~*

So, someone has come back to life. Or at least that's what she thinks. I wish I could listen in on their telepathy conversations, I could probably learn something there. I have to find this person who is alive before the Order does, and if they already have him get him to lead them here, and if possible lead Potter here. If he knows that I have that person he will come since it will be his father or his godfather. Either one of them he'll come if he knows about it.

*~*

They finished dinner and went back to the living room to talk and play games. Harry and Kayla, pretended nothing was wrong and that nothing was on their minds, talked and played with everyone. They went too bed later though neither had a peaceful night. Kayla had the same dreams Harry did and vice versa. Sirius and Harry's dad wove in and out of his dreams and he also a dream sent from Voldemort that didn't help any. He hated it when that happened. He could never tell if they were true, or if it was something that Voldemort sent just to make his life harder.

Harry and Kayla got up the next morning and went to breakfast with eyes puffy, and Remus could tell that they hadn't gotten very much sleep.

"Harry, did you not take the sleeping potion last night, or did it not work?" Remus asked.

"I didn't take it, forgot," Harry mumbled.

Remus shook his head before placing a plate in front of each of them loaded with food. They finished eating then went up to Harry's room so he could help Kayla getting caught up with her studies before she started Hogwarts in two weeks.

Britta and Josh had bought a house in the next city beside Little Whinging and were currently at their old house getting everything that hadn't been destroyed in the Death Eater attack and taking it to their new house. Kayla had offered to help, but they had said that she needed to stay there to work on her studies if she wanted to be caught up when school started.

They had already got her caught up, and Harry was now helping her study for her O.W.L's that she was taking starting later on in the week and into next week. They reviewed everything for most of the day before talking a well deserved break and just listening to music. They were about to study more but heard two people apparate in and went downstairs to see if it was Britta and Josh. It was. They turned to Kayla when she got downstairs and said, "Everything's moved in. We can move in tomorrow. We managed to get more stuff than we thought. A lot wasn't destroyed. The downstairs was burned, but our most valuable things were upstairs."

"That's great!" Kayla exclaimed hugging them.

They all sat down and talked until dinner was ready, ate dinner, talked some more, and then went to bed.

Everyone got up early to say good bye to Kayla, Britta, and Josh though Harry and Kayla could still talk in their minds, and would see each other in about two weeks, but they all wanted to say bye anyway.

Britta, Josh, and Kayla portkeyed away to their new house. Kayla looked around for about an hour before coming back into the living room and sitting with her parents enjoying their new house.

*~*