The Figure Clothed in Black

Chapter Fifteen: The Meadow

Harry stared at the ceiling, trying to come up with an explanation as to why the mysterious person clothed in black voice sounded like Ethan's had before he died.

When Harry was seven a new kid came to class at his muggle elementary school. He hadn't met Dudley yet and didn't know he wasn't supposed to talk to Harry. He met Dudley later on that day, but even after his threats he wasn't afraid of Dudley and continued to talk to Harry. Harry was reluctant to become friends knowing Dudley would tell Petunia and Vernon and he would get in trouble.

Ethan, as it turned it out, was as big as a bully as Dudley was. The only difference was Ethan was only a bully to Dudley. He even beat Dudley up one day after he had been teasing Harry. Needless to say Dudley didn't tease Harry when Ethan was around, or very much at home when Ethan started asking Harry if Dudley had been teasing him at home. His parents had thought this odd, but just figured he was thinking of new insults and saving them.

Ethan's mom or dad always picked him up from school. They day Harry was supposed to go home with Ethan to play at his house a man that Harry didn't recognize, and Ethan looked scared to see, was there to pick Ethan up. Harry reluctantly got in the car with Ethan and they drove off. All three passengers were silent throughout the whole ride. Harry had already been nervous about getting into a car with a man he didn't recognize, and Ethan looked scared to see, and his nervousness switched to scared when the turn leading away from Ethan's house. Ethan started crying silently obviously knowing something Harry didn't. They drove through back roads in a stony silence. They had been driving for a long time and the sun was starting to set when the man pulled off the road and drove across the bumpy ground. They were in the middle of a meadow. When Harry tried to see the road that had been on he couldn't. The more that they had drove the more Ethan had cried. The man got out of the car and opened the door on Ethan's side. He unbuckled him and picked him up out of the car. Harry jumped as Ethan let out a shrill yell. Ethan continued yelling and only shut up after the man had injected something in his arm. Harry had been trying to get his seat belt un-done, but in his panic he wasn't able to. The man pulled out a key pad, punched some buttons on it and the car was locked. Harry stopped trying to unbuckle himself and started pulling at the lock. He finally managed to get his seat belt un-done and scrambled into the front seat. He hit all the buttons beside the driver's seat, but none of them worked. He was crying by now, desperate to get out and try to help his friend. Harry glanced up at the man and Ethan. The man was walking away from the car and still held the now silent Ethan in his arms. Harry gave up and slumped against the seat, crying and buried his face in the seat.

Harry's body froze as he heard what he recognized as a gun shot and the sound of something falling to the ground. He glanced up at the saw the man with a gun at his side. Harry started sobbing and buried his face in his hands. He heard another gun shot and what he now knew was the sound of a body falling to the ground.

Harry stayed in the car for a long time, he didn't know how long, before walking in the direction that he thought the road was in. He reached the road successfully and collapsed on the side, his body shaking with sobs. At some point he fell asleep, but he didn't remember when he fell asleep.

When he woke up he was in a comfortable bed, unlike the hard one he had to sleep on at home. He opened his eyes and looked around. The room was completely white and there was a lady standing beside his bed smiling sweetly down at him.

"Where am I?" Harry asked quietly.

The smiling lady, whom Harry realized was dressed like a nurse, said, "You're at the hospital, honey. A lady found you on the side of a road, and brought you here. Can you tell me how you got here?"

The lady's voice was soft and she seemed nice and before Harry knew it he was telling everything that had happened. By the time he was done telling what happened in the past twenty four hours he was bawling his eyes out. The nurse sat down on the bed and took Harry into her arms. Harry wasn't used to being held and tensed, but after a few minutes he relaxed into the embrace. Harry also had to tell a police man what happened as an eye witness for the file and Ethan's parents wanted to know what happened.

The Dursleys came and got him a few hours later from the hospital and took him back to Privet Drive. They scolded him for dragging them into this, the police having to question them about him. They didn't give him any food, or drink for two days. Harry cried him self to sleep almost every night for two weeks and always woke up from nightmares about meadows, gun shots, the sound of someone hitting the ground, and the face of a man he didn't recognize.

Harry rubbed his eyes, wiping his tears away. It hurt more than he had thought it would to think about his friend.

I wonder why I didn't see the thestrals when I started Hogwarts. Maybe I didn't because I had my face hidden and didn't actually see it or...

Harry didn't finish the thought. Ethan was dead. He had gone to the funeral and everything. He was dead and nothing could bring him back. Then why did the voice sound like his?

Harry pushed these thoughts aside, sighed, got off the bed and went into the living room of Remus' living quarters. He sat on the couch beside Sirius.

"Sirius, can I have a Dreamless Sleep potion?" Harry asked quietly. He hadn't been given one last night since they had all forgotten. They hadn't got in bed until two in the morning and Harry had fallen asleep almost instantly, but that didn't stop him from having nightmares. Sirius nodded and stood up. He knew Harry wasn't telling him something, but the teen wouldn't tell.

"Harry, go back to your room, I'll be there in a minute with the potion," Sirius said before he left the room. Harry did as he was told and returned to his room. Sirius came in, gave him the potion and Harry drifted peacefully off to sleep.

*~*

Voldemort looked at his daughter from his place in his "throne."

"Is everything going according to plan? Remember the consequences if you fail," he said his red eyes meeting her grey ones.

She looked into the slits that were his eyes. "Yes, everything is going according to plan. We've been hanging out together and have become friends. I haven't seen Potter and she hasn't either. The only people who have seen him since he came back to the school are his godfather, Remus Lupin, his younger brother, and Professor Dumbledore."

Voldemort narrowed his so called eyes. "Why did you call him Professor Dumbledore? He should not have any name besides Dumbledore in my presence and that's the most civil name."

"Father, you of all people should know that it's habit for me to call him Professor Dumbledore, as I am attending his school on his order, and you told me not to get in trouble, so I have to call him professor. Would you prefer me to call him a mudblood loving fool in the presence of Gryffindors, or any other member of the student body besides Slytherins and blow my cover and your plan?" she asked, her tone clearly saying "I thought you were smarter than that."

If any other follower of his had said that to him they would find themselves under the torturing curse, or be dead faster than you could say go. This didn't befall Tabitha, his daughter. Everyone could tell he clearly wanted to do something to the child, but when he raised his wand Tabitha said,"Father, you aren't going to do anything to me are you? You know if you do I will have to tell on you and there wouldn't be any good consequences of that, now would there?" she said in the same tone. Voldemort lowered his wand as the Death Eaters exchanged glances.

"No, I wasn't going to do anything to you. Why in the world would you think that?" he asked.

Tabitha rolled her eyes at him. They all saw his hand tighten on his wand, his knuckles turning white.

"So, Father, have any idea who is worse than you are? I mean you're pretty bad, but like they say someone out here is always better than you are. I wonder if they're stupider, well never mind, that isn't possible, no one is better at that than you," Tabitha said mockingly.

His wand was in danger of snapping two he was gripping it so hard. "Don't you dare talk to me like that. I will not stand for it." He raised his wand again preparing to give her what he thought she deserved, but she just stood there calmly.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said calmly, a slight smile on her face," you don't want to face Mum do you? You know what she will do if you harm me in any way."

"Well, she doesn't let you talk like that to her so why should I let you talk to me like that, miss smarty pants?"

"Because you type of punishment is the Crucitias Curse, and hers is not letting me talk to my friends for a week," Tabitha replied smoothly, still smiling.

Voldemort once again lowered his wand. "All of you listen to me. There is no one worse than me. That probably wasn't even true and just some student playing a joke. Is that understood? If I hear any news of any of you doubting my power you will be severely punished. Now all of you out of my sight."

There's only one person who had the potential to be worse than myself, but I doubt he would do that.

*~*

Severus Snape looked at the two sixth years sitting in front of him, who both had been at the Death Eater meeting.

"I have a proposition for both of you. First let me tell you that I am not really on the Dark Side. I am a spy for Professor Dumbledore, not for Voldemort, even though Voldemort thinks the opposite. The proposition I have for you is to do the same thing. I know both of you really do not want to follow the Dark Lord and have been forced to join him be your families. Do you want to?" he asked looking in their eyes in turn.

"I do," Tabitha said immediately. Severus nodded at her.

"Draco?" Severus prompted.

"Can I have some time to think about it, sir?" he asked.

Severus nodded, "Yes, could you give me your answer by the end of week?"

The boy nodded.

"All right, you both need to get back to your common rooms, and I will tell Professor Dumbledore of you choice," he said getting up and opening the door for them.

Tabitha walked toward the Gryffindor common room feeling much better about herself.

*~*

Kayla was talking to Remus trying to get persuade him to let her see Harry.

"Please, Remus, let me see him. I was going to see this past weekend, but with that person that came and told all that stuff, I didn't get to. Please, please, please let me see him," she begged.

Remus shook his head. "Even if I was going to let you he's asleep so you couldn't talk to him anyways, and why not talk to him telepathically?"

"I tried, but he won't answer me. He's ignoring me," Kayla said.

"Well if you won't talk to you telepathically, why would he in person? He won't talk to anyone else much either. What the person, who ever it was, said shocked us all, but whatever it said brought back some memory, or past experience that Harry had pushed aside and he's having trouble moving past it and being happy. Sirius and I have tired talking to him, but he won't tell us what's wrong. He's having nightmares almost every time he falls asleep, even in the daytime. He keeps saying the name Ethan and something about a voice, but he won't tell us who Ethan is. If we let you see him we'll have to let everyone, we asked him if he wanted to see you guys, but he said he wanted to wait a little while before seeing you. He would probably prefer that Sirius, Greg, and I weren't here, but he isn't getting rid of us. Let's wait a few more days and see how he is then. Then after that, you might be able to see him. Until then keep trying to get him to talk telepathically, okay?" Remus said.

Kayla sighed knowing she wasn't going win and nodded her head. Remus squeezed her shoulder before heading down the hall. Kayla turned and went to Gryffindor tower.

*~*

~ Harry? ~

~ What Kayla? ~

~ Why wouldn't you talk to me before? ~

~ I wasn't in the mood. ~

~ Sirius and Remus are worried about you. They said you won't tell them what's wrong. ~

~ I don't have to tell them everything. ~

~ I know, but don't you think you should? Why did what that person say effect you so much? I mean, I know you have to defeat Voldemort in the end and everything, but you've known that since the end of the school year. Is it the thing that's supposed to be worse than Voldemort? ~

~ It's not what the person said it's... you don't understand. ~

~ No, I don't understand since you won't tell me what's wrong. ~

~ I can't talk about it; it's too hard. Sirius is here with a sleeping potion. Good night. ~

~ Good night. ~

Well at least he talked to me then though I didn't accomplish much. I'll try again tomorrow.

Kayla closed her eyes and fell asleep.

*~*

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