((Author's Note: Hi. I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books, but have just started to get into the fanficton. This is my first chapter of my first Harry Potter fanfic. I will admit that I tend to have my good and bad spells, (no pun intended) sometimes able to write an entire chapter in one hour and on other occasions a chapter could take me weeks. Other than that warning, I just wanted everyone to know that I thrive on reviews, as most fanfic authors tend to. I absolutely love every type of feedback, good or bad. So leave a review, of write me an e-mail. It will brighten up my day, it always does.))

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any characters therein contained. Don't sue. Please! Did I mention I work for a lawyer? I'm not joking!

Rain

Chapter One: The Mysterious Witches

Muttering incoherently, Harry stalked up the stairs of Number 4, Privet Drive. Having just finished, what was called, his supper, which consisted of half an eggplant and a small glass of water, Harry was more than ready to raid the delicious foods he had hidden under the loose floorboards in his bedroom. As he opened the door and peered into the darkening room, he stopped. Hedwig, his snowy owl, had returned from a four-day disappearance with a letter. Harry smiled as he entered the room. Momentarily forgetting about his stomach, he made his way to Hedwig's cage.

"Hello Hedwig, who's this from?" he asked as he took the parchment from Hedwig, fishing around, he found her a treat and fed it to her. She nibbled his finger in an affectionate manner before moving into her cage for some sleep.

It was now only one week from September the first, and Harry was waiting quite impatiently for the school year to start again. Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry had ended in complete turmoil and Harry was not enjoying his summer vacation at all. A depression had set in behind his eyes, a reminder of the hardships he had recently faced, and of the loss of Cedric. What made things so much worse for Harry was that he hadn't even really liked Cedric that much, he had wanted to beat him, but he had wanted to beat him fairly. And because of his chivalry Cedric was dead. He hated himself for it.

He had had limited contact with the wizarding world since the end of the last school year. He had received a letter from Sirius informing him that he was not allowed to go to the Weasley's this summer. Sirius had said he felt bad about not letting him, but Dumbledore had been adamant about it. Harry had had to ask Mrs. Weasley to buy is school supplies for him. It was not likely that his Uncle was going to bring him out to Diagon Alley anytime soon.

Taking the letter to the bed, he sighed as he sat on the uncomfortable hand-me-down mattress, which had once belonged to his overweight cousin Dudley. Dudley's weight was now a new and particularly painful soar in Harry's side. Since Dudley was on a diet, the whole house had to be as well. And for Harry, who hadn't been fed well at the Dursleys' anyway, this meant even less food. As he sat, he examined the parcel in his hands, turning it over several times, inspecting it. He determined almost immediately that it was from Sirius. The paw-print seal was enough to tell him that, but the parchment itself seemed different… as though it had been enchanted so that no harm could come to it. Usually when Harry received a letter from Sirius the parchment would be torn and weather beaten. This particular letter looked immaculately clean. Or as clean as the musty yellow paper Sirius wrote on got.

He tentatively broke the seal, as if afraid he would release something dangerous by opening the letter. But Sirius wouldn't send him anything of the sort. Would he? He carefully unfolded the parchment, and looked at what was written. Without reading it he could tell that it had been written in a great hurry. He began,

Harry,

I don't have time to explain with all the details. Remus and I are going to Hogwarts right away to see Dumbledore. There have been some very strange occurrences lately. Very strange. And just this evening, as Remus and I were checking out an odd noise we heard in his back yard, ten Death Eaters attacked us. By the time our wands were out they had done the Expelliarmus, or disarming charm, and we were defenseless. Then, when we were nearly desperate and ready to fight with our bare hands, this huge white tiger appeared. And when I say white, I mean no stripes at all, but it was a tiger. It had startlingly deep blue eyes, with a knowledge in them that was beyond me. None of the Death Eaters dared strike at the beast, they looked as stunned as Remus and I. What happened next is all kind of a blur, as the tiger, I don't know, it must have chased the Death Eaters away or something because the next thing I knew it was gone, and so were the Death Eaters. Very strange indeed, wouldn't you say? Remus and I have been arguing for hours over whether it was helping the Death Eaters or us. Just the same we decided to talk to Dumbledore. Be safe Harry, and keep your eyes open.

Sirius

Harry knitted his brow, "What was it? An Animagus?"

A moment later he was up again, he opened the loose floorboards and pulled out parchment and ink, along with his feather and a chocolate frog. He sat poised on his bed and carefully opened the ink and unfolded the parchment. Then he set to writing a letter back to his godfather.

After finishing his letter to Sirius, he folded up the parchment and gave it to Hedwig. He stroked her feathers apologetically for making her take another trip so soon. Giving her a few more owl treats, he brought her to the open window. She hooted softly as she spread her wings and took to the darkening sky in the direction of Hogwarts.

Harry settled himself back on the uncomfortable bed and ate the frog. He looked at the card, which accompanied the chocolate treat. He smiled, "Dumbledore again."

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore, sat opposite Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. The two had just finished sharing their tale with Professor Dumbledore and were again engaged in heated conversation over whether the tiger was friend or foe.

"Why would the Death Eaters have left if it wasn't helping us? We were helpless!" Sirius yelled at Remus.

"Perhaps they weren't ordered to attack us yet, perhaps they were supposed to bide there time. Perhaps Voldemort had more important things for them to be doing at that moment." Remus said back, refusing to raise his voice in the presence of his former Headmaster.

Dumbledore had an amused expression on his face, his eyes showing the usual glint. "Gentleman please." Both men ceased bickering back and forth when Dumbledore spoke. "The white tiger is a friend of mine. I sent her an owl only a few weeks ago, catching her up on everything going on around here and asking her to come down and help me keep and eye on things."

"HA!" Sirius burst out a moment later, "I told you she was on our side."

Remus made a face but continued to look at Dumbledore. "Then, she's an Animagus?"

Dumbledore smiled almost wistfully, "I will tell you no more than that she is an Animagus friend, who is capable of great things."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other as Dumbledore stood. He walked behind them to Falks' cage, watching the elegant red phoenix preen himself. "But, professor?" Remus began, "Wouldn't it be in our best interest to know who she is, I mean, so we are aware of who our allies are?"

Dumbledore did not turn to face them. "She has asked that I specifically withhold this information from you." He turned to them then, "Not that she doesn't trust you, but anonymity can be a great ally, and she knows it." He walked back around to his desk. "Now," he began, changing the subject, "it is far to dangerous for you two to go back to where you were, so, for now you will be staying here. I will set up rooms for you, and I will talk to the teachers, so that you will not have to remain in hiding." This part was directed at Sirius who was looking incredulously at Dumbledore, not satisfied with the fact that this mystery Animagus did not want them to know her.

The last week of summer vacation had dragged on agonizingly slow. Harry was so excited about going back to school, he had almost jumped out of Uncle Vernon's car before it had stopped moving. He gathered up his things and walked quickly into Kings Cross Train Station and straight for platforms nine and ten. The ticket in his hand read "Platform 9 3/4" but this was not a mistake. As Harry found the separation between platforms nine and ten, he began to jog right towards the brick wall.

The sounds and smells of the Hogwarts Express hit him almost instantly. His expression erupted into a wide smile as he looked around. He had made Uncle Vernon come forty minutes early, that way he was sure to get a good seat on the train. He brought his things onboard, and found an empty compartment in the back. He looked out the window, watching the entrance to the platform carefully as he waited for Ron and Hermione to arrive.

Harry started for a moment as he saw someone enter the platform. It was not unusual to see adults on the platform, but they had always been accompanied by children, students. He observed with great interest the cloaked figure wearing long, elegant, silver robes. Though the robes showed little figure, Harry could determine by her walk that it was in fact, a woman. She carried no luggage, only a large birdcage covered in a shiny blue fabric. Her face was hidden in the depths of her hood, but she appeared to be steering clear of a small group of Hogwarts students who had arrived only moments before her. She carefully moved around them, looking as though they were dangerous, and headed for the back of the train. Harry lost sight of her as she entered the train, but a feeling of foreboding crept up his spine. And for good reason, because only a few moments later the compartment's door opened and there she stood. He held his breath in shock, not moving an inch. She seemed to not have noticed him, struggling with the large cage in her hands. As she moved it through the door a small piece of the fabric lifted and Harry caught a glimpse of a beautiful silver and blue bird inside. The bird's eyes were a startling deep shade of green, and it made a noise as it locked gazes with Harry.

"Oh, terribly sorry." Came a sweet sounding female voice from under the hood. "I didn't notice you there. How very quiet you were being." She hoisted the cage onto the seat opposite Harry. "I won't stay in your compartment for more than a moment, but do you mind if I take a bit of a rest. He may look like a beautiful bird, but he is quite heavy."

Harry smiled, "Of course, sit down and rest as long as you like."

"Thank you." She added with a sigh as she sat next to the cage. She removed her hood, revealing smooth pale skin and white, almost silver hair. But she wasn't old, oh no, on the contrary she looked quite young. She had a pleasant smile on her face, which looked slightly flushed. Harry assumed she had been lugging that cage around for quite some time. He couldn't determine how long her hair was, it was tucked neatly into her robes and her forehead was covered with well kept bangs. What startled Harry about her was not her appearance, but rather, the piece of cloth wrapped over her eyes.

"You're… you're…" Harry stammered in shock.

The woman before him looked confused for a moment, then let out a laugh. "Blind?"

Harry looked away, ashamed of himself, "Sorry, I…"

"Don't worry about it, it seems to shock a lot of people." She smiled reassuringly. Without hesitation she extended her hand toward Harry, "My name is Lia Moar. And you are?"

Harry shook her hand, "Harry Potter."

Lia smiled a little brighter. "Why Harry," she said almost surprised, "I had hoped to meet you soon. I was a friend of your mother's when I went to Hogwarts."

Harry smiled widely. "Really?"

"Yes, we were quite good friends." She paused, thinking, "Speaking of old friends. How's Sirius? Professor Dumbledore told me he's doing a lot better now that he has been living with Remus. Back in good spirits?"

Harry was startled by how easily she spoke about Sirius, not in hushed tones, but as though it were a normal everyday conversation. "He's fine. I got an owl from him just last week."

"Oh," she said, as though remembering something, "yes, I certainly hope Rain didn't scare them. She has a habit of doing that to people. Tell him hello for me won't you, and Remus to. Although I was given the feeling that they may still be at Hogwarts." She pause, "Well, Harry it was a pleasure meeting you, but I should be off to an empty compartment now, your friends have just arrived and I wouldn't want to deprive them of their seats." Harry looked confused a moment, looking out the window he saw Ron and Hermione standing together outside the train.

"How did you-" Harry began, but as he turned back to face Lia, he found that neither she, nor her bird, were there. He was once again alone in the compartment.

Harry now sat in his compartment with Ron and Hermione, both sitting on the chairs opposite him, as Lia had done only a little while earlier. The train had just started to pull away from Kings Cross when he finished telling them about the letter from Sirius and the mysterious Lia Moar. Hermione looked completely lost in thought as he finished talking, Ron, however, looked somewhat confused.

"I wonder if this Rain, she was referring to, is that tiger's name. You said you thought the tiger could be an Animagus, though Sirius was in to much of a rush to mention the possibility, perhaps this Lia knows her." Hermione said slowly, as if choosing her words carefully.

Harry thought on it a moment. But then the door opened again, and an elderly witch appeared with a cart full of sweets. "Anything dears?"

Harry bought a great deal of snacks for the three of them, Hermione gave him a speech about spending his money so frivolously but he wasn't paying attention. As the witch began to walk away, someone else entered the compartment. It was Ginny Weasley. Her red hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she was blushing.

"Um… Do you guys mind if I sit in here with you? The other compartments are full." She said sheepishly, observing that the only empty seat was next to Harry.

"Of course you can Ginny. We WILL continue this conversation later." Hermione said not so subtlety.

Ginny looked confused for a moment, but blushed a deeper red as she settled herself to Harry's right.

"Did you check all the compartments Ginny?" said Ron in an annoyed voice. Hermione gave him a looked.

"Well, yes." She said, lifting her head to look at Ron, "There was only one other with an empty seat but two adult witches were sitting in there talking. There was also a large birdcage. One of the women looked angry that I had interrupted them, but the other politely asked me if there was something I needed. I told her no and left."

"The nice one," Harry said suddenly very interested, "Was she wearing silver robes?"

Ginny looked startled, "Yes, how did you know that?"

"Never mind that now Ginny. What did the other one look like?" Hermione asked, trying to hold back her excitement.

"Well," Ginny began slowly, "She was wearing dark blue robes, she had short black hair, about down to her shoulders, and she had strange brown eyes."

"What was strange about them?" Hermione asked, leaning off the edge of her seat.

"They almost looked, red." Ginny shuddered, "But it must have been the light." She said quickly, before looking away.

The rest of the trip to Hogwarts was quiet and uneventful. Everyone talked about what he or she had done over the summer, and what they were looking forward to this year. As they exited the train upon arrival in there school robes, Harry's eyes scanned the area in search of Hagrid. He had expected Hagrid to be at one end of the platform, trying to gather all of the first years for the boat ride over, but he wasn't there. Instead, he heard another familiar voice calling the first years over.

His eyes lit up as the familiar face came into view. "Professor Lupin?" Harry stammered as they made eye contact. Hermione and Ron turned in the direction Harry was looking in almost instantly. They had been looking for Lia Moar and the other woman from the train, but now their attention was on the same thing as Harry's.

Remus Lupin smiled, "Hello Harry, Hermione, Ron. It's great to see you."

"What are you… I mean, you resigned!" Hermione stammered out as he approached.

"Oh no, I'm not teaching again, just doing a favor for Dumbledore while Hagrid's away that's all." He replied quickly. "First years to me!" he yelled. Well, as much as Remus Lupin ever yelled which was more like speaking loudly. He sighed as no heads turned in his direction. "I see why Hagrid's the only one who volunteers for this job, he's the only one who could get their attention."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all smiled at their former professor. A moment later a silver blob attacked him, causing him to take a few unstable steps backward. Laughter was heard and a moment later he realized what had hit him. There, with her arms wrapped around his neck in a friendly hug was Lia Moar, laughing playfully at the expression on his face.

"Oh, Lia dear you gave me a fright." He laughed.

She let go of him and smiled wider, "Jumpy Remus?" she said playfully.

Eager to change the subject Remus asked, "So Lia, what in Merlin's name are you doing here?" he paused a moment, waiting for her to answer.

"Teaching silly. Why else would I come all the way down here. To fight you-know-who with everyone else? I think not, much to dangerous for me." Lia smiled, making a face at him for putting his life in danger.

Suddenly Remus seemed to remember what he was supposed to be doing there and excused himself. Yelling "First years this way!" as he went.

Lia smiled and turned back toward the train. As Harry was about to ask her what she was going to be teacher Neville came crashing into the group. When Harry turned away from Neville again, she was gone.