Metamorphosis

Chapter 3: A Plan

The house was much quieter than it had been before. The dripping of water from the plumbing echoed throughout the cold, musty house, giving an eerie feel to the atmosphere. Behind a door, hidden beyond a secret entrance, were many witches and wizards gathered to discuss a meeting. All wore grim faces, a few wiping stray tears from their eyes. One witch in particular, with red hair and slightly plump, was blowing her nose loudly as she cried on her husband's shoulder.

"There, there, Molly," Arthur tried to soothe her, his own heart aching.

"I can't...believe it...," she sniffled, dabbing at her eyes even as more tears came down. "He wasn't supposed...to die...Arthur. This was one...of my biggest fears, besides losing you or the children. I knew...he had too much on his shoulders...," she trailed off, sobbing again.

Arthur patted her back, "We have to be strong, Molly, and have faith. The war is just beginning and our children need to feel safe and secure."

"How can we win without Harry?" she sobbed again.

"Molly, they haven't found a body yet. He might still be alive."

She glanced up at him, her eyes slightly wider than normal, before bursting into tears. Arthur, realizing what he said didn't exactly come out the way he planned, rocked her tightly in his arms. The other witches and wizards in the Order gathered around were quietly talking amongst themselves. They were suddenly hushed as Dumbledore appeared in front of them, a grim look on his features. Dumbledore glanced at each one of them before stepping forward.

"There's been another attack," he said gravely.

Many gasped and turned to one another, disbelief written in their features. Molly began crying harder and Arthur sat up straighter in his seat.

"Dumbledore, what do you mean? What happened?"

Dumbledore held up his hand to quiet the commotion. His eyes no longer held the same twinkle, but a colder, harder gaze. He appeared much older and much wiser now as he stood before them.

"I have just been informed, through an unlikely source, that during the Quidditch season match in Ireland Dementors appeared. There were at least fifty of them, if not more, and surrounded the area," he spoke gravely.

Molly finally lifted her head, her sobs having stopped due to her shock as she stared up at him. Arthur seemed unable to even move, as if he was rooted to the spot. The others remained silent, each lost in their thoughts while waiting for Dumbledore to continue.

"Is...Was anyone hurt?" Arthur asked quietly.

Dumbledore peered down at him through his spectacles and didn't answer right away. The tension in the air seemed to increase as everyone waited for a response, wondering what the outcome would be. Finally, Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him, his eyes dimly scanning the room.

"Yes, Arthur, someone was hurt. Several people in fact. The people that were injured were connected to the Ministry. Amelia Bones has been seriously injured. She was, in a sense, stepped on when panic arose and people tried to flee the area. Many others were also injured, though no one's soul was taken," Dumbledore said. "This leads me to believe that the reason they were there wasn't to kill but perhaps they were searching for something."

"Searching for what?" Tonks spoke up from the group.

"That is hard to say. There is still no telling what Voldemort plans are this time around, but I have a feeling that some of the injuries, such as Amelia Bones', was not an accident. I have found that he pays close attention to detail," Dumbledore stated.

The room was silent, except for the occasional sniffles coming from Mrs. Weasley. Arthur licked his dry lips and continued rubbing her back.

"Who was the unlikely source?" he asked quietly.

Dumbledore took a slow breath, "Rita Skeeter. Apparently she was a witness, having been at the game."

"Why in the world would she be there in the first place? She doesn't report sports," Tonks said, looking confused.

Dumbledore's eyes glistened, "I have a feeling we will find out soon. She wishes to meet with the Order, but her reasons are left unknown."

"Maybe she knows something," an auror spoke up.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. "Until then it is final that we will be moving students to Beauxbatons."

"Will it be safe there?" Mrs. Weasley asked, drying her eyes. "I mean, you said Hogwarts is the safest place."

"Yes, it is...normally. However, as proved in the past Voldemort's servants have found their way inside. The students will be safe is their whereabouts are unknown. I will send out a signal to all families, not words but a signal that will tell them it has been decided. There is another reason for my doing this," Dumbledore said, pacing slowly. "I am using Hogwarts as bait. Voldemort has always wanted to destroy me, and has always been after Harry Potter. I fear that by now the news of Harry having been pronounced...missing has reached his ears. Hogwarts has been one of his targets so I feel that I may be able to lure him there."

"And the Ireland incident?" Moody spoke gruffly. "You think that was the Dark Lord's work?"

"That is possible. I am not, as this moment, certain of why he would do such a thing, without even killing anyone, but we will know in time."

"What about Fudge? What's he doing?" another auror spoke up.

Dumbledore stopped pacing and turned, "He hasn't responded, but I expected that from him."

"And...Harry?" Mrs. Weasley spoke up.

Dumbledore sighed heavily, "That is still uncertain, Molly, but there is a chance. I believe that Harry is more than capable of taking care of himself. Until further notice, meetings will not be held unless it is of dire need. It is urgent that no members walk alone."

Dumbledore finished and the room remained in silence. None of those in the room noticed the statue at the front had unusually large ears that seemed a touch out of place.

Upstairs, two floors above the room, a door was closed and weeping could be heard. Behind the door, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny and Hermione were all huddled together. Ginny and Hermione were crying, and Ron was trying his best not to let his emotions get to him.

"He'll be all right, I know he will," Ron said quietly, glancing over at his brothers.

Fred and George were for once silent, unable to say anything. Hermione wiped at her eyes roughly until the tears disappeared. Her nose was still red, her eyes swollen from crying.

"We've got to do something," she said in a shaky voice.

Ginny looked up at her, tears sliding down her cheeks as she continued to sob. Ron blinked several times, desperately trying not to cry.

"What can we do?" he asked weakly.

Hermione took in a deep breath, wiping at her eyes one last time, "If he is still alive...there may be a small chance...and, we would not only be breaking rules but a couple laws too."

Ron lifted himself from the creaky old bed and stood up, "What is it, Hermione?"

Ginny's sobbing seemed to quiet down as she looked her expectantly.

"If Harry is still alive there's no way he can get into the wizard world," she said, her voice less shaky. "There's a way we can temporarily get through the barricade to send him a message. It's illegal, but it should work."

"That's dangerous! What if a Death Eater gets it before it reaches him?" Ron asked.

"I won't write a full letter to him, I'll just give him some hints! There's a way he can get through the barricade!"

"There is?" Ginny asked, sniffling.

Hermione nodded, biting her lip, "Yes, it's illegal too, for him to do such powerful magic, but...it'll work! It should work!"

"But Hermione, if we don't address the letter to him, and we just send him random words, do you really think he's going to understand? He may think a Death Eater sent him the message!" Ron exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Ron, don't you remember when Harry solved the puzzle to the chamber of secrets? I was petrified so I couldn't help you guys, but he figured it out all by himself, and with the slip of paper he found in my hand. This letter will be like that slip of paper. I know he'll figure it out!" she exclaimed, staring at them with desperation. "Ron, please...we have to try," she whispered, on the verge of crying.

Ron was silent for a minute before nodding, "All right, Hermione. We'll give this a shot. And if he is alive, we have to make sure it'll find him."

Hermione's lip trembled but she held the tears back and nodded with determination, "It will, as long as we can get through the barricade. In order to do that though we'll have to get into the Ministry of Magic."

Ron groaned, "Oh not again, Hermione! You know how that worked last year."

"We got in didn't we!" she snapped, immediately covering her mouth. "Sorry...it's just, he needs our help Ron. If there is any chance he can survive it's with our help!"

Ginny wiped at her eyes and hoisted herself to her feet. "Let's do it," she said quietly, her eyes alight with hope.

Ron sighed exasperated, "All right...but don't have those...those invisible creatures to get us in. The Ministry will be highly guarded."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, but your dad works at the Ministry. Convince him to take us into work to show us something...anything at all!"

"What's the plan?" Fred asked.

"The plan is that we need to sneak into the office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. From that room we can see where the barricade is set up. If we're careful we can open a very small hole in the barricade in order to send Harry a message. And we can charm the letter to go directly to Harry. The charm that will do that is very, very advanced magic, something I'm not even supposed to do. They could trial me for breaking the law for Underage Wizardry, but it's worth a shot. If Harry comes back I'm sure they'd overlook it!" Hermione said, her voice more stern now.

"How would we get into it without anyone noticing?" Ron asked her.

Hermione sighed, her eyebrows furrowing in thought, "Well...it's on level two of the Ministry building. And if we use the elevator and pretend like we're searching for the bathroom or something....oh I don't know! Maybe we'll just have to convince Amelia Bones."

"Who's that?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"She's the head of the Department," Hermione answered.

George's eyes widened, "No way!"

"What?" Ron asked.

"Well, it's just that...Fred and I were spying on the Order again. This time, there wasn't any good news. Apparently Dementors showed up at the Quidditch game in Ireland for some reason. And Amelia Bones was there, with some other members of the Ministry. She was injured, along with many others, but luckily no one got killed. Dumbledore doesn't know why the Dementors were there, but from the look on his face it can't be good."

"That's strange," Hermione murmured. She was listening intently, obviously storing the information in the back of her mind for later use.

"Without a head to the Department, all we have to do is distract anyone from the Ministry who's nearby. Fred and I can do that while you two sneak in," George said glancing at Ron and Hermione.

"Why can't I sneak in?!" Ginny asked, looking at them angrily.

"Because you have to keep dad distracted so he doesn't realize they've gone. You know how he gets when he's explaining something in detail. So keep on asking him questions," Fred said.

"I have a feeling we're going to get in big trouble for this," Ron said, swallowing.

"If it means saving Harry then that's all that should matter," Hermione said.

No one said anything, but the looks on their faces confirmed that they agreed.

"So, when should we go?" Ron asked.

"We need to go as soon as possible! When the meeting is over, Ron you have to ask your dad if we can all visit the Ministry. Tell him that it's because you and I are thinking of becoming a member some day. And tell him that it would be a good influence on Ginny, so that she can come," Hermione said. "And for Fred and George...um...just tell him that they want to see Percy."

"But we're not getting along with Percy!" Fred stated firmly, glaring at the floor.

"I know that, but if Ron just tells your dad that you two want to try talking to him once more, he'll let you come. Otherwise he'll be suspicious," Hermione said.

"All right, all right, as long as we don't have to actually talk to the bloke," Fred grumbled.

"At least not until the war's over," George added.

Before Hermione could say something else they heard a noise coming from downstairs. They all froze and listened, hearing murmurs and voices down below. For a few seconds they just stared at one another, not uttering a sound. Hermione swallowed and took a deep breath, turning to Ron.

"You ready?"

Ron nodded, clearing his throat, "Ready."

XXXXX

His feet were pounding on the ground as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He had distracted the Dementor with his Patronus Charm, since he had found out that he was separated from the wizard world so he was able to do magic, but more Dementors had began popping up everywhere. So Harry ran as fast as he could, dodging trees and crossing through people's yards. He didn't care as long as it took him away from the Dementors, who were searching for his soul. His heart was hammering so loudly in his ears he could scarcely hear his erratic breathing.

He suddenly halted as he realized he had come to a fence. He wheeled around behind him, seeing something flying toward him in the distance. With the last of his strength, he climbed up over the fence and ducked into a bush. He peered out from behind the leaves, watching as several hooded figures landed, their raspy breathing loud enough for Harry to hear from his spot.

The Dementors began to move over the ground, swiftly and silently in search for him. Two of them began searching around the house and in the next yard, one remained there, nearby to where he hid. Harry held his breath a the Dementor lifted its hooded head, as if trying to smell, or sense, something in the air. It walked forward, its decaying fingers peering from out of its robe as it walked forward toward the garden, which happened to be off to Harry's right. The Dementor walked up to the large garden, looking to see if Harry was lying beneath the rose bush, or any of the other plants. As it began to walk away, not finding anything, Harry noticed some of the flowers beginning to wilt. The Dementor's hand brushed up against one of the roses and it immediately shriveled up.

Harry realized he was still holding his breath, not allowing himself to breathe, so it let it out gently. The Dementor's head suddenly wheeled around, looking straight in the direction where Harry was hiding. He suddenly felt his insides squirm with fear and was frozen to the spot. The Dementor began gliding forward toward the bushes where Harry was hiding. Luckily, it turned to the bush several meters away from him, its raspy breathing sending shivers down his spine.

Looking around frantically, Harry picked up a large rock and slowly and carefully lay flat on the ground, turning his body at an angle. The Dementor was walking to the next bush, which was closer to Harry. Turning the opposite way, where the Dementor wasn't facing, he held his breath and threw the rock as hard as he could. It hit the wooden birdfeeder, scaring several birds out of the small bird-house. The Dementor's head turned again, facing the direction. Harry waited, hoping that it would leave the bushes and go investigate. The Dementor didn't appear to be moving at all, and that filled Harry with dread.

Very slowly, the hooded Dementor began to move toward the bird-house, its long, decaying fingers stretched out before it as it searched for the source of the noise. Harry began sliding on the ground in the opposite direction, hoping to escape before the Dementor noticed. His fingers gripped into the dirt on the ground as he pulled himself forward, looking back now and then to make sure the Dementor was still distracted. He quickly looked back again before crawling quickly on his hands and knees to the bush the Dementor had looked in first. He took several deep breaths, pulling himself forward again. There was a gate nearby that led out of the yard in the opposite direction of which the other two Dementors had been. If Harry could reach it, he would be able to run elsewhere.

Just then the back door to the house opened and a woman stepped out, carrying a water bucket. Harry's heart froze in place as she came down the steps. He was thinking that she would see him if she went over to the garden and wonder what he was doing, but that thought was stripped away when the woman let out a loud scream, dropping the water bucket as she laid eyes on the Dementor.

"Frank! Frank, come quick! A thief!" she screamed running back inside the house.

Harry's head turned where the Dementor was staring at the bird-house and found it was distracted by a new victim. It glided across the yard toward the door. Harry was hoping with all his might that it couldn't get inside. The Dementor's hands touched the doorknob and it suddenly let out an inhuman howl as it flew back, as if it had been shocked. Harry could feel relief wash over him, wondering why Dementors could be in the muggle world, but not get into people's houses. All his relief died inside him as the door opened again and a man stepped out with a bat.

"You there! Get out of our yard!"

No! You stupid muggle get back inside!

Harry was frozen in his spot, unable to move as the Dementor swept forward. The man, looking frightened but angry at the same time.

"Get out, or I'll call the police!" he said.

The Dementor only strode closer and the man lashed the bat out at it. Surprisingly, the Dementor caught it with fast reflexes and yanked it out of his hand, throwing it at least two yards over. The man's eyes widened and he stumbled backward, tripping on the steps as he tried to get back inside. Harry knew it was all over when the man clutched at his chest, his breathing becoming irregular. He was feeling the effects of the Dementor. All the pain in his life, the hopeless feelings, the doubts, they were all coming forward as he kneeled down gasping for breath.

Half of him was screaming to produce the Patronus Charm even if the Dementors found him, just to save this man, but even as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wand he realized he was all ready too late. The Dementor had lifted the man up with ease, wrapping its decaying fingers around his neck as it brought its hole for a mouth down upon his. The man began thrashing violently, trying to get it off him to no avail. Harry watched with wide eyes, his face having paled, as the man began to grow paler and paler, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. His hands and feet began to shake until he was finally dropped down. A clear blue light erupted from the man's mouth and the Dementor sucked it in greedily.

If he had had anything in his stomach, he would've thrown up by now, but he hadn't had breakfast and hadn't been hungry for dinner the night of the attack on the Dursleys. His stomach was aching with hunger, but he was too shocked at the sight to do anything. The Dementor stood there for several minutes before it turned and flew off, having been satisfied. Harry weakly pulled himself out of the bushes, staring at the man from a distance. Slowly, the man sat up his eyes having a faraway look to them as he stared blankly around, as if he didn't see the beautiful sun or the flowers blooming nearby. He was an empty vessel now.

Harry had to get away before the woman came back to see her husband in such a state. His stomach was feeling more nauseous by the minute as he ran through the gate and into the next yard. He ran for a little ways before stopping to catch his breath. He lifted his head to see where he was and was surprised to find he had gone in a very large circle, and was back near the park by the Dursleys house. Harry slowly headed back that way, feeling worse than he had all that summer. He walked through the park and followed the path back toward the neighborhood he essentially grew up in. He turned the corner and suddenly stopped in his tracks. He had expected the police to be there, or the fire department, or anything. It was, however, completely empty. And Harry didn't need to ask why. Where the Dursley's house had been, the flames of the fire so high it touched the sky, there was nothing. No trace of it ever having been there.

At first, Harry wondered if everyone's memories had been erased of the Dursleys, but then he realized that no one in the neighborhood would probably even realize they were gone. The Dursleys weren't the most popular in the neighborhood, especially with strange incidents that happened in the past, unfortunately a lot of them due to him. Harry doubted any of the neighbors would even notice the house was gone. Wondering if that was a good thing, or a bad thing, Harry went toward the house that was now the one on the end, Mrs. Figg's house. He had thought at first going back to the same place would've been stupid, but since the Dursley's house was gone, so there was no way Death Eaters would think he'd be around an area of dirt, it was safer. And none of the Death Eaters, or Dementors, he bet, knew that he had a spare key to Mrs. Figg's house. After all, the Death Eaters he had spied on previously knew she was his neighbor, but said nothing about him coming to her house and staying with her. So they wouldn't suspect he had a way of getting inside.

Fishing the key chain from his pocket that he carried around with him always, that also had the Dursley's key in case Dudley tried locking him outside again, he used it to get inside Mrs. Figg's house. There was a musty smell, and an odor of cat's as well, but otherwise things seemed to be in order. He closed the door and looked around. Mrs. Figg had obviously left most of her possessions in the house. The living room was small with one couch and two chairs. They were a bit dusty, but otherwise in good shape. Feeling a little uncomfortable at having entered someone's home without permission, Harry slowly moved to the kitchen. Upon opening it, he found that there was some food left. There was left over pasta, some fruit and some juice to go with it. Harry ate it hungrily, forgetting about the incident with the Dementor for the time being. When he was finished he decided to check out the upstairs, since he'd most likely be sleeping there, unless a Dementor showed up. The upstairs was small, but Mrs. Figg's bedroom was much bigger than the one he had at the Dursley's. She had a small bureau by her bed, and the sheets were set neatly upon it as if the bed had never been touched. A book shelf was up against the wall to the far corner of the room. Several books were strewn upon the small table near the bathroom, that also had a vase full of flowers. Harry realized that for the flowers to have lasted this long, Mrs. Figg must have put a very minor spell on them.

Harry approached the bed and glanced at one of the books. It read: A Squib's Guide to Easy Magic. Another book read: Spells, Charms and Transfigurations, A Complete Guide. The other books were ordinary books not having to do with the wizard world. He moved the books to the table and sat down on the bed, thinking to himself.

"I wish Hedwig was here," he murmured quietly.

Harry was glad she was safe somewhere, hopefully with Ron or Hermione, but at the same time he felt incredibly lonely. Even more lonely than when he was at the Dursley's. This time he didn't even have relatives he didn't like around, he was completely alone, vulnerable and scared at what was going on. There were still so many things that confused him, such as how Voldemort got the barricade up, or maybe it was his Death Eaters. And he wanted to know what was happening in the wizard world. Had Voldemort attacked again? Had the war begun? What was obviously though was that Voldemort's Death Eaters wanted him out of the way…or maybe they needed him out of the way.

"But for what?" Harry whispered inside the empty house.

A soft mew snapped him out of his trance and he looked down to see a cat walking toward him. Harry stared down at the cat and wondered why Mrs. Figg hadn't taken her cats with him. Then it dawned on him.

"Of course. No one thinks she's strange, or suspect she's a witch. They think she's a harmless, sweet old woman. I bet Mrs. Figg asked a neighbor to keep an eye on her cats, which means they'll be coming by sometime today or tomorrow. I can't let anyone see me here, they'll think I've broken in."

The cat seemed to tilt her head in question before jumping up on his lap meowing softly. Harry pet her, smiling a bit.

"I guess you remember me, huh?"

Harry sighed, letting the cat drop back to the floor before heading back downstairs. He went back into the kitchen and looked around, finally spotting all of the bowls the cats ate out of. Some of them had left over food, which meant that the cats had all ready been fed. He'd be safe for now. Sighing with relief, he went back up the stairs, suddenly feeling very drained. He took off his shoes and socks, also putting his glasses down on the bureau before slipping into the bed. He felt the bed move and soon found a cat lying in the bed beside him. Reaching his hand from under the covers, he began to pet one of the other cats gently.

"I wonder what Ron and Hermione are doing. I hope they're not worrying too much about me," he said, his eyes dimming at the mention of his friends. "If only there was a way out…The Dementors will find me here eventually."

He closed his eyes, not wanting to think about everything that had happened that summer, or anything at all. He just wanted to rest and replenish his strength, because he knew he was going to need it.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Author's Note: I know this was delayed a couple days, sorry about that. Next time I'll give myself a little more room to update. I should have the next date out soon on my profile as to when this story will be updated. I am starting a new Harry Potter story, which will be the sequel to Sick Pleasures. I hope to update this before the fall!

Next Chapter; preview: (possibly a two-part) Ron, Hermione and them go to the Ministry of Magic. Harry goes out to find some food and encounters another run from Dementors. Voldemort prepares to stage another attack. Bella and the other Death Eaters find out who sent out the information that Voldemort wanted Harry killed. (part 2 ?) Dumbledore and the Order meet with Rita Skeeter and find out something interesting. And finally Harry figures out exactly what he needs to do to get back into the wizard world.

To Reviewers:

MalusMagus: Thanks! Sorry for the delay. At least it didn't take me as long as last time to update. Anyway, I hope to update this shortly, probably in a couple weeks. I do have a couple other stories to update first. Thanks for being patient!

Nicola: hehehe! Well, I can't answer all your questions, since that would ruin the story for you. Don't worry though, Harry's been through worse, right? Next chapter should explain more.

Gallandro-83: Sorry about the short delay. Luckily this didn't take me half as long to update as last time. I'm getting better! Sorry to keep you on a cliffhanger. I hope to update this story in about two weeks. I will put an estimation date on my profile in a couple days so you'll know around when to expect an update. And hopefully it'll be a two-part like I'm planning. Thanks for being patient though. Sometimes my muse gives me a hard time. Just to give you some hints, about your questions, there isn't going to be much romance, and Harry isn't going to be stuck in the muggle world for years. The entirety of this story probably won't extend past a year. Although Harry may not be stuck in the muggle world for too long, that doesn't mean the problem will be fixed, so there will be some consequences. But that's not the gist of the plot actually. The barricade between the two worlds is important (especially to Voldemort's plan), but it's not the main problem that will be happening. Anyway, hope that helps a little.

Bookworm2000: I'm glad you're liking this!! You've been with me for so long, it's so cool! Hehehe. So, how's your army coming along? Have you taken over the world yet? I could see it as a TV show too, with all those questions! A lot of questions will be answered in the next couple of chapters. I hope to update this soon. Oh! And I'm finally getting the prologue to the sequel to Sick Pleasures up. I seem to fall behind in updating these days. Ah well, until the next chapter!

C. thorne: Thanks! I know I haven't been updating too fast, but I'm trying to keep the updates constant. Right now I'm actually working on the sequel to Sick Pleasures, called Interference, that will be up by tonight I'm hoping. (It was delayed a couple days). Anyway, if I do take a couple weeks to update this, hopefully the sequel and other stories will distract you until I update! Thanks for being patient!

Iniysa: Thanks!! I'll update hopefully in a couple weeks!