A/N I love to give you cliffies! Please don't flame me, I know the story sucks at the moment but I guarantee it will soon be a tad more interesting, plus in the next chapter there will be everyone's favourite dog and wolf companion, don't worry this story is definitely not slash!

When The Worst Is Coming

Chapter Two

Secret Meetings

Harry, at 6:00 p.m. tonight, meet me at Magnolia Crescent in the narrow alley between the garage and the wall of No 2. Come alone and bring this letter and your wand - Moony.

"That's odd," thought Harry. The letter written on a Muggle napkin and didn't seem the type of thing that Lupin would write. Also, why was Lupin writing to Harry -

Shouldn't it be Dumbledore?

Had something happened to Dumbledore?

Harry decided to try to stay positive by thinking that his dream never happened and Dumbledore was fine - probably on holiday (Harry had to stop himself from cracking up again as the thought of Dumbledore rubbing suntan lotion into his large crocked nose re-entered his mind.)

After that, Harry actually started to look forward to seeing Lupin - "maybe he has good news," thought Harry "wasn't he supposed to be staying with Sirius?, I might be able to see him too," He thought, while putting his silver coloured shirt on, even Harry had to admit he looked good in the shirt.

Harry had been saving up money all week until he could by it by doing Muggle work, like washing the car and weeding the garden.

Harry had been looking forward to meeting Lupin. He left the house at 5:45 p.m. feeling a little apprehensive. He thought he heard the phone ringing as he left but it couldn't be for him, so he left it.

Harry hoped Lupin wouldn't take too long because he hadn't told the Dursleys he was leaving - they would never let him go out to meet another friend, let alone another Wizard. That would be worse than breaking the law, to them.

Harry reached his destination at 5:55pm and expected to see Lupin already waiting for him. When he wasn't, Harry realised that the reason he was this far from Privet Drive was so Lupin could Apparate at a safe distance, and it was silly to think Lupin would just be waiting for him.

Harry thought of all the charms on the house and decided that if you tried to Apparate into the house, you'd probably turn inside out!

Then Harry got a chill, and suddenly it hit him - he was standing in the exact same place that he saw the black dog two summers before. The fact that it was Sirius didn't really comfort him, he was starting to think this might even be a set-up.

Then, just as Harry was about to turn and go home, he felt the familiar jerk just behind his navel.

As every thing started to spin, Harry thought in vain

"…This house is well protected no one can lay a finger on me here."

"Famous last words…"

Hermione's day

"Mum…MUM…WHERE ARE YOU!" Shouted an angry Hermione "you promised you'd lock my door, Crookshanks has ruined my potions book - Professor Snape will kill me!" Hermione growled.

Mrs Granger then walked into Hermione's room.

"Oh there you are dear, your father and I have been called in to the dental surgery - It is an emergency," Said Mrs Granger.

"But Mum," Hermione said, disappointed at not being able to see her parents all year and even in the summer she didn't get to see them as much as she liked.

…Hermione suddenly felt a pang of guilt - Harry doesn't even have parents to miss…

"That's a good girl…bye," said Mr Granger entering the room and Mrs and Mr Granger then left.

"Great, what are we gonna do now Crookshanks?" Hermione said stroking the cat, completely forgetting what it did.

Almost as if someone heard what Hermione had just said, then was the "clink, flop," noise of the post arriving.

Immediately, Crookshanks leapt out of the room and down the hall and jumped on the only letter and tore it apart "No Crookshanks - the letter is from Hogwarts…stop it."

The cat ran off when it found out that the contents weren't in fact fish, but a screwed up tissue "eeeww why would Dumbledore send me a tissue?"

Hermione, Can you meet me behind the beech tree on Green Lane at 6:00pm. Bring your wand and this note come alone - Snuffles

What's Sirius doing so near London? Why is he meeting me? Shouldn't he be meeting Harry?

Has something happened to Harry?

Hermione looked out of the window but no one was there; Sirius must have run off in his dog form.

Hermione spent the whole day worrying about Harry, so in the end at 5:45, she decided to call him and risk the threat of the Dursleys. Although she had the sense not to mention Hogwarts, she did not however have the sense to call earlier…

"Hello."

"Mr Dursley speaking."

"May I speak to Mr potter please?"

"Oh…you want to speak to him?"

"Yes please."

"May I ask why?"

"Um…to talk about a job he applied for."

"Right…It is about time the boy got a job…HARRY…GET DOWN HERE NOW, excuse me Miss…?"

"Um…Crookshanks."

"Miss Crookshanks, I'll just check his room - the idiot probably locked the door again. The funny thing is, there is no lock (laughs) he's so stupid, he probably just got choked up on the knob."

"Ahem."

Uncle Vernon then went upstairs to look for Harry…

(Loud thumping sound)

"HE'S GONE, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT - I'LL GET HIM THIS TIME, I WILL, I SWEAR I WILL. I LET HIM STAY IN OUR NICE SPARE ROOM AND THIS IS HOW HE REPAYS ME…"

Please hold the line - Please hold the line - Please hold the line - Please hold the line -

"That's it I have to go," thought Hermione, and put the phone down…look how much time I have wasted on the phone…It is already 5:55.

Hermione really had to rush to get there on time yet, she still made it…

Five minutes later Hermione was waiting for Sirius behind the beech tree wondering why she had been so stupid to believe the note, this was obviously a set up - but she decided to stay a while. If Sirius turned up just after she left, she would kick herself.

Then she suddenly felt a jerk behind her navel…

As the world started to spin Hermione thought "I don't know why everyone thinks I'm so smart."

Ron's day

"Pass me the toast Dad," said Ginny.

"Has anyone seen my other sock?" said George.

"It is in the toaster," said Mr Weasley.

"What! My sock is in the toaster?" laughed George.

"No, Ginny's toast is in the toaster," said Mr Weasley.

"Oh Dad you're not using that Muggle contraption again?" said Bill.

"It is cute," remarked Mr Weasley, regarding the toster.

"Fred, have you seen my sock?" said George.
"Yeah Percy turned it into a slug!" Laughed Fred.

"I would do no such thing," proclaimed Percy as he walked into the kitchen.

"Then who has my sock?" said George.

"I do," said Ron running through the kitchen into the back yard.

"Where's he gone?" said George.

Ron ran back into the kitchen "Sorry George I was using it as a catapult when it pinged out of the window…Here - sorry about the mud," said a breathless Ron.

"It is alright - in fact it has never looked cleaner!" said George.

"Ah the student has become the master!" said Fred remarking on Ron's sock pinging game.

"Flop," came the noise of the letter falling out of the fireplace.

"What was that?" said Mrs Weasley.

"Muggle mail by the look of it," said Charlie.

"But we don't get the Muggle mail, Arthur do something," said Mrs Weasley.
"I'll check it out, get back," said Mr Weasley.

There was a hushed silence, which even the ghoul in the attic failed to fill…

"Oh, every thing is alright, it is just a letter for Ron from Hogwarts," said Mr Weasley Breathing a sigh of relief.

Chatter suddenly filled the house again like a television set that has been muted then switched back on again.

Mr Weasley handed the letter to Ron.

"It will probably just be letter to say that Harry and Hermione have been made prefects," said Ron bitterly.

"Oh honey, I'm sure you would make a great prefect, why don't you open it?" Said Mrs Weasley.

"No I'll leave it 'til later," said Ron.

"That's funny - why would Hogwarts send Ron's letter instead of Owling it?" said Ginny.

"Dumbledore probably thought it best not to Owl us because we don't want to broadcast to the death eaters where we live. We don't want a load of death eaters at the door do we?" said Mr Weasley.

"Arthur that wasn't very supportive…are you alright darling?" Mrs Weasley said to Ginny.

Ginny said she was all right, yet became very quiet.

Later the whole Weasley family played Quidditch in the paddock on the hilltop, at the end of the game everyone had gone home except Ron and the twins who were clearing up.

George then jumped out of the way of an apple thrown by Fred from one of the near by trees. As George jumped he fell on top of Ron and the letter fell out of his back pocket.

"Sorry mate - you alright there?" Goerge said seeing Ron's face as he picked up the seemingly forgotten letter.

"Yeah, I just need to get back to the house…um to reply to this letter. See you back at the house," Ron said deciding to lie - he didn't want to but felt he had to so he could have some space while reading the letter - the way home would be perfect…

Ron, meet me in the churchyard of Ottery St Catchpole at 6:00pm today. Bring your wand and this note, come alone - Padfoot

The note was written on a Muggle cloth. (Although Ron had no idea what it was.)

"What," Ron was startled he wasn't expecting this

He checked his watch - 5:30. "Damn," Ron cursed, Otterly St Catchpole was ages away "I can only make it if I run."

So Ron started to run at full speed, not stopping to think that it might be a set up…

Ron finally made it with only a few minutes to spare; he looked around the graveyard, panting. "Where is he? Shouldn't he be here by now?" Thought Ron.

The clock finally ticked 6:00pm and still no sign of Sirius…Suddenly Ron felt a jerk behind his navel. "I should have known it would be a set up," thought Ron Bitterly as the world around him swirled…

*********

Harry landed and didn't have a chance to notice the surroundings as he crumpled to the floor and the world faded into black, but as he fell to the ground he caught a glimpse of the house in front of him it was the same one he saw in his nightmare last night …except in his nightmare it was on fire…

A/N sorry that was a cruel ending! please review J