*~* Chapter Seven: The Eye of the Storm *~*
Time flew as it always did, and in a more literal sense so did most of Gryffindor House. Quidditch tryouts were a hit, and it wasn't very long until they had a good team up and running. Harry had been somewhat overwhelmed by the thought of conducting tryouts alone, so it was a very welcome relief when the Weasley twins showed up to help him in the process.
Ginny Weasley's Beater skills earned her that same position on the team, and Ron quickly gained his place as Keeper. They had both tried to get Hermione to try out for the team after seeing her wonderful performance at Harry's birthday party, but they didn't succeed.
"But Hermione, you're brilliant at Quidditch!"
"No, I told you already. How am I supposed to juggle my classes and practice at the same time? My schoolwork is more important."
So that was that. Schoolwork didn't stop Megan from trying out though, and she was placed as a Chaser. A Second Year named Dawn Megowin took her place as the second Beater, and Jesse Quincent and Andrew Knoll, both Third Years, became the other two Chasers, dispelling any rumors that Harry was playing favorites during tryouts.
Most of the new team when voting wanted Harry to be elected Captain. Harry, Ginny, and Megan, however, elected Ron, both knowing that while Harry was a good player, he was hopeless ion his knowledge and strategy of plays. When Harry pointed this out, the rest of the team (however reluctantly) changed their minds.
Ron placed them on a rigorous practice schedule and they started playing for all they were worth. When the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff, rolled around on October 13, they positively flattened them, Gryffindor with 230 points and Hufflepuff with 10.
Meanwhile KayKay, quite a few countries and time zones away, was ready to tug her hair out from the roots. No, it wasn't because Matt was stalking her. Although his uncanny ability to know things about her she was sure she hadn't told him was somewhat disturbing, his bursting knowledge of KayKay's family status was actually due to his brother's position as a Social Worker. He (the brother, that is) still got together with the family sometimes, occasionally bringing up (against company policy) funny stories of his experience, and one day he came home with a story of a teenager who had screamed at him and shredded her appointment paper to bits before stomping away. Would that story ever cease to come back and haunt her?
No, the reason she was so frustrated was all of the danged Ministry people thinking they knew everything about her and dragging her from one orphanage to the next on her Saturdays, trying to see which type she was most compatible with. She should be close to where she grew up, she should be near her school, she should go here with people her age, or wouldn't it be better somewhere fresh and new to her, like Oklahoma?
There was no way on Earth that she'd let these people send her to live in Oklahoma.
So there she was, eight weeks and seven orphanage tours into the school year, trying to think of a plan to avoid the inevitable tour that would be happening the next day. She wondered why Harry hadn't contacted her yet with an escape plan.
Then something happened that made her scream.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Harry twirled his quill in his fingers trying to think of what to write. It was pure accident that he'd bumped his watch from KayKay against his desk, but when a piece of parchment had popped up he'd suddenly remembered what one of the functions of it was. Instant mail.
Mail that required no owl.
Mail that disappeared as soon as it was written and reappeared next to the receiver.
Mail that could thus be sent across an ocean with ease.
He dipped the quill into his ink and started the conversation simply.
KayKay? Are you there?
The writing on the paper disappeared with a flash of light. Harry waited with bated breath for a reply. After a few minutes passed without one, Harry was about to try again when quite suddenly, an answer appeared.
Oh my God! Harry??? What are you doing??? You scared me half to death!
Harry grinned and scribbled a reply.
Talking to you, of course! What are you doing?
Trying to return my heart rate to normal so I can continue devising an avoidance plan for tomorrow. I have another Orphanage Tour. And why haven't you sent me that escape plan???
It's on my to-do list, lately I've been more concerned by finding out a way to get a hold of you.
In what way? KayKay replied. Harry could just imagine her grinning mischievously.
Well, in what way do you think? Wink, wink.
Oh, you just made me laugh! And now people are looking at me funny. Niiice people. Gooood people. Time to stop staring at KayKay. That's right. Go back to what you were doing . . . there's nothing to see here, just my knight in shining armor, come to rescue me from this thing you call life and I call torture . . .
It was Harry's turn to laugh now. It isn't that bad, is it?
Allow me to paint a picture for you. I have lost family yet again. Nobody believes that I have remaining family alive. The most recent orphanage they considered putting me in was in Iowa. I'm sure you know very little of the United States, but Iowa is not a fun place. All it has is cows and cornfields. Would you like to be surrounded by strangers, cows, and cornfields???
I uh . . . I guess not. Sorry about that. I am trying to devise a getaway plan, but seeing how I'm not sure of all our assets, it's a bit difficult. I'll keep thinking though!
Oh Harry, you're the best. What would I do without you?
Harry smiled widely, feeling a strange warmth fill him. His next answer, while intended as a joke, was a very stupid mistake.
You'd have a simpler life, as I quote you from January.
January? Harry, January doesn't count! I was incomprehensibly and incorrectly angry with you in January! January never counts, silly!
Then what does?
I'm not sure. But not January. I say that the day we made up counts. That counts for a lot.
Harry was quiet for a long time. Then, writing slowly, he answered.
What about the day you flew beck to America? What does that count for?
KayKay was quiet for even longer, but that didn't mean the writing was. The ink began to run in a few places, almost as if on the other end of the conversation, KayKay was crying. Then, one word.
Harry . . .
From the end of the "y" the line of ink dragged down to the bottom of the page, almost as if someone had grabbed her from behind and pulled her away. Harry waited, anxiety mounting. What wasn't she answering?
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ *
"So, what's the deal with KayKay Determan?"
KayKay's attention was caught. She peeked through the crack in the bathroom stall and watched the girls talking about her as they primped their hair at the mirror.
"I like, don't know? I thought like, that she was with that Chad guy?"
The subjects in question: Tiffany and Olivia. Tiffany was always humorous to listen to because she said everything like a question.
"No, no." Olivia insisted. "They've never dated. He's just like 'big brother' for her."
"Oh, 'cause I was like, wondering what was between her and that Matt guy? Have you seen them together? I always thought that KayKay was like, all anti-boy?"
"Weirdo" they both said together, giggling.
"Buy yeah, you're right. She'd never date. She like, would distance herself from guys. But now she's going out with Matt?"
"He is like, so dreamy?" Tiffany cut in with a sigh. "Why do some girls have all the luck?"
Her? Lucky? That was a laugh. And since when was she dating Matt?
"Hey, wasn't KayKay like, one of the girls who went to Hogwarts? I wonder if, like, something changed her mind about guys when she was there?"
"Hogwarts? Tiffany, isn't that like, the wizard school Harry Potter goes to?"
"Yeah. I like, wonder if she ever saw him in her classes?"
"Who knows? Maybe she even got to meet him!" Olivia exclaimed. They looked at each other and spoke together again.
"Word!"
The bell rang then and the girls quickly bustled out of the bathroom. KayKay unlatched the stall door and walked out slowly, feeling the letter in her pocket that she and Harry's conversation was written on, the letter she'd luckily been able to get back from her teacher who had tried to take it away.
Had she seen Harry Potter? Had she met Harry Potter?!
Who exactly was the mystery Harry Potter anyhow? She thought she knew him. But what did he mean to her now?
"Girls," she whispered, "if only you knew."
Walking out of the bathroom and down to dinner, she added, "If only I knew."
* * * * *
"Ugh . . . no—more—orphanages!" KayKay muttered to herself through clenched teeth as she crawled into that bed that same night. "I ref . . . ref . . . refuse . . ." she yawned. Snuggling under her blankets, KayKay gently blew out the candle by her bed.
As soon as her head reached the pillow, she fell asleep.
The next moment, she was awake again. She didn't remember waking up at all, but she had found herself in Saliente. KayKay remembered that it had been destroyed, but as she looked around, it was like it had never been touched. She was standing still in the middle of the crowd, not knowing what to do next, fully dressed in black robes. KayKay looked around and then saw three girls walking up to her. She backed away slowly and then the one who was in front who had bright blonde hair spoke.
"Hi! I'm Chloe and I'm here to rescue you! This is Danielle and this is Andy! They wanted to help too! We're going to take you to England so you can live with Remus! Oh and of course marry Harry and have five kids!" Chloe said excitedly, as her pigtails bounced as she talked. KayKay looked at the three girls strangely and then tried to run away but Andy had stopped her.
"I don't think so!" Andy said. "You want to live with your uncle and see Harry, don't you?"
KayKay tried to speak but all that came out was a small squeak, so she nodded instead.
"Well then, come with us." Danielle said.
"I don't think I should . . . I mean, I don't even know who you people are and, well—" KayKay turned around and tried to run for it again but Danielle grabbed her arm and Chloe and Andy helped pull KayKay into the dark alleyway that was nearby. KayKay was about to scream but Andy put her hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry we had to do it this way KayKay, but you just wouldn't cooperate." Chloe said quietly.
Then the four of them disappeared in a flash. They reappeared in a dungeon. KayKay was chained up on the wall. She looked around the room in horror, and struggled with her chains.
How in the world did I get here? She asked herself.
The girls she had met earlier were talking on the other side of the room. The one who called herself Andy sensed her gaze and turned around to meet KayKay's eyes. KayKay was startled to see something different in the girl's eyes . . . it was like fire burning in her brown eyes. It strongly reminded her or something, but she couldn't place her finger on it.
Andy turned around and went back into the conversation.
"I thought you said you were going to get me to Remus." KayKay said quietly. The three girls turned around at the same time, saying in unison, "We are." They then all smiled strange smiles.
KayKay was very startled and frightened, to say the least.
"Okay so we need to get her to Remus! How are we going to get her there? Because well, she thinks we're going to hurt her and Andy your not helping, stop staring at her!" Chloe said as she saw Andy starring at KayKay once again.
"Sorry." Andy said a grin on her face.
"Andy, Chloe's right you can't be playing mind games with her. We're here on a rescue mission!" Danielle said. "We just need to take her to Lupin's house and then he can deal with her—"
"Andy! We have to make sure she gets to Harry! We can't just leave her at Remus's unless I know she will get to Harry's and then she can fall in love with him all over again, not with Matt!" KayKay had been trying to listen to the girl's conversation and when she heard "Matt" she finally spoke.
"How do you know about Harry, Remus, Matt and how do you know about me?" As she spoke everyone could hear the panic in her voice.
"Well that doesn't matter KayKay, dear." Andy said, staring at her again.
"For the last time Andy, stop staring at her like that, you're scaring her!" Danielle said.
"How can I scare her when she's already scared?" Andy asked.
Chloe walked in front of Andy and put her hands on her hips, "You know what she means, Andy!" Chloe said.
"I was just trying to have a little fun, don't be so mad. You're usually not like this—" Andy immediately stopped talking as she saw Chloe's face. It was as white as a ghost and her eyes were wide.
"Chloe, what's wrong?" Danielle said concerned. Chloe didn't say a thing; all she did was point to something that was behind Andy and Danielle. They turned around and saw what Chloe had pointed to. Their eyes widened and Chloe and Danielle quickly took KayKay down from the wall while Andy took out her wand and pointed it at the intruder. It was wearing a black robe and its face was hidden under a large black baseball cap.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Chloe demanded. KayKay didn't know what was going on. All she wanted to do was go back to Escondito, was the too much to ask?!
How did I get here and how do they know all this stuff about me? She thought. KayKay looked towards Andy and saw the relief that swept over her face as the creature took off its hat.
"Oh, it's you," Andy breathed a sigh of relief. "We were afraid it was someone else, Aberforth." KayKay didn't recognize him. He did look strangely familiar. But for the life of her, she couldn't place from where. She took in some comfort that he was friends with these three girls. Even though she's positive she's never met them, they seemed to have good intentions. A small little voice in the back of her mind reminded her, The road to hell is paved with good intentions. She shuddered.
"Well," Chloe started in her loud perky voice, "You're here to help us, aren't you Aberforth? I hope so, since it's beginning to seem we really, like, need the help." She put her hands on her hip and stared at him intently.
"Oh, shush, Chloe," Danielle spoke up, "Of course he's here to help us. Now we have to . . ." Danielle then told him of their plan, talking quietly so KayKay couldn't hear them. It looked like this Aberforth person was already familiar with it.
"Yes, that is what my brother had said you'd do. He warned me though, not to take that trail. That is why I am here." He said in a low raspy voice.
"Well, like, then show us the way!" Chloe exclaimed, her ponytail bouncing. Aberforth had walked over to the corner of the cell where strange markings was carved on the wall of stone. He started gazing at them, from right to left, seemingly reading them.
"I didn't know he knew how to read," Andy whispered to KayKay. He pushed lightly on a circle with a line half way through it. There was a shifting noise and then a panel moved aside, giving the room of one person to go through it at once. Aberforth in the lead, then Danielle, then Chloe, then KayKay, and lastly Andy they ventured into the narrow, very dusty corridor.
"Ugh, I hate cobwebs!" KayKay heard Chloe complaining. "AH! A spider!" Chloe, having nowhere to run started spinning in circles, trampling the spider.
Up ahead, Danielle and Aberforth were having a quiet discussion. Chloe was chattering to KayKay about her boyfriend at home. His name was Chris and they way Chloe described him he seemed like a god. KayKay listened. She was opened her mouth to start talking about Harry, but then an arrow of pain struck her heart and she kept quiet, saying little things and asking questions. After about ten minutes or so, they reached an end. It was like a cave. There was no way out except going back through that tunnel. She started to worry and then noticed that the other four didn't seem unperturbed. Then, suddenly, the top of the cave was opening.
KayKay was reminded of that show she used to watch, only because her cousin-in-law made her. Captain Kirk would usually say, "Beam me up, Scotty" and then they would beam up. She remembered with a pang of guilt that he would still be making her watch that terrible show if everything was normal. She sighed heavily. The top of the cave had completely disappeared. But what was in the sky shocked everyone.
The Dark Mark was hanging over their heads.
Out of nowhere a dozen Death Eaters started shooting spells at the girls, mostly KayKay, but before any of their spells hit Andy did a counter spell that sent the Death Eaters spells back at them and all of the Death Eaters were on the ground. KayKay was scared more than ever now.
Danielle saw this and said, "Don't worry KayKay we're almost there it should only be like thirty more minutes. Right Chloe and Andy?"
KayKay didn't look relieved. She wondered how in the world she was suppose to feel safe when a dozen Death Eaters tried to kill her and the Andy person knew how to kill them quicker than their spells hit. KayKay then snapped back to what the three girls and the other person, Aberforth, were saying.
"Yea Danielle I like, think that we are almost there but I don't know, Andy knows though." Chloe said starring intently at Andy.
"Yes you are almost there, just walk towards the moon." Aberforth said as he watched Andy starring at something in the distance. They kept walking for a while and then walked up a short hill and came to an empty field.
"This is it." Andy said simply.
"Chloe you have the necklaces right?" Danielle asked Chloe, KayKay wondered what necklaces Danielle was talking about, and anxiously waited for Chloe's reply, but she didn't hear it because Chloe was starring at the beautiful half moon.
"I have to go, so bye." Aberforth said and then disappeared in a flash. Chloe then snapped out of her daze and answered Danielle's question.
"Of course I have the necklaces! I never leave without mine, and I wouldn't forget them tonight especially." Chloe said that, and then grabbed three silver necklaces, there was a dragon, a snake, and a butterfly wrapped around a glass container that contained different colored fairy dust.
"Here you go. KayKay just put this necklace on and then when I say, take a pinch of the fairy dust, sprinkle it over your head." Chloe said as she handed KayKay the dragon necklace, and then hopped over to where Danielle and Andy were. KayKay wondered what "fairy dust" would do to her, since she had no clue where the three girls were, or who they were.
"Uh-oh I don't know where my necklace is!" Chloe said after she had handed the girls the necklaces. Andy looked like she was about to kill Chloe as she grabbed her shirt and stopped her from running around.
"Chloe, your necklace is on your neck!" Andy screamed and walked to the other side of the hill.
"Oops, sorry . . ." Chloe said as she saw her necklace. Danielle then went over to Andy and whispered something so quiet that KayKay couldn't hear her, until Danielle started laughing. KayKay looked down to the bottom of the hill, and decided that she would go and try to find her way back to Escondito. She figured it wouldn't take long for her to find a way to get back. She turned around and silently counted backwards from ten. When she hit "one" and was about to run, Chloe and Andy had been waiting for her to do this.
"How did you . . ." KayKay said sighing.
"I'm psychic!" Chloe said perkily. Andy and Danielle rolled their eyes and brought KayKay to the center of the top of the hill, as Chloe did cartwheels to follow them.
"Chloe calm down already! You would think since you haven't slept in three days you would calm down some." Danielle said as she stood behind KayKay.
"Can't help it." Chloe said as she ran over beside KayKay happily.
Andy then said a complicated spell and everyone grabbed the fairy dust, including the reluctant KayKay. They disappeared in a flash of vibrant color and then reappeared in front of some type of lagoon. The girls had all changed clothes and KayKay was more freaked out than ever, until she saw what, or whom Chloe was pointing at.
"Ohmygod! REMUS!" KayKay exclaimed as she saw her uncle setting in a chair by the Lagoon.
"KayKay? How did you get here? Who are those people? Why aren't you in The United States . . ." Remus never finished the rest of his ongoing questions.
"Remus I don't know how I got here. They say there names are Andy, Chloe, and Danielle, and I don't know, one minute I was at Escondito and the next I was in Saliente, but it was destroyed and . . ."
This time someone cut off KayKay. "Remus, you don't know me but I know who you are, and, well, you have to go and talk to Dumbledore about her before she is sent to one of those stupid orphanage or something worse, and she has to see Harry before it's too late!" Chloe exclaimed as she finally spoke.
"Remus I know what your thinking and I don't know who she is but she's right you do need to talk to Dumbledore, I'll explain everything later." KayKay said, and then her uncle got up and led her and the three girls that followed out of the lagoon area and into a house where they took floo powder to Hogwarts.
They arrived in Dumbledore's office and to KayKay's disbelief she saw Harry standing right by the doorway. Dumbledore, who was sitting at his desk, asked KayKay and Harry to leave while he talked to Remus.
"KayKay I thought I would never see you again! Before I had got your letter I had thought you were dead." Harry said as they walked out of the Headmaster's Office.
"Harry, you wouldn't believe what's happened! One minute I was in Escondito, and the next minute I was in an undestroyed village that I know had been destroyed and—"
Harry cut her off by leaning close to kiss her, but KayKay woke up as soon as Harry's lips touched her own.
She sat straight up in her bed with a gasp and, with trembling fingers, touched her lips. It must have all been a dream . . . but it had felt so real!
"Well it's about time you woke up! Honestly, I've never known you to be such a deep sleeper!"
KayKay must have jumped three feet in shock before looking around furiously for whomever had spoken.
"Chad!" she admonished, "you can't be in here!"
"Says who?" he retorted, pulling some clean robes from KayKay's trunk.
"Says me!" KayKay exclaimed, scrambling to the foot of her bed and slamming the trunk shut, "stay out of there!"
"Well, none of the girls were being of much assistance, and you know how ticked O'Connor will be since you're late—"
"I'm what!?" KayKay looked at her watch and groaned, before flying into action.
"And of course I still need to shower, and then get my hair a bit dry so I can get it into a ponytail, and get dressed . . ." She muttered, digging through her trunk for shampoo.
"No time" Chad insisted, throwing a pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and some school robes at KayKay.
"But I stink!" KayKay insisted, trying to get the shampoo again.
"No you don't, you smell like roses or something, honest, and if it gets bad enough you can spray some of my cologne on yourself."
KayKay rolled her eyes. "Yes, that'll make a good impression when I try to explain why I'm late."
"Then borrow some of that smelly spray from one of the girl's trunks if you have to! Hey! I told you there's no time for a shower!" Chad insisted when KayKay tried to get at the trunk again.
"I know, but I at least have time to change my underwear, don't I?"
In retort, Chad threw a pair at her. She glowered at him a moment and said, "You're the only male on the planet who gets away with that, I hope you know."
"Hey, brother's privilege!" Chad called after her as she stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door. "And if I hear that water running, you're going to get it!"
Two minutes later, KayKay ran back out of the bathroom, yanking a brush through her hair as she looked around for her tennis shoes.
"There!" she exclaimed, hanging upside down over the edge of the bed and dragging them out from underneath.
"Okay, ready with two seconds to spare!" KayKay exclaimed, heading to the door without bothering to tie them.
"Hey . . ." Chad said, pulling KayKay back and giving her a hug, "Good luck, kiddo."
"Thanks, Chad." KayKay replied with a small grin, she looked at her watch, gave a small yelp of alarm, and tore down the stairs. Not far from the headmistresses office she ran headlong into someone.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't see—oh, it's only you, well, goodbye then!" KayKay exclaimed in a rush, pushing herself to her feet and hopping over Matt.
"Wait KayKay, I was thinking we—"
"Not now! Jeez!" KayKay yelled, brushing him off and continuing on.
"Good morning . . . Professor . . . O' Connor . . . KayKay panted upon reaching her destination.
"You are late." The headmistress said, obviously displeased.
"Yeah . . . sorry . . ." she coughed, "Sorry about that. But I'm here now, so let's not keep the torture waiting any longer, shall we?"
"KayKay . . ."
"Joking, joking, jeez lighten up," KayKay rolled her eyes, putting her hand on the portkey Professor O'Connor held out to her. She felt the familiar tug and braced her feet as they landed in the office of a Social Worker.
"You are late" was the first thing from the man's mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, everyone blame the adolescent here . . ." KayKay muttered, throwing herself into a chair and slouching down low.
"KayKay!" her headmistress admonished.
"Hey, you show me a teenager jolly with excitement at being placed in an orphanage, and I'll be Little-Miss-Sunshine the whole time, a regular Elf." KayKay retorted, sinking lower into her seat. The Social Worker looked at her, and then at the headmistress.
"I'm certain that when this whole issue is settled, she will be much better off. She needs time to be adjusted, of course, and . . ."
"It's also annoying when you're talked about like you're not in the room!" KayKay half-shouted.
"KayKay, stop acting like a child!"
"Why not, you people are treating me like one! And no one has even spoken to Dumbledore about—"
"Enough of the Uncle-delusions!" Professor O'Connor exclaimed, rubbing her temples. "If he existed—"
"May I go get some water?" KayKay spoke over her to the Social Worker.
"YES! GO AND GET SOME WATER!" the headmistress shouted, grabbing KayKay by the arm and dragging her from her seat.
"Ow, jeez, no need to get nasty!" KayKay whined, struggling to keep up with the woman. She opened the door and pushed KayKay out before slamming it shut again behind her.
"Honestly, that girl simply drives me crazy!" KayKay heard her exclaim. Grinning in self-satisfaction, she pulled out a slip of paper from her back pocket and made an "X" on it.
"And that's a check for week eight . . ."
She slipped the paper into her pocket again and looked around the hall.
"Now . . . where's the water fountain?"
KayKay shrugged and began walking left, not caring too much about where she was going. It wasn't like she was actually thirsty. She contented herself with roaming the halls. If she got in trouble, she would be able to say honestly that she didn't know where the fountains were.
Happy with this excuse, KayKay almost smiled as she wandered absentmindedly. She originally planned not to read any signs, lest her excuse become false, so she had already passed one by a few steps when she froze and backtracked. She read the sign, once, twice, thrice, before grinning widely at the words.
