Author's Note: I know many, many people have come up with their version of the 6th book, but this is for entertainer's sake, 'k? Also, I want to know if you want my OC to be hooked up with Harry Potter. I'll make it like that if you like the pairing.

Secrets in the Shadows

"Harry, dear...Do you have everything?"

"Yes Mrs. Weasley," Harry Potter replied as he lugged his suitcase down the stairs of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Hurry, Harry! We mustn't be late for the train," Mrs. Weasley told him as she ushered Ginny, Ron, and Hermione out of the house. Two cars from the Ministry were parked outside.

Harry stayed back for a minute, looking about his late godfather's old (and hated) home. A lump formed in his throat. Though he was partially relieved that he was leaving this place...this house that brought back so many memories...he felt he was leaving a piece of what little he had of Sirius.

"Harry..."

A hand lay on his shoulder. Harry looked up. It was Lupin. "We better get going," he said gently. Harry sighed, but allowed Lupin to lead him out the door.

{{{{}}}}

Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Lupin were in one car while Tonks, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the other.

As they drove to Kings Cross Station, Harry stared out the window, looking back on the last few months.

He had stayed at the Dursley's for the few weeks or so. The behavior of the Dursleys was pretty much the same...pretending he didn't exist.

But Harry wasn't the same. He was locked up in his room the whole time, either sulking or writing back to the nearly innumerable letters sent by Dumbledore, Mr. Weasley, or Lupin. The only time he did come out, however, was to go to the bathroom, or for meals. He couldn't stand being with his relatives, though Aunt Petunia was somewhat nicer to him. The pain he felt was nearly unbearable. By loosing Sirius, he sometimes felt that he wasn't really alive...like he was just an empty shell. It was as if a dementor had sucked out his soul.

It had begun to get harder and harder to clear his mind before he went to sleep, if he could. All of the emotions tearing at him day by day, night after night, made it extremely difficult.

When Moody, Lupin, and Tonks finally came to take Harry to the House of Black, he was hesitant. Staying in a place filled with bittersweet memories of his godfather wasn't exactly what he had in mind for and, at least, bearable summer.

When he arrived, it was much like last time. He let out some of his anger on Ron and Hermione...but for a different reason. This time, he knew why he had to stay at the Dursley's. It was for his own safety. But, he was still furious that he didn't know what was going on.

The only thing he did find out at the Dursley's, however, was a mysterious 'gas leak' that blew up a local gas station. Two people were killed and 3 people were injured.

Mr. Weasley confirmed this suspicion.

"You-Know-Who is starting to go public again, Harry," Mr. Weasley told him. "The war has most defiantly begun..."

"Harry!"

The voice jerked him out of his reverie. He then realized that they had arrived at the train station.

"C'mon, you three!" Lupin said. "The train's leaving in eight minutes!" Ron, Hermione, and Harry clambered out of the car.

Tonks, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were already waiting at the curb. A few people stared at Mr. Weasley, who (though he was getting better at it) wasn't exactly dressed like a British Muggle. He was wearing an American football jersey (the Patriots, to be exact), and baggy blue jeans.

They quickly walked into the station and to Platforms 9 and 10. They went two at a time, Ron with Harry, Hermione with Tonks, Ginny with her mother, and Mr. Weasley with Lupin.

When Ron and Harry burst through the gateway, they almost ran into Dean Thomas.

"Whoa!" Harry said, bringing his trolley to a sudden stop to keep from knocking into Dean. "Sorry Dean!"

"It's okay, mate," he replied. "I shouldn't have walked in front of the barrier. See you two on the train!"

"Bye," Harry called after Dean as he ran off.

When the rest of the group joined Ron and Harry, they had five minutes to spare to say their good-byes. Mrs. Weasley hugged each of them, but lingered when she came to Harry.

"Be careful, dear," she said as she embraced him. She then kissed him on the cheek. Harry, though slightly embarrassed, hugged her back.

"I will," he said.

Mr. Weasley told all of them to be watchful of anything suspicious in the castle.

"Have a great year, you four," Tonks said. "And...er...I believe you'll be quite interested with this year's guardians." She winked.

"Guardians?" Ron asked, bewildered. "What guardians?"

"Good-BYE," she said, making the point that she was not going to tell him. Ron stared at her, but he boarded the train none-the-less. Ginny and Hermione followed.

Lupin put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Be ready," was all he said. Not understanding, Harry gave Lupin a puzzled look. But he nodded anyway and boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Ginny had gone to find Dean Thomas (to Ron's extreme displeasure), so the rest of them went to find an empty compartment.

The only one that could fit the three of them, however, had a person already in it. She was asleep.

Harry vaguely recognized her as Haylie Damon, a fellow Gryffindor. Her raven-black hair fell across her slightly pale face, moving faintly as she exhaled. Haylie had naturally tan skin, but now she looked a little ashen, as if she was recovering from a serious sickness. Her head was resting against the window.

All three got a strange feeling about her, but they sat down anyway. Harry sat across from Haylie. As the train started to move, her head moved slightly upward, her hair moving off of her thin face. To Harry's astonishment, he could see a long scar running along her cheekbone.

"I wonder what that's from," he said softly.

"You mean her scar?" Hermione said. "It's probably from a curse or something like that."

"Do you think she's really asleep?" Harry said in a low voice.

"Yah, why?" Ron said. Harry hesitated, watching Haylie for a moment. He leaned over to Ron and Hermione.

"I had a dream last night...about Voldemort," he said quietly. "It was short though. I didn't catch all the details. All I could hear was him saying 'She knows too much. She'll be a significant aid to find a way to kill Potter...'"

"Tell Dumbledore," Ron and Hermione said at once. Harry knew this was true, but after last year, he wasn't sure if he wanted to speak with the Headmaster at all.

"I will," he lied.

Unbeknownst to them, someone uninvited was listening in heard their conversation.

[[[[[[[[[ ]]]]]]]]]

The next hour came and went without much talking. The food trolley came around, and they ate their purchases in silence, contemplating their own thoughts. Haylie suddenly started to stir. Her eyes opened. Harry was startled.

Her eyes were quite strange. They were wolf-like...grey with flecks of yellow. A rim of black encircled the iris.

"Excuse me, Harry," she mumbled as she stood up, not looking at him. She went past Hermione and Ron and out the door. To Harry's surprise, she spoke without a British accent.

"Is she American?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yah, her parents moved to London when she was two," she answered. "Well...that's what I heard, anyway. No one really knows anything about her. She's not very social."

"I could tell," Ron said. "She's in almost all of our classes. Haylie is always in the back. She's kind of strange, if you ask me..."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "She's not strange. Haylie's just lonely. She's very smart, you know. I heard she got Outstanding in all her O.W.L.'s."

"Exactly! Being that smart makes a person nutty, in my opinion," Ron teased.

Hermione chucked a Pumpkin Pastry at him.