Chapter 6
New Acquaintances
The warm light fell upon my face. I didn't wish to get up. I wanted to see who he was. I wanted to finish my dream, but the man walked further and further away from me. Some kind of white light covered over him. I was beginning to feel kind of hot and small droplets of sweat appeared on my forehead. I was watching myself standing in some kind of a desert and watching a figure of a man leaving me. I couldn't run, all I did was shout after him. Who was the man I was yelling to?
The picture of my dream changed to a park with green bushy trees. I heard the singing of birds and the thumping of the water droplets on a metal can. I opened my eyes and saw a huge room pained in light pink. There was another bed besides mine. Covers carefully lay upon it along with two pillows. There was a table in the corner by the door. My window was open, and the sun slipped to my bed and warmed me to my awakening.
I raised my arms above my head and pointed my toes. I gave a long stretch. Jumping off the bed I ran to take a look outside. It was a sunny day. I could tell that it was raining a bit earlier. I glanced at the sun. According to it, and if I was not mistaking, it was about one o'clock in the afternoon. I shifted my eyes to the clock that hang on one of the four walls. It read one thirty.
"I slept the day away," I thought, "I should have wakened up hours ago." I was an early riser. Mum never had to drag me out of bed. I was always up by eight. Yesterday must have taken its toll on me.
I took another look at the room. The chair that was occupied by Severus Snape, just this night, was now covered by midnight blue robes. I picked them up and placed them before me. They were of my size. I didn't bother taking off the muggle cloths. I just slipped the robes over me. A small mirror was hanging on the door. I picked up a brush that lay on the light table along with a hairpin. I ran to the mirror, brushed my hair, and with the use of the pin moved them away from my face.
I made my bed presentable and walked out of the chamber. There were many voices all about me. Some were down the stairs, others at my left, and still some were at my right.
"No way, we can't!" I heard Hermione's voice from the nearby room.
"We should just wake her up. She slept for hours!"
"Ron, wouldn't you like to take a long rest after the events that happened to her yesterday?"
"I don't know. Maybe I would, but it's one thirty!"
"She should be left alone even if it would be six in the evening."
"What if she died?"
"She didn't die, as your mother checked on her just an hour ago."
"What was she doing there?"
"She said that the room needed fresh air, so she opened the window. Seriously Ron, go do your homework. Have you written the essay for Professor Lupin?"
I walked to the doorframe and peered inside. Ron was sitting on the floor concentrating on something. Hermione was lying on her stomach upon the bed and reading a book.
"We have an excuse."
"What kind of an excuse, Ron?"
"We were fighting and protecting everyone. We just hadn't any time."
"First of all you didn't do such a thing, as no one allowed you to do anything. Second of all no one is excused from any kind of work not even us!"
"I have to deal with this every single day. They can go at it for hours." I turned my head to see Harry standing behind me with a very beautiful girl with flaming red hair.
"Hi Harry!" I waved at him and then looked ant the girl, "Sorry, I don't know you."
"This is Ginny," Harry introduced her to me. She stretched out her hand, and I met it with my own.
"I'm Katie. Are you Ron's sister?"
"Yap," she answered. I observed the girl that stood before me. She had gorges hair, and brown eyes. Her skin was almost white. Faintly visible freckles covered her face. She had a flower for a mouth of a gentle pink color. Her complexion was delicate. She was a bit smaller then myself, and I was only five, three.
"What are you guys doing here?" Ron asked us, as he walked out of the room. I
looked at him and our eyes met. He blushed a little.
"Oh good morning, Katie!" He added.
"More like good afternoon," Hermione said cheerfully, "did you have a nice rest?"
"Ya. I don't know what got into me. I'm usually up by this time of the day."
"It's ok. Dumbledore was kind of worried about you at first, but everyone reassured him that you were fine. He wasn't convinced, so he has sent mum to check on you." Ron began rambling. He was talking very fast, and I barely comprehended the words he was saying.
"More like you were worried;" Hermione said rolling her eyes. Every one else giggled, and Ron went as red as his hair.
"Are you hungry?" Ginny looked at me smiling. I nodded.
"Lets go to the kitchen, mum would have made something for lunch by now. I'm hungry myself!" Ron exclaimed.
"I can't deny the fact that I can go away with some food, too" Harry rubbed his tummy. Hermione and Ginny walked behind us. They were discussing the vampire theories. I couldn't quite hear them, so I shifted my attention on Ron and Harry once again.
"...flying cars! Can you imagine if everyone had them? It would be bloody brilliant. I love flying cars. However, with our little adventure in the Ford, dad doesn't want to experiment with such magic. He must have gotten a very bad shake. I think I'll make the next one!"
"Make sure it flies better and has no problem being invisible. As for me, I would like to keep to my broom."
"Ya brooms are faster! You must be good on a broom, are you not Katie?"
"Well," I turned a little pink, "I never been on a broom."
"What?" The two boys shouted looking astonished. We even stopped walking, and the two girls behind us bumped into us.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked annoyed.
"This girl never had been on a broom!" Rom pointed at me. Hermione gave him an aggravated look.
"I never had been on a broom besides Madam Hooch's class. I don't like broomsticks;" She said matter-of-factly and passed through us to disappear in the kitchen. Ginny followed her.
"Have you held a flying broom before?" Harry asked.
"Nope," I answered simply and also walked passed them and entered the kitchen.
"Amazing," I heard behind me.
The kitchen was located in the basement. Apart from the rest of the house it was dreadful and depressing. It was a cavernous room with rough stone walls. There was a long table in the middle of it. The walls were bare but occasionally drawers and cabinets occupied the gloomy panels. There were no windows and the only thing illuminating the room was an old hearth in which an inviting fire burned with extreme passion. Iron pots and pans were hanging from the dark ceiling floating in the thin smoke that hang in the air.
A woman of forty with curly red hair was standing before a stove, backed turned our way. She was humming to herself, and I made a check that she has no musical hearing. She was well round along the middle, but not too much. Her dress was knitted of different bright colors. It harmonized well with her hair and jewelry that she was wearing. Muggles call it costume jewelry, the most inexpensive of all.
Two boys were drinking tea and eating biscuits. They also had the red hair. They were twins and appeared to be very jolly. They talked with each other about something of great importance. Mischief sparkled within their eyes. The moment we entered, they stopped talking and looked at us.
"Look Ma, the bunnies are here," one of the twins had said.
"Ya the little darlings," the other one added. The squat woman turned around and smiled at me.
"Hello dearies," she addressed us all, "hungry?" We all nodded. Our heads were practically falling off our shoulders.
"They look like baby seals! George, do you think they'll make good pets at the circus? We can turned them into pets and then sell them. What do you thin?
"It's a wonderful idea, Fred. I'll go get the magical candy." He began rising off his chair.
"You'll do no such thing! When will you two grow up? I'm tiered of your foolish behavior. When will you become two grown and well-rounded gentlemen?"
"Well mother, you see, according to Lucius Malfoy we, the Weasleys, are never going to become presentable." I flinched at the name of Lucius Malfoy.
The squat woman shouted at them at the top of her lungs, "and you are ok with that! Get out of my sight you two! Get out, now!" The twins ran away from her as if a mad dog was chasing them. Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and I sat about the table and carefully listened to the quarrel.
"What are you five smirking about?" We didn't answered and all of our eyes fell to the floor. "Ron, call everyone to the table; we'll be having lunch." Ron stood up and disappeared from my sight. "You three," she pointed at Hermione, Ginny, and I, "place the dishes to the table. Harry fill in the cups with the cold lemonade."
"Where is the lemonade, Mrs. Weasley?"
"Over there in the right cabinet. I placed a cooling charm on it, so it would keep everything cold. It is surprisingly hot this August." She wiped her hands on a towel and placed it over her shoulder.
Hermione took out plates, forks, knives, spoons, and other eating utensils and handed them to Ginny and me. We quickly carried them to the table and arranged them so each chair has one of each. Harry placed the drinks for each chair as well, and the woman moved the bread from the upper shelf of the cabinet to the table with a simple wave of her wand.
Soon the table was ready, but there was no sign of Ron or anyone else.
"Where can that boy be?" The woman asked.
"Excuse me," I called her. She looked at me with her light gray eyes and smiled.
"Yes dear."
"What is your name? I feel kind of awkward not knowing who you are."
"Oh, how stupid of me. I'm Molly, Molly Weasley. I'm Ginny and Ron's mother." She said and smiled once more.
"I'm Katie. Nice to meet you."
"Same here, dear. We'll have a meeting after lunch, and you have to attend it."
"Wow, can we go, too?"
"No Harry, dear. It doesn't involve you."
"But come one Mrs. Wesley. We're old enough. I'm seventeen already. I'm of age!
"You are still in school, and you know the rules."
"But she's going," he pointed at me.
"Because it involves her, and everyone else in the Order, but not you."
"If you allowed me, it would have concerned me."
"Harry, stop being a baby." Ginny finally exclaimed.
"I'm not a baby."
"They are coming in just a minute," Ron said entering the kitchen and sitting at the right of me. Harry sat at the left, then Ginny, followed by Hermione. In a couple of minutes the room was becoming full of people. There was Sirius Black, and Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, a very cheerful witch that I had no idea of who she was, and elderly witch with strict appearances, and a very big man with a bushy beard. Then entered the twins, two men with the same red hair, and Arthur Weasley.
They picked a chair and rested upon it. Before me sat Professor Snape. He was studying me carefully, and I concentrated all of my attention on him, as well, until the gagging noise from my right broke away my attentiveness.
"Are you ok Ron?" I hit him on the back couple of times to help the lemonade turn back to the right channel.
"I'm fine;" he answered in a moment. His voice suddenly turned into a whisper and I bend down closer to him, to hear of what he spoke. "What is Snape doing here?"
"Eating, I presume."
"That's what I thought. He never eats with us. Never stays with us either. I wonder what he's doing here."
"Oh Snape! Are you going to join us today?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a sweet
voice. Snape glared at her and grunted.
"Is it a problem?"
"No! Not at all! You just never stay with us. I was just wondering..." Mrs.
Weasley was getting redder by the minute. She was lost by Snape's question and was embarrassed by her own question as well.
"Well, since the meeting is going to be held in just a wile, I see no reason to leave. Besides," he looked at me; "this young lady can be a handful." I didn't know what he meant by that, but his black eyes were like two dirty puddles of secrets. I looked at his hands, and one of the sleeves of his robes was slightly raised so the bottom of his arm revealed itself. Some kind of a mark was drawn on it. It was of a scull through which a serpent revealed its head from one of the eyes. He followed my gaze and quickly covered his arm.
"You've let her escape!"
"I didn't! She just disappeared!"
The image of the two men sparked before me. I distinctly saw their expressions and their movements. I saw their garments, their wands, and the first man's arm.
"That mark!" I thought and slightly jumped off the chair. Nervously my eyes raised to Severus. His look was perplexed. "No way!" I again began talking to myself, "it can't be! What is he doing here? He is a traitor! He is one of them! He wants me out! He'll still me in the night and will bring me to those two that killed my mother!"
"Ron," I whispered.
"What?"
"Did you know that Snape was a Death Eater?"
"Ya."
"What is he doing here then?"
"Well, he used to be a Death Eater in the old days, but something made him betray You-Know-Who. Now, he is a spy for Dumbledore."
Mrs. Weasley passed behind us. She gave us a bowl of soup. Ron and I thanked her and began ravenously eating it. I got to admit that Mrs. Weasley was a very good cook. Even mum had some problems making tasteful food at times. There were tomatoes, cucumbers, onion rings, and other vegetables on the round plates for everyone that fancied them.
For a wile the only thing that could be heard at the table were the beating of spoons against the plates and the knocking of goblets upon the table. I suppose everyone was coming with terms with everything that took place in the last two days. I know for a fact that Mrs. Weasley was scared of something, as she paled with every second after Mr. Weasley whispered into her ear, so only she could hear.
"This was delicious!" Harry ejaculated.
"Yes it was. Thanks Molly! You made another fabulous meal like you always do!" The cheerful witch had said while placing her plate into the sink and knocking off the vase off the counter.
"Tonks, leave it be. I'll clean it up later."
"Oh sorry! I'll take care of it!" She placed her hand into the pocket of her robes.
"No, really! I'll clean it up, as I said." Mrs. Weasley shouted and quickly got off of her chair.
Suddenly the kitchen door opened, and Albus Dumbledore entered the room. He looked quite happy about something.
"Uh, good afternoon!"
"Is it really that good?" Sirius asked.
"Did you come up with the result to the problem?" Mr. Weasley burst out.
"We'll talk about it later. The meeting is just moments away. Besides I can't pass the opportunity to lunch on such wonderful meals that Molly makes." He sat down at the head of the table. A colorful plate appeared before him with a clown like goblet. Mrs. Weasley ran to pour him some soup, and everyone looked at him flabbergasted. The atmosphere changed from the usual every day lunch period to a tense and demanding environment. All the tense energy gave me a chill.
"Ah Miss. Mal how are you this morning?"
"I wouldn't know sir about the morning, but I'm quite well this afternoon, thank you for asking. How are you yourself?"
"Oh well, well. No problems getting along with everyone is there?"
"Not with the ones my own age, however, I don't know the adults or barely spoke to them." I answered. Harry looked at me, as if I was out of my mind. I didn't quite get why. I was just talking, and I was polite.
"That can be arranged. We all are going to explain everything to you at the meeting, and you'll be informed with the names of the people that you can trust."
"Professor?" I heard Ginny say in a low but firm voice.
"Yes, Miss. Weasley."
"Can we attend this meeting? I mean just until you start talking about the
important things like your next actions or whatever you're going to do. I know you are going to send Katie out before the meeting will be over."
"You are a clever girl. Indeed the meeting will continue after Miss Mal departs the quarters. You all can stay until that time." Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione beamed with delight.
"Thanks!" All four of them yelled in unison.
"Keep quiet you four!" Mrs. Weasley hissed. A wave of laughter passed about the table at that comment.
"However, Harry and Professor Snape will not be joining us."
"Oh come on professor. Can you make an exception just this once?" Harry looked horrible. He was so upset, as if he'll die in just moments. I glanced back at Dumbledore he shook his head indicating no. Harry growled.
"Your studies with Professor Snape are more important than the meeting that
we'll take place today."
"But professor,"
"My decision is final. I do not wish to hear any more questions about it or any more pleadings." Harry leaped from his chair and stormed out of the room. I could still hear the whistling of wind from Harry's robes. Hermione and I exchanged worried looks, but she quickly removed her gaze from me.
Finally everyone was done with his or her own meal, and Mrs. Weasley cleaned up the table. Professor Snape followed Harry moments after lunch was over, and I heard the slamming of a heavy door not far away from the kitchen. Each looked at Dumbledore waiting for his next actions. He cleared his throat and began filling us in with the news he gathered.
"Well, the best way to start out our meeting is by introducing the girl to everyone else and introducing us to the girl. You already met Mr. Weasley, Mr. Black, Professor Lupin, and myself. There is Mrs. Weasley;" he pointed at the red haired woman that made lunch. Her features were so loving that it was no surprise she had so many children and loved them all. I assumed that all the red haired people were her own. "I suppose you met her already. You met Miss Granger, a seventh year at Hogwarts, so lets start with the Weasley's family. You met Ron and Ginny. Both attend Hogwarts; Ron is in his seventh year, and Ginny will be in her sixth. Both are in Griffindor along with Hermione and Harry. The twins finished the school two years ago and now are in the Order. Fred and George, they are called. If I might add their clever inventions are rather useful for the Order." Fred and George beamed with delight at that statement.
"Nice to meet you! You can be our next volunteer to try our latest invention."
"I don't know about volunteering, but I gladly help you make whatever you are making."
"You hear that George?"
"I certainly do, Fred."
"We gladly make you our apprentice," they said in unison, and I couldn't help but laugh at their remark.
"That will be enough you two," Mrs. Weasley said, her temper rising a bit.
"Here is Bill, and he comes from Egypt."
"Egypt! Wow! I always wanted to go there. I'm fascinated by the pyramids. They hold so many secrets. Did you work on the pyramids or had a different position?" I asked him.
"I did work with the pyramids at times, but mostly I was occupied with Gringotts Bank. However, I can share some of the things I know about the pyramids with you."
"Thanks!"
"Well, this is Charley, and he studied dragons before he got here."
"...Now you, my dear, have the power with dragons and serpents..." I remembered Mr. Ollivander telling me at the wand shop. I didn't want to create a big deal out of that comment, so I decided to talk to Charley about dragons sometime later, when he'll be alone. I just looked at him and nodded in the understanding of who he was and what he did.
"Now, this young witch is Nymphadora Tonks." He pointed at a very chipper witch with red hair that broke the vase before Dumbledore joined us.
"I prefer to be called just Tonks."
"Yes indeed she does. Well this is Professor McGonagall; she's your transfiguration's teacher." The eldest witch out of all looked at me with her cat like gray eyes, nodded, and turned back to face Dumbledore. "This is Hagrid;" he pointed at the giant with a very dark bushy beard.
"Nice meeting you," he stretched out his arm, as now he sat in the same seat that was previously occupied by Severus Snape. I stretched out my own hand and thought that he'll break my bones. But his shake was gentle and warm.
"We of course have more people, but they do not live here, so you'll get to know them later on. We must go on to the other things now. I've been at the Ministry of Magic," everyone sneered and he continued, "everyone tells me that Katie's mother committed suicide." I jumped off my chair.
"What? How stupid! They think that she cursed herself for no reason? How can she? The curse does not work on the performer! They should know that! Who runs the Ministry these days?"
"Katie calm down!" Ron told me.
"Miss Mal, they are neither stupid nor blind. They know that your mother was killed, however, they don't want anyone to panic; therefore, they make up stories. Please control your emotions, as these kinds of things happen often in here." Dumbledore said with a gentle voice. I dropped myself back to the chair, and he continued, "they took the body to the wizard morgue and handed the house to her daughter. You are the owner of everything on that property," he looked at me.
"What about my owl?"
"She's fine! She's at the school, as we speak." I gave a sigh of relief. "Even though the house is yours, you are not safe there; therefore it would be sold."
"I do not mind, as I wouldn't be able to live in it anyways." He gave me a nod.
"Furthermore we need to change your identity. No one must know who you are.
We'll have to change your appearances of course to suit your new family."
"How are you going to change me?" I asked kind of worried.
"No need to worry, We will just use a simple charm. Professor McGonagall and myself knows very nice spells that..."
"Neither charms nor spells work on me," I shouted not fully aware of the volume with witch I spoke. Everyone looked at my direction; my statement surprised even Dumbledore.
"What are you inferring too exactly?" An old witch with a square face and quite strict appearances asked me very puzzled but with sympathy and care. I looked strait to her eyes and didn't shift my gaze from one person to the next. I was in a firm believe that no magic in the world could change the way I was. It was impossible!
"Back home part of our Transfiguration class was to change your own appearances. I tried countless times with millions of spells. I wasn't the best with the regular transfigurations, but I wasn't the worst out the lot. My skills were average, and the students with average skills managed to change themselves quite professionally. It was impossible to guess who they were. It's strange how simple hair color and eye colors change, adds and removes a couple of different moods and personalities to and from a person."
"Well, maybe it wasn't your gift to change your own form. Many people are unlikely to have this kind of power," she continued.
"I know, but my teacher managed to change everyone besides me. I don't know why." I saw all of them exchange glances.
"Mum, we can turn her into a really ugly girl, with many defects like the hunchback of Notre Dame." George or Fred exclaimed and loosened up the tension that billed in within the crowded kitchen. Everyone gave a short laugh except Mrs. Weasley that looked as if she'll burst at any minute.
"That's it! I've had it! You two are out of here! NOW!"
"We are in the Order. You can't do anything to us!"
"If your foolishness is going to continue, Lupin and myself personally will take care of you. This is series and not a laughing matter." Harry's godfather had exclaimed and the two boys retrieved into the shadows.
"We'll try. Lets see," Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed it at my hair and mumbled faintly distinguishable incantation. I think what he said was Abeo Ut Rutilus. Red sparks flew out of his wand and encircled my hair. They shined for a long time as everyone looked at me. When they settled down, Dumbledore looked puzzled. I flipped down my hair and looked at it. My locks were still golden.
"That's interesting," he finally said, "that spell changes everything to the color that is indicated."
"I've told you."
"No matter, we made a potion as well. It will change your hair to whatever strand of color was placed in it. The eyes will be the choice of the potion, but they'll be different from your own."
"That a shame," Ron said, "she has beautiful eyes."
"Can't we leave them?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"No, as they can reveal her whole identity." He took out a vile from his robes with a dark red liquid within it and placed it before me. "You should drink it now and close your eyes. I'll mutter a spell so the owls that will be sent to you will only bring the letters to your new acquired name and not the old. You must forget your real name for now, as you can't use it until Voldemort is dead." As he mentioned the name some of the people flinched others just rolled their eyes at those who flinched. I reacted indifferently. My trembling hands lifted the vile and removed the cork. I placed it to my lips and tipped it over into my mouth. It was bitter as if eating soap. My vision began to bluer and I began to see butterflies. I quickly closed my eyes, so I wouldn't get sick. Somewhere in the distance I heard the low voice of Professor Dumbledore, but I couldn't hear the words he spoke.
Finally I stabilized to my normal self, and immediately heard the whole room gasp.
. .
Great Thanks to ShadowStar21, Hippie1212, kay345, Nadin, Emma-Kitty, fcuking cathy. I can't wait to hear what all of you are going to say about this chapter and the once that will follow.
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