To my Favorite Baker:

I had never planned on letting you in on my little secret in the manner in which it occurred. I'm sorry you found out that way. By now, you must be wondering if I truly did those awful things Harry Potter said I did. The simplest answer is yes. I robbed a shop in Knockturn Alley, and I am in possession of a powerful magical object that is unheard of in the rest of the world. Harry Potter caught me once before, in Hogsmeade with his pet, Weasley, but I escaped. Currently I'm on the run in ways that I never dreamed of as we played by the lake in the springtime at Hogwarts, or when we made fun of Professors and Hagrid. I never thought I'd be a fugitive.

All I know is that I don't want to lose contact with you. You have been my friend longer than anyone else in the world, and to be banished from the wizarding world as well as our world would be a terrible blow. Please send a reply with this owl, as soon as you get the chance. Evelyn, you know me better than a file written in the Ministry of Magic. I am not a bad person.

The letter was very brief and to the point. Shay had written it immediately after he had found a safe place to hide, which took the form of a settlement in a mountain near a waterfall. The rapid rushing water foaming over the rocks merely footsteps away attracted him to the place. The noise didn't bother him much. In fact, it seemed to thrust all of the distressing thoughts from his overly active mind. After he had written the letter he folded it up and placed it in the pocket of his cloak, and lay on the lush green grass near the rapids, dozing off for an amount of time he didn't know.

He awoke alone, which was comforting. The dawn was just breaking as he stirred, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He stood on his feet to plan out his next action.

Yes, actions would be very difficult to plan out these days. It would not be just Harry Potter and Ron Weasely chasing after him now. Shay would be tailed by a host of both more practiced and more able Aurors. His name had somehow leaked, meaning that posters with his face as well as his name would be placed all around the world, making it nearly impossible to be seen in public. Circumstances were admittedly difficult. Shay ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He paced back and forth slowly for the better part of an hour, determining what he would do. Suddenly he froze in his tracks. A plan came to him in a single stroke of genius. Shay would infiltrate the Ministry and use the Imperious Curse on the Minister to clear his name.

***

Ginny Weasley nearly choked on her scolding hot coffee that morning. She had once again risen before the rest of her family and had stolen downstairs to fix herself some cereal for breakfast. Momentarily, she noticed the official, stern looking owl which carried the Daily Prophet pecking impatiently at the small circular window behind her. Ginny quickly gathered several bronze knuts from a cupboard nearby, opened the window, and placed them into the pouch, taking the rolled up paper in return. She unfurled it, flipped the pages through the main articles, and saw a familiar face staring at her glumly. His dark hair covered his forehead and part of his eyes, which were gray, looking gloomy and listless. They looked this way and that, uninterestedly, and then returned to the reader. Ginny stared back. It was Shay.

Above his picture was an article titled "A New Threat?" in big bold black letters. She read it in rapid succession, hardly pausing to breath.

On June first of this year, The Graduating Class of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry celebrated on the grounds after receiving their Certificates of Completion. This was the last that anyone has seen of Shay Edwards.

Shay, (17,Male,Slytherin) has already committed a list of crimes that are grounds for arrest in the few short weeks that he has been of legal age. Whether it be a robbery or holding Harry Potter at wand point, Edwards has been attached to the fray. We have testimony from Borgin, owner of Borgin and Burkes.

"He entered, and I didn't think much of him at all, the same way you would. But then he whipped out his wand faster than an eye could blink, demanding something that would let him speak with the Dark Lord." Borgin has not agreed to give any further comment on the conclusion of the nights events.

With his description from Borgin listed in the Auror's Department, Top Aurors Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were assigned to the case. They arrested him on a chance encounter in Hogsmeade, but Shay escaped using a trick long forgotten called Point Warping. Shay remained silent for the next few days, but that ended last night. Shay was meeting with a possible accomplice by the name of Evelyn Baker in the Leaky Cauldron. Potter, who had been investigating the situation, found him at 18:30 on Friday night. He moved to make the arrest, but was outsmarted yet again by the spineless Edwards, who disarmed the famed her and, held him at bay with his own wand before vanishing once again. Investigation is still being conducted on Miss Baker, who blatantly lied to Potter before Edwards was discovered to be in the same room.

Although he is yet to show his true colors as a dueler, Professor McGonnagal, Headmistress of Hogwarts, had this to say about her former student:

"Shay Edwards was never outgoing or friendly. He would enter my classroom alone, usually before everyone else, and he would leave in no rush. Whenever I had to speak to him he was never impressive to talk to, he was very meek. I have never seen him with any friends except for Miss Baker. Even during the feasts in the Great Hall they would take turns mingling at each others' tables to the dismay of the other students. As far as his marks go, they were perfect. I looked into it once, because his tests were eerily perfect, and I suspected cheating, but Edwards has shown signs of a true master of magic

So what are we to expect from this "master of magic?" Kingsley Shacklebott has refused to speak on behalf of the Ministry, and although Edwards seems to be nothing more than a sly fox who flees when confronted, the magical community is warned against his motives.

Hermione Granger

Journalist for the Daily Prophet

Ginny finished reading, open mouthed and shocked. Several things were running through her mind upon the completion of reading the article. She mostly felt guilty for being tricked into believing that Shay would be anything more than a criminal as an adult. She had spoken seriously with him, enjoyed his company as they walked through Hogsmeade, even spent time with him alone in a vacant forest. All of this was behind the back of her boyfriend, who was supposed to be tracking him down. What was worse was that Ron had arrived home early from work to his mother's pleasant surprise, claiming that it was on business. He grabbed a quick lunch and then called Ginny down to speak with her. He had asked her if she knew anything about Shay Edwards that would give away his whereabouts. Ginny had been obviously bewildered, but didn't think much of it. Ron did not explain that her new friend was about to be arrested. He had left satisfied enough when she mentioned that he was never seen with anyone except for Evelyn Baker, telling a huge lie when she said she didn't know anything else about him.

This was a secret she was taking to her grave. Neither Ron nor Harry could ever know that she had spoken with him in private lest neither of them would trust her again. Personally she didn't blame them. She took another sip of coffee, recovering slowly from the shock. The article would not be any surprise to Harry and Ron. She rolled the paper back up again, but in the process a note fell out.

Ginny,

This copy of the Daily Prophet was sent specifically to you at my request. I need to speak with you today, at 12:00 afternoon at the Three Broomsticks.

Your Friend

Hermione

Ginny read the note briefly, folded it up and placed it in the pocket of her robe. She proceeded to climb upstairs to shower and freshen up for the day just as the rest of the family began to rise and descended the many stairs of the Burrow to the kitchen. She was glad; she didn't want to be a part of the awkward family discussion about Shay Edwards. In a strange way she felt isolated from the rest of them today.

Ginny bathed and dressed herself, all the while wondering what it was the Hermione would want to discuss with her. It seemed both pressing and secretive, judging from the context of the note.

At 11:30 the sun was almost fully raised, and Ginny announced her business to the family.

"All right dear," said Mrs. Weasley from the other room. "Tell her we wish her the best and that we read her article," she called.

"I will."

Ginny walked nervously to the edge of the driveway, feeling anxious for a reason that she could not explain. She put her emotions to the back of her mind and Apparated to the edge of Hogsmeade.

It was almost the end of June now. The summer heat was intensifying, beating down at a high concentration on those who were without the protection of the cool buildings of Hogsmeade. Ginny walked quickly, as the heat made her sweat after several minutes. He walked so fast that she accidently bumped into a man emerging from the Post Office. He had short blonde hair and fair skin. His eyes were gray however, and horridly familiar.

"Sorry," he mumbled, stepping away from her quickly.

"Hey…" Ginny started, but the man had departed before she could stop him. The next time she blinked he had vanished into the crowd, then into nothing.

Ginny shrugged, and entered the Three Broomsticks, which was thankfully chilly.

Hermione was already waiting there, dressed in a thin robe. She was facing away from her as Ginny entered, but she could not have mistaken that bushy brown hair for anyone else. She smiled and made her way through the crowds of typical teenagers on vacation. She took a seat opposite of Hermione, who glanced up as she did so.

"Ginny!" she exclaimed cheerfully. Ginny returned the greeting enthusiastically. It had been a few weeks since she had seen Hermione. She and Ron had been dating, but as an Auror there were very few hours to relax. She knew that better than anyone else. As a Journalist Ginny supposed there was more time to relax, but the pay was supposed to be terrible. She knew that Hermione would not care about that however. She was the smartest…well, second smartest witch in her year, behind Evelyn Baker, and if she chose to work as a Journalist, it was because she had a passion for it, which was ironic due to her hatred of Rita Skeeter.

"So, how have you been?" asked Hermione.

"I've been dealing with a lot. I got a job a couple days ago though. I work here as a waitress during the week and it's enough. Harry bought us an apartment near Diagon Alley the other day, and we'll be moving in next week."

"Wow that's great!" said Hermione kindly. Ginny did not need it to be plainly stated that she would never be as successful as Hermione, but she appreciated her kindness anyway.

"How are you and Ron?" she asked.

"We're fine. Ron's been talking about moving out when we get enough money. I can't really help much with that, but we'll figure it out somehow," she replied. Ginny nodded politely and then fell silent, allowing time for Madam Rosmerta to approach her and Hermione, greeting them kindly with a tray full of drinks. She provided them with several glasses free of charge, and the two women thanked her profusely.

As they sipped their drinks, Ginny wondered when Hermione would begin explaining why she really wanted to see her. She did not have to wait long before the beans were spilled in a sickening sentence.

"Ginny, I brought you here to warn you," she said.

"About what?"

"Perhaps this will explain it." Hermione reached into her robe where she extracted two pictures, each was with Ginny and Shay in it, as they walked through Hogsmeade several days ago. Ginny was grinning and blushing as she walked near Shay, who had a handsome, charming smile on his face. The pictures looked provocative enough, but the title was worse.

"Cheating with Alleged Criminal?" Ginny snatched the pictures away and stared at them in horror, reading through the article which clearly stated she and Shay had been spotted and apparently photographed walking through Hogsmeade. It painted Ginny as a flirtatious, unfaithful woman to Harry Potter, who had been through enough depression in his life.

"Hermione I…"

"Don't worry, I've paid the Ministry not to publish this, because I know how detrimental that it would be to your reputation as well as Harry's. But I can't explain to you how careful you have to be. You're in the limelight most of the time now, because Harry is not just a hero for no reason anymore. Just try not to get caught in these situations," said Hermione in an exasperated voice. "And burn those," she added. Ginny nodded seriously, placing them into her own pocket.

"But Hermione, you have to understand that when I met him, I didn't know that he'd robbed a store. And he just seemed so…helpless."

"I never would've thought you'd be one to care for a Slytherin anyway," Hermione replied offhandedly. Ginny had no reply to this.

"Like I said, it won't be sold, and I have the only copies. But please don't get caught again like this. I'd hate to know what everyone would think…" she said.

"Hermione, I can't thank you enough, I mean…this article, well you know, it would fly off the shelves," Ginny replied breathlessly.

"It would," Hermione agreed grimly. "Well, I'm sorry but I really must be going. It's been nice seeing you," she stood up from her seat and hugged Ginny, who was momentarily stunned from the conversation, but forced a weak smile and a meager farewell. Hermione slung her back over her shoulder. "Say hi to everyone for me. But you'd best keep secret what we talked about," she warned, before turning and exiting the pleasant environment of the Three Broomsticks, bracing herself for the scorching heat.

Ginny remained seated for quite some time, finishing her drink and ordering another, which also came free of charge. Working at the Three Broomsticks had its perks. She mulled over everything that had happened to her, and finally dismissed it as a lapse in judgment on her part. She had been foolish to think Shay anything more than an enemy. It was for this reason Salazar Slytherin had left Hogwarts long ago. It was impossible for the two of them to be friends, it was futile to try. Her place was at Harry's side, in their apartment in Diagon Ally. As she stood up from the table, bidding Madam Rosmerta goodbye, this was what she focused her thoughts on. It cheered her up. Just a little.