Harry Potter sighed looking up at the stars. Soon he would be going back to Hogwarts. He had always loved the start of the new school year before but now he had two reasons for wishing it to remain August 31 forever. First, he had spent most of his previous summers with the Dursleys. Going just about anywhere to get away from them was welcomed, even if it involved putting up with Snape. He was slightly more reluctant to leave the Burrow. The second reason was haunting him. Ginny was still missing. He wished he hadn't listened to her that day and left her alone, and by the look on Ron's face, he could tell he was wishing exactly the same thing. Ginny had left no room for inquiry on exactly what her purpose was in Draco's eyes. He was beginning to agree with Mrs. Weasley, they should go and get Ginny or do something. He wasn't quite sure what he should or indeed could do but the prospect of doing nothing was too much to bear. The worst thing was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were almost always at each other's throats. Last night Arthur hadn't come home until after midnight claiming he was working late. Mrs. Weasley wasn't about to accept that.

"I can smell it in your breath Arthur!" she had yelled as Mr. Weasley nonchalantly disappeared up the stairway not even looking at his wife, "YOU'VE BEED DRINKING!" she yelled after him. And now Harry could hear them at it again. He turned to glance at Ron lying on the grass next to him along with all the other Weasleys. Even Percy had joined them. No one much wanted to be inside once Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the same room. They were all pretending not to notice the voices vibrating off the walls inside but Harry could tell each and every one of them was listening intently.

"It's like you don't want her back Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley was screeching at howler-volume.

"Of course I want her back Molly!" he responded just as upset.

"Well you do a fine job of showing it. Practically forbidding your wife and children from talking about it!"

"For Ginny's safety Molly! I've learned that Lucius Malfoy is not a person to be fooled. It's one thing when we're talking about getting a few dark artifacts, it's worth the risk that he'll find out and move them, but our daughter's safety is different!"

"Yes, getting Ginny back might involve some risk right? It's okay when you have the ministry backing you but once you have to act alone it's a completely different story isn't it?"

"How dare you suggest I wouldn't do anything to save Ginny, to save any of our children? If I knew I could get her out I would even if it cost me my life, but the best option is to wait Molly. Harry and Ron are right, she'll probably escape once that fowl little runt goes back to school."

"Oh it's always waiting with you isn't it? Why I remember the time..." Harry stopped listening. It was too much to bear. Sighing once more he resigned to look at the stars, but something else caught his eye. It was green and although it was a long way off, the twinkling didn't escape Harry's notice.

"Ron," he said nudging the boy lounging next to him, "Ron is that what I think it is?" Ron looked to where Harry was pointing.

"Oh-no, it can't be," he said, "Hermione, Percy, Fred, George, tell me you're not seeing what I'm seeing.

"Oh Ron!" Hermione squealed, "It is!"

"It must be the Diggorys" Percy said quietly, "I just don't see who else it could be." and for once Fred and George were silent as the six of them stared at the Dark Mark.

~

Ginny flew away from the Malfoy Manor as fast as Malfoy's Firebolt would carry her. Despite her negative disposition to flying, she did a loop once she was crossed the grand walls of the manor. However the enthusiastic joy only lasted so long before Ginny was overcome with waves of panic. She had no idea where she was, and what's more no idea how to get home. She had never thought to inquire where exactly she was being held captive. Traveling by floo didn't require the journeyer to know the exact location of their departure gate, nor their arriving gate, only the names. She supposed she might be able to last a night or two y transfiguring small items into food but magicked food only lasted for a day before evaporating and thus any energy Ginny received would quickly disintegrate, the effects could be horrendous. If she ate too much and had spent the energy before the food evaporated things around her would start to die. As a result the Ministry forbade the complete conjuring of foods and as such Ginny had never been taught exactly how to transfigure any sort of food. Ginny sighed and thought her best bet was probably to find a well-hidden place to spend the night. Maybe if she was lucky she could find a family to take her in and possibly get a ride to Ottery St. Catchpool.

~

Lucius stood and left his study grabbing an old necklace from a desk drawer. He needed to find his soul seer. He walked past Draco's room and hesitated. He knew he was impeding on his son's privacy but he was curious to hear what exactly he was doing to the girl. In his opinion, Draco was being rather soft with the lass but he wondered if her near escape would quell his softness. However, when he pressed his ear to his son's door he was utterly surprised to hear silence, a complete and utter silence.

"Mactosonitus," he whispered the amplifying charm at the door, but again there was no sound. Cautiously he tried the knob, only to find the door locked. "Alohomora" he said and the door opened just a sliver. Lucius peered around the door expecting to see Ginny tied up and Draco having his way with her. However, what he saw was Draco sprawled on the floor and no Ginny Weasley in sight.

"Ennervate," he said pointing his wand at his unconscious son. Draco stirred and then opened his eyes.

"Father, what are you doing here?" he said a little dazed.

"Where's the girl?" Lucius said harshly.

"Girl?"

"Ginny, your birthday present."

"GINNY!" he said, the mention of her bringing his sense back full force.

"Where-is-she?" Lucius said slowly.

"She- I had her against the wall and she was crying but she yelled that Potter was here. Of course it only took me an instant to figure out she was lying but the next thing I knew she was pointing my own wand at me and she must have stupefied me.

"Did you ever tell your mother to lock the gates?" Lucius demanded.

"No-I-I saw her so I just chased her down this hall." Mr. Malfoy took a big breath.

"Draco, I understand your mistake. However that doesn't change the fact that if the girl gets out without a memory charm, it could be very detrimental. Now how do you think she left?"

"Ummm," Draco said, "she must have just walked out the front door."

"No, that's locked." Lucius said. Then he spotted the open window. "Where's your birthday present?"

"I don't know!" Draco said exasperated.

"Not the girl! The Firebolt!"

"Leaning up against..." but the broom wasn't there, "Ugh, she must have taken the broom," he said. Lucius grabbed Draco's pocket watch.

"10:15" Lucius said, "She could be anywhere by now. Take your old Nimbus and chase her down."

"Yes Father." Draco said and in seconds he had located his broom and was off, flying out the same open window.

~

Ginny landed outside a village. It wasn't the best idea but she knew flying in the wrong direction would be an extreme waste of time. She reasoned tomorrow she could figure out exactly where she was and then at least get a relative idea of which direction she should fly in. After flying rather low, for quite some time she found a small alcove in the wood where she could sleep and transfigured a rock into a large feather pillow. She hoped she was still close enough to the manor where no one would notice. Obviously Draco was allowed to do Magic outside of school. She tried to sleep but she was too excited. All she could think was I'M FREE! The panic she was feeling earlier had passed; she could get home one-way or another. She just hoped she wasn't too far away.

~

Fay Bainbridge sat outside her cottage in Yorkshire. Even at sixty-five she never tired of looking at the immense blanket of stars the Good Lord lay before her every night. She had lived in her cottage ever since she was a little girl and the sky never ceased to amaze her. She was just admiring a constellation she had never quite noticed before when a girl or something zoomed in and out of her vision, and was she riding a broomstick? No she told herself girls don't ride broomsticks. However, thirty minutes later she was quite sure she saw a boy riding a broomstick. Not long after that she decided it was time to go inside, telling herself her eyes were going with age. Ah, said a small nagging voice inside her head, but you've been seeing boy's like him on broomsticks since you were little.

~

Ginny looked up at the sky admiring the stars. Although she saw the stars in all their glory almost every night at Hogwarts, tonight they were particularly beautiful. It felt so good to sleep in the open air, feeling the slight breeze against her body and the calls of animals not hindered by thick oppressive walls. The vast dome of ever twinkling stars was as open and wide as her pink canopy bed was small and confining. She was in the middle of admiring the fact that she could see the outdoors wherever she looked when something sped above her with a loud whoosh. She looked up and caught the tale end of what had to be Draco Malfoy flying above her. Had he seen her? Was her freedom going to be so short? Life couldn't be so cruel as to allow her such a brief glimpse of what she was missing before it threw her back into captivity! She made up her mind. As wonderful as it felt to be outdoors she couldn't stay there for Draco to find and capture once more. It was all too dangerous.

~

Draco Malfoy sped on in search of Ginny, genuinely surprised at his father's lack of an outburst even though he had let the girl get away. If Ginny was smart enough to get out of the Manor, he was sure she was smart enough to not stop anywhere close to the manor. So he sped as fast as he could for the first forty-five minutes, figuring that was how much of a lead she had with a thirty-minute head start and a superior broom.

~

Rushing in the opposite direction of Draco's path, Ginny went off in search of somewhere to stay. She only hoped she was in some sort of Wizarding establishment, of course the odds of that being true were slim to none. She mounted her broom and, going as slow as the Firebolt would allow, started off through the tress. Despite the slower speed, the journey was still break-neck and wonderfully enjoyable after being encaged for so long. However she wasn't prepared to emerge from the woods at full speed onto a busy street. She severed upward and only narrowly avoided getting hit. The sudden jerk caused her to suddenly soar above the trees and her eyes fell upon her answer, a small town. She landed on the outskirts and hid the broom in an alleyway. Now there was only the problem of money. She needed somewhere to stay but she only had Malfoy's small bag of galleons. Briefly she considered transfiguring some spare twigs into muggle money but a conversation that transpired between her mother and father came back to her. Arthur was discussing a new muggle protection act and she was almost certain she had heard him talking about the goblins charming muggle money so it couldn't be magicked into existence in any way shape or form. But something from the same conversation also floated back to her memory. Hadn't her father said something along the lines of "the only thing that can now be converted to muggle money is a galleon?" But what was the charm to do such a thing she distinctly remembered him saying "with the charm..." but she couldn't remember it. 'Motorlis?' she guessed No, but that sounds about right around right, 'Muto..' I think that's close... 'Mutomortal...' no, AH-HA! She thought, I've got it'

"Mutomortalis," she called aiming the wand at the moneybag. The next thing she knew the bag had lightened considerably and she pulled out a wad of bills. She ran down the main street of the town, looking for somewhere to stay before Malfoy decided to double back and find her.

~

Draco Malfoy slowed down and starting scanning the ground for Ginny. He had to find her!

~

Ginny found just the place she was looking for. White letters reading "Holmlea Guesthouse," donned the black awning above the door. The place looked warm and inviting, even in the harsh electronic light she wasn't used to. Hurrying across the street she stuffed the wand into her robe pocket and opened the door. A light ching was heard in the lobby. A lady appeared behind the counter.

"Yes?" she said, eyeing Ginny's robes.

"I'd umm, like a room." Ginny said. The lady was smiling but Ginny had the distinct feeling the woman would resemble Professor McGonagall if she frowned.

"We don't rent rooms to those under age of eighteen," she said sternly and Ginny found her prediction was correct, "Especially those wearing costumes."

"But, but, oh please!" Ginny said, she couldn't go back out there, Draco could be anywhere and she would NOT go back to the Malfoy Manor.

"Are you in trouble with the law?" she asked.

"What? Oh no! I just, I've been ummm-" she knew she couldn't say 'kidnapped' because then the woman would probably ask who her parents were and how she could reach them, and she highly doubted this woman would happen to have a post owl on hand, or a fireplace connect to the floo network.

"Well what is it?"

"I really need a room."

"You've made yourself quite clear on that subject. Why Miss..?"

"Weasley,"

"Why Miss Weasley do you need a room?"

Ginny gave up; if she knew one thing from spending so much time with the Malfoys it was 'money talks.' "I'll pay you double the normal rate."

"Are you quite certain you haven't had a run in with the law?"

"Yes, if any law enforcement comes looking for me you can lead them right up to my room. But uhh," she hesitated, "If a pale blonde haired boy comes in looking for me, don't tell him I'm here." she paused and eyed the woman doubtfully, "Please?" she knew she was pushing it but she couldn't risk Draco finding her. The woman's face suddenly softened upon hearing Ginny's words. She figured the girl must have had a run in with her boyfriend and was fleeing him. She couldn't charge her double now.

"Oh," she said quietly, "I see. Well, thirty pounds then."

Ginny pulled out the money sack and gave the woman a piece of paper with a 'ten' and another one with a 'twenty' hoping she was interpreting their currency right. "I'm Mrs. Ladd." the woman said, "I'll lead you to your room." She led Ginny up a staircase and to a door with a large black '3' on it. "A continental breakfast is included what time would you like it brought to you?"

"Uhhh, maybe around nine." she said, she was going to enjoying waking up with no Malfoy to be sugary sweet to.

"Right," the woman opened the door and handed Ginny the key, "Enjoy yourself Miss. Weasley."

"I will," she said "Thank you."

"Of course." Mrs. Ladd turned and left closing the door behind her.

~

An hour of searching was leading Draco Malfoy to nowhere. He wondered if he should go back to the house. But that idea was quickly over-ruled. He didn't think his father would be as understanding if he gave up. With a grunt of resignation, he leaned forward giving the Nimbus 2001 an extra burst of speed.

A/N: Good news; I no longer have writers block! I'm almost done with this story but I'm planning on a sequel. If you want me to e-mail you when I update just review because I've taken to emailing everyone who reviews to tell them when the next chapter is up!