Lindsay pulled away quickly looking shocked. "I'm sorry", Harry apologized quickly. "I dunno what's gotten into me." Harry could feel his face growing hot, and he turned away as he could not bring himself to meet Lindsay's eyes.

Lindsay turned Harry's face towards her with her pointer finger. "Harry", she said, "It's alright. Your confused and hurt. Just forget about it, I know you didn't mean it."


"What do you mean he loves the idea of me?" Ginny asked the girl pacing in front of her.

"What I mean", Sammy explained, "is that Harry loves the idea of having a pretty, Weasley girlfriend" Ginny still looked confused. "Ah", she snickered, "you haven't worked it out yet have you? Well let me make it a bit simpler. Harry's best friend is your brother, Ron Weasley correct?". Ginny nodded slowly. "Well his other best friend id Hermione Granger, right?" Ginny nodded again, not sure where she was going with this. "Well now that Ron and Hermione are dating, he feels like a third wheel. What's the easiest way to get back in the loop? To date you of course."

Even though Ginny knew this girl was crazy, she thought her words had a bit of logic in them. Ginny started to despair at the thought. What if she was right? Did he feel lonely when her brother and Hermione got together? Is that why he had gotten with her in the first place?

"There's something else I want to know, why didn't you follow my warnings?", Sammy sat down on a chair and looked at Ginny intently.

"Because", Ginny sighed, "I love Harry, would you just abandon someone you love just because some stranger leaves you a cryptic note."

Sammy didn't answer, she just sat where she was. She had an odd look on her face and she didn't speak again for over a hour.

When she finally did speak it startled Ginny so she hurt her wrists when she tried to move against her bonds. "I'm going to go get us something to eat, I haven't had any breakfast and neither have you. What do you want, toast, eggs, sausage?"

"Uh, toast is fine thanks." Ginny was surprised that the girl was actually going to feed her.

"But don't leave, or try to leave. You'll dearly wish you hadn't if you do." Sammy warned her and left the room swiftly.

Ginny took the time to cry. She wept and screamed and ranted. She finally forced herself to stop and think. How was she going to get away? This girl wasn't going to kill her. She seemed crazy but so far she hadn't actually harmed her, Ginny didn't have any reason to think she would. But how was she to get her wand. It was in her pocket but she couldn't reach it, she was to tightly bound. But she could reach her wrist with her mouth. She began to slowly chew on the ropes. They tasted awful. Like smelly old socks. She laughed to herself. Harry had told her once about how foul his uncle Vernon's socks were, and that sometimes he just wouldn't wear any socks. Rather than wear the nasty one's of his uncle.

I wonder if Harry will come and find me? I hope he doesn't believe a word of that nasty letter. What if no one finds me? She can't keep me here forever. Can she? Ginny's thought were morose and full of a dim hope. Ginny cried some more and then chewed on the ropes a while longer. She chewed until she heard a key turning in it's lock. She hastily covered the teeth marks and shifted herself back to a normal position her neck ached from bending over so much, so when she turned her head it cracked four times in a rapid succession.

The door opened and she saw Sammy bumble in laden heavily with packages. She deposited them on the far side of the bed. Not so very close to Ginny.

"You've been crying", Sammy said. Ginny didn't reply. "You don't have to cry ya know, just learn to accept it. Life isn't fair, not to any of us. So keep you eyes dry."

She heated up some salted ham and eggs for herself and pulled out some slightly soggy toast for Ginny. She placed some buttered bread in Ginny's hand motioned for her to eat. Ginny had her apprehensions. she didn't know if she should eat food from a known enemy. But her stomach was rumbly so she ignored her better judgment and ate. Ten minutes later she felt fine so she satisfied that it wasn't tampered with.

Sammy stood up and paced the floor in the same place she had been before. There was now a well worn path in the years of the dirt where she had walked.

"You know", she said, "I really don't like you."

Ginny was slightly surprised at her comment, Sammy's dislike for her was fairly evident in Ginny's opinion. But it had also come quite out of the blue.

"O-Ok", Ginny stammered rather stupidly.

"Would you like to know why?", The dark haired girl simply stared at Ginny for a moment before continuing. "It's because your probably everything I want to be. Your pretty, smart, on the quidditch team, and of course and most importantly you have Harry."

"Well, I mean a guys not everything. Harry's made my life better, but I had a life before." Ginny spoke and she secretly hopes if she was nice, this girl would let her go.

"Cut that kind of bullshit", Sammy snapped. "Harry is your life, soon to be my life." She fixed her hair in the aging mirror in front of her. Ginny hoped it would crack. Sammy was very pretty on the outside. She had long dark straight hair, the kind of straight Ginny could never hope to achieve. She was slender but had curves in all the right places. Ginny couldn't believe this girl couldn't find a suitable boyfriend her own age. But then again the little part about her being crazy might drive them away. Ginny gave a little snort of laughter but stifled it immediately.

"What are you laughing at!" Sammy looked unpleasantly at Ginny and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nothing , nothing at all", Ginny said quickly.

"Tell me Ginny", Sammy said thoughtfully, "what is your greatest fear?"

"I don't know", Ginny spluttered after a minute or so.

"Of course you do", the girl said in a sinister way. "You don't want a shot of this do you?" Sammy held up the vial and threw it carelessly from hand to hand.

Ginny thought, what's my deepest fear? I don't know, I've never really thought about it. Sammy waited for a few minutes before making a impatient clicking sound in her mouth.

"I guess it would have to be growing old and dying alone."

"That's very deep. But silly." Sammy looked around the room stroking her chin. "Of course you won't be alone all your old life. You'll get married eventually. Maybe even to someone in this school, probably someone in this school. Unless you like the foreigners, the Americans aren't bad but I don't see you marrying some Czech. Don't worry you'll get someone else."

"I Don't want anyone else!", Ginny exclaimed.

"Too bad, this isn't up to you. Why don't you accept it for God's sake!"

"No!", Ginny yelled, "It is my choice! It's my life not yours. I make the decisions not you, not Harry, not anyone. Why don't you go back to your own life and leave me alone. Your pretty! Your smart! Can't you leave Harry and go find someone else that fits your personality! Everyone has a soul mate, mine's Harry. You haven't found yours yet. But if you keep up like this you'll be alone forever. No one really wants to go out with someone who's crazy! Plus you can't make Harry love you. His love is for him to give to whom he chooses!"

Ginny was so angry she had tears leaking out of her eyes. She willed them not to, but she always cried when she was angry. No matter what.

Sammy looked close to tears also, which surprised Ginny. "My Uncle said that if I got together with Harry everything would be alright. We could bring him to him mansion and have a good ole time. He said he'd always wanted to meet Harry and that his boss would really like to meet him to. He asked me if I'd try to court him this year, no matter what, he made me promise. That I had to bring him home with me over Christmas holiday. He said he'd be back home by then. He said we could have presents and a huge turkey."

Sammy trailed off and looked wistfully out the window. Ginny had become immediately suspicious. "Who's your uncle?" , she said curiously.

"L-Lucious Malfoy" , she said with a small hiccup.


Harry was ashamed at himself, he had beat himself up about it all day. As he sat in Transfiguration he paid no attention to the thimble he was supposed to be changing to a duck. Hermione glanced worriedly at Harry before turning and whispering in Ron's ear.

"Is he alright", she said glancing again at Harry.

"No", Ron said with a sigh, "you saw that note. If you gave me a note like that, I would be crying my eyes out. Also you heard that Lindsay girl say something happened this morning when they went out by the lake."

Hermione knew what he was talking about. Lindsay had told her that Harry had kissed her, on the condition that she didn't tell Ron. She had the feeling Lindsay didn't like Ron so well.

"Your right", she whispered, "but I'm still worried."

"Yeah", Ron sad.

Why did I kiss her? Why did I say she was pretty? Ergg I'm horrible. What will Ginny say? Doesn't matter now does it. She doesn't love me I guess. Ah, but what does Lindsay think of me now? She probably thinks I'm some great pig who goes on the rebound the second after his girlfriend dumps him. Well I guess I kinda did that.

"HARRY POTTER! WATCH WHAT YOUR DOING, YOU HAVE A COW ON YOUR DESK!"

Professor McGonagal was now yelling at Harry and brandishing her wand like a sword. Harry had been so absorbed in his musings that he had not noticed the very large, very smelly cow now perched precariously on his desk. Harry blinked and Professor McGonagal had vanished the spotted cow from their presence.

"Mr. Potter, you need to be more careful , unless you want us all to be squashed!" McGonagal gave a sharp flare of her nose and turned from him to face Lavender who had accidentally given Parvati a beak.

That evening Harry stood on the quidditch pitch and breathed in the fresh air. It was cold, absolutely freezing. But the feel of the crisp air through his nostrils was oddly clarifying.

His teammates were gathered around him shivering slightly but Ginny was nowhere to be seen. Harry had expected her here. She never missed quidditch practice, and a fight was no excuse. He had a winning team to manage and this was not helping. During the whole of practice Harry cleared his mind of all the troubles that were beseeching him at the moment. As his robes whipped through the air he thought of Ginny very little. Even though her presence was strikingly obvious on the field. Her notable hair was absent from the pitch. Harry kept his mind on practice though, Gryffindor was going to win the cup this year. He was sure of it. They had already creamed Hufflepuff and their closest match was Slytherin which was not until the Holidays were over. Harry kept his team practicing anyway. He didn't want them losing their conditioning over break so he planned to work them until the last possible moment.

After practice Harry ate a pleasant supper, the only thing wrong was Ginny's absence. When he, Ron, and Hermione went up to the common room Harry expected her to be there. But she was not, instead Lindsay came running up to him. Her face was etched with concern and she started speaking very fast.

"Ginny wasn't in any of her classes today, I don't think she wrote that letter. I don't know where she's at! She might be hurt, she's not here. I saw the writing in the envelope, that's not hers! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, I think I'm going to faint." Lindsay made good on her word. She crumpled into Hermione's arms.

They lay her on the couch and put a damp cloth on her forehead and fanned air onto her face. She finally came round after a few minutes. She was slightly breathless.

"It's alright, Lindsay calm down." Hermione said soothingly, "Did you say Ginny wasn't in any of her classes?"

"Yes", she answered.

"And you don't think she wrote that letter?"

"Right"

"It wasn't her handwriting?"

"No"

"Alright", Hermione said bringing herself to her full height. "We have to find her."


A/N Wahoo I got four reviews! LOL i like to celebrate the small acheivements. Well i only require 3 reviews so I decided to update earlier than planned. Anywhoo most everybody didn't like that kiss between Harry and Lindsay. Sorry! Well it will serve it's purpose in later chappy's! Please please review! RR! Thanx for reading mah story by the way. Oh and I don't own any of the characters in this story except for the ones i create. I also do not own Harry Potter or any of the settings! Yeah had to do that, better safe than sued!