"So, ummm," Derrin glanced down at me as I leaned on him for support. We were walking down a sidewalk leading into the Glasgow City Centre. "If we are ghosts, how d'you suppose we're gonna eat? I'm famished."

I thought for a second, suddenly realizing I was also extremely hungry at his words. "You know, I don't know if we're actually ghosts."

"Huh? S'not every day you turn invisible to the world, you know."

"Yeah, but we're both hungry, right?"

"Yes...very."

"Ghosts don't eat."

"I know, but--" His voice died off as he tried to think of a reply.

"And as far as I know, Ghosts don't bleed, either. Sure, they can be covered in blood after they die, but ghosts don't bleed. And I don't think they can feel pain physically."

"How do you kno-- Oh, wait, never mind. So why d'you reckon we're invisible and all, well, walk-throughish and stuff?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. But we'd better find a way to get food soon or we're in trouble."

"Yeah!" Derrin exclaimed. He slowed up a bit and looked down at me. "I'm getting dizzy already! I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

Oh Roooon, I have found your long lost twin.

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, let's go to the nearest corner market. They're usually packed full around this time of day. If we can pick stuff up, it'll be harder to notice if something goes missing."

"Okay! But-" He stopped short, and we both halted our walk. "What about after? After we find out we can or can't eat, what'll we do then?"

"Ummm," Usually I would go to Dumbledore, but if a glimpse of Ron did this, imagine what walking into Hogwarts would do to us!

We started walking again, and Derrin, seeing me in deep concentration, kept silent.

Think, think, think, oh come on, Harry. You've been in worse scraps than this. So, how the hell are you going to get out of this one? Can't go to Dumbledore... wait a minute...

My mind went back to the night, when Ron and my eyes had met for that split second before the curse took action.

Ron is here. In Glasgow. Hermione's probably here too. I can't see him getting this far without her...So if I find them, but no. I can't see them again. Who knows what'll happen? Damn it Voldemort... I swear to God...

I became increasingly frustrated as I realized just how helpless I was. I couldn't do shit! And it was really pissing me off. I couldn't see anyone who I knew. I couldn't go for help...

I can't go for help... but

"Derrin." I spoke suddenly, startling him.

"Daaah!" He regained his breath and his nerve before saying, "What?"

"I have a little experiment for you, okay?"

He gave me a suspicious look, and after a second said, "Go on."

"Well, whether or not we can eat, we're still in a jam here, right? We need to find help somehow."

"Yeah!"

"But I can't go."

"Why not?"

I ignored him for a moment and said, "But you can."

Once again we stopped. I could hear the voices of many people around the corner at the market place.

He stared at me. "What do you mean, 'but you can'? I don't know where any of the places you told me about are, except London, and that's a little far away if you hadn't noticed. And how come you can't go for help? Why--"

"Will you shut it for a moment?"

Derrin immediately fell silent.

"I can't go for help, but you can. I can't go anywhere where I might recognize somebody. I think I know what set off the curse last night. You remember I told you about Ron and Hermione?"

Derrin looked confused, but answered, "Yeah, they're your friends, right? From Hogwarts?"

"Yeah. They're my best friends in the world, besides you and Sam, of course. But that's not the point. I saw Ron last night. Before the curse went off. He just kind of appeared a few tombstones away. So that's why I think Hermione is here too, because I don't think Ron can apperate yet. But who knows, I haven't seen him in over a year. But them being here, and you being stuck in this with me gives us an advantage."

"Yo want me to go and find them, and see if they can help us without them coming to find you."

"Exactly."

He took a deep breath, then said, clapping his hands together, "Right. We have a plan. But first, let's eat."

"If we can."

"Shush. You just have to ruin it, don't you?"

"Hell yes. Didn't you know? I live off misery."

"I could tell."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron and Hermione walked down the sidewalk together at a fast pace.

Voices could be heard around the corner. It sounded almost like a street market.

Ron skirted around a random person walking down the sidewalk, who had been totally absorbed in his own thoughts and had not even noticed Ron.

"Watch it, you!" Ron said angrily as he jumped to the side to avoid a collision.

The man ignored him and kept walking. Ron rolled his eyes and jogged to catch up with Hermione. "So, how do you plan to contact Dumbledore?"

She slowed down to let him catch up. He slowed to a walk as he reached her side, and she said, "Well, I was thinking we could go back to the tattoo shop where Harry works and get our invisibility cloak back, then, break into a house and use the fireplace. We have floo powder, it's in my backpack."

But then she stopped suddenly, and after a few steps, Ron realized she had halted, and stopped, too. "What?"

Hermione raised a hand over her mouth. "The invisibility cloak!"

"What about it?"

"We left it in the shop! Someone must have found it by now!" She consulted her wristwatch. "It's one o'clock now, so the shop's been open for three hours or so now!"

Ron slapped a palm over his forehead. "So much for that plan."

They both looked at each other.

They were so deep in thought, that Ron was unable to jump back to avoid the collision of another random person walking down the sidewalk.

"Aaaagh!" Hermione and Ron looked at each other, both fairly pale. "Hermione," Ron gulped. "Did that person just walk through me? "

Shaking slightly, she swallowed, and nodded.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the parlour, Sam and Tom were working hard, trying to serve a group of twelve teenage boys who had come in together for their first tattoos. Fortunately for Sam, she was so busy she had very little time to think about her two missing friends, one in particular.

After about five solid hours of work, she finally got a break, while Tom finished up the last tattoo for the group. She sat in the back room with the lockers, sitting in an armchair and drinking a soda. After a few minutes, something caught her eye.

Setting the drink down on the table next to her, she got up and walked to the other side of the room. Kneeling down, she observed what looked like a silvery silky cloak, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. She picked it up, marveling at how light and soft it was.

"Hey Tom." She called into the other room.

"Yeah?" came the gruff reply.

The low buzz of the tattoo needle filled the room.

"Did you leave a cloak on the floor back here?" She rubbed the silky material between her forefinger and thumb.

"No. Must be James' or Derrin's"

"Okay."

She turned and unlocked Harry's locker and placed the cloak gently inside, before closing and locking the door. She doubted Derrin owned anything this nice. She had been to his house before.

"Sam, I think someone just walked in."

"Coming!"

'Of all the days not to show up.' She thought to herself as she headed out to the front room where a couple in their early twenties.

'And they had to pick this one...'