A/N: sorry, another short chapter here!

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Samantha woke on Saturday to excited voices coming from downstairs. She had taken advantage of the lack of tutoring lessons to sleep in a bit. Fleur had apparently already woken and left the room.

Samantha rolled over, pulling the blankets over her head, determined to fall back to sleep. A quiet knock on her door pulled her fully awake as she called out, "Yes?"

The door opened, revealing Ron. He looked a bit nervous to be in the room, but he was smiling brightly. "Just thought you'd want to know that Harry's here."

"Harry's here?" she repeated. She was completely stunned. She'd had no idea he was coming to the Burrow.

"He's downstairs having lunch," Ron said before he turned and left the room, pulling the door shut behind himself.

Samantha flung herself out of bed and rummaged through her clothes. 'What to wear, what to wear!' She stopped, took a couple deep breaths, and chastised herself for her behavior. She chose a simple black skirt which fell to her knees and a v-necked white silk blouse. She dressed carefully before tackling her hair.

Her polyjuiced hair was something of a pain. Whereas her true, black hair was long and straight, her new auburn hair had a lot more body to it. It fell to her shoulders in soft waves. It had a tendency to frizz now, and didn't look as good tied back as her straight hair had. Instead, she had resorted to wearing a headband to keep it out of her face.

Today, though, she decided to forgo the headband. Instead, she pulled a pair of black hair sticks from her trunk. Taking advantage of the thickness of her hair, it was a simple matter to twist it up and secure it. She teased out a couple strands to frame her face and judged herself prepared enough to face Harry.

She left her room and silently padded downstairs on her bare feet. She stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, listening to the waves of conversation. Silence suddenly descended when she was spotted by Mrs. Weasley who ushered her into the kitchen.

"Oh, Samantha dear. Come in and have a seat."

Samantha was amazed there was any room at the table since it seemed everyone was crowded around it, but nevertheless, she found a seat across from Harry.

Mrs. Weasley deposited a plate in front of her laden with a cold chicken sandwich. "Oh, Harry, this is Samantha Johnston. She's been staying with us this summer. Samantha, this is Harry Potter. He'll be here the rest of the summer."

Samantha was impressed. She knew Mrs. Weasley was aware that the two of them knew each other, but she didn't skip a beat in introducing them as if they'd never met.

Harry extended a hand over the table and Samantha gave him hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, giving her hand a quick squeeze.

At Harry's side, Ginny leant close to Harry and hissed, "She's in Slytherin, Harry."

Harry released Samantha's hand and turned to glance at Ginny. "She is?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't get too close," Ginny responded loudly enough for Samantha to hear her clearly but not loud enough for Mrs. Weasley to hear, "She might hex you in the back."

Samantha glared at Ginny. "If I hex anyone, rest assured, it will be to their face."

Ginny put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Ignore her, Harry."

Harry shrugged off Ginny's hand. "So, Samantha, what are you doing staying here? I would think you would rather stay with a Slytherin family."

Samantha took a bite of her sandwich before responding. She wiped her mouth primly before speaking, "I assure you that this wasn't my choice. The Headmaster chose to place me here. Honestly, I would much rather spend the holidays with my family." She glanced at Ginny and back at Harry, "And please, call me Sam."

"I thought you lost your parents, Sam?" Ginny asked bluntly.

"Ginny!" Harry and Ron spoke together. Hermione appeared just as appalled.

"It's okay," Samantha responded, slowly rising. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore." She left the room, a smirk on her lips as the others berated Ginny for her remark. As she headed up to her room, she considered the easy familiarity between Harry and Ginny. She couldn't help but wonder if it was anything beyond a familial relationship.

Reaching her study, she decided she didn't care if it was. Harry had said he loved her, even with the glamour. If it was a fight Ginny wanted, it was a fight Ginny would lose.

Samantha sat at her desk and began studying her charms assignment. She doubted she would pull off an O.W.L in charms, but she would at least try her best.