Ron Weasley had a massive hangover. He stumbled his way into work only by pure luck and instinct. He was late, as well. Hermione had tried to wake him before she�d left early for a Wizengamot hearing, but he�d rudely told her where to go and had slipped back into sleep. So of course, in reparation for that, Hermione had eaten all the blueberry scones for breakfast and left him a cold teakettle. Ron had shown her though, he�d had leftover cake for his morning meal. Although right now, Ron was thinking that something almost pure sugar in content had not been a wise choice.

Rubbing his stomach as he entered the lift, he didn�t notice the other wizards and witches look twice at him. With his thoughts centered on the night before, he didn�t hear their whisperings when he got off the lift, either.

After the party had died down a bit and every single witch in the greater London area had thrown herself at the guest of honor, Ron, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Fred and George had kidnapped Harry away to his flat to welcome him home the proper way. Which according to Fred and George meant ingesting copious amounts of Ogden�s Firewhiskey and shots of some Muggle drink Dean had brought along called Tequila.

The six of them had made a go at seeing who could get pissed the fastest and he had to admit he�d managed to win the contest with flying colors. Unfortunately for him, he gone home afterwards instead of staying on Harry�s couch. Hermione had been very cross indeed when he�d awoken her at 3:30 in the morning, singing into their window about not being able to open their door...

Sitting down at his desk, Ron closed his eyes and held his head in his hands. He should have stopped and got something for the headache but maybe part of him believed he deserved it. He should have never allowed George and Fred to talk him into downing a whole bottle by himself.

�There.�

A loud rustle of noise and something that felt like a ton of parchment being thrown at him, made him look up. Hermione was standing in front of his desk, her arms folded. Ron groaned. Working with the person you shared a bed with did sometimes have its disadvantages.

�There, what Hermione? Can�t you see I�m in pain here?�

Hermione merely looked at him, not budging.

Ignoring her for the moment, Ron reached down into his robe and tried to find his wand. Maybe he could conjure up some Pepper-Up potion or better yet, some Abernathery�s Day After Drinking pills to make the hangover fade away. His hand kept falling into nothing but air and he looked down at himself with a frown.

�Oh, for heaven�s sake, Ron. Here... let me. To begin with, you have your robe on inside out. How did you ever leave the flat looking like this?�

Shaking her head, Hermione reached into her robe and pulled out a small bottle. She tapped out three small, greenish white pills and handed them to him. With a flick of her wrist she produced a pitcher of ice cold water and poured him a glass. With gratitude on his face, Ron offered her a weak smile and then took the pills. He always hated the way the things tasted, but they sure worked fast enough. Already he could feel the throb of his head begin to abate.

�Thanks for that. I didn�t know you carried those around with you.�

Hermione rolled her eyes and then conjured up a chair so she could sit down next to him.

�Living with you the last five years and knowing your brothers has taught me to always be prepared. Now are you up to reading the folder I�ve just given you or do you want me to just tell you?�

Looking down at the mountain of parchment she�d tossed on his desk, Ron made a face.

�Maybe you should catch me up to speed and I�ll... I�ll look through this later. I�m taking this has something to do with the early Wizengamot meeting you hurried off to?�

Hermione looked on the verge of telling him to read the folder first, but decided not to. She looked grim and Ron suddenly had a feeling of foreboding.

�Remember that case we had about 4 years ago... the one where a wizard was bothering Muggle girls? He was using magic to distract them and used it to take advantage of them?�

�You mean that pond scum, Louis Fagan? Yes, of course I remember. The slimy git.�

Hermione took a deep breath. �Well, it seems his father now wants us to reconsider our position. He wants us to help lift the ban on Louis�s magical usage. Seems he thinks we may have been too harsh.�

Ron�s eyes widened. �Too harsh? He used magic in front of Muggles! Not to mention the fact he abused them too. Why that one girl... she... she was... well, I remember Dad saying they had to use a powerful memory charm on her just to bring her back to semi- consciousness. Please tell me the Wizengamot laughed at him and told him to go back to America?�

Hermione shook his head. �Fagan left America when he brought Draco over for Harry. He�s been gathering people to his son�s cause ever since. He paints a convincing picture of a young, innocent wizard gone awry and I hate to say it Ron, but I think they may be lenient in this case. After all, no one was really hurt, were they? Just a couple of Muggle girls.�

Hermione�s voice was bitter and Ron shook his head. In the 6 years since Voldemort�s demise, Muggle and Wizard relations had been on the improvement. The two worlds were co-existing in almost perfect harmony, except for the minor incidences here and there. Louis Fagan�s misguided step had been the rare occasion where true harm had been done, which of course the Ministry had covered up. Only the Muggle Affairs Office and a few members of the Obliviator Squad knew the true extent of it.

�I can�t believe Amelia Bones would let Donald Fagan get away with this. The restriction on Louis was her idea, to begin with. She was disgusted at what he had done!�

Hermione shook her head. �Yes, but Amelia is stepping down soon, you know that. She�s retiring. Some people on the Wizengamot think Fagan wants her job and furthermore they think he should get it, what with the work he�s done in America.�

�It was because of his work in America that his git of a son didn�t get sent to Azkaban to begin with!�

�I know, Ron. He came back with a cowered Draco by his side and took all the glory that should have went to Harry. When the business with his son came about, nobody wanted to tarnish the Fagan name. You�d think we would have learned by now but everyone keeps making the same mistakes, it seems.�

Ron sighed and felt depressed. He didn�t like this at all.

�So, what do we do? Did Dad say what he wants us to have prepared?�

Hermione nodded. �He wants us to contact the Obliviators that helped with the Muggle girls. He said they should have the statements they made before their memory was taken care of. Your father seems to think that a refresher course in what Fagan did to them might do the Wizengamot some good.�

�Well, that shouldn�t be a problem, should it? Those Obliviators keep good records about such things, right?�

�Normally. But in this case, all four Obliviators no longer work for the Department. They�ve either quit or retired or moved to other areas. Your Dad thinks this will cause us some problems. We only have until Friday.�

�Why-?�

�The hearing is set for Friday morning. Donald Fagan has pushed it forward so that if we don�t come through, Louis may very well be off and running with nothing to stop him.�

�Well, maybe he�s changed Hermione... I mean, I don�t like the git or anything, but maybe he�s learned his lesson.�

Hermione considered this and then shook her head. �That�s not the point, Ron. He did a crime and he should fulfill the punishment he was given. Just because it was done to Muggles doesn�t mean it�s any less worthy of our world�s strictest rules. If he had taken advantage of wizarding girls, they�d be no consideration in his favor. I think some of the old prejudices here are at play in this.�

�But Donald Fagan has been a huge supporter of Muggle Rights in America. I mean-�

�Yes and that�s precisely why he�s been able to get the Wizengamot to consider clemency. He knows exactly what buttons to push and what to say. I don�t know, I just have a bad feeling about all of this.�

Ron took her hand into his. �Well, let�s get to work then. One less slime ball on the streets always makes me sleep easier. And then we can get back to more important matters... like house-elves and the love life of my young sister.�

Hermione smiled and her face brightened. �I don�t fancy what it feels like to be Ginny today. I don�t know who I�d be more nervous to encounter- Dexter or Harry. �

Remembering the glowering look Harry had given his sister from the night before as she�d left the party, Ron had a feeling which one she�d be avoiding the most.

Ginny decided not to go into work at all the next morning. After her display at the party she was feeling decidedly anti-social and didn�t want to deal with Dexter�s know-it-all grins. She�d owl�d ahead and told him she was going to Bath, alone, to help out the witch that had lost her cat. She would then head out to Canterbury and see Neville.

They needed to talk.

It was a talk that Ginny couldn�t put off anymore, she knew that. After they had left the party, Neville had seemed preoccupied with something and had been unusually quiet. He hadn�t even wanted to come in for a cup of tea. He had kissed her in perfunctory manner and left in an absentminded way.

Her mind was so full of Dex and Harry that she hadn�t let it bother her as she tried to get to sleep that night, but in the morning her first thought was of Neville. And even though Ginny knew her feelings for Neville were no longer romantic (or if they ever had been) she did know that she cared a great deal for him. She would have never made it through her last year at Hogwarts without him. He had been her rock, her best mate, and her confidant. She had poured out all of her young, silly teenage self to him and he had seen her at her worst and still loved her all the more for it. How could she hurt a soul as trusting as his?

The return of Harry Potter into her life had sent everything into a tailspin it seemed, but Ginny knew it would be unwise and too simple to blame it all on Harry. It was a storm that had been waiting to happen ever since she had decided to distance herself from her true emotions. Her work with Miracroix had taught her that no matter however tightly you hid it away, the thing that frightened you or hurt you the most always had a way of making itself known again. And it would come back again and again until you dealt with it, once and for all.

Harry was the thing she had covered and hidden away deep inside somewhere. Her reaction to his physical presence was just the tip of the Florean Fortesque�s Ice Cream Cone, in her opinion. Her connection with Harry went deep. It always had.

Maybe Ginny owed it to herself to see what that meant, exactly.

Not that it would clear anything up. There was still Dex, who Ginny had to admit she liked a lot more than she�d thought. Neville had always been there, in-between her work partner and her, they had never gotten closer than mindless flirting and endless teasing. Who knew what would happen, if as Ron said, Dex jumped at the chance to be with her, after Neville was out of the way?

Ginny knew her mind was in no state to find a missing button, let alone a missing kneazle, so she tried to clear it as she waited for the Knight Bus to take her into Bath.

When it finally arrived, Ginny felt shaken and not soothed in the slightest and she hoped the walk to the witch�s house would calm her. She had tried to blend into the Muggle surroundings she�d be going into by not wearing her regular robes. She wore a plain Muggle dress that was nonetheless causing some reaction from the construction workers who were putting a new sidewalk in on the street she was walking down. She ignored their whistles and catcalls. She willed her mind to block them out. Sometimes having great mental abilities came in handy. Not to mention the temptation to turn them all into toads created a certain mental image that made her smile to herself.

When she reached the end of the street, she did a double look back to make sure no one was watching. She slipped through the gate that said Do Not Enter! and disappeared from view. As her eyes adjusted to the shade, she saw an outline of a house through the trees.

Knowing that this was the place, Ginny walked up the front porch, prepared to knock. Garden gnomes stuck their heads out of their holes and bared their teeth at her. Ginny wasn�t quite sure, but she could have sworn she had seen an Augurey in the thorny bramble along the front path. She didn�t hear anything so perhaps she had been mistaken. Of course, since most wizards believed hearing the cry of an Augurey meant you were about to either die or get rained on, she should probably count her blessings.

Before Ginny reached the front door however, it opened and she found herself face to face with the darkest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. Ginny pulled back and lowered the hand that had been ready to knock. She smiled uncertainly and reached in to pull out her Ministry of Magic card when the old woman spoke.

�Watch it right there, Missy. I�ve got no time to buy anything nor do I have any time to listen to you preach about anything. You must be magical or otherwise my bird would have let me know you didn�t belong here. Now what do you want?�

�Er, well... you�re Matilda Bowering, right? You owl�d the Ministry of Magic about your missing kneazle... er... Beaubeaubarry, I think is its name? I�m Ginny Weasley, I�m from the Department of-�

�Ah! �Bout time they sent someone. I�ve only been owling you people for a month of Sundays. Well, don�t just stand there out in the sun, come in and see what you can pick up.�

The old woman moved back from the door and opened it wider for her to pass through.

Ginny looked around after her eyes had adjusted and couldn�t believe what she was seeing. Almost over every square inch of Matilda Bowering�s house was a cat. Or a kneazle. Sometimes they were half-and-half, like Crookshanks. They mewed at her and two or three jumped down from their posts and rubbed against her legs.

�Well, did you come all this way to stare at the cats I do have or did you come to find Beaubeau?� The old woman snapped at her and Ginny blinked and shook her head.

�Er... Miss Bowering, how many cats do you have? The Department for the Regulation and Control-�

Bowering spit at her. �Bah! Don�t you mention that Department to me, missy. They�ve already come and advised me I have too many creatures living in one place. Codswallop. I know when my cats need more room. Seems to me they should have better things to do than worry about an old woman and her friends. Seems to me you have better things to do as well, so get to it. I haven�t got all day, Miss... Weasley, did you say?�

Ginny nodded. �I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to-�

�Weasley... yes... seems I�ve known a Weasley here or there... don�t have a brother named Bartholomew, do ya?�

�No, but my father is Ministry of Magic, maybe that�s how-�

�Nope. I don�t have much mind for politics, missy. It�s good to stay out of those types of headaches. Could be Merlin himself sitting up in that high chair and I wouldn't give a rat�s tail one way or the other. Now let me show you where Beaubeau liked to sleep. Maybe you can pick up on some vibration from him there. �

Ginny frowned as she followed the woman through the house. Bowering seemed to know an awful lot about how she worked, for some reason. She was about to ask the old woman about it when the Grandfather clock in the main hallway went off, scaring her half to death.

As the loud bell tones ended, Ginny shook her head and looked at the room the old woman had led her to. It was an old style tearoom, complete with high-back chairs and grand fireplace in the center of it all. Of course, as it was with the rest of the house, it was in a state of decline. The cats had pretty much taken over the house and it was a shame too, because Ginny had never seen such beautiful paintings before.

They were Muggle paintings and not the wizard kind, so they didn�t move. But even despite that, they were beautiful. They showed gorgeous women in romantic poses, some with clothes and some without. Ginny felt her skin flush as she looked at a particular one that showed a boy lying on a bank of brown earth, a leopard skin thrown casually across his middle. The artist had captured the youth and beauty of his age with a few masterful strokes of the brush. The boy had dark hair and was looking away from the viewer of the picture. He appeared to be asleep, but there was something about his posture that reminded Ginny of Harry. Her eyes lingered on the wide expanse of his shoulders and she let them wander downwards to the trace the subtle line of his hips as they disappeared under the leopard skin. Her eyes flicked to the girl that was emerging naked out of the water, her dark red hair cascading down her back. She wore a green cap of some sort, made out of the thick leaves of one of the river plants. Ginny loved the way she seemed to just blend into the trees, as though she were a part of nature itself. It seemed to be an intimate moment and Ginny suddenly became aware that the old woman was watching her.

Ginny blushed and nodded towards the painting. �This one is beautiful, but I�m not familiar with the artist. What is it called?�

�A Naiad. It�s by a Muggle painter I used to know. Romantic fool... he did most of these you know.�

Bowering nodded her head to the rest of the paintings and Ginny realized that not only did the paintings cover the walls of this room, but of the next one as well. Each one showed people more beautiful than the next and Ginny had to stifle an urge to follow the paintings around the house.

�Bunch of romantic codswallop you ask me. Hope you have sense enough not to get lost in a tangle like that. Love never did anything for anyone, except to bring tears and turn formerly smart people into dim-witted saps.�

�But why do you keep them around if-?�

�I have my reasons, missy. Now are you here to find my cat or aren�t you?�

Nodding her head guiltily, Ginny followed Bowering into a side room that lay off the right of the one they were in. The smell of cat was stronger in here and Ginny had to bite her tongue not to perform a quick �Scrougify� spell.

Bowering pointed to what looked like an old pillow, complete with worn tassels and edges.

�Well, that�s where Beaubeau liked to sleep at night. Let�s see what you can do with that.�

Ginny frowned and knelt down to pick up the pillow.

�Miss Bowering, I might not be able to find him from this, if some of the other cats have been using it-�

�Nonsense. I asked the Ministry to send me a seer and by golly, girl, you are going to find my cat, no matter how many others have slept on that bed.�

Frowning, Ginny touched the pillow with her left hand and closed her eyes. She sensed a quiet buzz at first, but then nothing. In her mind�s eye she saw cat after cat come in and sleep on the pillow, but she knew none of them were the one she was looking for.

�How long as Beaubeaubarry been missing, exactly?�

The old woman made a muttering sound under her breath. �Look, it�s not my fault you took a month to get out here, now is it?�

Well, she�s a wonderful help, Ginny thought to herself. Come on you, get it together and find this miserable old bat�s cat and get out of here. You have hearts to break, remember?

With that in mind, Ginny cleared her mind and reached out further with it. She frowned in concentration. The images she was seeing were jumbled and misplaced. Almost as though they were from another time. Something wasn�t right. Something about Bowering was coming from the pillow as well...

Ginny opened her eyes and stood up. She looked at Matilda Bowering and then at the wall behind her.

�I don�t think this is very funny, Miss Bowering. The Ministry won�t like the fact that you called me out here under false pretenses.�

Bowering gave her a long look and then her face broke into a smile. It was such an odd thing to see on that wizened face that Ginny felt un-nerved just by looking at it.

�Well, it certainly took you long enough, my dear. I was afraid you didn�t have the sight at all. Now-� she paused when Ginny turned to leave the room, �don�t go running off in a huff. My, I wish I had the temper of a redhead, yes indeed. Let me at least tell you why I dragged you out here. Beaubeau? Come!�

Bowering turned to the wall behind her and tapped it. A moment later, Ginny watched as a pearly white cat floated through it and jumped up onto the shoulder of her hostess. If Ginny didn�t know any better she�d swear the phantom cat was grinning at her.

�Miss Bowering, does the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures know you have a non-corporeal pet running about? I think they�d be quite interested in-�

Ginny stepped back as the cat raised on its hackles and hissed at her.

Bowering grinned even wider at Ginny. �You�d best not mention anything in front of Beaubeau here, Miss Weasley. He�s awfully sensitive to people who are interested in him for more than just his pretty coat of fur.�

Ginny had to bite back a retort as she watched Bowering run her hand lovingly down the ghost cat�s back. How cold do you think that feels? Ginny asked herself, remembering when she�d accidentally patted Nearly Headless Nick�s hand one time. She shivered in remembrance.

�Well, come on then. Let�s have a bit of tea. You�ll need it.�

Ginny followed Bowering numbly out of the room and back through the way they had come. She was relieved to see that Bowering at least kept her kitchen in a semi-clean status and didn�t have an urge to clean anything before sitting. She watched from the table as Bowering moved around with the ghost cat roaming back and forth over her shoulders. Ginny made a mental note to never become that attached to a pet. Ever.

Bowering poured her a cup of tea and then shooed Beaubeau away. Ginny watched as he jumped down, look disdainfully in her direction one last time and then slunk away, tail in the air. It was very odd to watch a cat you could see through, snub you. Ginny was still marveling over it when Bowering spoke.

�Well, you seem to have a decent enough head on you, that�s a nice change, although you�re quick with the temper and the being nosy part will probably cause some trouble, but I reckon I can�t help you with that. Once I tell you what I�ve seen, it�s out of my hands.�

�What you�ve seen?�

�I�ve had a vision. And it�s not a pretty one and it�s not something I�d ever bother tellin� anyone else, except this one�s not left me alone like any of them other ones and I need my conscience clear.�

�A vision? You mean a psychic one? Shouldn�t you have contacted The Prophecies Department? Why call someone out here to look for your cat?�

�Ah, what the blazes does the Prophecies department know? Besides it�s not really a prophecy is it? I remember it. Besides, they�re a bunch of dunderheads, always askin� too many questions. Sending those Unspeakables into my house to verify everything. Codswallop. I wanted a seer and I asked for a seer and here you are. I reckon you�re the only type I can trust to understand the nature of what it means to see things you don�t want to see.�

Well, she had her there, Ginny had to admit. Despite herself, she was curious as to what the old woman had seen.

�Do you have visions a lot? I mean, you might want to talk to someone about-�

�Nonsense, girl. I got better things to do than to sit about and tell people what I�m seein�. Besides, I never was much good at it. I only get them now and again. But like I said, this one was bad and so I feel it�s my duty to tell you and then maybe you can go nosin� about and see if you can find anything out.�

Ginny blinked and sat back in her chair. One of the cats had come into the kitchen and was meowing loudly. Bowering pulled her wand out of her pocket and flicked it at the cat. A saucer of milk floated down to it and it began to lap at it.

Is this for real? Ginny thought to herself. Ron and Hermione would just love to hear this story later.

�Er... well, okay. What is it then? What did you see?�

Bowering nodded at her and then closed her eyes tightly. Her face scrunched up and turned red. Ginny almost asked her if she were all right when she began to talk quietly.

�There�s goin� be trouble. Bad trouble too. Disappearances and killin�s... at least one, before it�s over and he won�t be stopped, not by the usual ways. He�s slippery this one and no one knows what he�s capable of, not by a long shot. He�s thirsty and he�s hungry. He wants everyone to hurt like he hurts and he covets that which he cannot have. Until he finds her, until he possesses her, he won�t stop and he won�t care who he hurts.�

Ginny stared at Bowering, her teacup half way up to her mouth.

Bowering opened her eyes and her face returned to its natural color. She nodded at Ginny and then took a sip of tea out of her own cup as though they had just been discussing the morning�s weather.

Ginny put down her untouched tea and stared at the women in front of her.

�Well? Is that it? What sort of trouble is there going to be? And who is it that you�re speaking of? Do you know their name? Their face? What?�

Bowering snorted at her and then laughed. �Girl, I thought you were a seer. You know the gift isn�t about facts. It�s about emotions. Images. Fog and Uncertainty. Merlin sake, the future doesn�t stand still for anyone, let alone a seer. You have to make do with what I gave you.�

Ginny felt the first flush of anger on her cheeks. �You get me out here, testing me to see if I could find your cat, which I did quickly, by the way, then you feed me this story about bad things about to happen and now I�m supposed to... do what, exactly?�

�Well, that�s up to you. My part has been played, I think. Now if you don�t mind, since you�re not finishing that tea of yours-�

For some unknown reason, Ginny felt her anger get the best of her. She stood up. �Fine, Miss Bowering. But let me assure you that the Ministry officials are going to find out about this. I�m sure there are at least a couple of wizards who�d like to know the state of your house out here and the fact that you�re keeping that... cat as a pet.�

Ginny pointed to Beaubeau, who had just come into the kitchen again, jumping onto Bowering�s lap. The two stared at her with derision.

�Do what you must dear. But don�t say I didn�t warn you. Don�t let the door slam on your way out.�

Ginny watched as Bowering started cooing at Beaubeau and scratching what used to be the area behind his ears. Feeling disgruntled, she stamped out of the house and didn�t bother to catch the door as it slammed shut.

The Augurey she had seen earlier let out a mournful cry as she passed.

�Oh, shut-up you mangy old bird. Good riddance.�

Ginny was still cursing as she ran back to where she had disembarked from the Knight Bus.

It had started to rain.