Harry sighed as he finished the last line of his Potions Essay. He looked around, but to his disappointment, didn't see Ginny Weasley.

She hadn't been talking to him lately, and he was starting to wonder why. He wanted to experience her first year with her, but her year mates said they hardly saw her.

Harry stuffed his paper in his school bag and picked up another piece of parchment to start on his Transfiguration Essay.

"Wow mate, 'Mione's getting to you" Ron said from the portrait hole, coming to collapse on the couch in front of the fire beside his best friend "Starting on a Essay that isn't due till two weeks" He whistled.

Harry just dipped his quill into the ink jar and wrote a quick title, not really caring, and to worried about Ginny.

"Have you seen Ginny?" Harry asked as casually as he could. Ron scrunched up his face and glanced around the room.

"Now that I think about it... Not since dinner last week" He said quietly, glancing around again. Harry furiously wrote the Essay, writing faster than he had ever before, just to keep his mind off her.

"Well, exams are in three weeks, First Year is the hardest. Maybe I could tutor her" Harry suggested. Ron stared at him with wide eyes before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, mate, you all right? You do realize you are offering to do homework"

"I'm fine" Was Harrys quick reply. He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. Second year had been reasonably good, except for all the rumors that he was the Heir of Slytherin. And the Parsletongue thing.

He opened his eyes and put his essay back into his bag before bringing out yet another piece of parchment. "I'm going to write my mum, see you at Dinner" He mumbled, walking over to the boys dorm. Once he got there, he took a deep breath and started his letter.

Dad,

Please don't read this to mum, I have a feeling she will not like what I am about to say.

Neither Ron, nor I, have seen Ginny in nearly three weeks. Now, I know I am not old enough to place a report, I am really worried and was wondering if you could send me -a blotch of ink formed on the paper as he stopped writing- the map. I know mum will not like me having those secret passages to my disposal, but I'm really worried.

This analogy is awful, as I haven't talked to her since the beginning of the year, but what if that was mum that was missing? Would you try to find her?

Don't tell mum, not until you give me the map please. Remember the reasons for this or I'll get Padfoot to do it for me.

Love
(Your Terrified Son) Harry

Harry sighed again as he tied his letter up with a green ribbon, hoping that his dad would be himself and realize it was him, opening it immediately while his mum was at work.

Harry jumped off his bed and walked down to the owlery. He tied the letter to Hedwig and sent her off with strict instructions "Give this to my dad, don't let my mum get ahold of it. Only give it to him if you are sure my mums out of the room"

He then set her off and watched as her snowy white figure faded into the moon light.
---------

James opened his hazel eyes at the sound of pecking on the window.

"My day off!" He exclaimed, groping for his glasses. He slid them on his face and looked over to his wife's empty side of the bed. He decided that she must be downstairs, or out somewhere since it was Saturday morning and she didn't have school.

He opened the window to his sons owl, it wasn't unlike usual, but it had the emergency ribbon on it.

In his school days, James and the Mauraders used to be split up for pranks. And, especially mobile ones, they had to watch each other's backs. This led to the invention of the emergency ribbon. James voted for the color green, as red would be known as SOS, but also because he loved the color, Lily's eyes. Anytime that they were running from Filch, or some other dastardly villain, they would take the large thing of ribbon out of their pocket, break off a piece, and tie it or drop it somewhere as to show the other Mauraders that the passage that had the string, was off limits and if they went down there, something awful would happen.

They also used it when initiating pranks. They'd tie the piece of ribbon somewhere to mark that two Mauraders shouldn't be in the hall. As that would be suspicious.

So to see his son had used this method as a way to show him that it was important Maurader business, he was worried.

He slid the plate of treats and water to Hedwig as he opened the letter and she gulped the water before plucking up an owl treat and flying off with one last hoot. He got the ribbon off as he was about to open the door and read the first line. He stopped abruptly and hungrily read the rest of the letter.

Sitting on his bed, James pulled out the Mauraders Map and considered what to do. Dumbledore had given him the Map just a year ago, figuring that James was responsible enough to not take advantage of it and give it to his son.

But James knew this was important and against his better judgment, made the Map smaller, and tying it to the household owl Freema and setting it o. It's way.

Lily is going to kill me, he thought to himself as he watched the owl's retreating figure.
-----

Harry yawned that morning as he got up and rushed down the stairs to the Common Room. He sat on the plushy armchair right next to the fire and waited. Ron came first, falling onto the couch and closing his eyes before falling back asleep.

Hermione was next, and furiously reading and taking notes on a book about Hogwarts myths. She sat beside Ron after giving him a distasteful look.

Harry sighed, checking his watch as he realized Breakfast was in five minutes. Ron stood and made his way to the Portrait Hole with Hermione. He looked back at Harry.

"You coming?" He asked, giving Harry a confused look. Harry sighed and glanced at the Girls Dorms again.

"Yeah" He grumbled, standing up and walking to the Portrait with one last look up the Portrait Hole.
----

Ginny let out a breath as she saw Harry disappear from sight, She waited a few minutes before climbing downstairs and heading towards breakfast.

She didn't even need a mirror to know what she looked like. Her eyes had bags underneath them, her hair was matted from not being brushed, her eyes were also bloodshot, and she was altogether looking horrid. Her roommates avoided her, whenever she slept there anyway.

Good girl Ginny. Tom hissed in her ear. Lets go.

He took over control of her muscles and made her go on her way to the girls bathroom, before she knew it, she was speaking Parsletongue and then blacked out.
-----

Harry didn't get to pull out the Map until the next weekend. With Quidditch and homework, he just didn't have the time. But he wasn't as worried when Brenda Gray, told him that she slept in the Dorms Monday night. He hadn't hear anything since then.

He had just finished his homework and had messily stuffed the paper into his bag when he caught the corner of a certain blank piece of parchment.

He pulled it out and activating it. He saw her dot in the weirdest place. It seemed she was.... In the Great Hall, right behind the Headmasters Pedestal.

He took a deep breath and made his way to the Great Hall. As he walked, he dodged Filch and Mrs Norris several times, and nearly had a run in with Peeves, but otherwise, he made it fine.

As he walked, he pulled out the Map and saw that Ginny was now standing in the Hallway outside the bathroom. He took a deep breath and followed her.

As he rounded the corner, he saw a flash of red and was about to approach when she turned her head. He stumbled backwards before she saw him, but felt his heart stop. Her eyes weren't brown anymore

They were pitch black