“Ginevra . . . Ginevra! GINEVRA!” screeched Francesca’s voice through the house. “Where are you?”

Ginny entered the dining room where her stepmother was located, a dreamy expression cast upon her face.

“Where have you been?” Francesca demanded.

“Just doing my chores, Stepmother,” Ginny answered absently, stepping toward the hutch to retrieve the breakfast tray.

“Hurry up -- we haven’t a moment to lose!” snapped Stepmother. “Get the tea -- now!”

Ginny entered the kitchen, humming to herself.

“So . . . love . . . . Hmm . . . .”

“I expect you had a wonderful time at the Ball last night?” Remus asked, who was gathering the china for tea.

“Oh -- good morning,” Ginny smiled sheepishly as she set the tray on the scrubbed wooden table she ate breakfast at every morning. “Yes, yes I did.”

Remus smiled as he placed tea and crumpets onto the tray. “Perhaps you will meet him again someday?”

Ginny’s face fell slightly. “I do not think it possible,” she said. “Because I believe he --”

“GINEVRA!”

Ginny jumped at the sound of Stepmother’s voice, and immediately bustled out of the kitchen, tray in hands.

She hurried up the stairway into Pansy and Millicent’s shared bedroom.

“Up this instant, girls,” Francesca was saying, pulling the blankets off of her daughters. “We have issues regarding the prince!”

“Why should we bother?” Millicent said sleepily, who was wearing a sleeping mask.

“Yes, it’s obvious he chooses that mystery woman,” said Pansy from the other side of the room. She had her hands over her eyes. “I bet she’s a scarlet woman,” she said harshly.

“Indeed, he is in love with that woman,” said Francesca. “And he is on search. . . However, he does not know her by name, only by appearance and one single slipper! A glass slipper, one of the very slippers she was wearing last night! He will travel from house to house in the kingdom, they say, and each maiden is ordered to try the shoe on! He will be here in one day’s time!”

“And what does that have to do with us?” asked Millicent.

“Think, girls, have I taught you nothing?” said Francesca, rolling her eyes. “If the slipper fits either of you --”

The rest of Stepmother’s sentence was lost by the sudden sound of breaking china.

Ginny had dropped the tray, and her mouth hung open as well.

“The Prince . . .” was all she offered for explanation.

“You clumsy fool!” Pansy scolded.

Stepmother produced her wand and with a wave, the china was fixed.

“O-of course . . .” Ginny said absently, picking up the china.

“Go get more tea,” said Stepmother, who gave Ginny a look as if she was appraising her stepdaughter. “And rouse the rest -- the house needs cleaning -- it’s filthy!”

“Yes, Stepmother.” Ginny hurried down the stairs.

“Goodness, child, whatever are you rushing for?” Grandmother Minerva cried as she burst into the kitchen.

Ginny did not offer explanation, only rushing down the basement stairs and locking herself. “Tonks -- I need you!” she whispered desperately.

“What is it?” Tonks asked, who was righting a crate to her right.

Ginny gasped with surprise.

“Well -- you wanted my help, didn’t you?” Tonks asked, rearranging her bright purple robes that matched her hair, which flowed onto her shoulders. “Out with it!”

“I-it’s Prince Harry,” Ginny said. “There are rumours afoot that he is searching for me! He has one of my glass slippers!”

“So?” Tonks asked, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“That means he will come here!” Ginny hissed. “He will know it’s me!”

“And . . . Don’t you want that to happen?” Her Fairy Godmother quirked an eyebrow.

“Yes!” cried Ginny. “And no . . .”

“I don’t see the problem, Gin.”

“If he comes here, then that means Stepmother will find out I left the house to go to the Ball -- and that means Ron and my friends will be in trouble -- and then she’ll lock me up -- and I’ll --”

Tonks’ hand came to a rest on Ginny’s mouth. “Shush, for a moment, child,” she said. “None of that will come to be. Just relax. Everything will reveal itself in due time.”

Ginny stepped away from Tonks’ hand. “What does that mean?”

“Just that,” the older girl answered. “You love him, don’t you?”

Ginny smiled sheepishly, but nodded. “Yes.”

“Then have faith in that.”

“Ginny -- are you all right? Whom are you speaking to?” came Remus voice.

The door opened, and Ginny whipped about.

Remus stared between his surrogate daughter and the young Fairy behind her, before Tonks let out a gasp.

“Oh sweet Merlin!” she cried before disappearing in a cloud of sparkling stars.

“Who was that?!” Remus cried, who had a hand to his chest.

“Er -- w-who?” Ginny asked, forcing a smile.

“That -- that woman!” Remus said faintly. “S-she -- was in -- purple! Only a few years older than you -- she was right behind you!”

“I do not know what you are talking about,” Ginny said. “Come on -- Stepmother has grown fangs again -- we must get to cleaning the house!”

“But --”

“Come on!”

As they closed the basement, Ginny looked back to the spot where Tonks had disappeared, a worried frown on her face.

*~*~*~*

“Harry, dear, did you even sleep last night?” Queen Lily asked when she saw her son sitting in the dining room alone.

Harry silently shook his head, his eyes on the single glass slipper in front of him.

“Oh Harry.”

Lily swooped over him and kissed his forehead.

“It isn’t fair,” Harry said, feeling like a child. Nevertheless, he did not care. “I don’t even know her name.”

“You shall find her,” Lily said. “She’s out there somewhere.”

“But what if I don’t? The last resort is to marry . . . Somebody else. . . But I love her. She is who I want. I . . . I know I’m selfish, but . . .”

Lily’s response was only a small shake of the head with that benign smile of hers, kissing her son on the head again.