Hermione smiled as she wearily fell onto her sofa. She had been out apartment hunting all day, and she felt sore all over. She muttered a few things under her breath about greedy building owners who sold adorable old buildings to department store chains, but her heart wasn’t in it tonight.

Because she had found another apartment.

It was an adorable little brownstone in the middle of London. Even though all the other tenants were Muggles, which would severely complicate things, the apartment was simply perfect.

Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote a note to Ron.

Ron -

I found a wonderful little apartment today. It’s absolutely amazing - the perfect size, lots of bookshelves and other storage space, and I can move in tomorrow. The only downside is that it’s in Muggle London, but that doesn’t really matter. I absolutely love it! The address is on the other side of the parchment. See you for dinner on Friday.

Love, Hermione

She sent the letter off with her tawny owl, ate a light dinner, and headed to bed.

---

Hermione sighed as she dropped the last box on the floor. Because the apartment she was moving into was in the middle of Muggle London, she had to carry all of her boxes up four flights of stairs - a trying task even when the boxes were Charmed so that they weren’t heavy.

But now - Hermione locked her doors and closed the blinds. Waving her wand at the boxes, she watched contentedly as her belongings flew out of the boxes and to the proper rooms. She went from room to room putting things into baskets, onto shelves, and into cupboards. She unshrunk her furniture and used several Hover Charms to put them into their proper places.

When she was done, Hermione looked around happily. What a lovely apartment, she thought. The blue walls and the brown carpets complimented each other, and with all of her pictures scattered around the apartment, Hermione could tell that she would enjoy her time here.

Hermione stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. Carrying boxes up multiple flights of stairs all day long was not easy. A bath, she decided, yawning. A nice long bath with a good book, and then bed.

---

Hermione opened her eyes slowly, yawning in the early morning light that was streaming through her windows. The ceiling of her apartment greeted her. Though she could be quite content laying there and staring at the white expanse all day, she had things to do.

Hermione sat up. Her eyes widened in shock, and she screamed.

Even living as a witch for many years, becoming comfortable with the wizarding world, and practising magic nearly every day had not prepared Hermione for what she saw. A little girl in a white robe was sitting at the foot of her bed. Looking at the girl’s blonde curls and startling blue eyes, though, Hermione felt a sense of calm wash over her.

“I - I’m sorry, sweetie, I didn’t expect to see anyone here,� said Hermione. “My name’s Hermione. What’s your name?�

The girl stared at her. After several moments, Hermione realised she would not talk to her. “Well, you’re very pretty. So how about I call you by a pretty name until you tell me yours? Let’s see… How about Mackenzie?� Hermione asked. Maybe if I keep calling her by a name that isn’t hers, she’ll get annoyed enough to tell me her name, Hermione thought.

The girl continued to stare at her. Her icy blue eyes had a hint of curiosity and mystery in them. Well, mysterious girl or not, Hermione had to get some things done today. “Mackenzie, I have to get dressed. How about you go wait in the living room? You can watch the telly. And then I’ll make us some breakfast, okay?�

Hermione waited patiently for the girl to move. After several minutes, during which the girl did nothing more than stare at her, Hermione’s resolve cracked.

Slowly approaching the bed, Hermione smiled reassuringly at the little girl. She reached out a hand, hoping her little visitor would allow herself to be lead into the living room.

Still nothing. Hermione really was getting annoyed now. She had several time-consuming things to do today, and this little girl was putting her behind schedule. She moved to pick up the little girl and simply carry her into the living room.

But her hands passed straight through her.

Hermione frowned. Tried again. Still her hands came up empty. This isn’t logical. The logical explanation would be that this little girl is a ghost, and I’ve moved into a haunted apartment. But ghosts are colourless… They don’t have blonde hair and blue eyes. Their hair and eyes are silver. And besides, this little girl isn’t transparent. She looks for all the world like a normal human girl, Hermione thought quickly.

She ran into the living room and reached for British Ghosts: Past, Present, and Future. It had a listing of all the ghosts in the world and - Hermione liked this part best - it automatically updated itself within one week of the ghost’s appearance in Britain.

She flipped through the first two hundred pages before closing the book in disgust. The book was organised based on the ghost’s age, and she estimated that the little girl was no older than ten, which meant she would have been within the first hundred pages. Hermione had kept looking, though, in case she simply looked younger than she was. But she found nothing. None of the pictures looked even remotely like the little girl sitting on her bed.

Disgusted, Hermione hurtled the book across the room. It banged into her fireplace and fluttered to the floor. Hermione crossed the room and picked it up. After all, it wasn’t the book’s fault it wasn’t being helpful. Maybe she’s a new ghost, thought Hermione, and the book just hasn’t updated itself yet.

But she knew in her heart that something wasn’t right about this little girl.

“Oh, shoot,� Hermione muttered, bending down again. A piece of parchment had fallen out of the book. She read it aloud.

“Author’s note: It has come to my attention that there are several ghosts out there that do not look or act like ghosts. They appear solid, do not float, and often refuse to talk. But they are most definitely ghosts, because they only appear to wizards, seem bound to a single place, and are not solid. I do not yet know what causes this phenomenon, but I will do my best to see that this mystery is unravelled.�

Hermione slowly lowered the parchment, trembling slightly. “A ghost, but not a ghost… a mystery… unravel…�

Hermione stood in her brand new living room in her pyjamas, no longer caring about what she had planned for the day, as she realised that she had a mystery to solve.

She walked back to her bedroom, and stared at the child sitting on her bed. “Mackenzie… Are you dead?� she asked.

The little girl slowly raised a finger to her lips, as if she was going to say ‘Shh…’ and faded into nothingness.

After another standard day of work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Hermione Apparated to her apartment. She changed from her robes to a blouse and a nice pair of slacks and Apparated into an abandoned building about three blocks away. From there, she walked home, hopefully convincing any prying neighbours that she had a nice, normal Muggle job.

When she got home - for the second time - Hermione sat down on her couch and pulled out a book. After she had read about one hundred pages, she replaced her bookmark and rolled her head in a circle to work out the soreness.

When she stopped, she was shocked to see that the little ghost-but-not-a-ghost had returned. “Hullo, Mackenzie,� Hermione said quietly. “I’ve got to go and meet a friend of mine for dinner, but when I come back home I’d like it if you would talk to me. I’d like to help you, but I really can’t if I don’t know what’s wrong.�

The girl simply stared solemnly at Hermione. She walked into her bedroom - only to find Mackenzie sitting at the foot of her bed again.

“Mackenzie, you need to go into the other room. I’ve got to get changed,� Hermione said, struggling to keep the annoyance out of her voice. The little girl sat there, a slight smirk on her face, and watched her.

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake, Mackenzie, you aren’t being very cooperative now, so when I get home I want you to be the PICTURE of perfection,� Hermione said sternly. She Transfigured her Muggle clothes into a pair of robes, and putting on her travelling cloak, fled her apartment.

I can’t Transfigure my clothes every day. I can only hope that she’ll leave me alone… Or I can figure out why she’s a ghost but not a ghost and help her to move on. Either way, I better do it fast. It’s kind of creepy having a little girl stare at you constantly when you don’t even know her name, Hermione thought as she walked to the abandoned building.

Mentally shaking herself for getting so off-track, she quickly Apparated into Hogsmeade, where she and Ron were having dinner.

---

“So there’s a ghost in your apartment in Muggle London but it’s not really a ghost and it won’t talk to you so you can’t figure out what it is,� Ron said, accurately summarizing about twenty minutes of Hermione’s explanation in a single sentence.

“Yes. And it’s rather disconcerting to have a little girl gaping at you constantly when you don’t know the slightest thing about her.�

“Did you try giving her a quill and a piece of parchment? Maybe she’s lost her voice, or won’t talk, or whatever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to communicate with her in other ways.�

Hermione stared at her boyfriend. “Ronald, that’s brilliant! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.� She leaned across the table and kissed him. “Thank you. Do you want to come back to my place and see Mackenzie? Maybe she just doesn’t like females.�

“Or maybe she doesn’t trust adults and she won’t talk to either of us. But it’s worth a shot. But if she won’t talk to me, I’m sure Andromeda will let us borrow Teddy for an hour or so.�

“He might just work. Oh, isn’t his birthday tomorrow?�

“Yup. The little guy will turn four,� replied Ron.

Hermione sighed. “Sometimes it feels like it’s been so long… but sometimes I feel like it all happened yesterday.�

Ron reached for her hand. “I know what you mean. I feel the same way. Sometimes I’ll look around when we’re all sitting down to dinner and wonder why we aren’t waiting for Remus and Tonks.�

She squeezed Ron’s hand. “Well, shall we go see if she’ll talk to you?� asked Hermione.

“Sure. Let me just get the check, and then we’ll go.�

---

“Mackenzie?� called Hermione as she and Ron entered her apartment. “Mackenzie, I’ve brought someone to play with us.�

Before going home, Hermione had popped into a game store in Hogsmeade and bought the wizarding version of Candyland. This Candyland had moving pictures, and the pieces moved for you. If anything would get this girl to talk, this would.

She and Ron set up the game, and after running into her room to put away her purse, she returned.

“Nothing, huh?� she asked.

Ron’s eyes grew big. “Not quite. She’s behind you.�

Hermione whipped around. “Hullo, Mackenzie,� she said, bending down so that they were eye to eye. “This is my friend Ron, and he brought us a game. Do you like games?�

She said nothing, but her eyes brightened. Hermione took it as a good sign. “Which colour would you like to be?� she asked, holding out the four game pieces.

She hesitantly reached out her hand and pointed to the red piece. “Red? Okay. And Ron, what colour would you like to be?�

Ron smiled. “I’d like to be the green one,� he replied.

“Alright, then, and I’ll be the blue one,� Hermione said cheerfully, putting the three pieces down.

The three played Candyland for hours, doing their best to avoid traps like the Molasses Swamp, where their game pieces would stick, groaning when they had to go back and eat plums with Plumpy, and cheering whenever they drew Queen Frostine’s card, who brought their piece to her palace near the King and gave them ice cream floats.

Everyone had won two games, and it was decided that the winner of this game would be the Candyland Champion, when Mackenzie drew the Queen Frostine card.

Smiling widely as Queen Frostine fed her playing piece ice cream floats, Mackenzie said her first word.

“Elizabeth.�

“Is that your name?� asked Ron, who was trying to hide the fact that he had to go back to the Peppermint Forest.

The little girl nodded. “Okay, then. You know, Elizabeth really is a beautiful name. Do you know your last name?� questioned Hermione while pulling Ron’s hand from behind his back and uncrumpling the Mr. Mint card.

Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide, but she nodded again.

“Will you tell us?� asked Ron.

Elizabeth shook her head vigorously.

“Why not, Elizabeth? You can trust us,� said Hermione gently.

“Names are forbidden,� she whispered. “Please forget I said a forbidden word,� she begged as she faded away.

“Well, we got a name. But that girl,� said Ron grumpily as he watched his character make peppermint flutes with Mr. Mint, “is a complete and total mystery.�

“A mystery that I have to solve,� Hermione said grimly.

“Miss Elizabeth? Your mother is waiting for you in the dining room, and wishes that you will put on your birthday robe before coming down for breakfast.� The maid hesitated at the doorway. “Happy birthday, Miss Elizabeth,� she murmured before closing the door.

Elizabeth smiled. SEVEN! She was seven years old today. She had waited a long time to be seven. She hurriedly put on the new robe, passing her small hand over the velvet several times. It was brand new, and she would never wear it again. She would enjoy the velvet’s texture while she could.

She skipped down the hallway, clattered down the staircase, and finally entered the dining room.

“There you are, Elizabeth. What took you so long? No matter. Happy birthday, darling,� her mother said. “Your father already left, but he told me to tell you that he loves you very much.�

Elizabeth sat down at the table, all thoughts of breakfast forgotten when she saw Amanda bring out a pile of presents. “From your family, Miss,� Amanda said as she placed them in front of her.

Elizabeth bounced up and down in her seat. “Mummy, can I open them now? Please? Pretty please?�

“Oh, all right, then, Elizabeth, but please don’t bother me at the moment,� her mother replied dismissively from behind the paper.

Elizabeth tore into the presents, exclaiming at the toys, clothes, and other trinkets that her various family members had sent. One in particular fascinated her.

“Mummy, I know you said not to bother you, and I won’t again, but could I go outside and play with this?� Elizabeth asked, holding up the bubble-maker that her Aunt Laura and her Uncle Charles had sent her.

“Go ahead, just don’t get your robe dirty,� her mother said absentmindedly.

Elizabeth rushed outside and pulled the bubble-maker out of the box. She pushed the ‘on’ button, and squealed in delight as bubbles came out of the machine.

“Flower, lady, dog, house, shirt, kitty, spoon,� Elizabeth cried as she popped the bubbles. She chased one shaped like a cloud, but it kept floating just out of her reach.

Suddenly, she fell to the ground. Something had tripped her. She got up, carefully brushing off her robe. There was a stain- Mummy will be mad, she thought.

Elizabeth looked for the cloud bubble. It was floating over by the porch. She ran towards it, a little more carefully this time. Only a big hand reached out and popped it first.

“Hey, mister, that was my bubble. Why’d you pop it?� Elizabeth asked, indignant.

“I’m sorry, little girl. Say, what’s your name?�

“Elizabeth. I’m seven now,� she said proudly.

“Elizabeth is a very pretty name. Tell me, Elizabeth, do you live here?� he asked.

“Yes. With Mummy and Daddy and Jonathan and Isaac and Emily and Amanda. And John comes to visit sometimes. He taught me how to read and write two years ago. He says maybe I can learn cursive this year!� she said happily.

“Say, would you like to go on an adventure with me?� he asked, holding out his hand.

“Okay! Can we go see the unicorns? Daddy brings home pictures of them sometimes. He says they like girls better than boys. Or maybe we can visit the merpeople? John’s taught me a little bit of Mermish,� she said, slipping her hand into his. His hand enveloped hers.

They walked around the side of the house towards his car. “Tell you what. We can go visit my Kneazle. They’re very smart. Maybe he can tell us where to find a unicorn.�

“Okay,� Elizabeth said, sitting comfortably down in the back seat of the car. She wasn’t surprised when the man pulled out his wand - when Daddy drove his car, he used his wand too.

She was, however, surprised when he shot a spell at her. Ropes covered her body, making it impossible for her to move. “Hey! That’s not nice,� she cried. “Let me go! I want Amanda!�

And she began to scream. A long, drawn-out, high-pitched scream. Or what would have been a long, high-pitched scream if the man hadn’t made a piece of fabric appear in her mouth.

“The first thing you need to know,� he said as he got in the car, “is that you are not Elizabeth anymore. You are Anna. Got it?� Elizabeth nodded. “Good. And my name is Sir. Names are forbidden, Anna. Always remember that. Names are forbidden.�

The man talked all the way to his house. Elizabeth was confused. She didn’t like this adventure. She was supposed to pretend her name was Anna. She was supposed to pretend she had a different birthday. She was supposed to forget about Mommy and Daddy and Jonathan and Isaac and Emily and Amanda and John. She was supposed to forget that today is her birthday, supposed to pretend she never got her presents, never got her bubble-maker, never got her new clothes.

The man told her she wouldn’t have maids anymore. The man said that SHE would be a maid. But how could she cook and clean and do all the things that Isaac and Emily and Amanda did? She couldn’t drive. She couldn’t cook. She couldn’t carry in the heavy dishes. She didn’t know how to make the beds or clean the kitchen or wash the clothes. She couldn’t be a maid.

But she was supposed to be.

Elizabeth started to cry. She didn’t want to be Anna. She wanted to go back home and be Elizabeth again.

She didn’t like this adventure.

The bad man brought her to his house and carried her up the stairs. He locked the door, then removed the ropes and the fabric.

“No one can hear you scream here,� he said quietly.

And he started to hit her like Mommy did when that Elizabeth girl broke her china plate that was her great-great-great-grandmothers’ only Mommy stopped hitting fast and said sorry and gave the Elizabeth girl a kiss and the man didn’t stop and just kept hitting and hitting and he was hurting her now and she wanted him to stop, please stop, stop the meanness, she won’t do it again, please stop, don’t do that, she promises she won’t be bad again…

The bad man started punching Anna’s stomach and she curled up and brought her chin to her knees but that didn’t stop him he just kept hitting and hitting and hitting…

And the bad man hurt Anna for hours and he kept saying it was for her own good, that she had to learn not to be naughty, that she shouldn’t ever be bad or he would hit her longer, harder, more than he was this time.

And when the sun started to set and the man couldn’t find a place on her that wasn’t bruised or bloody, he stood up and kissed her on the cheek and said, “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?�

His whiskers tickled Anna but she wouldn’t tell him that. She nodded her head, ate the piece of bread that he said was her dinner, and fell asleep.

---

Elizabeth woke up with her entire body screaming at her. She started to cry. She had never hurt like this before. But she remembered where she was. She remembered that she wasn’t Elizabeth anymore.

Anna kept crying until Sir came into the room. He looked cranky. Anna tried to stop crying but her body hurt so badly, she couldn’t think of anything else.

“Oh, stop snivelling,� Sir said as he pointed his wand at her and made her bruises go away. “What’s your name?�

“E- Anna.�

Sir hit her. “You almost said the other name, Anna, your old name. Names are forbidden. What’s your name?�

“Anna! My name is Anna. Please don’t hit me!� she cried.

“Better. When’s your birthday?�

Sir quizzed her for a long time, asking questions, hitting her when she even started to answer wrong. By the time Sir handed her a glass of water and a piece of bread, tears were streaming down her cheeks once more.

After she had eaten her breakfast, she stared at her birthday robe. Even though there was a nightgown in the closet, there were no other robes for her to wear. She slipped it on again, enjoying the feel of velvet against her aching hands.

She went to the sitting room, where Sir was waiting for her. He hit her in greeting, asking “What took so long?� Anna said nothing. He handed her a broom. “Sweep the kitchen floor, Anna,� he commanded.

---

While Anna struggling with a broom much too big for her seven-year-old body in the kitchen, Sir went upstairs and turned on the radio.

“-parents of seven-year-old Elizabeth Berkley, Amelia and Thomas Berkley, are making another desperate plea for their daughter. Though Amelia was crying too much to be understood, Thomas made a moving plea, promising the kidnapper whatever he wishes if only they get their daughter back, alive and unharmed. Even Elizabeth’s younger brother, Jonathan, kept asking for her. On behalf of the Berkley family, we would like to join the chorus of people asking for Elizabeth’s safe return.� Sir snorted and snapped off the radio.

Though it was very late at night, and she had to be at work early the next morning, Hermione was still awake. She was thinking about Elizabeth- about what a conundrum she was.

One moment she’s happy, playing games and talking for the first time since I met her, but the next she’s upset, secretive, and leaves. I have to figure this out. Ron helped, but maybe Teddy will be the key to getting her to talk. I’ll have to ask Andromeda if I can baby-sit him sometime and then hope that Elizabeth shows up, Hermione thought. She turned over in her bed and fell into a restless sleep, full of little blond girls with piercing blue eyes that invited questions but never gave answers.

---

After work, Hermione travelled to Hogwarts. The library there was the most extensive and helpful library that Hermione had ever visited, and it continued to be a source of knowledge for her. And best of all, she had access to all the books - even those in the Restricted Section- without breaking the rules.

She pulled every book that had anything to do with ghosts, discarded those that looked unlikely, and checked out several that looked promising.

After a quick visit to Professor McGonagall, who loved to chat over a cup of tea, Hermione went home. She settled down on the couch with her books, and only came out of her stupor to eat a very late dinner and to fall asleep.

The next day, thankfully, was Saturday. Hermione slept late, waking up at ten o’clock only to be startled once again by Elizabeth.

“Hullo, E- Mackenzie,� Hermione said, remembering that she was supposed to have forgotten that Elizabeth had said her real name. “Ron’s going to come over again today, and he’s bringing a friend of ours. Would you like to play Candyland when they get here?�

Elizabeth nodded her head, her eyes lighting up.

“Good. Well, I’m going to make breakfast - Ron should be here in about an hour.�

Hermione quickly ate her breakfast, changed her clothes, and tidied up her apartment. Just as she was searching for Elizabeth, who had disappeared while she was cleaning, her doorbell rang.

“Coming!� Hermione called as she made her way towards the door. She greeted Ron with a kiss and snatched Teddy Lupin from his arms. “Andromeda let you take him for the day?� she asked as she tickled Teddy’s tiny tummy.

“Yup. I’ve got all the necessities here,� Ron said, motioning to the baby bag hanging on his shoulder, “and strict instructions to have him back by four.�

“Shouldn’t be a problem. Now, let’s find where Elizabeth went.�

The three trooped into the living room, Teddy still giggling from Hermione’s tickling. They found Elizabeth sitting in front of the Candyland board, looking expectant. She smiled shyly at Ron and Hermione, but when her eyes met Teddy’s, she stood up and cried, “JONATHAN!�

Elizabeth ran over to Hermione and tugged on her free arm, leading her over to the sofa. Once Hermione and Teddy were sitting down, Elizabeth stood in front of Teddy and began talking.

“Oh, Jonathan, I’m so glad to see you, I thought I’d never see you again! Don’t you remember me, your Beffy? Jonathan, are Mummy and Daddy okay? I never got to say good-bye to them. Have you been a good boy and not bothered Emily and Amanda too much? Have you thrown your bottle at Isaac again while he was driving? Oh, Jonny, I’m so glad to see you!�

Teddy looked confused. “Beffy?� he asked, remembering what Elizabeth had called herself at the beginning of her outburst.

“Jonny!� And Elizabeth reached out her hand, and Teddy took it, and the two looked into each other’s eyes.

Finally Elizabeth looked up and made eye contact with Hermione. “Where did you find him?�

“He was staying with a friend of ours. We’re watching him for now,� Hermione said.

Elizabeth looked at Ron with confusion. “Do you know Mommy and Daddy?� she asked.

“Well, what are your parent’s names?� Ron questioned, playing along.

“Amelia and Thomas Berkley.� But suddenly, just like two days previously, Elizabeth’s eyes grew large. “Forbidden words. I said more forbidden words. Oh, Sir is going to be mad. Please don’t tell him. I’ll be good. Don’t tell him I said forbidden words,� she begged as she faded away.

Ron took Teddy from Hermione’s arms. “You did good, buddy,� he said. “You got more out of her than we have, and you’ve only known her for a few minutes.�

Hermione looked flummoxed. “I know I’ve heard that name. Where have I read it before?�

“Oh, Merlin,� Ron moaned. “It’s going to be Flamel all over again.�

“Not true,� Hermione said, looking indignant. “This time we don’t have to sneak into the Restricted Section.�

“We didn’t have to back in first year, either. It was on Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog card all along,� Ron said. “Anyway, which name do you know? Amanda Berkley? Thomas Berkley? Sir?�

“None of those three, though Sir is obviously a made-up name. No, it’s Jonathan and Elizabeth Berkley that I know. I just wish I could remember where I know them from, because I’m positive that I read it; and recently, too.�

Hermione and Ron played with Teddy for much of the rest of the day, until Ron gathered the small boy and his things into his arms and Disapparated around three fifty.

Hermione began to clean up, but her thoughts soon began to take over her concentration. She stood in the middle of her kitchen, a blank look on her face, and thought.

I know I’ve read something about Jonathan Berkley, and he mentioned Elizabeth Berkley several times. I remember feeling sad – it must have been what he was talking about. But he was talking about his sister… He was doing something for his sister, something good, and I was happy about that, but he said something else about his sister that made me incredibly sad… What could it be?

She turned on her computer. It was times like this, when she was desperate for information but didn’t know where to look, that Muggle technology came in handy.

Hermione opened an Internet search engine and typed in, “Jonathan and Elizabeth Berkley�. Seconds later, she had dozens of results.

Hermione scrolled through the first few before finding one that looked promising. She clicked on it, and began reading the page it opened.

“Jonathan Berkley, the only surviving child of Amelia and Thomas Berkley, gave thousands of pounds today to fund the opening of a new branch of the local police station which will be specifically dedicated to finding and arresting kidnappers. After giving a moving speech about his sister, Elizabeth, who was kidnapped and killed at age seven, when Jonathan himself was only three, Mr. Berkley cut the ribbon in front of the new station.

Because his sister’s killer was never found, Mr. Berkley has made many donations over the years to various companies that are involved in missing or killed children. Each time, he speaks fondly of his sister, once older than him but now forever younger, and says that he hopes no family will have to go through what his family did back in 1984.�

“That’s it!� she whispered. Jonathan Berkley had recently contributed a lot of money to training a special group of Aurors that specialised in finding lost or missing Wizarding children. She had read about it in the Daily Prophet a few weeks ago. She had to find him. Maybe he could help her find out what was happening with Elizabeth.

After several days of careful research, Hermione was able to find Jonathan Berkley’s address. However, she was forced to wait a week from her first discovery of him before she was able to travel to his house to talk to him because of work constraints.

She stood at the doorway of his large house and knocked three times. As she waited for someone to answer the door, Hermione quietly observed the bees and hummingbirds gathered around the flowers in his garden.

“Can I help you?� asked a man’s voice. Hermione turned around to face a man with piercing blue eyes and short blonde hair, his even features arranged in an expression of slight impatience. His face was structured differently, but she could see that there was a definite resemblance between Elizabeth and this man, who was obviously Jonathan Berkley.

Hermione stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Hermione Granger. I know we’ve just met, but I’ve got several important questions for you and I’d like just a few moments of your time.�

“Sorry. No interviews,� he said as he attempted to shut the door.

“Mr. Berkley, I’m afraid you don’t understand. I don’t want an interview,� Hermione called quickly.

The door opened a crack and Jonathan Berkley stuck his head out. “You don’t? Well then, why are you here?� he asked.

“Could we talk inside? It’s a rather sensitive matter,� she replied.

“I suppose. Come in,� he said, opening the door wide.

Hermione followed him to a large sitting room. Once they were both comfortably settled in squishy armchairs, she began talking.

“Mr. Berkley, I’ve been doing some research at the Hogwarts library and on the Muggle Internet- Well, I think- I hope- Oh, I’ve confused myself now.�

“Please, start over,� he said, smiling slightly.

Hermione nodded. “Mr. Berkley, I hope you won’t be too mad at me after I say what I have to say.�

Jonathan shook his head. “Never a good sign when they start out with a statement like that,� he said ruefully to the elderly maid that had just entered the room.

“Do you want anything, dears?� asked the maid, smiling at them.

“No, thank you, I’m fine,� replied Hermione.

“Would you open the curtains?� asked Jonathan. “It’s rather dark in here.� With a flick of her wand, the curtains were open and light was streaming across the hardwood floor. “Thank you, Amanda,� he said.

“Wait,� Hermione said quickly as the maid began to leave. “Amanda as in Amanda Williams? One of the women your parents employed back in the 1940s?�

“Yes, that’s her. Why?� Jonathan questioned.

“Do Emily Smith and Isaac Murray still work for you?� she asked urgently.

“Emily does. Isaac was killed in a hit-and-run accident nearly two years ago. Why do you ask?� he replied.

“Could you call Emily in? And could Amanda stay? This- what I have to talk about- it concerns them, too.�

Ten minutes later, when the four of them were all sitting down in the sitting room, Hermione began.

“You see, last week I moved into an apartment in Muggle London. But on my first full day there, I woke up to find a little girl staring at me. When she wouldn’t move, I tried to pick her up to bring her into the other room, but my fingers went right through her. It didn’t make any sense to me, because I could see her blonde hair and blue eyes, so I didn’t think she was a ghost.�

Hermione then brought out the author’s note from British Ghosts: Past, Present, and Future. She talked about how Ron had come over and played Candyland, how Elizabeth told them her name but then left hurriedly, how she got very excited when she saw Teddy, thinking he was Jonathan, and let slip her parent’s name, along with her last name.

“And so I used the Muggle Internet and looked you up,� concluded Hermione. “I figured if this was really Elizabeth you could help me figure out what happened to her.�

Emily put her hand over her heart. “Oh, my,� she murmured. “I can hardly believe it.�

Amanda smiled reassuringly at her. “Now, maybe we’ll finally get some closure on what happened to the poor dear,� she said. “Miss Granger, if you want answers, you tell her that Amanda said that she better start talking or she won’t make apple crisp for dessert tonight. Apple crisp was her favourite dessert. All I had to do was threaten not to make it and she’d do anything I asked.�

“Thank you. You’ve been very kind. I promise to tell you if I get any information out of Elizabeth.�

“You can Floo over any time, dear. I’ll have someone in the kitchen for the rest of the day. She’ll talk. Just remember - apple crisp.

---

“Mackenzie? Mackenzie!� Hermione called. Her apartment was empty.

Hermione walked from room to room. Finally, she stood in the middle of her kitchen and yelled, “Elizabeth Berkley! I just spoke to Amanda. She said if you don’t do what I tell you, she won’t make apple crisp for dessert tonight. Now, come here!�

Immediately, the air in front of her began to shimmer. Slowly, Elizabeth appeared. “Apple crisp for dessert tonight? Tell Amanda I was good. Please,� she begged.

“Only if you follow my instructions,� replied Hermione.

Elizabeth nodded her head. “Anything. If you tell Amanda I was good so she’ll make the apple crisp.�

“We’ll see. Now, what’s your name?�

“Elizabeth Anne Berkley. But Sir told me that Mommy and Daddy aren’t really my mommy and daddy and that I have to be Anna.�

“Who’s Sir?�

“I don’t know. He’s tall. He has big arms, this big around,� Elizabeth said, holding her hands apart about eight inches. “His moustache tickles.�

“What colour eyes does he have? What colour is his hair?�

“Brown eyes, I think, and brown hair too,� she replied. “He hits me whenever I look at him for too long.�

“Does he hit you a lot, Elizabeth?�

“Every day. Like the time Mommy hit me for breaking her china plate that belonged to her great-great-somebody. Only Mommy stopped real fast and said sorry and Sir doesn’t stop or say sorry.�

“Okay, one more question, Elizabeth. Do you know what today is?�

“Today is this many days after my seventh birthday,� Elizabeth said, showing Hermione nine fingers.

“And when is your birthday, Elizabeth?�

“My birthday is June twentieth.�

“Okay, just one more question. What year is it?�

“Nineteen… Nineteen forty-eight,� Elizabeth said with a smile. “So today is June twenty-ninth, nineteen forty-eight.�

“Okay. I’ll tell Amanda to make apple crisp for dessert tonight, because you were a very good girl,� Hermione promised.

Elizabeth smiled as she faded away.