Is it safe?
HUGE APOLOGIES for the terrible delay. -cowers- But HERE IT IS, TAKE IT!!
Just one tiny itty bitty thing: I really wish for more reviews. It's kind of pathetic how I have to beg for it but please, do review okay? It'll mean a lot. Thank you to rukia23, KristyT23, Spikeissexy, OceanSapphire, shadowkid1313, Kenya, Ami-Weasley, Misfits Cannibal, musicizmylife135, i-want-cheese and Lost 2 Love. Thank you, you guys. I'm sorry the chapter took so long.
Ashlyn strode swiftly around the corner, on her way to the entrance of Hogwarts. It was the day of the first Hogsmeade visit and she was late. Groaning as she glanced briefly at her watch, Ashlyn's steps started up to a jog. But as she rounded another corner, she bumped into Cedric. "Hey," He said, surprise flashing in his eye. "Listen; join me for the Hogsmeade visit-"
"I can't," Ashlyn said hurriedly, tossing an apologetic smile at him. "I've got plans with Oliver."
"…Right," He said, trying to keep up with her. "I was afraid of that-" He immediately fell silent when Ashlyn threw an exasperated look at him. At another turning, they bumped into Jeremy and Roger.
"Ashlyn," Roger said briskly. "Quidditch meeting in Hogsmeade-"
"Hold it," She stopped on her tracks. "This is getting ridiculous; what are you three up to? I mean," She faced Jeremy, "You've been prodding me to take up Prefect shifts," Then she turned to Cedric, "You've been dragging me to the library to study and you," She directed at Roger, "We've had loads of Quidditch meetings in the past week. What is going on?" She exclaimed in frustration. "Is this some conspiracy to stop me from having a life?"
Not bothering to wait for an answer, Ashlyn ducked past the three boys and streamed towards the entrance. Arriving at her destination, her eyes swept the crowd for Oliver. Catching sight of him, she weaved through the throng of students. "Hey," She smiled and tried to push the earlier incident to the back of her head. "Ready?" She asked, her hand slipping into his.
"Yeah," He said, "There's this one thing though; I don't think I want to go Hogsmeade today." She stopped on her tracks. Oliver forced a sheepish smile onto his face.
"Oh," Ashlyn uttered, letting go of his hand. "What happened? What came up?" She inquired while stuffing her hands into her pockets.
"This and that," He replied vaguely. Her face flushed red; her doubts began nagging at her again. "I'm sorry," He apologized. Gazing over her head, he added, "You better get going, I told the twins to keep you company."
"Right," Ashlyn said gloomily. Kissing her forehead briefly, Oliver gently pushed her towards the direction to where the twins were standing. Hesitating slightly, Ashlyn turned back around. "You sure you don't want me to accompany you? I mean, I could-"
"I'll be fine," Oliver interrupted. "I just have a few Quidditch things to wrap up, might catch up on homework too." He nodded past her shoulder, "Just go." Stung at the curtness of his tone, Ashlyn nodded and quickly made her way towards the Weasley twins. Working her muscles, she forced a smile onto her face as she neared the twins.
"About time," The twins chorused together. George flung an arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the carriages. "No time to be moping, eh?" Fred said cheerfully. A weak smile flitted onto Ashlyn's face as she fought down her insecurities.
Unknowingly, behind her, Oliver saw the three of them off. Once they disappeared into the carriage, he turned back around and headed into the castle. Glancing around, a broad grin appeared on his face when he caught sight of Demelza who was hanging around at the corner. "Hey, sorry about that," He said.
A blush rose to her face. "Are you sure you don't want to go to Hogsmeade?" She asked meekly. "I mean, I could always ask someone to help me with Transfiguration-"
"It's nothing," Oliver denied. "Besides, Ashlyn can do without me for today." Demelza bit her lower lip uncertainly before nodding eventually. "So," He said good-naturedly. "What about Transfiguration do you have difficulty in?" The two of them began to make their way towards an empty classroom.
"I-I just can't get it!" Demelza blurted out. "I say the incantation but nothing happens…" She deflated with the memory of her failed Transfigurations. "I just need your help," She said imploringly to him.
"Whatever you need," Oliver assured.
Ashlyn absently toyed with the label of her Butterbeer bottle. Lee Jordan had joined them and the three of them were talking animatedly about the new prank they pulled on Kenneth Towler that day. Sipping the drink, she mind wandered and she was soon off in another world. "Oy, Spencer," George nudged her gently. "Still sore Wood left you with us?"
Ashlyn shrugged. "Of course not," She said. "I just…" Her voice trailed off. "Listen, I think I'll get going," Waving off the twins' protests, she bade Lee goodbye before breezing out of the Three Broomsticks. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she wandered down the streets of Hogsmeade.
She was just passing Honeydukes when she bumped into Ron and Hermione. "Oh hello," She smiled at the two of them. Realizing someone was missing, a light frown appeared on her face. "Where's Harry?"
"His uncle didn't sign his permission form," Hermione explained. Holding up a bag of Honeydukes' sweets, she continued, "Ron and I just got him some sweets for him to try." Nodding, Ashlyn raised an eyebrow at the bulging bag of Honeydukes' sweets. Noticing her expression, Hermione let out a small laugh. "Ronald got excited," She informed; making the youngest male Weasley turn red with embarrassment.
"Understandable," Ashlyn nodded at Ron. "Anyway, I'll see the both of you around," With a quick smile, Ashlyn bent her head and strode past them. After a few moments, she came across Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. There inside, was Raine with the rest of her dormitory mates. Feeling a sense of relief wash over her, Ashlyn pushed open the door and made her way towards their table.
"Hey," Ella brightened when she caught sight of Ashlyn. "Managed to tear yourself away from the Gryffindor Quidditch captain to see little ol' us?" She teased. Ashlyn rolled her eyes and took the empty seat between Raine and Kelsey. "Uh oh," Ella laughed, "I know that expression; something wrong?"
Ashlyn sighed and slumped on her chair. "I hate boys," She muttered.
The girls exchanged looks. "Join the club," Kelsey said lightly. "Ella just finished with the boy from Hufflepuff; Cara's wondering how she should break it off with her bloke and Raine is taking a break from George-"
"What??" Ashlyn's head snapped up. Shooting a dirty look at Kelsey, Raine attempted to calm Ashlyn down. "You can't be serious! I-I mean, it's INSANE, the last time I remember; you and George were just fine! What happened??"
"Breathe, Ash," Raine instructed. "Everything is fine. George and I are just taking some time off to spend time with friends." Glaring at Kelsey, Raine continued, "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd overreact. It's nothing in the first place."
Calming down, Ashlyn's shoulders relaxed. "Maybe that's what Oliver and I need." She muttered. "If only we actually saw a lot of each other in the first place." She looked so pathetic that the girls glanced at her sympathetically. Ella seized the pot of tea next to her elbow and poured Ashlyn a cup.
"Drink," She ordered. "It'll soothe your nerves." Accepting the cup gratefully, Ashlyn sipped the hot liquid. "Maybe you do need a break," She commented thoughtfully. "Get some time with girls instead of being surrounded by boys all the time,"
"What's this??" Kelsey pretended to faint. "Ella Shaw is actually telling us to stay away from the boys?? You haven't lost a few hairs, have you?" She asked with mock-suspicion. Ella rolled her eyes and whacked the back of Kelsey's head. Whimpering; Kelsey ignored the titters from the other girls, sipping her tea. Ashlyn smiled weakly as she took another sip of tea. Looking up, she happened to see Cedric and his friends pass by; laughing loudly. Her gaze quickly dropped; an action Raine immediately caught.
"It's been that bad?" She asked sympathetically.
"Let's just say I should just stay away from boys for now," Ashlyn concluded. Agreeing in unison, the five girls spent the rest of the afternoon chatting; the thought of boys far from their minds.
As Ashlyn stepped back into the castle, her spirits had definitely lifted. Walking side-by-side with Raine, the two made their way towards the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. On their way, Jeremy accosted them. "May I speak to you?" He asked hopefully, glancing briefly at Raine before his eyes bore into Ashlyn's. Smiling slightly at Ashlyn, Raine nodded and continued her way.
Crossing her arms, Ashlyn averted her eyes as she started towards the Great Hall. "Listen," Jeremy said quickly, "I'm totally sorry for earlier on; Roger and I was out of line."
"That's alright," She shrugged. They fell silent as they continued walking.
"No it's not, I can tell," He persisted. "You're mad; it's perfectly understandable-"
"Jer, I said it was fine," She said tiredly, running a hand through her hair. "Just drop it, alright? Besides there's nothing to apologize for," She interrupted before Jeremy could speak. "Really," She forced a smile onto her face. "Let's just enjoy Halloween." Arriving at the Great Hall, her head dropped as she strode down the Ravenclaw table.
Catching sight of Oliver and the Weasley twins, Ashlyn avoided their eye as she took a seat; her back to them. Smiling at Cho, Ashlyn proceeded to fall into conversation with her. Pushing her worries aside, Ashlyn tried to make her Halloween as enjoyable as possible. She laughed with her friends, ignoring the will to turn around to look at Oliver with that girl.
Full from the feast, Ashlyn and Raine made their way back to the Ravenclaw Tower together contentedly. The atmosphere was light in the Tower as the Ravenclaws continued their celebrations for a while. Bottles of Butterbeer appeared and were passed around. Enjoying herself tremendously, Ashlyn did not catch Penelope's panicked look at first.
"Everyone move to the Great Hall!" She yelled above the din. Yells of disappointment rose as the Ravenclaws began to evacuate the Tower. Ashlyn and Jeremy exchanged looks before approaching Penelope.
"What's going on?" Ashlyn asked anxiously.
"Sirius Black," Penelope said in a soft voice, ensuring no one else could hear. Exchanging dark looks, the Prefects helped her round everyone up to move back to the Great Hall. The tables had vanished and Dumbledore was standing on his podium.
"Students," He said gravely. "We have received notice that Sirius Black is in the castle." A collective gasp sounded throughout the Hall. "Now although I assure that all of you are safe, it would be a safety precaution for all of you to sleep in the Great Hall tonight while the castle is searched." His piercing blue eyes swept the Hall. "Prefects, meet the Head Boy and Girl behind the Hall. The rest of you," With a wave of his wand, squashy purple sleeping bags appeared at four corners of the Hall. "Get some sleep."
Together, Ashlyn and Jeremy fought against the crowd to get to the end of the Hall. Slowly, they succeeded and followed Percy towards the Hall doors. "Prefects," Percy puffed out his chest. Smirking, Ashlyn scratched her temple, hiding her smile. "There are shifts to patrol the corridors." He said briskly, glancing around at the group of Prefects. "Patrolling will be in pairs…"
Ashlyn found herself paired up with Cedric. Standing a noticeable distance away from him, Ashlyn glanced straight at Percy; listening intently to his instructions, not giving Cedric a chance to speak to her. Folding her arms against her chest, she turned to Cedric when Percy finished. "Shall we?" She said coolly. Nodding slightly, he stepped aside to let her walk first.
As they set off the brightly lit corridors, they shivered slightly as they felt the oncoming presence of the Dementors. Shuddering as the cold stole over her chest; Ashlyn crossed her arms tighter over her front. "Are you alright?" Cedric asked with concern.
"Peachy," She said tonelessly. They continued in silence; checking empty classrooms briefly. "They never really told us how to deal with Black if we meet him." Ashlyn suddenly said thoughtfully.
A grin appeared on Cedric's face. "What do you reckon?" He asked casually. "If he really does appear-"
"Run," The both of them said together at the same time. Chuckling, the two went about their rounds in companionable silence. "Look," He said finally, "I shouldn't have asked you to Hogsmeade today-"
"Ced, will you drop it?" Ashlyn sighed tiredly. "Jeremy apologized before and frankly, I don't want to talk about that. Just forget it," Nodding silently, Cedric pressed his lips together. "Back to the subject of Black, if he does ambush us around the corner-"
At that moment, Ashlyn and Cedric skidded on the slippery floor. Yelping, Ashlyn grabbed Cedric's arm as a reflex as the both of them tumbled to the floor. A loud crackle announced the culprit. "Watch your step!" The resident poltergeist, Peeves, squealed. Cackling evilly, he emptied a pail of water onto the two Prefects. "Oopsie," He said innocently as he watched Ashlyn attempt to get to her feet. Letting out another hoot, he disappeared through the wall; the echo of his laugh lingering in the hall.
Cursing under her breath, Ashlyn pushed a wet lock of hair away from her face. Realizing she was right on top of Cedric, she turned beet red and immediately tried to get up. But she froze when Cedric's hand reached up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. Swallowing hard, she started to speak, "I-I think we should-"
He placed his finger onto her lips. Falling silent, Ashlyn fought to keep her breathing steady. Cedric was staring at her, as if he wanted to memorize every single detail. He was drawing closer to her; she could not be sure. Feeling herself become numb, Ashlyn nearly lost herself until she felt his breath caressing her cheek, a slight brush of his lips against hers…
"Cedric," She spoke firmly. Snapping out of her stupor, she pulled back. Feeling the blood rush to her face, Ashlyn yanked out her wand and muttered the incantation of the Hot-Air charm. Soon the both of them and the floor were dry. Face still red, Ashlyn tucked her wand back into her robes. "We should go back to the Great Hall," She said, her back facing him.
Cedric was silent as the both of them returned to the Great Hall; ensuring he was one step behind her. "Ah, Spencer, Diggory," Percy said briskly as he caught sight of them. "Go into the Great Hall and ensure every student is asleep." He instructed; oblivious to the discomfort between the two Prefects in front of him.
Glancing briefly at each other, Cedric and Ashlyn separated; he went to the right side of the Hall whilst she went to the left side. Exhaling heavily, Ashlyn rubbed her eyes roughly. 'Stop thinking about it,' she told herself sternly. Shushing a few students who were still whispering to one another, Ashlyn wandered to the far corner; gingerly stepping over students' feet.
"PSST…" Someone hissed. Glancing around, Ashlyn caught sight of a figure half-sitting up. She cautiously made her way toward the person and realized it was Oliver as the moonlight fell across his face.
"You're supposed to be asleep," She whispered, bending down over him. Rolling his eyes, Oliver took her wrist and tugged her down. Squeaking, she fell to her knees. "Oliver!" She hissed, trying to inject a note of severity into her tone.
"What?" Oliver drawled, "I'll bet you ten Sickles everyone else isn't asleep yet."
"Doesn't mean you shouldn't be," She whispered back, shifting slightly to make herself more comfortable. "Managed to finish your homework?" She asked.
"Eh? Yeah," He said hurriedly. "The twins told me you left Hogsmeade early-"
"I went to join the girls," Ashlyn cut in. "What did you do?"
"This and that," Oliver said vaguely, settling back onto his sleeping bag. Biting her lip, Ashlyn forced herself to keep quiet. "You're not mad at me, are you?" He asked casually, his eyes fluttering shut.
"No," Ashlyn said quietly. "I should get back to patrolling," She said, starting to get onto her feet. "Goodnight," She said softly before making her way out of the cluster of sleeping bags and students.
Unable to see clearly, she tripped over someone's sleeping bag. A hand immediately shot out to steady her.
Glancing up, she found Cedric to be the one who helped her. His hand was gently holding hers as he stared at her enigmatically. Clearing her throat, she straightened; her hand slipping out of his. Nodding slightly, Cedric turned away to resume his patrol; leaving Ashlyn wondering what she did to deserve such a difficult life.
End.
Hope that was not TOO boring.
Okay nothing that interesting in this chapter but I ASSURE YOU, there will definitely be more drama in the later chapters alright?
I hope you're not going to guess the whole storyline, rukia23! Haha otherwise I would have to think up a whole different storyline to surprise you. Sorry for the overdue update, Spikeissexy. Hope you liked this one. You're going to have to find out later on, OceanSapphire. But let me remind you guys of something: Demelza is still a first year. Heh that's all I can say at this point. You got that right, Ami-Weasley: a relationship can't be strong without conflicts. But it seems nicer without it, doesn't it?
I hope you liked the last part, Misfits Cannibal. You did give me an idea of Cedric not really being OVER Ashlyn. So maybe I have redeemed myself for the delay? Just don't eat me. Hehhh. I adore long reviews, Lost 2 Love. Do review more. Thanks to the rest of the reviewers for giving your views, ideas, etc. I fully appreciate them all. Do keep sending them in.
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