A few months later we were studying for our O.W.L.s. It was coming up upon
us very fast. I was sitting in a chair with books spread all around me and
my feet up against my chest. I had a bag of pretzels next to me. Everyone
was down at the feast except Alyssa, Lily and I. We were too busy studying
and eating pretzels. Our first O.W.L was in one week and we were behind in
studying. Sirius, James and Remus walked in. Peter was still at the great
hall.
"Hey girls." Remus said sitting next to me. I smiled.
"Hey." I said, I turned back to my book.
"Mmmm, food." Sirius said grabbing a handful of pretzels.
"God Sirius, you just ate." James said shaking his head. He was eyeing Lily, he had a huge crush on her but she wouldn't tell him that she liked him. She refused to.
"What? I'm still hungry." He said. I laughed and got back to my reading. I was so engrossed in my reading that I didn't notice Lily and Alyssa were gone and in bed. So was everyone else. I looked outside and saw two figures escape into the thick forbidden forest. Curiosity got the better of me and I followed them. I was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest when I spotted them again. It was Snape and Malfoy.
"Hello." Malfoy's slick voice came from behind a tree. I turned around and saw him standing in front of me. I immediately got scared. His face was halfway hidden by all the shadows. Malfoy came closer to me and I stepped back. This continued until I was up against a tree. Malfoy pressed his body against mine and I tried to squirm my way out. Malfoy was surprisingly strong.
"What are you doing.. .get off of me!" I said. He put his hand over my mouth and ran his hand up my side. His hand went under my shirt and touched my skin. I was revolted. This was wrong and disgusting. I struggled against his strong hold. Snape appeared. I could see his eyes. So I gave him a pleading look. Malfoy was still running his hands up and down my sides.
"Lucius, lets go." Snape said trying to get him away.
"In a minute. Go and do look out. Make sure no one is coming." He said.
"But why? What are you." Snape asked.
"Just go!" Malfoy said. Snape walked away glancing back at me. I was scared. He wasn't going to help me. I needed help. Someone help me. Sirius!
"You are one blossoming beauty." He whispered in my ear. A disgusting shiver went up my spine. His hand traveled down to my waist and he played with my waistline. He put a few of his fingers between the hip huggers and my skin. I could move my left leg because he put less pressure on my left side. I pulled it up and kneed him hard in his sensitive spot. He groaned and fell to the ground. I pulled out my wand just as Professor McGonagall came carrying Snape by the arm. She saw me point my wand at him.
"Miss Cox! Put that down right now!" She said in her stern voice. I was too traumatized to hear it clearly. Her voice seemed distant, very distant. I was breathing hard and I had tears streaming down my face. I was almost raped! By scum! I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. Professor McGonagall came toward me. I put my hands up and she froze in mid air. She froze. How was it possible? Her dad's words echoed through her head.
'When you were a kid you could freeze things. Not as in cold but as in time. In the air. You dropped your bottle one day and then you froze it in the air. Ashleigh, you are powerful. If only you can find that power within you once again. It disappeared when you were 5, I don't know what happened but for the longest time nothing came. We thought it was just a phrase but now I see it coming out once again.'
She put her hands down and Professor McGonagall unfroze. I had a look of terror on my face and I just started to cry, it was the only thing I could think of. Months of pent up tears started to flow. Things that bothered me but I didn't cry because I thought it was weak, just flooded out of me. She directed us to Professor Dumbledore's office. By this time I had a potion to keep me out of hysterics. All three of us sat there silently. Professor Dumbledore was wearing a wool nightgown and a wool nightcap. He looked quite silly fro being one of the most powerful wizards alive.
"May I ask why you guys were out this late?" He asked in his calm tone. How could he be so calm. Here I was recovering from crying my hardest and he is sitting there so calm. Did he ever show emotion?
"We have no excuse sir. It was a dare, a stupid childish game." Snape said. He was trying to worm out of this.
"What would cause you, such an intelligent student, to play such a childish game?" Dumbledore asked him. I didn't want to listen. I curled up in my chair, I felt violated, more so than ever.
"Spur of the moment, you know how peer pressure is. It just affected us, but never again." Snape said. God, I hated him so much at that moment. Dumbledore turned to me.
"And you?" He asked me.
"I saw them down there and wondered what they were up to. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see for myself what was going on. I'm sorry." I said the potion was wearing off.
"May I ask what is wrong?" He asked me. I looked at him tears in my eyes again. I looked over at Malfoy and stopped myself from saying something. I couldn't, it was too embarrassing. I was supposed to be this big almighty powerful young witch and here I was crying because I allowed myself to get violated. It was all my fault.
"Nothing sure." I said and I put my head on my pulled up knees. He looked at me for a moment before continuing.
"Very well then. A nights' detention. If you love the forest so much then you can help Hagrid in it tomorrow night and Ashleigh you can polish the silverware." He said. I silently thanked him for not making me do a detention with them. We got up and left.
A few days went by and I wasn't myself. I knew this by my behavior. I was more withdrawn. I felt like I was 12 again, before Conner helped me out of my shell. Lily, Alyssa and the boys noticed my odd behavior. Instead of studying late at night I went to bed earlier. They heard about what happened, or the version everyone else knew except Snape, Malfoy and me. I couldn't tell them, it was my fault. I was so ashamed of myself. I told Izzy, she was the only one who knew too. But she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She owled Lily and Sirius and told them. They cornered me in the common room one day and confronted me about it. All I could do was cry as I ran to my dorm and froze whoever came to talk to me.
I had to pick a career that I wanted advice on. I wanted to be an Auror. They had a cool job, picking and punishing the wizard scum of this world. I desperately wanted to be that.
"Well, Miss Cox, an Auror needs to have top grades and I can see you are fine in that. You also need to pass all your O.W.L.s with O or more." Professor McGonagall said. I nodded and vowed to pass all of them. I needed and wanted to.
"Hey girls." Remus said sitting next to me. I smiled.
"Hey." I said, I turned back to my book.
"Mmmm, food." Sirius said grabbing a handful of pretzels.
"God Sirius, you just ate." James said shaking his head. He was eyeing Lily, he had a huge crush on her but she wouldn't tell him that she liked him. She refused to.
"What? I'm still hungry." He said. I laughed and got back to my reading. I was so engrossed in my reading that I didn't notice Lily and Alyssa were gone and in bed. So was everyone else. I looked outside and saw two figures escape into the thick forbidden forest. Curiosity got the better of me and I followed them. I was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest when I spotted them again. It was Snape and Malfoy.
"Hello." Malfoy's slick voice came from behind a tree. I turned around and saw him standing in front of me. I immediately got scared. His face was halfway hidden by all the shadows. Malfoy came closer to me and I stepped back. This continued until I was up against a tree. Malfoy pressed his body against mine and I tried to squirm my way out. Malfoy was surprisingly strong.
"What are you doing.. .get off of me!" I said. He put his hand over my mouth and ran his hand up my side. His hand went under my shirt and touched my skin. I was revolted. This was wrong and disgusting. I struggled against his strong hold. Snape appeared. I could see his eyes. So I gave him a pleading look. Malfoy was still running his hands up and down my sides.
"Lucius, lets go." Snape said trying to get him away.
"In a minute. Go and do look out. Make sure no one is coming." He said.
"But why? What are you." Snape asked.
"Just go!" Malfoy said. Snape walked away glancing back at me. I was scared. He wasn't going to help me. I needed help. Someone help me. Sirius!
"You are one blossoming beauty." He whispered in my ear. A disgusting shiver went up my spine. His hand traveled down to my waist and he played with my waistline. He put a few of his fingers between the hip huggers and my skin. I could move my left leg because he put less pressure on my left side. I pulled it up and kneed him hard in his sensitive spot. He groaned and fell to the ground. I pulled out my wand just as Professor McGonagall came carrying Snape by the arm. She saw me point my wand at him.
"Miss Cox! Put that down right now!" She said in her stern voice. I was too traumatized to hear it clearly. Her voice seemed distant, very distant. I was breathing hard and I had tears streaming down my face. I was almost raped! By scum! I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. Professor McGonagall came toward me. I put my hands up and she froze in mid air. She froze. How was it possible? Her dad's words echoed through her head.
'When you were a kid you could freeze things. Not as in cold but as in time. In the air. You dropped your bottle one day and then you froze it in the air. Ashleigh, you are powerful. If only you can find that power within you once again. It disappeared when you were 5, I don't know what happened but for the longest time nothing came. We thought it was just a phrase but now I see it coming out once again.'
She put her hands down and Professor McGonagall unfroze. I had a look of terror on my face and I just started to cry, it was the only thing I could think of. Months of pent up tears started to flow. Things that bothered me but I didn't cry because I thought it was weak, just flooded out of me. She directed us to Professor Dumbledore's office. By this time I had a potion to keep me out of hysterics. All three of us sat there silently. Professor Dumbledore was wearing a wool nightgown and a wool nightcap. He looked quite silly fro being one of the most powerful wizards alive.
"May I ask why you guys were out this late?" He asked in his calm tone. How could he be so calm. Here I was recovering from crying my hardest and he is sitting there so calm. Did he ever show emotion?
"We have no excuse sir. It was a dare, a stupid childish game." Snape said. He was trying to worm out of this.
"What would cause you, such an intelligent student, to play such a childish game?" Dumbledore asked him. I didn't want to listen. I curled up in my chair, I felt violated, more so than ever.
"Spur of the moment, you know how peer pressure is. It just affected us, but never again." Snape said. God, I hated him so much at that moment. Dumbledore turned to me.
"And you?" He asked me.
"I saw them down there and wondered what they were up to. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see for myself what was going on. I'm sorry." I said the potion was wearing off.
"May I ask what is wrong?" He asked me. I looked at him tears in my eyes again. I looked over at Malfoy and stopped myself from saying something. I couldn't, it was too embarrassing. I was supposed to be this big almighty powerful young witch and here I was crying because I allowed myself to get violated. It was all my fault.
"Nothing sure." I said and I put my head on my pulled up knees. He looked at me for a moment before continuing.
"Very well then. A nights' detention. If you love the forest so much then you can help Hagrid in it tomorrow night and Ashleigh you can polish the silverware." He said. I silently thanked him for not making me do a detention with them. We got up and left.
A few days went by and I wasn't myself. I knew this by my behavior. I was more withdrawn. I felt like I was 12 again, before Conner helped me out of my shell. Lily, Alyssa and the boys noticed my odd behavior. Instead of studying late at night I went to bed earlier. They heard about what happened, or the version everyone else knew except Snape, Malfoy and me. I couldn't tell them, it was my fault. I was so ashamed of myself. I told Izzy, she was the only one who knew too. But she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She owled Lily and Sirius and told them. They cornered me in the common room one day and confronted me about it. All I could do was cry as I ran to my dorm and froze whoever came to talk to me.
I had to pick a career that I wanted advice on. I wanted to be an Auror. They had a cool job, picking and punishing the wizard scum of this world. I desperately wanted to be that.
"Well, Miss Cox, an Auror needs to have top grades and I can see you are fine in that. You also need to pass all your O.W.L.s with O or more." Professor McGonagall said. I nodded and vowed to pass all of them. I needed and wanted to.