Disclaimer: nope not mine, all belongs to JK Rowling
A/N Ugh. This got way longer than I thought so I apologize for the wait but I wanted to get to 3rd year faster so I decided to keep it all in one chapter!
May - June 1993
Turned out, it wasn't going to be as easy as all that. With the new security it was nigh impossible to get away from the teachers, as they were even escorting them to the lavatory now, in addition to between lessons and back to their home common rooms at night. It was so bad in fact, that an unwilling Ascella had even gone so far as to suggest she and Padma could offer themselves up to use the toilet and be escorted to Myrtle's toilet. She may have offered but she had of course not been magnanimous about her offer, making sure Harry knew the level of her unwillingness and making sure he was aware of just how much she was sacrificing by being willing to do this. Oh, and that he would owe her. Big time. Harry told her it wouldn't work anyway though; they didn't want to risk bringing up what could be a touchy subject to Myrtle with a teacher's presence so near.
About a week before June was to begin, Ascella was sat in her usual seat next to Terry Boot in Charms, not paying attention at all, unusual for her at least in Charms, as she was too busy trying to think of a way to sneak to the girls lavatory. She'd suggested the Invisibility Cloak to Harry at lunch but he'd shot her down.
"Too risky. We'd have to take it off at some point to talk to her and can't risk getting caught," he'd told her and she'd grudgingly agreed, though she thought it might be mildly interesting to try and just talk to her while invisible, pretend they were ghosts too or something, they just didn't want to be visible. She thought she'd read somewhere that ghosts could become invisible if they wanted to.
She was brought out of her revere though, when she heard Flitwick make an announcement to the class at large.
"We're what?" she spat out, the room falling silent at her outburst. Professor Flitwick turned his gaze to her. She flushed, embarrassed, and mumbled an apology.
He waved off her apology though.
"Yes, Miss Black," he answered her. "Exams are to start next week and you are all to sit them. I know it will be rough on all of you but we have a duty to Dumbledore to keep this school running as best as possible. I just want you to know that I am proud of you all and to just do your best and try not to worry overmuch." Wise words. Flitwick knew his house well to say that to them as most had quickly gone from worry about the monster in the Chamber of Secrets to intense worry about not being at all prepared for exams, the Chamber induced fear having long driven almost all thought of school from their minds.
It was also around this time that Miss Turpin decided to make an ugly reappearance in Ascella's life. Having spent so many nights in Gryffindor in the recent weeks Ascella had only had to see the girl sparingly in lessons. When she had seen her the snotty know-it-all still appeared to only care about school unlike the rest of their house and year mates, who were more worried about the Chamber. Ascella was too blinded by her annoyance to see that perhaps this was Turpin's way of dealing with the stress and worries, much like Ascella had resorted to curiosities while terrified during she, Harry, and Ron's recent trip into the forest.
So instead of feeling sympathy, Ascella commented rather loudly during their study period overseen by Lockhart, about how could it be that Turpin could be serious about studying so hard at a time like this. Aaron had begun sniggering next to her and Padma even cracked a grin, while Terry merely kept his nose in his Standard Book of Spells Year 2, though his eyes grew wary and stopped moving, as if he was no longer reading the words before him. Micheal Corner and Anthony Goldstein even stopped what they were working on to look up as well. Lockhart was too busy answering fan-mail to pay them any attention.
"Just because I care about school work and exams doesn't make me heartless," Turpin sneered at Ascella, a bit of ink smudged on her nose, quill in hand, books open in front of her.
"Oh come on Turpin," Ascella returned, her voice lazy, her body seemingly relaxed, twirling her wand between her fingers. The stress of the attacks was getting to her too. And it felt good to take a bit of it out on Turpin. "We all care to some degree but it's not like the professors are going to actually fail any of us. Not with all this going on. So why bother acting like exams are the most important thing?"
Turpin flushed, the muscles around her eyes tightening. "They are the most important thing."
The legs of Ascella's chair slammed down at these words, she'd been leaning back in it, an edge abundantly apparent in her gray eyes now.
"Ascella," Terry warned, but Ascella completely ignored him. Even Aaron was disgusted now.
"The most important thing?" Ascella scoffed meanly. "How can you even think that? Kevin and Hermione and all the rest should be here but they aren't. You know, on second thought," she said leaning back again, the edge in her eyes so sharp now that it could cut. "I actually can believe you. You don't have any friends except for Mandy and everyone knows she's only your friend because she's nice, so you wouldn't understand loss if it bit you in your uptight arse." Silence, complete silence, met her words.
Then Aaron laughed aloud. He was joined by Padma and some of the other Ravenclaws. Aaron no doubt, in agreement with the comment about having lost Kevin, the rest likely just disliked Turpin as much as anyone and were glad to see her get knocked down.
Turpin's response was to slam her book closed and rush out of the room alone. Mandy then raced up to Lockhart to compel him to follow her friend as they still had to be escorted everywhere and he was still too distracted to have noticed one of his charges slipped the room under his watch.
Ascella paid for her victory later though. Ten minutes before the new 6pm curfew an out of breath and red faced Padma and Aaron were found outside the Gryffindor common room, demanding to see Ascella. Ascella had rushed out thinking the worst only to find out, as the huffing and puffing duo told her, that Turpin had turned her into Flitwick, telling him she hadn't seen Ascella in their dormitory for weeks now and that she had to get back to the common room before their Head of House caught her gone.
Ascella swore. Then threw the Invisibility Cloak over them that she was still borrowing from Harry and they made their hurried way back.
"Whoa! An actual Invisibility Cloak!" Aaron had breathed.
"Yeah brill, right?" Ascella said as they rushed along, just dodging a duo of 6th year prefects. "How'd you lot get to me anyway?"
"Very carefully," Padma gasped out as they rushed up the stairs on the fifth floor leading to the entrance to their tower, up and up and up they went. At the knocker Ascella told her friends to dart out from under the cloak, that she'd best stay under it until she could find a place to reveal herself.
Her friends darted out around the corner from the knocker where they'd stopped and raced up to the knocker. Aaron reached out and knocked it.
"I only live where there is light, but I die if the light shines on me. What am I?" the knocker asked.
Aaron and Padma looked at each other in a panic.
"I haven't the foggiest," Padma whispered to Aaron, eyes bugging out.
"Okay, we just have to think. Take our time," he tried to calm her, sounding no less panicked.
"We don't have time," Padma hissed at him, eyes darting back towards where Ascella's footsteps could be heard from behind them.
"Sheesh," Ascella spoke in her ear startling her. "Way to keep your cool under pressure. It's a shadow by the way."
"Oh, like I'm going to trust you," Padma whispered back, a hint of haughtiness entering her voice. "You're terrible at these riddles."
"Yeah, but I've actually been given this riddle once with Kevin. I'm sure that's the answer."
"Well alright," Padma said still looking like she didn't believe it. "A shadow," she said louder to the door knocker.
"Very good," it replied before swinging the door open, on a disbelieving Padma and a triumphant and impressed Aaron.
"Nice Pads!" he cheered, while Padma lowered her head blushing, not telling him Ascella had actually gotten it. Ascella made note to set the record straight later. Now, she took their moment of distraction to slip past them and into the common room. And not a moment too soon. There across the room was Turpin the Turncoat and their Head of House, Professor Flitwick. To give her Head of House credit he looked a bit uncomfortable to be standing there, next to the entrance to the girls dormitory, looking for all the world as if he really didn't want to go in there. Turpin volunteered herself to go look for Ascella, with the air of a snotty know-it-all sucking up, the glee, at what to her was sure to be Ascella's imminent doom, evident in her voice.
"Ah, Miss Patil!" he called in his squeaky voice, brightening on seeing her enter the room, looking disconcertingly right through Ascella as she was still invisible. She supressed the urge to shudder or try to step out of the way as if to help him see Padma better. "Would you mind seeing if Miss Black is in the dormitory? Miss Turpin is under the impression she isn't but as you know her so well... maybe you'll have better luck finding her." Flitwick trailed off.
Ascella felt for the man, she really did. But she had a friend to beat to the dormitory so she darted past and slipped in the closing door, after third years Cho Chang and her friend Mariennta something or other were exiting, only just resisting the urge to shove Turpin as she passed. It was probably for the best she didn't too as she wouldn't want the cloak to slip and expose herself. That would have been a whole other kind of explaining to do and would likely have gotten Harry in trouble as well.
From the hallway, Ascella heard Padma reply to Flitwick, her voice at least an octave higher and decibels louder than necessary. She told Flitwick that it would be no problem to go and fetch her friend. Padma even added that she thought Ascella might have been in the shower last she'd seen her.
The shower! Smart girl, that Padma, Ascella thought upon reaching their shared dormitory. She tossed the cloak off herself and into her open trunk (How was her bunk still a mess, even when she was never there?) and pulled out her royal blue towel that was hanging half in the trunk, half out, before whipping her long hair up and tying the towel around it. Just as if she'd just gotten out of a shower. She finished the ensemble by shoving her hands into one of the Weasley twin's (or was it Harry's, she hadn't bothered to remember who she'd stolen it from over Christmas break, oh wait the back read Weasley, one of the twin's then, though she really should have figured that out by the size, Harry wore his clothes baggy but even so he and Ascella wore the same size shirts and this jumper swallowed her) Quidditch jumpers and pulled on some flannel PJ bottoms over her skirt.
She'd just finished when Padma came walking in, Turpin on her heels. Padma looked relieved, while Turpin's blotchy face had gone from gloating happiness, to red faced confusion before settling into murderous rage. Ascella almost laughed.
"Yes?" she said looking up at the two of them, trying for a 'oh how normal it is to see you' look. No doubt she failed. The relief at having made it back was beginning to sink in and she felt herself on the verge of hysterical laughter. She'd have been in deep trouble for sure if Padma and Aaron hadn't made it to her.
"How - what - But I was just in here!" Turpin sputtered, before stamping her foot.
"Whatever is she talking about Padma?" Ascella asked her friend, this time succeeding in sounding bemused.
"Well, Miss Turpin has been under the impression that you haven't been staying in Ravenclaw Tower," Padma answered, matching Ascella's airy tone.
"Aw," Ascella said turning to the girl. "So nice of you to be so concerned." Turpin's mouth shut tight with a snap, and turning on her heel, she left the dormitory.
When her footsteps had faded, only then did Padma and Ascella fall into each other, leaning on each other and laughing. Finally Ascella sighed, her whole body coming down from the surge of adrenaline she'd been running on for the last 15 minutes or so.
"Well, we'd best go show Flitwick I really am here," she said to Padma. Her friend nodded and they proceeded out to the common room, Ascella still dressed in her rather ridiculous post "shower" outfit. Flitwick was relieved and delighted to see her, though he kept apologizing profusely for interrupting her shower. Ascella assured her favorite teacher that it had been no bother, she'd already gotten out of the shower, while Turpin glowered at them from across the room where she sat next to Mandy, the poor girl pointedly avoiding her friend's gaze.
Ascella meanwhile, was practically preening under Turpin's gaze, and not a second after the door had closed behind Flitwick, did Ascella wait until she whipped off the towel from her head and shook out her very obviously dry blond hair. Ascella smirked at the now open mouthed Turpin, tossed her hair with a wave of her hand once more, to further emphasize just what she'd gotten away with, before heading off to the dormitory with Padma.
The next morning Ascella found herself at the Ravenclaw table eating with Aaron and Padma, Terry was off with his other friends for some odd reason, when she looked up at the sound of a bag being dropped loudly across from her. She was met with the glaring green eyes of her best mate, Harry.
"Oh, hullo Harry," she said brightly, her eyes dropping back to her plate before her and continuing to butter her toast. "You'll never believe the adventure I had last night - " But she was cut off by Harry's angry retort.
"Adventure?" he said between gritted teeth. Ascella sat back, surprised at his tone, her arms dropping to rest on the table, knife and toast still in hand.
"What's with you?" she asked hotly.
"What's with me? You go and disappear on me, with my cloak I might add," he hissed at her, eyes darting at those around them, as if afraid they would overhear about his cloak. Best keep it a secret Aaron and Padma now knew, she thought, before Harry continued," without a single word as to where you've gone and you have the audacity to ask me what's with me? I didn't sleep last night. At all. I was terrified something had happened to you. Just like Hermione. Or worse," he added the last, his usual pale face somehow even more pale.
The blood from Ascella's face drained away. She let her toast fall to her plate, suddenly not hungry, her stomach rolling with guilt instead. She looked closer at her friend and it was only then that she finally noticed the bags under his eyes.
"I'm - so stupid," she said, her voice muffled. "I'm sorry Harry. It's just Padma and Aaron showed up to tell me Flitwick was looking for me and - and well I had to run..." she trailed off at the still intense gaze Harry was fixing with her. "I'm sorry Harry," she said her eyes downcast now. "I should've sent you a message. Let you know I was alright."
Harry sighed. "S'alright I 'spose," he said, his uptight posture deflating, a sign he'd forgiven her. "Just don't ever do anything like that again," he warned, pointing a finger at her. Ascella snorted at the antic.
"Okay, Dad," she teased. He grinned.
"Now what's this about Flitwick coming to check on you? Why would he do a thing like that?"
"One word: Turpin," Ascella said darkly, before she explained what had happened the night before.
"But I think she'll get what's coming to her," Ascella finished the story with, feeling delighted at what she'd done.
"Oh yeah? What did you do?" Harry asked.
"Put itching powder in all her uniforms and all her shoes," Ascella said evilly, before turning her eyes toward the mousy girl. Harry followed her gaze only to have to turn away for laughing. Down at the opposite end of the table, sat Lisa Turpin, practically falling out of her seat so profusely was she trying to itch herself, squirming too much to even eat breakfast, while Mandy looked concerned and tried to give advice only to be snarled at by Turpin.
And it got better; Snape gave the girl a weeks worth of detention for not sitting still when he told her too. Ascella and Aaron had almost received a night's worth because they'd been sniggering so badly in the back of the classroom.
It was later in Charms where Ascella found out why Boot had been seeming to avoid her. She was tipped off when he refused to look up at her and greet her with his usual pleasant smile when she flounced down next to him in her usual seat. She greeted him as usual, a greeting that he didn't return, his nose still stuck in a book. Ascella narrowed her eyes, mildly annoyed.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.
"Nothing," came Terry's reply. Ascella's eyes narrowed further. He was lying, she could tell.
"Nothing, huh? So that's why you're pretending to read your book then? And refusing to look at me," she stated the obvious. It didn't take a genius to figure out his eyes weren't moving over the page and that he was acting different from how he usually did.
Terry still refused to meet her eyes but at least he gave up his pretense of reading, his eyes rising to look elsewhere.
"Come on Boot. Tell me," Ascella said, growing a bit concerned now.
In a hushed voice, shoulders hunched down, eyes trained at the wall behind Flitwick, who had just begun the lesson, Terry finally spoke.
"Did you have to have a go at Turpin?"
Ascella couldn't help it, she let out a shout of laughter. That was what this was about? She managed to stop her laughter though at the pained look Terry threw her way at her outburst.
"Come on Terry, you can't honestly tell me you think I went too far?" His expression said that she had though. Ascella couldn't help but feel taken aback. Sure, Terry had never joined her in her pranking of their house mate, that is when Ascella could be bothered to notice Turpin, but he at the very least had never said anything against Ascella before. Ascella fixed him with a harder look then, trying to read what he was thinking behind his usually warm eyes. It would help if he'd stop avoiding her gaze. Sighing, she asked, "Is that what this is really about?" instead.
Terry flushed and mumbled a response to his lap.
"Come again?" Ascella asked, leaning closer.
"I was studying too," he said, voice just barely audible.
"What?" Ascella asked, now thoroughly confused.
"Yesterday, in study hour," Terry clarified, looking up at her, his voice louder if only a fraction and his words tumbling out as if he'd been holding them in for awhile and wanted them all out now that he'd started. "When you antagonized Turpin. I was studying too. I care about exams too. Despite what's been going on." He said it as if expecting reproach, looking as if preparing himself to be hurt by it, yet defiant anyway.
Instead, Ascella scoffed at him. "Of course you do," she said dismissing what he'd said with a wave of her hand. In truth, she felt relieved that this was what he was on about, for a second she'd worried it would was something actually serious. "Still don't see your point..."
"My point," Terry ground out, unusually irritated. The last time she had seen him like this had been the previous year when he'd snapped at her when she hadn't been studying for exams and in fact had been, as he put it, "blatantly flaunting," that she didn't need to study, by reading books about Animagi. "My point," he continued, restarting and gathering himself, "is that - well -," his volume lowered again, his eyes searching hers. "Is what you said to Turpin what you think of me too?"
"Puh!" Ascella wanted to laugh again. She managed not too though, able to tell that Terry was only driven to ask this because it deeply bothered him. "Don't be ridiculous," she tried for a softer tone, having no idea if she succeeded. " A.) You're my mate. 'Nuff said. B.) You aren't a horrid, sneering, mousy person like Turpin. C.) You aren't a suck up or a know-it-all. You genuinely help people. And, most importantly, D.) You would never say exams are the most important thing right now, studying yesterday or not doesn't change that. No, I know that," Ascella continued, cutting off what was sure to be a protestation from Boot, who'd opened his mouth to speak. "I've seen you neglect your studies on more than one occasion to help me, Pads, and even Aaron, who I know you don't particularly care for. So shut your mouth," he did, looking rather pleased at her words, "And tell me what in Rowena's sake brought this on?"
Terry stiffened in seat, his smile fading, his face now pinched in as if he really didn't want to talk about this. He did anyway though, maybe knowing that Ascella wouldn't let him get away with not answering.
"I don't know 'Cella. I guess - I just wonder sometimes what you really think of me. Of people in general, I guess."
"Terry," she started flatly. "Everyone has their faults - I don't, of course -" Here, Terry snorted and rolled his eyes, with what Ascella chose to take as affection for her at her words and antics. "But one fault that I definitely don't have, is being two-faced. Not to any degree. If I don't like someone, or something they've done, they'll know it. I can't - and won't - hide it nor will I pretend to play nice."
"Oh no, no faults at all, especially not lacking in humility. You clearly don't think much of yourself at all."
"I know! - Wait was that sarcasm?"
"Noo... not at all."
"You're a terrible liar. Like really bad. But your sarcastic tone is on point. If misused in this instance. We'll work on timing," she said, patting his arm.
"Yeah," he said, drawing the word out, a small smirk on his face. "And you aren't condescending. Nope, not at all," Terry said, his sarcasm, still misplaced, Ascella tried to tell herself.
"Well, excuse me. Didn't know today was point out all Ascella's faults," she pouted. Terry's only response was to grin. Ascella returned the grin, thinking the issue was closed now, but apparently she had spoken louder than she'd thought on the last statement, because Padma and Aaron leaned forward from the table behind them, eager to point out more of Ascella's faults too.
"Don't forget intimidating. The poor first years won't come anywhere near her," Padma started.
"Forget the first years, they're scared of anyone, but even the seventh years won't come near 'Cella!" Aaron added, grinning, taking too much joy in the topic change, Ascella couldn't help but think, his blue eyes cutting at her with mischief in them.
"Oy! I resent that!"
"Have we mentioned she's argumentative?" Pad's continued to the other two, flat ignoring Ascella. Ascella crossed her arms.
"I am not!"
They all looked at her then like 'isn't she so cute? Doesn't even realize she just proved our point.' Ascella blew out her side fringe from her face.
"Ugh," Padma said, her lip curling as she watched the hair flutter around Ascella's face. "And don't get me started on that hair of hers. It's bloody perfect and she's always flaunting it."
Ascella couldn't help but to preen a little at these words. She did have great hair. Why pretend it wasn't amazing? Unfortunately, Padma noticed Ascella's preening, her face darkening.
"Watch it," she threatened, her pointer finger aimed at Ascella, "or one of these days I'm going to chop it all off in your sleep."
Ascella's mouth dropped open, horrified, her hands going to her hair as if to protect it from Padma. Padma sniggered, while the boys grinned. Ascella reluctantly lowered her hands, pout-glaring now at her friends.
"Alright, alright, no one's perfect," she said. Her friend's watched her with raised eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. Ascella huffed. "Even me," she added. Satisfied, her friends let up. "But I am pretty damn close!" They all groaned but their smiles assured Ascella that they expected nothing less and they liked her still.
A few days later, three days before their first exam was to start to be exact, Ascella was sat between Ron and Harry at the Gryffindor table when McGonagall announced to the Great Hall that the Mandrakes were ready for cutting and that that night they would be able to revive those petrified and that they would in turn might be able to tell them who the culprit was that had put them there, news that was met with heavy cheering from almost all.
Not seconds later, a nervous Ginny Weasley came and sat down next to Ron, her hands twisting in her lap. Ron reached for more porridge and asked her what was wrong. She didn't respond, except to look up and down the table, eyes darting around nervously.
"Spit it out," Ron said while Harry, eyes on Ginny leaned in to whisper to Ascella.
"She's acting like Dobby," he said. "The house elf," he added as if Ascella could ever forget who that name belonged to. She still wanted to meet the slightly crazy sounding little elf. "She's acting like him when he was about to reveal something that he was forbidden to say." Ascella's gaze sharpened in on the young first year, as the girl in question began to rock back and forth in her seat.
"I - I've got to tell you something," she mumbled to Ron, eyes pointedly avoiding both Harry's and Ascella's.
"What?" Harry asked, his tone kind but no less urgent. Ginny continued to squirm and wring her hands together. Harry leaned further forward and spoke his voice soft.
"Is it to do with the Chamber of Secrets Ginny? Have you seen something? Someone acting odd?"
Ginny drew a deep breath, opened her mouth as if ready to finally speak, Ascella practically knocking Harry off the bench so far over was she leaning on him to be closer, when non other than Perfect-Prefect-Percy-Pompous Weasley had to show up and scare her off.
"Percy!" Ron angrily said to his brother. "She was just about to tell us something important!"
Percy choked on the cup of tea he was sipping. Ascella laughed cruelly, not willing to forgive him yet for his unwelcome arrival.
"What sort of thing?" he said coughing.
"Well I asked her if she'd seen anything odd and she started to say - "
"Oh, that," Percy cut his brother off. "That's nothing to do with the Chamber."
"How do you know?" Ron asked, eyebrows furrowing.
"Er, well Ginny walked in on me the other day, if you must know, while I was - well, nevermind that - the point is I asked her to not mention it. I must say I really had expected her to keep her word. It's nothing really, just rather - "
Ascella didn't think she'd ever seen Percy look so flustered before, not even when the twins were poking fun at him.
"Oh come on, tell us," Ron said grinning. "We won't laugh."
"Yeah, come Perce, tell us," Ascella added, mirroring Ron's evil grin.
Percy ignored them both, instead asking Harry for the rolls. Harry, the traitor, handed them to him. If Percy'd asked Ascella she would have held them ransom 'til he gave up his secret or moved off, either way it would have been preferable to spending the rest of breakfast with him.
On the way to Defense, Ascella was watching Boot thoughtfully where he laughed with Padma, Corner, Goldstein and Aaron, walking along ahead of them. Still watching them, she asked Harry a question.
"Do you think I'm argumentative? And condescending? And not humble?
Harry's response was to burst into laughter. Ascella glared at him. He stopped laughing.
"Oh," he said. "You were being serious." Ascella's glare deepened. "No," he cleared his throat. "You aren't any of those things. Not at all."
"Oh shut it," was her response.
Later that morning, after Defense, Lockhart was escorting them to their next lessons when Harry had a stroke of genius and he convinced the overly cheerful Lockhart to let them make their own way to their next lesson. He'd gotten the idea as Lockhart had just been complaining about still having to escort them to lessons now that the petrified people would be waking up soon, sure the first thing out of their mouths would be that Hagrid was the culprit.
"Genius, Harry!" Ascella breathed to her friend as they let the other Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's draw ahead of them. They then darted down a side passage and began heading for Myrtle's toilet.
It was also then that a sharp voice sounded from a passage to the right.
"Potter! Weasley! Black! What are you doing?" It was McG and she looked non too pleased, her mouth thinner than Ascella had ever seen it, and she'd seen it at some previously unknown levels of thin on many occasions, most usually late at night in the Gryffindor common room when she got caught there after hours.
"We were - we were -" Ron stuttered. "We were going to - to go and see -"
"Hermione," Harry jumped in, stomping on Ron and Ascella's feet to get them to shut their mouths at his words and go along with the plan. "It's been ages." Somehow McG missed the foot stomping.
"Yeah, lots of ages," Ascella added trying to be helpful. Harry cut her a look that said she'd failed.
To all of their surprises though, instead of exploding at them for being out without a professor, McGonagall actually let them off, a tear glistening in her eye. Not only did she let them off, she even escorted them to the Hospital Wing and told Madame Pomfrey that they had her express permission to visit with their friend.
They had no choice then but to go in. It was then sitting next to Hermione that Harry noticed a crumpled up bit of parchment in Hermione's hand. Managing to get it out, Harry, Ron and Ascella all leaned in to read it. It was a page torn out of a library book, Ascella almost rolled her eyes, Hermione would be petrified clutching a bit of a library book, until she continued reading it, her eyes widening.
"That's it," Harry breathed looking up at his non-petrified friends. "She'd figured it out. The creature in the Chamber is a basilisk!" Huh, that name reminded her of something. Where had she heard that before? She squinted back at the parchment, her eyes alighting on the words 'Spiders flee before it...'
"Oh yeah!" she said. "I meant to tell you lot that that's what spiders fear." Harry and Ron fixed her with unbelieving stares.
"Cella!" Harry all but groaned at her, head falling into his hand.
"What?" she defended herself. "There's been a lot going on!"
Harry was apparently too excited about the discovery though to be too upset with her as all the rest of the nearly year long mystery of the Chamber came together, the mirror Hermione had been using to look around corners to avoid directly looking at the creature, that Kevin must have seen the snake's eyes in the reflection of the library windows, how the entrance to the Chamber was probably in Moaning Myrtle's toilet, that the creepy monster was using the plumbing to get around. Ascella had shuddered at that. She didn't think she'd ever look at the Hogwarts plumbing the same, not that she'd taken much thought to it all that much anyway really, except for when she'd been disgusted to learn that Hogwarts had only introduced plumbing in the 18th century. Apparently, wizards and witches had previously just relieved themselves wherever they were and vanished the evidence. Like what in Merlin's sake were her wizarding ancestors thinking? Even the Roman's had figured out plumbing. Well, at the very least better than pre-18th century British Isles Wizards had, apparently.
They'd then promptly rushed off to the staff room, to tell the teachers what they had, or rather what Hermione had, discovered about the Chamber. Ascella, meanwhile had been fascinated to discover the staff room was actually a real place in the castle ("I mean honestly, their lives are sad enough as teachers at a 10 month long boarding school, do they have to try and make it 'less' sad by spending time together?").
Instead of telling the teachers anything, though, they had hid in a wardrobe and learned that Ginny Weasley had been taken into the Chamber and that "apparently" Lockhart was going to go and fetch her, because he knew so much about the Chamber.
Harry and Ascella had looked sharply in concern at Ron at the news that his youngest sibling had been the student taken into the Chamber. Ron's only response had been to slid down to the wardrobe floor, his legs having given out. Ascella's hand went, unthinking, to his shoulder, where she squeezed it in silent comfort.
Ascella herself, almost felt her eyes go a little damp when her Head of House burst into tears at the combined news that a student had been taken and that the school would have to close, almost being the key word. Ascella could count on one hand the number of times she'd cried in her thirteen years and she wasn't about to add another to her count now.
Ascella didn't remember the trip back up to Gryffindor Tower after they'd snuck out of the staff room. She didn't remember much of the afternoon, spent in such silence as it was, she and Harry sitting with all the Weasley boys save for Percy, who'd locked himself up in his dormitory after writing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She barely even remembered McGonagall finding her there, curled up next to Harry on a couch, her gray eyes wide and staring. McGonagall hadn't even questioned it though, just telling her to stay put and that she'd inform "Filius" of her whereabouts.
Some time after sunset, after the twins had gone up to bed, unable to sit there any longer, Ron spoke for the first time since they'd heard the news. At first Harry and Ron had begun by consoling Ron and assuring him, however futilely, that Ginny was still alright, but soon after this a gleam grew in Ron, a gleam of determination; he wasn't about to give up on his sister. He then suggested they go tell Lockhart what they'd found as he'd said he was going after the girl. Harry and Ascella looked at one another, shrugged, neither able to think of anything better to do, and agreed. All three rose as one and crossing the room of dejected Gryffindors, exited, none of the other students doing anything to try and stop them.
When they found Lockhart in his office it was to discover the bastard was packing up for home, that he had no intention whatsoever of going in to the Chamber. He then proceeded to tell them his greatest secret; he hadn't actually done any of the things he said he did in his books, ("I knew it! Wait 'til I tell Meda!" Ascella had shouted at this only to be silenced by a look from Harry that clearly said now wasn't the time), that in fact the only thing he really was good at anymore were Memory Charms, which he'd have to be performing on them. Luckily, Harry reached his wand just in time and shouting, "Expelliarmus!" Lockhart was thrown backwards off his feet, his wand flying high into the air. Ron caught it and threw it out an open window.
"Nice one," Ascella told Ron. "You as well Harry, you as well, but we expect such actions from you."
"Oy!" Ron protested. Harry, meanwhile, still had his wand facing Lockhart. Ascella soon followed suit and drew her own.
They then proceeded to march Lockhart before them to Myrtle's toilet.
"I swear to Merlin, this had better be the last time I set foot in here," Ascella muttered as she pushed the door open with her hip, keeping her wand and one eye on Lockhart and one eye in front.
Once in the room, Harry asked Myrtle how she had died. Because the ghost had some sort of weird crush on him she proceeded to tell him. Or maybe she'd have told anyone that asked, as she talked about her death with just a little too much joy in her voice, for Ascella's liking.
The ghost then pointed out the sink that she had been facing when it had happened. Walking over to it the group found a faucet with a little snake on it. Harry made the strange hissing and spitting sounds that he had made at dueling club. At first nothing happened and then there was a great rumbling and the sinks moved back to reveal a giant pipe leading down into the dark.
Harry looked at Ascella and Ron.
"I'm going down there," he said. Ascella sighed as Ron voiced his agreement. She recognized the look in Harry's eye and knew his mind was made up.
"Fine," she said "Me too. Merlin knows you'd both probably get killed with out me."
"Is it just me or does she get more sarcastic when we are in potentially life threatening situations?" Ron mused to Harry.
"Oh shut it," Ascella said before either could reply. "I'm coming, aren't I? But I am not going first. I will not be the first one to go down that tunnel and find myself covered in snake goo or something equally disgusting from the ride down."
"Make Lockhart go first," Ron said, with a shrug.
"Oooh! Yeah, make Lockhart go first," Ascella agreed. And so they did. Then it was there turns. Harry and Ron followed Lockhart down in short order and Ascella, not wanting to be left waiting with Myrtle, hopped down after them.
"Whoo!" Ascella yelled, thoroughly enjoying the rushing ride down. That is until she got to the bottom and found herself plopped into a large pile of something oddly squishy.
"What the bloody hell -" she said holding up her hand, the stuff slopping around her and off her robes. She looked up to find Ron bent double laughing so hard he wasn't making any noise, tears at the corners of his eyes, while even Harry was suppressing a grin.
"Nice to see you lot can still laugh in such a dire situation as this. Don't know if I'd be able to laugh if my sister was trapped in some creepy underground tunnel." That comment shut Ron up. "Now what in Merlin's name have I landed in?" Ascella asked, slowly extracting herself from the nasty goop, her feet making sucking noises every time she pulled one from the stuff to take a step towards the edge of it.
"Er 'Cella," Harry said bracingly. "Er - I think it might - er- well I think it's snake droppings."
She froze at that word.
"You mean snake shite? I landed in snake shite?"
"Uh- huh."
Ascella squealed and ran as fast as she could out of the muck, which wasn't very fast as it seemed determined to never let her go.
Ron couldn't help it; he started laughing again.
His distraction proved to almost be all of their undoing though, as Lockhart made a jump for Ron's wand. Brandishing the spellotaped wand at them he proceeded to attempt to Obliviate them. Only the spell backfired and caused a cave in.
Coughing, Ascella heard Harry's voice call from the other side asking if they were okay. She shouted to him that they were, aside form the fact that in addition to being covered in snake "droppings" she was now also covered in dust with small bits of rock stuck to her face, no doubt lodged in some of the poop she hadn't had time to get off. Ascella was trying really hard not to think about it.
Ron then told Harry that Lockhart wasn't fine though. Ascella, her patience already thin from being covered in nasty unmentionables, didn't even bother trying to deal with their inane Professor, who appeared to have Obliviated himself, so she picked up the nearest rock and struck him over the head, knocking him out cold.
"Rowena, I've wanted to do that all year," she sighed, the act actually having a bit of a therapeutic affect for her.
"What was that?" Harry called.
"Ascella just knocked Lockhart out with a rock," Ron answered, looking part impressed, part jealous he hadn't done it and part frightened of her.
"'Cella!" Harry said.
"What? It's not like a concussion will hurt his memory? He's already lost it!" Ascella could practically hear Harry's rolling his eyes.
Harry then told them he'd be going on.
"Be careful!" Ascella told him, a tightness in the back of her throat. All she knew was that the git better come back. And then, all too soon, even the echos of his footsteps were gone as he continued on.
Ascella spent the time waiting for Harry's return, alternatively helping Ron with the big rocks with magic and scourifying herself, all the while chewing nervously on her lip, worry for Harry eating at her from the inside.
But he came back. Always the hero, he came back. And he wasn't alone. A shaken and pale Ginny Weasley was tucked behind him. Ron roared at the sight and buried his sister in a hug, while Ascella jumped into Harry's arms ignoring the fact that covered in blood as he was, she was surely adding to the grim she'd just spent so much time getting off.
They took Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix, up and out of the pipe, the group of them forming a weird chain made of people.
They then proceeded to head for McGonagall's office but on the way to tell her what had happened, Ascella drew back. Only Harry noticed, drawing back a moment with her.
"Not coming?" he asked
"I'll leave the hero worthy credit to you," Ascella waved him off. "Me? I'm going to go take a nice, long, and hot, shower. I am disgusting."
Harry wrinkled his nose.
"Good idea. You smell."
"Ha! You think I smell? At least I'm not the one covered in blood. Gag."
Harry rolled his eyes. "No, just Baslisk shite."
"Bugger off."
"Happy you're alright too Cella," he intoned, sarcasm evident in his voice. Ascella smiled warmly.
"I really am happy you're alright. If you hadn't been I'd have found someway to bring you back, if just so I could kill you again for dying on me and leaving me to the likes of having to replace my best mate. I mean really, how you could dare to be so inconsiderate. Do you know how long it takes to break in a best mate?"
"Oh, shove off 'Cella," Harry said, but they were both smiling too widely for either to truly believe the other was anything but grateful to see the other alive and safe. Ascella rushed Harry one last time, and gave him a tight hug before she darted away and did just as she'd said, taking a welcome, long and hot, shower, before changing into a soft pair of pajamas and promptly falling asleep in Harry's bed as soon as her head hit the pillow. Sometime around midnight though, she was rudely awakened by someone jumping into the bed with her, or rather two someone's.
"Argh!" she flailed around, a snarky quip for the intruders on the tip of her tongue, as what sounded like quite the group of people surrounded her in laughter. She stopped the quip though as she caught sight of a mane of bushy brown hair and shaggy black hair. "Oh! 'Mione!" Ascella said throwing her arms around her friend, before turning to the other intruder, and tackling him in a hug as well. "Kevin!" She felt his hot breath on her neck as he laughed, returning her hug. His breath, something so small, a sign he really wasn't petrified anymore, making her even more aware of just what it meant, he was back. They both were. Then she looked finally up at the rest around them and saw all of her friends gathered around, Padma and Terry, standing with the infectiously grinning Aaron. Harry and Ron were there too, both looking exhausted but grinning nonetheless. And Hermione and Kevin.
"It really is over, isn't it?" Ascella said to all of them but only looking at Harry.
"It really is," he smiled at her. "Now come on! There's an all night feast going on!" Ascella's stomach growled loudly at the thought of food, she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. Her friends all laughed and Ascella challenged them all to a race to the Great Hall. She won. And to top off an ace night, McGonagall announced end of year exams were canceled! Only Hermione was upset. All in all it was a wonderful way to end a dark, dark year and surrounded by her friends Ascella couldn't help but think the coming years could only bring more excitement for her and her friends. She found herself looking forward to it, but for now she had some English pudding to help herself to.
a/n Got super long! Sorry again, I just kept adding stuff, so sorry for that and for not getting it up as soon as I said! Let me know what you think if you feel inclined! Next Chapter: summer before 3rd year and news of Sirius's escape, woot woot! :) 'Bout to get interesting... Be prepared for everyone to be getting a bit older too, first crushes starting to develop... etc etc
