After what happened Ash couldn't sleep any more. The visit to the Clearing of Sibyl had not only given her the answer about her friends in Germany, but made her see more clearly.

Like her friends had forgotten her. She needed to forget about them and her past as well. Her continuous grasp on the past made her forget herself. She needed to live again, needed to let herself be herself again. No more hesitations, no more indecision's.

Of course she would never really forget what happened, nor her friends - but she needed to let go.

Her past had made her strong. Her past had made her realistic. Her past had made her who she is today.

If luck didn't want to show itself to her any more, as it had done in the past. She would just have to make luck herself, her own luck.

Ash was grinning at the thought as she watched the sun come up from the Astronomy tower. A new day began, as - she had decided - would a new life. Her life.

"Ash," a voice called from behind her as she made her way through the castle corridors. Looking back she saw Ginny running up to her. Ash stopped and waited for the red haired girl to catch up. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Ash smiled, "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'll continue my adventure of trying to find my way around Hogwarts."

"And how is that working out for you?"

"Quite well. I know exactly were I am."

"And where are you?"

"... on the 3rd floor?"

"4th."

"OK, no point in trying to hide it. I'm lost. I've been at the Astronomy tower and watched the sun rise. Then I started wandering around randomly and now I've been searching for the Great Hall for an hour and don't think I'm anywhere near it," she cried.

"Ha ha, I already thought so. I'm on my way to the Great Hall as well, I'll take you."

"Your a lifesaver Ginny!" Ash yelled and hugged the younger girl.

"Why where you up so early anyway?" Ginny asked when they started walking.

Ash shrugged "I had a lot of things on my mind and it seems a running brain doesn't like sleep very much."

"Like what?"

"Lots of nothing."

"Come on tell me!"

"Just all the stuff that already happened since I'm here. Being sorted into Slytherin. Getting to know Draco, Blaise and Tracy. The prank on Daphne and Pansy. The usual."

"Now that you already brought it up. What's up with you and Malfoy?"

"I brought that up? I only said his name."

"You know what I mean."

Ash laughed. "I'm not sure. We like each other, but that's all that's up so far."

"So... you like him? Like friend like or like like?"

"Like like." Ginny nodded that opened her mouth to say something. But Ash had already anticipated it and quickly added. "Same with him." Again Ginny nodded.

"So will the two of you...?"

"No idea. I was debating if I should ask him on a date to Hogsmeade today. What do you think?" Ash looked at Ginny full of expectation.

Ginny took a deep breath. "You know that I don't really like him, do you?"

"I guessed."

"Well... If you really like him in that way... I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone if you tried," she smiled. Ash grinned at her cousin and embraced her in a big hug.

"You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that!" she beamed at Ginny and together they walked into the Great Hall where they split up and went to their own tables.

When Ash reached the Slytherin table she quickly spotted Draco and Blaise sitting in the middle lost in a deep conversation. Smiling she dashed over to them.

"Hey guys! What are you talking about?"

They looked up at her and smiled in greeting. "We were talking about Quidditch. The try-outs will be held on Monday."

"Oh really? Where do we have to sign up?"

"I posted the announcement in the common room today, with a sheet to sign up to. Didn't you see it when you came out of the dorms?"

"I already left the house shortly before dawn. Hence nope, they weren't hanging there by that time," she told them.

"Why where you already up at that time?"

"You shouldn't be asking that Blaise! You know that I have this secret affair with someone outside the house," Ash joked, making Blaise laugh. Tracy and Blaise had always joked about her having an affair because she had already left when Tracy just woke up on most mornings. Draco however looked as if someone had just slammed a knife into his back and was twisting it around.

When Blaise saw Draco's face, he abruptly stopped laughing and told him that it was an inside joke between Ash, Tracy and himself. Draco didn't look very convinced though and an awkward silence spread between the three.

After a few seconds Ash couldn't take it any more. "Draco," she said while turning her body to look at him. "I was wondering what you were doing today."

He looked at her a bit confused and answered. "Don't have anything planned. Why?"

"I...Well, I was wondering if I could follow up on your Hogsmeade invitation." He looked at her as if she where speaking Chinese. "You know, in the first Transfiguration class?"

Slowly, she could see it dawned to him. "Oh, um, sure. If it alright with your little affair, that is."

Ash looked at him hurt - his voice had told him that he wasn't joking about the affair part. "Blaise just told you that that was only a joke."

"Yeah, he did. But is it really?"

Her jaw fell and without a second thought she slapped him. "Your absolutely unbelievable, Draco Malfoy! Of course it is! What reasons would I have to lie to you?" she spat and abruptly stood up from her seat next to him and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Go after her, you douche," Blaise told him and that's exactly what Draco did. Swiftly he jumped up from his seat and raced after Ash.

It didn't take him very long to catch up with her. She was standing right outside the open doors of the Great Hall. Waiting.

Again, Draco was confused, but ignored that confusion and went up to her. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking," he said softly while pulling her towards him.

Ash smirked. "You were jealous."

Draco looked at her stiffly. "No I wasn't."

"Liar."

"... Maybe," he admitted, so quietly that he believed no one but him had heard. But ever since they became Animagi, Ash's hearing seemed to have improved - which was theoretically impossible - and therefore she heard him and silently gave him a small peck on the lips, making 1000 volts electricity sear through his body - just like they did by their first kiss on the first day in Hogwarts.

"See you at the carriages at 12," she whispered into his ear and walked past him, back into the Great Hall to get breakfast.

Draco was waiting at the carriages at the stroke of 12, while watching Ash slowly walk down the stairs towards him. With pleasure he noticed that she had actually changed her outfit and was wearing make up for him - something she normally didn't bother doing.

When she saw him, a smile spread across her angelic features and made Draco's heart pump in excitement - he had never felt this way about anything before and he was liking this feeling. Swiftly he walked over to his date and took her hand.

"Hey," he whispered and smiled at her. She smiled in return. "Lets hurry to the carriage," he suggested and together they went down to the white carriages that where pulled by Thestrals.

"So what are we doing today?" Ash asked him with a smile.

"Well, you already saw most of Hogsmeade and I'm pretty sure you've seen enough of the Haunted Shack. Hence I thought we could go to the only place you haven't been to yet."

"And what would that be?"

"Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop."

Ash looked at him a bit confused, but shrugged it away and smiled at him. "Sure. Sounds... great."

After the carriage ride, Ash and Draco where sitting in the little tea shop where all the couples seemed to go in their free time. Why they would actually come here... Ash could not answer. This place was like a nightmare coming true. The decoration are overly tacky and Ash was sure that if she saw another frilly thing in her life, she was going to puke. The windows where steamed up and all the gaudy tables - that were decorated with lacy napkins and Chinese sugar bowls - and chairs were claimed by teenagers holding hands or kissing over cups of tea and coffee.

There was even a bell over the door that announced customers in a shrill belly way that gave her an head ache.

She couldn't really imagine that anyone could enjoy themselves in here, but was clearly proven wrong by the smiling and giggling people that where sucking off each others faces.

Draco had ordered two cups of tea and a chocolate cake.

"So how do you like it?" he asked anxiously when their order arrived. She hadn't been able to say a word since they had entered the shop.

Shocked, because he had pulled her out of a small trance, she looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something. However when nothing came out she quickly closed it again and looked another time around herself. "It's ... pink," she stated, hoping it would satisfy Draco.

"You don't like it here do you?" Ash looked at him, guilty.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"I think I found hell."

Draco snickered. "Thank god!" He sighed and gracefully got off his chair, pulling Ash to her feet as well. Briskly he got the cake as a take away and hand in hand the two Slytherins escaped their lacy hell.

"Was that really that shop that everyone keeps talking about?" Ash asked when the door closed behind them and they came to an gradual stop.

"Yep," her date nodded.

"I hereby declare that I do not understand those people."

"I second that," he laughed and, still holding onto Ash's hand, started pulling her towards the Three Brooms.

"If you don't like it, why did you want to go there?"

"Well... since I've went to Hogwarts, that was always the place to go if you were in a date."

Ash shivered in disgust and was happy when they entered the Inn she had come to love in the last 2 weeks. "You should know by know that I'm different then most girls at Hogwarts."

Draco shrugged and ordered two Butterbeer. Together they sat at the table and went on talking for hours, with no end. Ignoring the side glances they got from most people in the room and the sly comments.

A Weasley and a Malfoy on a date. It came to a shock for most people.

When it was nearly sun down, they finished their Butterbeer and left the pub. Together the two of them walked through Hogsmeade hand in hand. After a short while they ended up in front of the forest. When they stood in front of it, Draco turned to face Ash.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her quietly, taking her second hand into his comforting warm hands. Ash nodded, making Draco smile at her. "Then close your eyes."

Ash did as she had been told and let Draco pull her into the forest. He walked with her for a few minutes before pulling her towards him and covering her eyes up with his hands.

They took another few steps, until Draco said, "now open your eyes."

And that is what the Slytherin girl did. She opened her eyes and had to draw a deep breath. Draco had brought her to a small cliff that was looking over the whole mountain panorama while the sun just happened to sink behind the gigantic stones and taint the whole sky in a fiery red.

"Wow, its beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it," he grinned and pulled her body close. Together they just sat there and watched the sun set behind the mountains, while eating the chocolate cake Draco had taken from Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop - Tracy had been right. The cakes were the best.

When the sun was just about to disappear into the night, Ash turned to look at Draco, placed a small hand of hers upon his check and gave him a longing kiss.

"This was the best date I've ever had," she whispered into his ear and contently placed her head on his shoulders.