Today was Friday
Today was the 20th of December 1997.
Today was the last day of school, before the winter holidays started...
"Your going where?" Ron asked Ash disbelievingly.
"I'm going to Blaise's place in the holidays," she told him.
"Zabini?"
"Yes. Blaise Zabini."
"But I thought you wanted to stay here?"
"Yeah, that was the plan, but... Blaise invited me over and I thought, why not? I mean, I'm here all the time and nobody from Slytherin is staying in Hogwarts over the holidays."
Ron's lips thinned as he looked at his cousin.
"Ron, I'm not asking you to permit me to go, I'm just telling you so that you know."
"Yeah, I know... just be careful, alright?"
"Whenever am I not?"
Ron crooked his eyebrow at her, "you really want an answer for that?"
Ash looked at him with a goofy grin, "no, not really."
"When are you leaving?"
"The train departs tomorrow at 11 o'clock."
Ron nodded. "Are you really sure, that you want to go there? You could always go home to the Burrow. I guess, we could go home as well..."
"And ruin Molly's plan on having a bit of fun time with Arthur?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The twins and Charlie went to visit Bill, Percy's still a bitch and will celebrate in the Ministry and we are in Hogwarts. Hence, finally they are all alone again. And as far as I know, they are still very in love with each other," Ash said suggestively.
Ron looked at her confused, until her words seemed to flick a switch. "Bloody Merlin! Why did you say that! EW! EW! EW!" he screamed and shook his red head furiously, goosebumps spreading on his arms.
Ash laughed hard at her cousins reaction, so hard that she had to clutch her stomach due to the pain.
While Ash was laughing and Ron was overreacting in disgust, Ginny walk up to them.
"Hey, What's so funny? Did Ron see a spider?"
"No, I just told him that I'll spend the Holidays at Blaise's. As he suggested that we should all go to the Burrow, I told him that I didn't want to disturb your parents fun time."
"Their fu-? EW! You are so disgusting Ash! How can you say something like that?" Ginny yelled stepping away from her blondish cousin.
Ash started laughing hard again, "you guys are hilarious."
"No," they said in unison. "You are just disgusting!"
Laughing hard, Ash shook her head at them. "Anyway," she said gasping for air, "I'll be leaving tomorrow with Blaise."
Her cousins looked at her. "You sure you don't want to stay here? Have a little fun with us?"
Ash raised her eyebrow. "Fun? With you guys? Is that even possible?" she joked, receiving joking glares in return.
"You'd be surprised how much fun we can be."
"Yeah, right. You'd die under the shine of my fun-ness!" she told them, making Ginny giggle.
"That so did not make any sense!"
"Well, it did to me. And as long as it makes sense to me, its correct." Ash declared and her family members laughed at her.
"Whatever you say." Ron chuckled.
"Exactly!"
"Ash!" they heard somebody call her name and as they turned to look at the voice, Ash saw Chase rushing towards her. Quickly she braced herself for the impact that came two seconds later as he hit her full force and hugged her tightly.
"Chase," she laughed. "Let go of me!"
"Not an option. You're going to build a snowman with me!"
"A snowman?"
"Yep"
"With snow?"
"What else?"
"Outside?"
"Well, inside would be a bit hard. The snow would melt"
"But its cold outside..."
"You'll live, sis."
Ash sighed in defeat. "Alright. Let me down then."
"Nope, I know you. You'd run away."
"So not true!"
Chase looked at her unbelievingly, before shaking his head and throwing her over his shoulder.
"Hey! Let me at least say bye to my real family - the one that loves me!" she teased and made Chase walk a few paces back. "I'll see you later! OK?" she said, still hanging from Chase's shoulder.
"Yeah, we'll see you!... Have fun in the cold," they said and waved as Ash was forcibly carried away from them and out of the castle. When he reached their friends he let her fall into a pile of snow.
"You are so dead, you stupid freak!"
"Hehe, you'll have to catch me first!" he screamed and started running from the snow covered, freezing girl.
Quickly she jumped up and raced after the fleeing boy. "Come here I say! You stupid little prick!"
"Hahaha! You're tooo slow! Slowpoke! Slowpoke! Slowpoke!"
"What you little -? Now you did it!" Ash screamed and pulled out her wand. "Stupify," she yelled and Chase stiffened and landed face first in the snow.
Happily Ash ignored the boys body and went over to Draco, who was holding a jacket for her. "You know you did go a bit far there."
Ash rolled her eyes and muttered the spell to de-freeze him. "It's his own fault," she said pouting as Chase joined them again.
"You're stupid," he told her. While Ash watched him with an mischievous glint in her eyes. "Don't look at me that way," he said and watched Ash bend down to the snow. "You don't want to do that," he said taking a step backwards.
Ash crooked her head at him, "Actually... I think I do," she smirked and threw the snowball in her hands at the younger boy.
"Snowball fight!" he yelled and threw a ball of snow at her in return. Soon the whole groups was covered in white blotches of snow and were throwing the powdery white snow at each other.
When they stopped, it was already turning dark and they were wet and frozen from head to toe. "I think we should head back," Tracy suggested and they all agreed.
"Merlin!" Ash said when she saw the clock on the door. "It's already five! I totally forgot that the music class is having a performance tonight"" Ash cried and took Tracy's hand in her own. "Need to go! We'll see you boys in the Great Hall for dinner" she yelled back over her shoulder.
"Hey Ash!" somebody said behind her, as she and her friends sat at the dinner table and ate their food. Ash turned to see Amelia and Emily - another Ravenclaw that was in the music class - stand behind her.
"Hey!"
"Care to join us?"
"Join whom?"
"It's time to get ready."
Ash looked at Amelia, "Oh... Sure I'll be right there," quickly she glanced at her friends. "I'll see you later."
Her group nodded and watched her walk behind the Ravenclaw out of the Great Hall. When they closed the door behind them Ash saw that they all had already gathered, they where the last ones to appear.
She was the only Slytherin in the music group this year - they told her last year there where three - but she didn't mind. The people that where in the music classes where fun and she had no problem with any of them.
"Ash!" they people chimed when they saw her, a few of the younger ones came and hugged her tightly.
"Hey there! Are you all ready to go out there?"
"Nah," a second year Hufflepuff answered. "I'm not sure if I can remember the text!"
Ash chuckled, "don't worry about it. You'll remember as soon as you sing it!"
"I guess."
"Not guess, know."
The Hufflepuff giggled and nodded.
One of the other seventh years - Davis, a Ravenclaw - came up to Ash and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Are you sure that you are a Slytherin?" he asked her quietly.
"What else should I be?"
"I don't know... Hufflepuff?"
Ash looked at Davis with wide eyes before shaking with laughter. "Me?" she gasped, "Hufflepuff?" - she broke down laughing again. "That's definitely not an option. I'm way to ..." she glanced at the younger kids. "...weird to be a Hufflepuff."
"But your way to nice to be an Slytherin either."
"No I'm not. Slytherins are nice. The problem is you always pick out the few idiots we have in there and say that we're all like that."
"Alright, name 1 Slytherin that is nice, not only to the people in their own house"
Ash looked at him. "Tracy."
"Have you ever seen her talk to someone outside of your house, without a sneer?"
"Yes, when she joined us in Music."
"Any other time? - Maybe class?"
"She gets along with that other Ravenclaw girl..."
"Sandra?"
"Yeah that's the girl, I always see them talking."
"Tracy found out something about Sandra and is blackmailing her into doing a part of her homework." Davis said.
"Oh... Well, there's also Blaise"
"Arrogant prick, I don't think that he likes anyone except you and Tracy, maybe Malfoy, and he's definitely not nice to people... just indifferent"
Ash looked at her fellow musician. "Draco?"
"Do I really need to answer that?"
"Chase Orion."
"Your fellow beater?"
Ash nodded with a grin. "Did you ever meet him in classes or when he's not around you? That boy is worse then Draco when it concerns other houses. And that he has muscles does not help anyone either." Davis told her, leaving Ash to frown. Was Chase, her little Chase, really a bad ass... Ash cracked up at the image that formed in her head at that thought.
"I don't believe you," she told Davis.
"You don't have too, just ask Tracy - she knows everything, right?"
Ash pouted at Davis. "So your saying that I'm the only Slytherin that's nice?"
"Exactly."
"But I'm not nice," she told him with an sober face.
"Sure you are."
"No, I'm not, trust me."
"And what's not nice about you?"
"If you insult my friends one more time you'll know."
"Your friends are arrogant, mean, spineless pricks," he whispered into her ear.
Ash smirked at him. "Alright. You've had it coming," she said and turned away from him.
"I just insulted your friends and all you do is show me the cold shoulder? Wow, your such a mean person," he said sarcastically.
"You'll be saying that without sarcasm at the end of the evening, believe me," she said over her shoulder and ignored him for the rest of the time standing outside of the Great Hall.
After what felt like an eternity, Flitwick joined them. "We're about to start now. Is everyone ready?" They all nodded and Ash took the time to grin at Davis one last time. As he saw her, he felt a shiver run through his body - he'd never admit it, but at that moment he saw that she had the potential of being anything but nice.
The doors of the Great Hall opened and the music classes entered. It was your typical music concert. They lined up in front of the teachers table, with Flitwick at the front and Ash and Davis - as they where the best singers in the class - standing on either end of the group.
The snow was falling from the Hall ceiling, the candles lit up the room in a warm red glow, and their voices filled the room with Christmas spirit.
They sung Christmas Carols and Winter songs - including 'All I Want For Christmas', "When Christmas Comes To Town" and "That Holiday Feeling". The last song, was one of the last ones that they sung, and was a duet between Ash and Davis.
While the instruments started playing the songs, Ash and Davis stepped into the spotlight.
Look how the snow is snowing
Your eyes are soft and glowing
Jack Frost is nipping at our feet
I'll bet your lips are warm and sweet
We've got that holiday feeling
That happy holiday feeling
Let's roast chestnuts by the fire
Any little thing you desire
Those reindeer soon will be here
Won't mean a thing to me dear
When Santa Claus begins his flight
I hope he gets a flat tonight
We've got that holiday feeling
That happy holiday feeling
Our favorite holiday of the year
You'd better leave
It's been so lovely like this
A chance I'd never miss
But it's so late
On New Years Eve
At 12 o'clock we'll stop to kiss
And while the whole world will be whistle-blowing
We will still be mistletoeing
You think you're such a smarty
C'mon let's have a party
I know what's running through your mind
This is the season to be kind
We've got that holiday feeling
That happy holiday feeling
So come and snuggle close to me
Right here where you're supposed to be
Let's kiss cause it's the season dear
Let's kiss who needs a reason dear
We've got that holiday feeling now
When the song ended the crowd gasped and Ash looked at her duet partner in faked shock. Davis looked around his eyes stopping when he saw Ash, pointing to his lower body.
Confused he looked down himself and saw that his clothes had vanished...
Shocked he tried to hide himself and looked up at Ash, who looked back with an mischievous grin. Slowly she took of her cloak and handed it to him - playing the part of the worried and shocked, not knowing what just happened, innocent girl. When she hugged her cloak around him, she whispered, "Still think I should be in Hufflepuff?"
In return he just glared at her and ran out of the Great Hall in embarrassment.
She looked at her Professor in concern, "I think this is the end of the show, right?"
Flitwick ran a hand over his face and nodded, "yeah, it the end of today's show."
Ash saw how some of the people on the Ravenclaw table raced after their peer, and felt how another one put her hand on her shoulder. "Was that you?" Amelia asked.
The Slytherin looked at the third year student. "I don't know what you mean. I was singing when it happened."
Amelia looked at her uncertain but nodded, "if you say so..."
Ash joined her friends on the Slytherin table again.
"What the hell was that?" Tracy investigated when Ash sat down in front of her.
"He insulted my friends, he had to pay," she answered.
"You did that? While singing?" Ash grinned as a response. "That was awesome!"
"Thank you," Ash grinned and hugged her friend.
The newly erupted chatter stopped once again when Dumbledore got up to speak.
"Well, that was quite and interesting show Ladies and Gentleman. But on a different note, tonight is the last night before we are finally able to escape this school and have two weeks of home, family, friends and what I think you all will appreciate the most, no learning!" The crowed cheered.
"Alright, first a few technical things. The train leave tomorrow at sharp 11 o'clock, that means that you will have to get on the carriages at latest 10.30! Now if everybody got that, I hereby declare the Winter holidays to start!"
Again the crowd erupted in cheers before separating into their own common rooms to gossip about the Music classes show and celebrate one last time this year.
Slightly random boring chapter, but it told you a bit more about the people! Hope you liked it! I'll soon start to become a bit more exciting, with actual action! XD Look forward to it!