Gone Awry

Once she let the conversation with Dumbledore sink in, Ash turned around and walked down the stairs. Step for step she descended slowly until she reached the dark corridor there she turned towards the Great Hall.

When she walked into the hall, she let her gaze wander over the empty tables. The Gryffindor table on the one side of the hall was the fullest. A couple of the students had stayed and were now huddling together chatting along and eating their breakfast. In the middle of the table sat Ron and Hermione, a little quiet but always glancing at each other with meaningful looks. A little off sat Ginny together with Dean, smiling up at him and laughing at his bad jokes.

Sighing she let her eyes fly over the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw table where no one (for her) important sat and ate. Lastly she let her eyes settle over the Slytherin table. The table was empty except for the giggle monsters that where eating and - who would have guessed - giggling.

Rolling her eyes she grabbed a bagel from the Hufflepuff table and walked out of the hall again. She didn't want to disturb the lovebirds, nor did she want to get to near them when their in the lovydovy or flirty mood. So instead of sitting down in the Great Hall, she ate her bagel while she walked towards the castle grounds, staring at the sky in dismay. It was raining.

Slowly she came to a stop at the edge dryness, letting her hand reach forward and touch the falling wetness. Moving her hand calmly, she turned her palm up and cupped it, catching a couple of the rain drops in her hand. Letting the water run over her hands before falling onto the ground she let her mind wander and wonder.

Ever since the winter holidays things have started to get out off hand. Started to confuse and pull her in different ways. She knew what it all meant. She knew who was responsible. But she didn't now what it all lead to. It all confused her to no ends. It all didn't make any sense to her.

Why was it all happening around her?

What was her role in all of this?

She didn't know and honestly... she didn't really want to know. She didn't want to be involved in this fight, she didn't want to be involved in this whole situation. But it seems as if she couldn't get out of this. It seems as if she was stuck deeply in the whole mess and couldn't escape it any more.

Sighing, she finished her last bite of the bagel and turned to walk back to the Great Hall. Just before she entered she saw Harry walk up as well, quickly she smiled at him.

"You finished your little project with Dumbledore?"

"For today, yes," Harry answered quietly, looking at her curiously. "We'll be continuing tomorrow."

"Huh," Ash grunted with a nod, looking up at the boy-who-lived.

"Ash-" he suddenly started but Ash cut him off.

"Lets go to the others, I'm pretty sure they already know everything that your involved in and that you'd tell them everything anyway. So lets get the others and try to get this whole mess sorted out a bit, alright?" Ash said, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yeah lets," he smiled and glanced at his two best friends. Ash smiled as well, following his gaze and together they walked up to the two of them.

"Bacchus," Ash said casually and walked through the gaping whole in the wall without stopping. The three Gryffindors followed her hesitantly.

"You sure its alright? Us being here?" Ron asked a bit uncomfortable with the place they currently stood in.

"Oh come on guys. Your common room is way to crowded with all those Gryffindors staying there. Moreover the library is bursting as well, we couldn't talk there quietly if our life's depended on it. Also I'm in control of the giggle monsters and forbade them to come here in the next 5 hours. So no worries."

"What about Draco?"

"No need to worry about him. He's probably in the Room of Requirements for the rest of the day."

"Probably?"

"Well, I don't have a bug on him to tell me were exactly he is, but its a very good and educated guess, trust me."

"How do you know?"

"He's been going there for the last 3 months whenever he could. Now that he can stay there the whole day long, I'm sure he will gladly do so."

"Yeah... makes sense... I guess," Ron said but them frowned. "How do you know that anyway?"

Ash looked at her cousin, with one of her eyebrows raised, "I followed him."

"Why would you do that?"

"I was concerned."

"Why would you be? You're not a couple any more."

Ash stayed quiet for a moment, but then smiled a sad smile. "You're right... I shouldn't but I can't help it. He's never looked this sad, hopeless and confused. You might not have noticed, but he's changing, he's starting to lose himself. I know its wrong, but I can't just watch him die within." With a sigh, she glanced at Harry, "enough about that, first tell me what you and Dumbledore are up to."

Harry nodded with a sigh. "Dumbledore told me you would ask. He gave me the O.K. to tell you," he said, but glanced at Hermione and Ron, so that they wouldn't interrupt him. "We're doing this since last year. He's telling me all he knows about Tom Riddle and how he's come to be Voldemort. His family life, how he grew up in an orphanage, his school life... everything."

"Why would you want to know all that? Isn't it enough to just kill him?" Ash interrupted.

"No. He's not so easy to kill... he's got something what is called a Horcrux. Ever heard of them?"

"Horcrux... no never, what is it?"

"From what we gathered, its an object that holds a fragment of its makers soul."

"His soul? That would mean that Voldemort split his soul... would it not? So he's only a fragment of his former human being..."

"Exactly."

"So... you have to destroy the Horcrux first?"

"Yes. We've already found and destroyed two of them but the others are still out there."

"Two of them? That means he has more then one."

"Six to be exact."

"He shattered his soul into six parts? No wonder he's such a poor excuse for a human being." Ash said softly. "How are they made?"

"Murder and the wizard placing a part of the soul into the object desired."

Ash coughed a bit and looked at Harry in a sad way. "And all of them need to be destroyed?"

"Yes, we're searching all over the place for the others, but - "

"And who will destroy you?" Ash asked bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on Harry, don't tell me you didn't-" Ash started but stopped when she saw the confused look on her friends face, "never mind."

"No Ash tell me!"

"I don't know anything."

"But you've got an idea, what is it?"

Ash glanced around the room uncomfortably, looking at Hermione for support, but she looked just as confused as Harry, "I don't want too."

"Ash!" Ron said fiercely.

Taking a deep shaky breath, Ash looked at the floor, playing with her fingers uncomfortably and began talking. "I can't be sure or anything, but from what you told me it would be a very good explanation on why you are still alive. Why you lived through the Avada Curse."

Harry looked at her, still confused. But Hermoine seemed to get what Ash was going on about. "The murder... and then placing the soul... I guess a human being could be used as a vessel for the soul fragment..."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ron asked frustrated.

"Think about it," Hermione said, voice shaking. "What happened on the night Voldemort murdered his parents? Why does Harry have some of Voldemorts powers? Like Paseltongue. Something went into him when Voldemort tried to kill him, that is why the connection between them is so strong."

Slowly it seemed to dawn to the the two boys.

"You mean? I'm a-?" Harry choked out quietly.

"Yes Harry, I think you could be one of the Horcruxes. It somehow fits..."

"I'm sorry guys, I guessed you would have thought of that already. I'm such an idiot," Ash cursed herself when she saw the horrified looks in their faces.

"No. No, Ash! It's alright. It's alright," Harry said shaking his head and pulling Ash back towards them. "I'm thankful to you for your input in this. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have thought of that myself."

"But... it doesn't make any sense.. why would he make Harry a Horcrux and then try to kill him?" Ron asked confused and the others fell silent, they couldn't think of an answer.

"Maybe he didn't do it intentionally?" Ash asked and shrugged. "But I mean, we don't even know if my idea is in any way true. You should talk to Dumbledore about this."

"Yeah, I'll ask him tomorrow," Harry said quietly and nodded. "Lets talk about something else. Why did you come to Dumbledore this morning?"

Ash inhaled sharply. "Because... because I was concerned for Draco," she admitted and looked to the ground. "He looks terrible and he's always spending his time in that stupid Room of Requirements. Ever since the winter holidays, something happened to him... he's scared and I don't know why."

"You sure you don't?" Hermione asked softly making Ash stiffen and chuckle harshly.

"I can only guess that it has something to do with the fact that he's a Death Eater."