Gone Awry

"He's what?" Ron yelled jumping from his seat on the black leather couch and starring at his cousin horrified.

"It's part of the reason why I broke up with him. Since the winter holidays he's a Death Eater. When I found him with Pansy I also saw the sign on his arm."

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"I promised him I wouldn't," Ash said truthfully with an emotionless face.

"You promised him? Bloody hell, Ash!"

Ash rolled her eyes at her cousins reaction, although she did understand where he was coming from. "Anyway," she said sternly, telling Ron to shut up and calm down with her tone of voice. "Since we've come back to Hogwarts he's been behaving weirdly and has been locking himself in that room."

"So you think he's doing something Death Eaterish in there?"

"I don't only believe so, I know so. I followed Draco today and he was talking to Snape, pretty much indicating what he was working on a project for the Dark Lord," Ash said and sighed.

"What did you just say?" Harry asked slowly, eyes closing into a small glare.

"Um, that Draco was indicating that he was working on a project for Voldemort towards Snape"

"No, you said the Dark Lord."

"Yeah, could be... why does it matter?"

"Only his followers call him by that name"

Ash looked at him in astonishment, then her face went to annoyed. "Oh really Harry? You're paranoid you know that? I've been spending the last year around people who all refer to him as the Dark Lord, sorry if it manifested into my vocabulary a bit," she said rolling her eyes. When she saw that his eyes didn't soften, Ash sighed and stood up from her place. "You know what? Forget it. Try to get over your paranoia and if you're able to think rationally again come and find me." she told him, "I believe you can find the exit yourself?" she added and motioned towards the exit with her hand before turning away and walking towards her dorm room.

"Ash! Wait," Hermione called out to her, making Ash stop in an instant, "he didn't mean it that way. You're right, he's paranoid, but can't you see where he's coming from with Voldemort being on him all the time?" she tried to reason with the other girl.

Sighing Ash turned around again and walked back up to the trio. Slowly she came to a halt in front of Harry, looking down on him and then slapping him straight across the face.

Holding his throbbing cheek Harry looked up at Ash in shock. "Are we clear?" Ash asked softly and Harry closed his eyes before nodding.

"Yes, we're clear."

"Good."

"Do you have any idea what Draco is doing in the Room of Requirements?"

"I think I did at one point, but my memories are a bit messed with."

"What do you mean?"

"That was the second reason why I went to Dumbledore, I heard Draco say something about me supposed to forget something and Snape telling him that I definitely didn't remember that night."

"What happened that night?" Ron asked.

Ash stopped short and turned to look at Ron, "I just said I can't remember that night because my memories were messed with."

"Oh yeah, sorry... Do you at least know what night their talking about?"

"Nope, no idea what so ever. Personally I think I remember everything perfectly. But... it doesn't seem so. It's really annoying..."

"And what do you intend to do about it?"

"Nothing. I'm pretty sure that whatever happened that night... I don't want to remember."

"What did Dumbledore say?"

"That I shouldn't try to remember."

Silence settled over the four of them as they contemplated what that meant, that even Dumbledore told Ash not to remember...

"So what should we do now?" Ash asked when the silence got to stuffy for her. The others looked at her and shrugged.

"We don't really have enough information to do anything right now," Harry said.

"Then how about we don't waste this time on sitting around, but learn for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s?" They looked at Hermione with shocked faces, but then complied and pulled out their books to start learning.