Gone Awry

Ash conjured up the time while she was lying in bed, wide awake and not being able to go to sleep. It was 2.23 Saturday morning.

It's now been 3 weeks since she had come to Hogwarts...
3 weeks since she had become an Slytherin - breaking with the family tradition of being an Gryffindor.
3 weeks since she had become friends with Tracy and Blaise.
3 weeks since she had first talked with Draco.
3 weeks since she had kissed Draco, to make him show her the way to the Great Hall...
3 weeks since the first common room party - where Draco and her had gotten 'closer' and she had told Blaise about her past.
Nearly 3 weeks since her classes started and she had gotten to know the teachers. Had a fight with Ron...
2 weeks since Daphne and Pansy turned on her and wouldn't stop glaring...
1 week since she had received the prank items from Fred and George...
1 weeks since that fateful visit in Hogsmeade...
5 days since the prank she pulled on Pansy and Daphne...
4 days since she told Draco that she liked him...
3 days since she had become an Animagus...

So much had happened in the time she was here. The night was the only real time that she was able to think clearly about everything.

Ash had been worrying about Kat and Jeremy for a while now, but with all that happened she hadn't been able to really contemplate everything. After the incident with Patrick, Ash had sent an letter to her friends, in hope of finding out if they where alright and if Patrick had lied about them... But a week later, she still hadn't received an answer.

She had even tried to reach Kat's and Jeremy's parents, but they didn't respond either. But being stuck in Hogwarts, there was nothing she could do but wait...

Wait for an reply, wait for a word of them... wait... she didn't like waiting. It made her nervous.

Quickly she got out from her bed and went out of the door and down the corridor into the common room. From there she went toward the common room exit and transformed into her wolf form when she reached the corridor.

Quietly she dashed through the hallways and corridors until she came to the school exit and slipped out into the night. She needed some fresh air.

The grounds were quiet. Not a sound was to be heard, except for the swooshing noises the wind made while blowing through the grass and trees. Creeping through the grass Ash let herself fall free of all worries and doubts and just enjoyed being.

Slowly she went into the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't scared of anything that was in there. In her too-big-to-be-a-normal-wolf-form she felt unbeatable. Nothing could stop her. No one could hurt her.

While she walked through the forest, she let her mind wander and instinct take over. She was searching for something. She didn't know what though. There was a smell she registered after a few moments. A smell that was calling her to it. She had never smelled anything like it before. It had a hint of magic in it, but more then that it had a smell that made her long for it. The smell filled her with hope and happiness.

When she neared it she slowed down and anxiously took step after step until she reached the clearing where the smell was coming from. A bright light was coming from the clearing and nearly blinded the eyes that where currently accustomed to the darkness of the night.

Step for step she neared the clearing and soon she found herself entering the small patch of light in the dark.

What she saw made her hold her breath. In the middle of the clearing was a small pond, which sparkled and glowed. All around it stood creatures of magic, so pure that it made her knees buckle. A small herd of Unicorns with fur that twinkled like stars, a beautiful elf that was presenting them with water from the well and all around them millions and millions of little fairies fluttered around the whole clearing like fireflies lightening up the air.

Taking in the scene before her eyes she willed herself to transform back into her human form and stepped into the clearing.

At once the heads of the Unicorns turned, the elf stared and the fairies started to swarm around her. But it wasn't in a threatening or frightened way. They seem to be curious of the creature that just stepped into their middle swirling around her like a small tornado they touched her face and pulled at her cloths, stroked her hair and kissed her face.

Not uttering a word the fairies pulled the newcomer towards the pond and let her sit down while they braided her hair and played with her cloths.

After a few minutes the elven women, with pure white hair that glistened in the fairies lights like a diamond, made her way over to the stranger.

Hello, Ash her her voice in her mind.

Ash wanted to answer but the elf didn't allow her to open her mouth. Only pointed at her head.

Hello, Ash thought, hoping it reached the elf.

How did a young girl like you get lost so far in the Forbidden Forest? she asked her ocean blue eyes burning into Ash's.

I didn't get lost, Ash answered. I followed the smell.

Then that small nose of yours must be very good, the elf smiled and poked her nose. We haven't seen your kind here for a long period of time.

Where is this?

You are in the Clearing of Sibyl

Sibyl... The prophets of the Roman times? the elf just smiled for an answer.

You were on the search for answers, weren't you? the elven women said while scooping up a bit of water from the well and holding it out for her. Don't drink the water, just look.

Ash looked at the elf and then did as told. Slowly she bend forward to look at the water in her hands. However, instead of seeing the elf's palm the water became a mirror and then it started showing her the friends she had left behind in Germany.

First it showed her Kat. She was sleeping quietly in her bed - nothing seemed wrong with her. Next it showed Jeremy, it was the same with him. Both where sleeping peacefully.

While she continued staring the picture started changing and now showed Kat awake. She had just packed the cookies Ash had gotten had sent them of with her owl. Suddenly a noise of something crashing down filled the picture and Kat turned around, frightened.

"What happened to you?" she asked looking at the person that had barged into her room, Ash couldn't see the person but she already guessed who it was. A beam of light suddenly hit her friend making her sink to the floor whimpering. Quickly she backed away from the unseen figure. Her face was twisted in fright and terror. She was shivering and tried to back away even more - which was impossible because she was already pressed against the wall.

"Where is she?" a voice hissed into her ear - a voice that she recognized as Patrick's.

"I- I- I will never tell you." Again a beam of light hit her and she screamed. The voice asked the same question again but only received the same answer.

Annoyed Patrick made her go through torture one last time and then walked up to the now unconscious Kat. "If you won't tell me, you will never know again," and with that he muttered "Obliviate," making her best friend forget that Ash ever existed.

"What are you doing?" a voice suddenly interrupted the scene and the picture changed to show Jeremy running up to Kat and pushing Patrick away form her. "What did you do to her?"

"The same that I will do to you, if you don't tell me where Ash is."

"Never!" Jeremy yelled and was hit by the Cruciatus Curse. When the curse was lifted he was crying and gently sobbed, "Hogwarts."

"Good boy." A smug Patrick said and petted the broken kid on the head. "Now, forget."

When the picture disappeared, Ash was silently crying. Letting all of her sorrow take over her and flow out again. So that is why they don't reply my letters... they don't remember me, she thought. I guess its better that way... At least they didn't remember all the hurt they had to go through because of me either.

Gently the elf brushed away the crying girls tears with her thumb.

Its time for you to go back to where you came from, she whispered into her head and the fairies helped her stand up.

Thank you very much, I don't know how I can repay you, she said looking into the elven eyes while slowly walking away from the pond.

You already did, with your tears.

Will we see each other again?

If you seek answers, we will the elf smiled and then Ash was thrown out of the clearing by the fairies and everything was dark around her again.

Quickly she transformed back into her wolf form and followed her own scent back to Hogwart's grounds.