Gone Awry

When the clock stroked 12 o'clock, Ash was still sitting in front of the papers correcting them. She had finished re-correction and correcting Pansy's pile of papers as well as the second year and was currently in the middle of correction the third years papers.

"How is it going?" Snape asked her when he saw her stifle a small yawn.

"Quite well, I guess. In nearly finished with the third years."

"Alright, then finish them up and you can go for today." Ash nodded with a smile and turned back to the paper in front of her. She had vaguely noticed that a pile of papers had levitated to her professor at one point in time, and guessed that he had had mercy with her and corrected the fourth year papers and the fifth year papers himself.

The groan that came from his desk every now and then, told her the same thing.

About an hour later she had finished her task and let herself sit back with an content sigh.

"When does your Quidditch training end tomorrow?"

Ash turned to look at Snape, "at seven"

"Alright, come here as soon as possible after the training." Ash nodded courtly while she stood up and stretched.

"Good night, sir," she said with a small smile.

"Good night, Miss. Weasley," he told her, before she walked out of his classroom.

Tracy woke up when Ash entered her bedroom.

"Hey," she said, not caring if she woke up the others.

"Hey."

"What time is it?"

"Um... I think somewhere around 1.30," Ash told her casually.

"1.30!? Isn't there like a rule that says their only allowed to keep you until 12?"

Ash shrugged with a frown. "No idea."

"What did you do any ways?"

"I corrected the midterm papers."

"What did I get?"

"You don't have Potions."

"Ha! Your right!"

Ash rolled her eyes at her friend While she finished changing into her night gown. Then, with a short stop at the bathroom to wash her teeth, she got into Tracy's bed.

"I'm not tired," she told her friend, who scooted over and closed the curtains after Ash, preparing for one of their nightly talks.

Not uttering a word Ash made the curtains sound proof.

"Is Pansy already here?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, she came about two hours ago. True, why didn't you come at the same time? Didn't you have detention together?"

"Well, yes and no. You know Pansy. That girl doesn't have and ounce of intelligence in her. Well, she couldn't even correct first year papers. Hence, when Snape saw her incompetence, he threw her out and made her go work with Filch." Ash laughed.

"Wow, Snape really thought he could make her correct things?"

Ash nodded with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"But enough of the Detention! What did I miss?"

"Nothing really. We're quite boring when your not around." Tracy sighed. "We just kind off sat there and talked about our Christmas plans."

"Oh! What are you doing for Christmas?"

Tracy frowned at her friend. "I didn't tell you yet?" Ash shook her head no. "Well, I'm going home and then me and my parents are going on a trip to South Africa. Its the first family trip since I started attending Hogwarts! I'm so excited... just me and my parents! Hey, did you know that they have summer when we have winter! Hence, I'll come back crispy brown" Tracy grinned and laughed.

"Wow, that sounds awesome! I'm jealous!" Ash sighed.

Tracy laughed, "You should be!"

"What are Blaise and Draco doing?"

"Um, Blaise was going home, but I don't think he had any specific plans yet. As for Draco... he's going home as well. His parents had something important to tell him or something like that."

"What about Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Crabbe and Goyle? As far as I know they're going home as well." Tracy shrugged. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I don't really have anywhere to go, so I was planning on staying here."

"Here? As in Hogwarts?"

"Yeah."

"All alone?"

"Well I wouldn't really be alone... Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione are staying here as well. I guess I'd be hanging out with them."

"But you'd be all alone in Slytherin!" she cried.

Ash giggled, "I'm sure someone from Slytherin will be staying here."

Tracy pressed her lips together, signalising her displeasure. "No, no, no. Not good. You will not be stuck here over the Winter holidays!" she declared and got out of her bed. "Come," she said and took Ash's hand.

"Where are we going?"

"Where having a crisis here! We're going to discuss this with the boys."

Ash frowned at Tracy. "Tracy, really it's no problem for me to stay here. I like it here."

"Not an option," she declared and pulled Ash out of the bed, when she didn't make any move to get out herself.

Briskly Tracy raced out of the door, pulling Ash after her, and down the hallway. In the boys hallway she silenced the screaming portrays and raced to the boys door. Without a warning she threw it open and walked up to Blaise's bed first.

Pulling away the curtains, she revealed an contently sleeping Blaise. Ash would not have been able to wake him, he looked so happy in his sleep, but Tracy mercilessly spurted ice cold water out of her wand and onto his face.

Shocked his upper body flew upwards and he looked around frantically - not seeing the two girls standing right in front of him. "Wha- What?" he asked confused as he finally found a glaring Tracy and an guilty looking Ash next to his bed.

"We have a crisis. Wake up." Tracy told him before storming over to Draco and waking him in the same brutal way.

"I'm sorry," Ash whispered to Blaise as he yawned and wiped away the water from his face. Silently he shook his head and got off of his bed. Slowly he and Ash walked up to Draco's bed, where a half asleep Draco - with brutal bed hair - yawned at them in greeting.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Ash asked as she let her fingers softly run through his hair. He smiled up at her.

"Why do you ask?"

"You look as if you've been rolling around a lot."

"No, I actually slept quite well." he told her with an tired smile. She didn't quite believe him, but didn't comment any further. He'd tell her if he wanted to.

Quietly she sat down on his bed, cuddling into his arms. The other two also sat down and pulled the curtains shut and sound proof.

"So, why did you wake us? Whatever it is, couldn't it have waited until tomorrow?" Blaise asked.

Ash nodded, "I tried reasoning with her, but no chance."

"It's terrible! Ash doesn't have any holiday plans! She was actually thinking about staying here!" Tracy gasped, making the boys look at her with raised eyebrows.

"That's why you woke us up? At 3 o'clock in the morning?"

"2.37," Ash corrected her boyfriend with a cheeky grin. The correction was received with an tired roll of the eyes.

"Whatever."

"It's horrible! We can't leave her here all alone."

"I wouldn't be alone! My family is here!"

"Not good enough." Tracy dismissed that argument.

"My family isn't good enough?"

"Nope, not good enough a reason to actually spend it here in Hogwarts. Nobody spends their holidays in Hogwarts."

"My family does nearly every year."

"We've already had that. You will not be the only Slytherin that'll be stick in Hogwarts with the teachers and a couple of Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. No, no, I won't allow it."

Ash sighed and looked at Draco for help.

"I agree with her," he said "You shouldn't have to spend your time here alone."

With wide pleading eyes Ash turned to Blaise. Unlike the other two, he already knew her whole story and looked at her with concerned eyes. "I think it would be better not to leave her here alone either."

With her last hope gone, Ash let her head hang low and just listened to the three of them discussing what to do with her.

"Draco, how about you take her with you? She's your girlfriend after all," Tracy said, but Draco shook his head in despair. "I would love too and had the same idea before tonight, but they said that it was essential for me to come alone. I have no idea what they want. Although they did say that they would like to invite her over to dinner one evening." he said, squeezing his girlfriend a bit tighter. "That means that you can't stay here anyway," he whispered into her ear.

"Meet your parents?" Ash said, with a light frown on her forehead. "Are we already at that stage?"

Draco chuckled and nodded into her neck.

"OK..." she said, getting a couple of goosebumps. Meeting the parents... somehow that thought scared her a bit.

"But she can't stay the whole time?"

"Sadly not, although I'd love to have her there." Ash looked up to him with a smile and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"No problem."

"How about you Tracy, can't you take her?"

Tracy shook her head. "I'll try asking my parents..."

"No way, Tracy!" Ash said determined. "You were looking forward to just spend time with your parents! I will not ruin that for you!"

"You wouldn't be ruining it!" she argued, but Ash just raised her eyebrow at her.

"Whatever, I'm not going with you."

Tracy frowned, "that means, there's only one option left." Six eyes turned to Blaise.

"Sure, why not. I'll write my mother tomorrow that I'll be bringing a friend over for the holidays."

Ash looked at Blaise. "Are you sure that's not a problem?"

Blaise nodded with a small smile. "Definitely. We don't have any plans and if Draco will be busy with his parents, I wouldn't have anything to do anyway. Hence, you'd actually be doing me a favour!"

Ash smiled at Blaise. "Thank you."

"Your welcome."