Gone Twisted

A couple hours later, Ash was still standing in front of her window, marvelling at the gardens that surrounded the Manor, beautiful even at night.

She had seen Nott and Greengrass sneaking out of the house at one point and watched as they ran through the garden until they disappeared in a small labyrinth.

She had watched the fireflies quiver into life and dance around the gardens. Smiling softly at the sight, Ash remembered the night she had been surrounded by thousands of fireflies. The night she had come to the Clearing of Sibyl.

Turning her back towards the window, Ash looked around the room she stood in. It was a nice room, comfortable of sorts, but she couldn't help shake the feeling that it was her jail cell. That she was trapped and would never be able to run free again.

Of course, she could walk around the world freely, there were no chains binding her - with a sigh she glanced at the vibrant red sign on her forearm and caressed it lightly - but this was worse then chains and imprisonment.

Swallowing hard, Ash suddenly felt the dire need to run, run as fast as she could, faster than her legs allowed.

Swiftly she raced to the door of her room, threw it open and ran down the corridors and stairs until she pushed through the doors that led towards the garden.

Suddenly she ran, fleeing from the place she could never escape from, a place worse then Azkaban. Once she reached the labyrinth, Ash morphed into the shape of an wolf and near to flew through the passageways.

At one point she stormed past Theodore and Daphne - who were in a quite stingy position. But she ignored them as she ignored the way she had already come. All she wanted to do right now was run, run as fast as her wolven legs could take her, run as far as she could possibly go.

Everything around her grew silent. The moans of her former friends long gone, the wind’s whistles stopping as she slowed to a halt.

She lay down in the middle of the labyrinth and let the nature surround and engulf her. Laying there, she gave a small yawn and drifted into a pleasant, dreamless sleep.

A smell entered her nostrils and made the wolf's head snap up, she knew that smell, but she couldn't quite grasp from where she knew it. A smell that was calling her to it. It beckoned her to follow it as it swooned her softly and silently. It smelled of wood and grass with a hint of magic in it. It was a smell that filled her with hope and happiness.

Hastily the wolf stood up from where she had been lying and let her legs carry her along.

When she neared the source of the smell, 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 were currently accustomed to the darkness of the night.

She knew this place, she was here before...

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. Nothing had changed since her last visit here in the Clearing of Sibyl.

As one the heads of the Unicorns turned, the elf stared and the fairies started to swarm around her. The fairies swooshed around the girl, poking her sides, tickling her with small hands.

Hello, she sighed softly, smiling at the winged creatures. They seemed curious of the creature that just stepped into their clearing, swirling around her like a small tornado. They touched her face and pulled at her clothes, 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 clothes.

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 girl.

Welcome back, Ash Weasley. I didn't expect you here again so fast, the elf said curiously as she sat down next to her.

Isn't this clearing in the forbidden forest? Ash asked confused.

No, this place can be reached by many different places, the elf explained mysteriously. You have questions that need answering, I presume.

Thinking of Blaise and Tracy, Ash nodded her head slowly and moved to look into the water, that the elf was holding in her hands. But this time, instead of only showing her the happenings, she was sucked into the liquid, like she would have been into an pensive.

She was standing in front of the Hogwarts lake, facing the school. Hundreds of golden chairs had been set out in rows, with an aisle running down the centre of them. Looking just behind her, she saw a marble table standing at the front, all chairs facing it. An extraordinary assortment of people had settled into half of the chairs: shabby and smart, old and young. Most of them she did not recognize, but there in the front row, she saw a delegation of the Ministry of Magic and at the end of the row, beside the lake, she saw Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sit down. A few rows behind her family, she saw Tracy and Blaise sit with solemn faces. People were whispering to each other and Fawkes could be heard singing aloud.

At the edge of the forest, Ash even saw the Centaurs stand and watch the lake in silence.

A bit confused at what was happening, Ash looked at both her family and friends longingly and took a couple of steps towards them, but suddenly strange music erupted around her, and as she turned to look where it came from, she saw the Merpeople performing on the lake.

The tune of the music clenched at her heart and squeezed it tightly and at that moment she knew where she was standing. Promptly she turned to look down the aisle and nearly choked when she saw a crying Hagrid walk up the aisle between the chairs, crying and carrying Albus Dumbledore's body wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars.

Biting back tears, she watched the procession walk towards her solemnly. Soon Hagrid past her and placed the body upon the table in front, where a little tufty-haired man in plain black robes appeared and stood in front of Dumbledore's body, giving a speech that no one really paid attention too.

Once the man finished speaking, bright, white flames erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiralled into the air and made strange shapes.

When the fire vanished, in its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested. There were a few more cries of shock as the centaurs sent a shower of arrows through the air as a sign of respect, but they fell far short of the crowd.

With one final glance at her family and friends, Ash felt the scene vanish and be replaced by another.

Harry was standing at the Astronomy Tower together with Hermione and Ron.

"Do you think he would have done it?" Hermione asked softly, standing next to Harry.

"Who?"

"Draco."

"No, he had already lowered his wand," Harry explained without emotion, "It was all Snape. All the time... it was Snape... I should have done something!"

Looking at the locket in his hands, Harry gave it to Hermione, "Its a fake. Open it."

Ash neared the pair and looked over Hermione's shoulder reading the note she had found inside.

To the Dark Lord,
I know that I'll be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know that it was I who discovered you secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you have found your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.

"Who's R.A.B.?"

"No idea, but whoever it is has the real Horcrux..."

Silence filled the air again.

"You know.. Ron say that he's alright with you and Ginny."

Harry smiled, "I don't think we should start anything yet, Ginny and me... Not until this is over. I have to finish what Dumbledore started. I don't know where the road will lead me, but I will write you whenever I can."

Hermione looked at Harry in disbelieve. "You know I always admired your bravery, but sometimes you really are thick. You can't really think that you can do this without us, do you? Find all the Horcruxes and destroy them by yourself? " Shaking her head Hermione added, "You need us Harry."

Harry looked at Hermione and Ron and laughed, "I guess your right."

Again the scene changed and she found herself with Blaise and Tracy in Blaise's room.

"What should we do now?" he asked pacing his room, while Tracy was sitting on his bed.

Tracy watched the boy, staying quiet. She had no idea what they should do know.

"The Dark Lord will try to recruit us soon, I know it... What if we-?"

"Don't even think about it, Blaise. Ash would kill us if we even thought about joining the Death Eaters, even if its just in order to free her from their clutches," Tracy cursed glaring at Blaise.

"But what if they torture her? Or make her join them by force!" Blaise asked, despair in his voice.

"No chance that she would ever join them, you have to be willing to accept the mark, Chase told us that, didn't he?" Tracy said, and Ash inhaled sharply, clutching her left forearm tightly to her chest in guilt.

"Yes... I guess you're right...But what should we do?"

"We should probably join forces with Potter," Tracy suggested slowly, standing up and pacing the room as well, "We wouldn't have to make it official. Say that we are neutral ground and sneak them information. Such as in which Manor Ash is held captive and when would be a good time to free her..." she planned.

"And how are we supposed to get this information without being Death Eaters ourselves?" Blaise asked annoyed.

"Chase. He always had a soft spot for me, you know that," Tracy said with a straight face...

The scene changed again, this time only flickering in and out, her friends and her family together in a room of the Leaky Cauldron, shaking hands.

Ash was ripped out of the memories by a sharp pain that rushed from her left arm and through her whole body.

Panting she jumped away from the waters edge and stared at her left forearm, where the Dark Mark was burning black.

Thank you for letting me see this, Ash said in her mind softly, before rushing out of the clearing and apparating to her master’s call.

"You summoned me, master?" she said, rushing into his study, sweat on her brows and kneeling before him.

"Where were you?"

"I was talking a walk in the labyrinth," she said, making sure that her mental guards were up and running.

Glaring, the Dark Lord made a slashing movement with his wand and a sharp pain cursed through her right side as her skin slashed open, blood running down her arm freely. "Don't leave the house ever again, not without asking my permission first," he growled and dismissed her.

"Yes, my lord," she said submissively and walked out of the room, cradling her bleeding, ripped arm.

Once she healed it, she went to her room and sat on her bed, staring at the Dark Mark on her arm, which was still pitch black, sucking in all light around it. Theoretically, she could walk around the world freely, there were no chains binding her, but this was worse than chains and imprisonment.

Through this sign, He could reach her whenever he wanted. He could summon and control her whenever he wanted. Through this sign, He became her master and she became his subject. She knew that now. She knew that she could never escape his clutches, but - she promised herself - she would fight him until the very end.