Gone Twisted

"Who's there?" she called out softly, while gripping her wand tightly and glaring into the darkness of the bushes.

There were a few seconds of shocked silence, in which she pulled out her wand, getting ready to attack.

"A-Ash?" A shaky voice suddenly reached her from the darkness, making her stiffen in horror. Swiftly she glanced behind herself making sure that everyone was still inside the manor.

"Ron? Is that really you?" she asked confused as she slowly walked down the last steps of the Terrance, towards the place the voice had called out from.

"Yes!" he said and stepped out of the shadows. Seeing him made her heart fill with delight again, she never thought that she would ever see him again, smiling at her so carefree. For a couple of meters she quickened her step, not questioning why they were here, not thinking about her situation. Forgetting that anything ever happened to distance her cousin and herself. But before she reached him, his next words made her hit reality in free fall once again. "We came to save you!" he grinned. Ash stopped short.

Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind in this second. Most dominant, the question of what to tell them, how to react. Thinking back to Blaise and Tracy, Ash took one step back, away from her beloved cousin and started laughing manically, shocking her potential rescuers into silence. "You want to save me?" she gasped in humour before shaking her head disbelievingly, "Whoever said I needed saving?"

Harry and Hermione who had just stepped out of the shadows as well, froze in shock.

"W-What do you mean?" Ron asked not really understanding what his cousin just told them.

"I mean just what I'm saying, Weaselbe," she sneered, breaking her own heart over again as she watched the despair in her cousins face.

When the others didn't say anything, Ash let her gaze flicker towards the Manor again, making sure no one was there. "You shouldn't be here," she finally said and turned back to them.

This time Hermione spoke, "Ash, I have no idea what they did to you, but we've come to bring you back with us to your family!"

Ash swallowed hard, that girl was making it harder then it needed to be. Closing her eyes for a fraction of a second, Ash took a deep breath and glared at the trio in front of her with merciless eyes. "I already am with my family," she hissed and pulled out her wand.

Shocked at her words, the trio started at her in horror and oversaw the dread in her eyes. Soon someone would come looking for her. Soon someone could come and see the three outsiders talking to her. Soon... all too soon.

When they hadn't moved after a minute, Ash pointed her wand at the three people in front of her. "Leave!" she hissed loudly, making them jump.

"No!” Harry said furiously. "I will not leave you in the hands of those monsters again!"

Ash looked at Harry with a sad smile and shook her head, she knew what she was about to do was wrong and unforgivable, but she needed them to leave now! She needed them to forget about ever rescuing her again. She needed them to believe that she was too far gone to be rescued. "But you let them have me, Harry," she whispered in a soft, sad, heartbreaking voice as she walked up to him, taking his face into her hands and looking into his eyes intently. "You let them kidnap me, you let them take me away from my family, my friends. You let me witness the murder of Dumbledore, you made all of this happen, Harry. It's all your fault," she whispered into his ear as she watched the despair in his eyes take over his mind. "Blame yourself, Harry, for it’s true that you are the villain in this story, not the hero."

"No..." he whispered softly shaking his head.

"They made me one of them, you know? I'm one of them now. I was enlightened!" she said a happy grin spread over her face.

Next she turned to face Ron, "The mud bloods’ stole our magic," she said and stole a glaring glance at Hermione. "They're thieves and murderers, we just want to bring back the world as it was intended to be. We're pure-bloods Ron, you must understand this. Some small part of you must understand this! We are supposed to rule this world! We! Not them!" she squeaked, just loud enough to be sure that no one would hear her inside, but that she scared them enough to think that maybe someone could have heard.

The three of them stared at the girl that they came to save in horror, "You’re under the Imperius Curse! You must be!" Ron said with a shaking voice.

Ash shook her head softly. "No, Ron. I just finally understood what my Lord wants to accomplish! Think about it Ron! We have so much power and yet we are hiding from the muggles as if they were the powerful creatures! As if they ruled the world! Isn't that the stupidest idea that you've ever heard?" she said, rolling her eyes before glancing at the manor again.

Again she took a few steps towards Ron and hugged him tightly, "Ron," she whispered, "Don't tell them! But can you still remember the time when we were little kids and some bullies came after you? Can you still remember what I told you after I got them to leave you alone?"

Again she looked over her shoulder and stepped a few meters away, "Ron," she said her voice getting a more determined tone, "I want you to think about it. You are better than those two you call friends! You’re a pure-blood! I understand that you won't understand today, but think about it.

"But now you three have to go!" she said and turned away, but Ron stopped her from leaving.

"We're not leaving without you!" he said fiercely.

"Go!" she yelled and sent them flying through the air with a strong levitation spell, that 'repelled' them over the labyrinth and the surrounding fences.

"Ashlin!" a loud hissing voice boomed over the grounds of the Malfoy Manor in a threatening and aggravated tone. The voice was followed by an agonizing female scream that chilled the three friends outside the Manor, the two leaving guests that just were just about to walk out of the Manor as well as the guests still partying inside to their bones.