Slytherin's angel

Chapter 28- The punishment

Ashley rushed outside, finding the stiff air within the castle was proving to be too much for her. She kept her head low, unable to block out the whispers that echoed off the walls, following after her as she made her way through the front doors and onto the grounds.

When she had made it to her tree, she threw down her things, letting out an angry cry. She couldn't bring herself to sit down; an overwhelming feeling of constant movement came over her and left her pacing around the tree, near the edge of the lake, anywhere, just not sitting where she would expect him to sit next to her.

She couldn't stop the tears. She was angry at herself, at Pansy, at Draco, at the world, and she was stunned by how much bitterness and utter depression had collapsed on her all within a day. None of her classmates would think of her as in high regard again, she had proven that she was nothing but a hot temper waiting to boil over. The Slytherins would take this as even more fuel to use against her. McGonagall, her favorite teacher, probably thought of her less now, unimpressed by her quick action without thought.

"I wish you would have taken me with you, you slimy git." Ashley whispered harshly to herself.

She heard her name being called in the distance. Looking up to see the caller, she was no more or less surprised to see the three Gryffindors waving her down, hurrying across the grounds.

Ashley tried to mentally prepare herself for a scolding from Hermione. She reminded herself just to take it; she didn't want to push away the three people who cared about her most.

"What happened?" Hermione breathed, looking at her wide-eyed.

Ashley's lip quivered, "Shit. That's what happened."

"I mean with McGonagall." She clarified.

"I have detention for at least a week." She shrugged carelessly, "Depending on how badly I hexed her."

"Do you even know what you did?" Hermione scoffed, "You've Confuded her badly, she has absolutely no idea where she is. And of course you hit her with a Babbling Curse, so Madame Pomfrey can't figure out what else she's been hit with. On top of it all, she's got Jelly-Fingers, so she can't hold any remedies that Madame Pomfrey tried to give her."

"I must say, it was well thought out." Ron piped, shrinking away from Hermione's glare.

"I'm not proud of it." Ashley shuffled her feet awkwardly in the grass, "It hasn't made me feel any better, if that's what you want to hear. However, I would think you would have been somewhat appreciative, seeing all the trouble she's given you throughout the years."

"That doesn't justify-''

"Fine, Hermione!" Ashley yelled, "We all know you're better than everyone, good for you!"

"Hermione." Ron pleaded, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Ashley threw her another look.

"Sorry that I took offense to her comment!" Ashley sobbed, "It kinda sucks to hear that your boyfriend left you because you didn't please him!"

Harry coughed, looking out to the lake.

Hermione's shoulders sagged, "You know that's not why he had to leave."

Harry and Ron threw confused looks at one another. Hermione hadn't told either of them, a fact Ashley would come to later appreciate.

Ashley bit her lip, shaking her head in anger, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, "How would she even have known that? How did she even know that he wasn't here? It's our first day back! God, I've made a mess of myself. I'm sure everyone hates me now."

"The Slytherins do, probably, yes." Harry concluded.

"But the Gryffindors thought you were bloody brilliant since Zabini. They'll probably make a shrine of you now." Ron gave her a half-smile.

"But how did she know?" Ashley whined, looking to Harry.

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly, shuffling his feet among the grass.

"Harry?" Ashley asked quietly.

"You were crying pretty loudly." Harry confessed weakly. "I heard some of the ghosts talking about it when I came to get you. The portraits weren't much help in your defense either. It had spread by morning."

Ashley shook her head tiredly. This was all becoming too much.

"And I'm sure McGonagall doesn't hate you." Harry offered quickly, "Look at the loads of things I've done throughout the years."

Ashley wasn't wholly convinced and she couldn't bring herself to look at them, least of all Hermione.

"We're sorry...for everything." Ron told her, looking to Hermione, who nodded in agreement.

"Why do you care, Ron?" Ashley asked weakly, "You should be happy now, shouldn't you? The slimy git is out of the school, you'll probably never see him again."

Ron stepped away from the other two, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking rather sheepish.

"Because...you're my sister." Ron told her. "And it sucks to see you hurt, no matter who did it."

Ashley's throat constricted at his kind remark. She looked at him for a moment, watching as he made a move to hug her. His tall frame encompassed her completely and she felt his head rest on top of hers.

When Ron let her go, she saw Harry bending to straighten her strewn books, leaving Hermione standing by herself, a guilty look on her face.

"Well, at any rate, Harry and I would've done the same thing." Ron consoled her, casting a scolding side-long glance at Hermione.

"Fine!" Hermione huffed, "Honestly, I probably would have seriously thought about it."

The other three stared at her blankly.

"Well..." she trailed desperately, "I wouldn't want that on my record."

"After all that we've done," Harry stated, "and you're worried about your record?"

Hermione shuffled her feet, "Let's just drop it, it's clear I'm alone on this one."

"What do you have to do?" Harry turned back to Ashley, handing her books back to her.

"Detention with McGonagall, but I don't know what she's going to make me do."

"McGonagall?" Ron scoffed, "Piece of cake. Better than Snape or Filch."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "Good thing you didn't do it right outside of Potions, we wouldn't see you for at least a month."

Ashley nodded in agreement, the three of them falling into line with her stride as she started to make her way back to the castle.

"What will you do now?" Harry asked.

Ashley sighed, "Homework, I suppose."


***

Ashley stared at the clock when it was half past seven. She wondered if she should arrive early, or stare at it for another fifteen minutes before she departed the Common Room. She sighed, deciding to leave early, figuring that arriving before she was due could start to make up for her actions.

Ashley quickly walked into her classroom, her heels clicking loudly on the floor. McGonagall was bent over some papers, her quill quivering with her quick penmanship.

"Ah, Delacour, take a seat," McGonagall motioned to the seat directly in front of her desk.

Ashley did as she was told, wondering what harsh punishment the strict woman would give her. McGonagall rose from her chair, scooping an armful of stacked papers and setting them in front of Ashley, topping it with a red grading quill.

"I have tests from first, third and fourth years that you will help me grade." She said, setting down a single roll of parchment with answers written on them. "Only grade the multiple choice, I will grade the essays."

Ashley nodded, grabbing a test from a first year Ravenclaw. As expected, there were hardly any questions wrong. She scribbled the score at the top, starting a new pile. When Ashley had done at least ten more, the question of whether or not she had passed her Transfiguration test weighed heavy on her mind.

"Professor, I have a question." She asked, feeling slightly timid.

"Yes?" McGonagall answered, flipping through a pile of tests.

"I was wondering, if I got an E or O on my written exam, will that be enough to raise my grade in order to take the N.E.W.T.s?"

McGonagall looked up at her; her thin eyebrows frowned over her golden-rimmed glasses.

"What would make you think your grade needed rising?"

"Well, after today's transfigurations..." She trailed off.

"I haven't graded them yet, Miss Delacour." She answered, turning her attention back to her tests.

"I understand, but my goblet was rather poor and I was hoping I would be able to raise my grade with my written test."

"Miss Delacour," McGonagall put her quill down and looked at her seriously, "your actions were inappropriate and brought shame not only to your house, but to me as well. Perhaps instead of worrying whether or not you will be able to sit on a N.E.W.T. exam, you should be focusing on how to control that temper of yours."

The harsh statement made Ashley avert her eyes immediately, her face growing warm with embarrassment.

"Miss Delacour?"

Ashley looked up, McGonagall's face was much kinder and her tone much softer as the young girl looked at her, "I have seen only a few dozen students with such brilliance, it gave me hope for the future of our kind, even amongst the darkness. You and Miss Granger are among those few dozen."

Ashley stared at her, quite confused at the turn she was taking, "I have no doubt in my mind that you will raise your grade within two months before the exams and no doubt that you will receive an O, along with the other four of your tests. You did not do as badly as you think."

Ashley nodded, quite dumbfounded.

As they went on to grade tests for a while longer, Ashley pondered over what McGonagall had said. So, she didn't hate her as much as Ashley had thought? Or did she, and she was simply stating truth? Brilliance wasn't necessarily a compliment, one was either smart or they were not.

"I do ask a favor, however."

Ashley jumped the gun on what the Transfiguration professor was about to ask, "Professor, I would be more than willing to do another week of detention, as long as you don't ask me to apologize to Pansy."

McGonagall's mouth twitched and Ashley could have sworn she saw the smallest hint of a smirk, "Try and control your temper for the next three months. Once you exit this school, you may do what you wish. I'll let the Ministry figure out what they're going to do with you."

Ashley let out a laugh and McGonagall finally let herself smile, flashing her teeth only for a moment, as if she should have remembered never to let it go beyond the usual thin line she always held.

"I will Professor." Ashley smiled weakly, grabbing for another test, "And...I'm sorry, Professor."

"I know, Delacour," she nodded, "I know."


***

Ashley kneaded her cramped hands, her heels on the stone the only sound in the abandoned corridors as she walked back to the Common Room.

She expected to be alone, as it was half-past twelve when she arrived back, but was quite surprised to find the three talking with each other by the fireplace.

"How was it?" Hermione asked her.

Ashley shrugged, "I helped her grade tests."

"Told you!" Ron scoffed, "This week will be a breeze."

Ashley sighed heavily, lying back onto the plush couch.

"I'm sorry." Hermione piped, catching all of them off guard.

"What?" Ashley asked her, quite confused.

"I've learned to brush off their comments." Hermione started, her eyes flitting between the three, "I can't expect everyone to handle things the way I do. I wasn't very supportive."

Ashley shrugged. "I'm sure I've returned the favor at some point."

"I was reading, actually." Harry's voice interrupted, gesturing to the open book that lay on the table.

"You, reading?" Ashley nudged him playfully.

Harry smiled, continuing on, "That Veela's are an angry species."

Harry gave her the book. Ashley turned it over, reading Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them.

"'Beast'?" Ashley couldn't help but smile, "I like it."

"Anyways," Harry pointed the paragraph out to her, "Veela's are naturally angry, and their-your, I mean-features distort when you get frustrated. Maybe you should show this to McGonagall and she'll let you off. I mean, it's in your nature."

Ashley stared at him, not really sure whether to think him an idiot or not.

"You know, that...you're born to be wild."

Laughter broke out between the four of them. Ashley slumped over on the arm of the couch, clutching her stomach.

"I needed that." Ashley told him after the laughter had died down.

They all looked at each other for a moment, listening to the fire crackling.

"So, what happened?" Ron asked his tone serious as he looked at Ashley.

"With what?" She asked.

Hermione threw him a warning look, but Ron ignored it.

"With, you know, Malfoy. Hermione didn't tell us anything. But there's more to him leaving the school than the both of you are letting on."

Ashley's heart pricked at the sound of his name. She sat up, what little joy Harry's comment had brought her had left her completely. She was tired from the day and didn't feel like getting upset about it.

"The three of you tell each other everything, right?" Ashley asked, looking between the three of them.

"Pretty much." Harry told her, frowning in confusion at her random question.

"I need to know that this trio is a quadrant before I tell you anything further." Ashley looked at them.

They nodded, Ron offered, "Well, you are family."

Ashley smiled weakly, a flicker of warmth igniting in her heart, as she looked between the three of them, knowing that they had given her no reason to question whether or not they were to be trusted.

"Draco...is a Death Eater, and he left because he didn't want to be caught." Ashley blurted quickly, knowing that dragging out the story wouldn't be the best route to take.

"I knew it!" Ron shook his finger at her, like he had suspected her all along, "Harry, we knew!"

Harry waved him off, shushing him, "What do you mean? Malfoy's wanted to do this forever!"

"No, he didn't." Ashley argued, "His father wanted that for him. Don't condemn him just because he's his father's son."

"I can't believe it!" Ron shot out of his seat, "He would! Now he's off probably...enslaving House Elves, or something!"

"Ronald!" Hermione hissed, grabbing his arm to sit him back down, "Knock it off!"

"Look, Ron, I understand what he's done to you-''Ashley tried weakly.

"What he's done?" Ron mocked, "I don't understand why you're so upset! He's a Death Eater now! Clearly you were put after that duty!"

"You might as well have punched me." She growled, another wave of pain numbing her body. Tears streamed down her face. She quickly rose, shrugging off Ron who grabbed for her arm. "You're no better than Pansy."

"Ashley-I'm sorry." he said quickly.

Ashley spun on her heel, glaring at him, "You're right, I don't know why I care so much! Why should I care that an outlaw has run away from school, like a coward? Why? Because he did it for me. He did it to protect me so they wouldn't know where I am! You're right, Ronald, what a cowardly thing to do! Why pine after someone who I may never see again, all because of me?"

The three of them stared blankly at her.

"Ashley, it was a dumb thing to say." Ron apologized.

"Yes, but it was the truth. I shouldn't have gotten so attached." Ashley lamented, turning on her heel, quickly running up the stairs.

"I'm sorry!" He heard Ron say to the remaining two.

"I told you not to say-''

Their conversation was cut off as Ashley slammed the door to the dormitories. Girls shifted in their sleep and Ginny growled groggily, "Shut up!"

Ashley wiped her eyes, stumbling her way in the darkness to her bed. Luckily, the moonlight was pouring in through the window, guiding her to her dresser where she placed her wand. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she removed her shoes, covering herself fully clothed.

Anger and sadness battled each other for total consummation of her. She didn't know what she felt more. Although Ron was right in some aspects, that she shouldn't feel the way that she did and that she shouldn't have wasted so much time believing that she had changed him, she couldn't help but feel a broken, wounded love for him, throbbing within her destroyed heart.

And as she looked up at the half-moon, its yellow-white light illuminating the Quidditch field and Whomping Willow, she couldn't help but wonder where he was.