She's hated by every house but her own.
She's a Slytherin that embodies the house, yet nobody thinks she belongs.
She defies social constructs quietly, and they hate her for it.
The marauders never cared about who she was; they saw her as a girl...
A simple black door materialized in front of me, allowing entry into the hiding place of Ashlynn.
"Hello? Are you in here?" I called, waiting for a response. The space was neat, making a small area look big. A staircase let up against one wall to what I assumed was her bed. On the ground area was the entrance door, a couch, and an entire wall of shelves that were filled with books. A coffee table was in front of the couch, and an armchair sat perpendicular to it.
"Remus! Hey," Ash ran down the stairs, crashing into me for a hug. I chuckled.
"How were your holidays?" I asked, looking around.
"They were okay. I had to relocate because of...circumstances. I'll tell you about those in a minute. Anyway, kind of stressful because I had to figure things out, but the magic of this place furnished the room for me so I was fine. How was your Christmas?" She responded, gesturing for me to sit next to her on the couch.
"Alright, kind of boring though."
She nodded, looking nervous. Obviously whatever she wanted to tell me was big, but I felt like the question I planned on asking was bigger. I cleared my throat.
"Both of us have things to say, and by the look on your face mine isn't as bad as yours. Do you want me to go first?" I offered, causing her to sigh gratefully.
"Yes please," She responded. I gulped in the silence that ensued.
"Doyouwanttobemygirlfriend?" I blurted out. She stared at me.
"Pardon?" She asked confusedly. I cleared my throat and tried again.
"Would you, er, consider, you know, with the circumstances and uh the war, er, it's better to ask now..." I trailed off, coughing one last time.
"Ashlynn, do you want to be my girlfriend?"
She stared, before grinning.
"I'd love to," she started, before her face fell and she continued, "but I don't think you'll want anything to do with me in a minute."
I raised a brow, confused. At my motion to continue her story, she ran her hands through her hair.
"James and I are cousins, but you already knew that. Our mothers are sisters, and our fathers were best friends as kids. We grew up together, until we were about ten. Then my parents changed.
They became Death Eaters, Remus. My parents are Voldemort's followers."
Tears were now streaming down her face as she continued, and I knew that it could only get worse. She went on.
"They tried to force me to join them, but I ran away before first year. I lived in the Leaky Cauldron until it was time to come to Hogwarts. I haven't left the Hogsmeade area since. In the summers, I stay in a hotel in Hogsmeade and work at Honeydukes. I get by. But my parents were still looking for me. So I don't go down to Hogsmeade anymore. I can't afford to be found.
Over break, I got letters from them. My parents are going to try to force me to join them. They said that Voldemort wants me. I refused, and now they are beginning to threaten me.
They said they're going to hurt you guys!" She cried, collapsing into me. I sighed, watching the girl I had loved for years break down. She sniffled, looking back at me.
"See? I'm dangerous. If you date me, you are practically begging to be killed," She complained. I shook my head.
"Hey, hey. I'll be fine. We all will," I promised. Pulling back from the hug I looked at her.
"And, girlfriend, I have an idea for you." I proposed, grinning when she laughed at my use of the term.
"Oh? What could it be, boyfriend?" She responded. I twisted a lock of her blonde hair around my finger.
"Why don't you change your hair again? You seem to enjoy doing it, and it could help disguise you from what the Death Eaters are looking for in Hogsmeade."
She nodded thoughtfully.
"I like the way you think, kid," She joked. I stood up, hugging her one last time.
"I should go. I'll tell the marauders where you're at; expect a visit from James and the demand of an explanation from Sirius. See you at dinner?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Yep. See you then. You could just fill the marauders in, save me the stress?" She requested. It was a joke, but I was willing to do it.
"I can, if you want."
"Really? Great! Thank you," She exclaimed, hugging me before I left.
Ash
Turning back to my room, I grinned. Entering my bathroom, I looked into the mirror while I contemplated the color I wanted to change my hair to.
I must have stood in the bathroom for hours, because by the time I had charmed my hair to the blue I desired, it was dinner time.
Grinning, I walked into the hall and sat with the marauders, ignoring the looks from my slytherin friends and grinning at the shocked looks I was getting from James, Sirius, and Peter. remus merely grinned.
"Nice hair, Ash."
"Thanks!"
I turned to James.
"I'll owl you guys from my room. New, uh, developments," I commented, referring to a letter I'd gotten. I grabbed an apple, standing up.
"See ya tomorrow!" I chirped, skipping out and back to my room.
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