Wish Upon A Star

Quidditch

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, they would be playing their first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship. 

Ashlyn was nervous. More nervous than she would like to show. All the possibilities that she would mess it up seemed much more likely now that she was minutes away from her first-ever game.  

Snape walked by getting her attention.

"Good luck Potter, Clarke," he said.

"Thank you, professor," said Ashlyn trying to smile, but couldn't due to her nerves. Harry was glaring at Snape's head.

"Did you see he was limping?" asked Ron once Snape was out of earshot.

"That's it. He let the troll in on Haloween. It was a distraction so he could try to get past the three-headed dog." said Harry all excited that he had got some dirt on Snape.

A few weeks ago, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ashlyn were on their way for a nighttime adventure. This was before Halloween and the troll incident, of course. 

Obviously, Malfoy had decided to be a prat and challenged Harry to a duel, which Ron accepted for him, and then they were outside, sneaking out of bed. Ashlyn was obviously going too, she wouldn't give up a chance to see Fluffly. 

Then they met Hermione, who lectured them all the way out of the portrait hole. Where they met Neville. 

And they all got locked out since the Fat Lady had gone off, and then all five of them together went to the Trophy room to duel Malfoy.

After a while of walking, Harry put his arm out, stopping them and then they saw Mr Filch's cat Mrs Norris around the corner. They bolted.

Ashlyn was wondering if they going to meet Fluffy. And there it was! They came across the locked door to the third-floor corridor. 

"Alohomora!" both Ashlyn and Hermione yelled at the same time. They looked at each other and giggled as they ran in. 

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. 

"We've got to get back to Gryffindor Tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible,"

"Neville, get off," Harry growled, for Neville was tugging at his robes, whimpering slightly.

"Guys. I think you'd want to see this," said Ashlyn bringing their attention to the huge three-headed dog.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville screamed, startling Ashlyn who was quite amazed seeing Fluffy in real life. 

Ashlyn felt that Neville had screamed because the other three had startled him too.

Hermione grabbed her hand and bolted out of their following the boys. They ran and didn't stop until they reached the Gryffindor common room.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

Shaking Neville collapsed on an armchair, white in the face, his blond hair plastered to his head with sweat.

Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again.

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

"The floor?" Harry suggested. "I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads.

"Nope. It was standing on a trapdoor," said Ashlyn collapsing onto a nearby couch and propping up her legs on Neville's armchair.