A Changed Lestrange (1-2) (under editing)

15: Mystery Cloaked Weirdo

Turns out it was just Malfoy thinking it'd be entertaining to scare Neville and make him shoot red sparks and scare everyone else. At least nothing dangerous had approached them (though Ashton nor Harry could've cared less about Malfoy getting attacked). That idiotic act caused the three to be split up while Harry and Ashton went with Malfoy because Hagrid claimed he'd have a "much harder time scaring them". 

So the two boys set off into the heart of the Forbidden Forest with Malfoy (who Ashton was still trying to prove he wasn't related to) and Fang. Having walked for nearly half an hour, they were just getting deeper and deeper until they came across yet another centaur, called Firenze.

He explained to Ashton that only one who has nothing to lose and everything to gain would commit a crime such as killing the unicorns. He then explained that blood will keep you alive at any cost, but will live a half-life, a cursed life. 

Who'd be that desperate?

Voldemort, thought Ashton.

He, along with Harry and Hermione, went back to the Common Room to explain to Ron what happened. "Stop saying the name!" said Ron in an absolute terrified whisper to Ashton. Though Ashton wasn't listening, he was explaining what Firenze told him.

"He saved me. Bane was absolutely irate with him, though. Talking about interfering with what planets say will happen... they must be thinking Voldemort's coming back. Voldemort wants to kill. I'm just not sure whether it's me or you." he said, looking directly at Harry.

"Will you stop saying the name!" Ron hissed.

"Oh, man up, Ron!" yelled Ashton. 

"So all we've got to do is wait for Snape to take the Stone. Then Voldemort's able to kill me or you?" Hermione too looked terrified, but had a word of comfort for the two boys.

"Everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. So that means if Dumbledore's around, You-Know-Who won't have the ability to touch you. Who would say centaurs are right? It sounds rather imprecise to me." Ashton bit his lower lip and thought for a second, his need for adventure rushing back to him. It just wasn't the kind of adventure he was expecting.

"What does he want with me? From what it seems like, Voldemort -  shut up, Ron! - was idolised by my parents. So what does he have against me?" Harry shrugged.

"There must be something we don't know."

"Harry." said Ashton flatly. "There are a lot of things we don't know."

Ashton had no idea how he was able to do his exams when he expected Voldemort to pounce on him and murder him. Days crept by and it was outstandingly hot - and what irritated Ashton more was that all of the heat was focused on the hall they took all their exams - and sometimes his forehead would be blue with ink because of the amount of times he had to wipe his forehead.

They also had practical exams. Flitwick had called them individually and asked them to make a pineapple tap dance across the desk. McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuff-box, rewarding points if it was a pretty snuff-box, points removed if it had whiskers. Snape was, well, Snape, breathing down their necks while everyone made Forgetfulness Potions - Ashton didn't need one because all of his revision went down the drain.

When the quartet when to see the Hogwarts groundskeeper, they saw Hagrid was sitting in an armchair just outside his house.

"Hullo," he smiled. "finished yer exams? Time fer a drink?"

"Yes, please--" said Ron, but Ashton cut him off.

"No. We're in a hurry, Hagrid. And we can't beat around the bush with lopsided answers about how we're being meddlesome. What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?"