Wish Upon A Star

PORTUS!

For the next few days, Ashlyn was really busy. In the day she would help Harry, Ron and Hermione look up hexes and jinxes and then go for practice. At eight in the evening, she would go to Dumbledore's office.

Harry was concentrating on the Stunning Spell, which he had never used before. The trouble was that practising it involved certain sacrifices on Ron's and Hermione's part. Not much on Ashlyn's part really. She deflected every curse thrown at her and even taught a few to the others.

"It is easy, really. You just have to focus. How do I explain? Take the Quaffle for example, or the snitch, or the bludger for all its worth. You've gotta follow its trajectory. Most spells shoot straight out so deflecting will be easy if the opponent is just one since you will only have to focus on one side," she had rambled. 

"Can't we kidnap Mrs Norris?" Ron suggested on Monday lunchtime as he lay flat on his back in the middle of their Charms classroom, having just been Stunned and reawoken by Harry for the fifth time in a row. 

"Let's Stun her for a bit. Or you could use Dobby, Harry, I bet he'd do anything to help you. I'm not complaining or anything" — he got gingerly to his feet, rubbing his backside — "but I'm aching all over. . . ."

"Well, you keep missing the cushions, don't you!" said Hermione impatiently, rearranging the pile of cushions they had used for the Banishing Spell, which Flitwick had left in a cabinet. 

"Just try and fall backward!"

"Once you're Stunned, you can't aim too well, Hermione!" said Ron angrily. "Why don't you take a turn?"

"Well, I think Harry's got it now, anyway," said Hermione hastily. "And we don't have to worry about Disarming, because he's been able to do that for ages. . . . I think we ought to start on some of these hexes this evening."

She looked down the list they had made in the library. "I like the look of this one," she said, "this Impediment Curse. Should slow down anything that's trying to attack you, Harry. We'll start with that one."

"That's a good one," Ashlyn nodded.

The bell rang. They hastily shoved the cushions back into Flitwick's cupboard and slipped out of the classroom.

"See you at dinner!" said Hermione, and she set off for Arithmancy, while Harry, Ron and Ashlyn headed toward North Tower and Divination. 

"It's going to be boiling in Trelawney's room, she never puts out that fire," said Ron as they started up the staircase toward the silver ladder and the trapdoor.

"My dears," said Professor Trelawney, sitting down in her winged armchair in front of the class and peering around at them all with her strangely enlarged eyes, "we have almost finished our work on planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of Mars, for he is placed most interestingly at the present time. If you will all look this way, I will dim the lights. . . ."

She waved her wand and the lamps went out. The fire was the only source of light now. Professor Trelawney bent down and lifted, from under her chair, a miniature model of the solar system, contained within a glass dome. It was a beautiful thing; each of the moons glimmered in place around the nine planets and the fiery sun, all of them hanging in thin air beneath the glass. 

The class was actually interesting, at least for a few. Ashlyn, Parvati and Lavender had inched forward to the miniature solar system and were listening attentively to Professor Trelawney. Ron had yawned once or twice, earning a glare from Parvati and Lavender.

Thud!

Ashlyn turned around. Ron was kneeling next to Harry who was trembling on the floor, hands clutching his head.

"Harry! Harry!"

Then he opened his eyes.

"You all right?" Ron said.