Wish Upon A Star

The Beginning 1

Ashlyn closed her eyes.

Then she went swirling through vividly colourful space and the next minute she felt found herself before the Shrieking Shack. Without hesitation, she entered the shack and climbed up towards the entrance hole at the roots of the Whomping Willow.

Just as she Voldemort's spell raced towards her, the five hours had completed and bracelet on her hand had glowed blue. She had grasped it desperately, her nails scratching her skin in the process. The killing curse was right in front of her nose when she went through space.

Ashlyn didn't pause once, jumping into her animagus form bounding through the thick forest, stray branches and leaves whipping at her and brushing past her fur.

She could hear wild cheering from the stands.

From the edge, she could see Harry crowded by the judges, as he clutched Cedric's body.

Then Dumbledore stepped forward and pointed his wand at Cedric.

"Only knocked out," Ashlyn could make out Dumbledore's lips moving.

Unlike the books, there was no crying Harry or Amos Diggory. Cedric was being taken to the hospital wing on a stretcher. Well, Cho Chang was sobbing silently, anyway.

Cornelius Fudge was conversing with Dumbledore. Harry had muttered something that had caused a ripple amongst those who had heard it. Ashlyn knew what he had said, of course.

'Voldemort is back'

She watched Moody drag, Harry, roughly towards the castle, as the latter muttered something, looking back.

Dumbledore would take care of it from here. It was all done.

Ashlyn sighed grandly and sank onto the ground, breathing heavily, gasping for breath. She had done it. 

She rolled onto her back and slowly changed back into a human. Her hands were all dirty and sweaty. They were still shaking uncontrollably. Her body was aching like she had been thoroughly beaten up. She groaned slightly as she lay back down onto the grass gazing up at the treetops, and the scattered bits of sky she could see from between them. 

She could only hear her own breathing, finally getting even and slow. 

How long had passed since she had been lying down? By the sounds of the hundreds of spectators, not much.

She'd better get moving. Groaning, she got up. She pointed her wand at herself.

'Scourgify,' 

Well, at least she was a bit clean. She patted her hair down, pulled out a few stray branches and twigs from her hair. She was thankful her hair wasn't like Hermione's, or heaven knows what she'd have done.

Trying to ignore all the aching muscles and creaking bones, Ashlyn dragged herself to the castle.

Well, that was one nice adventure. In retrospect...

'Retrospect my ass,' said the voice in her head.

How many people could escape a killing curse like she did, huh? Nobody! Except maybe Harry. But he too didn't do it with that much coolness.

If only she was actually visible...Ha! Imagine their faces when she vanished right in front of them.

'Yeah, right. So that you can be the next on Voldy's target list,' the mean little voice in her head said.

'You could be a bit more chill, you know. I just escaped death, bruh,' Ashlyn told the voice in her head.