Fate Untold (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter 25: Far From Over

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scottish Highlands

Ashley quietly hummed to herself as she arranged her things, calm and composed despite the rush she should have been in. It was thirty minutes until breakfast, which would be everyone's last meal before the Hogwarts Express arrived to take them home. Most, if not all, of the students were already all packed up and ready to leave. However, Ashley was one of the very few who were still in the midst of some last-minute tidying. In retrospect, she could have finished her packing during the past days' free periods, but she was a bit preoccupied with resting her body and magic. Why? Because she had, once again, exhausted her core while helping Hades return to Gryffindor Castle with Persephone. It had been quite a lot of work, but the two creatures' shared joy had been worth the effort.

Finally done with putting her clothes away, Ashley reached towards the nightstand and grabbed the snow globe Alyssa had gifted her for her birthday. Instead of the cheery weather Ashley was hoping to see, the miniature village of Hogsmeade was covered by a thick mist, depicting the underlying feeling of apprehension she had woken up with. She'd been determined to dismiss it but seeing it psychically manifest made it seem like feigning ignorance wasn't viable an option.

"-ley? Ashley!"

Ashley snapped out of the daze she'd entered with a violent flinch, causing the snow globe to fall from her hands. Fortunately, a quick burst of wandless, wordless magic prevented the item from crashing to the ground. Ashley sighed in relief and levitated the snow globe back to her hands. She carefully placed it in her trunk, atop her folded cloak for cushioning, and shut the lid over it. She then shifted to face the only other person in the dorm room with her.

"Sorry, Ash! I didn't mean to startle you!" Maia frantically apologized.

"No worries, Maia." Ashley easily waved off, "It was my fault for not paying attention. Anyway, what were you saying?"

"Never mind that. Are you okay? Did you not get any sleep last night?"

"I slept fine. It's just that... I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about today."

"That's alarming... How bad, exactly?"

"Enough to make me think that we should all be on guard until we're safe at home."

Maia nodded and hurried away to warn the other Marauders. Left to her own devices, Ashley took her time with gathering her things and shrinking them enough to be able to fit them in her robe's inner pockets. She was ready to chase after Maia now, but definitely not without Moko's company. The Reducio'd snake was lounging on her pillow, still drowsy from his nap. Eyeing him fondly, she ran a finger over his scales before bringing him up to wrap around her neck. After making sure he was as secure and comfortable as he could be, she headed down to the great hall where she assumed her friends would be waiting for her.

True to her expectation, the Marauders (minus one, though Ashley failed to notice this in time) were all present, but seated amongst their respective Houses as per end-of-the-term tradition. Ashley joined her fellow Gryffindors at their table, only to be greeted by worried glances from everyone but the twins. She was quick to provide them reassurances, saying that there was no reason to fret so much, that they would be alright as long as they stuck together. She wasn't sure if they fully believed her because they didn't get a chance to respond due to Dumbledore calling the students' attention for his farewell speech.

Obviously, Ashley didn't bother listening, though she just had to tune in when the old coot had to congratulate the Ravenclaws for winning the House Cup the past night. It hadn't been a surprising development when they won, especially since they'd been the only House unaffected by the school year's gruesome events. Hufflepuff had Alexandra's passing, Gryffindor had Kyra's incident, and Slytherin was preoccupied with the never-ending rumors about the Chamber of Secrets. Technically speaking, the eagles had lost someone as well since Lockhart had been a Ravenclaw. However, he'd been a horrible teacher so the Ravenclaws refused to acknowledge him as their own, even after he disappeared.