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

7: A Close Escape

"Can you believe our luck?" gasped Ron once the door closed behind Professor McGonagall. "I thought she was going to go mental!"

"So did I," said Harry as he took a sandwich, as did Ron. "somehow we get lucky and unlucky at the same time. It's like someone just writes our lives and our fate is in their hands,"

"Whoever they are," said Ashton. "I wish they could've put me in something more interesting than being in a magic school with wands and duels. Boring!"

"Are you serious?" gasped Harry. "What could be more interesting than being in a magical school?"

"One that doesn't despise me for everything I do," snarked Ashton.

Once they were done eating sandwiches (Harry and Ron had pretty much all so Ashton couldn't have any) the three of them rose and left the office. They climbed endless flights of staircases until they finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked them.

"Er-" Harry trailed off. They didn't know the new year's password, not having met a Gryffindor Prefect yet, but help came almost immediately as they heard hurrying feet behind them and turned to see Hermione dashing towards them.

"There you are! Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumours - someone said you'd been expelled for crashing a flying car."

"Well, we haven't been expelled," Harry assured her.

"You're not telling me you did fly here?" said Hermione, sounding more irate than Mrs. Weasley.

"Skip the lecture," said Ron impatiently. "and tell us the password." Ashton leapt at Ron suddenly, grabbing the redhead by the ear.

"You're owed a pretty big lecture, you prick," snarled Ashton. "I'm going to kill you in a second." Ron become rather unsettled at Ashton's threats and tried to shuffle away from him. Ashton began to blink rapidly and looked at Ron. 

"What the bloody hell was that for?" asked Ron.

"Shut up, Ron. Shut. Up." said Ashton without any sign of warning on why he was acting like this.

"The password's 'wattlebird'," said Hermione, trying to break up the tension as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and there was suddenly a storm of clapping. It looked as though the whole of Gryffindor house was still awake, packed into the circular common room, standing on the lop-sided tables and squashy armchairs, waiting for them to arrive. People began to scramble towards Harry, Ron and Ashton as Harry and Ron were pulled inside, but Ashton fought off the scrambling hands. 

"Brilliant!" yelled Lee Jordan. "Absolutely brilliant! I never thought second-years would pull this off!" 

"I'm going to bed," said Ashton grumpily, punching Ron in the arm with no warning. "and nobody can tell me bloody otherwise." The brown-haired boy started to shove his way past a bunch of partying Gryffindors. He hurried up the staircase, right to the top and at last found the door of his old dormitory, which now had a sign on it saying 'second-years'. He entered the familiar, circular room, with all its usual features. His, Harry and Ron's trunks had already been through up for them and placed at the end of their beds.

Immediately after Ashton went to sit down, Ron and Harry came in, grinning like idiots.

Ron smiled guiltily at Ashton.

"I know I shouldn't have enjoyed that or anything, but-"

"That's the closest you'll ever get to Harry's fame?" 

"Shut up," said Ron. Just then, the door flew open to reveal their other three dorm-mates: Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom. 

"Unbelievable!" said Seamus, beaming.