Wish Upon A Star

The Painting

Ashlyn sighed as Dawn flew in through the open window.

"He didn't write back again, did he?" she muttered as she filled Dawn's water-tray.

She had been sending Malfoy almost three notes every day but didn't get a single one in response.

"Stupid Malfoy," she muttered. 

"Are you going today?" her mother asked on that August morning.

"Yeah," Ashlyn said as she sat down at the table.

"Have a good time this year, too," Mr Clarke said folding his newspaper and throwing it aside, where it joined the Daily Prophet Ashlyn had read a few months back. Her parents wanted to know what had exactly happened, and Ashlyn found it easier to just let them have a glance at the Prophet rather than telling it herself.

On the first page was Regulus' story. Mr Weasley and Sirius had made sure that it came in the first page, much to Kreacher's delight, it said in Harry's letter, that the elf had been in celebration mode ever since, and has the cut out almost framed and hanged on the wall.

Hermione found her parents, and they had a beautiful reunion too. 

They were supposed to meet at No 12 Grimmauld Place today evening, where they'd discuss what they'd do next. Apparently, everyone was coming. The idea itself brought a picture of utter chaos into Ashlyn's mind, and she couldn't help smiling.

The sky had painted itself an orange when Ashlyn got ready to leave. After bidding goodbye to her parents, and almost apparating in front of Williams who had burst into the house, holding a folder, which threatened to spill with papers.

"What are you wearing?" he said.

"I have somewhere to be," Ashlyn said pretending to be checking her shoes. "It's a themed party,"

"I see," he said and then rushed upstairs with the super-important file.

Ashlyn sighed, and then closed the door behind her, making sure no one was watching her, she apparated.

She heard the familiar metallic clicks of the door as she stood on the top step of No 12 Grimmauld Place. The door flew open.

"Hello Kreacher," Ashlyn said as the elf made to take her travelling cloak and hang it beside the number of other cloaks.

"Hello!" she said brightly as she entered the loud kitchen. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Ashlyn!"

Something jumped out in front of her, and before her brain even registered what it was, she blasted it into smithereens with her wand.

There was a silence, as the smoke in front of her face vanished. There, on the floor, was the torn bits of a balloon.

She looked up at the crowd watching her again.

"Blimey, Ash," George said. "Can't even prank you without the threat of getting killed,"

"Why would you do something like that?" Ashlyn huffed as she made her way to the crowded table, cleaning up the bits of rubber.

On the far end was Ron, Bill and Fleur, Mrs Weasley. Then there was Fred, George, sitting across Sirius, who was dragged away by Lupin. Sirius had made to sit between Harry and Ginny who were sitting beside each other and seemed to be holding hands, and Lupin had to intervene and now both of them were having a discussion as to how Sirius could be Harry's wingman, Lupin was insisting that he ought to do nothing at all.  Tonks was playing with baby Teddy.