Wish Upon A Star (Cont.)

Finally

January saw little fewer snowstorms, and the teachers were putting the workload on the seventh years. It was the rarest sight, seeing Hermione complaining about how much homework they had received. Ron chose to blame Ashlyn for convincing him to return to school. Ashlyn didn't have time to bother with their tantrums. And the Quidditch practices were driving them mad.

McGonagall showed them no mercy, Slughorn pretended not to notice. Lupin was the only one considerate enough to let them have a day of revision, rather than raining homework on them. 

"Professor, have I ever told you that you are the best?" Ron said one afternoon.

"Thank you, Ron," Lupin smiled. 

Ashlyn thought it would be better if Draco dropped trying to conjure a Patronus, but that idiot was as stubborn as a mule.

"Really, Draco?" Ashlyn sighed exasperatedly. "You are already drained out. And if you do want to do something, maybe start on the Transfiguration essay you've been putting off for three days now?"

"Come on, Ashlyn, I want to do this," Draco said. "Expecto Patronum!"

There was a small trilling, and Ashlyn moved to the clock on the little round table in the corner and shut off the alarm. 

"That's it for today," she said walking back to the centre of the room. 

"Time to go," she said pushing his wand down. 

"What is it now?" Draco huffed. 

"Patrolling," Ashlyn said. "You are HeadBoy, remember?"

Draco rolled his eyes and picked up his bag. Ashlyn shook her head and ushered him out of the room.

"No dilly-dallying," she said as she left. "You start from the dungeons,"

"I know, Ashlyn," Draco groaned. "Don't nag,"

Ashlyn huffed and walked up to her common room. 

She put her bag on her bed, waved to Hermione who was reading on her bed and left.

The night was cold, like really cold. Ashlyn rubbed her hands together and stuffed them into her pockets. It was rare to see such a clear sky during the winter. 

Ashlyn went down the corridors looking for students out of bed, which she never found. But today, she found a couple of first years turning around a corner a few feet in front of her.

The two boys looked around the corner, checking if anyone was coming. But they forgot to look behind them. 

Ashlyn slowly crept up behind them, then bending low, she whispered,

"What are you punks up to?"

They jumped at least a foot in the air, screaming, as Ashlyn straightened.

"And, why are you two out of bed after hours?" she asked. She recognised them as belonging to her house. She had to try to hide a smirk as she remembered her, Harry, Ron and Hermione running from Filch in the middle of the night. Now that she thought about it, it was quite late into the night.

The boys stuttered and jumbled up excuses

"The loo," 
"The library,"

The looked at each other. 

"The library,"
"The loo,"

Ashlyn raised her eyebrow.

"I'm constipated,"
"I forgot my book,"