Wish Upon A Star

This isn't mine...

"What do you reckon's wrong with Ashlyn?" Ron asked Harry and Hermione as they left the Great Hall.

The news the school received that morning was shocking. Although not that shocking for Harry, who was one of the first ones to know, and he had told Ron and Hermione. Harry had looked for Ashlyn but didn't find her. Even Hermione said that she hadn't seen Ashlyn the whole night. The Ministry officials came in that morning. There was a mourning speech for Mr Crouch. Madam Maxime and Karkaroff were blowing their tops off about how a Tournament judge was killed in the school premises and how their students were in danger. Poor Dumbledore and Fudge and Bagman had a lot of explaining to do. The only good thing about all that mess was that they were free for the whole day. 

Ashlyn was at the Great Hall that morning. How could she not be? It was her fault for not being good enough. It was her fault for thinking it would be easy. And just as she was the first one to arrive, she was the first one to leave.

"Why don't you know where she goes at night?" Ron said

"And do you?" Hermione shot back. "She's been sneaking off since third year. You don't think I would have asked her. I did. A thousand times. She says, Reading," 

In fact, everyone noticed that Ashlyn had been out of it.

"Miss Clarke, where is your wand?" McGonagall had asked her in class.

"I lost it," was the simple answer.

The whole class froze. Half of them grinned as though expecting Ashlyn to declare it as a joke. Hermione knitted her brows in worry. Ron and Harry looked at each other blankly. Neville pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Even McGonagall's eyes had gone as wide as saucers, before asking Ashlyn to sit down.

"Miss Clarke, what are you doing?" Snape had snapped at her.

"Sorry," she said in a detached tone without even looking up from her cauldron which was bubbling a sluggish green, even though it was supposed to be a light shade of pink.

Snape blinked then asked her to clear it up and then went back to his desk, occasionally looking up at her suspiciously.

Harry, Hermione and Ron sent Hagrid to talk to her.

"Talk about hippogriffs," Hermione said. "She loves them,"

"And unicorns," Harry added.

"And nifflers," Ron piped in.

But Hagrid returned dejected and sulking. 

Flitwick thought she was hexed and tried all sorts of counter curses on her. Sprout was surprised too. Binns didn't even notice her, not like he ever did.

The only reaction she gave was in Moody's class. She stared straight at him, her eyes following him silently, with her hands clenched together. Moody did the same. He too kept his magical eye on her the whole time.

"Ash!" Cedric had called as he came up to her.

Ashlyn didn't answer.

"Ash? You there?" he prompted. Harry, Hermione and Ron who were tailing Ashlyn watched nervously.

"What is it?" Ashlyn asked blankly.

"Uh...nothing. Just wanted to say hello," Cedric said tentatively. Ashlyn looked at him with sad eyes then moved on.

"What happened?" Cedric mouthed to the Trio watching him. The trio shrugged in reply.

Even the Slytherins were confused.