Chapter 25: You're a What?

Ashi woke up to sunlight streaming through one the of the tall, wide windows. He didn't open his eyes immediately. He was too tired for that. He wished the sun would hurry up and go away so he could go back to sleep.

He waited for what seemed like forever for the light to move, but it didn't. Finally, he got fed up and opened his eyes. A solid-looking wooden desk, piled high with paperwork and a few assorted knick-knacks, and a matching chair blocked most of his view. There was a large wardrobe against the wall on the other side of the desk, but otherwise, the room looked barren.

He should have started panicking when he realized he didn't recognize where he was, but he was too tired for that. And he ached.

He had been on cross-country runs before and been sore; he had been injured badly before, but none of that had felt like this. Every muscle, sinew, and bone in his body either hurt or was throbbing or he wasn't sure he would be able to move at all.

Shadows crept slowly across the floor as he lay there contemplating his aching body. After a while, he gathered the strength to lift his head a bit and attempt to roll from his side to his stomach.

It hurt more than anything he had ever felt before. And he didn't even make it all the way over the first time. Twice more he tried to coordinate his roll and his long legs enough to make it to his stomach without falling back over. He managed it on the third try and lay there panting for a few minutes, just trying to catch his breath.

That's when the door creaked open. Slowly at first. So slowly that Ashi didn't even notice until it was halfway open and a head had poked into the room.

Ashi's ears perked up and he shifted his snout to have a better view. The desk was in his way, but he could see a mop of dark hair creeping into the room. Underneath the desk, on the floor, he could see a pair of shoes shuffling quietly toward him.

His lips lifted in a low growl. He was in no condition to defend himself very well, but hopefully the intruder wouldn't know that.

The shoes crept forward another couple of inches, then boldly took a few steps across the room and disappeared around the edge of the desk. Nothing happened for a long moment.

Ashi held his breath, still snarling.

Blaise's head popped around the side of the desk.

The snarl dropped from Ashi's face and he stared blankly at Blaise.

"Blaise," he heard Draco hiss from outside the room, "what's going on? Is he there?"

Blaise cracked a smile and waved sheepishly at Ashi. "Yeah," he whispered back over his shoulder. "He's here. Come on in."

Several more bodies bustled around the desk. Draco appeared first with Hermione close behind, dragging a reluctant Ron by the wrist. Neville shuffled along nervously, looking unsure as to whether he wanted to hide behind Hermione or make his own way forward. They all slowed when they reached the desk and practically inched around it. Ron flat out dug in his heels against Hermione, thoroughly intent on keeping the desk between him and the wolf, until Hermione let go with a glare. They all stared at him silently for a few seconds.

The sudden intense scrutiny made Ashi uncomfortable and his hackles slowly rose until they were standing stiffly on his back.

Blaise gave him a lopsided grin. "How ya feeling, mate?"

Ashi's tail wagged a few times before he forced it still; the fur brushed against the blankets loudly in the silence. That simple question had eased some of his fears. If they were worried about his wellbeing, they weren't too mad at him for being different.

"Fine," he replied. "Everything hurts, though." His voice was hoarse as if he had been yelling all the previous days and he was suddenly acutely aware of how thirsty he was.

Blaise snorted. "I should think so, man. You took on a bloody troll. I'd be surprised if everything didn't hurt."

Ashi twitched his ears. "What about you?"

"We're all fine, thanks to you, Ashi," breathed Hermione. "All we had were some cuts and bruises, but I think we would have been a lot worse off if you hadn't been there."

"Ha," laughed Ron suddenly. "We would have been able to do something about it eventually without him butting in."

"You weren't even going to go look for her if we hadn't pointed out she was missing," snarled Draco.

"I bet you wouldn't either if we hadn't dragged you along," shot back Ron.

"Enough!" barked Ashi. "Neither of those things happened so there's no point in worrying about the past."

"Shut up!" shouted Ron. "You should have no say in any of this. You're not even human anymore; you're a werewolf."

Ashi curled his lip in a silent growl.

"Who cares if he's a werewolf," Hermione said. "He saved our lives. Think about it, Ronald. You would probably be dead or badly injured if he hadn't done anything."

"He was probably just itching for a fight," said Ron. "He's an animal. They're always getting in fights."

"If he's such an animal, why is he getting some of the best grades in our year?" snapped Blaise.

"Would you all quit talking about me as if I weren't here?!" Ashi roared.

They all turned to him. Ron met Ashi's gaze challengingly, while Neville started chewing on his fingernails nervously, and Draco, Blaise, and Hermione looked guilty. Ashi flicked his ears, irritated.

"If any of you would bother to hear what I have to say," he said, "you would figure out that I am not a werewolf."

"Then why—" started Hermione.

Ashi growled loudly at her and she shut her mouth with a snap.

"I am a pure-blooded wolf," he continued.

"But what about the Potters?" asked Neville quietly.

Ashi scoffed. "What about them? We know nothing about them or how I came to be in their possession. But it has become rather clear to me that neither were wolves, so how can I be their child?"

"How do you know that they're not wolves?" asked Blaise.

"Wolves have a tendency to avoid attention. We are safer that way. James and Lily Potter did nothing to keep attention from themselves. So, either they are a pair of very odd wolves or they are not wolves at all."

Ashi shifted his weight on the blankets and stretched what little he could with his limited movement. "Enough about that," he said. "We can talk about that later. There is something else I wish to discuss before a Professor comes to deal with me." He tilted his head up to look at each of their faces with one of his huge golden eyes. "Are you willing to keep my secret?"

"We can't!" Ron insisted. "He's dangerous. We have to tell someone."

"He's been living with us for the entire school year!" Draco objected. "If he were gonna do something, he would have by now."

"How do you know he hasn't?"

"Because we're his friends." Neville shrank back when he realized everyone was staring at him now.

"Neville's right," said Hermione. "We've been his friends before. Why does his being different have to change that?"

"Because he's dangerous!" Ron took a step forward with the energy of his conviction. "He could attack us whenever he wants."

"Weasley," muttered Draco. "Shut up."

"But—"

"What part of 'he saved our lives' don't you get?!" shouted Blaise. "He could have let the troll do whatever it wanted to us and we wouldn't have known about him."

Ron was pouting so hard he almost puffed out his cheeks.

Ashi sighed through his nose. "Ron, how about this: if you think something's wrong with me, if you think I'm going to do something that will hurt someone, you can tell the professors."

Ron opened his mouth to oppose the idea, but Ashi kept going.

"In the meantime, you can form your own opinion about wolves and werewolves."

Ron shut his mouth and wilted in place, remembering their conversation all those months ago when they had been running from Filtch. He crossed his arms and scowled. Everyone else held their breath, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Fine," he spat finally. "I won't tell anyone. But I'll be keeping an eye on you, so don't get any ideas."

Ashi grinned at him with his full set of teeth teasingly. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So then we're all agreed?" asked Hermione. "We won't tell anyone?"

"Obviously," snorted Draco.

Blaise cheered his agreement. Neville nodded shyly.

Ashi's tail slapped the ground happily. "Good," he said. "Now you better leave before someone comes."

"But what are you gonna do, Ashi?" asked Neville.

"Well I can't very well walk out of here as a human, can I? The human me had no part in the troll incident last night and if the big bad wolf suddenly disappears, they'll have a full-on witch hunt just to make sure the students are safe. I'll make up a plan once I figure out what they plan to do with me."

"There can't be too many things for them to do with him," agreed Hermione. "I mean, where are they going to keep a wolf?"

"They might apparate him somewhere else, though," mused Blaise. "Then what? How's he gonna get back?"

"I'll just have to escape before they do," said Ashi. "Running in the Forest might satisfy them."

"Then why can't you just turn into a human and let them assume you went to the Forest?" asked Ron.

"Because, Weasley," said Draco as if were the most obvious thing in the world, "they might think he's running around somewhere in the castle."

Ashi nodded. A door outside creaked. "Quick!" he hissed. "Leave! Someone's here."

They all stumbled over each other in their rush to get out the door. No sooner had it shut behind them than Ashi heard Hagrid's muffled voice chastising them.

"What'r you all doin' her'?" he asked.

"We were, um," stammered Blaise.

"We wanted to see the wolf," interrupted Hermione quickly. "You know, to make sure he was okay."

"Well, he's fine," said Madame Pomphrey curtly.

"Um, what's going to happen to him?" asked Neville.

"Hagrid's going to take care of him," answered Professor McGonagall.

"Take care of him?" echoed Ron. "You mean kill him?"

"What?!" scolded Pomphrey. "No! Why would I go through all that trouble to heal him if we were just going to put him down the next day? No, Hagrid's going to take him far away from here and let him go."

"Why? What if this is his home?" countered Blaise.

Ashi rolled his eyes and lay his head down on the blankets. Why couldn't they just let the professors do what they wanted so he could hurry up and get back to his room and sleep for the rest of the day; for the rest of the weekend even. It was, after all, only Saturday.

"We've considered that," explained McGonagall. "That's why we're just going to take him into the Forest. He'll be fine."

"But—"

"No buts. None of you have injuries that warrant being here, so out with you. Come on."

Ashi flicked his ears lazily and waited. The sounds of shuffling footsteps and protesting voices as Professor McGonagall herded them out of the Hospital Wing drowned out the office door opening again.

From where he was lying near the back of the room, nearly everyone would be immediately blocked from his view of anyone who entered, except for the top of their head. Hagrid, on the other hand, was tall enough to be seen immediately.

Ashi watched as Hagrid inched into the room. Their eyes met several times as Hagrid made his way around the desk, but he didn't say anything until Ashi had full view of his body. Ashi just flicked his ears again.

Now he needed to make another quick decision. How should he react to them: the shy-but-friendly puppy or the aggressive, put-me-back-in-the-forest-and-leave-me-alone wild wolf. He settled for somewhere in the middle. It wouldn't do for them to become attached to him nor for them to knock him out so they could move him.

He flattened his ears against his skull and curled his lip, beginning a growl deep in the back of his throat.

The groundskeeper knelt down and grinned a full set of teeth at Ashi. "Hello ther'" he said.

Madame Pomphrey peeked around the desk cautiously. "Are you sure it's alright, Hagrid?" she asked.

"'course 'e's alright," assured Hagrid confidently. "'e's just scared. Ah'll jus' let 'im sniff me hand 'ere." He offered Ashi one of his hands, whispering reassuring nothings to him all the while.

Intent on playing his role perfectly, Ashi lifted his lip higher, growl growing louder, for a moment before the lip dropped and the growl turned into a slight whine. He turned his head away from Hagrid's hand then looked back.

His nose dropped shyly before reaching forward to meet Hagrid halfway. He smelled layer upon layer of forest and dirt and outdoors mixed with several different kinds of animals. His boarhound, Fang, was the most prevalent, followed closely by squirrels, polecats, and other vermin.

They were smells that would have comforted other animals, reassured them that this man knew the outdoors and knew several others of their kind that trusted him. Ashi knew all of that anyway, but a small feeling of relief still washed through him. It was comforting to be reassured that he was placing his safety in the hands of a man that would not take advantage of that trust.

"See," said Hagrid as he extended his hand some more, "'e's alright." He lifted his hand a bit in an attempt to touch Ashi's head.

Ashi stopped that by ducking down and away, growling and showing his teeth.

Madam Pomphrey hissed out a warning, but Hagrid just chuckled nervously. "'e jus' enjoys his person'l space."

"Yes," agreed Poppy sarcastically. "I can see that. But, Hagrid, how are you going to move him. I can't very well keep him here for the rest of the year."

"Well, tha's why ah got this here bit o' rope," answered Hagrid, reaching into his gargantuan robes and pulling out a length of thick rope about two-yards long. "Ah brought along Fang ter help, too." He let out a short, high whistle.

Ashi's head jerked up and his ears swiveled to catch the sound of the door banging against the opposite wall and Fang skittering on the stone floor around the desk to shove his head into Hagrid's stomach for a scratch.

"Hagrid! Hagrid!" Fang whined. "Students! Students outside!"

Hagrid guffawed and mumbled something to the dog, but he was ignored. As soon as Hagrid's hand had fallen on his head, Fang turned his attention to the rest of the room. Immediately, he spotted Ashi.

"Wolf! Wolf!" he barked.

"Idiot!" growled Ashi. "I met you months ago. I go to school here."

Fang immediately switched his demeaner in favor of tugging eagerly against Hagrid's restraining hand to sniff at Ashi and his healing wounds. "Student? Student?" he asked.

"Yes. Student."

"Wolf-student hurt," Fang growled, hackles standing up and tail stiff. "I hurt Student-hurter."

Ashi moaned. Honestly, some civilized dogs could be so dense and dumb. But he decided not to hold it against Fang. After all, if he had been raised out here by Hagrid, with no other dogs—it was highly unlikely any other species would have enough time—to teach the brute proper grammar of all things.

"Student hurter dead," reassured Ashi with a sigh.

Fang perked up. His tail thumped harshly against Hagrid's side and his tongue dripped saliva onto the floor. "Student-hurter killed? Student brave, very brave." He strained to move forward a bit to explore Ashi a little more, but Hagrid held him back, laughing something about Fang being eager to meet a new friend.

Ashi leaned away from the huge dog and growled warningly. "Stay away. Student hurt," he said. "Want to go rest in forest."

"Forest!" barked Fang. "Go to forest. Very nice there."

Ashi had no doubt Fang would have continued singing the Forbidden Forest's praises had Hagrid not stood and declared it time to get to work. While Ashi and Fang had been conversing, Hagrid had tied a large loop into one end of the rope. He ordered Fang to stay, which the dog did with tongue lolling and tail wagging, while he inched closer to Ashi, holding out the loop.

Ashi kept up his façade, growling and curling his lips but also leaning away, making no sign of attack.

Hagrid paused, ordered Fang to stay, and let go of the dog to reach into his coat pocket. He pulled out a long, thick piece of jerky and held it out to Ashi.

He sniffed it, then took it gingerly and chewed it slowly.

Encouraged by this, Hagrid reached forward again with the rope.

Ashi dodged it. Friend Hagrid might be but there was no way Ashi was ever going to restrict himself by letting the groundskeeper put a rope on him.

They continued this pattern for several minutes: Hagrid offering another piece of jerky before trying to sling the rope around Ashi's neck. Ashi accepted the jerky each time, but still didn't let the rope come near.

Finally, Poppy grew impatient. "Hagrid, this isn't working. Why can't we just stun him and levitate him back to the forest?"

Ashi growled at her and she took a step back.

Hagrid chuckled. "I think 'e understood yeh ther', Poppy. Bu' how would yer like it 'f someone knocked yeh out and stuck yeh who-knows-whar? Le's give 'im a chance."

Ashi was getting fed up with this. It was going nowhere, and with Hagrid's patience, they could be doing this all day. He shifted his weight a bit, gathered his resolve, and slowly stood up. His muscles and bones stretched and he groaned. Every inch of his body was sore and even the slightest movement was agony; his chest and back leg were the worst though. It hurt to breathe and putting any amount of weight on his foot sent sparks of fire shooting up his entire leg. He quickly lifted it.

Once the soreness had abated somewhat, he looked up at his company. Both Hagrid and Poppy had moved back several feet. Hagrid was in a half-crouch, holding out his hands placatingly and speaking softly—Ashi ignored him. Poppy was inching towards the Hagrid to hide behind him. Fang, on the other hand, was looking at him excitedly, tongue lolling and tail wagging wildly.

"Student okay," he crowed. He bounded forward to sniff at Ashi, inspecting him for hidden wounds. Ashi growled a warning when Fang got too close, but that did almost nothing to deter the dog. "Student go to forest now?" he asked.

Ashi dipped his head tiredly. "Forest sounds nice," he groaned. He took a slow step forward, stretching the muscles in each leg to their max. He could only manage half a foot with each step. He could hear Poppy and Hagrid scrambling to figure out what to do but Ashi only gave them half of his attention; the other half was focused on not falling over.

Fang whined in sympathy and circled Ashi a few times while he concentrated on each even step forward, then chose a side and leaned his body against the wolf's, offering him support. Ashi leaned against him thankfully. Now it was a little easier on his muscles to make progress, but breathing still hurt.

In front of them, the professors finally came to an agreement. Hagrid swung open the door and stepped into the Hospital Wing, gesturing for the canines to follow him. Poppy inched around the desk until she was behind them, herding them forward.

Ashi limped forward one step at a time, keeping his injured foot completely off the ground. It was slow going—the Hospital Wing never seemed to end—and they took several rests, but Hagrid and Poppy made sure they took the shortest route to the school grounds while avoiding curious eyes.

It was mid-morning by the time Ashi finally stepped onto the grass. A small breeze ruffled his fur and soothed his muscles. He lifted his head and took a deep breath of air that didn't reek of either troll or humans, just dirt and plants.

The open space lifted his spirits and he quickened his pace. There was nothing he wanted more than to reach the forest, go to his pack's cave and sleep the rest of the day away. But by the time they reached the lake, he was exhausted again.

Fang grumbled when he realized how quickly Ashi had spent his energy and nudged him to the lake for a drink and a rest. The water was icy cold and refreshing as it slid down his throat. When he was finished, Ashi lifted his head and let out a long, low howl, calling for the reassurance of his pack.

One by one, four answering howls reached his ears. They were several miles away, but they would come, if only to hear the story of the troll's defeat sooner.

Ashi and his troop started moving toward the forest again. This time, he and Fang led the way while Hagrid and Poppy stayed behind several feet, talking in low voices.

They were almost there, now. Ashi could see the bushes and trees moving as his pack paced at the edge of the forest. But they would not show themselves; better to have the advantage of unknown numbers if there came a need for a fight.

Fang stopped several yards from the first tree, growling. "Danger," he cautioned, growling ferociously. "Wolves. Danger. Fight."

"My pack," Ashi replied, too tired to elaborate further. He continued limping forward alone while Fang hung back.

Toboe materialized from the greenery and approached cautiously, sniffing and inspecting Ashi. He stared at the humans for a few seconds—they stared right back, faces slack in shock and awe—before turning to Fang.

"Thanks," whispered Toboe.

Fang opened his mouth to pant happily. "Student come back soon?"

Toboe bared his teeth, ready to answer in the negative, but Ashi spoke first.

"Yeah. I'll be back."

Toboe grumbled and flicked his ears and tail in annoyance, but he wasn't about to start an argument out in the open in front of outsiders. Instead, he just turned around and helped Ashi slink into the dark protection of the forest.

Somehow this chapter didn't turn out like I thought it would. I plan to go back and rewrite everything after I finish the Sorcerer's Stone part, though, so maybe the break between then and now will help. I'm starting to get bored with this, so the ending will be coming up soon. Probably between two and three chapters.

In the last chapter, Sakura Lisel had a few concerns about what werewolves look like. Now, I've been kinda mashing the books and the movies together (since even though the books are better, I remember more details about the movies) and I had it in my head that werewolves can look anywhere from what Remus did in the movie (that spindly-looking monster thing) to a real wolf to a hairy man (like how Greyback looks all the time). But I did a little research to make sure and JK Rowling actually confirmed that ALL werewolves look no different than a real wolf. So after much debate with myself, I decided that's how I'm going to keep it: werewolves look like wolves.

In other news, I hope this mini-confrontation Ashi had with his friends satisfied you for now. There will be a bigger, more in-depth conversation next chapter after Ashi recuperates. Just FWI cause you won't find out for another month, Neville did not see Ashi change/fight the troll. He fainted while he was still around that last corner (the one Ron darts from when he confronts the troll).

See you next month

-GH

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