Chapter 6

She got her books for her afternoon classes and went to meet her friends at Hagrid's hut for their Care Of Magical Creatures class. She was too late to be escorted by Hagrid, so she walked on her own. She hurried to get there when she saw something that was unusual in the Forbidden Forest.

She didn't know what to do, go to class, check it out, or go back and tell a professor. She decided to go back to the school and tell the first professor that she saw. She was hurrying towards the front door when the trees opened up.

There was a rustle of leaves and brush as a scruffy looking wizard stumbled out of the wood. She screamed in fright and backed away as he stumbled towards her. She didn't know who he was, but she didn't stay to find out. She bolted towards the school and into Professor Dumbledore.

"Whoa, child, what is wrong?" he asked, looking at her frightened features.

"There is a strange man out front, sir. He looks… well, he looks like he was beaten," she stuttered.

"Go get your uncle then go back to your tower!" he commanded.

Ashley did as she was told and left. After getting Snape, she went to Gryffindor tower and found the seventh year class studying. They looked up and then ignored her. She had the feeling that they heard that she was a werewolf. Only one approached her.

"Are you all right, Ashley?" Alicia Spinnet asked.

"I've been better, someone just came out of the Forbidden Forest looking very beaten and injured," she answered, shaking slightly.

"Do you know who it was?" Katie Bell asked.

"No."

They all went back to their work when the rest of the Gryffindors came in. Ron, Harry, and Hermione went straight to Ashley's side and asked what happened. She told them what she told Alicia and then shuddered. She was still spooked over what she saw.

"Does this have anything to do with You-Know-Who?" Ron asked Harry quietly.

"Maybe, but I haven't had any twinges or pain, though. Do you remember anything else about the person, Ashley?" Harry asked.

"Let me see, he had ragged brown robes and straggly gray hair that had bald patches in it, he also was whimpering something about being 'sorry' and 'prongs'," she replied, thinking hard.

"You don't think it could be Pettigrew, Harry. Sounds an awful lot like him," Ron said.

"I certainly hope so. It may mean that Sirius may be free soon," Harry said, sounding incredibly hopeful.

They all sat there, thinking about what Ashley saw when she thought of her conversation with her uncle. She felt that her friends should know about her solution to the Wolfsbane potion that she came up with and also where she was going to spend Christmas. She hoped that Ron wouldn't be too upset that she was going to go to his home and her uncle would be visiting her there.

She was about to ask him when Professor McGonagall came in and asked for the four of them to follow her. They all followed her out of the common room and towards Dumbledore's office. They were confused as to what was going on.

They entered the headmaster's office to find him with Lupin, Snape, the guy Ashley saw, and a weird guy with a bowler hat. The four students were puzzled as to why they were called before the headmaster and the others,

"Now, you four, you may be wondering why I had you brought here," Dumbledore stated. "Well, the person Miss Snape saw coming out of the Forbidden Forest is Peter Pettigrew. He has seen the errors of his way and will testify in Mr. Black's pardon. Harry, you'll have your godfather."

"What is to become of him, sir?" Harry asked, giving the rat a killing glare.

"He is going to give us information on Voldemort, then he'll get the Dementor's Kiss," the man with the bowler, who introduced himself as Cornelius Fudge, said.

"We're just waiting for Sirius to show up," Lupin said.

"And here I am," a voice came out of nowhere. "I can see why I was called here."

"Well, Mr. Black, from what Mr. Pettigrew has told me, you're a free man," Fudge said. "Your name will be cleared tomorrow."

"You finally believe me," Sirius said. "I've been saying it for the last fourteen years."

"Sirius!" Harry spoke up. "Don't ruin it!"

"Okay," Dumbledore said. "Ashley, I need to tell you about the attack on you two weeks ago."

"What?" "What attack?" "Ashley, why didn't you tell us?" were the questions from the trio.

"Yes, professor?"

"Well, Mr. Pettigrew had told us that Voldemort has taken an interest in you. He found out that you are a werewolf, so he had a new Death Eater recruit pose as Mr. Malfoy to get on the school grounds," Dumbledore explained. "We have a leak on the staff here, because this happened before you announced to your class about your condition."

"Well, sir, unless someone else was eavesdropping on any conversations I have had with anyone who knew. Outside the staff, only Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew about it," she said.

"We'll find out, so you are not able to go anywhere on your own, even when you are in the castle," Dumbledore said.

At this point, Fudge stood up and grabbed his bowler hat. "Well, Dumbledore, I'll leave you to take care of matters here while I take Mr. Pettigrew to the Dementors."

"Good evening, Cornelius," Dumbledore said as Fudge walked out of the office with Pettigrew in tow.

"Ashley, I would like you to move into my rooms with me," Snape said. "It would be for your protection."

"Uncle Severus! I want to stay in Gryffindor tower! If I move to your rooms, it would look like I am a spy to my fellow classmates," Ashley protested.

"Ashley, I want you to stay with me. I'm not going to argue with you," Snape stated firmly. "You can still study up there with your housemates, but I'll be there by curfew to escort you to my rooms."

"Uncle Severus? NO! Please, can't I stay in my dorm!" Ashley cried.

"No, your safety is my main concern," he snapped at her. "I know how ruthless the Dark Lord can be to people who resist him."

"Uncle Severus, don't you trust me? Or Harry, Ron, and Hermione?" Ashley pleaded.

"Ashley, your uncle is right," Remus said. "You need the protection of a full-grown wizard to protect you, not students. They aren't knowledgeable enough."

"But, Remus, you know how hard I had to work to be accepted in my house," Ashley cried. "I have finally made more friends than I knew."

"Ashley, I know how you feel," Lupin said, "because I went thru it myself. I can tell you, that if they value your friendship, they'll be concerned about your safety."

"Uncle Severus, why? Why must I leave my dorm? With all that Harry went thru and is still going thru, he can still stay in Gryffindor Tower," Ashley said.

"Hey, don't get me involved in this, Ashley," Harry said.

"Miss Snape, I'm sorry to say that I agree with your uncle," McGonagall said.

"Okay, I'll go, but you're going to have to wait until I am ready to leave the common room," she said darkly.

"I'll give you fifteen minutes until I'll go in and get you."