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Derek lifted his head suddenly from where it had been drooping forward over the parchment and countless books he had open on the table before him. Quickly his shook himself and pressed his hands against his eyelids. "Wake up..." he murmured to himself, his voice a gentle baritone. He blinked rapidly over his dark blue eyes several times in an attempt to clear the haze before them. It was just then that the bell rang for lunch.
Relieved that he needn't fight the sleepiness among the dusty shelves of the library, Derek jumped up and quickly began gathering his things and scooping them into his schoolbag. Once everything was packed away he paused, turning back just to check that he hadn't left anything behind.
His black hair fell into his eyes slightly, but this didn't seem to bother him, and the dark locks created a rather pleasing contrast against his pallid skin. He wore the black student work robes, but them seemed rather large around his thin body, as if they weren't exactly made for him. His smooth face was handsome and he usually carried a friendly smile around his lips. He always seemed so different from his fellow Slytherins, that no one was really sure why he had been sorted there. But that was the choice that the hat had made, and that's where Derek ended up.
The halls were bustling with students by the time Derek entered the fray. Despite this, he made good time down to the Great Hall even as he tried to calm the growling of his stomach. As he entered, he noticed a group of his friends already eating, so he quickly joined them.
The whispers that arouse at Stephan Potter's entrance caused Derek to glance up. He watched with curiosity as she made her way to her table.
He'd barely taken his eyes off of her when he realized what some of his friends were planning. One of his more brutish friends was holding a fork with an olive poised against the tines. "Wai-!" before he could do anything, the olive was on its way, and straight as an arrow it hit its target. "Idiot!" Derek hissed, slamming a fist into the perpetrator's gut. "Hey!" he grunted, "Bloody.." But Derek was already gone.
He made his way towards the victim, and apologetic smile on his face. "Hey, Potter." he said just before he reached her. "Don't mind them, they're harmless really. You alright?"




נυ∂gє мє ƒσя ωнσ ι αм, σя ∂ση'т נυ∂gє мє αт αℓℓ.

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Derek was startled by Stephen's abrupt departure, but he couldn't help and laugh as his friend Mullens panicked as the harmless spiders that Stephen had sent began crawling over the food on his plate. He should have seen that one coming, the idiot.
With a sigh Derek turned his piercing eyes back towards Stephen's retreating back. His lips turned down slightly at the corners as he frowned in confusion at her reaction. He'd been trying to apologize after all, and he thought that he had been rather charming. Still frowning, Derek left the Great Hall as well, realizing that somehow his appetite had left him.
He had a free period next, so instead of heading up into the castle, he made his way outside. A chill breeze picked up, and Derek shivered slightly in his thin robes. The wind wasn't enough to deter him though, and he quickly made his way down to the lake where he could find some respite among the trees there.
Once he arrived, Derek leaned languidly against a tree where a sudden fancy took him, and he pulled a small picture from his bag. As the wind picked up once more, the picture fluttered slightly between his fingers, but he held it tightly so that it wouldn't be lost. Once the air was clam once more, Derek focused more closely on the little picture. The man inside it was sallow faced and greasy haired, but despite this Derek detected an air of sadness about him. The man's black eyes blinked gently and a slight glimmer of something seemed to fill those usually cold eyes just for a moment.
Derek pressed a finger to the man's cheek, and a similar sadness coursed through him, but before it could overwhelm him, he swept the photograph away into his bag once more, trying to shake the uneasy feeling.
After a moment, Derek felt like himself again. He made sure that his bag was securely latched and slung over his shoulder, and then he prepared to leap onto the high branch above him. His fingers grasped easily and he quickly eased himself up into the thick branches. he easily found himself a suitable branch to lounge against while he read his free period away.




נυ∂gє мє ƒσя ωнσ ι αм, σя ∂ση'т נυ∂gє мє αт αℓℓ.

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Intensely involved in what he was reading, Derek didn't even notice Stephen's wolf form settle comfortably beneath his branch. His face was smooth and calm. A slight smile curved his lips upwards, and the sincerity that encased his features was a rare one indeed. It wouldn't due to show what may be considered a weakness such as that to his fellow Slytherins.
It was for that reason that one could often find Derek wandering off alone. He knew that most of the Slytherins only really cared about themselves, so what was the point of being himself around them? No point at all. Derek knew that he didn't fit in with his fellows, but it didn't bother him. He had wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, and that included joining the Slytherins. He could deal with it, or he could not.
The wind didn't bother him much anymore. The words on the pages before him held his attention fast. In fact, he didn't notice anything else until Midnight dropped the note into his lap, at which point Derek jumped with surprise.
He jerked so hard that he actually lost his seat and began to tumble from the tree. He gave a startled yelped, instinctively grabbed the note and his bag with one hand, while the other latched onto a small branch just beneath the one he had been resting on. The book clattered the ground. It took a moment for the Derek to comprehend what had just happened. He could hear his heartbeat hammering in his ears, and just as he started to calm a little, the branch that he had caught hold of suddenly began to creak ominously.
Derek barely had time to utter, "Merlin's pants..." before the branch snapped and he tumbled once more towards the ground, where he quickly tucked his limbs and head in to protect them when he fell and rolled before coming to a stop flat on his back.




נυ∂gє мє ƒσя ωнσ ι αм, σя ∂ση'т נυ∂gє мє αт αℓℓ.

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"Oww..." Derek groaned, remaining still for several seconds after everything was calm. He quickly assessed the situation, wiggling his fingers and toes to make sure that he still could. He hadn't quite decided whether or not it was safe to sit up when something cold and wet pressed itself against his cheek. His eyes popped open and he realized that there was a rather large she wolf standing very close to him.

"Wha!!" he cried, sitting up too quickly. He felt a sharp pain scorch down his spine and he cried out, finding it hard to breathe as black dots danced before his eyes. One hand went to his temple while the other rested against the ground to steady himself. After a few more moments, he noticed that he hadn't been mauled yet. In that case, this must not be a wild wolf...Slowly Derek opened his eyes again, taking in her thick coat and concerned eyes. "Bloody..." he mumbled, shaking his head, "You bloody scared the hell out of me." he informed her, rubbing his hand against his sore back.

It didn't seem as though anything was broken. Derek grabbed the letter that had caused the fall in the first place and opened it up. He quickly read it over and then he glanced back up to the wolf. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?" he questioned, still rubbing his back and shoulder.




נυ∂gє мє ƒσя ωнσ ι αм, σя ∂ση'т נυ∂gє мє αт αℓℓ.

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Derek couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed the wolf placing her paws over her muzzle as if ashamed. He gently dropped the letter aside, not noticing that it tumbled easily onto his fallen book. He smiled as the wolf seemed to nod in answer to his question. But how could that be. He chuckled again, this time at himself. After so many years a Hogwarts, there were very few things that would surprise him anymore. He loved the school where magical and unexpected things liked to pop out at students and teachers at every turn. Who was to say that a wolf living on the grounds of Hogwarts couldn't understand humans. Just maybe she could.

"I can't help but wonder what you know..." he mused quietly. He was surprised when she nudged up gently against him, but he was pleased just the same. "Oh, hello." he said pleasantly. He gingerly lifted an arm and held his fingers towards her so that she might find his scent and be able to recognize who he was.

He stroked his fingers along her nose and between her ears, giving the spot that most animals liked a nice scratch. "Well, it's good thing you were here, isn't it." he said, his voice soft. His eyes drifted towards his book and he noticed the letter that had fallen there. The smile faded a little in confusion. He was glad that the Potter girl had taken the time to send it. But he wished that he could have spoken to her. He still felt badly for the behavior of his friends.




נυ∂gє мє ƒσя ωнσ ι αм, σя ∂ση'т נυ∂gє мє αт αℓℓ.

∂єяєк ℓαη¢αѕтσяXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Derek's human ears weren't strong enough to hear the voices yet. He noticed the wolf's discomfort as her ears quickly pressed back against her head. Derek pulled his hand away, worried that he had upset her. Though after watching her closely for a moment, he didn't think that she was angry at him.

Looking up, he tried to figure out what had upset the she wolf, but he still couldn't see what it could be. "Hey..." he crooned, "it's alright sweetie..." he murmured. He stroked her head and her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

With a grunt, Derek pushed himself gingerly to his feet. Pleased to find that he hadn't been incapacitated by the fall. He slowly stretched his arms up above his head, hearing the joints pop a little as he pushed it further and further. "Well, I haven't died, isn't that a good thing?" he asked the wolf as he bent down to pick up Stephen's letter again.

Once he had scribbled a quick response: Sorry again about my friends, maybe I could make it up to you at the Hogsmeade trip this weekend? then you could tell me your name. he glanced around, searching for the owl that had so surprised him before so that Potter could get his response.




נυ∂gє мє ƒσя ωнσ ι αм, σя ∂ση'т נυ∂gє мє αт αℓℓ.