If I Could be Anyone Else;; [[closed to Zane]]

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

Ash chuckled quietly. Brutus was not going to eat anyone, but the image was rather funny. She thought the same thing about him though, that he acted like a dog. She had a white german shepherd by the name of Zeus and blamed her python's actions on the canine, though she rather liked the way that Brutus was. It was nice to have someone who cared for her around constantly, and looking out for her, especially when her father was constantly trwated her like he did, and overall being a jerk.

She laughed quietly. "Hmm, I gotta that one day." She said, shaking her head. Really, Someone falling off Dipsy was a miracle. Impossible. However, her moment was cut short when there was a bird call overhead and Brutus looked up, hissing instantly and spitting towards a golden eagle that was swooping down towards them. Ash instinctively held her arm out and winced as the bird's talons dug in as it landed. "Logan ... What are you doing here?" She asked before she noticed a letter attached to his leg, and took it.

The bird and the snake were being completely hostile to one another.

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

"Yeah, totally looking forward to it." Zane agreed, sarcasm laced in his words. He didn't want to fall of a horse. Especially a horse who was supposed to be fall-proof. That was the exactly the kind of thing he'd do. He always did stuff like that when it came to animals. For example, he was always the guy that didn't pet the cat, but the one that the cat always came and sat on. Every time. Without fail.

The male raised an eyebrow at Brutus's reaction to the bird, "Okay, he, Brutus wants to eat." He announced, completely serious this time, oddly enough. He eyed the bird and the letter with curiosity, "Who's it from?" He asked, "What's it say?" His eyes flickered to her face, "Open it." He grinned, obviously rushing her on purpose. He wanted to know what was inside.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

Ash would have to agree - Brutus did want to eat the eagle. Or maybe not eat it, just kill it in the most painful way possible. On the other hand, Logan wanted to kill the python. They were mortal enemies really; think of Dumbledore and Voldemort, in a way, and you got to the two animals. However they didn't really have a real reason to hate eachother other than the fact that they were both connected to Derek in some way. Logan adored the man because he was his master, and Brutus hated te man because of how he treated Ash.

The female hesitated slightly. "Um ... Logan belongs to my dad." She said quietly. She hesitantly opened the letter and peered at it. She shook her head, eyes narrowing slightly as she frantically looked around in search of something. She crumbled up the letter and allowed Brutus to swallow it whole, which he very much enjoyed. Anything that destroyed any part of Derek was good enough for him. Ash looked at Zane seriously. "He says he's at the school! Most likely in the Forbidden Forest ... It didn't say."

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

Zane waited impatiently for Ash to explain what the letter said, and then wished that she hadn't told him. Not that he was afraid to run into Derek, just that he didn't want Ash getting hurt again, "What does he want?" He asked. What could he possibly want? Hadn't he already punished Ash enough for not answering the previous summon? His eyes flickered to the snake as he swallowed the piece of paper, then back to Ash.

"Do you want to go?" He knew Ash couldn't avoid Derek. He'd find her even if she didn't come to him. At least this way, it wouldn't happen sometime when he wasn't around. He wanted to help her if he could, though he had no idea if that was even possible. His gaze lingered on the female's face, awaiting her answer.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

"I don't know ..." Her father was always very unpredictable. Sometimes he wanted to hurt her, and sometimes he didn't. She didn't think that he would harm her this time however, just do to the fact that he'd already done so. He always avoided hurting her if he could, so Ash wasn't worried about that. She just dreaded what he was after and what he wanted, and if it would be bad for her to go. Perhaps there was progress on the Death Eater end, or something. Ash didn't know, but she hoped not.

She ate the last of her turkey and set the plate down before rising to her feet and raising her arm so that Logan flew away, and Brutus finally began to calm down. She sighed quietly. "I don't want to go, but he won't leave until I see him." She informed the male with a sigh. She began to walk towards the Forest, Brutus trailing behind her so that he could be there for her when she came across the male. Ash was worried and hoped that if Zane came, he wouldn't anger her father.

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

Zane was torn between asking Ash not to go, and just getting it over with. He knew she'd be in trouble if she didn't go, and so he figured it would be best for her to see what her father wanted. He rose to his feet after her, watching Logan leave her arm, and Brutus calm down. He nodded slightly when Ash said the man wouldn't leave until she came to see him, and started after her as she began to walk toward the forest.

"Did he say where in the forest?" He asked, eyes combing the trees, "Or are you just supposed to walk in there and wait for him to find you?" The forest was a pretty big place. Then again, if Logan had found them, then perhaps the man had been watching the bird, and located them that way, and would therefore know when they entered the forest.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

Ash shook her head as she walked, nearing the forest since it wasn't too far away from the lake. As she got closer, the number of people around them dwindled for most of them were afraid of the forest and what lied within it. This was good, because it meant no-one would see them going in there, and then perhaps they wouldn't be getting in trouble. Though as if that were the worst thing that could happen ... A known Death Eater was wairting within, and who knows what he was even up to at that point.

"I suppose, yes, he will find us." She said quietly as she stepped past the treeline into the forest. Brutus was at her heel for a moment and then he slithered ahead, attempting to find her father's heat signals. He couldn't find anything at first, and then as they walked further in, there was a rustle behind some bushes. Ash narrowed her eyes and the python hissed, yet the noise was leading them further in, so that the school grounds could no longer be seen, and it would be quite a trek back though to get to the lake.

Another rustle sounded, and then a moment later a rather large black wolf stepped out, it's eyes a bright blue. It simply watched them.

Ash suddenly came to a halt.

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

Zane froze alongside the female. He'd been paying attention to the way they'd come in, so they wouldn't get lost on the way back out if someone wasn't there to lead them. He nearly ran straight into her, but side-stepped her at the last second, and came to stand at her side, eyes upon the black wolf. He remembered what Ash had said about Derek being an animagus, and being able to transform into an unusual colored completely black wolf.

Zane hated dogs.

Not to mention he too could transform into an animal, and that animal was a Panther. A cat. The animal one became when becoming an animagus was not something they chose, just like their Patronous. It was based off their personality, who they were. It's just what they became. The male glanced sideways at Ash, then back to the wolf, but did not say a thing.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

Ash remained still for what felt like the longest of times, her eyes focused on the dark wolf just a few feet away. Her hand instinctively reached for the wand at her side, secured in her waistline, though she let it hovering there and didn't otherwise move. She was just being cautious, making sure that there was no way in which Derek could catch her off guard - which he always tended to do a lot anyway. She wasn't even sure what to do at this point, so she just stood there, watching the wolf.

She glanced sideways at Zane as he looked at her, and then mirrored him as his focus was on the wolf again.

Said wolf seemed to smirk slightly at the two of them and then within moments the wolf was slowly coming up on it's hind legs and then his fur changed to clothes and in no time he was in human form. Bright blue eyes peered out from under his slightly spiked dark messy hair and there was still a grin upon his face. Derek wore a dark pinstriped suit and a black cloak which draped ever so slightly upon the floot by his feet. The hood was up, but it didn't take him long to pull it down.

"Ashley-Raine, just who is your friend?" The male asked in a low smooth voice. He focused his gaze on Zane, trying to determine if he should be one of his new victims, or if he should just leavve him be.

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

Zane caught Ash's movement out of the corner of his eye, though he did not tear his gaze away from the wolf. Though he didn't move his own had to his wand, he mentally reminded himself exactly where it was, which was at his waist. His gray eyes narrowed slightly, his distaste for the animal before him quite clear. Not only was Derek a dog in a sense, he was a Death Eater. Zane had never really met one, but he hated them all. Hated them.

The boy displayed no fear, nor did he feel any. So far the man hadn't done anything threatening, so he was relaxed for the most part, but on his guard nonetheless. He didn't trust him. He didn't trust most anyone. It was hard to gain his trust all around, mainly because he could normally tell when people lied to him, and each time they lied, the chances of him believing them when it seemed they were telling the truth became slimmer.

He didn't speak for Ash, just watched the man.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

The female let her eyes rest on her father for a few minutes, trying to think up something that would let Zane off the hook. If her father found out that Zane was not pure blooded like they were, it was quite likely that he would find some use for the boy, which often turned out to be entertainment for him, and painful for whoever he was toying with. Ash was actually pretty frightened, though it was more fear for the boy next to her, than her own safety. "He's ... He's no-one. Just a friend."

Derek smirked. "But you don't have any friends Ashley ... Even so, what is he doing here? I asked you to come along, not bring some boy and your pet lizrd." He asked, shaking his head slightly. At his words, Brutus hissed quite violently and rose up so that his head was almost level with Derek's. However, the Death Eater simply smiled at the snake, not fearful in the least and certainly not going to move away.

Ash sighed. This was going to be difficult. "Because you're a jerk?"

Derek simply shook his head smiling. Her answer didn't really make sense, but if it meant she brought the biy along to feel safe because of that reason, then it made sense.

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

It made sense to Zane. He was there because Derek was a jerk. If he wasn't a jerk, and had no intention of hurting Ash, then there would be no reason for the boy to be there. If he was who a father was supposed to be, then he would have waited back at the tree, or come with her for a different reason other than protection. The male's eyes switched to Brutus for a moment as the snake reacted, then back to Derek, and narrowed slightly.

"What do you want?" He asked simply, figuring they might as well get to the point. The less time they spent there, the less time there was for something to go wrong. Plus, the male was actually rather curious as to why Derek had asked Ash to come meet him. It hadn't said in the letter, or if it had, Ash hadn't told him.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

Derek grinned slightly, shaking his head at Zane as he took a step forwards towards the two teenagers. "I don't think that's really any of your business, is it?" He asked, though he didn't really expect an answer. He was simply making a point. He didn't see why Ash had to bring someone with her, to meet him. She never had before, so it was actually a little frustrating. Plus he had no idea if the boy even knew who he was, so he needed to be quite weary, incase they had set him a trap ...

Though he doubted that.

"Like that matters, just spit it out." Ash asked of the tall male, shaking her head some and setting a glare upon him. Her eyes were still in pain and a little fuzzy, but they still held the same intensity in that glare that they usually did when she was angry, and right now she was beyond pissed. She'd been upset before, but she always hated it when the male turned up like this and expected her to come and meet him and talk to him like he was just any normal person - which he definately not.

The Death Eater smiled. "I see your eye is better."

Brutus hissed.

[Zane Alexander Harlow]

As Derek took a step forward, Zane edged a little bit forward as well in a sort of protective maneuver of Ash. It was clear he didn't trust the man, but then again, he had absolutely no reason to, and plenty of reasons not to. He didn't respond to the man's comment about it not being his business, for it wasn't worth arguing about. He didn't care whether it was his business or not. He was making it his business.

"No thanks to you." Zane said. He did indeed know who Derek was, and what he'd done to Ash, if that wasn't clear from the resolved expression of disgust and hatred on his face. Part of him just wanted to transform, and get his jaws around Derek's neck. That would be far more unexpected then drawing his wand and trying to cast a spell. Afterall, the Death Eater didn't know he was an animagus as well.

[Ashley-Raine Wolfe]

This time Derek narrowed his eyes somewhat, focusing his attention upon Zane. "Really, just who are you?" He wanted to know now, because even though he'd not done much, the male was really starting to get on his nerves and he wanted to be in control of the situation once more - he liked to be in control, and it was something that needed to be done. He didn't like that the male was asking him questions and looking at him in the way that he was, with that look of disgust. He disliked it very much.

Ash stood apprehensively, watching as Derek continued on. "Do you even know who I am?" He asked, his tone now emotionless in a way. He thought that if Zane knew who he was, and what he was, then he wouldn't be speaking to him in such a manner. Derek hated disrespect, and he got enough of that from Ash, so he didn't want to deal with any coming from some strange boy he'd just met and nnever heard about.