Chapter 3: Presentations

Yannick lay there, flat on his back, the two golden eyes still locked with his own. The black shape revealed its white fangs of its mouth. Pitch black coat with some stray sliver hairs here and there.

Yannick muttered "Altair... you scared me out of a years growth you big lug!" looking reproachfully into those two golden eyes. "But yeah... I missed you too." He added, smiling and scratching the animal behind its ear.

"Yannick?" He heard somewhere behind him.

He quickly rolled over to see a worried looking Alexandra who was still pointing her wand towards the animal.

"It is alright Alexandra" He said rising into a crouch next to Altair "He was just playing around."

"He? So this big dog is a he?" She asked

"Actually," He replied "it is not a dog. I know it might sound weird but... it is a wolf."

"A... a wolf?" She asked him, looking a bit worried

"Yes, a wolf. His name is Altair." He continued. "Altair, this is Alexandra." He said pointing at her. "A friend."

The wolf looked at her for a few seconds and then trotted towards her. When it arrived there it presented its right paw to her. Alexandra stood there a bit surprised by the wolf's behavior but then leaned down and took the paw in her right hand, giving it a gentle shake and saying

"Nice to meet you too."

Yannick looked at the two, Alexandra had started to tentatively pet the wolf on its head, still feeling a bit cautious. He rose to his feet and then walked towards them. Alexandra straightened up and looked at him.

"So... you have a wolf as a companion?" She asked

"Yup." He answered.

"But how can that be?" She asked him. "The only animals allowed at Hogwarts as companions are Owls and cats?"

"Well," He started. "That is for Hogwarts. In my French school it could be any tame animal. One of my friends even had a golden eagle. Anyway, Altair here has been my companion since I was 6 years old or so. My father arranged with professor Dumbledore that it would be allowed to stay in the forest while I was at Hogwarts. Hagrid keeps a eye on him."

Alexandra looked again at the black wolf

"It is quite big for a wolf" She pointed out.

Yannick smiled a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of his head

"Well, I take good care of him." He said. "Always have but he free to come and go as he please. I don't own him."

"You talk about it as if it was a person" Alexandra pointed out.

"Well, I have known him for over 10 years now... Our relation is... deep." He answered. "I'll explain you one day if you want," He added quickly, looking at his watch "but right now is not really good as we have less than twenty minutes to go to our common rooms before the curfew."

Alexandra nodded, not fully satisfied by his answer but not saying anything. They set out towards the caste's entrance, followed by Altair.

"That's a nice brooch by the way." Alexandra told him, pointing to the brooch that held his cloak on his shoulders. "Special meaning?"

"Yeah," He answered "It is my family crest, the silver leaf."

"Nice yet simple" She said.

"Thanks, I'll tell my grand-mother that." He told her. "She is the one who made this design some years back, before I went to my first year in wizard school. The old design was not as nice."

"Now your family name makes a bit more sense." She said "Yannick Silverleaf. Emblem a leaf of silver. You should tell me more about the origin of that name one of these days." She added.

"Uh... yeah..." He answered "Maybe I should one day."

They reached the entrance and Yannick looked back at Altair, the wolf clearly wanted to follow him in. He shook is head and crouched next to him.

"Altair, you can't follow me in there and you know that. Dad went over with you what had been agreed with Dumbledore and you need to stick to it, alright?"

The wolf looked at him with pleading eyes, but then came closer and gave him a lick on the cheek and uttered a whine. Yannick took the wolf in an embrace.

"Come on!" He told him jokingly "It is not like you will never see me again. I'll come to see you as much as I can."

The wolf pulled from the embrace and started towards the forest again.

"He does not like to be away from you does he?" He heard Alexandra ask him.

He rose and turned to face her.

"No, he does not at all." He answered "He was allowed into my French school before and he does not really understand why he can't here. I think a lot of student would be afraid of him at first, but try to make him understand that." He added with a small smile.

"Well he did scare me at first," She answered. "but he was quite friendly after."

"Yeah he was." Yannick said "And thanks." He added.

"For what?" she asked him.

"For referring to him as 'he'. I know he prefers that." He told her. "Well, shall we?" He asked, motioning to the entrance.

They entered the castle and Alexandra started towards her common room.

"Thanks for your help tonight, I'll keep you in mind next time I need help on my beater practice." She told him over her shoulder with a smile.

"The pleasure was all mine Alexandra," he answered to her, looking at her going down a corridor and taking a left turn. He stood in the entrance hall, his eyes still on the corridor she had disappeared in. A snort from the entrance door made him turn around. Altair was looking at him from the door.

"I thought I had told you to go to the forest, you spy," he told him with a smile. "Go on now, shoo."

Altair gave him a mischievous look and disappeared from the door's opening, heading towards the forest again. Yannick headed towards the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room. He gave the password to enter and went through the room, towards the corridor of the boy's dormitories. A few students were still up, finishing some homework, but most had gone to be already. He entered the dorm he shared with Sean, halfway down the corridor. His entrance was greeted by an already in bed Sean.

"About bloody time mate!" Sean told him "I was wondering if I had to send a search party for you. Where did you go?"

"Oh, just went out side for a walk." Yannick answered, undressing and getting ready for bed.

"Some walk! You were gone for two whole hours!" Sean answered back. "Met anyone interesting?" He added with a mischievous grin.

"No, just talked with someone for a while. That's all." Yannick answered.

He made a ball of his dirty clothes (Altair had made him fall into some mud) and throwing them into the laundry basket he and Sean shared. He heard the clothes land in the basket that had Hufflepuff's colors and then the distinct sound of them disappearing for wherever clothes got cleaned in Hogwarts.

"Uh...huh..." Sean nodded. "Would this person happen to have gold-reddish hair, very nice blue eyes and be a beater from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team by any chance?"

Yannick looked at him surprised, turning slightly red. "You saw that?"

"That I did mate!" Sean answered with a laugh. "I went looking for you after having beaten Ernie on our wizard chess game, and thanks again for you help on that move by the way, it took me out of a tight spot. Anyway, I saw you two practising her beating skills but preferred to leave you alone."

Yannick sighed, switched off the light in the dorm and went into his bed, that was under Sean's.

"Well thanks for that." he told him.

"You are welcome." Sean answered. "Sooo... Are you planning on inviting her out on a date? The Yule ball maybe?"

"Yule ball?" He asked "What is that again? I am not yet up to par with the different Hogwarts events..."

"Oy! Sorry about that, I forgot." Sean answered. "The Yule ball, it actually started again in my fourth year here, when we had the Tri-wizard tournament. They apparently decided to get it on again this year. It takes place before Christmas and anyone 4th year or above can attend... If he has a date, that is." He added. "So how about asking her?"

"Sean, this is almost three months away." Yannick answered. "We just met. We are just on friendly terms, okay?"

"Suuure you are, Nickie." He heard Sean say.

He punched Sean's mattress above him. "Call me that name again and I will hex you to oblivion. Now shut up and go to sleep will you?"

"Yow! Okay, okay..." He heard Sean say.

"But she is nice, isn't she?" Sean added after a minute of silence.

"Yes she is!" He answered. "There, I said it. Happy now?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sean answered.

After a few minutes, Sean broke the silence again.

"So you are planing on asking her out on the Yule ball?" He asked.

"Sean..." Yannick said. "My wand is in my hand, pointing to your mattress and I am thinking of what to curse it into if you don't shut up and go to sleep."

"I get the message captain!" Sean answered with a laugh. "Goodnight!"

"Yeah... goodnight." He answered back.

Yannick lay there his eyes looking in the dark of the room. Somehow the picture of a fair Ravenclaw girl with gold-reddish hair and blue eyes kept on coming back into his head. Sean had a point, she was very pretty indeed and she had asked questions that showed she was interested, even if just a little. Her pointed question about Altair. Asking him to tell her about his family history later on. But this meant getting closer in relation with a girl, and he was not sure if he wanted that yet. But maybe Sean had a point after all.

"You really ought to ask her out you know." Sean said as if reading his mind.

Yannick let out a French swear word and put his pillow over his head.