Opportunity Knocks (Wolfe)

Zane peered into the well-lit and heavily populated pub known as The Three Broomsticks. Someone he had passed on the street recommended the place, recognizing that Zane wasn’t a local to the village or the nearby school by the style of his heavy winter cloak. At the time, Zane had to wonder, albeit briefly, if the stranger thought he was some poor, clueless soul unfamiliar with the wizarding world. In all honesty he didn’t want to go into such a crowded place, considering the sorts of people one could run into up at the school. Unfortunately, the feeling of other bodies lining up behind him was just as annoying.

Not wanting to seem like a complete idiot Zane walked in and to the bar, shouting in order to make his request for a butterbeer heard over the din of other voices. An exchange of coins later found Zane with a warm mug in hand and on active search for either an empty table, or a fellow Wolfclaw-occupied table.

Wolfe had been visiting the United Kingdom on some "business" that needed taken care of. He was also there to watch the Triwizard Tournament and see who won. He hoped Wolfclaw but no one knows the other side until it is over. He was now at a bar getting a fire-whiskey. Once he had it he found an empty table. He sat there nursing his drink and just biting his time until he was to leave on his next errand.

Zane wasn't having much luck finding fellow Wolfclaws, or empty tables. One table that had been empty was quickly occupied, though not nearly as full as the others. Zane took a sip of his butterbeer and gave the place one more look. Nothing.

He walked over to the table he'd spotted before, and its single occupant. The wizard sitting there didn't seem to be anything like the ilk of the rest of the pub. Zane rested a hand on a chair opposite the man. "Is anyone sitting here? Sorry - everywhere else here is packed..."

Wolfe looked up as a young kid from his former school came up and asked if he could have a seat. He waved to the seat across from him after he looked around and noticed there was in fact no other seats that weren't with a bunch of people. "Go ahead I don't care" he said and went back to his drink.

"Thanks," Zane answered, pulled out the chair and sat. He set his mug of butterbeer down and surveyed the crowd again. Perhaps he should have gone to The Hog's Head, instead. But then again... getting a closer look at the wizard across the table from him, Zane realized he at least knew of him. He had only spotted Wolfe Skyler from a distance back at Crow Square, but the teenager was good when it came to faces.

Zane took a sip of his butterbeer. "If it wasn't for the tournament, I'd rather be at the Two-Headed Dragon..."

Wolfe had learned long ago to drown out the noises around him. He didn't like company much and preferred to keep it that way. None knew of his normal activities and he preferred that as well. He watched the kid carefully for a few moments and then the kid spoke up.

"Oh really? Why would a kid like you want to frequent a place like that? Doesn't seem like a place a kid be at if you ask me" he said questioningly.

Zane raised an eyebrow. "Well, why not?" he asked in return. The teen had heard things about the place, but he didn't want to give that piece of information away so soon. "Maybe I'm just not some ordinary 'kid'..."

Wolfe raised an eyebrow at the kid. "What is your name boy and what do you mean by ordinary? The Dragon isn't for the faint of heart I can tell you that since I run it." he said watching the kid carefully. There was something about this kid but he wasn't sure if it was good or bad yet.

"Well..." Zane smirked as he took a sip of butterbeer, seeming to take his own sweet time on answering those questions. "You just said that it seems like 'kids' would stay out of there. Not so, for me. When I hear things about a place, I check it out." He shrugged. "Take the Shrieking Shack for example. People say it's haunted, and a lot of the 'kids' seem to either avoid it or look at it from a distance. Me... I want to go in and see what all the fuss is about. I don't think it's half as haunted as the rumors make it out to be."

"And the name's Zane Parkinson, sir."

"What strange things have you heard about the Dragon kid. If I were you I would listen to those rumors because I know a few of them are in fact true. Don't you think it wise to learn about a place before you just head in head first. There is something about you that I can't put my finger on boy." he said glaring at the kid. It was almost as if fate had stuck the kid in front of him.

Zane glanced at a couple of passers-by that had gotten a bit too close to their table on the way out. "I'm not sure here is the best place to discuss that in detail, sir..." There was a hint of a smirk on his face - a pinch of cocky mixed with amusement.

"If I waited to learn everything about a place, I'd never get to go anywhere," he said, rolling his eyes. "Already heard the rumors before I went in... believing in quite a few of said rumors, actually, and none of it scares me." Zane glanced around at the pub again. "Not quite as many mudbloods there, either..."

"Why are you so concerned about where I do or don't go, anyway?"