Post by Derek Alsbrow on Jan 15, 2009 21:01:49 GMT
Derek pulled the small apron off his thin figure slowly, making sure he wasn’t hitting anything in the small room. Surgan’s Wands was a small, hole in the wall wand shop that Derek had found a job at not long after his graduation from Durmstrang Wizarding School. He had needed the apron on, even if it didn’t look that flattering, because he was chiseling and grinding down wands to sell. While he wasn’t the owner of the little shop, he was the lead manager, second to Charles Surgan, the owner of the place. He had approached Derek during his last year at Durmstrang, asking if he needed a place of work. While it wasn’t exactly what Derek had been looking for, he had needed some form of income. The money he had wouldn’t last very long, since he didn’t have his parents in his life like most students. The job he had right now he had been at for the past 3 years at least, since graduation. The students at Durmstrang were rich and wealthy, and he was among the lowest of the group. Unlike Hogwarts, the school didn’t have Houses, so they didn’t (in a sense) discriminate against one or the other. But it was evident during meals and in the main mens common rooms that Derek was looked down upon. He was shunned at many times, many people only knowing tidbits of his history. In fact, some people likely knew more about his history than Derek did.
Remembering the days of school that had only finished just a few short months before reminded him of how he had felt on the days when he was looked down upon. David Alsbrow was his guardian, not of course his real father. James and Tessa Greene had abandoned him. Why? Derek still didn’t know that. David had been the only source of a father figure in his life that he knew, because he had never known his real parents. Didn’t they want him? He could stand there and assume all he wanted, but it wouldn’t change where he was at the moment. David had been a father to him, so he trusted him with everything he had. In fact, David had wanted to get revenge on Derek’s parents, since he had lost quite a bit of his own inheritance adopting Derek. It had been an expensive process, and because of it, Derek didn’t grow up with much in the way of a rich life. David had given nearly everything he could to give Derek a decent life, one his real parents hadn’t cared about giving him. At times, Derek wondered if knowing the reason for the abandonment would make the hurt in his life go away, but usually he just pushed those thoughts away. It was silly to think that way. To think that a realization of the past would change the present, which would in turn change the future.
Durmstrang had been hard on Derek, but it had turned him into the man and wizard he was now. Dark Arts was a heavily weighted course at the school, and was taught a bit more creatively than at Hogwarts. Because of this, Derek was quite comfortable with learning and attempting to master the three unforgivable curses. The teachers at Durmstrang taught their students that nothing was every completely “off-limits”, especially when it came to dueling and getting the upper hand (for the good of the wizard, of course), but with Derek’s past, they had no idea what he could have been capable of. There had been quite the duel in Durmstrang, giving way to construction and magic having to be used to fix walls and buildings nearly every week. Fortunately Derek had enough of a head on his shoulders to keep his magic to himself, or to his small group of friends. Friends were sort of hard to come by at times at school, since school could get in the way and people were always so busy. It didn’t matter much anymore, since most of his so-called friends were long gone, doing what they loved within the Wizarding world. They didn’t remember much of little old Derek Alsbrow.
As Derek cleaned up a bit more in the shop, he walked over to the door, turning the sign marking that they were closed for the night. It was a bit of a chilly night, and he walked over to the windows and pulled them tightly shut, making sure they were secure. He had set up a bed in the back where Charles had said he could sleep, for nights when he worked both the night shift and then the next morning, or whenever he wanted to. Most of his things were in the back of this little shop now, since he had moved out of David’s house right after graduation from Durmstrang. All he did with most of his days was work, and he wanted more. He had been saving over those years since he had been offered the job at Surgans, and each little bit he got went into that box. He only used some of the money when he absolutely needed to, and David still gave him money from time to time. His goal right now was to make enough so he could make a trip to Hogwarts, where his brother and sister were. His brother Adam taught at Hogwarts, apparently, at least that’s what David had told him before he had moved out. Their parents were in Azkaban, and Derek had no desire at all for anything from them but money, the money he was due as the rightful heir to the Greene inheritance. He sat on his small cot in the back of the cold, little shop, pulling a small blanket over him, picking his teeth as he usually did. He opened up his brown box which was underneath the cot, which he kept magically locked, where he kept all his money he was saving to get to Hogwarts. If he talked to Charles tomorrow, he’d have enough to go pay his siblings a visit and see what they had been up to all these years. He put the box away and rolled over, satisfied with his idea for the next day.
Remembering the days of school that had only finished just a few short months before reminded him of how he had felt on the days when he was looked down upon. David Alsbrow was his guardian, not of course his real father. James and Tessa Greene had abandoned him. Why? Derek still didn’t know that. David had been the only source of a father figure in his life that he knew, because he had never known his real parents. Didn’t they want him? He could stand there and assume all he wanted, but it wouldn’t change where he was at the moment. David had been a father to him, so he trusted him with everything he had. In fact, David had wanted to get revenge on Derek’s parents, since he had lost quite a bit of his own inheritance adopting Derek. It had been an expensive process, and because of it, Derek didn’t grow up with much in the way of a rich life. David had given nearly everything he could to give Derek a decent life, one his real parents hadn’t cared about giving him. At times, Derek wondered if knowing the reason for the abandonment would make the hurt in his life go away, but usually he just pushed those thoughts away. It was silly to think that way. To think that a realization of the past would change the present, which would in turn change the future.
Durmstrang had been hard on Derek, but it had turned him into the man and wizard he was now. Dark Arts was a heavily weighted course at the school, and was taught a bit more creatively than at Hogwarts. Because of this, Derek was quite comfortable with learning and attempting to master the three unforgivable curses. The teachers at Durmstrang taught their students that nothing was every completely “off-limits”, especially when it came to dueling and getting the upper hand (for the good of the wizard, of course), but with Derek’s past, they had no idea what he could have been capable of. There had been quite the duel in Durmstrang, giving way to construction and magic having to be used to fix walls and buildings nearly every week. Fortunately Derek had enough of a head on his shoulders to keep his magic to himself, or to his small group of friends. Friends were sort of hard to come by at times at school, since school could get in the way and people were always so busy. It didn’t matter much anymore, since most of his so-called friends were long gone, doing what they loved within the Wizarding world. They didn’t remember much of little old Derek Alsbrow.
As Derek cleaned up a bit more in the shop, he walked over to the door, turning the sign marking that they were closed for the night. It was a bit of a chilly night, and he walked over to the windows and pulled them tightly shut, making sure they were secure. He had set up a bed in the back where Charles had said he could sleep, for nights when he worked both the night shift and then the next morning, or whenever he wanted to. Most of his things were in the back of this little shop now, since he had moved out of David’s house right after graduation from Durmstrang. All he did with most of his days was work, and he wanted more. He had been saving over those years since he had been offered the job at Surgans, and each little bit he got went into that box. He only used some of the money when he absolutely needed to, and David still gave him money from time to time. His goal right now was to make enough so he could make a trip to Hogwarts, where his brother and sister were. His brother Adam taught at Hogwarts, apparently, at least that’s what David had told him before he had moved out. Their parents were in Azkaban, and Derek had no desire at all for anything from them but money, the money he was due as the rightful heir to the Greene inheritance. He sat on his small cot in the back of the cold, little shop, pulling a small blanket over him, picking his teeth as he usually did. He opened up his brown box which was underneath the cot, which he kept magically locked, where he kept all his money he was saving to get to Hogwarts. If he talked to Charles tomorrow, he’d have enough to go pay his siblings a visit and see what they had been up to all these years. He put the box away and rolled over, satisfied with his idea for the next day.
