End of School Worries ((Adrian))

[Jack Rendel S5]

Padme looked up expectantly. She was sitting cross legged under the big willow which Jack had found her under. Propping her head in her hands, she watched him with a ferocity that soon found Jack annoyed. He paced the interior of the tree, just avoiding the branches that fell down to cave him and his sister in. "Look," Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "C'mon Padme, relax. You'll be fine when you go home." A laugh from her that sounded cruelly high-pitched and unearthly. "Fine? Fine?" She shrieked. "How can I be fine at that hell-hole?" Jack shook his head and raised both eyebrows, amused at her response to going back home. He remembered how distressed he used to become when the end of the year came. He would nearly tear his hair out with what was mainly fear of having another bad summer at Rendel Manor. And so it had gone. Now Padme was experiencing the same thing he had, all in due time. At first she had been immune, but now she was showing all signs of fear. Jack couldn't grasp the reasoning behind it though - Tessa was a much better guardian then Roger.

"Stop!" Jack glared at her. "You have no reason to be upset. You only have to go to Tessa, who by the way is - " "She's a demented alcoholic!" Padme said quietly. "She's twisted and I hate her. I never want to see her again." Jack rolled his eyes. "You don't mean that," he said. "Yes, I do!" Padme cried, standing. "I swear it - I do mean every word I said!" "Fine, fine. Keep you voice down or you'll kill a bird." Jack heatedly replied. "So mum has some trouble with alcohol. But what would you call Roger, the one I have to live with this summer? A demented alcoholic abuser?" "Something like that," Padme muttered. "Well," Jack said, "you shouldn't be complaining." Padme smirked. "Ha, yes, and all you want is for attention. 'Mack look at this, Mack look at that. Oh look Mack - I'm abused just like you so we make a good match.' It's all just wanting pity-attention." Jack glared; "At least I don't tick everyone off so much that they become alcoholics and act freakish. No wonder you can't stand being there - knowing that you are the one that brought your own mother to hell!" Padme's face became chalk white and her eyes were hot coals of hatred. A few seconds passed with Jack breathing heavily and Padme staring him down before she stomped off in a huff, leaving the silence she created behind.

He had to wonder if it had been right to say something so doggone horrible to his own sister, but in his heart he knew some of it had been true. She pissed everyone off - that was for sure. Even Dix had to kick her out of their compartment that one time because she couldn't be controlled. Mack and her are always butting heads and as for him... let's just say they dealt with each other usually fairly but sometimes got out of hand. As for Tessa, he really had no idea. Jack sighed and exited the willow tree. His first thought was going to the lake but when he saw all the mudblood filth there he took a U-turn and somehow ended up under a colorful Maple tree. It was a beautiful day out, probably 60 degrees or high fifties and without a chilling wind, Jack found it quite nice to be out in. Settling down under the maple, he exhaled deeply. The fight with Padme had tired him; in fact he felt like going to bed. Closing his eyes, Jack blocked out all sounds and did something similar to "meditating."

[hollow]

Adrian hummed a dark, mournful tune to himself quietly. The tune was strangely suited to his mood because right now, Adrian wanted nothing more than to murder somebody, anybody, which was quite the contrast to his previous fairly light-hearted mood. Very few people would have noticed his lighter than usual mood of course, Slytherins weren't exactly encouraged to show emotions. Or to have emotions either, really. No, only the people who had known Adrian for a long time and understood him would have noticed the slight smile that had played about his lips and the laughing twinkle in his eye. Not that it mattered anymore. That mood was gone and sorrowful anger had taken it's place. Not even Adrian knew why he felt that way; it was just the way he felt and at least he didn't have to hide it. Anger was expected of Slytherins and while Adrian wasn't exactly a conventional Slytherin, he did agree with many of their views concerning Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's. Those two houses were obviously weak, pitiful one could say, and Adrian had little patience for weak or stupid people.

The tune stopped momentarily as a group of Gryffindors passed by and Adrian bared his teeth at them, once again satisfied by the faint horror on their faces. The group hurried past and the tune started again, growing louder and more sorrowful as Adrian stepped out into the open air of the Grounds. To be so close to home yet so far away...so this was torture and one that Adrian experienced every year since his first at Hogwarts. Yet instead of his anger and hatred toward the two weaker houses diminishing slightly as the end of the year approached...it multiplied and Adrian found even more satisfaction than usual at frightening and fighting idiotic Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's. Why Dumbledore allowed them to attend Hogwarts would be beyond Adrian's knowledge if he didn't know of the Headmaster's adoration for muggleborns and blood traitors. Not to mention the Headmasters complete and utter craziness. Why hadn't the Ministry locked him away in St Mungo's for good yet?

The tune cut off abruptly in Adrian's throat when he saw a faintly familiar figure sitting under a Maple tree. Adrian sighed almost silently and approached the person cautiously, uncertain as to how he would be received but not really caring. If he was told to go away then...well, he probably wouldn't but then again Adrian didn't really enjoy following orders unless it was completely necessary. Adrian half-smiled as he recognized the person under the tree; Jack Rendel. The two boys had shared a dorm for four years but had never had a proper conversation. He rolled his eyes ironically; for a person who had tried to keep himself distanced from others, and had succeeded rather well until recently, he was sure having a lot of conversations with people he had never bothered with before. "Jack," Adrian nodded to his dorm mate laconically and dropped himself onto the floor carelessly, sitting far away enough to give Jack his personal space but not far away enough to indicate that he wasn't really interested in having a conversation. Truthfully, Adrian wasn't really bothered whether the two boys had a conversation or not, it wasn't exactly a crucial matter.

[Jack Rendel S5]

A small wind came to play with his tediously growing locks as Jack laid back against the cool bark, enjoying the silence. At first it had seemed extremely ominous; after hearing Padme scream and shriek, the silence made his ears ring. It took a while for the effect to wear off and when it did Jack felt soothed by the quietness. It massaged his burning anger and sore nerves to an extent where he felt peaceful. Of course nothing that good could last long and apparently so when someone said his name above him. Opening his eyes, Jack looked up. It was Adrian Hollows, a fellow Slytherin fourth year but honestly neither of them had made much effort to converse with the other before. Jack knew that Adrian wasn't much of a talker either, or so he had guessed. Perhaps not, maybe it was the other way around. Jack the quiet one and Adrian being, well... normal? After all, he had made the choice to try to make a conversation.

"Adrian," he replied, watching as his dorm mate took a seat on the ground close by. He liked how he knew not to cross into Jack's personal space; he hated it when people crossed the line with such blind ignorance... bah. He just loathed it on a whole and made it clear as he could to all that happened to find themselves in that situation. Otherwise he didn't bite people who randomly came up to him and spoke, unless of course the purity of blood issue comes in. Then he became rather rabid. With a solid smirk set on his face, Jack contemplated Adrian. "Well, this is ironic, eh? The two of us hardly never talk yet here we are, sitting together under a tree. A tree of all sorts. How many times do you see Slyths talking to each other under a large tree? Hardly ever. Most Slytherins believe it too dirty to be on the ground or they believe the ground is dirty for a different reason... but those are the more paranoid ones. I mean, you honestly don't have to bring some sort of blanket out here to sit on the ground because a mudblood might have sat there before and you might get dirty." Jack said in his scathing voice, folding his arms and raising his eyebrows. "How come you came over here? Decided to take it upon yourself to get to know me? If so, I'm flattered. It's not every day this happens."

[hollow]

Adrian blinked in mild surprise before laughing to himself quietly. Usually he would suppress the laughter, especially in front of a person who was practically a complete stranger but Adrian couldn't help laughing. It was such a strange thing to say but true which made it even more funny. He controlled the laughter and brought it to a stop after only a few seconds later, his sharpened wit providing him with an answer almost immediately. "So long as you don't expect me to dance around the tree with you, I don't really care about sitting under a tree. Besides, is it not time that we at least talk; four years is a long time to ignore a person, I would think." Adrian surveyed Jack with a slight amount of interest, noting the other Slytherin's apparent emphasis on the fact that the two were sitting under a large tree with a small smirk. "Sitting under a large tree is infinitely preferable to squashing underneath a relatively smaller tree, I find. After all, with a large tree one can easily ignore any unwanted company but that is rather difficult with a smaller tree."

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Jack. I'm not too fond of people with big ego's." Adrian smirked wryly, dark eyes glittering with amused laughter. "But yes, I suppose that I wandered over here to talk, not my favourite activity but slightly better than staring at a shadow and immersing myself in my thoughts. And if it happened every day then it would become rather tedious, learning practically the same things about the same person every day. I think I'd prefer to stare at shadows or read." Adrian shrugged slightly, knowing that almost every Slytherin, if not every Slytherin, had seen him in the common room absorbed in one book or another. None had ever called him out on it, as far as Adrian could remember and no one generally bothered him while he was reading. Or at all, actually. Adrian tried to keep to himself and the other Slytherins either respected that or just weren't interested in him, he never bothered finding out which it was. What was the importance of the reason so long as they did keep away? "So, since we have established that I came here, and I'm sure that we both noticed that I sat down, shall we talk or sit here and pretend that we don't see each other?" Adrian reeled off the options to Jack with another minute shrug. He was used to sitting next to people and not talking, it happening again wouldn't bother him in the slightest.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack cocked his head to the side as Adrian began to laugh. Strange that he had never heard his laughter before. It sounded alien to him and not at all pleasurable yet Jack didn't comment on it. He found it odd that he was amused in the first place; sure Jack had been somewhat sarcastic but hardly anyone found him funny in this sort of way. "Dance around the tree?" Jack raised his eyebrow. "Hardly. That is not on my to-do-list and I most certainly will keep it off. I don't know you much and won't plan on dancing with you around any tree. So you need not fear." He smirked and sat up a little more attentively. It would do no good to look like a slouch that need a chiropractor. Jack didn't like to admit it but he liked leaving good, honest impressions, and good meaning what he thought was righteous. Not that he had a perfect view of that but he did have a blunt opinion on it. "I hope it's not me you'll be ignoring under a big tree," he said. "Though, now that I think about it, I haven't ever thought of it that way. I mean, I just pick a random tree and sit. It never crosses my mind that...well.... what you said." He nodded about Adrian's comment on ego's.

"Ah, yes, nor is anyone else. Yet here we are being Slytherins." Jack tapped his chin thoughtfully, sending a smirk Adrian's way. "You'd think that would explain a few things, eh?" He stopped the motion and gave Adrian a glance. He wondered if his fellow fourth year had yet seen what most Slytherins were like. Ego's were among their habits, so Adrian probably had to be used to it by now. Four years was a long time, even if by now it felt too short. "Staring at shadows? Now there's some entertainment." He said sarcastically, waving a hand over his face as a bug came up to pester him. Jack couldn't imagine not talking - his day wouldn't be full without talking to Padme or some other friend/acquaintance. Not socializing would be a killer. "A big reader, huh? Well, there's nothing wrong with that, of course. But still, it's not one of my favorite hobbies, to be honest. I prefer to spend most of my day active instead of stuck on a couch." Jack grimaced as Adrian asked what they were going to do. "Now aren't you the blunt one?" He asked snidely with a smirk. Honestly Jack liked Adrian so far but he had been rather testy lately, especially after having his recent row with Padme. What could be expected? "I'm not good at pretending, so let's not do that. Hmm... leaving it up to me to start a conversation topic? Now isn't that lovely? Although I prefer just adding some spice to the topic instead of starting it...." Jack pursed his lips and thought. "How about.... you. Tell me about you. I hardly know you at all from the little tid-bits we conversed about, if that. Mind telling me something about yourself?"

[hollow]

"Ah now, Jack. I could hardly ignore you when I've already acknowledged your existence. If I had wanted to ignore you then I wouldn't have said anything to you and ignored anything that you might have said to me. As it is, I don't feel particularly compelled to ignore you right now, especially since you don't expect me to dance around the tree with you. Perhaps later." Adrian chuckled easily, partially relaxing around his fellow fourth year but still watching him warily. Adrian had been truthful earlier, four years was a long time to go without talking to someone and he was wondering exactly why he had bothered to start a conversation in the first place. There was that thing about Ms Mack wanting a picnic, but that could easily have been passed on without sitting down and having a fully fledged conversation. At least Jack didn't seem to be a mindless idiot, like some of the other Slytherins. Adrian suppressed a distasteful shudder, now that would be the worst outcome of this conversation. Idiots were at about the same social standing as muggleborns in Adrian's mind; to be avoided at all costs.

"What better entertainment is there than staring at shadows?" Adrian retorted dryly, mentally listing about a thousand ways to pass time that would be more entertaining than staring at shadows; watching paint dry for one. Adrian lifted an eyebrow at Jack's 'big reader' comment. "You either don't spend a lot of time in the common room or walk around with your eyes closed since I spend most of my time in there reading. Though admittedly, the common room is not my preferred choice of locations to read. I actually found a classroom that seems to be abandoned somewhere in the dungeons so I usually disappear for a few hours and take my homework and books with me. Less noise and no interruptions." Adrian ceased his wary observation cautiously, still not entirely trusting Jack but reckoning that a Slytherin wouldn't hex another of their house when other students were watching. After all, why show others that Slyth's actually had emotions, that they could feel angry and annoyed too?

Adrian tilted his head thoughtfully, carefully considering each piece of information before saying it. "Me. Well, my middle name is Sean. I have a younger sister and she's coming to Hogwarts next year. Both my parents were Raven's. I don't have a favourite colour. I don't have a girlfriend nor do I want one; far too much fuss over something that would undoubtedly end before seventh year. I was nearly put into Ravenclaw because of my love for books. I despise Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, much like every other Slytherin. My last conversation besides this one was with Ms Mack and I have a message from her. I'm not sure if she's already told you but I did say I'd tell you and I dislike people who don't keep their promises." Adrian reeled off the small amounts of information about himself easily, not seeing any way that Jack could possibly use it against him or any reason why Jack would use it against him either. "So, you know about me. Tell me something about yourself." Adrian smirked challengingly, starting to enjoy the company of his dorm mate. Maybe hiding among books wasn't the most pleasurable activity of them all. No, easy banter was proving to be slightly more amusing.

[Jack Rendel S5]

"Yes, yes, let's not go into too much detail here," Jack said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Continuing to bicker about how they had acknowledged each other would get old and not to mention rather un-Slytherin-like. Jack liked to believe being a Slytherin had its limits but this subject didn't make him want to continue anything or go beyond limitations. He smirked at Adrian's next comment. "A lot of things. Though you can't expect me to know any better; I prefer to have a busy schedule then having enough time to do something that... boring." He shrugged. "You know me, sleep walking all the time. Of course I see you in the common room! How could I not when you're practically in there every day if only for a few seconds? We are in the same house and year, so you'd think I'd see you once in a while. And yeah, the common room is not my favorite place either. I prefer to be outside or in the dorm maybe but the common room is way too busy. I can't stand to be in there longer then ten minutes, especially if little kids are in there. They don't realize how annoying they are yet but I'm to the point of showing them." Jack smirked and shook his head. He wouldn't take vengeance on a little kid for being loud, even if annoying, unless he was really and I mean really, angry and annoyed to the highest level. He got in his moods once in a while but when that happened he tended to keep his distance from the common room and all the things that made him tick.

Adrian went on to tell a few things about himself just as Jack had requested. He nodded a few times during the whole procedure to keep him going and was disappointed when he stopped, even if the whole thing sounded similar to a grocery list. He was rather surprised about Adrian's parents being Raven's and all but otherwise he sounded your average Slytherin. Jack also got the feeling that Adrian didn't trust him and was suspicious. It wasn't a pleasant feeling especially since Jack had been nothing but honest during their whole conversation, if not a little sarcastic. "Me? Well, I live with my Father and my adopted sister, Haille, who is a muggle. Don't ask why she lives with us; I haven't a clue myself. As for the relationship with Father, you can call it on and off. Sometimes we get along fairly well but mostly we are butting heads rather often, always arguing about this or that. I've run away from home more then once and Father has..." Jack paused before switching to something else. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Adrian about that. "I live in Scotland at Rendel Manor. My mother is separated from Father and she lives in London with Padme, my sister who's a first year in Slytherin. Both my parents were Slytherins and they separated when I was about six years old. I didn't even find out about Padme until last summer. Hmm... that covers family. As for school... well, I have my friends. Mack is the best friend I could ever have and we're more then just friends and I'm happy that way. Padme and I get in lots of fights a lot and my grades are... average, nothing more or less." Jack sighed as he finished up. "That's about it, I think.... If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me something about your sister? I'm interested to know what she's liked compared to mine."

[hollow]

"Jack, I didn't know that you were a sleep walker." Adrian grinned mischievously, knowing very well that the other boy was being sarcastic and countering it with his own brand of humour. It was a little strange sometimes how no one really understood Adrian's sense of humour but himself and his sister. Another thing that brought the siblings closer together but distanced them from others. "Now Jack, those little kids will be the new us one day. Would it not be better to teach him to be more like Slytherin's than to hex them, curse them, hit them or whatever other form of punishment you had in mind? After all, some of those children will be future Queens or they might form their own group. They need to be taught how to behave while the current generation of Slytherin students can keep an eye on them." Adrian smirked slightly and shrugged. He had made his point and it was up to Jack to decide whether it seemed to be a good point or not. Adrian believed that it was but he couldn't do it all himself. There were too many younger Slytherin students for one boy to handle by himself, not to mention that Adrian didn't really like little children. They were so loud and most weren't very smart. Instead of causing chaos in the common room why didn't they have the sense to crack open a book and actually learn something?

Adrian tilted his head slightly as Jack followed his request and exchanged the information about himself willingly. Willingly; Adrian winced slightly, almost regretting the suspicion he had observed Jack with. Jack had been pleasant company, slightly sarcastic at times but what could one expect from a Slytherin? An eyebrow was raised at the mention of an adopted muggle sister but Adrian kept silent, reckoning that it might be a sore topic and not wanting to intrude upon Jack's private life. "Of course," Adrian complied immediately, wary about passing over information abut his beloved sister but trusting that Jack wouldn't use any of the information to harm her. People had to be wary of even their closest friends during the war, which was another reason why Adrian didn't talk much. Yet...maybe he had been wrong. perhaps some people could be trusted. Small amounts of trust at first and a remembrance that people couldn't be trusted but maybe a weak friendship at the end of a conversation.

"Litana. She's often described as a carbon copy of myself in looks, though obviously a girl. She's a lot different from me in personality and attitude though. Lita likes talking and making friends but she really loves to argue. If someone says that the sky is blue then Lita feels compelled to prove that it's red. Surprisingly enough, she generally wins arguments. But my sister really loves books as well and she has the same weird sense of humour as I do but she lacks my temper. She's coming to Hogwarts next year so you'll meet her then probably." Throughout the description of his sister - which Adrian thought very poor in actually describing Litana - Adrian had a small, affectionate smile on his face. This was a side of him that he never let anyone but his family see and he didn't even notice that he was showing it to Jack. Yet, there was one thought that Adrian kept back from Jack. What if she doesn't get a letter for Hogwarts? Or worse, what if she's not in Slytherin or Ravenclaw? I can't protect her then... That was Adrian's biggest worry, that he would fail to protect his family, and a worry that no one else knew about.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack smirked and shook his head. "Don't you hear me running into furniture at night? It's almost impossible to miss..." He said sarcastically, his smirk slightly turning into a smile. His mood was beginning to be lifted by this conversation. If only a little, but it still made a difference to Jack. He should have sought out a conversation with Adrian long before. He sighed; sometimes he just wasn't very social. Now though, he knew a lot more people then in his first two years. Third year had been somewhat of an awakening, making him realize what it was to be a Slytherin and how he had to grow up. That was when he had actually gotten to know Mary and Mack. Jack was brought back to the future when he heard Adrian talking. "What better form of teaching is there then punishing?" Jack asked not thinking as the words slipped through his mouth. Surprised, he covered his mouth, eyes wide, as if he had just uttered a vulgarity in front of a Professor. He had just said something similar to what Father had constantly taught him. Punishment was the thing Jack resented the most, and now here he was, reciting what his Father had imprinted in his mind. It passed though, and Jack carefully lowered his hand, hoping his mouth wouldn't play any more tricks on him.

"Yes, yes, you're right." He said hastily, hoping to get back on track. The thought of the Queens brought up Padme and Dixie. Jack knew Padme idolized Dixie and was probably fantasizing about her becoming a Queen too in her sixth or seventh year. It would be a long wait and a huge disappointment if it didn't happen, though Jack doubted he could dissuade Padme in the slightest. "My sister, Padme, wishes to be Queen when she grows of age." Jack suddenly commented. His thoughts seemed to be controlling his tongue now-a-days. "And if she doesn't get her wish, she will probably resort to creating her own group." Jack shrugged. "She likes things to go her way, so if she has to do it on her own, she will." He tilted his head to the side as a sign of showing he was listening as Adrian described his younger sister. She sounded sweeter then any Padme, that was for sure. "She sounds like a Ravenclaw," Jack commented without emotion. To him Raven's were book worms but... there could be an exception in them every once in a while. He knew that Kris Graas was being married to Cleo Hardwick, a fifth year in Ravenclaw. He didn't oppose the wedding openly and since he was invited had decided to keep his mouth shut no matter what. Perhaps she was different then your average Ravenclaw though. Jack had yet to meet her. "Probably? I'll meet her next year probably?" Jack repeated with arched eyebrows. "Are you picking up on my lack of social skills or are you saying...saying something else?" He asked, hardly daring to hint that Adrian might have meant that his sister, Litana, might not be going to Hogwarts. If that was true then... Jack cleared his head. Of course that wouldn't happen. Adrian was a pureblood, so his sister must go to Hogwarts. She had to. Either that or she wasn't a witch - a possibility that didn't seem probable.

[hollow]

"Oh, that's you? I've often wondered what those thumps in the middle of the night were. Always put it down to first years up to no good but now that I know it's you, may I ask you to lower the noise level a bit? I'm a light sleeper and staying up all night because of your clumsiness does not appeal to me." Adrian smiled slightly, genuinely enjoying the conversation. Maybe some people were more interesting than books. Not that he had been wrong in focusing his first three...well, almost four years on books. It would stand him in good stead when it came to the OWL's since he had often wandered from the section of fourth years books to the fifth and sixth year books. He obviously couldn't cast the spells but he understood most of the theory behind the spells and had scanned over the potions. It probably helped that Adrian had been taught to learn the theory before attempting the spells. "Many better forms." Adrian observed Jack carefully, noting the widened eyes and the covered mouth. He apparently hadn't meant to say that and so Adrian dropped the cold tone he had adopted before he had bothered to watch Jacks reaction to his own words. Generally, Adrian would have reconsidered starting a friendship with the boy after hearing those words but the show of shock and regret stopped the immediate leaving that would usually have occurred. Most Slytherin were raised to think like that and Adrian had to remember that before speaking. Just because he had been raised differently, didn't mean that others had.

"They will be us one day. They will have to deal with the prejudice that we have to fight against or conform to. If we punish them for bad behaviour then we will be teaching them to do the same when they're in our position. If we think like that then we might as well just rush off and torture muggleborns and prove that the prejudice against us is for a good reason." Adrian lectured quietly, keeping a sharp eye on Jack to measure his response. The friendship that Adrian sensed was slowly growing wouldn't be cut off because of Jacks reaction, he enjoyed Jacks company too much to let differing beliefs get in the way, but it could determine the strength of the friendship. Adrian shrugged; most girls wanted to be Queens but not many would make it. Some Slytherins would always live up to the reputation that others had labeled them with and Adrian couldn't change that. He couldn't even change the amount of girls wishing to be Queens; how could he change the personality of most of the Slytherin house? "At least she's determined. Most girls would just sulk in their dorms, surrounded by crumpled tissues and empty ice-cream cartons." Adrian grinned slightly when Jack named his sister a Ravenclaw, hadn't people thought him to be a Raven and didn't he prove them wrong? "Don't be so sure, Jack. The whole of my family were betting that I would be Ravenclaw . I would have loved to see the shock on their faces when they read that I was a Slyth. Still, I enjoy being a Slyth. What the other houses say about us doesn't bother me. One day they'll learn the truth." Adrian grinned viciously, knowing that he was giving off the impression that he was going to hex the other houses or something of the sort but not caring. It wasn't the truth so why bother caring? Far from violence, he was merely planning to train a few young Slyths to think the way he did. He wouldn't force them to change their beliefs but a few must think that things were wrong. Surely.

"Yes. Probably. Partly picking up on your lack of social skills but also - " Adrian closed his mouth abruptly and shook his head slightly, he wasn't sure that it would be prudent to share his fears with Jack. They had known each other for four years but only just taken an interest in each other. Granted, it was partially Adrians fault since he considered books to be more interesting, and certainly less noisy, than people. But was it safe to trust Jack with his fears? Adrian observed Jack discreetly, thinking over the conversation and silently debating how much he could trust Jack before nodding slightly. If he asked then Adrian would tell the truth. If he didn't ask then Adrian would just keep the worry to himself until Lita came to Hogwarts and his fears would be either confirmed or denied.

[Jack Rendel S5]

Jack grinned genuinely as Adrian told him to keep it down. "Honestly, I'm asleep when I do all this. You can try to wake me up but that may result with you getting punched as I like to throw my fists around. I only know that from seeing scrapes and bruises on my knuckles when I wake up, probably the effects of trying to beat up a random desk or wall," he said, still smiling. It was a pity that he hadn't discovered how enjoyable Adrian was. He found this whole conversation truly amusing and fun; it enlightened his moods and made him feel more like a normal person instead of a bitter Slytherin. Jack couldn't remember actually laughing and smiling like he was in the past few months and now that he remembered what it felt like, he missed it. Very much. His life had been a hardship and had made him a bitter person.

He looked down as Adrian spoke on his outburst on punishment. It had been his father speaking, not Jack. Chewing on his lip, he nodded in agreement. Much better ways. Just because he had been brought up on that basic treatment didn't mean he had to release his agony on others that didn't deserve it. Younger Slytherins were a nuisance but Jack knew that he had been the same then. Memories of him at a younger age seemed to whirl around his head like a distant fantasy... shaking himself out of it, Jack listened without much enthusiasm to Adrian's lecture. He hated lectures even if they came from his best friends - though Adrian could hardly be considered that. Jack liked to think of him as an acquaintance with friendship growing. He grimaced. "Most older Slytherins have used punishment against younger years and torturing muggleborns is a sport for them. Most people in Slytherin aren't like you, Adrian. Most people relish in torturing others, whether for good reasons or bad, prejudice or justice. I've seen Slytherins corner mudbloods and halfbloods before hurting them either emotionally or physical relentlessly. It's been this way for many years. Nothing is going to change in the years to come either." He shook his head. "One person can't make a difference on the ways of people that have developed over many years.

"Determined?" he asked doubtfully. "Padme?" He had never thought of her that way. Now that he did put her in that light, he realized that maybe it was true. She was determined to be better then everyone else, that much was certain. He smiled as Adrian mentioned tissues and ice-cream cartons. "Most Slytherin girls are like that though. Most. The better-then-you attitude seems to be prevalent with them no matter what. Sometimes its even worse than the boys, I'd imagine." he said. Adrian mentioned his sister being a Raven and how he had been named a Raven too before coming to Hogwarts. Jack gaped. "Are you serious? If I hadn't been accepted into Slytherin my father would have moved me to somewhere else." Most pureblooded families were that way as well. Or at least the ones that were true. He shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait and see then." Raising an eyebrow, Jack contemplated Adrian for a while.

"The truth?" he queried quietly. "The truth? What truth? Others see us for what we really are - bullies." Jack's words came out harsher then he had meant them to be. Taking a deep breath he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that..." In fact he wasn't sure what he had meant. What was the truth of being a Slytherin? One had to learn how to support oneself and to trust only a chosen few. Jack had known prejudice all his life. Being a Slytherin was to prejudice others and to be prejudiced. At times Jack had grown tired of the endless tirade but it was all he knew. To get rid of it would subject him to being completely lost in a perfect world where no one judged others without reason. Jack found a smile tugging at his lips again. "My social skills aren't the greatest, I suppose, but who are you to talk?" he said, meaning to tease him. "What is it that's bothering you?" He couldn't help but have curiosity take a hold of him. The way Adrian had just blanked off like that made him wonder...

[hollow]

"Sure," Adrian drawled slowly, allowing the hint of a grin to twist his lips. "Asleep, that's what they all say, I'm sure. But try to punch me and I'll curse you. Just a friendly warning." Not that Adrian would ever actually curse Jack, or anyone else. Maybe in a friendly duel but not for such a small reason as being punched by a sleepwalker. "Ah, you try to beat up desks and walls? How do you know that you haven't just been fighting with another sleepwalker? If there's one sleepwalker then there could be more. The Slytherin house could be riddled with sleepwalkers, sleep-fighters and other sleep-active people." Adrian cocked his head thoughtfully, pretending to ponder the likelihood of such an event. Still, it might be worthwhile to stay awake one night and watch exactly how Jack got his bruises, or if he was even a sleepwalker. Amusing, certainly.

Adrian winced slightly as he realized that he had launched into a lecture about the subject without even meaning to. He hated lecturing and he was rather sure that Jack hadn't exactly enjoyed listening to it either. "I know most aren't like me, Jack. I know that I was brought up differently to practically every other Slytherin. But I don't really see why that should matter. We're meant to be cunning, not twisted and evil bullies. But it's not our fault that most of us are like that either." Adrian shrugged carelessly, letting a sad smile touch his lips. "Prejudice has turned us into people who feel that they must act like cold, unfeeling bullies. And it's not our prejudice toward muggleborns either. It's the prejudice toward us and yet we get blamed for being the way we are." He laughed bitterly, a sound which had not escaped him for quite a few months. "We are moulded into the people we are today and yet we are blamed for being this way by the very people who forced us to change, to adapt to this way of thinking. Ironic, isn't it?" He couldn't deny that Jack had a valid point; Adrian too had seen muggleborns and halfbloods cornered and he had just stepped back into the shadows, watching it happen but unwilling to interfere. If he, the boy who wanted so many to change to his liking, couldn't step forward to stop the very torture he protested against then how could he expect others to do what he couldn't?

"I wouldn't know," Adrian shrugged and smiled easily. "I keep to myself, as you've already noticed. And girls are more trouble than they're worth really. You, however, obviously think differently." Now Adrian grinned impishly, a small, sparkling twinkle shining in his eyes. "You and Ms Mack do make a striking pair. Oh, and she wants a picnic. Don't know if she has already told you or not, but I did say I'd mention it. Not just any picnic though. She specifically said that only a seven course meal would do." The message was passed on and so Adrian dismissed it from his mental list of things to do, relieved to shorten the list, even if only by one item. "Of course I'm serious." Adrian chuckled quietly and flicked an amused glance at Jack. "You said it yourself, Jack. I've not had the same upbringing as basically every other Slyth. My parents were Ravens and so they would be only too pleased if Lita was in their old house."

"Yes," Adrian smiled calmly, "the truth. Some are bullies but not all of us are. I'm not and I don't really know about you but I don't think you are." Adrian lifted an eyebrow curiously and tilted his head slightly. "Didn't mean it like that? Then how did you mean it, Jack? That while we're not bullies, we're as cruel and twisted as others think us to be? Stop judging us; you'll turn into a Gryff." Adrian smiled slightly, adding a small twist of humour to lighten the mood. "Touche; touche. What's bothering me?" Adrian lowered his gaze to his hands, examining the small ink splatter on the index finger of his right hand and the small scratch stretching across his left hand carefully before looking up and meeting Jacks eyes, for once dropping the barrier that hid his feelings from the world. Sometimes worries had to be shared and if Jack was willing to listen then Adrian would lower his guard for a while. "I'm terrified, Jack. If she's not Slytherin or Ravenclaw then...then I can't protect her; can't even talk to her. Merlin, Jack," Adrian dragged a hand through his hair roughly. "She's my baby sister. How can I survive if I can't talk to her, if I have to look at her with disdain instead of love?"