You've Got So Far To Go (Adam, Chase, Open) *KEEP*

[Trystan de Lusignan]

The slight chill that palgued the dungeons made Trystan glad that he decided to grab his coat before leaving the warmth of the common room. The Slytherin had become even more withdrawn both, from the general population of the school and the majority of his own house. Trystan had become increasingly frustrated with the amount of mudbloods and blood traitors in the school, even his own house. That's hows Trystan began to spend more and more time in the unsed dungeons classroom he was currently sitting in. It was place of comfort for him. A place he felt like he had control over. After all, it was teh same classroom in which he, and two of his other classmates had put a pathetic excuse for a Slytherin in his place the year before.

Trystan's journal lay open on the desk as he hastily scratched words into the parchment with his quill. Lately, writing in his journal had been the only way that he could truly vent his frustrations. Trystan had never been one to not say what was on his mind but he felt that it was prudent not to stir the pot when he was so heavily out numbered. Trystan had always been told that discretion was the better part of valor but having to hold his tongue just didn't feel right.

It was the sound of echoing footsteps in the hallway that brought Trystan out of his reverie. A sense of dread fill him as he quickly packed his belongings and stowed them in the briefcase that sat, propped against the desk. Trystan new that there was no escaping e person that was wlaking down the hall. Maybe with a bit of luck they would just keep on walking. There weren't many people tha tTrystan could think of at the moment that he would actually want to come in and speak to him. And if by some chance it was a mudblood or blood traaitor then, considering his mood, their safety was not guarannteed.

[Adam Waybecker]

It had been a while since Adam had been in this part of the Dungeons. After an event a few terms prior, where he was involved in the very brutal beating up of another member of Slytherin, he had felt guilty of his crime. Adam was a lighthearted Slytherin, and he didn't carry much malice around with him. He liked making people laugh, which often led others to wonder why he was in Slytherin at all to begin with. It was, of course, his blood heritage and his family tradition: No Waybecker had ever been in any other house. And it wasn't like Adam didn't have his own ideals. He never interacted with mudbloods and hardly ever talked to half-bloods. He did have his reputation to hold up, and by talking to them, it was like he was giving them charity. Adam only gave charity to people that deserved it, and a mudblood certainly didn't deserve charity.

As Adam ventured down into touchy territory, he couldn't help but smirk to himself. We got him good. A certain Andrei Arnaut had the nerve to come and try to recruit them (Trystan, Chase, and Adam) into some sort of anti-good guy faction. As if they needed to join any such thing. They had money, and money alone was enough to defeat the "Anti-Seven" organization. Adam was almost certain that they were disbanded by now, since their lame-ass leader Adarian Ackland had graduated and been wiped off the face of the earth. Adam was embarrassed by this dark spot on Slytherin's otherwise spotless record. But he could care less at this point - Adarian was probably dead for all he knew.

He found a familiar door and opened it, without thinking to knock. As he peered in, he saw someone very familiar - Trystan de Lusignan. He smirked and walked towards him, clearly aware that his shoes made an annoying tapping noise on the hard marble floor. As he neared the table where Trystan was sitting, he put his books down opposite from him and took a seat. "Long time no speak, Trystan. Beat up any idiots lately?"

[Elénore Dietrich]

The dungeons were rather nice to escape to after class, she had noticed. It was unusual to see any Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs down in the darker corridors, and Elénore had been delighted to discover this. It happened that she passed a student or two, but they were usually Slytherins, and if not they always seemed to be in a hurry to leave. Perhaps they were just cowardly in the echoing corridors that rarely had any more light in them than that of a torch perched on the wall. It actually reminded her of her mother's old library at home, which was a very comforting feeling. Elénore had quickly learned to love Hogwarts, but home would always be best. It was going to be nice to go back home for Christmas, though there were some weeks left to that point.

At the moment she did not have too much time to think about the upcoming holiday, because the professors had given them quite a few assignments to cover. She was not used to actually having to do anything, so she had in her mind a well-earned break from the parchment and quill. Thus why she had ventured down the corridors of the dungeons. The Slytherin Common Room was nice, but way too crowded. She was used to solitude, and found many of her fellow first years incredibly annoying. 'Maybe I'm just too grown up for them.' she thought with a smug smile, that quickly froze when she heard a voice from within a nearby room.

"Long time no speak, Trystan. Beat up any idiots lately?"

How annoying! Rowdy students were never any fun. They were always trouble. But seeing how the door was open and how her steps echoed, they would either see or at least hear her if she wanted to pass. She was certainly not turning around again, that was for sure. Elénore heaved an annoyed sigh and tried to look quite some bits more sure of herself that she really felt, and then simply walked into the room that held this... Trystan and the boy whom she could not place.

They looked suspicious, but she was relieved to see that she could recognize them both as Slytherins. She had seen them both in the Common Room, after all. "Hello." Elénore greeted, not one to be impolite.

[Trystan de Lusignan]

Leaning back in the office chair, Trystan's head snapped up when the door opened and a familliar person walked in. Trystan would normally have been quite upset with someone for disturbing him while he was working in his journal but this time, he was rather relieved. Adam Waybecker was one of the few students from his house, the whole school even, that Trystan actually respected. It was true that the boy was a bit more light hearted than the stereo-typical Slyhterin but trystsan took very little issue with it. As Adam sast down, Trystan greeted him with a subtle but meaningful nod. The few people that actaully knew Trystan, knew that the gesture spoke volumes.

"Long time no speak, Trystan. Beat up any idiots lately?

"Regrettably, no," Trystan said, his French accent not as heavy as it had been the previous year. It was obvious that he'd spent a majority of teh summer working on his English. "I fear that numbers are against us..." Trystan stopped his sentence and turned towards the door. Once again, he heard teh familliar sounds of footsteps approaching the room. A twisted smile appeared on his face as he shot Adam a sinsiter glance. They both knew what had transpired in this room the year before. Trystan had to admit that he'd been terribly bored lately and wanted some kind of entertainment.

Mush to Trystan's surprise, it was a first year that walked through the door this time. His sinister grin turned into one of amusement as the girl approached and made her gretting. A simple "Hello" was all the girl offered as a greeting to which Trystan simply nodded his head in return. For once he had to admit that he didn't know much about this person. Normally, he made it his personal mission to know everything about everyone. All Trystan could remember was that her name was Elénore.

Trystan ran a hand through his short blond hair as his eyes moved from Elénore to Adam. He was curious about how Adam would receive the girl.

[Adam Waybecker]

Adam was pleased to see that Trystan had not forgotten him, even though they had not spoken much over the past few months. His look of acknowledgment and even mild admiration was extremely satisfying and even a little bit of a compliment. Ok, Adam was looking into Trystan's subtle nod WAY too much, but he couldn't help but feel that he was actually cool for once, instead of the class clown or the silly little Slytherin reject. The only reason he was even considered as being decent was that he was cousins with the Pelletier family and his pureblood parents were extremely rich. But other than that, he was an odd one. So Trystan being his friend was a boost to not only his self-esteem, but his social status.

"Regrettably, no," Trystan said, his French accent not as heavy as it had been the previous year. It was obvious that he'd spent a majority of teh summer working on his English. "I fear that numbers are against us..."

He was about to respond when a younger year came into the room. He was about to turn and glare, when he noticed it was a girl. No matter what, he found it beneath him to be rude to girls, regardless of their blood status or their level of intellect. She had let out a small hello to which Adam responded with an eyebrow cock. What was she doing here, especially when Trystan and Adam clearly weren't the company she was looking for. He was not going to kick her out of the room, but he was a little concerned with the fact that anyone thought that they could barge into other's conversations without giving a warning.

"And you are...?" Adam had hardly seen this girl around. She must have been in Slytherin, because no one else would have ever dared to venture into the cold maze-like pathways of the dungeons.

[Elénore Dietrich]

"And you are...?"

A slight nod from the blonde and a raised eyebrow from the raven haired. How polite of them. But then again, she guessed that she could not blame them. After all, she had forgotten to knock properly before entering. But to her defence, they were the ones who had left the door open in the first place. Honestly, if they had been speaking about something improper she would have liked to believe them to close the door. Sneaky business was only so sneaky as you made it out to be, and Elénore was rather proud of what she had seen of Slytherin as of yet. "Forgive me." She said with a flicker of a smile, "I'm Elénore Dietrich." Pausing for a second, Elénore shifted her weight and considered the two students in front of her. "Slytherin first year, though I'm rather sure you two already figured that out."

There she carefully shut her mouth, not wanting for a second to pick a fight with two of her own house. They looked well-bred enough, and by the looks of it, she would have no chance of winning a raw battle against them both, be it by the means of brute force, spells or wit. They were older, after all, and Elénore had been taught to respect her elders. With the exception of the folks unworthy of her respects of course.

Come to think of it, she really had no idea what these two's names were. And names were such a big thing when it came to respect. It never told much of how witty a person himself or herself were, but it always told something about their blood and standards. "I don't quite know your names either, actually." She mentioned with a light quirk of an eyebrow.

[Trystan de Lusignan]

"I don't quite know your names either, actually." She mentioned with a light quirk of an eyebrow.

Trystan simply blinked as he looked up at the girl, confusion clearly showing on his face. His usual haughty expression was now hidden as his mind tried to wrap itself around the notion of someone not knowing who he was. He had to admit that his pride was reeling from this attack on his notorioty however unintentional it may have been. A large part of trystan wanted to rise up and defend his family's name but he could hardly blame this girl if her parents did not posess the foresight to teach their daughter of the prominent wizarding families in order to prevent moments like this.

Still, Trystan was able to keep his cool. "Well, Miss Dietrich," Trystan began, his voice taking on an almost silken quality. "My name is Trystan de Lusignan, sixth year Slytherin." The pride in Trystan's voice was unmistakable when he spoke the name of his family. "And this is Adam Waybecker, third year Slytherin" Trystan said as he motioned to the boy sitting across from him. Trystan never had much use for "friends" in the past but he could see potential greatness in Adam. The boy just needed the proper guidance. "We were just enjoying a discussion on the current state of the school. We would be delighted to have you join us," Trystan pulled a chair over so that Elenore would have a place to sit down. "Please, sit."

Trystan couldn't quite put his finger on it but her last name sounded so familliar. He wondered if she had an older brother that he might have heard of or if there was a wizard or witch of note somewhere in her family's history. Trystan always preeferred to know as much as possible about those he would be spending time with. He felt that it gave him the upper hand should any unpleasant situations arise. The fact that he knew next to nothing about this girl made him like he was at a disadvantage and that never sat well with Trystan. It was in times like these that Trystan realized that the best solution was to not let things get ugly. he was fairly certain that the girl was pureblood and as long as she didn't openly state any sympathy for mudbloods or blood traitors then Trystan wouldn't push the issue.

"Elénore, how are you adjusting to life at Hogwarts? I know as a first year it can get quite overwehlming if you're not prepared for it." Truth be told, Trystan didn't give a damn about how the girl was adjusting. Even though she had barged into his conversation with Adam, he wasn't about to be rude to her. If her family was prominent then any future dealings could be soured if things went poorly between them. Trystan was well aware that there were times when he needed to put aside his own feelings for the well being of the family.

[Elénore Dietrich]

By the look on the blonde's face after her question about their names, it was apparent that she had asked the wrong thing. Elénore loved her father, but she blamed him completely for not introducing her to the important people. And Gerald was no help either, the traitor. She had been able to meet some of her father's workmates, but he never really told her the important things. It just seemed like she would have to find what she wanted to know by herself.

"My name is Trystan de Lusignan, sixth year Slytherin."

Oh, and his tone was not at all patronizing when he greeted her. But at least it was more than a nod of his head, though that was probably what she deserved for not knowing that he was a Lusignan. The name was indeed quite familiar with her, but she had not anticipated to meet one at Hogwarts. Again, she only had her father to blame for her mistake. It was certainly not her fault that she had not recognized him. It would have been much easier if every student was called during the Welcoming Feast, instead of just the first years. But then again, life was never easy or fair, unless you had the right contacts and played dirty.

Waybecker was a name not particularly known to her, but she had heard her father mention it from time to time. She knew they were relatives to the Pelletiers, at least. It would probably do her well to keep on the right side of the two boys if she wanted to be happy while at Hogwarts. Adam did perhaps not look like it, but Trystan was definitely someone Elénore could imagine having a lot of influence around the castle. Perhaps he had heard of her family, which would most likely give her an advantage. If not, Elénore felt she was more than capable to make a good impression still. She would simply hate for the two to think that she was unlearned. While Elénore was just a first year, she took pride in the fact that she was bright, and in her own opinion quite mature for her age.

"We were just enjoying a discussion on the current state of the school. We would be delighted to have you join us,"

It came as a relief when Trystan bade her to sit with them, and their subject was rather intriguing too. She honestly hoped they were of the same opinion as her; that those drivelling blood traitors, mudbloods and muggle lovers were all a shame to the school. Her opinions was something she would keep to herself for a while, since that seemed to be the only sane thing to do. While both boys were from respectable families, and both purebloods, she could not be sure that they did not sympathize with the scum. Hopefully, they disliked them and their ways just as much as she did. "I'd be delighted to." She finally said as she took the offered chair and sat down.

"Elénore, how are you adjusting to life at Hogwarts? I know as a first year it can get quite overwehlming if you're not prepared for it."

It was kind of him to ask. "Just fine. Though I have found that my father could have told me quite a bit more than he did before I left." She dryly commented, knowing fully well she would have to send him a letter of complaint later. "Being in your sixth year must be nice though, and third year too. At least you're allowed to do more than we are." Elénore mentioned as a light conversation point. Talking about years held no value for her, but if that was what it took, then fine. "But enlighten me, what about the state of the school? I hope you're referring to the lesser students." She murmured, a slight smile creeping into her voice again.

[Adam Waybecker]

"I'm Elénore Dietrich." Pausing for a second, Elénore shifted her weight and considered the two students in front of her. "Slytherin first year, though I'm rather sure you two already figured that out."

So she was a first year, just like he had assumed so beforehand. Only a first year would have deemed it appropriate to interrupt a conversation as important as the one that he and Trystan were supposed to have. Well, he didn't actually know what they were going to talk about, but he assumed that it would be about the blood status of individuals at the school and what not. He had even wanted to ask him a few questions about a certain female friend, since Trystan did seem to have more experience in the woman department than he did. But that would all be cut short now thanks to this first year who was a little too annoying for his own tastes.

"And this is Adam Waybecker, third year Slytherin. We were just enjoying a discussion on the current state of the school. We would be delighted to have you join us," Trystan pulled a chair over so that Elenore would have a place to sit down. "Please, sit."

At least Adam didn't have to talk too much. What was the current state of the school anyways? He wasn't completely sure - it seemed like the purebloods in Slytherin were slowly taking over everyone socially, and it was only a matter of time before the purebloods owned the school. Adam was all for supremacy. He was slightly surprised that the school had gotten more tolerant, but he suspected that this was a cover for the fight that would go down in the very near future. He wondered what the Dark Lord Marsden had in store for the wizarding world, but didn't really know what to expect, as his attacks had been random.

Adam was amused that she caught on to their discussion so quickly. Maybe she wasn't as tactless as he had thought she was. "I do believe we are referring to those lesser students. I heard that the Slytherin traitor, Gabriel Kine, and some random Hufflepuff are getting married soon. What nonsense." He had managed to pick up details like this in passing, like when he passed a gaggle of girls giggling to the latest gossip they heard.

[Trystan de Lusignan]

"But enlighten me, what about the state of the school? I hope you're referring to the lesser students." She murmured, a slight smile creeping into her voice again.

A slight smirk appeared on the face of the eldest Slytherin in the room. He was rather glad to see that she had caught on so quickly. Apparently there was still some hope left for their family, after all. Trystan recalled someone by that surname being sorted into Hufflepuff as he looked at the girl sitting beside him, realized that she was his younger sibling. It was a shame and an unnecessary hardship for the girl to have to endure. Alas, there's no real accounting for the actions of others.

"I do believe we are referring to those lesser students. I heard that the Slytherin traitor, Gabriel Kine, and some random Hufflepuff are getting married soon. What nonsense." He had managed to pick up details like this in passing, like when he passed a gaggle of girls giggling to the latest gossip they heard.

Trystan's lips turned into a sneer at the mention of the traitor, Kine. It was a disgrace. A Slytherin and Hufflepuff getting married. No self-respecting family would ever allow such a travesty to occur. Trystan too, had heard the rumors of the approaching wedding and apparently, it was to take place right in the school's very own gardens. Trystan mused on the concept of cutting the wedding short with a few well placed curses. "It's a disgrace," Trystan spat as his eyes moved from Adam to Elénore. "It's even worse that we'll have to be subjected to it. The wedding is taking place right out in the gardens. What on Earth has happened to this school? There used to be standards," Trystan voice trailed off.

There was no need to continue his rant. Both of the people in the room sympathized with his position and had undoubtedly heard many before. Instead, Trystan reveled in the fact that it wouldn't be long before he was free of the school and it's constantly lowering standards. He would finally be able to constantly keep himself surrounded by the kind of people that he deemed worthy of being in his presence. So far, he had met a precious few at Hogwarts that had fit that mold. Allies were a great thing to acquire but one had to be wary of the company he kept. So far, Waybeck had proven to be a choice but Trystan was still unsure of this new girl.