"Well then," Parker nodded, "there is nothing to worry about." He noticed the clenched fists and nearly laughed. Surely if something was going to happen between them, he wouldn't use his fists. He withdrew his hands from his pockets, just in case he needed to protect his face himself.

"Me?" he questioned pointing to himself. "What have I done?" What would give the boy any reason not to trust him? He wasn't the one that did something wrong.

"I don't know because Thalia won't tell me." Jude replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Is there something you need to tell me, Parker?" he asked the boy suspiciously.

For all Jude knew, the pair were doing more than playing tricks on each other. But that was probably just the boy's jealousy getting the better of him. If Thalia could see him now, she would probably be very upset with his behavior.

"Are you saying she is hiding something?" Parker asked. Was Thalia mentioning things that she promised not to tell. Parker wasn't at fault here. He had done nothing wrong. "I don't have to tell you anything." he answered with narrowed eyes. Even if he did want to tell he wouldn't. He would never hurt Thalia like that.

"No, I'm not saying that at all." Jude replied realizing that this boy may be just as bad as Cesar seemed in terms of annoyance level. "I'm just saying that Thalia hasn't told me much about you other than you play a juvenile little game of playing tricks on each other to try and get each other in trouble." His tone was cold, showing Jude's disdain for the immaturity of the pair together.

"That's what it sounded like to me." Parker muttered looking down at his shoes. Of all the bathrooms to walk into, he has to choose the one that contained Jude. "Good." he replied now looking the boy in the eyes. "You don't have to know anything else about me." He laughed when he mentioned trying to get each other in trouble, "Oh, come on. Jude don't know how to have fun?" he gave a fake pout. Jude was a Ravenclaw, of course he didn't know how to have fun.

Jude's eyes narrowed as the boy said that he didn't need to know anything about him. "I should be at licence to whom my girlfriend speaks to." was his reply, in a cool tone as he tried to keep his temper under control.

He almost let out a growl when Parker asked if he didn't know how to have fun. "I have in my own way thank you very much." he said glaring at the boy. "And I do it without having to get into trouble with professors in the process."

"You know my name, that should be enough." Jude should just be happy with a face to go with the name. He didn't ever want to meet Jude. Parker was sure he was getting mad and it put a smirk on his face.

"That's not what Thalia told me." he laughed. He laughed because she really didn't tell him anything of the sort. He just wanted to see how far he could push this guy now. Another game to be played. "Have you had this conversation with Thalia?" he asked curiously. "This was her idea you know."

Jude arched his brow. So Parker seemed to know more about him than the other way around. It was true that Thalia had told him more than once to lighten up but that was none of the Slytherin boys' business.

"Yes, I know that it was Thal's idea and I already gave my opinion to her and she decided not to listen." Jude hated to admit that his girlfriend did not want to heed his warnings. But she was her own person, she could make up her own mind and her own mistake.s

"Don't worry," Parker grinned, "I promise not to get her into too much trouble." Jude couldn't be around all the time. He was a Ravenclaw, and Parker would just have to avoid the library, which he did anyway. "Tough luck tough, he not listening and all." He frowned, but inside he was laughing.

Parker look at wrist, even though he was not wearing a watch, "My! Look at the time, I must be off." he gave Jude a pat on the back as he made his way toward the door. Jude might not like that but right now Parker could care less. "Don't forget to wash your hands before you leave, it's unsanitary." He opened the bathroom door but waited just in case Jude had anything else to say. Parker hoped he didn't.

Jude took in a deep breath and realized that as much as he hated the idea, Parker and Thalia seemed really close and there was nothing he was going to be able to do to stop the pair from acting like a bunch of loons around school.

He scowled as the boy told him to wash his hands, and replied, "I think I can handle myself thank you very much." and was glad to see Parker leave. The boy had interrupted his quiet time thinking about how he would get Thalia back after all. Jude arched his brow as the boy stood there with the door open as if waiting for Jude to talk, or follow him out. "On your way." he motioned to the boy, letting him know he was done with him.

Parker laughed as he saw Jude get angry. "I'm sure you can." he sarcastically replied. He looked like he could handle himself fine, even when he was sitting on the floor. It was a shame Parker didn't ask any questions about his sadness, but he just didn't care. He had problems of his own to deal with right now, and didn't have time for anyone else.

He laughed even more when Jude dismissed him. He hadn't asked for permission to leave and if he wasn't so bored with the conversation, he would have stayed. "You don't have to tell me to leave." he muttered. Was the boy going to carry him out too? He doubted it, the boy wouldn't do anything. "See ya around." he waved as he walked out of the bathroom. It might be easier than he thought to win Thalia, very easy.

He'd been fine all the way down the seventh floor. It was only on the staircase that the feeling of nausea had started to win out. By the time he was half-way down the stairs, he knew that he was not going to make it to his common room. Feet picking up their pace, Raiden all but sprinted into the bathroom, hand flying up to cover his mouth. He was not going to make it.

Practically kicking the stall door open, Raiden didn't even bother to close the door behind him before he dropped to his knees and vomited.

After he was through with that, he reached one arm behind him and slowly pushed the stall door closed, not reaching for the latch. He just... stayed there like that, hand pressed against the door to keep it shut, his breathing slowly correcting itself as he fought to calm down.

Never before had someone's actions actually disgusted him to the point of throwing up. A good fifteen minutes passed, with Raiden just sitting there, before he finally deemed his stomach alright. Getting to his feet, he pulled the door open, tidied himself up, washed his face and hands in the sink, and left the bathroom, only feeling slightly better than he had when he'd come in.

He was lost. Again.

It really shouldn't have been surprising that he would get lost. Along with his double-left feet it seemed to be a fond habit of his. It was more the fact that it was December and he was still getting lost.

Sighing he pushed open the door to the room-he-knew-but-couldn't-remember and paused in the threshold. The boys bathroom greeted him. And a rather sickly looking Slytherin Prefect.

He blinked in surprise and confusion. "Raiden?"

Why was he so pale? Even more concerning, why did he look like the world had just crumpled around him?

...he had half expected it to be her coming through that door, to... well he wasn't sure WHAT she would do in that situation. He'd made her cry (actually she had done it to herself, he reminded his brain stubbornly). She would probably hex him into oblivion or something close to that.

But it wasn't her, which was good. Raiden was in no mood to block hexes.

"Hi Sabel." He leaned slightly, to look out the door as it closed. Nobody. Good. "'m just..."

...

"I threw up."

He hated throwing up.

Sabel half blinked, half stared at the Prefect. "Threw up?"

Instant concern washed over him and he reached out to steady the other boy as he leaned for Merlin-knew what reason. "What happened? Are you sick? Did you eat something? Don't tell me you've been posioned. Are you worried about exams? Wait...have you done your OWLS yet? Did some student cause trouble?"

He had to remind himself to shut up and let Raiden do the talking. Even then it required him snapping his mouth shut to keep any more questions from flooding out.

Raiden shook his head as Sabel presented him with a barrage of possible vomiting reasons. It wasn't any of that, definitely. He hadn't... not since finding out about his allergies, had he? His stomach had built up a high tolerance to pain and stress and stuff, considering his history.

"I kinda..." he got very distracted by Sabel's hand and immediately righted his posture. "She's..."

His throat hurt.

"Celandine Toussaint is not my friend." That was the simplest way to put it, but also the most painful.

"Celandine?"

Uh oh. This was a girl thing. Girl things were definetly enough to vomit over. Or he guessed they were. He hadn't ever had the experience. Which he was beyond thankful for.

Keeping his hand on Raiden's shoulder in support he watched him with worry. "Did...you want to talk about it?" Maybe go somewhere where you won't fall over?

Did he want to talk about it? Not particularly. He was afraid he'd vomit again. But he kinda... still had that pent-up anger and he needed to let it out. Writing Plymouth this time would do no good. He couldn't ask the man to drop everything and come to Hogsmeade every time something happened, and... well he kinda needed to let it out right now. Immediately.

Poor, poor Sabel.

"She... it..." Letting out a sigh, Raiden scratched a hand through his short hair, took a deep breath, and plunged into it, his ears going an angry red as his words picked up speed. "She pushed and pushed and pushed for me to tell her something and when I did, and it wasn't the answer she wanted, she pretty much told me that I have low self-esteem, I don't think I'm worth anything, and she essentially implied that I'm scared of doing things which I am NOT and she KNEW. She KNEW it would make me angry and hurt me and that's why she SAID IT and she just admitted it to me after trying to scare me out of my wits by breaking the window lock and... and..." He ran out of breath and stopped. He'd closed his eyes before starting the ramble; looking at Sabel would only make it worse as he'd probably be absolutely horrified at Raiden's possibly nonsensical babble. "Friends don't DO that to each other. Friends don't hurt each other on purpose. So... I told her to not... talk to me anymore."

His eyes opened, and he rubbed the heel of his hand against the right one. His stomach was all in knots again; he silently hoped he wouldn't throw up again, for Sabel's sake.

"She... I thought she was one of my best friends. I've known her for over five years now." He swallowed hard on the lump in his throat. "I don't... just... I could have let it go eventually, I think, if she hadn't done it on purpose. But she meant to do that to me. She meant to hurt me and I've been calling someone my friend for FIVE YEARS when she hasn't really been my friend at ALL."

Oh dear Merlin. No wonder the Prefect threw up.

He didn't know what to say. What would say that would help. He didn't understand everything, but that wasn't the point. Raiden would only express what he wished, and he wasn't about to push that further, especially when the boy looked like he was ready to vomit again.

"Radien..." He swallowed, trying to think of something to say. "I'm...really sorry." That sucks? No...it was worse than that. Worse defined by copious amounts of regergitated bile.

Now Sabel... was probably horrified. Because Raiden had totally just word-vomited all over him, problems he'd only told to Plymouth before and nobody else. Rubbing the back of his own neck with both hands, he drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly. He needed to calm down.

"She... hurt me on purpose. That's the only... thing. That's important from all that." His voice had gone quiet, an effort not in vain. Surely Sabel would turn around and run away, never to speak to him again, if he started shouting. "Someone who was meant to be my best friend purposely did things to hurt me. I don't know why... she thought it was a good idea, but... well... she's not my friend any more."

She'd stopped being so, the second she'd decided to hurt him. Blinking, head slightly clearer, Raiden shook his head.

"I... didn't mean to kinda throw that all at you."

Sabel gave him a small, hopefully-reassuring smile. "You can throw anything at me anytime."

He was fairly certain it was safe to give Raiden that type of permission. Anyone else and they might take it a little too literally.

Giving Raiden's shoulder a gentle squeeze he nodded out the door. "Common. Let's get you something to drink that might help with the nasuea and clean out some of that vile taste."

He still couldn't think of what to say. Hopefully on the way to wherever it was they were going to go, he would be able to think of something helpful.

"You are in sore need of better ways to phrase that." Merlin forbid he ever extend the same sentiment to someone with less of a conscience than he. Ducking and dodging only worked for so long. "But... well."

He'd needed to say it all out loud at once. It made it both more real and somehow... less hurtful. He'd needed to explode, and let out the pent-up annoyance and anger and all that. He hadn't done it last time she'd gotten him angry, and... well it had just slowly leaked out and he had probably been a terrible person to be around.

Now it was... out there. And he didn't feel like hitting things this time.

"That... would be good, yeah." Embarrassed, as he suddenly realised that they were in the bathroom, he gestured to the room behind him. "Did you have... to... I didn't mean to stop you."

At least he was accepting logic. That was a good sign.

"Did I...?" Sabel blinked and then suddenly realized what Raiden was talking about, going slightly red. "Oh no..." And he could think logically. A good sign he would be okay. "I...got lost."

Turning around to push open the door, he stood to the side so Raiden could leave first. "So...where did you want to go?" Bathrooms were somewhat odd places for deep converstation. And yet, they had somehow managed to choose that location for their "club". Interesting.