Finally calm, Allison reached the third floor with a little hitch of breath. It had been a long climb up the stairs. She didn't particularlly mind. But with a complaing owl in her hand and a bag filled with her chocolates and other with her stack of letters Allison was a bit tired. Sitting by the funny looking statue Allison sighed.

How could one small eleven year old defend older students? It was impossible! Ian tried to steal Cela's badge, and now some girl was trying to--she didn't know what, to Sabel. There was only so much could take and that had been Allison's limit. Opening another chocolate she stuffed it in her mouth before releasing her stacks of letters.

Each letter was the same:

Congrats on Ravenclaw!
Blue is the best little girl!
I'm surprised they took you, you seem to have your mother's brain.
You lack our brain child, but congrats anyways.
We are so proud of you! We knew you were a true Scott--as if that was a good thing, Allison thought.
I knew one day you'd contribute to the Scott business!
About bloody time! I was quite scared your mother didn't get it right with you!
Congrats only a true Scott would have been taken into Ravenclaw.

Blah blah blah. She didn't care. She didn't care one bit. With that, Allison placed the annoying letters back into a stack and retrieved the anonymous letter that seemed to scream: read me.



Allison stared at the letter with no expression on her face. It was a riddle. Thinking of the answer she opened the chocolate frog she had gotten earlier from Astronomy and held on tight to the moving frog. Suddenly something tickled her leg and she removed the letter. There lying brightly was her mother's butterfly. Fluttering it flew towards Robin and teased him so by flying around his head. Knowing it was a game Robin's head practically did 360s.

Laughing Allison thought that perhaps the letter was from her mother. However the writing was unfamiliar to her. Biting the frogs head Allison grinned. It was a simple riddle, even the eagle statue gave harder ones!

"An echo of course!" Immediately the ink disappeared to display two words:

Patient.

It was the one thing Madiison Winloch could NOT be. Ever. Not the hospital patient where sick people went to heal, but the other patient. She just had to KNOW and Hogwarts was really not helping her case here. It was not revealing its secrets to her! Of course the girl completely disregarded the key word in that statement. Secrets. After listening to tales of hidden rooms for a large proportion of her life, Madiison had expected to just waltz into Hogwarts (not that she knew how to waltz) and find something exciting in every corner. Now, as the redhead explored the castle, she realised it was not the case.

Hogwarts was not that exciting after all.

Maybe she should have stuck to Beauxbatons.

HMPH.

Fixing her blue-gray eyes onto a weird and rather ugly statue of some humpbacked witch the petite girl frowned. Maybe she could kick it and see what happens?

Raiden's head was buzzing. It was all full of things that would probably make him extremely uncomfortable later; he'd never actually gotten so angry at someone before. Much less someone who was one of his best friends. It... actually hurt for him to be this angry.

Coming off the staircase from the fourth floor, he almost stopped, figuring it... safe. Celandine wouldn't follow him, would she? He'd all but screamed at her... It was probably safer to just keep going. Down to the dorms. He rounded the corner and passed by the Humpbacked Witch Statue, not even registering that there was a person standing next to it, much less a person he knew.

Fuuuuuuuuume.

Madiison was done staring at the stupid statue.

Really.

And the task was pathetic and boring since the witch was not moving. Di would have kicked it too, but she didn't. Out of respect. What if the witch had been a real person and didn't deserve to be kicked? Never judge a book by its cover. So Madiison did not proceed to kick the statue. Out of respect. And it would have hurt. What if it snapped one of her toenails off in the process?

It clearly was not worth the pain.

Di didn't know how to snap her toenail back in place either.

And BOTH her parents were healers.

So what was she to do now? Continue exploring of course!

Tuuuuuuuuuuuurn. Now she could just continue on her quest t- "Raiden?"

It WAS him, wasn't it? Raiden. From the compartment! He didn't even say Helllo! Had he forgotten her so soon already? Pout. Pout. Pout.

Yup, wandering the corridors. Barry thought of it as a thinking place. No one talks to you because it looks like your going somewhere. Right now he was walking around thinking about how all of his freinds had become prefects apart from him.

And hello another prefect. Wait a second was that Raiden? Angry? Ok he`d ask about the badge latter. "Where you going in a hurry?" asked Barry, not really sure what to say. Raiden was a calm creature, not like this

He very nearly snapped when he heard his name. Had it been in that voice, he probably would have shouted quite a few things, things that would be heard all the way up to the towers. As it were... it was not that voice. So, literally biting his tongue, Raiden stopped and looked back.

It was that girl from the compartment. The one who had gotten all quiet after asking him if he was sick.

Merlin, why now. WHY. She seemed like a nice enough person. He did not have this anger under control yet.

AND SHE WAS POUTING. The look that usually made him submit to whatever task a person wanted to put him to only served to make everything worse. Augh. Just... Augh. He did not want to yell at her.

So he closed his eyes. And rubbed them with one hand as the other clenched and unclenched at his side.

"Hello... Madiison, right?"

MERLIN. And Barry too. Why today. Why now. What had he ever done to earn THIS? He was going to lose his temper again and snap out on these two, who hadn't done ANYTHING...

"I was... going to my common room. Down there. In the... dungeons."

Where there were softer things to hit than walls. He didn't need to go to the nurse with a broken hand.

He was UPSET! D:

Or at least it seemed like he was not entirely pleased to see her. AGAIN. Madiison couldn't really tell which one it was because he had closed his eyes. Her own eyes were, however, fixed on the clenching of his fist at his side. Would he PUNCH her? He was going to PUNCH her wasn't he? She hadn't even done anything other than say hello!

He DIDN'T like her after all!

The red tore her eyes way from that fist and looked UP -he was SOOOOO tall- when she heard his greeting and let out a sigh of relief. He didn't plan to punch her after all.

And he remembered!

"Yup." Di confirmed his question. He hadn't forgotten her! The terror Madiison had felt disappeared, now replaced by concern for his fist. "Is that a habit of yours?" The redhead asked, pointing at his fist. His poor hand. It was being tortured. She would have flashed her lovely smile at him and inquired about this but before she could so much as utter another word, a BOY turned up and interrupted them.

... sort of.

HMPH.

Don`t make any sudden movements. He`d seen people like this. Jason had been like that when he and Raiden had met. Barry had cried. But not now, Raiden was younger then Barry and he would know that Raiden didn`t mean it.

"Theres still a long time till curfew" said Barry trying to ask Raiden what had happened without saying those words. Oh and there was another girl. He gave her a appolagetic look for Raiden. He wasn`t sure why

A habit? That got Raiden to open his eyes again. She was talking to him? He didn't make a habit of getting into this state. Besides the potential damage it could have done to his body in previous years, he... really hated this feeling.

He looked down to where Madiison was pointing, confused. What...

Oooh.

Yeah. That.

"It..." he stared at his fingers, consciously willing them to stop clenching and unclenching. "Not really, no. I'm just... a little bit..."

A little bit? He was lying, and not just a little bit. He was lying a lot.

"Kinda not in a good mood," he finally confessed, allowing his fingers to clench a few more times before they finally stopped.

He knew perfectly well when curfew was. Self-restraint stopped him from snapping that off at Barry, but just barely. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, his eyes closing again.

"I know, Barry. I'm a prefect, I know when we have to be in by. I'm..." Yeah. Angry? Beyond all normal levels of recognisable feeling? "Kinda tired. I was thinking of turning in early."

Like he'd be able to sleep.

Di stared.

There was NOTHING else to do while Raiden did exactly the same thing to his fist. Well, that and clench them. So she stared at it too and waited. Waited for WHAT exactly the girl did not know. She just waited. Why? Because she could. Part of her was still a little worried about the potential risk that fist was to her pretty face. Or any other part of her body really but then the girl remembered something her brother had told her over the holidays. That it wasn't always about her.

Hmm. Maybe he wanted to hit that statue. It WAS ugly.

... not in a good mood?

Awww! POOR POOR POOR Raiden! Not being in a good mood sucked.

But was he EVER in a good mood when he saw her, albeit she had only SEEN him twice in her entire life ... unless she had seen him while she had been an infant. Highly unlikely, but possible.

No no no no no. Remember: It has NOTHING to do with you ... maybe.

"Then you should eat chocolate!" Beam. "That's what I do when I am upset. Eat chocolate." Her father told her coco beans had some THING in it that helped. That was what Madiison did whenever she was upset. She ate chocolate. "Maybe even roll in the grass or or or ..." Di bit her lip HARD before she could spill that she shut herself in her room and sang sad songs.

She would NEVER let anyone know that.

She had a TERRIBLE singing voice.

He still hadn`t got angry. That was good. Maybe Barry could calm him down, he doubted it but maybe. He picked his words carefully.

"Your a prefect! Thats great. Congradulations!" said Barry "Oh tired? How come" keep it looking like your concerned and you`ve got it in the bag

Chocolate.

That was... always the cure to everything, but Raiden wasn't quite sure that he could eat anything right now, much less chocolate. His stomach was that knotted up... he would probably throw it back up, and then he'd get even more angry.

"I dunno if I can... eat." He took another deep breath. He was still really, really warm. Urgh. He just wanted to go... to his dorm. And hit things. Soft things that wouldn't break his fingers. Unlike the... walls... And well, people were soft but he was not going to hit people.

"Thanks, Barry... I've been walking around the castle all day, and... stuff. I'm just kinda tired and... don't feel well. Did you two need something?"

Because he was reaching the end of his self-control. He wanted to put a Silencing Charm on himself and SHOUT.

Barry listened. There was something going on, something he wasn`t telling them? He didn`t care how annoying Barry was being. Raiden needed help. Maybe even medical.

"You don`t feel good? And you feel upset?" he didn`t really ask, he just stated the facts "I think you need to see the nurse. She`ll give you something to feel better. I`ll help you go there if you don`t mind" he really did sound concerned. His freind Raiden needed him! Barry would not let him down " But no I didn`t want anything from you, just wanted to talk"

Madiison STARED again.

Not at his fist though. Not this time. This time the thirteen-year-old stared at the FACE. Not because he had a pretty face, which he did, but because she wasn't quite sure she had heard right. He didn't know if he could eat chocolate? Raiden Ku-whatever (she found it hard to pronounce) said he didn't know if he could eat chocolate.

Now THAT right there was a crime! Nobody -except for those allergic to chocolate (THE HORROR)- could refuse chocolate. It was a crime against chocolate and against the genius who first made it - whoever he was.

Blink. Blink. Blink. "Well, take this anyways, in case you change your mind." Shuffling though her robe pocket for a few seconds resulted in a chocolate frog being drawn out. The redhead handed it over to Raiden.

Did she need anything? Of course she needed something. She needed something exciiiting. Something that would liven things up a little for her at Hogwarts. So far the thirteen year old found it DULL. Sure, the castle was massive and prettty but it was also STUBBORN and the teachers here did not even know how to pronounce her name properly (WINTHROP?! Since when does that sound ANYTHING like Winloch?).

Blue-gray eyes scanned Raiden again and decided that he could not offer her what she needed. Not now anyways. Besides she had to act MATURE. She couldn't act like a BABY and whine about what she wanted. She was thirteen! It was time to act all mature and grown up.

"Nope. Nothing." Beam.

He knew that Barry was just trying to be nice.

And he knew that he had said he didn't feel well, which was why Barry was offering to escort him to the hospital wing.

But Raiden did not want to go to the Hospital Wing. He was fairly sure that the only thing there that could help him right now was a calming draught, and... he'd spent enough of his life under their influence. There was no present danger of him having an attack, that he could tell. So he saw no reason to go there. He didn't need a calming draught. He could calm himself down. And then his stomach would stop trying to twist itself up into a work of modern art, and all would be well.

So Raiden shook his head to Barry's idea.

"No, thanks. It's... fine. I don't need to waste the Nurse's time." He flinched when Madiison approached him, almost stepping away from her, but... well she wasn't the offending party here. She was trying to be nice too. And he was being, as Daphne would say, a poo. "Thanks, Madiison... And really, Barry. I think I'd just... like to go to my dorm and go to sleep. It's just... been a bad day."

And Raiden didn't really want to hit his friend.

"If there's really nothing that you need from me... I think I'll go." He turned toward the direction he'd been headed in when Madiison had called his name. "Sorry."

"Hooooookaaaiiii." Di said as she started playing with a lock of her hair. "I should be going too." Chocolate talk was starting to make her HUNGRY.

And third floor corridor was boring.

"Baaiiii!" And with a wave at Raiden and the other boy the redhead headed for the staircase leading up to the seventh floor.

"Ok, if your sure..." said Barry. Well he didn`t want Barrys help but that didn`t mean he wasn`t going to offer it. He needed to reconnect with his freinds "Oh, and if you ever need someone to talk to. If its girl problems or family issues, I`m here for you" Then Barry got ready to leave, giving the girl a nod too in acknowledgement

Girl problems.

A slight shuddering twitch ran up Raiden's spine and his step faltered for a second, but... well. Barry didn't know, so of course he'd say... that.

"Thanks, Barry," Raiden called, giving the guy a little wave over his shoulder, not looking back as he made his way towards the stairs and down toward the common room. This time, he wasn't stopping for anyone or anything. He didn't care if the damn dorms had filled with water again, or been struck by an infestation of pixies.

He was going in there, and he was never coming back out.

Lucy was wondering the castle, and playing with her hair. Twirl, twirl, twirl. Yes, red matched her nicely; even Tyler thought so. Smile smile. But she wondered where that wretched boy was. Hmm. She kept on walking and eventually came to a statue.
"Oh, this looks interesting," She said outloud to no one in particular. And then she touched it, wondering if something would jump out at her. Touch. Nope! Yay, it wasn't evil! And now she examined it closely.
"Hmmm..."

Tyler wandered the halls until he found the person he was looking for. Blondie Red hair, light eyes and fair skin. Yup, he was looking for Lucy. He was tired of the constant bickering these girls had without words. Ha! Tyler finally found Lucy, gazing at the statue. He walked up to her, hopefully with Cadence following behind him. "Luce, I need you and Cadence to talk. I don't wanna be in the middle of this 'fued'," he said and walked closer to her. "For me, please?" he whispered to her and smiled.

Lucy slightly as jumped someone approached her. As she turned, though, she saw that it was only Tyler. "Heyyy--" Stop. He had brought someone with him. Oh great--TRAINGIRL. Ughhh. She listened to Tyler and shook her head, grabbing his robes. "What?! What do we need to talk about?" She whispered back urgently.

Tyler stumbled closer to Lucy as she grabbed his robes. "About why am I caught in the middle of this fake fued when you people barely say two words to each other," he said and took Lucy's hand from his robe. "Do you honestly want me to handle this my way?" he asked, with a smirk on his face. "Trust me, you don't want that,"

Cadence followed behind Tyler, having to take two steps for every one of his. She hated being short sometimes. And then she came to a halt behind him. He was talking to some redheaded girl. Who was it and why was she... Lucy?! Oh Merlin! Did they have to do this now? Cadence had nearly drowned earlier? Okay, she probably couldn't play that card since she assured Tyler she was fine.

She stepped out from behind him, playing nervously with her hair, watching their exchange. Well, if it had to be done, then it had to be done. For the sake of her and Tyler's friendship... and Cady's sanity.

Lucy glared at him, thinking his question over. His way? What was that? Maybe she shouldn't risk it. She reached for his hand again, and held onto it as she peered around at TrainGirl. Gulp.
"Hello there, Tra--" Whoops, wrong name. "I mean, Cadence," She said in a fake cheerful voice.