Author's Note: This is a long chapter, but I hope it makes up for the fact I haven't written in awhile. But let me just say, writing this chapter was worth all the homework I shirked for it. :) Enjoy!

It had been about a month since the homecoming dance and Willow felt like she was living in a dream. Barty's niceties hadn't faded like she had expected, but it was all just too good to be true. At first she didn't know what to except from him since his mood swings were like the weather. When he first talked to her he was a terrible bastard and the next he was all sunshine and roses and then overnight he became her best friend (although don't tell that to Faith.) She didn't know why she was so quick to trust him, it had to be more than that charming smile after all. But he showed her what he really looked like on the inside and in turn she had to do the same. She didn't know why he was so quick to trust her when he was so afraid of anyone else finding out what he had told her. He even constantly reminded her not to tell anyone for weeks afterwards.

He was such a strange person, she had never met anyone like him. He was so fidgety for a long time and worried constantly that she was going to shoot him in the foot the first moment he turned his back. He had let her in but it took him this whole month to lighten up and begin to trust her. For a long time he had nit picked at her every day, wanting constant reassurance that she wasn't going to beat him with the stick he had accidently given her. She always reassured him, and then the next day he would ask again, and the cycle continued. He even told her one day that if she was going to betray him to just get it over with now. Quick like ripping off a band-aid.

Then three days ago he just stopped. She didn't realize he hadn't asked her until it was night and she was tucked up in bed, dreaming away about him as was her habit lately. She had promised herself she wouldn't fall for him, but he was everything she had dreamed of for so long. When he wasn't being self-conscious and a worrywart he was the sweetest boy ever. They talked and talked and talked some more. He not only listened to her, he wanted to know everything she didn't tell him as well. He wasn't exactly shy either, he shared practically every thought that popped into his head. She felt like she was his release from the dark world he lived in, because whenever she saw him around Bella and his other friends she noticed how he didn't say much, but around her his floodgates opened and you couldn't pay him to shut up. Chocolate frogs, history homework, broomsticks, lunch, squeaky shoes… it was a never ending swirling vortex, sometimes she felt like she was inside his brain. She knew that if she wasn't so enamored with him he would be annoying.

Yet she was, and she couldn't help it. She hung off his every word and he off hers. It was a very strange relationship they had. She felt like his addiction, like now that he had this outlet where someone actually listened to him, he couldn't give it up. They had to make time to spend with each other because he was very concerned with keeping her away from his friends, or more specifically Bella. In his mind he was convinced that something bad would happen if he had the two of them conversed for more than a minute and Willow was nearly convinced as well. He couldn't tell her why Bella apparently had such a grudge against her, but she knew that was because he didn't know himself, not out trying to keep something from her. Whenever she talked with Faith about it she would laugh to herself and refuse to tell her what was so funny, but she had a feeling she had some idea about Bella's true motives and wasn't letting on.

Faith didn't care too much for Barty either, and out of all her friends Faith's was the only opinion that really mattered. Faith was still convinced he was out to hurt her no matter how long he hung around, how nice he was, and how much he confided in her. So therefore they had to keep each other away from their friends, so whenever they spent time together, they had to spend it alone, which Willow had no complaints about. She liked having him all to herself. This way they could tell each other whatever they wanted without anyone else listening in. No Faith making snide comments, no Bella shooting death glares at her. They were better off just the two of them, and Willow didn't mind all the individualized attention.

Over a month they had worked out all the kinks in their friendship and when was best to see each other and when it was best to be alone or with there friends. Meal times, class and after curfew seemed to be the easiest times to spend with their friends. They spent every potions class together though amusing each other and astounding Slughorn with their skills. Whenever they found free time they had taken to wondering the grounds together and exploring or just sitting under their now favorite oak tree and talking endlessly. When the weather was bad they sat in the library whispering to each other over ancient books and trying to avoid being scolded by the librarian.

Every moment they had together was perfect, and she wanted it to last forever, yet she still had this terrible feeling it was all going to fall apart. Like the novelty of the special friendship they had was going to wear off, or he was going to get tired of her, or discover that he could have this kind of relationship with Bella or worse, a romantic relationship with her enemy, and where would she be then? Kicked to the side and forgotten about like she never existed. She dreaded all these things yet every day he smiled brightly when he saw her and seemed even more enthusiastic about the pointless things he had thought about that he needed to catch her up on. He was even beginning to experiment with hugging more. It was still rare for him but every once in awhile he would give her a parting embrace, especially on the days where the time seemed to go by in an instant and she felt like it was almost painful for him to have to leave her when he was so unsatisfied. She sometimes hoped for those days, because those were the days he pulled her into his arms and held onto her awkwardly as he still didn't know how to properly hold her in his arms, but she didn't mind. His arms were always warm and comforting and he held onto her like he didn't want to let go but eventually his arms slipped away and she was left alone.

They were getting used to each other, for a long time there was a bunch of uncertainty, especially with him asking her every day if she was going to backstab him. Then he stopped and the past three days had been better than ever. An ugly weight seemed to have been lifted off of him and he seemed more cheerful and confident when he was around her, like he was finally fully reassured that she wasn't going to leave him and he had a real friend he could count on. It seemed extremely important to him that he always have this, someone to talk to and confide in, and she was just ecstatic it was her.

Today was an exceptionally sunny day, the perfect day to be outside, yet Willow was sentenced to an entire afternoon in the dungeon. Double potions was never more appealing though, as she was partnered with the most handsome boy in their year, at least in her eyes. She even arrived early out of her excitement despite the fact that Barty was always only just on time like all Slytherins. No matter all his charms he was a Slytherin at heart. His jokes sometimes were dirty and cruel and he wondered why she didn't think they were funny in the way he did, but she had gotten used to his wicked since of humor and in turn humored him when he was looking for her to laugh at his jokes. She didn't mind his darker side because his light out shown all his darkness. But she also worried slightly because the more comfortable he became around her the less he watched what he said, and sometimes he said terrible things. She wondered just how long she would be able to look the other way.

There was no one else in the potions class when she arrived because everyone else was eager to soak up every last bit of sunshine they could manage before they were forced to go to class, so she sat at her usual desk and pulled out the novel she had been currently reading in her spare time. It was called The Yellow Rose and it was about a girl who falls in love with a ghost. It was a bit cheesy but she was a sucker for anything romantic.

She was so engrossed in her book she nearly jumped out of her seat when someone tapped her on the shoulder. "Faith…" She said when she saw her friend laughing lightly at how high she had gotten her to jump.

"What's up? Why are you sitting here reading, indoors? It's beautiful out today."

"I like being early."

"I'd do anything to not be in this class right now. I'd even play Fang Frisbee with Trevor…" She shuddered a little at the thought. "Then again…"

"Is he still trying to guilt you into hanging out with him Saturday?" Willow asked. It was the schools first trip to Hogsmead this weekend and Trevor had been trying to corner Faith for a week and a half now. He was beyond acting desperate.

"I don't know how many times I've said no to the little dork. And every time I turn a corner he's there with that ridiculous grin on his face, it makes me want to hit him."

"He's not that bad."

"It's easy for you to say, he's not hounding you."

"Not all attention form boys are bad you know."

"You just say that because you've got mister hot to trot on your tail and not the four eyed monster from Mordor."

"He's not on my tail, were just friends."

"I've seen the way he looks at you, he wants to be more than friends in all the worst ways."

"Will you stop it."

"Just because you fancy him…"

"I do not!" She scoffed even though it was pretty much true.

"Oh whatever… you can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me. I'm your best friend, and don't forget it either. I'm not going to let him usurp me just because he gives you free tickets to the gun show."

"He showed me his mussels once, and only because you kept going on about how he didn't have any."

"Whatever… He was all like; look how ripped I am, I can bench press a whole castle, my friends call me Vladimir." Faith mocked, mimicking Barty showing off his mussels. Willow started laughing despite herself and Faith finally let her niggling smile loose. "See, you think my impressions are funny."

"I don't… I really don't." She said laughing harder and Faith tried to control herself as she continued to mime Barty flexing in a number of different ways.

"It's so flattering to know you girls talk about me when I'm not around." Trevor said coming up behind Faith. Willow immediately burst out laughing while a horrified sort of sick look came about Faith's face. "So, double potions, who's excited." He said smiling brightly.

"One, Two, Three… not me." Faith said.

"Your so funny. Isn't she funny?" Trevor asked turning to Willow.

"Yes she is." She said trying to control her laughter. Faith looked like she was about to murder someone. Someone the same height, width and depth as… oh lets say, Trevor.

"Why don't you go set up our station." Faith said, using anything to get him away from her.

"Alright…" He said wondering off to their desk, struggling to carry his caldron, and he thought they were talking about him. And least when Barty showed off there was something to look at.

"You have got to hang out with me Saturday. I can't be left alone with that creepster." Faith said lowering her voice so he didn't overhear.

"Sure, and he isn't that creepy, he's just like an overly excited puppy."

"Yeah… And you have to get some sunshine today. We're all playing Frisbee after dinner, even Captain Creepy over there. We're playing against some Hufflepuffs, it's your duty."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

"Good, we need all the help we can get. They have like five buff guys from their Quidditch team, and all we have is…" She looked over her shoulder at Trevor who had opened a random jar from his supply kit and was smelling it, then pulled away quickly, repulsed by what he had smelled. "Well…"

"I could ask Barty to join us."

"No way."

"Why not…"

"He is intolerable for one."

"How is he worse than…" They both looked over at Trevor who now was looking contently at something at the bottom of his caldron and put his arm in to scratch at whatever he saw there. "That…"

"He can't play, he's not one of us. And secondly, I'd take Captain Creepy over there over Captain Testosterone any day."

"Who are we talking about?" Barty asked appearing at there side, smiling brightly.

"No one important…" Willow quickly lied, smiling at him causing his smile grow even bigger.

"So, how has your day been?" He asked her, but Faith answered him.

"It would be a lot better if this class were suddenly canceled."

"Aw… Come on. It's Potions. Fun fun fun." He said smiling and looking from her back over to Willow.

"That's what I've been saying!!" Trevor said rejoining there little circle, and absentmindedly resting his hand on Barty's shoulder. Barty's head immediate whipped around and his eyes and face darkened, giving Trevor a look that came directly from his Slytherin breeding. Faith immediately wished she was capable of mustering a look like that from the way Trevor's eyes widened with fear.

"Get your hand off me." Barty said in such a deep voice that it was more threatening that if he had yelled. Barty might be the nicest guy around Willow, but he was still a Slytherin at heart and a Slytherin was never just one of the guys. Every Slytherin had a superiority complex and Barty was no exception. There were certain unwritten rules when interacting with a Slytherin and Trevor had just broken a big one.

Trevor slowly removed his hand and looked around like he was trying to find something to say but couldn't so he just turned and went back to his desk. "That… Was… Amazing…" Faith said.

"What was?" Barty asked moving towards his seat and tossing his bag down and getting out his textbook.

"But…" Faith stammered looking from Barty to Trevor.

"Let it go." Willow said. "He's literally unaware of what just happened. It's just how he interacts with the world."

"I want him to teach me how to do that!"

Slughorn picked that moment to enter the class so Faith was forced to go to her seat instead of hound Barty about his evil skills. Willow turned round in her seat so that she was facing forward and Barty scooted his stool closer to hers. She could tell he was dying to talk to her, but Slughorn had begun class and was prattling away about something that only half the class was really listening to, as he was writing the days assignment on the blackboard, there was no need to listen to him.

Barty had taken out some scrap parchment and was busily scribbling notes while Willow stared blankly at the back of Slughorn's head. Then Barty passed the paper he had been writing on to her and she smiled when she realized he had been writing to her.

Hey. How has your day been?

Willow smiled and got out her quill and began writing back to him.

Pretty good. I'm excited there's only one more day until the weekend. How about you?

Okay… I'm excited about the weekend too. First trip to Hogsmead. Are you going?

Yeah! I wouldn't miss it.

We should go together…

Just then Slughorn stopped talking, signaling that it was time to start working. "So, how about it?" Barty asked as Willow got out the ingredients listed on the board. "Or do you already have plans, or don't want to."

"Oh, I'd love to." She replied and he smiled widely, she would never turn down an opportunity to hang out with him. "But I did promise my friend I would hang out with her so she isn't at the mercy of her stalker."

"Are you talking about…" Barty said nodding his head in Faith's direction who had just smacked Trevor on the back on the hand with the handle of her knife for trying to touch her.

"Yeah…" Barty made a slight face.

"I guess I could hang out with the two of you, help you guys shake, that thing. What is his deal anyway?"

"He doesn't understand no means no, and he automatically thinks everyone is his best friend."

"I am not his friend."

"I think you made that clear to him."

"I better have. So what are you planning on doing in Hogsmead? Where do the Ravenclaws hang?"

"Oh… A little bit of everywhere. Browse the shops, have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks." Barty nodded as he crushed some beetles eyes for their potion. "What do the Slytherin's usually do?"

"Oh, about the same, but except our intent is to cause trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Oh, accidently tripping passers by, startling the owls in the Owlery, stealing acid pops from Honeyduke's… Now witch rat tail do you suppose looks more like 9 inches?" He asked holding two up for her to examine.

"That's terrible of you guys."

"What?" He asked looking at her like he didn't know what she was talking about.

"The things you guys do for fun, it's terrible."

"It's not terrible, it's fun."

"I don't think those things sound like fun."

"You just say that because you hang around with stiff shirt Ravenclaw's who don't know how to have real fun." He said half under his breath.

"Well, I'm sorry my friends aren't deceitful underhanded Slytherin criminals." Barty's eyes narrowed at her. She knew he didn't like to be spoken to like that and that he didn't like what she was saying, but she wasn't going to let him insult her friends without getting her own back.

"You know you don't know anything about what Slytherin's are like."

"I know enough from how they've treated me and my house for the past five years. All you want to do it hurt people any way you can. And how do you know what Ravenclaw's are like? We've never done anything to you."

"Yeah, because your chicken shit, and all you can muster is muttering behind your hands as we past."

"We wouldn't have to mutter behind your backs if you weren't so cruel when you're facing us."

"At least we're honest."

"You guys would lie about sun being the moon so long as you gained something from it."

"You don't know anything about us."

"You don't know anything about us either, and you've never cared to either."

"Don't pretend you Ravenclaw's ever given a damn about any of us."

"Don't act like you Slytherin's ever care about anyone but yourselves." She saw Barty bare his teeth in anger at her, ready to explode, but she didn't want to see it. She didn't want him to yell at her again like he had done the first day they has met and he was about to light that fuse. They were about to loose everything they had worked so hard to build if they hadn't already so she turned away from him and to there work. "I think this one is nine inches." She said handing a rat-tail to him who looked like he didn't want to take it and instead yell at her but he gritted his teeth and took it from her and turned away.

They spent the rest of the class in near silence only speaking to each other when it concerned there potion, which got decent marks at the end of the class but it didn't wow Slughorn like they usually did, and they both knew why. Now class was over and Willow hurriedly put away her things. She could tell Barty was itching to speak to her, but she didn't really want to hear whatever he wanted to dredge back up and argue about. She had had two hours to sit next an angry Barty and think and she finally decided she was a bit upset with him. She really liked him and it was painful when he acted hateful, and she just didn't know what she was going to do, about him or herself. She wondered if there was even a point to liking him anymore, maybe it was best to leave him to Bella, or someone else who was like him who liked to fight. She was his opposite, he had made it clear. They didn't belong together, they lived in different houses. Two completely different worlds that should never collide.

So as soon as she had put away all her things she made her way towards the door quickly even though she heard Barty call out her name. She was so stupid to fall for him. Well, not again. He didn't really like her, he just needed someone to talk to. She might as well be his psychiatrist and charge him a dollar an hour.

She hurriedly climbed the stairs out of the basement and was half way to the great hall when she heard someone call out her name. She knew who it was and she didn't want to talk to him so she didn't stop.

"Willow… Stop." Barty called to her and she didn't turn until he caught hold of two of her fingers as he reached for her hand. She stopped and looked at him and he continued to hold onto her pinky and ring finger on her left hand. "I'm really sorry about what I said. I didn't mean to get angry with you. It's just…"

"It's okay, just forget about it…" She said coldly and tried to walk away but he held onto her fingers and pulled her back.

"It's not okay, and you're not okay, and I'm really not okay. I didn't mean what I said… I was just angry. I'm such an angry person and I try not to get angry with you because I know you don't deserve it but it's hard for me. I'm used to being around people who are just like me and we don't hold it back, but I don't want you to be like my friends. I don't want us to argue. I don't want you to turn into someone like me."

"Oh Barty…" And she was falling again.

"And you're right. We are hateful and mean, and we do terrible things and I wish I could be like you. Be innocent and sweet, but I'm just not and I don't know how to be. I don't know why I am the way I am."

"You're not as terrible as you pretend you are."

"No, I'm…"

"I'm sorry about the things I said to you too. I started it, and I shouldn't have. I don't think either of us knows anything about the other's friends."

"I think your right. But I don't hate all Ravenclaw's, I think you're a very cool person."

"And not all Slytherin's are bad I suppose." She said smiling at him.

"Are we alright? I want us to be okay. I don't care about what house you're in or how wicked I can be, I just want us to be together despite it all. I want us to be friends no matter what."

"I think we can do that."

"I don't know what it is about you… but…" He said almost as if he was thinking out loud.

"What?"

"You drive me crazy. You make me feel all these things at once. You make me happy and you frustrate me and you make me smile and my innards feel all warm and fuzzy yet… I like you because you're so different than I am, but I hate you because you don't understand what I go through every day. It's like we live in two different worlds and I don't understand yours and you don't understand mine yet I'll do anything to keep you with me." She gaped at him… He had just said he liked her, but then he followed it up by saying he hated her. Barty never failed at being incapable to understand. What was really going on in that head of his? "Do you forgive me for being the way that I am?"

"Yes. There is nothing wrong with the way that you are."

"Yes there is, but as long as I have you I might be okay. Will you let me make it up to you?"

"Make what up to me?" She said smiling him. "It was just an argument, everyone has arguments."

"But I don't want to argue with you…" He said trailing off but decided against finishing that thought. "Well, will you at least have dinner with me?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, It's a nice day. How about I nick some sand witches and you steal some pasties and we have dinner on the grounds before anyone can steal our tree." He said swinging there joined hands between them gently. He was too adorable to bear. How come every time she vowed to stop falling for him he had to be so irresistible?

"That sounds lovely."

"Great, I'll meet you on the grounds in ten minutes." He said letting go of her hand, but no without first planting a kiss on her temple. She blushed like crazy, but he was already gone and headed off towards the Great Hall. Now she really didn't know what to think. She felt her heart fluttering in a new way and she dreaded what that meant. He was no longer just a crush, she was falling for him in a different way. A new and scary way. Love. So what if he was a scary Slytherin who had anger management issues. Intimidating looked good on him, and he was always apologetic, at least to her. He couldn't help who he was just as much as she couldn't help breathing, but he at least tried for her, and that was all that mattered. She could handle his rage as long as he made up for it in the end, and somehow she knew he always would, at least to her. Whatever they were he wanted it to work, and she did too…

But what were they? They were good friends, but she was falling in love with him and he always gave her those kinds of looks that made it seem like he didn't know what it was he was feeling, but he liked it just the same. The way he sometimes reached for her hand, but only to hold a few fingers, as if just to make sure she was still by his side. Then he kissed her. It wasn't a real kiss, but it felt like something much more than nothing. It sort of reminded her of what muggles call puppy love. She supposed it didn't matter what it meant, he had kissed her, and that's all she wanted to think about right now as she began walking off towards the Great Hall oblivious to the fact that someone had been watching her.

Bella had been standing behind a pillar watching Willow and Barty secretly, and she did not like what she saw.