Hey guys! Sorry that it's been a while- exams are over but suddenly there's tonnes going on! Went to my first Uni open-day today- so cool!!

Anyhoo… None of you asked questions :( So no answers to give- just thanks for reviewing.

All go read Becks89, witchlight, shootingstar19 and fanfic-frankie's stories!!

Now, on with mine…

This is a fun chapter- I've wanted to post it for so long!

Chapter 48-Skin

The red eyes gleamed as the laugh echoed all around. Green liquid dripped, and a feeling of horror cut deep into those watching…

Both slayers, on opposite sides of the castle, awoke with a jolt. The dream had been barely more than a flash before their eyes just before they awoke, but both remembered it vividly, not that it told them anything particularly significant. They each shook off the feeling of dread, took a shower, and headed down to breakfast.

They were early, it being a Sunday, and most students making the most of the weekend lie-in. Just as Buffy reached the bottom of the marble stairs into the entrance hall, Faith came up from the Slytherin corridor.

"Hey B." She greeted.

"Hey… bad dream?" Buffy asked. Faith smirked,

"How'd you guess?" She asked sarcastically.

"Any idea what it means?"

"Other than Voldemort likes green? Not a clue." Faith sighed. They entered the great hall to find that there were only a couple of people there, over on the Ravenclaw table. Faith shrugged, and followed Buffy to the Gryffindor table, finding the concept of sitting on her house table when there was no one else here utterly stupid.

"So, you know about the team yet?" Buffy asked.

"Nope. It's goin' up this morning, and I doubt Montague is up yet."

"Not many people are." Buffy yawned.

"Friggin dreams." Faith moaned in agreement.

They ate some toast, chatting about quidditch, classes and slaying, their voices getting quieter as students began to fill the hall. When Faith saw that many Slytherins were down, and giving her odd looks, she sighed, "I guess I better…" But she was cut off by the entry of the scooby gang. Giles sat down on one side of her, Xander on the other, while Will and Oz sat opposite with Buffy. Faith got very interested in her toast, before saying, "Erm, yeah, I gotta go." And standing to leave.

Half way across the entrance hall, she heard Xander call out,

"Hey, Faith."

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"What?"

"Are you avoiding me or something?"

"Why would I be avoiding you?"

"I don't know." He replied, "That's the thing."

"I'm not avoiding you." She said, and kept walking. Xander ran to catch up,

"Now, see, that indicates avoidance."

Faith stopped again, and sighed in frustration.

"Is this cos of yesterday?" Xander asked, "Because, I didn't mean to be… I didn't…"

"You really think you could have made anything happen if I didn't want it?" Faith said before considering the words. Xander gaped at her. "I mean…" She said quickly, "I mean, it's not like you forced it or anything… I'm not angry, if that's what you're thinking. You know me… it was skin, that's it." She tried to keep walking, but in a movement that would not long ago have been very dangerous, Xander stepped in front of her.

"It's not." He said.

"Not what?"

"That simple."

"Of course it is."

"No, you said it yourself… it was different." He insisted. Even Xander wasn't sure why he was so into this, why he kept pushing it, but never the less he did.

"It was nothing." Faith snapped, "Why would it be? It was meaningless, just a kiss. Why would it be anything more? I told you, it's just skin."

"Why do you insist on shutting people out? What the hell is with this phobia of letting people care?"

"That's bull, Xander, you don't have a clue what you're talking about. Now get outta my way." She pushed past him, into the corridor, but he followed,

"Faith, please, would you just talk to me?"

"What, cos of our connection?" She said bitterly, "You do remember how that went last time, right?"

"That was different." Xander said. "Look… I know I'm not exactly your type, and I'm not trying anything, I swear. Like you say, its not as if I could anyway. I just… I know how much you're hurting inside, all I want to do is help."

"Well you can't." Faith said hollowly.

Xander couldn't think of anything to say. He just starred at the back of her head, wishing there was something, anything, he could do.

"Aren't you going tonight?" Faith asked without turning around.

"Tomorrow morning." He replied.

"Right." She said, still not turning. It sounded very final. She took a step away from him, but suddenly turned back. Half of her was screaming NO! But her body wouldn't listen. She stepped up to Xander, and threw her arms around his neck as he caught her in another kiss. She backed up against a wall, allowing no thought in but that of the feeling of his lips against her own, and his fingers in her hair. Neither of them knew how long it was before they parted. For a moment, she just looked up at him, and then she pushed him away, and set off down the corridor, ignoring his calls. She hurried round two corners before flattening herself against the wall, hands clenched, and unable to understand the tears building in her eyes. She prayed that he wouldn't follow.

Xander strode round the first corner, but paused at the next. Faith had run away. He was leaving tomorrow… and she clearly didn't want this anyway. Like she said so often, its just skin to her, it means nothing. Sure it felt like more to him, and it looked to him as if it meant more than that to her… but that's what he thought before, and could he have been more wrong? He sighed dejectedly, and turned away.

At the sixth year defence class that evening, Faith once again had come along, but sat silently to one side. Buffy didn't understand it as no matter what was bothering her, Faith tended to pretend nothing was wrong- in fact, the worse she felt, the more cheerful she was likely to be… but Buffy just continued her lesson. The sixth year were coming along well, Harry, Neville, Ron and Hermione especially, but others too- even Draco Malfoy was getting pretty good. Each could easily disarm each other, and throwing off an attacker from behind was no problem. Hermione had nearly crippled Ron when he had been stupid enough to hug her from behind at the beginning of the class. She spent several minutes apologising, while Harry, Neville and several others just laughed.

"I'm gonna get jokes about this forever." Ron moaned, refusing help up.

"I really am sorry."

"Yeah yeah."

"You ok, Ron?" Buffy had asked.

"Fine." He snapped irritably.

"Ok then…"

At the end of the class, while everyone else filed out, the small group stayed back with Buffy. She grinned at Ron and Hermione,

"You have that flip down perfect." She told Hermione, who blushed, and nodded,

"Thanks." While Ron glared.

"Seriously though, you guys are pretty wicked- I wouldn't wanna meet you on a dark night."

"Ok, now that's patronising." Harry stated. Buffy rolled her eyes,

"I'm serious! I'm not saying I couldn't kick your butts, cos obviously I could, I'm just saying it might not be as easy as it would with most people."

"Thanks." Harry said sarcastically. They began walking out, Faith trailing along behind. Buffy gave her a brief worried look, but Faith frowned at her and then forced a smile.

"Five by five." She said.

"Heard that before." Buffy murmured, but didn't push it.

"You finished that Potions?" Harry was asking Hermione. She made a face,

"Almost. I'm going to head to the library, actually, see if I can find that book he mentioned."

"Want me to come?" Ron asked. Hermione grinned, knowing what answer he was hoping for.

"That's ok." She replied, "I wont be long. I'll see you down at dinner." She headed down the next staircase, while the rest of them continued, though Faith paused, looking back the way they'd come. Draco Malfoy was standing in the shadows. He knew she'd seen him, but turned away. Faith glanced over her shoulder, and seeing that the others had gone on, she followed him.

"What were you doing?" She asked.

"Walking." He replied, "That a crime now?"

"Skulking more like." She said, falling in step beside him, noticing that one hand was in his pocket, and it looked like it was clenched, as if her was holding something.

"I was just walking, and found myself right behind that lot, so I stopped, and turned round."

"Whatever." Faith scoffed.

"I saw you this morning." He said, "Sitting with that lot, at the Gryffindor table."

"So? Am I meant to be intimidated?"

"Most Slytherins would die before sitting there."

"They're stupid then." She snapped, "It's a table."

"You just don't understand how this place works, do you?" He snapped, "How this world works. None of you do. You may be pure blood, but you're really just a muggle. You, Granger, you're all just the same, a disgrace to the name of witchcraft." His hand fiddling with whatever was in his pocket, she caught a tiny glimpse of something green. Then he shoved his hand back down, and whirled, marching off back the way they'd come. Faith chuckled, shaking her head, and murmuring,

"Drama queen." She kept on in the same direction, working her way round to rejoin the main stairs to find the great hall.

Hermione left the library with the book she needed, and a couple of extras tucked into her bag, which was slung over her shoulder. Glancing at her watch, she realised she was more than a little late for dinner, and quickened her pace. Suddenly, with a loud ripping sound, the bottom of her bag gave way, and books cascaded out. Cursing, she crouched to retrieve them. She frowned as a vaguely familiar hand picked one up and handed it too her. Hermione looked up, and gasped. In one movement, Draco Malfoy shoved her back up against the wall, his forearm across her chest, and a hand clapped over her mouth. She uttered a muffled scream, but no one was there to hear.

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:D hehehe, dun dun duuun! Any guesses about what happens?

grins

Review please!!