[A/N: Oliver looks on through the glass and is afraid of what he sees. Percy is having problems of his own. Marcus confronts the prefect with whom he has a grudge with. Xanne has some questionable thoughts.]



Ch. II: Repercussions

Oliver saw them in the Great Hall the next morning, a lot more curious about their relationship after the previous day's events. Xanne was clutching his arm as if it would fall off. Flint.his expression was as arrogant as ever. There was no doubt in Oliver's mind what had gone on down in the Slytherin Dungeons that night.

"Leave it alone Wood," came a curt voice from behind. Percy Weasley stood there with a particularly sour expression on his face. "Those Slytherins are none of your business."

"Gee Perce," Oliver said, slightly amused. "The Head boy, of all people, being prejudiced toward the Slytherins.tsk, tsk."

"Oh sod off Wood," he replied. "You know perfectly well I'm only trying to warn you. I saw the way you looked at that prefect when she passed out in the corridor. Oliver Wood.and a Slytherin?! What would everyone say?"

"What exactly are you implying?" he snapped, perfectly aware that the whole Gryffindor table and about half of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were curiously watching the two friends quarrel.

"You, don't even try to deny it, Wood! I know that look, that look when you care, and it was plastered all over your face!"

"Obviously you can't decipher between 'I want to shag you,' and 'Oh my god, are you okay?!' Dammit Percy, she's badly injured from quidditch!"

"I saw no accident during the game," said Percy, turning up his nose.

"Oh, go read a book!" Oliver shouted as he headed for the door. Once outside, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He found himself once again face to face with the Sixth year Slytherin girl the quarrel between him and his best friend had started over.

"Wood," said a confident voice. "I'd like to.er, apologize for yesterday. I was a bit snippy with you."

"It's fine," he said, rather quickly. "I was just worried yesterday, that's all. Quidditch is brutal."

"Well, I'm feeling much better now, thanks," she said in a final sort of way. She turned to leave.

"I'm sure you are," Wood muttered, sarcastically.

"Excuse me," she rounded angrily on him. Her dark eyes were blazing.

"Oh, don't be daft," he glared at her. "It's obvious what happened last night. Flint almost killed you, shagged you to make it better, and now everything's just peachy keen."

"Where do you get off-?"

"Xanne," said a deep voice behind her. She turned to find Marcus.

"Speak of the devil," Oliver muttered.

Xanne, on the other hand was rather pleased to see him. She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him right there in the doorway. She grabbed his arm and made as to steer him to a more private locale. Both Slytherins looked back over their shoulders. Xanne's look conveyed great satisfaction. Flint's wasn't hard to read at all. His clearly stated 'mine' as he tightened his arms around the girl's waist (apologizing profusely as she winced in pain).

* * * 'Sometimes people just don't know what's good for them,' thought Percy. He had taken Oliver's advice and gone to read a book.

"Damn," he swore out loud, slamming "So, you Want to be the Next Minister of Magic" by Emerick Entwhistle down on the table.

"Something wrong Percy darling?" he looked up to find his girlfriend Penelope Clearwater staring back at him.

"No Penny dear," he said in his most aristocratic way. "Just a little tense, N.E.W.T.s are coming, you know?"

"Not for six months Percy," she smiled warmly and took a seat beside him before getting a little bit edgy herself. "Aren't you going to ask me if anything's wrong?"

"Why would I? You seem perfectly fine Penelope."

"Well, maybe because there is something wrong Percy."

"What is it," he gasped in mock concern. "What could possibly be ailing you my little sugar plum fairy?"

"Percy," she began. Percy braced himself; she didn't look like she'd be shutting up any time soon. "When's the last time you and I kissed?"

"Er-."

"Exactly!" she smacked her hand down on his book. "I barely even see you anymore, Percy Weasley! And when I do see you, we're either around my Ravenclaws or your Gryffindors. Either that or we're alone and you treat me like I'm your sister."

"Actually, I talk to Ginny quite a lot more than I talk to you, Clearwater."

"Clearwater! You've never called me Clearwater before! What the hell's wrong with you Percy?"

"What's wrong with me? You can't even begin to imagine what's wrong with me. With being Head Boy and all."

"Percy, I'm Head Girl, I know what it's like and that is not what's bothering you!" she fixed a worried glance on the boy. He ran his fingers through his straight, dark red hair.

"I can't talk about it."

"Nonsense Percy, we've always told each other everything," she put her arm around him and he roughly shook it off.

Percy stood up and grabbed his book off the table. Brutally shoving it into his bag, he turned to her.

"Don't owl me!" with that, he turned and walked away slowly, as not to attract any more attention.

"I love you Percy," she yelled after him, earning a reproving glare from Madam Pince.

"That'll have to change," and with that, Percy Weasley left the library, and any romantic future with Penelope Clearwater.

He simply walked away. He'd probably never know that she cried herself to sleep for the next three nights. Her Ravenclaw friends tried to make her feel better by offering to let her do their homework, but she politely declined. Her love of two years was lost. She regretted the breakup, but didn't give any second thoughts to it, as it was his decision not hers. She made no further inquiry to what was troubling him.

* * *

"I think I'm going to have a word with Wood," Marcus Flint had that look in his eye again. He looked over to his former teammate and sighed.

"Flint, that's not what we're here to talk about," said the prefect in a businesslike manner. Terrence Higgs looked the part of the prefect. Flaxen hair that fell loosely in his face, blue eyes so bright that he looked cheerful even in the most grave of circumstances. One thing Flint never understood was why the boy had been put in Slytherin. Never, that is, until he had witnessed the boy play quidditch. He had ruthlessness about him that only Flint could rival on the pitch. But things had changed and certain exceptions were made for players that could benefit the team. Higgs had been cut; Lucius Malfoy's son replaced him, bringing new brooms and a seemingly unshakeable losing streak.

But Higgs wasn't talking about that. He had temporarily slipped into prefect mode and was getting dangerously close to crossing the Percy Weasley line of exaggeration.

"Marcus, you've been here long enough, you understand the rules," he cast a pleading look over his surly housemate. "Never.for any reason, are you allowed to have someone of the opposite sex in your dormitories. You not only broke the rule you shattered it! She was in your bed! You weren't clothed, that's a given."

He rouged a color that even Weasley himself probably wasn't used to. Looking down at his feet, he continued his scolding.

"I know what went on," he said gruffly. "And it's against the rules in itself. I don't know whether to take away house points or just go straight to Dumbledore."

"You could just go to Snape," Flint offered, looking quite hopeful.

"Why? So he can congratulate Slytherin's golden couple on a job well done? I think not."

"You don't even know what happened!"

"I'm sure I do. I'm not a child after all," he stared determined into the older boy's eyes.

"You obviously don't know what it's like to be in love," he roared. "Xanne and I are in love!"

"I guess I don't. Normally, people don't intentionally endanger the lives of people they love," he eyed Flint's astonished expression. "Yes.I know. Montague told me."

Fling made a mental note to have a word with his keeper. Zeke Montague had made a big mistake. Perhaps old Monty would like some suicides of his own.

"No more, Flint, that's not the way to run a quidditch team," he said matter of factly.

"Like you'd know anything about it Higgs! As I recall, Snape chose me over you fifth year."

"You were older. I won't talk about this now, Flint. I'll let you off with a warning," he had a look of defeat in his blazing blue eyes. "Good luck at the game next week. Tell that Malfoy boy to focus, Slytherin could use a win."

Higgs started towards the door of the common room. He stopped short as someone walked in.

Xanne Malloy entered, looking curiously from Higgs' worried expression to Marcus' surly one.

"Alright Terrence?" she smiled warmly.

"Fine Xanne," he answered a little less chipper than usual. He then leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. He stepped back and she nodded solemnly. Terrence looked back at Marcus one more time before sighing and leaving the room.

"What did he say," Marcus asked her forcefully.

"He told me that Callie'd be having a word with me sometime." Callie Dunnon was the other seventh year prefect, not as intense as Higgs, but close. Xanne being a prefect herself would either get in twice the trouble or none at all. She had a way with words and got out of things often, but Marcus wasn't sure if the older girl would let her slide. After all, Dunnon was a Slytherin, as sharp as ever.

"What else," he calmed a bit as she lay down on the couch, legs draped over his lap.

"That I could talk to him whenever I need to," she looked worried at the utterance of those last words.

"You don't need Higgs," he said flatly. His dark smile then cleared the air. "You've always got me."

'Until I screw up in the next quidditch game,' Xanne thought before she could stop herself. What was she thinking? She loved Marcus more than life itself; she couldn't let these thoughts plague her like that.

*****

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[Is Xanne having second thoughts? In the next chapter you'll find out about her and Marcus's past. Marcus also has a little chat with the Gryffindor quidditch captain.]