- Chapter 19 -

Changes

The next morning found students and faculty alike bustling about, getting ready for the weekend trip into Hogsmeade. Willow was excited because she had coerced Severus into accompanying her and Remus was coming along as well. Willow figured with two powerful, and not to mention handsome, wizards on her arm, no one would even attempt to touch her. She came out of her chambers, only to run headlong into a grinning Harry. Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Brandy trailed along behind him with smiles on their faces as well.

"Good morning, Willow. Going to the Great Hall for breakfast?" Harry asked.

Willow nodded. "Yep, sure am."

"Mind if we go with?"

Willow smiled. Severus had spent all night in her chambers with her, but had left before dawn for propriety's sake, so she didn't mind the company at all. She nodded.

"Sure, come on." She said, as she started walking up the corridor. The group of teens followed, all chattering about what their plans were for that day.

~*~

As soon as Willow entered the Great Hall, she felt eyes settle on her. Thinking it was Severus, she looked up from the conversation she had been having with Brandy about life in Sunnydale--only to find Draco Malfoy's silver eyes trained intently on her. Willow looked into those eyes and felt an oddly familiar sense of recognition run through her body.

What the hell?

"Um, guys?" Willow said quietly, still not taking her eyes from Draco's. "Guess I'd better get to my table now. See you all in Hogsmead."

Harry gave Willow a weird look, but didn't say anything.

"Sure, Willow. See you in a bit." Ron said cheerfully, as he took Brandy and Ginny by their hands and walked with them to the Gryffindor table.

"Willow, is something wrong?" Hermione asked, a bit worried at the way Harry was staring at Willow and Willow was staring at Malfoy.

Draco looked away just then and Willow blinked, turned back to Harry and Hermione with a confused look on her face.

"I don't know." Willow replied, then smiled. "But I'm going to find out."

With that, Willow made her way over to the Slytherin table, shocking everyone there when she sat down right beside Draco Malfoy. Draco looked up at her innocently.

"Good morning, Willow."

Willow wasn't buying it though. "See something interesting, Draco?"

Draco looked slightly affronted. "Why Willow, I don't know what you mean."

"I mean," Willow felt herself becoming aggravated. Which seemed to happen every time she conversed with the blonde Slytherin. "Why were you staring at me when I came in here? What's the deal, Malfoy?"

A smirk crept onto Malfoy's lips as he replied. "No deal, Rosenberg. I didn't realize you weren't allowed to look up when someone entered the Great Hall."

Willow's anger faltered. Was that really it? Had she just been startled by that feeling and had read too much into his looking at her? She thought about it for a moment, then turned back to Draco.

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to jump down your throat, it's just that..." Willow trailed off, not knowing how to explain about the feeling. Had he felt it too?

"Don't worry about it. Get that reaction alot these days. I wanted to apologize to you about the other day. Didn't mean to push, I just thought it would be nice, you know, to hang out." Draco shrugged. "But it's all right, I understand."

Willow blinked. Draco was apologizing? That didn't sound like the Draco Malfoy Harry and all the others had described. According to them, Malfoy never apologized...ever. But here he was, all apologetic and stuff. It was sort of endearing. Why shouldn't she give him a chance? Where would be the harm in that?

"Apology accepted, Draco. Listen, if you want, we could get that butterbeer later on. I'm sure Severus and Remus wouldn't mind if you joined us." Willow gave a little smile.

"Um, I don't think I'm going to go." Draco looked from Willow to his food.

Willow looked at him strangely. "Not going to go? Why would you want to hang around here? If we're going to attempt this trying to be friends thing, then I need you to meet me halfway here."

Draco couldn't believe it, she was really extending an offer of friendship to him. Draco fought against it, he really did, but it just couldn't be contained. He smiled. A true smile split Malfoy's face. A Hufflepuff girl, who just happened to glance that way, nearly fell out of her seat when she saw it.

~*~

"Bloody Hell!"

Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Brandy all looked at Ron. He was staring across the room, mouth gaped open in awe. They, plus many other Gryffindor's who had heard Ron's exclaimation, followed his gaze. A collective gasp rose up as they saw what had prompted Ron's outburst.

"Is that Malfoy?" Seamus Finnigan, who was sitting on Harry's left, whispered.

Harry arched a brow as he replied. "Well, I think it is. I mean, it kinda looks like him, but he's smiling so it kinda hard to tell."

~*~

At the head table, another person was taking in this surprising event with an arched brow. Severus, having noticed the way Malfoy had been keeping an eye on the entrance doors, had wondered who the young Slytherin was looking for. He had been astonished, to say the least, when Willow had walked in, followed by her little fanclub, and Draco's eyes had shot to her. He had been puzzled even more when Willow had caught Malfoy's gaze, held it, and then proceeded to join the young man at the table.

From under hooded lids, Snape had taken in the interaction of Willow and Draco and was quite shocked when the blonde had broken out into a smile that Snape could not recall having ever seen grace the young man's face. Something strange was going on here, and he was damned well going to find out what it was. Severus rose and made his way around the head table; his robes billowed out at his quick pace. He made his way down the aisle between the far wall and the Slytherin table, coming to stand right behind Willow and Draco, who were still chatting away as if they were old friends.

Willow was just beginning to fill Draco in on the time that her vampire doppleganger had came to this reality and she'd had to impersonate it to save a bunch of people, when she felt the presence of someone standing behind them. She had just taken note of it, when that silky voice, that had had her shivering in delight only the night before, was hissing menacingly in her right ear.

"Miss Rosenberg. A word, if you please, outside."

"Eep!" Was the only answer Willow was capable of at that moment. Draco's eyes had widened when he'd noticed Snape, and was now looking at Willow with a worried expression. Willow gave the boy a weak, but reassuring smile, then succeeded in nodding as she rose from her seat to follow the obviously irked Potions Master out of the Great Hall.

The instant they were in the corridor and the Great Hall's doors were closed behind them, Snape whipped around and glared at Willow. Gone was the tender lover from the night before. The man who was standing before her now, was a man totally overtaken with jealousy.

Uh, oh. Willow thought. What have I done to piss off Cranky Pants now? And to think, I thought we were past all this.

"Miss Rosenberg..." Snape started off, but Willow interrupted.

"Oh, so now it is Miss Rosenberg? After all the 'dearest Willows' and the 'oh babys' last night?"

Snape said nothing for a moment, merely arching an elegant brow at the mention of the occurances of last night.

"That was private, this is..decidedly not." Snape purred.

"Oh, it's not, huh?" Willow's voice took on a bit of a sarcastic tone. "Severus, what is wrong with you? All I did was talk to Draco. He was being all nice and apologetic and kind of charming. B-b-but that doesn't give you the right to pull me out of there like a child in need of a scolding. I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

Severus' expression softened as Willow spoke. Why was he mad anyway? She was allowed to make friends, even if it were Potter and his bunch. But Malfoy? It just didn't seem likely, even though Draco was in Slytherin. He pondered over this for a minute more before sighing.

"No, I suppose you haven't." He said grudgingly. "But just be careful around Malfoy, love. He's too much like his father to be friend material."

For some reason, Willow disagreed with that. For all that had happened before, Willow suddenly felt the urge to trust Draco.

"I don't know, Severus. Something is telling me he's changed."

Snape looked at Willow curiously. "How do you mean?"

"I... I don't really know. I just feel it. And I have always made it a point to follow my instincts. I mean, I followed them before, and look at me now. I'm at a wonderful school that's teaching me to control my darkness. Plus, I have you. Hey, if that's not a bonus, I don't know what is."

Snape tried to hide the smile that came to his lips. Willow noticed though, and smiled back.

"See there, if I can get you, of all people to smiling, then why is it so surprising about Draco?"

That did it. The smile broke free on Severus' face, causing his features to become all the more attractive.

"See? A total babe." Willow beamed at the sight of him smiling.

That comment had Snape blushing. Slightly, but still blushing.

"So... you and Malfoy are friends now?" Severus asked once he had stopped blushing.

Willow thought for a moment. Were they? She had offered for him to join she, Severus and Remus at the Three Broomsticks later on. Hmm...she supposed that, yes, she and Draco Malfoy were now friends. Then another thought hit Willow. Man, was Harry and the others going to be pissed.

~*~

TBC...