Full Summary: Ginny hates Draco. Draco hates Ginny. That much has always been obvious to those who know them, and even to those who don't. Then why does Ginny keep having such strange reactions to Draco's touch? And why does Draco seem to think it's her fault? And when did his eyes get so blue? :D Hope you enjoy this little plot bunny!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I do wish I owned Tom Felton, but alas, my luck just isn't that good. ;)
Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy were fighting.
Of course, this didn't come as a surprise to anyone, the two were always rowing about something or other. He would insult her family, she'd insult his, they'd take turns insulting other various aspects of the other person, until at length, they were shooting off spells and hexes. By then, someone would have gotten a professor, or one of the teachers might have just happened upon the scene, and they'd get a heavy dose of detention.
And this particular April afternoon was no exception.
"Weasel!"
"Ferret!"
"Pauper!"
"Stick up the arse!"
"Fire-crotch!"
There was a communal gasp from the rather large crowd that had gathered—that always seemed to gather when a Malfoy/Weasley brawl was underway.
Ginny's face flushed darker than her hair, and she immediately whipped out her wand. In moments, the blond boy was dangling by his right foot, his face turning a delicate shade of pink—the lucky bastard didn't go beet red, since he was pale and blond and a Malfoy (so he said).
With a flick of his own wand, Malfoy set flame to the . . . private regions of Ginny's robes. The fire quickly spread, completely singeing her robes off, and revealing a black, lace bra and a matching pair of knickers. Ginny tried desperately to cover herself up, but people were already taking pictures—where in the name of Merlin's saggy left testicle had they gotten cameras?—and swarming closer.
Mercifully, Professor McGonagall appeared at that moment, her lips becoming a flat line at the sight of an almost-naked Ginny.
"Miss Weasley!" she shouted. "Would you care to explain why you are standing in the middle of the corridor in nothing but your undergarments?"
Ginny scowled. "It's Malfoy's fault!"
"My fault?" he exclaimed incredulously. McGonagall, without looking in his direction, flicked her wand, and he came crashing to the floor, eliciting a few giggles from the crowd. "She's the one who tied me to the bloody ceiling!"
"Language, Mr. Malfoy!"
"Well, she did!"
"Silence!" Ginny felt suddenly afraid for her life. She'd never seen McGonagall so angry before. She was pretty sure she'd spotted a vein popping out on her forehead.
"You two," she gestured to her and Draco. "My office. Now. The rest of you, return to your studies! Immediately!"
The horde of students reluctantly went their way, still taking the occasional picture of Ginny. McGonagall noticed, and conjured a sort of bathrobe for the redhead, which she quickly donned, thanking her headmistress profusely. Then, the three started down the corridor, toward her office. They stopped at the griffin statue, which, to the surprise of the two teens, merely stepped aside without a password. Ginny guessed that it might have had something to do with the look on McGonagall's face.
They were in deep shite.
"Sit!" she ordered as they neared her desk. They did so quickly, while she took her place behind the desk, scowling at each of them, before speaking again.
"This feud of yours has gone far enough!" She gazed sternly at the pair of sulking teenagers for a moment, before continuing. "Therefore, I'm giving you a choice. You may serve detention every single night for the rest of the term—do not look at me like that, Miss Weasley!" Ginny was gaping at the headmistress, her mouth opening and closing, making her look a bit like a fish. "Or, you may choose to resolve your differences. If the two of you can prove to me, in the space of one month, that you can be around each other and not fight constantly, then you will only receive one detention, for tomorrow night. But you must be civil to one another."
"I'd rather be shackled and stuffed in the kitchens with the house elves," Draco said.
"I'd rather be sliced, diced, and served to the giant squid as dinner," Ginny piped in.
McGonagall pursed her lips. "Consider this carefully. Both of you are on your house Quidditch teams. If you choose the first of the two options, that means no practice, no matches, and no victory parties."
Damn it, Ginny thought bitterly, unaware that Draco shared her sentiments exactly.
After a pause, the headmistress nodded once. "I thought so. You will come here each Friday after classes, and I will evaluate your progress. As soon as I am satisfied that you are acting more civilly toward each other, the meetings will cease. If I don't see a significant improvement in your behaviors in the month, I will give you detentions for the rest of the term. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," Malfoy muttered.
"Clear as mud," Ginny grumbled.
"Good. Now, go to your dormitories. Quietly," she emphasized.
They rose from their chairs, neither saying a word, until they reached the corridor.
"Thanks very much, Weasley," Malfoy said in his usual arrogant drawl. "Thanks to you, I'm forced to spend a month with you!"
She turned on him. "You think this is my fault? None of this would have happened if you hadn't set fire to my robes!"
"I wouldn't have set fire to your robes if you hadn't hung me from the ceiling!"
"I wouldn't have hung you from the ceiling if you weren't such a great prat!"
"I wouldn't be such a prat if you weren't such a hopeless, irritating cow!"
"WHY YOU—!"
"What part of quietly do you not understand?"
They whirled around, both blushing (Ginny, a brilliant scarlet blush that dipped below her neckline; Malfoy, just a light smattering of pink on his cheekbones; sometimes, life just wasn't fair) when they saw Professor McGonagall.
"Sorry, ma'am," they chorused.
Her scowl just deepened. "Fine. Just don't speak for now. Tomorrow, you had better start putting forth some actual effort." And she whooshed back up to her office.
Ginny and Malfoy shared a scathing glance, before walking down the corridor in a tense, angry silence.
A/N: Well, there's Chapter 1! I was originally going to write this as a one-shot, but there was just too much I wanted to use! So it'll be a short story, with maybe four or five chapters. We'll see what happens. Don't forget to review! :D