"FINE!" Ginevra Weasley's voice rang through the entrance hall before she appeared, "I DON'T NEED A WAND TO KILL SOMEONE!" She ran down the stairs, hair streaming out behind her.
There were only a handful of students in the area at the time, but they all immidiately ceased their own conversations to watch the tableux quickly unfolding.
Ginny was furious. A mountain troll would have taken one look at her face and gotten out of the way. Her brother Ron was running after her, well, stumbling was more like it. He appeared to have been recently hit in the stomach.
"Ginny! WAIT!" Hermione yelled from behind Ron, trying to point her wand as she ran. She seemed to be toying with the idea of hexing younger the girl.
By the time Harry reached the top of the stairs, Ginny was halfway down. Doing some quick thinking, Harry managed to beat her down by way of the banister. As he hopped down, he grabbed her around the waist and winced as she immidiately elbowed him in the ribs. He managed to hold on, but it was difficult with all the thrashing she was doing.
"I'LL KILL HIM!" she yelled as she tried to kick Harry in the shins, it was just to make him let her go. "LET ME GO!"
"Well, what have we here?" Draco Malfoy sauntered over to where Ron was now trying to help Harry calm his sister down. "And who is it we plan on killing?"
"DEAN THOMAS!" came the answer, with an added "LET...ME...GO!"
"What happen? Finally give in and then wake up alone?" Malfoy taunted, highly amused by the crazed red-head.
Ginny froze, completely stopped struggling. Ron and Harry both turned their attention to Malfoy as well, previously too occupied to pay any attention to their rival. She took advantage of their distraction and broke free.
Momentarily diverted from her main target, she raised her hand to slap Malfoy, but he caught it deftly. She went to punch him with the other hand and he managed to catch it around the wrist as well.
"For your information," Ginny stared him in the eye, now deadly calm, her words like ice, "I ditched him. He used that pathetic line 'if you love me,'" bitterness filled her voice. "So I told him 'Well, guess I don't' and walked, went home. Mum's sick and they needed my help for the evening. I get back this morning and he's told half the school that I threw myself at him. More than that, that for someone of my experience I'm certainly not worth the time! NOW LET ME GO!" She tried to twist out of his grasp but he held tight.
He just watched her a moment with an odd expression on his face, completely ignoring her brother's order to release her even though he had been struggling to contain her.
Finally Malfoy sighed. Looking over at Harry, he said, "Think you can hold on to her this time?"
Ginny stopped struggling in surprise, again. Harry nodded and placed his hands on her upper arms, ready to tighten his grip if he needed to.
Malfoy rolled his eyes and released her wrists. All four of the others followed silently as he made his way toward the Great Hall.
It was a Saturday morning. Not many people were at breakfast. Dean Thomas, though, however unfortunate for him, was.
Malfoy approached him. Harry kept Ginny in check by the door, Ron and Hermione standing by in case she made another break for it.
"So," Malfoy addressed Thomas, gaining the attention of all the other early risers, doubling the size of the audience as those from the entrance hall filed in, "I heard what you did to the Weaslette."
"Yeah?" Thomas turned around and looked up at the Slytherin. "It's not that big of a deal," he said smugly, obviously proud of himself. Ginny began struggling against Harry again, but she settled down when he continued so she could hear. "And not worth it either, though if you're interested I'm sure she's looking for someone knew now."
A barely controlled scream issued out of Ginny's throat and Ron had to help Harry keep her back.
"No," Malfoy ignored the commotion in the doorway, "I think you misunderstood me. I said I heard what you did to the Weaslette, not with. And they say my father's a bastard, he at least taught me how to treat a lady." His words were perfectly smooth and conversational, but as soon as he had finished speaking, before Thomas could blink, he had grabbed the other boy by the front of his robes and pulled him around to his feet. Thomas hadn't even gotten his feet under him correctly when he found himself on the ground. He didn't even noticed the pain in his jaw until he noticed Malfoy shaking out his hand.
Everyone in the hall just stared.
Thomas gingerly touched his face and stretched out his jaw. "A lady? You call that a lady? She's a cheap tramp that leads you on and then throws you on your ass when you decide to go for it."
Malfoy honestly looked like was about to lung when a serious of yells were heard from the entrance and he looked up to see that Ginny had broken free and was charging. Acting mostly on reflex, Malfoy grabbed her on the waist as she went to run past him and had to spin her around to keep his grip do to her speed.
"LET ME GO!" she yelled.
"Um, let me think...No," he answered coolly.
She struggled wildly in his grasp. "LET ME GO SO I CAN KILL HIM!"
"Tell me he's worth it."
She stopped fighting. "What?"
"Tell me he's worth expulsion, having your wand broken, and being forbidden to do magic for the rest of your life," he answered calmly, still holding her tightly.
She relaxed in his arms quite a bit, but was still glaring at Thomas.
"So, if I let you go now, you'll calm down and forget the prick?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "On one condition, hit him again?"
He just smirked and released her. Grabbing Thomas by the robes once again, he dragged the boy to his feet and drew back a punch.
"MR. MALFOY!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang through the hall.
Malfoy groaned but threw the punch anyway before turning to face the inevitable.
"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall demanded. "Fifty points from Slytherin and a week of detention!" she said before he could answer.
"But Professor!" Ginny spoke up, "He..."
"Forget, Weasley," Malfoy interrupted her harshly and turned to leave.
"NO!" she yelled. Both Malfoy and McGonagall looked at her in surprise. "Professor," she turned to McGonagall more calmly, "He was just defending...my honor. Dean has been spreading rumors about my...our...relationship. Malfoy only punched him because I asked him to," she smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It was either that or I'd kill him."
McGonagall's lips all but disappeared as she surveyed the students before her. "Is this true?" she turned to Malfoy.
He sighed and shrugged.
McGonagall turned to look at Harry, Ron and Hermione who nodded in affirmation. She sighed and persed her lips again. "Well! Fifty points returned to Slytherin and only one night of detention."
"But!" Ginny tried to interject, but she was ignored.
"Mr. Thomas, come with me and we'll stop that bleeding before discussing your punishment." McGonagall practically drug Dean out with her.
"You didn't have to do that," Malfoy practically growled at Ginny, beginning to shake his hand again.
"I know. I just...wanted to thank you," she had calmed down considerably and was a bit uncomfortable and embarassed, as evidenced by her rapidly growing blush.
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it!" Malfoy bit out before storming away.
"Imagine that! A Malfoy doing something nice!" Ron mused, looking after the Slytherin.
