A/N: I did a little bit of editing…

Chapter 1: The Weasly-Malfoy Feud

Ginny meandered down the corridor towards the Fat Lady, enjoying the fact she was back at Hogwarts. As much as she loved the cozy little Burrow, by the end of the summer her mother's constant "Ginevra, why don't you" 's and "Ginny have you tried?" 's were driving her up a wall. No, she didn't really want to do the dishes (not that she had a choice), especially since she wasn't allowed to use magic out of school, nor did she want her mother's fashion tips that ended with "That'll get the boys to notice you dear!" and a wink, as her fashion sense was twenty years out of date at least, and even in her hayday, Mrs. Weasley hadn't been much of a dresser. Ginny preferred to stick to the simple things she liked and knew, her comfortable if slightly large (what else was to be expected from her brothers' hand-me-downs?) sweater and jeans as opposed to the tight skimpy outfits she saw most girls her age wearing. She had a great figure- a nice sized bust, slender waist and hips that were not too large and not to small and silky brilliantly red hair which flowed down her back. She was in no hurry, however to show these things off. She didn't have anyone to impress and wasn't interested that kind of attention anyway. She preferred to concentrate on her studies and if the right guy who would like her for reasons other than her looks (and could get past Ron) happened to fall into her lap, she wouldn't say no.

Her dad wasn't much better. However, instead of ordering her around or trying to tell her how to dress, he always seemed to be explaining some new Muggles artifact he'd acquired. When she was younger, he'd cut down his explanations to the basics, just right for the short attention span of a child. Now that she was older, she got the full lecture. He could go on for hours about a light bulb. The problem was he thought she was interested. But she wasn't. And she was too kind hearted to tell him so. She had seen his reaction when her older brother Percy had expressed his similar feelings. Her fathers face and fallen and flushed as he bumbled about saying "Oh... of-of course. Of course you're not. How silly of me." Then they had stopped talking until Percy had gotten his job at the ministry. Then it wasn't much more than small talk. She didn't want that to happen to her and her father's relationship.

Which was why the arrival of the school year was the perfect solution. She could escape her mother's incessant orders and suggestions and her fathers tiresome rambling with out any fights or hurt feelings. She cheerily said goodbye and hurried on the train with a huge sigh of relief. Two weeks later that feeling hadn't changed, especially with the practically daily owls from home.

Ginny reached the portrait. "Good evening dear! Password?" The Fat Lady asked pleasantly.

"Illuminare" Ginny replied. The painted swung back to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower.

"Ginny! We were just beginning to worry about you!" said an enthusiastic Colin Creevy, pointing to her brother who was immersed in his Transfiguration homework with his friends.

"Yeah, I'll bet!" She said jokingly sarcastic.

"Where have you been?" Creevy demanded.

"Oh, just wandering. Enjoying being here. Away from the Burrow," They laughed. She had told Colin of her treacherously long summer on the Hogwarts Express, making him feel guilty for declining her offer to stay the last week of vacation with her.

"I'm sorry!" He had said. "I wanted to, but my parents had booked that phoenix watching trip a year ago!" She tried to give him an angry look which quickly dissolved into laughter. It was hard to stay mad at him, between the elation of being back at Hogwarts and his sad little puppy face.

To most people, Colin seemed to be a pest, always asking questions and what not. Ginny often told him he should have taken up journalism instead of photography, but he was quite talented at it and intended to stick with just the picture taking. "Yeah, I'm good at the gathering the information part, but I can't write worth a bean!"

They had become friends in their first year. Colin had almost become the first person she had told of the Chamber of Secrets. He had badgered her endlessly about what was wrong with her- picking up emotions seemed to be another talent of his- and she would have given him the whole story had Harry not found her unconscious at Tom Riddle's mercy first.

"Well, you took so long wandering that we don't have a table any more." Colin said

"What do you mean? I thought you left early to get one!" Ginny replied, slightly annoyed, glancing around the room to see he was correct.

"I had one and some seventh years came by and said I was sitting at their table. And I wouldn't just want to accidentally take some ones table and they were so big!" Colin blathered. At 5'5", most people towered over Colin, even though he was a fifth year. Not a confrontational person to begin with, this didn't really help. 'Although,' though Ginny, 'I don't think he's really that short anymore.' Over the summer he appeared to have shot up a few inches and was now a little taller than her 5'7". His shoulders had broadened as well and his voice had stopped cracking. He now spoke in a rich deep tone. Ginny would have swooned if they weren't so close he was practically her brother or that she sometimes questioned his sexuality.

"Well, then I guess it's off to the library. Again" said Ginny. She grabbed her books and they left.

They settled down at a table in the back of the second floor. Ginny rolled out a piece of parchment and grimaced as she opened her ratty hand-me-down edition of The Art of Potions: For 5th years. Gods she hated Snape with his greasy black hair and perpetual sneer, not to mention his particularly bad temper towards all Gryffindors. Although she was the best at potions in her class and some said possibly the whole Gryffindor Tower (much to Hermoine's annoyance) he didn't treat her any better. Of course it hadn't helped that he had some how overheard her remark to her partner Mariana Parks about how vile he was. He was half way across the room when she said it! It was just impossible that he'd heard her!

"Ah, well, perhaps I'll improve once you've written me a 3 foot long essay on the uses of Newt Flower Potions. Ten points from Gryffindor!" He'd said. Everyone had stared angrily at her. She was too busy thanking her lucky starts she hadn't gotten detention to even notice however.

Now that she had to write the essay however, she was feeling a little differently. She couldn't come up with a paragraph on Newt Flower Potions, let alone three feet of parchment! She rummaged through her supplies and pulled out a quill, but couldn't find her ink. "Damn! My ink's gone!" she said.

"I'd offer you some of mine," offered Colin "But I'm don't think I'll have enough to last until Hogsmeade as it is."

"It's ok Colin. I had plenty left…I just don't know what happened to it." She pondered for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Ron! HE probably took it, bloody prat." She sighed. "I guess I'm off to the common room again."

Ginny burst through the common room door and made a beeline towards Ron, Harry and Hermoine.

"Ron, what did you do with my ink?" Ginny demanded.

"Geez, I couldn't find mine so I'm using yours. No need to get your panties in a bunch." Ron said irritated. "Hey Hermoine, can I share you're ink?" The girl nodded without looking up from her parchment. Ron handed the one he was using to Ginny. "Here."

"Then couldn't you have just used hers in the first place? And where's the stopper?" She spotted it on the floor, in Crookshanks' clutches. She did not fancy going over there and prying it from him.

"Here, take Hermoine's for now and she'll get yours from Crookshanks later and give it to you, ok?" Ron said, following her gaze.

"Thanks," she replied and headed back to find Colin.

The stopper didn't fit. Ginny tried pushing it down but it would only pop up again. If she carried it without the cork it would splash. So, she decided to use both thumbs to push cork down.

Suddenly, her foot snagged on an uneven stone and she pitched forward. She barely managed to keep a hold on the bottle as the ink went flying. She then hit some one with a loud "Oof".

Regaining her balance, Ginny looked to see who had stopped her from what could have been a painful meeting with the floor. Her breath caught in her throat and she saw and extremely angry Malfoy.

"Gods Weaslette, first you spill half a bottle of ink on me then you throw your self into my arms. I don't know which is more pathetic, you wasting half your father's pay-worth of ink, or your embarrassing crush on me," Malfoy drawled, ink dripping down his silk black tee and robes, glaring daggers at Ginny. She flustered and tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"What's the matter Weasley, too embarrassed or too stupid to come up with a retort?" He said shaking his head in mock pity. "For shame! Even your idiot brother can do better than that!"

Ginny felt bile rise in her throat. The next thing she knew, her fist was making contact with Malfoy's flawless porcelain skin, his silver eyes wide in shock. "And that's why prats like you should never leave the common room with out Dumb and Dumber." retorted Ginny, referring to Malfoy's henchmen Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed to shadow Malfoy every where he went. He was now standing with one hand on his cheek. Replacing his familiar sneer (practiced to perfection in the mirror) Malfoy tried to punch her back. Ginny ducked and he gritted his teeth in pain as his fist hit the wall hard.

"Gee, Malfoy. Hitting a girl. That's low even for you! I'm impressed," she said voice dripping with false admiration. 'Damn!' Malfoy thought 'I forgot she has six brothers," He looked up at her as she laughed at him. He chocolate brown eyes were smiling cruelly as her fair freckled face sneered at him, beautiful fiery hair falling slightly over her shoulder. Malfoy's eyes continued to travel down Ginny, noticing her nice curves and long legs, although it would have been hard to tell she had any from afar, with all those loose clothes. 'If she weren't a Weasly, she'd be pretty. Not to mention a good candidate for Slytherin with that sneer,' He thought.

Malfoy whipped out his wand. "Ricta Sempra!" he shouted. Ginny flew backwards, landing just short of the far wall. He walked to where she lay and leaned over her. "I don't hit girls. But then you're not really a girl are you? You certainly don't dress as one." He straightened up again. "I think you and I have both learned important lessons. You've learned that I don't need 'Dumb and Dumber', as you so put it, to best you. And I learned to stick with using magic as opposed to physical violence. I'll leave that to you Gryffindor Neanderthals with too much pride and now where to put it." He left her there on the floor and headed back to the common room to go change his outfit.

A/N 2: Did you like it? Did you hate it? What should I fix? Please review and tell me. Criticism is welcome, but no flames please!

- Moonglow