Ginny Weasley growled, stomping through the Hogwarts corridors in a blind fury. She had misplaced her Potions book somewhere, and in a castle of this size she had no chance of finding it again before her potions essay was due.
Racking her brain, she progressed down the marble staircase, freezing as she saw Draco Malfoy at the bottom, holding a book and reading it with interest. Normally, any situation where Draco Mafloy was present made her want to bat bogey everything within hexing range, but Ginny Weasley's fury doubled when she saw the smudged writing on the cover of the book Malfoy was holding.
"Potions and theory, 5th edition? Going back a grade are we?" Ginny said sarcastically. Malfoy didn't even blink an eye.
Ginny cleared her throat loudly, advancing down the stairs.
"That's mine"
Draco Malfoy looked up, shutting the book and holding it out to her. Ginny smirked at her easy victory.
As she advanced down the stairs, her ankle rolled, sending her flying down the stairs straight into Malfoy, who fell back, unable to keep his balance. They landed hard at the bottom of the stairs and Ginny rolled off of Malfoy, clutching her ankle.
"How... could you be... so stupid..." Draco wheezed after a moment of trying to get the wind back into him. When Ginny didn't answer, he rolled over and saw Ginny curled on her side facing away from him.
"Weasley?" He asked. He crawled over and shook her shoulder, recoiling as she gasped in pain.
"Please don't be dumb enough to get yourself hurt with that stunt you pulled." He growled.
"I-it's my ankle..." Ginny gasped. "I-I think it might be broken..."
"Nonsense. You're fine. Just get up, Weasley." Draco said, standing. Ginny tried to get up, but her left foot twisted under her weight and she fell in a heap sobbing.
"I'll go get Madame Pomfrey" Draco said, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Just, please... Stop crying Weasley."
Ginny looked up at him in astonishment. Draco was standing there helplessly, a trickle of blood on his lower lip from where he bit it during the fall. His expression was completely different than before. Almost... Worried.
"I-I'll be fine. Just leave me here, please."
"Why, so Peeves can come and mock you incessantly?" Malfoy retorted.
"What would you care if he did? It's no worse than the things you say to me." Ginny said.
"I..." Malfoy was at a loss for words.
After a moment, Ginny began struggling to pull herself up to sit on the bottom stair of the marble staircase, crying in pain softly.
"At least let me look at it, Weasley..." Malfoy sighed.
"No. I don't want you touching me." Ginny replied.
"I already have. your little blunder saw to that. Just let me look and see if there's anything I can do."
"Have it your way."
Malfoy knelt down and slipped off Ginny's shoe, cold fingers gently probing the wounded joint. Ginny bit her hand in an effort not to cry out.
"Why are you doing this?" Ginny asked. Draco ignored her, focusing on her foot.
"Ow!" Ginny yelped as his fingers found the quickly swelling area.
"It's just a bad sprain. You need ice." Draco said manner-of-factly.
"Why don't I just cut out your heart? That's cold enough." Ginny spat. Malfoy looked up, looking surprisingly hurt.
"What makes you think my heart is so cold?"
"The fact that you insult and hurt anyone who is unlucky enough to meet you." Ginny said, hissing as Draco's fingers pressed on another sensitive spot.
"I could hurt you worse than I am now, yet i'm not. Why do you think that is?" Draco asked.
"I could ask you the same thing." Ginny replied.
"Maybe something's different?" Malfoy asked. "Maybe it's getting harder to be mean to you... now that you've blossomed."
"Did you just tell me that I blossomed? And that I 'blossomed' recently?" Ginny asked skeptically. "Where were you when I went through puberty?"
"With my face forced in Pansy Parkison's cleavage."
In spite of herself, Ginny laughed. "I'm surprised she had enough to hold your big arrogant head there for five years."
"Me too." Draco laughed.
Ginny's eyes widened.
"You...laughed."
"I do that quite often." Draco said.
"No... Like you actually laughed. In a good way, instead of..."
"Like an arrogant prick?"
"Exactly."
Ginny suddenly became aware of Draco's hands gently massaging her foot and ankle. He became aware of what he was doing as well, and dropped her foot, clearing his throat.
"Well. I think you should still go to Pomfrey just to make sure."
"Ah, okay... Thanks."
When Malfoy didn't leave, Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"I was going to carry you." He said, flushing slightly. Ginny's eyebrows disappeared into her hair.
"Come on. No one will see us. You're obviously not going to get there yourself." He said, running a hand through his hair.
"No." Ginny stonewalled.
"You're not getting a choice, Weasley." Malfoy growled, swooping down and lifting her up effortlessly.
"Malfoy! Put me down!" Ginny screeched, beginning to flail around.
"Weasley, so help me, I will drop you on this stone floor if you keep struggling!" Malfoy said.
"Do it! I know you'd love to!" Ginny howled, hitting him upside the head.
She felt herself falling, then her vision went black as her skull cracked against the stone floor.