Author's Note: Chapter 20. Gods, it's long! I had to cut it short; this isn't even the whole original chapter 20. But it makes sense and hooray. Um...to Moonlight Princess, thanks for your consistant reviews, and as to Dean...payback's coming! Dirty, rotten filty son-of-a-bi-i-i-scuit maker! Yes, a biscuit maker. So, um... to Tara and Brin ), here's the Quidditch you asked for. Sorry if it's not that good, I've never written Quidditch before. And YES! The dance IS coming up soon, dammit! Read and ejoy!

Disclaimer: not mine, unless it is.

Dancing Life

Chapter 20: Get Off my Leg!

Much to Ginny's relief, the rest of the week went on with little or no interference or problems. She knew that people were still wondering about her and Draco, but at least they weren't talking about it all over the place. Oh the Slytherins (especially Pansy and her crowd) were giving her a tough time, that was to be expected. But the Gryffindors (true to their ways) were taking it all very well, and some even bothered to be nice to Draco and include him in their activities.

There were still a few who needed convincing, but everyone that Ginny would have wanted to be understanding was. Lavendar Brown and Pavarti Patil were none too happy with Ginny, and were spiteful enough to try to make something of the hug Ginny had given Harry, but neither had made any progress; everyone could see (even if they didn't like it) that Draco was completely besotted with Ginny, and vice versa.

But for the most part, life was being kind to Ginevra Weasley for once.

Saturday and the big match with Slytherin approached quickly, and before she knew it, Ginny was pulling on her light beige Quidditch trousers, scarlet and gold shirt, and matching robes.

Standing in front of her mirror, Ginny smiled at her reflection for the first time in a long while. She had to admit, she did look pretty fair in her Quidditch gear. The pants made her long, thin legs look longer and more shapely, and the tall brown boots she was pulling on only enhanced the effect. The shirt didn't do much, but the robes made her look sleek and lithe, something she very rarely felt herself to be.

Ginny thought of how Draco would look in his Quidditch attire. Even before they'd 'met' each other, she'd noticed just how good he looked in his clothes. The Quidditch outfit was practically made for people like Draco and Ginny; the tall, thin kind. Harry and Ron looked alright, but Draco and Ginny looked absolutely comfortable and at ease.

Brushing back her hair, she could see her cheeks reddening in the mirror. "Y'look good, girlie." Her mirror-self commented dryly. "Got a date or sumfin'?" Ginny flamed even more and turned away from the mirror to pull on her arm- and knee-braces.

Taking a quick glance at the clock hovering over her bed, she figured she had quite a few minutes to spare; she wanted a brief word with Draco before the game, as she hadn't seen him since Thursday. Well, really see him, that is.

"Mustn't keep your young man waiting!" The mirror cackled, and Ginny made a very rude gesture behind her back as she set off, broom over her shoulder and whistling happily.

Draco Malfoy was furious. Very furious. And that was not a good thing for the health of those around him. He was already decked out in his Quidditch kit (looking better than ever, as Ginny had noticed during the previous game against Hufflepuff) and striding darkly down the corridors.

Potter. His brain hissed scathingly as he kicked at a stone statue, which glared stonily (pun intended) at him, hollering: "Watcher', you!"

Of course he was in a foul mood; the first thing he'd heard stepping into the Great Hall were the disgustingly audible words of those two Gryffindor cats: Patil and Brown.

"-can you believe it? I mean, really!"

"-I know. And I thought she was happy with Malfoy."

"-guess she just wanted Harry all along then."

"-yeah, but what a low way of going about it! All that hugging and kissing…poor Malfoy. He'll be so upset when he hears…"

Draco had whirled right around and strode from the Great Hall, his face a mask, belying the torrent of raging emotions cascading through him. So of course, he'd missed the looks the two girls had sent him, and then glanced satisfactorily between each other, smirking meanly.

He found Harry, not ten minutes later, while his rage was still white-hot. The good-looking Quidditch Captain was just rounding the corner that lead to the Gryffindor commons when without a word or any acknowledgement, Draco walked up to him and grabbed his Quidditch robes, shoving him none-too-delicately into the wall behind him.

Harry winced as his back struck wall, taking him a few seconds to realize that Draco was actually holding him off the ground! Harry reached up and shoved down the strong arm that was holding him up.

Draco allowed the arm to be lowered, but moved his hand to Harry's neck. Harry glanced down at the hand, the long pale fingers wrapping around his throat.

"Nice to see you too, Draco. How are things, eh?" Harry joked, wondering what in hell could have gotten the pale boy so flustered. At that moment (though Draco didn't know it) he looked positively agonized. He was in pain, and he was angry, that much was obvious, but what about?

Draco snarled, shoving Harry harder against the wall. "Has she been messing with me? Eh? Tell me Potter, or I won't wait for the Quidditch game to beat you into the dirt. What's going on between you two?"

To Harry's immense shock, Draco seemed to break down. His voice wavered, and his hand around Harry's throat trembled violently. Harry's eyes widened with enlightenment. Partial enlightenment, that is.

"Jesus Ma-Draco." He corrected. "You…you-love her…don't you?" He gaped as the older and taller boy released his grip on Harry and pushed away from him. He turned to the opposite wall in the narrow hallway and leaned his head against the cool stone.

Harry edged closer hesitantly. "For how long?" He asked. Draco let out a shaky breath, almost a laugh. "Who knows, eh? Maybe from the very beginning. I was just too much of a dolt to see it." He shook his head regretfully.

"Just tell me, what's going on between you two? Gods, don't you know I've given this thought. She'd be so much happier with you than she could be with me; she loved you first, for six years. You're famous Potter, so tragic, so heroic, so perfect. Everything I can't be." The words that used to be spoken with hatred, spat out like something vile you happen to get caught in your mouth; were now spoken softly, with more hurt and pain than Harry had thought possible for the cool Slytherin. It was something close to the pain he felt for his parents, for Sirius. It was genuine agony as only they knew it.

"You really do love her." He said again, almost to himself.

Draco scoffed and stood, pushing away from the wall again to merely stare intensely at it. "What do people like you and me know of love? We're just kids, that's all." Harry had the sudden impression that he wasn't referring to himself and Harry as 'we', but as himself and Ginny.

"I know one thing: and that is that I care for her more than I've cared for anyone else in my entire life. Short though it may be, that's saying something. Much as I wish it were otherwise, I am a Malfoy. And Malfoys don't love easily. If they do love at all, they love just one thing. For my father it was power, for my mother; wealth. For me, it's Ginevra."

Harry's jaw had dropped by now at this confession. Why the hell couldn't Ginny have been here to hear this? He thought to himself.

Draco seemed to catch himself. He turned to Harry and frowned. "You still haven't answered my question…what is going on between you and Ginevra Weasley?"

Harry couldn't hold back a laugh. "Absolutely nothing. I've no idea where you got the notion, but let me tell you something, Draco. Any man who dares to get involved with Ginny now is insane. She's yours, just as you are hers. Everyone can see that. The blokes see it, and they stay far away from her unless they're good friends. No one wants to anger you." He said the last with a grin, as Draco's handiwork on himself would probably leave just a few bruises.

Draco pulled away, slightly taken aback. Gods, was he that obvious? Yeah, he was infatuated with the little red-headed Gryffindor, but did everyone know it?

Shaking himself a little, he turned back to his oldest enemy, who was beginning to look more and more (he shuddered at the thought) like his friend. And Draco had very few of those.

Harry steeled himself as Draco turned those piercing, searching cold silver eyes on him, as if looking for a lie hidden beneath the seemingly friendly, joking words. Harry supposed that if he'd never had real friends, he wouldn't be so trusting either. Damn Ginny! Why did she have to be so…good, and…forgiving, and…damn her!

"She's not pining after you, then?" Draco asked suspiciously. Harry had to fight to hold back a grin. This was hardly a ghost of the arrogant, confident young prat he'd met seven years ago. Funny, he'd never thought of Draco and uncertainty together before, but he looked absolutely and naturally insecure right now. All over Ginny.

"No, mate. She's all yours. I'm surprised she hasn't told you that yet. She's just as crazy about you as you are of her." The boy's words (which had been true enough) were astoundingly reassuring and comforting.

"She is?" Draco managed. For quite a while, he'd been obsessed with Ginny, but never thought she thought much of him. He thought she just sort of liked him with that naïve, childish puppy-love her type was so prone to.

Harry laughed out loud at that. It took quite a few moments for him to stop. Wiping a tear from beneath his glasses, he simmered down to a chuckle. "Are you blind, man? She's absolutely in love. Sickening, if you ask me. Mad about you, she is." He nodded once.

Draco's hoary eyes widened slightly, but other than that, he managed to hide his shock. He was…loved? Really and truly loved? It was quite a new experience. And girls like Ginny Weasley usually had a lot of love to give.

Suddenly, his eyes hardened, narrowing again. "Then what is this I hear about you two holding each other in the Gryffindor common room?" He growled. Harry looked faintly puzzled. "Holding each other? What, you mean like a hug?" he asked, seemingly blasé and casual.

Draco nodded, only once. "Heard it from a pair of Gryffindors. Those two cats…eh…Brown and Party…Paint…Patil…something like that." He shrugged, names temporarily eluding him. Well, perhaps not temporarily…but who cared to learn the names of other housemates? And certainly not Gryffindors…unless they happened to be slender and sharp red-heads named Ginny Weasley, that is…

Harry's jaw squared, and he looked vaguely ruffled. "Yeah, well…not all Gryffindors are such honest and truthful people." He muttered, thinking about several different curses. Draco's slim eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Erm…yes, well…that still doesn't explain the 'hugging thing'. Or was that just the ravings of a pair of dishonest liars?" he smirked. Harry grinned up at him boyishly. "Not to speak ill of my housemates, but…" he shrugged, glancing up at the ceiling innocently, whistling to some unknown tune. "Ginny and I hug occasionally…now that she's gotten over her crush on me" here he looked down, cheeks going a little pink "we can go back to acting like sister and brother. Not that she needs anymore, mind you." His eyes widened slightly, and he stilled momentarily. "Oh…" he mused, with the air of one reaching enlightenment.

"Um…I think that whole 'hugging' ordeal was from Wednesday. Er…Ginny was having a rough day, because De-" Harry dropped off, shutting his mouth abruptly. He'd promised he wouldn't say anything. He would not say anything.

Draco sensed something. "Wha-a-a-a-a-t?" He asked, long and drawn out, almost warningly. Harry avoided his gaze, glancing up and down, and around the hallway, anywhere but Draco's inescapable eyes. As their description goes, he could not escape the two mercury slits, as they were now, glowering at him.

"What is it? Why was Ginny having a tough day? Was someone bothering her? And why didn't she come talk to me?" He mused, almost to himself.

Harry bit his lip. Draco was forward and on him in a second. "What?" He demanded, bringing his hand up to Harry's throat again.

Somehow sensing (most intelligently) that this was a bit of a dangerous topic with Draco, Harry told him all the events that lead up to their little brotherly/sisterly embrace; from the incident when Ginny was fourteen to the scene in the locker room.

Afterwards Harry realized just how stupid he was, and exactly what Hermione had been trying to tell him for the past seven years: he was an idiot. A first-class idiot.

Draco's eyes were flashing precariously as he let Harry go. "I see." He said, in a low, calm voice; half-whispered. "I have to go. See you at Quidditch, then…" He said in a monotone, staring off over Harry's shoulder. Harry, by and by, was thinking something along the lines of "HOLY FUCKING SHIT! THE WEASLEYS ARE GOING TO KILL ME!" Or something along those lines…

As Draco moved off, Harry waited for a second before dashing off as fast as he could to head Draco off. He had to find either Dean, Ron, or Ginny, and fast. Either that or hide in a broom closet until the obligatory female Weasley temper tantrum was over, or until she'd run out of blunt objects to throw…

Ginny was humming pleasantly to herself. She'd gotten more Queen in her head, and it really was a pity that she didn't have her PBE box with her, because she simply couldn't remember the lines to Killer Queen. What were they?

As she sat at the Gryffindor table, not really touching her toast and eggs, pondering the lyrics to the Muggle song, Harry rushed up to her, panting like a wounded rhinoceros. Ginny looked up. "What?" she asked. Or rather, she meant to ask, only it came out more like "Dynamite with a laser beam?" Harry stared at her oddly.

"What?" she amended, pushing the song from her mind.

"Erm…how badly would you torture me if I accidentally let it slip to Malfoy your whole fiasco with Dean?"

Ginny's eyes flashed. "Would you prefer me to kill you instead? Because what you're proposing would cost you more pain than can be expected in an opera performed by Snape and Hagrid." Harry winced. "That bad, eh?" He managed to say around the lump in his throat.

Ginny was glaring daggers at him. She glanced quickly down the table. Dean was sitting at the far end, talking to Lavendar and Pavarti, dressed in his Quidditch robes. Ginny turned back to Harry, resuming her death glare. "Dean seems to be in one piece so far. If you keep an eye on him and one out for Draco, I think we can handle this until I get a chance to talk to him." She jerked her head at Harry, is if trying to nod without going into a fit of spasms.

She looked back down determinedly at her eggs, and Harry would have sworn that she fried them with her stare. Hastily retreating behind the safety of Ron and Hermione just down the bench, Harry shivered. He would not want to get in her way on the Quidditch pitch today.

Most surprisingly, Draco did not make his much awaited and feared appearance to pound the life out of Dean. Harry and Ginny passed a confused glance as he called the team together to leave for the game.

In the locker room, after the de rigueur pre-game speech given by Harry, Ginny finally got a hold of him and pulled him aside with about five minutes to spare before the game. "You haven't seen him, have you?" She asked him in whispers.

Harry shook his head. "Not since I spoke to him." He winced slightly. Ginny shook her head as well. "I don't like this, Harry. I don't like this at all. Draco's not the type to let something like this go. I'm afraid he's going to try something in the game."

"Do you think we should tell Dean?" Harry asked, looking over to the tall dark Beater. Ginny followed him gaze reluctantly. "As much as I'd rather not, I suppose he should know."

Harry nodded and moved off to whisper something in Dean's ear. After a second the boy straightened, frowning slightly, but not looking (unwisely in Ginny's opinion) too frazzled.

Madame Hooch knocked loudly on the door to the locker room. "Potter-time!" She yelled, voice sharp and impatient. Harry gathered his team together with a quick wave. "Alright team…we've gone over plays and strategies. Now it's time for you to forget it all and go play your best the way you know how!"

Everyone cheered loudly at this and they all headed out, brooms over shoulder, to the Quidditch pitch. Several minutes later, they were on their brooms and hovering in the air, awaiting Madame Hooch's beginning of the game warnings before she let the balls out.

"No foul stuff this game…especially you Mr. Goyle. I don't want to have to send anyone down to the hospital wing this game, so keep it clean."

Goyle (a Beater with a nasty habit of aiming for people's heads) snorted and nodded, turning to Draco. Ginny's eyes fell on him and she bit her lip. He was fuming. You'd never be able to tell unless you knew him. His face was impassive and bland, almost bored. But his eyes…those grey windows to a world battling of dark and light…that's where Ginny saw it. Darkness was winning right now, and Dean's future wasn't looking too promising.

Her eyes moved along the Slytherins and came to Blaise, her opposing Chaser. She gave him a curt nod and a questioning glance aimed at Draco. Blaise shrugged almost imperceptibly and frowned. Ginny tilted her head up in a quick nod.

No, things definitely weren't going well for Dean.

Ginny spared a glance at the Gryffindor Beater. He was currently pulling faces at Madame Hooch and the Slytherins. Ginny rolled her eyes. Perhaps Draco's fury wasn't such a bad thing…

A flash of gold in front of her eyes signaled that Madame Hooch had released the Snitch. It took a moment's restraint not to reach out and grab the tiny, flitting ball. Her one season as Seeker had left some instinctual impulses in her, and it took a second for her to remember that she was a Chaser.

The ball she was interested in was just being released. She tensed, waiting for Madame Hooch to toss it up. Once the silver-haired witch let the large red ball up, the game began.

One of the Slytherin Chasers, a fifth year named Armand Devalgile snagged the Quaffle. The game was on. Ginny spared a glance at Natalie and Seamus, her fellow Chasers. Seamus gave a quick hand signal, Ginny nodded and sped off after the smaller Slytherin boy with Seamus at her heels while Natalie dropped lower and followed them unnoticed.

Ginny flattened herself over her broom handle and sped towards the somewhat inexperienced boy, coming up on his left while (from the corner of her eye) she saw Seamus coming up on his right, just inches above him.

Ginny swerved suddenly, coming to within a foot of Devalgile. Keeping her left hand firmly steering her broom, she reached out for the Quaffle. The callow boy pulled the red ball from her grasp, out to his right, where Seamus immediately popped it from his loose grasp unexpectedly.

All three Gryffindor Chasers turned abruptly and headed the other way. Goyle aimed a Bludger at Seamus, who had time enough to toss the Quaffle to Ginny before diving out of the arena to avoid the hurtling ball of pain.

Tucking the Quaffle under her arm, Ginny raced to the Slytherin goals. Pansy was hovering in front of the center one. Ginny glanced down. Natalie was right under her. Ginny looked up and straight at Pansy, catching her eye.

Not breaking eye contact, Ginny dropped the ball below her to Natalie covertly, still barreling at Pansy. The Slytherin Keeper was too busy watching Ginny's eyes (for indication of where she was aiming) to immediately realize that she no longer had the Quaffle. It wasn't until Natalie popped up at her right and chucked the Quaffle through the right hoop that Pansy realized where the red ball was. Too late.

Ginny cheered and circled back around with Natalie in a victorious fashion. Gareth Apelby (a Ravenclaw fourth year and Lee Jordan's successor) yelled excitedly into the enchanted microphone. "McDonald scores! Excellent play there by the Gryffindor Chasers. Gryffindor leads ten to nil."

Ginny's eyes scanned the pitch for Draco. He was back by the Gryffindor goal. No…scratch that…he was back by Dean! Following him closely. He was getting closer as well…

Grunting in aggravation, Ginny flew over to where the platinum Slytherin was stealthily approaching the Gryffindor Beater, who was currently slamming a Bludger away from Ron.

Just as Draco edged in closer to the unsuspecting dark boy, Ginny veered in front of him, behind the oblivious Dean. Draco stopped, glaring over Ginny's shoulder. Ginny shook her head once. "Don't." She said warningly, giving him a look that promised explanations later.

With that she flew off and Draco descended to search for the snitch, though his eyes never really left Dean's form…

After that warning, Ginny became immersed in the game. Twenty minted later the score was fifty to twenty, in favor of Gryffindor. Ron had made some excellent saves, at least more than Pansy had…though she really was a quite decent Keeper.

Catching the Quaffle that Natalie tossed her way, Ginny flew on, narrowly avoiding Blaise, who reached out to grab the Quaffle. She managed to loop him and come up just to the left of Pansy. She aimed plainly for the left hoop and then feinted to the right at the last second, lobbing it into the right hoop.

"Gryffindor in the lead, sixty to twenty with another score by Weasley!" Apelby cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

Ginny punched the air victoriously. But as she headed back to Gryffindor's side, a sudden flash of green below her caught her eye…which widened with it's mate.

In the thrill of the score, it seemed that Draco had grabbed Dean and pulled him down. This was evident because of the fact that Draco was still latched onto Dean's leg, puling him half off his broom. In fact, the Gryffindor Beater was only still on his broom by the crook of one knee.

Ginny dove. If Draco didn't stop he'd do something stupid, like cost him a penalty, or get someone hurt…or not so bad, get Dean hurt. She dove anyway, coming up just above the two struggling boys.

Draco's face was livid as he yanked harder. "Think you can get away with hurting her, eh? If I'd known…" He trailed off, looking even more murderous as he tugged viciously on Dean's suffering limb.

"Get off my leg!" Dean yelled, fighting to stay on his broom.

"Fat chance. I swear, I'll rip you apart…I'll knock you off your broom…I'll bury your face in the next Bludger that comes along…I'll beat you in the bullocks with Goyle's beater's bat! You'd never look at another girl again then, would you?" He hissed.

"What makes you thing you're even allowed to be near her, let alone touch her?" He growled, pulling harder.

"Get off my-y-y leg!" Dean cried as he slipped further off his broom so that he was clutching to stay on, his knee hooked on the broom practically in his face.

"You're going to wish you'd never messed with Ginevra Weasley, you slimy piece of-"

"DRACO!"

Draco glanced up, his eyes wide and startled. While the rest of the game was going on above their heads (in fact, Natalie and Seamus were going in to score without Ginny), they were suspended in time and air.

Ginny flew down to where Dean was still putting his best efforts into getting back on his broom. Difficult, as Draco was still grasping his leg. "Geroff my leg!" Dean mumbled, heaving himself half-way on his broom.

Ginny flew up to Dean and (grasping his robes) hauled him up on his broom, Draco's hand finally relinquishing his hold. Dean quickly shot away, looking behind him with trepidation.

Ginny's eyes were flashing as she looked at Draco, her mouth slightly open. Draco had to look away, feeling completely ashamed at her obvious disappointment in him.

"Draco, what were you thinking?" Ginny finally managed.

Draco mumbled something under his breath. Then his head snapped up and within seconds he was inches from her, his face tight and pulled in anger. "Why didn't you tell me he tried to practically rape you? What if he'd tried to do it again? You should have told me, Ginny."

Ginny shook her head. "This was in my fourth year. He's not tried anything since, and I didn't even tell my own effing brother." Her eyes glittered with hurt. How could he think she didn't trust him, or didn't care enough?

Draco's eyes widened and he backed up a bit. "Potter knew all about it, though." He spat. "So you told him, then?"

Ginny ignited in flames. Or so it seemed to Draco, who was taken aback by the sudden change. Her eyes flashed amber, almost gold, like some fire that leapt up from the raging flame inside her that was lighting up her cheeks with a pretty pink color. Even her hair seemed to glow redder.

"I DIDN'T FUCKING TELL HARRY ON MY OWN ACCORD!" She screeched, eyes squeezing shut and her vocal chords vibrating until they were raw. She opened her eyes again. They were smoldering with color and fever.

"Ron found out from Heather a while back –BECAUSE HE'S MY BROTHER-" She yelled suddenly "and then apparently Harry saw Ron trying to scare the shit out of Dean after practice. So he came and found me, and…well, now you, Heather, Hermione, Ron, and Harry know."

Her eyes flashed again suddenly. "And anyways, I wouldn't have told you if I'd known you were going to try to kill Dean." She accused suddenly. She started when Apelby shouted into her thoughts.

"Gryffindor scores! A nice play by Finnegan and McDonald, but where's the other Chaser, I wonder?"

"Shit." Ginny muttered, pulling up her broom. She threw Draco a look over her shoulder. "Don't try anything else…you and I are going to have a serious talk after the game. Meet me out by the lake around two." She turned, shaking her head as she rose to meet her fellow Chasers.

A green figure suddenly swerved in front of her. Ginny pulled to a stop. "Blaise? What?"

The dark older boy looked over her shoulder, probably at where Draco was steaming. He turned back to Ginny. "You alright? I was afraid Draco would try something…he was storming around the locker room angrier than I've ever seen him." He shook his head wearily.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just keep an eye on him…I'm afraid he's going to try to do something to Dean…Thomas." She jerked her head in Dean's direction. Blaise nodded and waved off.

Ginny pulled her broom up again. Devalgile (the Slytherin Chaser) had the Quaffle, and was smirking nastily as Natalie had to swerve off course to avoid a Bludger and Seamus was far behind, trying to catch up.

Of course, he had forgotten about Ginny…

Ginny came up underneath him. The Quaffle was tucked under one arm, and not clutched to his chest as it should have been. Suddenly, Ginny shot up like a rocket, punching the red ball up from out of his grasp and catching it in midair, turning in an about-face and tearing down the field.

Seamus was already down there, and Natalie was catching up. Blaise rose up in front of Ginny in a blocking maneuver. She tossed the Quaffle to Seamus over Blaise's head and looped under him, something she wouldn't have been able to do so easily with a Quaffle under her arm.

With Seamus now in possession of the Quaffle, Ginny and Natalie sped positions flanking him on either side. There was only one other Chaser and a Beater in between the three Gryffindors and Pansy.

Seamus steadily approached the Chaser (Davis or something) and passed the Quaffle on to Natalie's waiting hands before circling around the Slytherin Chaser several times, becoming just a blur of scarlet that made the younger Chaser quite dizzy and disoriented.

Natalie sped on, going in for the goal when Crabbe came out of nowhere, belting a Bludger at her chest. Screeching, Natalie ducked and rolled over on her broom, hooking her legs around the handle to stay on, nearly dropping the Quaffle.

Ginny veered off immediately, coming underneath the younger Chaser again. "Natalie!" She shouted. The young girl glanced up (or, down rather) and nodded, letting the Quaffle drop right into Ginny's expecting grasp.

While the younger girl managed to right herself, Ginny sped on towards the goal. Seamus was now on her right, and made a quick gesture to Ginny, who nodded and sped on. Pansy rushed out to meet her, cutting off her shot.

Ginny feinted to the left, tossing the Quaffle to Seamus. When Pansy turned to him, he tossed the Quaffle back to Ginny. Before Pansy had time to turn to the red-headed Chaser, Ginny had risen and flung the Quaffle just through the left hoop, eliciting more cheers from the crowd. Gryffindor hadn't done so well against Slytherin in ages!

Ginny turned back around, smiling widely. In a few minutes, the Slytherin Chasers were barreling down the field towards the Gryffindor goal. Natalie and Seamus sped towards them, setting up for a blocking strategy.

Ginny glanced around hurriedly. Harry was still up high above the game, searching for the Snitch, which had been frightfully elusive. And Draco…

She glanced around hurriedly. All eyes were on the battling Chasers and a couple of Beaters down at the Gryffindor end. All except fro Ginny's.

Then she saw it. Dean was high above, hitting a Bludger away from Harry. Draco was also up there, avoiding a Bludger that Crabbe nearly hit him with. She could see him berating the Slytherin Beater from the corner of her eye as Harry suddenly dove, a flash of gold just ahead of him.

Draco never had a chance. It took a mere minute for Harry to loop around under the Snitch and catch the fluttering gold ball in his hand, raising it above his head victoriously.

What happened in the following few seconds as the Gryffindor team came up to circle Harry in embraces and cheers, Ginny wasn't really sure, as it happened so fast. She saw Draco fly over and snatch Crabbe's Beater's bat from him.

His eyes were glinting maliciously, aimed at Dean, who wasn't paying attention as he watched the rest of his team hugging and cheering. A Bludger came his way, which he trapped with Crabbe's bat.

In that second, Ginny realized what he was going to do. She flattened herself over her broom and sped towards Dean.

"DEAN!" she shouted, trying to get his attention. He turned towards her just as Draco smacked the Bludger right at Dean's head. He wouldn't even know what hit him. Ginny raced past Dean and set herself in front of Dean, having just enough time to brace herself before the big black ball hit her hard, glancing painfully off her ribs.