"She still has her wand!" Hermione's warning rang through the halls.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry called out a few seconds later.

"WHO THE HELL NEEDS A WAND?" Ginny was once again on the warpath.

It had been two weeks since the last time her voice held that murderous note and enough had happened during that time to supercede the talk about Ginny's fury and Mafloy's actions. The school had gone on to other things. Well, most of it had.

However, even if the talk had died down, the memory of what had happened was still fresh, and when her angry voice filled the entrance hall, everyone was ready for a good show. Not to mention curious about what had happened now. Ginny's temper may be famous, but it was also hard to raise, say anything that could do so had to be good.

A few things were different than the last time a scene like this unfolded. For one, Dean Thomas was in detention, so she couldn't be after him. Second, the hall was a great deal more occupied than last time. Everyone who wanted to go to Hogsmeade that was waiting to leave.

Ginny came charging into the hall on the same level, no stairs this time. The others were following her just like before, but if anything, they seemed more desperate to stop her. There was less yelling as well. She wasn't threatening death; she was just going to bring it.

She slowed down ever so slightly as she entered the room in order to look around. Ron almost caught up with her, but she elbowed him in the ribs before he could get his arms around and kept going.

Malfoy had been talking to a few of his housemates, none of whom stopped their conversation when everyone else around them had. They weren't really interested in what the littlest weasel was up to. When they stopped looking at him and started looking over his shoulder, however, he grew quiet and turned around just in time to catch her hand before she could slap him.

The look on his face was smug, as if to say that she knew he could catch her, so why try? She brought up her other hand to punch him and he caught that one as well, just like before. Again, his actions were accompanied by an expression that clearly indicated a bored disbelief that she would attempt such futile actions. Mingled pleading and fear, however, soon replaced arrogance when he saw her smirk.

She deftly brought her knee, hard, and well aimed. He released her hands instantly and doubled over, lying on the ground. Gasps and deep intakes of breath were heard around the hall.

She didn't say anything; she just turned to walk away. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, pulling hard so she fell down as well.

Voice strained with pain, he looked at her and said, "What...the...hell..."

Her eyes widened with fury and she kicked his arm with her free foot. "WHAT DO YOU THINK?" she screamed, kicking him again on the think. He winced.

"Why...don't you...tell me...so...I'll know!" He was glaring at her, almost as angry as she was, and the continues kicking wasn't helping any.

"I GO AND LIE ABOUT NEEDING YOUR HELP WITH POTIONS TO MAKE YOUR DETENTION SHORT AND PAINLESS OUT OF GRATITUDE!"

He rolled so that he was on his knees and struggled to catch her other leg.

"I FOUND OUT THIS MORNING THAT, SINCE I DIDN'T REALLY NEED YOUR HELP, WE FOUND OTHER THINGS TO OCCUPY OUR TIME!" She started hitting and slapping at his head since she couldn't move either foot.

He was in the process of pinning her legs with one of his own when she said other and he froze, looking up at her. When she slapped in the face he continued what he was doing.

"APPARENTLY IT WAS A DISPLAY OF GRATITUDE ON MY PART AND CHARITY ON YOURS!"

Having finally pinned her legs, she let go of them with his hands and once again grabbed for her wrists. At this point, he was practically laying on top of her.

"NOW, WHENEVER SOMEONE INSULTS MY ABILITIES IN BED YOU CAN QUALITATIVELY DENY IT!"

He had worked her wrists up over her head and moved so that he was kneeling over her stomach and was looking directly down into her face.

She had finally stopped struggling and was just looking back up at him. All the cold fury was there, but it wasn't alone. He also saw a great deal of pain in those beautiful, deep eyes of hers. He saw a great deal of pain, and tears as they began to overflow and slid down her temples into her hair. He just sat there, staring into those expressive, endless eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

Everyone in the hall was completely silent. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had watched, and continued to do so, in shock. The Slytherin he had been talking to had initially stood ready to stop them from interfering, but they too had become caught up in the show.

Ginny lay there, pinned beneath Malfoy, trying not to cry. She had been a fool to think he was human. She had been a fool to think there was anything more to him than cruel arrogance. She had never told anyone about the detention. She had never told anyone he had been civil, even nice! and now she was glad, because that wasn't him, not at all. But as she lay there, meeting his gaze, the hope for his humanity mingled with the pain of his lie and became confusion.

He couldn't take any more. He couldn't take any more of her pain, of her scrutiny. He hung his head. Half of the hall reacted in surprise. No one knew what to expect, but a Malfoy hanging his head?

Slowly, and carefully, Malfoy stood and took a step back. He held his hands away from his body and let them drop, ran a hand through his hair, and turned around. She just lay there, watching him. When he was facing her again, he said, "Then I deserve it."

She sat up and looked at him incredulously.

He didn't say anything else, he just walked away. Every eye in the room followed him out. When he was in the cooridor, the surprised yells of a few students could be heard right before he bellowed "PARKINSON!".

Every eye shifted from where he had disappeared to where Pansy Parkinson stood in the knot of Slytherin by the door. She looked like she was torn between running out onto the grounds and going to Malfoy. Eventually she exited in the same direction he had. Her gasp could be heard through the hall when she reached him.

By that time, word had circulated around the Malfoy had punched the wall and split all of his knuckles.

Ron helped Ginny to her feet. She was still staring after the Slytherin.

Filch arrived a moment later and looked around at the subdued student body, eyeing them all suspiciously. "What happened?" he growled.

"Nothing," chorused the reply from about twenty different students.