A/N: I don't own Harry Potter. Thank you to everyone that's reviewed!
"What do you suppose that was about?" Colin asked, staring after the Potions professor and his charge.
Ginny shrugged, "I don't know. I've never seen Malfoy look at anyone other than Harry like that. Pansy must have really teed him off. I wonder what she said to him."
A thoughtful look came over Colin's face. "She must have insulted his hair," he said knowledgably, "He's always been very sensitive about his hair."
The brown-eyed girl giggled, "I know he's vain, but I think it would take more than a harsh critique of his coiffeur to make his lose it like that in front of the whole school."
He nodded, "Maybe she told him she was leaving him for Goyle, because Gregory is a real man who knows how to satisfy a woman." Colin couldn't keep a straight face through this comment. Two sets of eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table where Greg Goyle was attempting to shovel food into his mouth with his right hand while he scratched his armpit with his left. The Gryffindor teens broke into a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny?"
Ron was looking down at his sister, flanked by his usual companions. Ginny caught her breath and smiled up at him.
"Hello dear brother," she began cheerfully, "I'm glad to see you've given up on the duck-billed look. The yellow would clash horribly with your hair."
Each member of the Golden Trio turned a bit pink at this comment but they took the open seats next to Ginny and Colin and Ron asked again about the cause of their mirth.
Colin answered, "We were just contemplating Goyle's innate manliness and how Pansy Parkinson would be helpless to resist it."
Three blank stares met this response, prompting another round of giggles from the two fifth years before they related the exciting events at the Slytherin table. As could be expected, Ron and Harry laughed heartily at the story but Hermione looked concerned.
"It's not like Malfoy to have a row with another Slytherin in front of the other houses. Usually in-house arguments are settled in private. He must have been very upset with Pansy to threaten her publicly," Hermione commented gravely. Her brow furrowed in concentration, as though she was trying to solve a puzzle. "He's been acting strange since school started," she continued, "He doesn't bother Harry; he's hardly ever with Crabbe and Goyle." Hermione's head swiveled sharply to Harry and Ron. "Have you noticed how peaky he's looked lately? Dark circles under his eyes, grayish pallor. There's something strange going on with him."
Ron looked aggrieved. "You must spend a lot of time staring at Malfoy," he grumbled, "A person would think you like the great pillock or something."
Hermione blinked in surprise. "I just think he's acting peculiar is all," she said quietly.
"Hermione's right," Harry said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder defensively, "Malfoy has been acting strange lately. Just because she noticed it doesn't mean she likes the git. Besides, Hermione is not your girlfriend. You've got no business being jealous."
Ron's face went pink, "I'm not jealous! And what are you getting so indignant about? She's not your girlfriend either!"
Ginny rolled her eyes and yanked at Colin's sleeve. "I'm going to get out of here," she whispered, "I can't handle all the testosterone." Colin acknowledged her with a wink and went back to watching Hermione's suitors spar.
As she left the Great Hall, Ginny debated what to do with the rest of her day. It was Saturday so no classes were taking place. The first Hogsmeade visit was still weeks away. The prospect of sitting in the Gryffindor common room waiting for her friends to finish breakfast didn't excite her. Eventually she decided to head up to the Charms classroom and see if Professor Flitwick was there. They were studying silencing charms and Ginny hadn't been able to work the charm properly yet. Rather than being silenced, her targets just sounded as though they had inhaled a great deal of helium. Maybe Professor Flitwick could help her figure out what she was doing wrong.
She walked up the staircases that took her to the third floor, careful to avoid vanishing steps. The Charms classroom was deserted but a sound from down the hall caught Ginny's attention. It seemed to be coming from the trophy room. She could hear voices punctuated by thumping and crashing noises. Quietly she opened the door and peered inside.
The room was a wreck. A large hole was in the glass front of the trophy case, cracks grew from the hole like spiderwebs. Pieces of glass and broken trophies were scattered across the floor. Peeves was cackling loudly and flipping happily around the room, gleefully dodging the objects being hurled at him by a very angry looking Draco Malfoy. Ginny noticed that Malfoy's hand was dripping blood.
"Moody, mopey Malfoy! Moody, mopey, Malfoy!"
A small wooden plaque flew through the air. "Shut up, Peeves!" the irate boy screamed.
The poltergeist caught the object handily and threw it back at Malfoy, who did not move out of the way fast enough. The plaque hit him squarely in the eye, eliciting a stream of obscenities from the youth.
Peeves swooped around the room and noticed Ginny's presence for the first time.
"Naughty, naughty, you've been caughty!"
Malfoy whipped around towards the door. His eye was already beginning to blacken and swell. Ginny met his gaze. His expression was murderous but there was there was something else. Beneath the angry glare was a look of deep pain unrelated to his external wounds. Ginny could see that his uninjured eye was pink rimmed and bloodshot. Could Malfoy have been crying?
Peeves was still calling out taunts in a screechy sing-song voice. Pointing her wand at the annoying specter Ginny spoke clearly, "Silencio!" Peeves' eyes opened wide and his mouth moved furiously, silently berating the Gryffindor fifth year. After making a very rude gesture to the students Peeves fled the trophy room.
"It worked!" Ginny cried happily, forgetting for a moment whose company she was in.
Malfoy clapped his hands derisively. "Masterful, Weasley, truly brilliant," he sneered, "I didn't need your help."
Ginny made a face, "Yes, Malfoy, your plan to get rid of Peeves by screaming and throwing things was working so well." Something warm pressed against her leg and Ginny looked down to see Mrs. Norris.
"Who is it, my pet?" Argus Filch's voice echoed down the hall. "Who's been making so much noise?" As he reached the door to the trophy room the caretaker's eyes narrowed. "You! What are you doing?" he spat, craning his head to see into the room.
The red-haired girl moved to block him, putting on an expression of deep concern. With sincerity so believable it would have made Fred and George proud, Ginny's brown eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip began to quiver.
"Oh, Mr. Filch! Peeves was just in here making a terrible mess! We tried to stop him but he hit Draco with a plaque and rushed out! I was about to come find you, I think he was heading to the library."
The caretaker scowled, unhappily deprived of the opportunity to punish a student. "Is that what happened, boy?" He directed the question to Malfoy, who was now standing next to Ginny.
In a sullen voice, Malfoy agreed that it was.
"The library, eh? Come, Mrs. Norris, the headmaster will hear about this!" Filch retreated down the corridor.
Once they were alone Malfoy rounded on Ginny with an arrogant smirk. "You stupid Gryffindor, I broke the trophy case. Peeves only came along afterward."
Ginny snorted. "Yeah, the bloody hand kind of gave that away, Malfoy." She began to leave but he grabbed her arm, jerking her to face him.
He leaned down so that his face was inches from hers. His wounded eye was now swollen completely shut. "Why did you lie then?"
She didn't reply, instead lifting her wand to eye level and whispering, "Episkey". Malfoy looked momentarily surprised as the swelling receded and his eye returned to normal. Ginny lowered her wand to the now-dry cuts on his hand and opened her mouth to repeat the spell. Suddenly he pushed her roughly aside and stormed past her.
"I told you, I don't need your help."