Well, I promised you some D/G interaction, didn't I?

I know the last few chapters didn't have much action between Draco and Ginny, and several of you are rather annoyed with me because of it. Hopefully, this will make up for it. This is the first chapter so far that definitely deserves the 'R' rating. So be aware. If you don't want to hear about these two trying to outwit one another (and I've never called either one of them especially gifted, if you know what I mean), heavy snogging and very mild violence, hit the back button now. I mean it; no flames about what's going to happen (Spluttering in disbelief is allowed, though. Squeals are encouraged.). ;P

I wanted this to end up a fluffy chapter for all of you hopeless romantics (I'm one too, I confess), but neither Draco nor Ginny would cooperate. They refuse to get together easily. They want to fight first. Hah, headstrong teenagers.

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my parody of this story, 'She's Plotting Our Downfall'. It's going nicely, and is a ton of fun.

Before anyone gets upset, I only sit down to write chapters for 'She's Plotting' whilst this story is with my beta. (The chapters for 'Downfall' are looong, and my beta most likely has better things to do than hunch over her computer correcting my mistakes. Please be tolerant. I'd rather wait for a well-written story than get one that's full of errors.) So the other story won't, in any way, affect how fast I update 'Downfall'. I swear, I'm writing new chapters for this as fast as I can think of them. This is probably pretty close to being the halfway point. I have ideas for the next few chapters, and the final chapter is written. Just so you know where we are.

Thanks so much to everyone that reads and reviews this story. I really look forward to all the reviews; they make me so glad I decided to post this. Big hugs to you.

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I'm not the esteemed Ms. Rowling, therefore it's not mine.


Chapter Nine: A Cracking Good Time

Ginny paced the length of Hermione's room, glancing at the box on her bedside table. Hermione had told her it was an alarm clock, even though it looked nothing like any alarm Ginny had ever seen. There were little switches and buttons all over it, and all it did was show the current time. Hermione had shown a curious Ginny its energy source, a small cylinder she called a 'battery'. Perplexed, Ginny had said she thought Muggle devices didn't work within Hogwarts' walls, only to be assured that Hermione had to bewitch it. She told Ginny it was a gift from her parents before she left for Hogwarts, and that it was a comforting little reminder of home.

Dad would find a Muggle alarm riveting. Must remember to send him an owl on it. She checked the time again. Five more minutes until Hermione returns.

Ginny fingered the neckline of the fitted tank top Hermione had insisted she borrow. I sure hope she knows what she's doing!

After much debate earlier, Ginny had caved in the face of the older girl's logic and agreed to wear the scrap of dark blue fabric Hermione insisted was a shirt. A very fashionable Muggle shirt. A very fashionable and sexy Muggle shirt. Ginny only hoped she didn't have the blasted thing on backwards.

She looked down at the expanse of bared skin above the neckline and promptly pulled the shirt up to cover more of herself.

And then pulled it right back down to cover her suddenly bare belly.

Aargh! I can't win! Deciding the middle ground was her best option, she resigned herself to the possibility of falling out. The only question is which end of the blasted shirt I fall out of!

She resumed her pacing to calm her frayed nerves and tried to bolster her flagging confidence. Calm down, Ginny. Talking Hermione into this plan was supposed to be the hard part, so why are you concerned now about showing a little skin? You're wearing clothes. She looked down. Okay, I'm actually wearing my last set of robes and a skirt. This wretched thing doesn't count as an article of clothing. C'mon, Gin, pull it together. Your plan will hardly work if you're muffled in clothes that cover you from chin to shins. This was your idea, remember?

Hermione strode in. A very skittish Ginny jumped at the unexpected intrusion and gave a self-deprecating grin.

"Okay, so how do we look?" Ginny turned slowly round in a circle, spreading her unfastened robes wide.

Hermione let out a low whistle. "Wow, Ginny! You look a lot better in that shirt than I do."

Cheeks pink, Ginny commented, "You'd think Muggles would freeze, prancing round in things like this." She worried her lower lip for a moment. "You really think it looks alright?"

Hermione snorted. "Stop fishing for compliments. You look wicked. He'd have to be dead for this to not work." She tapped her foot, looking ill at ease. "Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this? So much could go wrong, Ginny. And Ron would kill me if he knew I was involved in this."

Ginny held up a hand. "Stop. Please, Hermione, no more. Lets just do this. Hopefully, it will be all over by tomorrow morning." She indicated her outfit with a nod of her head. "So I have this minuscule excuse of a shirt on properly, right?"

Hermione tilted her head to the side and studied Ginny contemplatively. "I thought we were approximately the same size, but it's a quite a bit more snug on you in the bust. Wish I filled it out as well as you do. I told you, it's perfect. Come on, if we're going to get you in position before Malfoy and I change shifts, we have to leave now."

Hermione grabbed her Charms text and bustled to the door.

Ginny checked her reflection in the small mirror on the wall as she moved to follow Hermione out. "What's that for?"

"Oh, I promised Ron I'd help him with his work."

"Probably thinks he's going to copy down your answers." Ginny grumbled uncharitably.

They moved out of her room just in time to see Ron turn the corner towards them. Alarmed at the thought of her brother seeing what she was wearing, Ginny looked to Hermione in a panic.

Thinking quickly, Hermione slammed her book into Ginny's chest. Reflexively, Ginny clutched the book to her, adjusting it so her upper body was covered.

"Oi! I thought you and me were doing a bit of revising tonight, Hermione?" Ron called from down the corridor. He put on what he must have thought was a grandly seductive look. Ginny thought he failed spectacularly, swinging towards them in an ungainly lope with an expression on his face that was painful to watch. "You know, alone?" he continued in a voice an octave below his normal range.

Ginny snickered at her love-struck older brother, even as Hermione shot her a warning glance. "We are, Ron." Hermione placated as Ron moved closer. "Ginny just caught me on my way to change out with Malfoy. She, er, wanted my opinion on something."

"Oh?"

"Stop being so nosy, Ron! It's, erm, just girl stuff." Ginny scolded. She was dead out of innocent questions for Hermione.

"Well you needn't be so snippy about it!" he shot back at her with a dark look as he reached them. Leaning down, he gave Hermione a quick kiss as he squeezed her hand. "Missed you, love."

Exasperated, Hermione puffed "Ron, I've been gone for two hours!"

"What, a guy can't miss his bird unless it's been a specific length of time?"

"No. Well, er... Oh, never mind, you!" She leant into his shoulder and patted his cheek lovingly, wearing a rather dopey-looking expression of her own. "I'll be along in a few. See you in the Common Room?"

"Sure. C'mon, Ginny, you brat."

"Ron! Don't call me that, you prat!" she fired back. Ginny softened her tone at the hurt-puppy look on Ron's face and quickly back-tracked. "Eh, I think I'll just walk along with Hermione. I still need to ask her something. I'm sorry I acted that way. I've been feeling very... stressed. Forgive me?"

"Of course, Gin. I understand you being upset about what happened and all." Ron clenched his fists angrily, working himself up again. "I still don't understand how it happened. You said you saw a dark-haired head, but you don't know who did it? I bet Malfoy was behind it. Had one of his disgusting troll henchmen do it for him, the coward. I'll-"

"Ron," Ginny said warningly, a small part of her upset about lying to her brother. "I told you a thousand times already, I don't know who it was, but it wasn't Malfoy. Okay? We'll find out eventually, and THEN you can kill the culprit. Love you?"

Ron patted her back, seemingly mollified for the moment. "Love you, too. You're my only sister. I'd do anything for you, though you do get snotty sometimes. Up for a game of Exploding Snap later, then?"

"Sure, Ron."

(A few minutes later...)

Hermione glanced up and down the corridor carefully before waving Ginny forward. "Okay, all clear. Let's go, quickly now." Hermione surveyed their surroundings one last time. "In you get. Remember, only leave the door open a crack, just enough to hear what is happening. When it's time, I'll say-"

"Hermione! I know. Fred and George taught me how to sneak around properly long before you even knew that Hogwarts existed! Now shoo!"

Hermione tweaked Ginny's neckline down a touch, straightened her robes and winked. "Wretch! You'd think a girl would show her co-conspirator a little courtesy. Good luck!" and dashed back down the corridor.

Ginny fidgeted for the next few interminable minutes before she heard the murmurs of a conversation outside her hiding place. Pressing her ear to the minuscule space between the door and the frame, she could just make out what was being said.

"... and Filch has Ivy Parkinson scrubbing the entry down on the ground floor. If you're not in the mood for histrionics, I'd keep clear. Haven't seen Peeves yet, so keep an eye out. The Fat Friar said Peeves was going up to the Astronomy Tower tonight. Some scheme about glueing students together. I don't know what he's planned, but I've been up there twice tonight already and haven't seen him yet. Prof Snape is on watch, but he's currently engaged in dirtying portions of the floor Parkinson has already cleaned. And-"

"Enough, Granger! Keep the prattle up and I'll sodding well be bleeding from the ears soon! It's very simple. I say a word. You respond with a one word answer, not an entry for 'The Longest Diatribes in History, Spoken By Ugly Horrible Hags'. Emergencies?"

Flushing angrily, Hermione grimaced, but bit her tongue. "No."

"Disasters?"

"No."

"Deaths?"

"No."

"Pity," he drawled lazily. "Anyone else I loathe skulking about?"

"No, you great-"

"Right then. Go away. You're making me queasy. Must have contaminated my clean air with your Mudbloodness. I'm sensitive to filthy impurities like you, don't you know."

"You are impossible! I don't know why Prof Dumbledore made you Head Boy!" she cried shrilly. "You take nothing seriously. You're just as obnoxious and childish as when we were first years! Good night, you sawed-off Hippogriff's arse!"

Ginny counted to twenty. Now or never, Gin! She grabbed her wand, knocked a chair over and moaned loudly. "Oh, Seamus! That feels so nice!" She flattened herself against the wall moments before Malfoy burst through the door.

"Alright, I know you're in here, I bloody well heard you!"

"Accio Malfoy's wand! Adhaerere pedis!"

Ginny completed the two spells so quickly, she had Malfoy's wand in her hand before his eyes even located her.

"YOU!" he roared. "I should have smelled a weasel." He made to lunge at her, only to topple forward on his nose. Looking back at his feet, he tried to lift each one from the floor in turn. Tried, but didn't succeed. Not in the slightest.

"Uh uh, Malfoy," she taunted. "I have a few 'pressing' questions for you. Like what you have against my robes that you keep destroying them, for instance." She indicated her closed robes with a wave.

"Aside from the fact that their cheapness offends my eyeballs?" he snarled as he struggled to his feet. "Maybe if you take this damned Sticking Charm off my feet, I'll answer you."

"What, so you can murder me?" she snorted. "I think not."

"Well then, we've a nice little impasse. You won't release my feet until I answer your asinine questions, and I'm not saying another bleeding word until I can move my feet!"

Ginny laughed. She couldn't help it. Malfoy's tone was as whiny as a spoilt child denied a candy, and he looked to be working up to a snit of massive proportions. She laughed, hands clutching her sides, tears of mirth spilling down her cheeks. He's making this almost too easy.

The silly bint is actually laughing at me! He huffed and crossed his arms, a mutinous look on his pointed face.

"I thought you'd say something like that." Ginny sauntered over to a desk directly in front of him, unfastened her robes and hopped on the desk. Swinging her legs, she leant forward, holding his wand out. "Is this what you want?" she asked tantalisingly.

He looked at the wand she held in front of him, knowing it was just out of reach. Something else was tickling his brain as he stared furiously at his wand. Something about that annoying cow sitting there taunting him. His eyes unfocussed slightly as he thought about it. It was a few seconds before what he should have been seeing registered in his mind. He was staring at a gorgeous, gloriously bare chest. Well, almost bare. If I could just pull that shirt down an inch or two...

All at once, his fingers began to itch, his stomach lurched, his throat constricted, and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. Panicked, having never felt quite this way before, he wondered what was wrong. Oh no! Not when there's breasts so close by! How could I take ill so suddenly? It's Granger's fault! She really did pass me some sort of deadly virus! I'll hex her into oblivion, the useless know-it-all! And just when I'm so near to...

Ginny watched the unblinking boy carefully, seeing the exact moment his attention shifted from the wand. He gulped and looked as if he was pinned to a wall. Ha! Pinned to a wall, stuck to the floor... Ha! Ginny, you're too funny. Her confidence rose a notch, and the knot of fear in her belly began to loosen. It's really going to work! I don't believe it! I can do this. I can do this.

Putting her elbows on her knees, Ginny clasped her hands in front of her, knowing the visual effect it would have.

Draco stood there, eyes fairly bugging out of his head. Reeling, his mental rundown of his possible ailments dwindled to a dead halt, as his sole thought process became: Just half an inch more. Just half an inch more. Just half an inch more. Just half an inch more.

Ginny snapped her fingers at him. "Hey! Malfoy! Hullo? You're not petrified, for pity's sake. Blink, breathe, do something!" She fought down a bubble of laughter as Malfoy struggled out of a seemingly profound stupor.

She slid off the desk and laid both wands down on it. "Hot in here, isn't it? Maybe a classroom that hasn't been used in years was the wrong place for our meeting."

She shimmied out of her robes and tossed them at Malfoy's feet.

"Well? Go ahead, destroy my last set." She ticked them off on her fingers as she spoke. "One, shredded to save your ungrateful self. One suddenly, inexplicably transparent, but I don't suppose you know anything about that, do you? And finally, the last one about to be ruined by an unimaginative, unoriginal git."

A wand rolled off the desk next to her. "Oops! Better get that before it rolls too close to you!"

Ginny knelt down, tilting her head to the side so he had an unobstructed view. She picked up the hem of her long, loose skirt and began polishing the wand, still kneeling.

So this is hell. Always wondered what it would be like. I thought it'd be hotter, though, like that place with the camels and sand; Calfrika. No, no, that can't be right. Argh, I... Ginny leaned forward a bit more, causing the front of her shirt to gape open slightly. His fingers flexed unconsciously on his crossed arms, clenching and unclenching rhythmically.

Gah! Get over here, you horrid, fairly attractive, mostly annoying, completely evil little witch! He stared at the girl who knelt just two metres away and practically salivated. Her skirt pooled about her, one slim leg peeking out as she fiddled with the wand. Standing afforded him an excellent angle to see the most delectable cleavage in history, to his way of thinking. With each breath, her chest strained against the confining fabric. He prayed fervently that she would sneeze and pop right out, knowing it was highly unlikely.

She looked up at him just then, her mouth forming a little 'o' of surprise. Mesmerised, he watched her eyes darken to the colour of well-aged oak, instantly causing his stomach to tighten with need. She put the wand down and rose gracefully to her feet. Tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear, she glided to his side and placed one small hand on his shoulder.

"What would you do to get your wand back, Malfoy?" she whispered.

He uncrossed his arms as she moved behind him to his other side, trailing her hand across the nape of his neck to settle on his other shoulder.

"Almost anything," he choked.

"Anything?" she purred wickedly, looking pointedly at his lips.

He groaned. That's it. No more. Can't breathe. Must have now. Twisting, he hauled her around until she was a hair's-breadth from his chest.

She raised her other hand and began fiddling with his collar, a smug smile playing about her lips. "Don't say what you're not willing to see through, Malf-"

He jerked her against his body and claimed her mouth, wrapping his hands firmly around her small waist.

She was pressed tightly to him, letting Draco Malfoy kiss her hungrily. Well, maybe I'm participating just the tiniest bit, but it's all in the name of vengeance. Yes, that's it. Vengeance. Mmmm. He may be an obnoxious, irritating beast, but he certainly is an exhilarating kisser. Why must it be someone I despise so thoroughly as a person that I actually enjoy kissing? I hate hormones. I wonder if I can have them removed. Growling low in her throat, she grabbed his neck and kissed him for all she was worth. My parents would chain me to a wall in the Burrow if they knew I was doing this. She shuddered. Not to mention what my brothers would do.

He ran his tongue delicately along her lower lip, begging for entry. When he gently caressed her cheek with one thin finger, she acquiesced, parting her lips. Greedily, he plundered her mouth and began lightly running his hands up and down her sides, urging her arms upward to wind around his neck.

She ran her fingers through the baby-fine hair at his nape, letting the sifting hairs tickle her palms.

He moaned into her mouth. "Weasley, what the hell are you doing to me?"

She broke away and stepped back, breathing heavily. He looked at her swollen lips and flushed cheeks, and saw something he had never imagined. Ginny Weasley was, at that moment, breath-takingly, heart-breakingly stunning. Not beautiful. No, she'll never be beautiful, not with those awful spots they call 'freckles'. Hmph. They're spots. Not even pretty, really. Too short; she's the size of a child. But stunning- yes. I am stunned that I'm kissing a Weasley, a beggarly blood-traitor, a thorn in my side. And liking it. Liking it so much that I want more. Much, much more. He drew her back to him possessively and dropped his head to nibble along the length of her neck. A little mewling noise escaped her lips as her head fell back to allow him better access.

Whilst he discovered every sensitive spot on her neck with his mouth, his hands moved up to reverently cup her breasts. "If this is a dream, I'm going to sleep directly after supper every night from now on."

She laughed and pinched his side.

"Ow!" He drew one hand back and rubbed the spot where she pinched him, glaring at her.

Ginny giggled. "See? You're awake." She fiddled with the clasp on his robes. "But you're slightly over-dressed for the occasion."

Finally, the clasp gave and his robes fell open. She smiled up at him as she pushed them from his shoulders. Lifting her hand, she sensuously traced the outline of his lips, causing them to tingle pleasurably. Quick as a cat, Ginny raised up on her toes and kissed him passionately until his world contracted to the sensations she was arousing in him.

He felt a tug at his waist as she pushed his jumper up under his arms. Tearing his mouth away, Draco hastily stripped it off before resuming their kiss.

Ginny blindly worked his tie loose as he did wonderful things to her mouth. As he moved to her ear and the side of her neck, she began to unbutton his shirt. When he licked the small patch of skin just behind her earlobe, she shivered so violently that the button she was in the process of freeing was ripped loose. The more attention he lavished on her neck and now, collarbone, the more wild and frenzied she became. Feverishly, she snapped the last button completely off of his shirt and spread her hands across his chest, glorying in the contrast of the coarse, crinkly hair and smooth skin.

Draco began to raise her shirt up and over her belly, eager to be rid of any hindrance to seeing her naked.

With a husky laugh, she backed away once again. "Oh no, not yet. Remember how you said you'd do almost anything?"

He stared blankly at her. "What?"

Ginny just raised an eyebrow mockingly.

"You mean my wand? Keep the blasted thing. Just get back here." he said shortly.

She wagged a finger at him. "Uh uh. First loosen your belt."

Sure that the nine-tenths of his blood supply pooling in his groin had affected his ears' ability to decipher words properly, Draco tapped the side of his head. "I must have misheard you. What was that again?"

Ginny toyed with the shoulder of her top and gave him the naughtiest look she could muster. In a tone that was pure pout, she said, "You don't want to play my little game?"

Staring at the thoroughly tousled red-haired vision in front of him, Draco smiled lasciviously. "Madam, I am but your humble servant." He tore his belt loose, never breaking eye contact with her. "What next?"

"Unfasten your trousers," she demanded. With a sultry smile she added coquettishly, "or do I have to beg?" Only the blush creeping up her chest belied her nervousness.

Not daring to believe what was happening, Draco looked down as he unbuttoned his trousers and pulled down the zip.

Before he could push his trousers to the floor, she stopped him with a breathy "No, Draco. Wait. Stay just like that. I want to remember this moment forever."

This is like a fantasy. A very interesting, incredibly unlikely, but oh-so-much-better-than-anything-I-could-have-ever-dreamt fantasy. Oh gods, don't let this end. I'll be good. I'll get Mother to donate more money to St Mungo's. I'll kiss babies and be nice to first-years when no one is looking and complement Pansy's awful new dress robes and... and... er, lots and lots of other good stuff. He looked up at her from under spiky eyelashes, his excitement almost unbearable.

Draco was flustered and confused, especially when he saw Ginny facing the back of the classroom, an area dark with shadows. Dimly, he heard rapid clicks.

She put down the wand and moved back to him, pressing her soft body flush against his own barely clothed one. "Kiss me, Draco." she pleaded.

His body humming under the guiding force of out-of-control teenaged male hormones, he missed the obvious connections. Shrugging off her momentarily strange behaviour, he dipped his head for another drugging kiss.

She slid her hands behind him, caressing his back and hips, stopping where his trousers hung precariously. Wrapping her arms tightly about his waist, she kissed him fiercely and moved back.

Groans of helpless protest fell plaintively from his lips as he was pushed to the very edge of his endurance. I promised I would be good! Don't let her stop now, dammit! After all, I am a man, and I can only take so much teasing. I have needs. He stared at her intensely, determined to mentally persuade her to move back into his arms. Stop messing around, Weasley. Come back here this instant. I demand it. He waited for the space of a heartbeat, willing her to jump on him with abandon. Well, hell. Now what?

Grabbing her wand, she straightened her shirt and skirt whilst staring at the panting boy in front of her. "Well, that was certainly more than I bargained for," Ginny laughed self-consciously as she circled round him towards the door, giving him a wide berth. "Accio camera! Keep the robes, Malfoy. This" -she hefted the camera- "should net me, oh, fifty galleons or so. Should buy me a whole roomful of new robes, I'd say."

Ginny waited for her words to sink in, feeling guilty and terrible. The voices in her head began to clamour loudly.

Remember, he's not a nice person. Don't feel badly for him.

But I'm not very nice for doing this, either. In fact, this is worse than anything he's done. I deliberately misled him, and used his human weaknesses against him. So what does that make me?

Well it's too late now, isn't it? Might as well finish it quickly.

Distractedly, she saw realisation dawn on his face, followed quickly by the blackest look she could imagine.

"Bitch! Why, you... you.." he sputtered. He furiously fastened his trousers, all the while enumerating the ways he would kill her.

Don't back down now, dammit! See it through. Everything will be over tomorrow. C'mon now!

She steeled herself, shoving back her suddenly overwhelming guilt. "Goodness, Malfoy, a person can only die once. I'm afraid you only get to choose one method of murder for me. Then again, you'll never see me alone again. So if you do manage to kill me, you'll end up on a permanent visit to see your beloved father." She crept to the doorjamb, looking for all the world like a malicious fairy about to take flight.

"Finite Incantatem!"

And then, in a flash, she was gone.

(evil cliffy... part 2 coming next week)










(Stop cursing, I'm just kidding!)

Not even sparing a glance at his wayward wand, he whirled and bolted after her. Fueled by adrenaline, his long legs ate up the distance between them before she even had a chance to throw a single hex over her shoulder. Diving, he knocked her to the floor and wrestled the wand from her grasp as the camera went spinning away into the shadows. He hurled her wand away from them, picked up the writhing, hissing girl and threw her over his shoulder.

Marching back to the classroom, he violently swung the door shut and looked around. Thwarting yet another kick from her almost knocked him off of his feet. Jumping, he let her stomach drop forcefully into his shoulder, hoping to knock the wind out of her so she'd stop trying to permanently move his kidneys into his back pockets. No such luck.

"DAMN YOU, MALFOY! I'LL KILL YOU!" she shrieked.

Spying what must have been the professor's chair, he stalked over to it and flipped her over as he slammed down on the seat.

"Do you hear me, you spawn of a demon? You'll regret this! I'll-"

"You'll what?" he spat as he pushed her, face-down, over his lap. He locked his free leg over both of hers to stop her vicious kicking.

Off-balance and teetering on her belly across one of his thighs, she tried to push herself up, only to discover he had effectively removed any leverage for her to use. She reared as far back as she could and began to pummel any part of him she could reach with her fists. "I'll kill you! No! I'll make you wish you were dead, and THEN I'll turn you over to my brothers!" she yowled, doubling in volume with every word.

Shoving her down, he pinned the small of her back with one forearm, pressing her belly down against his thigh with just enough force to make her realise she had no options left. With his other hand, he gathered the back of her long, loose skirt, flipping it up and over her head.

Being arse up in the cool air, with her blue knickers clear in view, only served to enrage her further. "What are you doing?!" she screeched hysterically. "Go ahead, rape me! They'll snap your wand and you'll spend the rest of your cursed life in Azkaban with your miserable, sadistic bastard of a fath-"

SMACK!

She screamed in pain and surprise, her arse on fire.

SMACK!

"Someone-"

SMACK!

"-needs-"

SMACK!

"-to-"

SMACK!

"-teach-"

SMACK!

"-you-"

SMACK!

"-a-"

SMACK!

"-lesson-"

SMACK!

"-you'll-"

SMACK!

"-damn-"

SMACK!

"-well-"

SMACK!

"-remember!"

SMACK!

"Don't-"

SMACK!

"-start-"

SMACK!

"-a-"

SMACK!

"-fire-"

SMACK!

"-you-"

SMACK!

"-can't-"

SMACK!

"-put-"

SMACK!

"-out,"

SMACK!

"-you-"

SMACK!

"-bloody-"

SMACK!

"-hellion!"

SMACK!

By this time, she was crying in earnest, screaming in anticipation of each smarting slap that landed with stinging force on her arse.

He laid his hand on her, rubbing her burning bottom.

Realising he had stopped, her sobs slowly turned to sniffles, and finally, hiccoughs.

"Damn you, Weasley!" he raged. "You're lucky to come out of this with a child's punishment, when all I really want is to strangle your lying, deceiving throat! And you're damned lucky that my mother taught me that you don't beat women, even nasty spiteful little pieces of baggage like yourself! Get it? You deserve a hell of a lot more than what you got. Merlin! There are some boundaries you don't cross, no matter what. And stone-cold seduction for a damned childish reason like a bet is one of those boundaries. Gods! I can't believe you did that; even I would never go there, Weasley! You just... don't."

Surreptitiously wiping her dripping nose, she felt him remove the arm pinning her.

Pulling her skirt back down to cover her lower body, he sighed heavily. Draco reached down and hooked her under the arms and lifted her to her feet. He sat back and crossed his arms, watching as she fixed her skirt, hiding behind the curtain of her hair.

"Look, I'm sorry that you brought that on yourself, but if you don't have enough sense to-"

SMACK!

Her palm connected with his cheek with a satisfying crack. Caught unaware, Draco toppled sideways off of the chair from the force of her blow.

"I hate you, Draco Malfoy! I wish you never came to this school! I wish I never heard of the Malfoys, and I'll hate you until the day I die!"

Holding his throbbing cheek, he glared at her from where he sat on the floor and retorted, "Funny, it didn't sound like you hated me when I was sucking on your neck. Maybe I should snog girls that 'hate' me more often!"

"You, you- ferret!"

"Ooh, clever." he snarled, a sardonic brow raised as he raked her with heated eyes. "Ready for another go-round? That lovely, -though currently rather red, dare I say?-, bottom of yours has me eager for more of you."

"Aargh!" she howled, before storming away from him with a decided hitch in her step.

"Don't worry, it should stop hurting in a few days or so," he called mockingly from the floor as she snatched up her robes and limped hurriedly towards the door. "Unless, of course, you'd care to have Madam Pomfrey fix you up. I'm sure she'd LOVE to hear how it happened, you vindictive hag!" he yelled after her.

After he was sure she was gone, he began to put his clothes back to rights. Locating his wand, he fixed his shirt with a quick Summoning Spell for the missing buttons and a hasty Repairing Charm. Donning his robes and straightening his tie, he growled as he mentally reviewed all that just transpired. His hand hurt something awful, so he was sure she was going to have a few bruises and a very tender arse to remind her of her much-deserved spanking.

But what his brain kept returning to was not how unscrupulous her tactics were, but how she felt in his arms, kissing him so hungrily. He'd never felt desire like that, so sharp it could pierce steel. Hell, I've never been kissed like that. I don't think you can fake that much emotion that well. She wanted it, too. I know she did. He touched his lips, recalling the look in her eyes as she softly traced them with a delicate finger.

A scornful smile on his face, he said aloud, "She may not like me, she may think she hates me, but damn if deep down she doesn't want me!"

He searched the corridor carefully, but she had found both her wand and the camera, taking both.

Lost in thought, he jolted as a distant clock chimed the quarter hour mark. Only fifteen minutes left in my shift? My, time certainly flies when you're being molested by a shameless, deceitful slip of a witch, he mused as he began to make his way to the dungeons.

(Later, on the ground floor...)

Draco had just reached the staircase down to the dungeons when Prof Snape's disembodied voice floated out to him.

"Mr Malfoy, was all quiet tonight?"

He turned and waited politely until his Head of House had reached him. "Yes, sir, everything is as it should be. Time flew by, to be honest."

"Really?" Snape baited contemptuously. "So how is it a handprint saw fit to claim half of your face, then, I wonder?"

Draco's hand flew to his cheek as his mind raced for an innocent explanation. "I... she..." he stuttered.

"Come now, that pathetic, vacant look says it all. Believe me, I've seen it a time or two during my tenure here." Snape said, his voice dripping with derision. "Miss Weasley's handiwork, I presume?"

"Er..."

"How eloquent, Mr Malfoy. Truly insightful." Snape snorted disdainfully as he eyed the agitated student in front of him. "Confine your pitiful attempts at courtship to when you're not on school duty, if you don't mind." he jeered.

Draco froze, mind overcome by this unwelcome revelation. Weasley? Recovering, he turned his thoughts to Snape's directive. "Courtship?" Draco spat disgustedly. "Hardly. That..." his pause pregnant with meaning, "witch is clearly insane."

Snape eyed him for several long moments. With a grim laugh, the Head of Slytherin House turned to leave. "As are you, then, for being so obviously infatuated with her."


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