Change is Everything

By: Sporkchild

Chapter Eleven: As if Fighting Weren't Enough…

"How long are we going to be here?" Ginny whispered to Hermione. Hermione didn't answer, and she hadn't said a word since McGonagall had left the four of them there.

"Here Colin, take this." Ginny watched as Audrey handed her bleeding counterpart the handkerchief that had been tucked into the top of her highlighter yellow high-tops. Colin pressed his cheek with the cloth, which was bleeding profusely.

"Thanks, Audrey," Colin loudly spoke, "But I wouldn't need this if it weren't for psycho bitch over there."

Colin had made his second mistake of the day…

Hermione again lunged forward at Colin, but this time, the young boy was prepared. When they clashed, both were swinging and swearing.

Ginny again skidded to the rescue, knowing Hermione would be in twice the trouble for fighting again, especially in Dumbledore's office.

"You could help," Ginny yelled at Audrey over the noise. She tugged at Hermione's arm, the only thing she could manage to grab and Hermione was tugging back, eager to get a hold of Colin.

Audrey whimpered several times before shuffling over and dropping to her knees and taking a surprisingly firm grip on Colin's shirt. When Colin felt this, he turned to see who it was. Hermione took this momentary stillness on Colin's behalf to knock him square in his face, scraping his lip with a ring, one with a ruby-red stone…one Ginny had never seen before.

Colin turned back to return fire, but Audrey lashed out, clamping her hand around Colin's chin. "Colin!"

Audrey looked mad. Audrey looked serious. Audrey looked…exhausted. Ginny had never seen her look serious about anything, so this was a surprising first.

Ginny didn't take the time to admire Audrey's new found look. She quickly up-rooted Hermione from the ground and jerked her into her chair. Not a minute later, McGonagall walked in, closely followed by Dumbledore.

"You look a bit more rough and tumble than what I expected," Dumbledore's eyes sparkled.

'He knows,' Ginny though, gripping the arm of her chair.

Dumbledore nodded to McGonagall and she left. He then went to his desk, and slowly sat down, drumming his fingers together.

"Now, Mr. Creevy, if your lip permits, could you tell me what happened?"

Colin nodded, dabbing at his lip twice with the now blood covered cloth before beginning. "Granger attacked me! What more can I say? I was a gentleman and didn't once return fire. All harm done to her was done by her own hands while she was harming me!" Colin said his piece, sat back, and gave Hermione a cocky stare, as if daring her to say otherwise.

Hermione glared and sneered at Colin, while her hair hid her face.

"Ms. Granger, what happened?"

"I only return fire…sir," Hermione answered promptly, head now held high. Ginny wanted to die! Who was this imposter that had taken over her best friend, causing her to be a Slytherin dating, cocky, not-so-Hermione…Hermione!

"I assume that Ms. Weasley and Ms. Wells had something to do with this?"

"No!" Ginny immediately responded, but she heard a 'yes' resound from Colin's lips.

"So you did?" Dumbledore looked at Colin, although addressing Audrey and Ginny.

"Well, since Colin said it, it must be true! Everything Colin says is so profound," Hermione said sarcastically, tossing her hair and standing, walking toward Colin as she kept talking. "Why ever wouldn't you believe Colin? Sweet, innocent Colin, who has a mouth like a dirty sailor and the looks to go with it."

"Oh shut-up, Granger," Colin growled angrily under his breath.

Yet again, Hermione lost her temper. This pissed Ginny off. This wasn't like her best friend. By the time Dumbledore had pulled the two apart, Colin's lip was bleeding fresh blood and his arms were scratched up and down.

Again, Ginny asked herself who this girl was that replaced her best friend. The normal Hermione would never fight, let alone three times in one day and in front of the Headmaster. She would never date a Slytherin, or let her grades slip a point below exemplary.

"Ms. Granger! I've never seen this sort of behavior out of you! Punishment is a given and not out of line! I'm going to be light this time, because this is you four's first major offense. I'll let you off with a full week of detention."

"All of us?"

"Yes, there are three boys that will be washing cauldrons with the four of you, including Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. I suspected that Ms. Granger would have been with Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley until I saw what those boys had done. You may have fought twice Ms. Granger, but those boys hurt Mr. Malfoy pretty bad."

"Mr. Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy?" Ginny spoke, leaning forward quickly, eyes wide in horror. What had her brother done?

"Well, all I can say is he put up quite a fight, but two against one isn't a fair fight."

"So, we'll be serving out detention with them?" Hermione looked triumphant. She tossed her hair back, that fighting glint still in her eyes.

As Dumbledore nodded, Ginny just about went crazy. She wanted to slap Hermione, but cry over Draco.

"You're dismissed."

Ginny sat there, waiting for the other three to leave.

"I'll wait for you outside," Hermione had a mixed hopeful look on her face.

"Don't bother, Ginny grumbled, but her friend didn't even hear.

"Professor Dumbledore, you said something about a fight. Can you tell me when it happened, please?" Ginny had a pleading note to her voice and Dumbledore took pity. And for anyone who knew anything, they knew Dumbledore knew everything. He knew everyone's business, but not in a bad way, but he knew who was dating who and who was mad at who, that matter of things.

"Not a minute after you left the Great Hall. That's why you were in here for so long unattended. Your fight, well I say that in a hypothetical way, simply wasn't as bad."

"It wasn't as bad?" Ginny's voice wavered with sadness. Fear was ebbing in.

"No."

"Where is Draco?"

"The hospital wing, along with the other two boys."

Ginny tore out of Dumbledore's office, not knowing what to expect.

The first thing Ginny saw when she arrived in the hospital wing was Colin, sitting there, waiting to be attended to. Ginny ignored him completely, and glanced around. She took in Harry, sitting across from Colin with a big black eye. Next to Harry was Ron with four long scratches down each of his arms, and a welt on his cheek.

"Ginny, you came to see us?" Ron spoke loudly, glancing first at Ginny and then at Harry.

No, I came to see…" She began to say.

"You aren't to see him, Ginny! You aren't! I'll tell Mum! She bloody wants to kill him already. What's she going to think? Besides, Harry already told me everything that happened. We told Draco, right before we…"

"You are an asshole, Ronald Weasley," Ginny interrupted, "And I'll see who I want to see, just like you do."

Ron opened his mouth to speak again, but Ginny stormed off, not even wanting to hear what he had to say. She only wanted to see Draco. When she finally saw him, her eyes great wide. Colin's wounds looked like child's play compared to what Draco had.

Madame Pomfrey was pouring something on Draco's right arm, which had several open bit marks. His knuckles on both hands were bruised and his blonde, lovely hair was tousled and had a few speckles of blood in it. The front of his robes were ripped and he had a medium sized gash near his hairline. When he stood, despite Madame Pomfrey's screeches of protest, she saw he leaned heavily on his right foot. When he started toward her, Ginny saw he limped, making Madame Pomfrey screech even more.

"Mr. Malfoy, you sit down right now! That ankle is sprained!"

Draco ignored the yelling and limped his complete way over to Ginny.

"Draco, I…" Ginny began.

"No, don't say anything. Everything I need to know, I've been told. You never told me what happened this summer! Did you feel it wasn't important that you'd led Harry on and had him thinking you wanted to be with him? That you told him you just needed time to think? Is that all I was to you? Sex, so you could think? I only have one thing to say to you, and it'll be my last. Thanks Gin, you were an easy lay!" With that, he hobbled away, past Ginny, and out of the hospital wing.

"Well, Virginia, I've lost another patient. On your way out, tell your brother to come in so we can take care of those scratches. And do you know where Hermione is dear? She was supposed to come here with Colin after her meeting with the Headmaster." Ginny shook her head and walked away.

Why did things always turn out so bad?

Alright, another chapter down, and only three more to go! Aren't you excited to see the conclusion of this damn thing? This one was a bit longer, no?