"This is all your fault, you stupid Weasel! If you hadn't thrown that filthy water all over me, we wouldn't be here now. And don't you think you ought to get on with putting these books away before McGonagall gets back?"

Ginny looked at him in amazement.

"Don't you realise that she saw you push me in the dirt as well? Otherwise it would just be me in this detention. And I'm not moving any of those books until you do."

And with that, she pulled out a chair from under a nearby table and sat down, looking expectantly at him.

"You're expecting a Malfoy to do menial labour?"

"Yes." Short, and to the point.

He was surprised the youngest Weasel had the guts to stand up for herself, and said so. Ginny just laughed.

"If you'd grown up with six older brothers, you'd know how to stand up for yourself too."

Malfoy looked strangely upset at this, a reaction Ginny hadn't expected. After all, he knew she had six brothers – he'd spent enough time teasing her and Ron about their parents "having more children than they could afford".

She decided to risk asking him.

"Just shut up, Weasley, you don't know anything about it and I'm not going to tell you. If you've got any brains you'll just keep out of it."

Ginny pondered this. Whatever had got him so worked up, it was obviously a sensitive subject. She could use this to her advantage.

"Ok, Malfoy, listen up. I won't ask you anything else about it, whatever it is, and in return, you'll do half of that pile. Deal?"

Malfoy raised one aristocratic eyebrow.

"You want me to make a deal with you," he pronounced slowly.

"Oh, Malfoy, it won't kill you. Stop being daft."

Folding her arms, she gave him a look that suggested he'd better do as she said.

"Oh, fine. Deal."

They set to work, both knowing that they wouldn't be let out at midnight if the books were still there. Professor McGonagall was likely to leave them locked in the library until the job was done. The only person who really used the library anyway was Hermione, and she could manage without it for a day or two. They worked in silence, mostly, apart from when Ginny couldn't reach the right shelf, which happened a few times.

"Finally, the last one." Ginny sighed in relief as she picked it up. She wandered off to put it away, and Malfoy watched her go.

"For a Weasley," he thought, "she's not so bad. Knows when to shut up, anyway."

A loud crash and a scream rang through the library, echoing eerily in the almost empty room.

"Weasley!" he shouted, hurrying off in the direction she'd gone.

It took a few minutes to find her, sprawled on the floor, unconscious. She seemed to have fallen off something, but he couldn't see what… Then he realised. She'd climbed up the bookcase so that she could put the book back, and she must have slipped. He had to get her to the hospital wing, but how? The library was locked, and would be for at least another hour. Perhaps one of the portraits would get McGonagall.

He picked Ginny up carefully, and carried her back to the front of the library. Laying her gently on Madam Pince's desk, he went to ask the portraits if they'd fetch McGonagall. One of them agreed, and in a few minutes the door opened.

"What happened, Mr Malfoy? No, explain later. Take Miss Weasley to the hospital wing immediately."

AN: Now you've read it, leave a review and let me know what you thought.