"Harry..." Ron whined. "How can you write so much on pixies? I only have two inches with BIG handwriting."

Harry grinned over at Ron, who was sitting across from him in an arm chair near the fire.

"Snape can take this essay and shove it up his aft end," Ron muttered.

"Just finish it, Ron. I'm sure you'll find some motivation. I know I did," Harry responded, glancing around the common room until he found Ginny, who was sitting with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan

"Maybe he'll even take a shower and use my parchment as soap, the old toad."

Harry chuckled. "If you don't finish it, Hermione will be in here barking at you like crazy to do so. Do it now, and maybe we can play Quidditch later."

"Maybe Wood will let me borrow his broom."

"Wood... graduated, remember?" Harry shook his head. "Just finish the essay, Ron."

Hermione came bursting into the common room, her hair bushier than ever and looking a little anxious.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" joked Ron. "Can't find your quill?"

"I...I lost my Ancient Ruines essay! I was working on it in the library, when Malfoy and his Cronies showed up," she gasped.

"So you'll just write another before supper."

"But, Ron!" she complained. "That was almost finished! I had 11 out of the 12 inches finished."

Neville came bursting into the common room, clutching a piece of parchment, his face red. "Malfoy..." he gasped.

"What happened, Neville?" Hermione asked. It was more of a demand then a question, actually.

"How like you, Hermione," Harry said flatly.

Ron turned his head to hear a noise just outside of the common room.

Hermione didn't bother to even respond to Ron, who was still working on his pixies essay for Professor Snape. The one he had assigned last week, and she had finished it the night he assigned it. And now, Ron was working on it the night before it was due. Typical.

"What is that?" Harry asked, getting up out of his seat to go and investigate.

But Ron was a bit preoccupied with the loud, monstrous banging outside the portrait.

"That doesn't sound good... that doesn't sound good at all," Hermione stated, walking over with Harry to figure out what the noise was.

"And what am I, the Whomping Willow over here?!" demanded Ron.

"I dunno, but you're a lazy arse," Hermione remarked, viewing his unfinished essay.

Harry glanced over at her in surprise. It was unlike Hermione to curse.

"Well, gee, it seems like you know, then!" shouted Ron.

"You're not moving, Ron!" Harry replied. He and Hermione made their way to the portrait, and pressed their ears up against it, listening for the noise just one more time.

Neville took this opportunity to run up to the boys dormitory.

"Harry, what is that?" Ginny questioned, obviously hearing the banging as well.

Harry put his finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

The three of them then heard Malfoy say, "...so when they come out, we disarm the lot of them!"

Harry rolled his eyes. Malfoy could be incredibly loud. But he couldn't help but wonder how he knew the way to the Gryffindor common room -- their locations were supposed to be a secret.

At that point, the Weasley twins came down the stairs into the common room, exclaiming that their Mauraders Map was missing.

Ginny stood up fiercely, grabbing her wand as she shook of Dean's hand. She marched over to the portrait, and pushed Harry aside. "Let me at them, Harry."

"Ginny, no. This does not concern you," Harry remarked, almost pushing her out of harm's way.

"But, Harry, I'm a Gryffindor too, and--"

"Ginny, NO."

"Go sit down before I hex you instead."

At that point, Ron pushed Hermione aside, stepped through the portrait hole and shouted, "Furnunculus!"

Harry watched as the portrait hole swung open forcefully, revealing Malfoy and his cronies.

Malfoy turned to Hermionie and shouted, "Densaugeo!!"

"Perfectious Totalius!" Harry shouted, his wand pointed at Malfoy

But Hermione's front teeth were already three times their normal size.

Ginny stepped out of the portrait, her wand arm straight out, fire in her eyes as she stared down the petrified Malfoy. She made her way towards him, and stood over him, one leg on each side, staring down.

Ron muttered "Mobilicorpus" and said, "How about we leave him in the Astronomy tower?"

Harry watched in ultimate confusion-- what was Ginny doing?

"I'll take him," Ginny said forecefully. "He took something from me that can't be replaced."

At this point, Harry's jaw was dropped, catching on to what Ginny was saying.

"Let me deal with him, Ron," Ginny begged him. She was begging her brother to let her hex her enemy... what on earth was she thinking?

"Alright," gave in Ron. "I'm coming with you, though."

"No you're not," Ginny said dejectedly.

"Ginny, why do you want him alone so badly?!" Ron said.

Harry groaned and rolled his eyes. Ron could be so oblivious sometimes.

"She wants to beat him into a pulp, Ron," Harry said.

"Ginny, I demand that you tell me right now why you would want to hex him more than me!" Ron demanded.

"He...he..." she began, feeling tears form behind her brown eyes. "He...." She sighed heavily, unable to get the words out

Ron let out an exasperated groan.

Harry beckoned her with his eyes to continue.

Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was now slouched down on the floor, her knees pulled up underneath her chin, and her face was buried in her hands

Harry crouched down beside her, and began rubbing her back in a comforting way. "Ginny, it's okay..." he whispered.

"I thought he loved me!" she shouted loudly, banging her fist into the wall. "He said he did!"

Ron stood with his mouth open ajar, then reacted and ran towards Malfoy.

"Ron, stop!" Ginny shouted, angry tears forming.

Harry jumped up, and grabbed Ron by the shoulders. Hermione squealed.

"Ron, let her handle it," Harry told him, trying to wrestle him away from Malfoy.

"Let her handle what?!" he muttered angrily. "I don't even know WHAT HE'S DONE YET but I want to kill him anyway!!"

"Ron, you're an IDIOT if you don't know what he's done!" Harry shouted angrily.

"He ripped out Ginny's innocence, Ron!" He exclaimed.

"Don't be calling me stupid, mate!"

"She's not going to grow up if you don't let her deal with him on her own!"

"He's UNCONCIOUS, HARRY!!" Ron yelled.

"Well, when he wakes up... Merlin, you wonder why I call you stupid..." Harry mutterd

"What, do you honestly believe Malfoy is going to let my little sister defeat her?" Ron sputtered.

"She needs to learn, Ron," Harry said. "And you won't let her."

"LEARN TO DO WHAT?! ,,,AND WHAT HAS HE DONE?!"

"RONALD!" Ginny screamed.

"WHAT?!" He spun around.

"He ripped ME away. Don't you get it? My INNOCENCE. Merlin, you're thick-headed!" she shouted.

"He shagged her, Ron," Hermione whispered quietly.

Before anyone could hold him back, Ron pulled out his wand, yelled "FINITE INCANTEM" at Draco and stood angrily for a second. As Draco stirred to life, Ron flung his wand at the wall and went for Malfoy.

He took a swing at his nose while Hermione screamed for them to stop.

"Ronald! I said let me do it!" Ginny screamed. "Let me tear him apart like he did to me!"

Malfoy came to his senses and began to put an effort into resisting, but Ron had put all of his force into pinning him to the floor while punching him in the stomach.

They heard a shuffling of feet and saw Professor McGonnagall running towards them.

"Stop it," McGonnagall yelled. "You're acting like a pair of Muggles!"

Harry stood by, watching in shock as his best mate pounded his worst enemy.

You can't get me in trouble, Professor, he thought to himself. I'm just standing here.

McGonnagall shouted, "Well, help me Potter!!"

Harry laughed a bit.

Malfoy, with great effort, pushed Ron off of him and pinned him down.

Malfoy punched Ron square in the eye and Hermione screamed and ran off for help.

McGonnagall then flicked her wand and both Ron and Malfoy flung apart in opposite directions.

"Ron, get off of him!" Ginny screamed, scurrying over to Ron and Draco. She wrestled them apart, pushing Ron over to the side, and got really close to Draco.

"What do you want, Weasel?" asked Malfoy.

"To give you as much pain as you gave me," she spat, venom dripping from her words as she glared at him with fire in her eyes. She raised her fist to his face, punching him square across the nose. "And that's only a start."

"That's quite enough, you three!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, Mr. Weasley, and Mr. Potter. I want to see the four of you in my office!"

Hermione came with Dumbledore walking down the hall at a brisk pace.

"I'll handle it, Minerva," Dumbledore remarked, eyeing the two bloody students.

"But first, I would like Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley to be shown to the Hospital Wing."

"You're behavior the other day was quite unacceptable."

"I could have you both expelled for that, you know. There is to be no fighting in the corridors. What led you to act upon such behavior?" Dumbledore asked, eyeing them suspiciously. He knew about the growing hatred between the two boys, but something had to have sparked it off. And that's what he was going to find out.

"One week of detention with HIM?!" Ron shouted.

"At the least, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied.

"Mr. Malfoy, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Absolutely nothing, professor."

Dumbledore eyed him suspiciously. He knew the act that young Mr. Malfoy had committed to Miss Weasley, but he wanted him to fess up that he did something wrong.

As they walked out of the office, Draco muttered to Ron, "You won't always have such luck, Weasley." Then they parted, each heading in a different direction towards their common room.

Harry and Ginny were sitting on one of the couches in the common room together, Ginny was trying her best not to cry.

Ron came bursting through the portrait hole, too angry to speak. Hermione rose to her feet at once to see him in such a horrible state.

"You should've let me handle him," Ginny muttered angrily.

"I think I "handled him" perfectly, thanks very much," Ron spat.

"I don't need your help with everything. In the battle, who's going to protect me? Nobody but myself. You need to let me get used to that," GInny replied.

Hermione was flabbergasted for no apparent reason. And then Hermy realized it was because Ron was covered in bruises and had a black eye.