Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle started off in Honeydukes along with roughly half of the Hogwarts population, buying a nice stash of candy to last until their parents' next care packaged arrived. He spotted Zabini a few times, but they hadn't spoken at all. On these occasions, Zabini smirked and tapped his pocket, where he kept the roll of film that had the picture of Draco and Hermione, while Draco shot him his best Death Glare. He'd seen his father do it on their old house elf, Dobby. It always produced desired results.
When Crabbe and Goyle were off checking out the free samples of pumpkin pasties, Draco bumped into Zabini for the fourth time. Zabini grinned maniacally and patted his pocket once more. Draco said, "Would you just quit it?"
"Quit what?" Zabini said, smirking, clearly enjoying seeing Draco's discomfort.
"You know what I'm talking about, Zabini," Draco spat contemptuously.
"Oh, do I?" said Zabini. "Remind me again. I get confused easily, you know."
"Just - just shut up, Zabini!"
Zabini ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth and slipped his hand yet another time into the pocket of his robes. "Shut up, eh? I don't think I'll be doing that when I possess what I do, Malfoy."
"You're - you're just - you know something, Zabini? You're just -" He was running out of things to say, and his rage and frustration and nerves colored his vision in a spark of angry white. "You're just jealous of me! I can get a girl by myself, but you need to blackmail me to get you to go on a date with some ginger of a blood-traitor Gryffindor."
Zabini lowered his hand from his pocket immediately. His breathing grew slower and heavier. "What did you say, Malfoy?"
"You heard me just fine, Zabini," said Draco, suddenly wondering if he had made a mistake. Zabini was larger than he was, and probably stronger too . . . but he couldn't back down.
"I wouldn't talk if I were you," said Zabini slowly, inching closer to Draco. "No, I would not. At least I don't have a mum who looks like yours."
"Don't you insult my mum!" Draco said, his voice squeakier than he would have liked. He didn't have time to think of a better retort, though, and almost instinctively, he reached forward and punched Zabini hard in the jaw.
"I'll insult whoever I so please, you git," Zabini hissed, rubbing his jaw, "and I'll thank you to keep your filthy hands to yourself. You punch like a Hufflepuff."
He punched Draco square in the gut, and Draco doubled over in pain, all the breath knocked out of him. Zabini grinned wickedly. "Not just a Hufflepuff, a house-elf, too. You didn't even see that one coming! Have you ever fought before? Oh! I know. Did your mummy teach you?"
"You take that back." Draco punched again, not knowing where in his breathless state. What he heard was a sickening crunch. A moment later, Zabini pulled out a crumpled, destroyed bit of film out of his pocket.
"Merlin - I - Malfoy - you imbecile - destroying my film - I'm going to -" Zabini took another step forward and smashed Draco twice, in the jaw and in the side of his nose. Draco felt his nose crunch, and a waterfall of scarlet cascaded down over his chin and down his shirt just as he heard the clearing of someone's throat near him.
"Mr. Zabini, Mr. Malfoy, I should like to know what is going on here."
They both turned. Professor McGonagall was standing next to them, her face severe. Draco swallowed hard. He was not going down easily. He put on his best I'm-completely-innocent-and-didn't-do-anything-but-am-merely-the-victim-here look.
"Professor - I was just standig here, bindig by own bizdiz, when Zabidi -"
"Oh, shut up, git," Zabini said. "Professor, Malfoy started it."
"I did'id do anydig!"
Professor McGonagall sighed. "Mr. Zabini, Mr. Malfoy, I have been teaching for a lot of years. How foolish do you think I am? I can recognize a broken nose when I see one." She started forward, pulling Draco's hand off his nose. Blood spilled down his chin again. She released his hand immediately.
"But seeing as I can prove nothing," she said, "and seeing as I take neither of your words, I will have to punish you both as I see fit."
Draco wiped his bloody nose on the back of his hand. Zabini glared at him. McGonagall said, "I am quite ashamed of you both. Ten points will be taken from Slytherin for each of you. And Mr. Zabini, you will be serving detention. Be at my office tonight at eight o'clock sharp."
"What about -" Zabini started angrily, pointing at Draco.
"Mr. Malfoy will be having his Hogsmeade visit cut short," Professor McGonagall said. "He will report straight to the hospital wing before Ambrosius Flume has us all thrown out for brawling. And both of you, please know that I am very disappointed in you. Fistfighting is not the way men should resolve their differences."
Draco grinned. Not bad! Only twenty points from Slytherin, detention for Zabini, the film broken, and any threats completely gone. He wiped his nose on his sleeve again. He couldn't wait to tell Hermione what had happened.
