DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything except the story.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Written in response to the "48 Hours" challenge thrown out by Cheelalaucha in the forums. This story is quite AU, as I have omitted the fact that the Wizarding World is threatened by Lord Voldemort. The students are just leaving a quite ordinary life- well, as ordinary as magic can be. Sorry for the long hiatus- I just lost the interest to write it after a while.

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Chapter 6

Malfoy frowned as he rolled over onto his belly to look at Ginny, who had suddenly stop laughing and was now strangely quiet and red in the face. He propped his chin on one hand as he watched her comb through her red tresses with her fingers, never once looking at him, her face continuously red and half-hidden away from him. He raised an eyebrow at her as he saw her glance quickly at him before shifting her eyes away from him.

"What?" Ginny asked, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

"I didn't say anything."

"You looked like you want to say something."

Draco shrugged as he smiled slyly. "How would you know when you're not looking at me?"

"I can feel it," Ginny snapped, crossly as she shifted under his stare. She could feel his gaze piercing into her very core, as if she could see what was going around in her head right now.

"Oh, so you can sense what I am feeling now?" Draco drawled.

Ginny gritted her teeth as she gave the silent treatment to Draco once again, refusing to answer such an open-ended question like that.

"Then I'm sure you can sense that I'm feeling a little horny right now, and my…" Malfoy trailed off as he watched Ginny's face burned brighter and she slammed her hands over her ears to keep her from hearing whatever he was going to say next.

"Pervert!" Ginny shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut as well, for some unknown reason.

Malfoy laughed at the sight the Girl-Weasel presented. He crawled over towards her, like a prowling predator that had just caught sight of its prey, his lips stretched in a wicked grin. He drew up so close to Ginny that their noses were practically touching.

"Ginny," he whispered so that the air escaping from his mouth would flow over to her lips.

Ginny's eyes snapped open at the feel of the slight air brushing her lips, only to find stormy grey eyes staring right at her own bright brown ones. She had a split second to register that in her head before she had to register something else- Malfoy had just brushed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened and before he could brush his lips against hers for a second time, she slapped him across his face, the sound of her making a handprint on his cheek resounding across the room.

"Ow!" Malfoy yelled.

"Serves you right! What did you go and do that for?!" Ginny yelled back, her heart thumping, her lips still burning where Malfoy had brushed his against.

"You didn't have to hit me so hard! Violent woman!" Malfoy roared, one hand rubbing against his flaming and slightly swelling cheek.

"You want violent? Let me show you what violent is!" Ginny snapped back as she swung her hand back intending to deliver another blow, to Malfoy's right cheek this time.

Before her hand could connect with his skin this time, he caught it in time as she swung downwards by her wrist, slowly squeezing the strength out of her with his own powerful grip. Unfazed, Ginny swung her right hand, squeezing her hand into a fist, intending to make a blow to his gut. Malfoy narrowly avoided her punch while still maintaining his hold on her left wrist, before sliding to her back and catching her right with his free hand, making her back face him and her own hands wrap around herself. Ginny gritted her teeth before head-butting Malfoy, realising too late that her head would only make contact with his chest, such was their height difference. However, her head-butt was strong enough to make Malfoy grunt and wince but not strong enough to make him release her.

"Damn girl! Stay still, will you!" Malfoy said, as he struggled to avoid Ginny's stomping feet.

"I will, if you will let me go!" Ginny shrieked, panicking as she realised that Malfoy was a hell lot stronger than she was, and she was without her wand.

Tensing her muscles, she kicked herself off the floor and propelled herself upwards and over Malfoy's head in one fluid move. This had her now facing the back of Malfoy's head and her legs wrapped around Malfoy's waist, her wrists still caught in Malfoy's stunned grip. She hooked her bound hands around his neck and started to tighten them together, intending to choke him with her arms. Realising her intention, he let go of her hands, but she now caught him in a strangle-hold. Gasping, he tried to shake her off, but her legs were clamped tightly around his waist. Not knowing what else to do, Malfoy threw himself onto the nearest couch, with her beneath him, intending for the move to choke the breath out of her, enough to make her release him.

He did not dare to do it to hard, in case he would break Ginny. Ginny gasped at the sudden impact of Malfoy's weight on her and her being trapped between him and the couch, releasing him as intended. Her legs had also released their strong grip around his waist although they were still partially crossed around him. Malfoy immediately took this advantage to turn around and incapacitate Ginny by gripping both of her slender wrists in one hand and trapping her legs with his. When she tried to head-butt him again, he used his hand to push her down by her forehead. The both of them were gasping and heaving for breath after their short fight, both of them half on the couch and half off. They did not say a word and continued staring at each other fiercely, each daring the other to move, each caught in a stalemate.

After a while, Malfoy said softly, "I am going to let you go, okay? Promise that you won't hit me after I let you go."

"Fine!" Ginny grounded out.

Malfoy took her at her word and immediately pushed himself off her. Ginny swung around to glare at him, rubbing her sore wrists. Malfoy did his own fair share of glaring as he moved his jaw, rubbing his burning cheek with one hand and rubbing his chest where she had head-butted him with the other. Malfoy then slid down onto the couch, sitting with his legs sprawled out, his hands stretched across the back of the couch and his head thrown back with his eyes closed. Ginny gulped as she saw the strong column of his neck, down to the strong arms and legs that had pinned her down. She used to think that Malfoy would be a weakling, seeing as how he always looked so scrawny. She just found out the difference of strength between sexes.

"Have a seat," Malfoy said, without getting up from his pose, one hand lazily indicating the couch.

Eyeing him warily, Ginny sat down stiffly next to him on the couch. Slowly, she relaxed into the softness of the couch as the two of them regained a normal heartbeat pace and breathing patterns. Ginny thought that Malfoy had fallen asleep, so she just sat there quietly, not saying a word.

"Are you okay?" Malfoy's sudden question surprised Ginny.

"Yeah, just peachy. You?"

"A bit bruised here and there but I'll live."

"Does it hurt badly?" Ginny asked softly.

"A bit," Malfoy said, grimacing. "Damn, you can really fight, woman."

"Er, sorry," Ginny said, blushing. She didn't even know why she was apologizing to him when it was his fault since he had started it by kissing her.

Malfoy did not say a word as he got up and started rummaging in his cloak for his wand. Finding it, he pointed the wand at himself and intoned the charm that would heal his bruises. However, it would appear that Malfoy was not as good with Healing charms compared with Curses. He swore as he realised the bruises still hurt a bitch, though he had only told Ginny that it hurt a bit.

"Let me help you," Ginny said as she gently took his wand out of his hand. "Please remove your shirt."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at that statement. "What? Can't resist me now that I am so manly with all these battle wounds that you want to jump my bones right now?"

"No! It's-" Ginny could not continue as she started stuttering and shaking, her face bright red once again.

"Really, you are too easy to tease," Malfoy said, chuckling. He grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it off him in one move. "Sexy, aren't I?"

"Quite," Ginny said, not actually realising that she had let it slip.

Surprised, Malfoy just stood there as Ginny quickly located all the bruises and scratches he had received from her. With a few jabs of the wand towards his wounds, he was healed. He touched the spots, expecting them to be tender, but to his surprise, they were completely healed since they were not very serious wounds to begin with.

"Wow, you're good."

"Comes from having six brothers," Ginny said shrugging, handing the wand over back to him.

"What about you?" Malfoy asked as he took back his wand.

"Hm, what about me?" Ginny asked, as if in a trance. She was too preoccupied with staring at certain deliciously naked parts.

"Are you hurt?" Malfoy asked, concerned, wondering if he had bumped her over the head earlier, which would explain why she was so spaced out right then.

Ginny snapped out of her dream-like mode. "I'm fine, thanks."

Ginny realised with a surprise that she really was fine, not a single scratch on her body. Even though she had been so violent during the fight, the only time Malfoy had shown displays of his strength was to hold her down, and even so, he had made sure not to do it too strongly.

Really, just who is the real Malfoy? The one who was a bigoted bully or the one who was gentle enough to make sure she was not hurt even though they were fighting?

Ginny felt thoroughly confused as she pondered over that question.

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To be continued…