A/N: I know the last stopping place was odd, but this will be a bit of a longer section, I think, and I wasn't sure if I could type it all up tonight.
Finally, when all of the potions students were out of the classroom, Ginny stepped forward, inching toward Draco's bag. Anything, she just wanted some proof of feeling from him. Love or hate - she just wanted a definite answer. Parchment, quills, ink, books, books... She searched, finally coming across something that looked suspiciously like...No way... Draco Malfoy keeps... a diary?! She'd had bad experiences with diaries - but this wasn't hers, so it didn't matter, right? She shrugged to herself, but gathered the invisibility cloak around her like a moral cracked the journal open, slightly, searching for a beginning, before she stopped short.
"Got you." A steady voice growled from the doorway, behind her.
Tom... Ginny thought, trying to slow her frantic heart, Oh my god, it's Tom...
"Whoever you are, get out of my stuff."
Ginny almost sighed. It wasn't Tom. But, unfortunately, it was Draco. She set the journal down carefully, and attempted to step away.
"Potter, is that you? Sneaking out of class to try to catch me on another ridiculous charge? In that stupid invisibility cloak? I'll tell you what, Potter," Ginny could see Draco was smirking, coldly, blocking the door, "You take off that cloak and face me like the coward you are, and maybe I won't bash in your little girlfriend's face." When Ginny didn't move, Draco grimaced. "Very well, then; accio invisibility cloak."
Ginny stood, petrified, attempting to hold the cloak as it slipped like smoke through her fingers.
She saw the shock flit across Draco's face before he recovered, smirking again. "Weasley. Why didn't I expect something like this?" He laughed, though it sounded forced. "Do you usually sneak through people's personal belongings, Red?" He asked, moving toward her, menacingly, an intense anger visible hiding behind his apparently calm face.
Ginny moved back, trying to stall, her chocolate eyes showing the hot loathing and fear to counter Draco's icy grey hate and malice. "I- I didn't read it," she said.
"Of course you didn't," he sneered.
"I swear, Malfoy," she insisted, determined not to back down.
Draco practically winced, though Ginny didn't notice it. She did, however, notice the pain that melded with his anger as he raised his wand. "Cru-"
"Malfoy, what the hell are you doing?" Harry had burst through the doorway, to see Draco threatening a cornered Ginny.
Ginny gave a little yelp and rushed to the door as soon as Draco had turned, and she ran out of the dungeons, not looking back to either of them.
Harry glared at Draco. "I'll ask you again, Malfoy: What the hell were you about to do to Ginny?"
Draco stood, silently, his stare piercing straight through Harry.
"You touch a single hair on her head, you slimy prick, and you'll wish you were never born. Oh, wait," Harry smirked, "You already do."
Draco was surprised, "Wow, Potter, never thought you had the ability to smirk - you've always been such a-" He was cut off by Harry's fist, slamming itself into his cheek (luckily, missing his jaw, which could have been disastrous).
"Potter! What are you doing to Mr. Malfoy? 50 points from Gryffindor and three weeks of detention - see me after class!" Snape led the other students in, all holding bundles of Morlock root and staring at Harry's fist, which was frozen, poised threateningly over Draco's shocked face.
Both boys went back to their seats, heads down and searing mad.
"What happened to you?" Blaise asked Draco quietly once he'd sat down.
"Nothing," Draco avoided his friend's gaze, turning to stare blankly at Snape, who was now introducing their weekly potion.
"What's up, mate? You look like hell," Ron pointed out to Harry.
"That... thing over there was about to hurt Ginny," Harry fumed, glaring at Draco.
"Ginny?" Hermione asked, surprised, "But I left her up in her dorm! She said she was going to sleep."
"Apparently not," Ron snorted.
"Harry... you like Ginny, right?" Hermione asked, the movement of her mind's gears evident on her face.
"Well, we're just friends-"
"But you wouldn't mind..." Hermione started, then paused. "Well, I mean... if she's going out with you than he won't be able to get to her to hurt her, right?"
"Brilliant, Hermione," Ron clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder, "She's all yours, mate."
"Uh... isn't that a bit..." Harry started, nervously.
"We'll explain to her, Harry. You won't have to fake anything. If he really was going to hurt her, I'm sure she'll agree." Hermione touched his arm, sincerely, "You won't have to lie."
