1.1 The Wizard's Duel

Author: Lee Velviet

E-Mail: Vampslay@Bellsouth.net

Disclaimer: You know who this stuff belongs to-J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., etc-I own absolutely nothing! ::Sob::

Summary: Ginny Weasley has had it with Draco Malfoy and his 'evil' ways-so she decides to have it out with him-what will Draco do when she challenges him to a secret Wizard's Duel? (Laugh hysterically, probably…)

(A/N: Reviews would rock, flames are welcome, but constructive criticism would be better! As always, please let me know if I get facts wrong! Thanks for reading!)



1.The Gauntlet Is Thrown



"That's it!"

Ginny tightened her hands into fists. Draco Malfoy had gone too far this time. Some one had to take matters into their own hands-someone had to teach that spoiled, stuck-up, close-minded evil rat a lesson!

Three times in the last month, Malfoy had managed to get Harry and Ron in trouble-and Ginny was heartily sick of standing meekly by and seeing Ron and Harry so unfairly treated when she'd seen Malfoy orchestrate everything!

Ron and Harry were staring after Snape miserably-they'd just received a weeks worth of detention, thanks to Malfoy-when they saw Ginny stomping past, her eyes narrowed, red curls flying.

"What's with her?" Harry asked Ron curiously. It was odd to see such a fierce look of furious determination on such a small, sweet, freckled elfin- like face.

"Who knows-she looks like that all the time at home-especially when Mum asks her to feed the chickens." Ron shrugged and turned away.

It took Ginny several tries to get Draco Malfoy's attention-it wasn't that he was really trying to ignore her-he just didn't notice the small, fiery creature twittering angrily about under his superciliously aristocratic nose.

Finally after dinner that evening, Ginny managed to corner the tall, pale sixth year boy in the Library.

Draco was bent over his Potions homework when Ginny stalked up to him, her anger having not diminished in the slightest.

She stood at his elbow, waiting impatiently for him to look up and notice her.

After about two minutes of listening to his quill scrabbling against his parchment, an evil thought formed in her heated mind, and she reached over, grabbed his bottle of dark green ink, and simply upturned it over his halfway-completed assignment.

"What the-" his pale eyes burned viciously into her as they flickered up, finally catching her from the corner of his eye.

Ginny was too hacked off to pay any attention to the look of intense dislike he gave her. A small part of her was surprised at how good-looking he was up close, however. She'd never been this close to him before-

"What the bloody hell were you thinking, you little rodent? Do you have any idea how long it's going to take me to redo that?" His voice was low and furious as his pale silvery eyes shot daggers at her.

"I'm the rodent? Excuse me, but weren't you the one who made a fabulous white ferret in their fourth year?" Ginny dropped the empty bottle of ink on the table with a clatter. "And a rather talented one at that-bouncing and all. Too bad that's the only thing you've got going for you."

He glared at her, almost as if he wasn't sure what to say. "Who are you? Oh, let me guess-" he stared pointedly at her flaming red curls. "Another Weasley, and a tiny one at that. Aren't you a fifth year? And you aren't any taller than that?" He looked her up and down in disgust. "If I were you, I'd complain to Dumbledore-obviously you're parents aren't feeding you enough. Suffering from malnutrition, I'd bet. What'd you're parents have to do this year to get your school things? Decide between food and books?"

Ginny saw red at this point. So she did what she always did when she was angry with Ron for something or another-she pulled back her Mary Jane shod foot and kicked Malfoy in the knee rather brutally.

"Ow!" He leaned down and grabbed his throbbing, bruised shin instantly, which Ginny had been anticipating, and when his face was level with hers, she drew back her small fist and let a punch fly straight into his eye.

He howled and fell back in his chair, toppling noisily to the Library floor.

Draco looked up through his one good eye and saw the evil little Weasley girl standing above him.

Her little pointed, freckled face was tinged pink, her brown eyes narrowed threateningly. "That was for Ron and Harry!" She hissed menacingly. She reminded him of an evil doll as she stomped off, her robes and red curls flying.

He looked up at the ceiling as Madam Pince came over to see what all the racket was. The librarian gasped.

"Mr. Malfoy! Whatever has happened?"

Draco reached up to probe the tender, puffy swelling beginning under his left eye, and groaned. "I think I got attacked by a prank –er, quill. Yeah, my quill-just started going crazy. Must e someone's idea of a joke." There was no way anyone was going to find out a fifteen year old girl, much less a Weasley, had done this to him.

Madam Pince eyed the discarded, innocent looking Quill on the floor beside his head skeptically, and helped him up. "Well…I'll dispose of the-er, quill. You may go on to see Madam Pomfrey."

Draco kept his head ducked as he left the library, seething. Payback was definitely in order-it didn't matter that he'd thoroughly deserved what she'd done to him-no one, especially not a girl, hit Draco Malfoy and got away with it.

Draco cursed through his teeth as he pushed through the infirmary doors-the little Weasley was going to get a lesson about trying to run with the big dogs.

Ginny was muttering under her breath as she swept along the hall towards the Gryffindor tower. She should have been pleased that she managed to get one back for Harry and Ron-but she couldn't rid herself of the guilt she felt whenever she remembered the look of shock and pain in Malfoy's eyes when she'd popped him.

She ought to be feeling proud of herself for winning a mill with that prat Malfoy-Merlin knew he deserved it-but she had taken him by surprise. Had she fought dirty? Did it matter?

She made a growling sound of annoyance and stomped across to the front of the fat lady's portrait. "Dungbombs!"

The fat lady's pug nose twitched in distaste. "Really, dear-must get that password changed!"

Ginny scowled as the Portrait swung outward, and she scowled even more fiercely when she had to push herself up on her tiptoes to reach her handholds to pull herself through the hole in the wall.

The common room was quiet as she walked through-she paused to step over a stretched out Neville on the carpet-he'd apparently fallen asleep while doing his assignment in front of the fireplace. He was snoring loudly, causing several students in nearby chairs to shoot him dirty looks as they tried to complete their own work.

Harry and Ron were playing a half hearted game of exploding snap at a table in the corner below a threadbare tapestry of the Gryffindor lion, who had temporarily abandoned his fierce pose, and was watching them with comical interest.

Ginny walked over and sat on a low stool next to Ron. She rested her chin on her fists and her elbows on her knees.

Harry looked over at her when she didn't say a word. "Hi, Ginny."

She forced out a miserable hello.

Ron looked at her, frowning. "What's wrong with you?"

She weighed her options-tell Harry and Ron what she'd done, and probably get yelled at-for no self-respecting male would take kindly to a girl defending them-or pretend like nothing had happened.

"Er-Snape. He…gave me a hard time again. He is such a boil on the butt of humanity." Which was the absolute truth.

Harry laughed. "Boil on the butt-?" He chuckled, holding his stomach.

"Yeah, tell him that to his face," Ron grumbled.

Ginny sighed, feeling alternately angry and guilty. "I'm going to bed."

"'Night." The two boys called absently.

She gritted her teeth and went up to bed. So much for being a hero!

TBC

(A/N: Let me know what you think- your opinion matters! Thanks!)