Draco Malfoy and the Weasley Who Took Him by Surprise

Cover Art: "Draco Ginny - Tension" by Irrel on DeviantArt

Chapter 1: In Which Draco Fears a Fist in His Face

It was pathetic, really. The way his fellow Slytherins always targeted Ginny Weasley. Sure, Draco Malfoy had- at one point- joined in on the teasing. The girl was a hand-me-down-wearing, mudblood-loving, Weasley of a Slytherin. Just by existing, she was practically begging to be bullied. But as Draco turned the hall to see a group of fourth year Slytherins tormenting the girl for the fifth time that week, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Guys, cut it out. We can't afford to lose any more points."

The boys turned towards him. They had the Weasley girl surrounded. She was trembling, her back against the wall. Draco sighed. "Why don't you spend your energy ruining someone else's day? Potter, perhaps."

The biggest one rolled his eyes. Draco thought his name was Brutus, but he couldn't be sure. "Didn't you just say we can't afford to lose any more points, Malfoy?"

"Right, well, I have to say that. I'm a prefect. Really, I just think it's kind of beneath you to harass some little girl. Look at her. She's practically a foot shorter than you."

"So what? She's a freak. She deserves it," another said. The rest of them laughed. How could they possibly think they were funny?

Draco narrowed his eyes at them, the glare that made Crabbe and Goyle follow even his most ridiculous orders. "I won't ask again."

"Fine, fine. We don't want any trouble," Brutus said, waving his hands up in front of his shoulders mockingly. The group of snickering boys left, their footsteps loud as they practically stomped down the hall.

Draco walked up to the Weasley girl, a smirk on his face. "You okay?"

The girl glared at him with such ferocity that Draco almost took a step back. Her brown eyes were practically blazing, crackling with a hatred he didn't quite understand. "None of your business." She turned away from him and took a few steps away. He grabbed her arm, and she turned back towards him."What?"

"I...Well, shouldn't you thank me or something?"

But that was the wrong thing to say. She looked like she wanted to punch him. Her fist was clenched. Draco took a step back this time, his back bumping against the wall.

"Thank you?" She almost spit the words out. "Why would I thank you?"

"Well, for one thing, I stopped those guys," Draco said. But his voice was shaking.

For a moment, she just stared at him. Then she narrowed her eyes. And then she just laughed. And she couldn't seem to stop. Draco shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Yes, the girl was frail, short, and younger than him. But something about her laugh and the way her red hair kept sliding over her eyes made him uncomfortable.

"Stop laughing. Why are you laughing?"

The Weasley girl just grinned at him. "Nothing. Forget about it. Thank you, Malfoy. Thank you for being my…" She laughed again. "...my knight in shining armor." She dipped into a curtsy, mockingly theatrical.

Draco was about to retort when the movement made him look down and realize the first half of her blouse was unbuttoned. His eyes widened, which made Ginny look down at her blouse too. "Wait, Weasley, did they try to-"

Her eyes darkened. "Shut it, Malfoy." She looked down and quickly fumbled with her blouse, trying to button it back up. But some of the buttons were missing. Some hung on loose strings. Draco looked away, not wanting to stare. But then he felt her two small hands shove him against the wall. Her face was down, red hair everywhere. But he could still make out her red-rimmed eyes and the tears that glimmered in their corners.

"Thank you, Malfoy." She punched the wall next to his ear. He flinched. "Thank you for convincing my brother Ron that all Slytherins have to be bad people. Thank you for starting the bullying in the first place the day I was Sorted. And thank you, most of all, for boasting-boasting!- to your friends last year about how your father snuck the diary into my cauldron. Thank you for being proud that your precious father let the Dark Lord possess me to hurt everyone the year that, because of my Sorting, I was so bloody conflicted about whether I was meant for evil."

He swallowed as he looked at her. He didn't know what to say. They stood there in silence for a moment. She stood up and dropped her hands to her sides. Draco had never seen anyone who looked so defeated. And then she left, quickly and silently. She was gone, and it was like she had never been there at all. All that was left was the queasy feeling she had left in Draco's stomach.

Author's Note: Please review and let me know what you think :)