Fire and Ice

The Potions Master

Sparks.

"I didn't mean it, M-Malfoy, I tripped over..."

Sparks.

"I'm so s-sorry, I'll never touch you again-"

Sparks.

"It was an accident, I swear! I d-didn't mean for you to spill your...urr... drink!"

Flash.

"AAAAAARGH! PLEASE!"

Screams errupted the hallway as the crying first-year flew into the air (ankle first),his tender head clashing loudly against the stone walls surrounding them. Splashes of blood-red splattered the crisp white collar of Draco's shirt, giving the impression of him emerging from a gory fight. Laying at his feet were the sorrowful remains of a glass bottle of Fire Whisky, with only half of the bottle on the floor. The other shards were wedged into Draco's hands.

He was striding through the corridoor carrying the bottle when a seventh-year Ravenclaw'd stumbled and tripped, colliding with Draco's thighs (the Ravenclaw was very short). Having being pushed forward, Draco had hastily gripped the bottle in his hand in an attempt to rescue it, but had instead crashed against the walls. In conclusion, Draco's hands were blanketed with blood, whisky and glass, and a first-year was suspended in mid-air because of it.

"LET ME DOOOOOWN!!!! PLEEEEEEEASE!" the Ravenclaw cried. Far to pissed off to care, Draco only raised his left hand (holdiing his wand), so the boy would "fly" higher. Not wrong Draco was when he assumed that the boy was afriad of heights. Wrong he was not.

"PLEASE!"

Surrounding them, a circle of Ravenclaws stood, horrified, at the scene in front of them. However, none of them attempted to help the first year; they had brains, and knew that Draco Malfoy was angry. Very angry.

Footsteps and voices slowly rose in volume from the end of the corridoor, and within 12 seconds a  small group of 5th Griffindor's entered. They froze at the sight of the boy i the air, and within mili-seconds the youngest Weasley child had pushed her way through the crowd and into the circle. Whipping her wand out faster than a bowtruckle chasing fairies, she uttered the counter curse to Draco's spell, and quickly caught the falling-first year with a levitation spell before he crashed to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Ginny's friends exclaimed, running toward the boy. Taking him firmly, they scooped him up and took him away, ordering the other remaining Ravenclaws to follow their lead. Undoubtedly, they did. 

As they left the corridoor, the sound drifted to a silence. Draco, no longer shaking wih annoyance, meerly composed his expression and Vanished the boken glass peices on the floor. Slowly, Ginny turned.

"I knew you were a inconsiderate prat Malfoy, but a first-year? Really? Bit below your standard, isn't it?"

Refusing to face her, Draco held back a scowl and smoothly replied, "Well, I wouldn't expect a peasant to even comprehend the word 'standard', but I guess there's a first for everything."

As he lifted his arms to check the blood-flow, a bolt of purple light flashed by his left ear, scorching the wall 3cm away from his bare skin. Widening his eyes slightly, he tightened his grip on his wand. I haven't got time to duel with wanna-be Griffindor heroes,  but I guess one more won't hurt.

"Don't you ever call me a peasant again, do you hear me?" Ginny growled through gritted teeth. Unwilling to curse a female yet refusing to let his opponent to believe she had won the battle, Draco turned to face her, directly. It was the first time in years that somebody had actualy looked into the soulless grey fathoms of his eyes, instead of automatically flinching, and looking away into another direction. Almost as if she was looking for something, her dark chocolate eyes penetrated his wiht the same intensity that his ees were penetrating hers. The growing heat/power between them was scorching.

"And why is that?" Draco softly replied, with an arrogant quirk to his brow. Whoever this girl thought she was, she was no match for the ice that could slip from Drco's tongue. His catty brain had caused many tears in the past, and no way was today going to be any different.

"Your family has no money, your clothes are second hand, your house is filthy. You are nothing but peasants."

As expected, a tear dribbled from the corner of her eye, yet it only hovered for a second until Ginny jerked her head. When Draco blinked, the iridescent tear dissapeared.

"No," she breathed. "Peasants are animals. We are not animals. YOU are. Your family is full of greed, of violence, of hatred. We may not be as rich, but we have and will not ever contain as much aninmosity as you."

Opening his mouth the angrily shoot a curse at her, Draco's blood flared in anger. How dare she!?

However, the youngest Weasley did not allow interruptions. "You're so pathetic that you choose to fight someone six years younger than yourself. What a coward. My brother's right; you're just a knarly git."

Before she'd fully turned away from Draco, he'd shot a curse at her, causing her to stumble and fall, banging her ribs against a table near her. Flying upright, she flung the fire curse at him, which he narrowly dogded, causing it to catch fire to a set of curtains. Suddenly, the arena was alight.

The air was soon filled with scintillating sparks of emerald, sapphire, ruby and topaz. Ginny was bruised, and Draco was burned (and cut from the broken glass). Thankfully the most harmful curses were both deflected by both teams from each opposing individual.

Suddenly, the large wooden doors on the right opene, and The Potions Mater sprinted out.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" Despie the volume of his bellowing voice, he still managed to make his exclamation soud like a hiss. Muttering under his breath, Severus Snape slowly undid every single curse, slowly but surely rightening the charred, ilapidated corridoor to it's original manner, and slowly but surely Vanishing Ginny's bruises and Draco's scars. After a minute of silence, Snape stared at the blood flow and glass shards emmiting from Draco's arms and sighed heavily.

"If I see you fighting again," he growled at Ginny, "you're out. Do you hear me?" Ginny nodded shakily.

"Draco, I will not be seeing you fight again. Do you hear me?" he hissed. Draco's head moved a fraction up, a fraction down.

"Weasley, take Malfoy to the Hospital Wing before he passes out due to lack of blood. NOW!" he screeched.

Quickly moving to the right, Ginny  walked behind Draco to the Hospital Wing.

Snape stalked off in the other direction.

Pausing for a second, Draco stopped, and Ginny walked straight passed him before realising he'd stopped. Her gaze strayed from his polisshed shoes to his full, pale lips. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and her's rose in return.