Lover's Quarrel

Lover's quarrel.

"Whatever look you were going for, you missed."

Hearing the familiar, dry drawl of Draco Malfoy's voice, Harry, Ron and Hermione slowed, cautiously approaching the corner of the hallway that would take them around a bend and no doubt head-on into Malfoy's sarcastic path.

The offended gasp that followed was easily identifiable as Pansy Parkinson. She muttered something indiscernible, and was rewarded with a mocking laugh from Draco.

"Oh come on . . . do not tell me that you can't see it's about as useful as a one-legged man in an arse kicking contest."

Ron and Harry exchanged curious glances, mutually ignoring the warning look on Hermione's face, and stepped around the corner in time to see Pansy raising her wand and pointing it directly at Draco. Rather than looking alarmed, he simply smirked, apparently unaware of his audience and oblivious to any potential danger he was in. "Honestly Pansy, did the fuck-up fairy pay you a visit over night, or what?" he sneered. "If you honestly think you can best me with some spell, you're sadly mistaken."

All colour drained momentarily from Pansy's face, leaving her white as a parchment, and her wand wavered in her hand. But suddenly her face was suffused a nasty shade of red, and her eyes narrowed with purposeful intent.

Behind Harry and Ron, Hermione anticipated Pansy's action and gasped. "Oh no, poor Draco-"

Without warning, Pansy's wand jerked upwards, the thick wooden tip colliding soundly with Draco's groin. Time seemed to slow. Harry and Ron opened their mouths in mutual grimaces of sympathetic horror, unable to tear their eyes from the horrific scene being played out before them. Hermione's eyes clenched shut as she averted her face. For a second, Draco remained still, his face a frozen a mask of stunned disbelief. The moment passed, and suddenly he was falling to his knees, a choked gasp of pain and surprise forcing its way past his trembling lips as he doubled over in agony. With another half-choked sob, he raised his pale grey eyes to Pansy, whispered a questioning "What did I say?!", and promptly slumped to his side, cradling his injured masculinity. With a contented nod, Pansy pirouetted on her toes and stalked away, her long blonde hair bouncing prettily upon her retreating back.

Harry and Ron winced and cringed in sympathetic agony, for the time being putting aside seven years of antagonism to look upon Draco with genuine empathy. Loosely toying with their wands, they stood uselessly over Draco's prone body, at a loss.

"Harry . . . use your wand and ... heal him or something! " Hermione hissed through clenched teeth.

Harry eyes widened. "Why me?!" he whispered, and winced again as Draco gave a low moan of pain. "You do it, you're better at magic than I am!"

Hermione made an impatient gesture. "Because I'm a girl! The last thing he wants right now is a female fussing over him. One of you has to do it, you're males . . . you understand his pain!"

Ron bit his lip and Harry nodded in understanding, if somewhat reluctantly. "Uh, Draco . . . I need you to move your hands out of the way . . ."

Clenching his eyes shut, Draco gritted out "You've got to be joking . . ."

"Draco, just move your hands a little and I'll-"

Draco moaned. "You are not touching me. No one is touching me."

Harry shot a desperate look at Hermione. At a loss herself, she shrugged. "Take him to the Slytherin rooms?" she suggested questioningly.

Harry crouched beside Draco and wrapped his arm firmly around the other boys waist. With an effort, he helped Draco to his feet, at which point Draco wrapped an arm tightly around Harry's shoulder and took a long, winded breath, leaning on Harry for support. "Women," he hissed, and with Harry's help hobbled off down the corridor.

Ron smiled at Draco's retreating back, then turned to face Hermione. "Pansy's weak in the knees spell seems to have worked."

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione gasped.

Ron grinned unapologetically. "Well who'd have thought that when Draco's wand collided with Pansy's wand . . . she'd be the winner?"

The End