School Time

The smallest red-haired child in the place was busy drawing pictures of unicorns, dragons (she knew all about those because of her brother, thank you very much), and a few wizards that looked less like humans and more like scribbled lines. She was thoroughly enjoying the new Wandoylas the school gave her since the ones at home were broken by that git Ron. Tongue sticking out between lips, the six-year-old concentrated on making everything pretty enough to give to her mum.

Across the room, a towheaded boy scowled at the girl. How dare she have fun? Filthy blood traitor; not worth even a single sickle. Now, the brunette beside him, Parkinson, was worth her weight in galleons, as Father kept repeating to him. That atrocious hair fell in her face and she didn't even have the manners to move it. Mother would have her for dessert; not even that, he decided.

"Dracoooo." Parkinson cooed at him. Girls were gross; why was she even bothering him?

"What do you want, Parkinson?" Disgust dripped from his voice.

"You were staring at that red-haired traitor, not me." Merlin, her whining was old and they had yet to even begin Hogwarts. Perhaps he might be able to change Mother's views about that school Father kept talking about.

"Well, Snubby, I find her far more interesting than your whining." He rose from the table, leaving his spelling assignment unfinished. The work in the place was atrocious; yet another matter to speak to Mother about. The rejected girl's indignant huff was heard around the room, but ignored, as usual.

Walking over to Red's table, he sat down and grabbed the green Wandoyla, breaking it in half. Her head snapped up, teeth bared and ready to fight. Ron was in this boy's year, and she knew all about him.

"Aw, did I break your little toy?" Sneering, the blonde relaxed considerably, as if welcomed.

"No, you odious toad. You broke the school's." Glaring, she grabbed the blue to finish the sky, dismissing him.

"Malfoy." He said the name as if it would open the floodgates of praise from her.

"Yes, I know. Now, if you don't mind." She went back to ignoring him, knowing full well how long he would stand for it. They had been in the same classroom all year, as were all the six and seven-year-olds. She was still not impressed by him.

Sputtering, he jumped to his feet. How dare this little urchin act as if the world did not revolve around his every whim? Mother said so, so it must be. "Manners dictate you introduce yourself, blood traitor that you are!"

Her teeth were bared again. If he were honest with himself (which was something he tried to not be to often, thank you just the same!) he would say she was rather scary. Hair all wild from playing outside before the rain forced them inside and back to lessons. Teeth like that reminded him of the wild animal that had roamed into Manor grounds and Father had killed. But he would never let her know that. She was nothing, whereas he was royalty and knew it.

"You are rather unimpressive like that, Weasel." He had practiced in front of the mirror for days on that particular bored voice.

"That so, Malfoy?" She lunged at him, only to be grabbed around the arms by the teacher.

"Ginny Weasley! You will stop that this instant! We do not attack our classmates." With an exasperated sigh, she pushed the girl back in her seat. She would gladly retire, but as this was the last Weasley, she thought she might survive the next five years until the official retirement offered to her. She hoped at any rate. "Fifteen points from the Stellar Sixs' for that young lady."

Draco merely grinned until she finished with "and five points from the Splendid Sevens' for your own display, Mr. Malfoy!" Honestly, these two were going to be her death. She ignored the glare from the boy and moved on to stop the fight between Longbottom and Nott. Just then, retirement was starting to have appeal.

"Stupid boy! You cost us fifteen points!" Disgusted, she went back to drawing. This time she drew a dragon burning a blond-haired stick figure. And since they were Wizarding, the dragon continuously burned the boy. Malfoy got the message loud and clear.

"Well, you cost us five bloody points, you...you...you cow!" Draco had barely gotten the insult out before Ginny was over the table and walloping him hard on the head. As their teacher came over to break up the fight, Ginny was pleased to see the stupid git would have a black eye tomorrow.

"Ginny! That simply will not be tolerated! In the corner, go on. You'll stay there until your mum comes to pick you up, or you must use the loo. Do you understand?" That was it. She was retired tonight! Let someone else handle the demon spawn.

"Yes, Mrs. Kingsley." Contrite over being in trouble (but not for that lovely black eye the twitchy boy would wear tomorrow, thank you kindly!), she went to sit in her corner. She was there at least once a week. Last time had been when Goyle had tried to kiss her. Boys were gross. What was wrong with the boys around here? Mental, the lot of them.

Draco went back to scowling, which he immediately stopped after realizing his face hurt. Mother and Father would hear of this and have that girl's hide if it was the last thing he did! Parkinson's fawning helped somewhat; after all he did love attention, no matter the source. Lower lip stuck out, he resembled a toddler, not a sophisticated seven-year-old, but honestly, who wouldn't milk this for all it was worth?

In all his pouting, he missed seeing the fist come straight for his nose.

In the corner, Ginny was fuming and dreaming up revenge. When she heard a scuffle and turned to see, there was a redheaded boy beating up Malfoy. Ron! Ron was helping her. Anger and happiness warred inside her a minute. She was old enough to handle her own battles, but since revenge couldn't be acted on just then, at least Ron was doing something. That was until Mrs. Kingsley pushed him into her corner with the same words that she had told Ginny not ten minutes before.

"Thanks just the same, Ron." He nodded at her and they went silent. Each was contemplating revenge, and something involving the twins' many prank supplies and the possible damage fallout.

"Two little Weasels caged up together. I suppose you are used to it, given the hovel you must live in." The effect was somewhat ruined with the fact his nose was still broken, so all that came out was mumbled words.

"Watch it, Malfoy." Ron was ready to lunge again, but Ginny held him back. Now was not the time. Mrs. Kingsley was watching.

She whispered "Soon, Malfoy" and went back to staring at the wall. Ron gave her a funny look but followed suit. He personally thought she had gone mental, after being around Percy so often, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. Unlike Malfoy, he knew when to shut up.

Malfoy marched off in great huff, spewing words about Mudbloods, Purebloods, and it was people like the Weasleys that tainted the bloodlines. Pansy tried to get next to him, but he just waved her off and sat beside Blaise.

"She...she...she bloody doesn't care who I am!" In an outrage, spittle flew at Blaise, who barely missed it, along with a few chunks of blood when Draco snorted.

"Malfoy, she's a Weasley." The skinny black-haired boy was confused. "Why do you care?"

"I don't!" At Blaise's incredulous look, he barreled on. "I don't! It's just...I'm royalty! Every one knows that, except her," he spit the word out as if it were dirt. "I want to know why!"

"Why what?" Even after growing up together, Blaise still didn't quite understand the other boy's rants.

"Why she doesn't like me!" Arms crossed, he resumed the two-year-old pout look again.

"Draco, honestly. Why does it matter? She's a Weasley. Say it with me: Weasley. That's right mate. She's not one of us. Let it go." Merlin, he was starting to get a headache. He wondered if Kingsley would allow him some medicine, but the glazed look in her eyes told him probably not. A glance at the clock informed him he had three more hours of this. That was it. He was going to nap and anyone (including the raving lunatic beside him) that disturbed him would eat the grass from the bottom of his trainers.

With Blaise napping, Pansy simpering in the corner, and everyone else avoiding him, Draco paced the room, counting down the minutes until he could go home. Kitschy, a house elf, would be here promptly at three to pick him up and take him to his bedroom. Then Mother would come and see his face and have everyone fired, and the Weasleys would be poorer than they already were. Satisfied, he went back to his original spelling lesson.

Mrs. Kingsley sat in the middle of the room, drool slightly coming out the left side of her mouth. Apparently, the poor woman had already retired and just failed to inform anyone. It took the children all of five minutes to figure this out, and chaos ensued. Fights between the boys broke out (Longbottom by sheer luck popped Boot one right in the nose, fracturing bone) and the girls all gathered around to enjoy a nice tea party, except for Ginny, who was currently stalking Draco.

Ron would have joined Ginny but was sidetracked by Millicent Bulstrode's leering. The girl slightly unnerved him (okay, to be honest, she terrified him!) and he was busying hiding in the biscuit cabinet, munching his way through the bags. With the teacher off in Neverland, lunch had been forgotten and quite frankly, it was making all the kids a little mental. Breakfast was long since gone, and had been for hours.

Annoyed at the chaos, Draco went about finishing his assignments, not noticing the red hair that kept circling his table slowly. He hated children, and could not wait to get away from these people. He had it figured out that in eleven years, he would be free of them and Father would send him far away where people knew manners. Finishing up spelling the word "spellotape," he missed the tackle from the pint-sized girl.

"Take that!" She had him pinned to the ground, just like Bill had taught her over the summer.

"What are you doing? I didn't know that the Weasle -" What he was going to say was cut off when she stuffed a rag into his mouth.

"Quiet, you!" Breathing hard, she took a moment to catch her breath. "I am not less than you, toad! I am pureblood too. Same as you are."

"Muhmfym." One could hardly understand him, so she took the rag out.

"You are not pureblooded like me!" He looked rabid at the thought.

"I am too! Weasley and Prewett are both pure, check the registry!" She still resembled that wild creature and instinctively he shrank back from her, well as far as the floor would allow.

"Okay, sure you are." Calm the beast down and then run like hell. That had been Father's advice on surviving a wild animal attack. Surely, this would count.

"I am, you great oaf!" She beat her hands on her chest like some strange Muggle.

'Right, time to get away, now' went through his head at this point. So he did the first thing that came to mind. He reached up and kissed her square on the lips. It was enough to stun her so he could flee. On flight, he ran smack into his father's leg.

"Father! Help!" He wasn't supposed to beg (Malfoys never fell to begging for anything since they could just buy it) but these people were completely mental. Weasley and brother had stalked him, Blaise had abandoned him, and Pansy was having tea with the girls and simpering whenever he looked her way. And somewhere along the way he had give his first kiss to the littlest Weasley brat. Yes, it was definitely time for this day to be over.

Ginny was still laying flat on her back, confused as to what had happened. One minute she had been ready to attack and the next he had kissed her. Eyes narrowed in anger, she was left dreaming up revenge for all new reasons. Some involved spells Bill taught her, wandless of course. And Charlie told her how to fight, even better than Bill. Percy and the twins were of no help, but Ron would help. She smiled menacingly, a slightly glazed look in her eyes.

On their way out to Apparate to the manor, Draco explained quickly what his father had seen. No, he didn't care for that blood traitor, no he didn't expect to ever happen again, and yes he was sorry but survival first. Explaining had been trying but he thought he might have gotten through to him that being tutored at home would be a much better idea.

That was until he was sent back the next day with a mended nose and eye, right into Ginny's clutches. Also, the new teacher had no idea the madwoman was after him.

Next time, he would talk to Mother.