Summary: (Rated T for scenes of violence and swearing) Ginny humiliates Draco. Draco is determined to get back at her. Zabini makes a bet with him. Who will win? (Real bad summary btw)

Dedicated to Leigh, the best friend a girl could wish for, and of course, the love of my life. I hope you like it.

Well I´ve tried to keep this fic as close to the plot of HBP as possible, but there are some small differences. Most importantly, there are some changes to Ginny´s love life, the biggest one being that, at the time of the story, which is at the beginning of the school year, Ginny has already split up with Dean Thomas. Any mistakes I may have made, please forgive me. It´s hard work searching through the book all the time! Other than that, I hope you enjoy, and if you do, then please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The Bet

´Out of the way, Loony!´ Draco Malfoy snapped savagely as he shoved past Luna Lovegood on the way out of Transfiguration. ´Can´t you see I´m in a rush?´

Luna frowned and opened her mouth to speak, obviously about to come out with one of her crazy comments, but Ginny Weasley butted in, brandishing her wand under his nose.

´I think you ought to say that with more manners, Malfoy.´ she spat, her face fierce. ´Or perhaps a rat raised by pigs has too small a brain to know any?´

´Oh get out of it Weasley!´ Draco retorted, already in a bad mood at having received a D on his Transfiguration essay. ´I haven´t got time to be taught manners by a stubborn cow raised by a pair of farmers who happen to know a few spells.´

´Stubborn cow am I? Well moo! That´s original! Tell me something I don´t know.´

´Something you don´t know?´ He laughed. ´Look Weasley, I haven´t got breath to waste on a bit of scum who calls herself a witch, and walks around the school with her nose in the air like she owns the place. The only useful thing someone as low as you can do for me is lick my shoes, so get out of my way.´ He watched her, waiting for a reaction, but to his surprise she just stood there smirking, her wand still pointing at his face.

´Well Malfoy,´ she sneered. ´I knew you were dumb, but dumb enough to come out with such a huge insult to someone who´s pointing a wand straight at you, and who is not afraid to use it?´

´Not afraid to use it, huh? How come I´m not rolling around on the floor in agony then?´ said Draco confidently.

´Because I was just waiting for you to ask that question!´ said Ginny, her voice full of gloat. Next second she had thrust her wand forward and yelled ´Nasaugeo!´

Draco leaped backwards in shock, clutching his nose, which had suddenly begun to swell rapidly. ´What have you done, Weasley?!´ Draco bellowed in a thick voice.

Ginny cackled. ´Ever heard of Pinocchio Malfoy? Well he got a big nose for telling lies too! You are not above me, and you never will be, no matter how loyal your family are to their lineage!´ With that she walked off, a trail of laughing friends following in her wake.

´Blasted Weasleys!´ shouted Draco, still sounding like he had a bad cold while his nose continued to swell past five times its normal size. ´I´ll bake ´er bay!´

´Shut up you prat,´ said Blaise Zabini, shoving him forward. ´and get to the hospital wing.´

´Yeah, I was jus´ about to do dat fanks!´ snapped Draco, pushing him back. ´C´bon!´ he ordered Crabbe and Goyle, and they both began making their way through the crowd in front of him, elbowing people out of the way to leave a path clear for Draco to walk through, still trying to hide his deformed nose. ´She´ll bay for it, bloody Weasley!´

´Little bitch!´ Draco moaned later that evening in the Slytherin common room. ´All I wanted was to get past and she made me later than ever! No respect whatsoever!´ He slammed his Potions book down on the table feverishly and glared around the room.

´Don´t worry Draco.´ Pansy Parkinson simpered, patting his arm sympathetically. ´At least you´re still good looking. Madam Pomfrey did a good job.´

Draco snorted and pushed her hand away, pulling out parchment and a quill to do his homework. ´What I need is a good curse to use on her, make her sorry she ever opened her gob. It´s not like Lovegood has feelings, dammit.´

´I´ll curse her for you Draco.´ said Pansy, twisting her face into what was apparently supposed to be a determined expression.

´Whatever Parkinson, as long as you let me do the worst damage.´ he sneered, lost in imagining the glory he would have after he had finished with Weasley.

´What exactly are you planning on doing to her?´ asked Zabini coldly, still annoyed with the way Draco had snapped at him earlier.´

´I dunno. Summat really evil that´ll make her really regret sticking her nose where it don´t belong.´

Zabini snorted. ´Well good luck doing that. She´s got such a big head I reckon you´re gonna have a hard time deflating it.´

´Won´t you curse me Draco?´ said Pansy, in a voice which she obviously thought sounded sexy.

Draco ignored her. ´I don´t care how long it takes me, she´s gonna get it. No one makes a fool out of me and gets away with it.´

´No one Malfoy?´ sniggered Theodore Nott, coming over and sitting down opposite. ´Since when have the Gryffindorks ever paid for making a fool out of "King Slyth"?´

´Yeah well, that´s about to change.´ said Draco darkly, leaning back in his chair and resting his feet on the table in front of him while he began to do his homework. ´That´s the last time anyone gets the better of Draco Malfoy.´

Zabini and Nott exchanged sarcastic looks, but Draco caught them. ´What, you underestimate me? Just because you two are too dumb to come up with a decent plot, it doesn´t mean I am too.´ He went back to his homework, writing in a fury.

Just then Crabbe and Goyle walked in, having come from a double detention with McGonagall for not having given in their homework at all. Goyle flumped down in an empty seat, staring at everyone stupidly, while Crabbe leaned against the table, scuffing the floor with his feet.

´Sit down you imbecile!´ Draco shouted at him. ´How d´you expect me to concentrate if you´re making me nervous with your hulking about?´

Crabbe shrugged and did as Malfoy had told him to, looking bored. Just then the entrance opened, and a diversion walked into the room in the form of a tall, blonde haired seventh year girl. All the boys surrounding Draco, including Draco himself, looked around at her, their eyes watching her every move. She, however, merely ignored them and walked to the far end of the common room with her nose in the air.

´I swear that Xena Murtagh gets better looking every day.´ muttered Zabini, still watching the girl.

´Eyes off.´ said Draco in an undertone, so that Pansy couldn´t hear him. ´It won´t be long before she´s mine.´

´Yours? Yeah right, in your dreams.´ snorted Nott.

´What are you lot whispering about?´ Parkinson piped up. ´If it´s something to do with her...´ She jerked her head in Xena´s direction.

´It´s nothing that interests you Parkinson.´ said Draco nastily.

´My name is Pansy!´ she replied, pouting.

´Whatever.´ said Draco, turning his back on her and making a disgusted face at the boys. ´Doesn´t she ever get the message?´

´Yeah, Malf, you´ve already got her.´ said Zabini, smirking.´So I´m setting my hat for Murtagh, and she´s bound to choose me over you. Girls swoon at the sight of me.´

Draco snorted. ´Yeah right, if that´s true, how come Murtagh ain´t come running yet?´

´Because she ain´t a normal girl. She needs a little persuading. Besides, she´s not gone running to you either yet, has she?´ said Zabini shrewdly.

Draco scowled and turned back to his homework. ´Yeah well, you just watch out Zabini. I´ll have had a kiss out of her by the end of the year.´

´Yeah, sure Malfoy, and she´ll be all mine way before you manage to get revenge on Weasley, mark my words.´

´That a bet?´ said Draco.

´Yeah, fine. Five Galleons.´

´Deal.´ said Draco, and he pulled his potions book closer and concentrated fully on his work.