Come Fly With Me


It was late evening, and Ginny sat on the Quiddich pitch, watching Draco on his broom. It had been a long day, and she had an enormous amount of homework that she preferred not to think about.

“Do you think you could take me up with you?” she asked wistfully, as he made a perfect landing.

“Depends,” he replied shortly. “Your brother might think I’m spiriting you away.”

“Oh, I’ll handle Ron," he said impatiently. “What do you say?”

Draco shrugged.

“Why not?”

--------------

Ally was slouched against a tree, nibbling on an apple and talking to Sara, a curly haired Hufflepuff.

“So how’s Ron?”

“Don’t ask,” groaned Ally.

“That bad, eh?” Sara asked sympathetically.

“Yesterday seemed pretty romantic,” sighed Ally. “We went for a walk, and he didn’t mess anything up. Until the end, that is. He was staring into space with an enraptured look on this face, so I snuggled up to him and asked him what he was thinking about.”

“And…”

“Quidditch,” said Ally, taking a violent bite.

“Quidditch?”

“That’s right,” she grimaced. “He simply couldn’t understand why I got up and left after that.”

“Well,” said Sara. “Maybe he was just-” She paused and stared at the sky in surprise. “Is that Ginny up there with Draco Malfoy?”

Ally nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah. After Ginny’s uh, little mishap last month, they seem to get along pretty well.”

“Ron’s okay with that?”

“Oh, you know Ron," she replied vaguely. “He always suspects Draco’s up to something.”

“He’s pretty good, isn’t he?” asked Sara, watching Draco execute a complicated loop.

“Hrmph,” Ally said, taking another bite and chucking the core into a bush. “He’s just showing off.”

“Looks like Draco’s dropped his coat.” Sara frowned as something hurtled down onto the ground.

Ally’s eyes widened, and she took off, running wildly to the Quiddich pitch.

“You idiot!” she screeched. “You stupid self-centered son of a bitch; you’ve dropped her!”

Draco jerked sharply and struggled to regain his balance. He looked down in surprise at Ally and Ginny on the ground.

“She’s completely knocked out!” screamed Ally, kneeling down next to a motionless Ginny. “Get down here this instant, you bloody fool!”

Clutching his shoulder, Draco swooped down awkwardly.

“Great,” he muttered. “Just great.”

----------------

“This is all your fault.” Draco looked at Ginny accusingly.

They were both in the hospital wing, where Ginny was beginning to feel she had taken up permanent residence.

“My fault?” Ginny glared at him. “Who was the half-blind git who dropped me?”

“Well, it was your idea,” said Draco defensively. “You’re the one who did the whole girl thing, with the fluttering eyelashes and the ‘Oh Draco please let me fly with you’ act.”

“I did no such thing, you insensitive prick”

“Yes, you did.”

“I just suggested that you might enjoy taking me up for a ride.”

“Ha,” said Draco.

“Are you implying that you never wanted to take me?”

"I never said that."

“But that’s what you—”

“Where’s that idiot?!?” Ron burst in with Harry.

“Oh great,” muttered Draco. “Potty and the Weasel.”

Ginny shot him a warning glance.

“You pompous jackass,” yelled Ron. “Can’t even control a bloody broom, can you?”

Draco smiled evenly. “I’m afraid all of us weren’t gifted with your level of expertise.”

Ron turned a deep shade of plum.

‘I didn’t break anything,” said Ginny hurriedly. “And I ought to be out of here very soon.”

Ron ignored her.

“You think you can get away with anything, don’t you? You nearly killed my sister, and you still look so smug.”

“I’m feeling much better,” continued Ginny desperately. “The—”

“SILENCE!” thundered Madame Pomfrey, sticking her head in. “This is a sickroom, not Diagon Alley. Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, I think it would be best if you left now.”

Ron shot a savage glance at Draco and shuffled out.


------------

“I’ll handle Ron,” mimicked Draco.

“Shut up,” said Ginny. “You dropped me, and—”

“For the last time, girl, I did not drop you. You fell.”

“You dropped me,” said Ginny firmly. “And you didn’t even know I fell.”

“Of course I knew,” said Draco.

“Then why, pray tell, were you sitting up there doing nothing about it?”

“Nonsense,” said Draco. “I would have grabbed you if it wasn’t for that friend of yours bringing the place down.”

“Ally was trying to get your attention, you idiot.”

“Sure she was. That screaming banshee nearly made me fall off my broom.”

“Now that would have been a real tragedy,” Ginny said acidly.

“But I managed to scrape through with only a wrenched shoulder,” continued Draco unperturbed.

“How unfortunate.”

“Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?”

“Yes, O wise one.”

There was a long pause.

"Okay," Draco said finally. "It was my fault, completely, totally and absolutely my fault. I guess I owe you one. How about a Butterbeer at Hogsmeade next weekend…or whenever we get out of here?”

Ginny took a deep breath. “Is this a date?"

“I suppose you could call it that.”

She flushed. “Is this just because you dropped me?”

Draco looked into her eyes for a minute and reached out for her hand. “No.”

He linked his fingers in hers and took a deep breath. “I’m doing this because I know your brother will have a first class fit.”


He ducked a blow from Ginny and grinned. “You really have to work on that attitude of yours.”


--x--x--

[Author's Note] A big thank you to fallenwitch for betaing this chapter and for all the suggestions =) And I need a beta, so if anyone's interested...