It was the day of the Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Ginny had skipped breakfast that morning and gone alone to the pitch, where she now sat on the grass, hugging her knees close to her chest as she stared broodingly up at the sky. She would not be playing as Seeker, but, oddly enough, that was the least of her worries. She was far more concerned with the prophecy that had got her into this mess in the first place.
Almost two weeks had passed since she had first heard Myrtle's prediction. In that time, several of Myrtle's prophecies had been confirmed true. Pansy and Colin had started dating, Goyle had got top marks in the Charms test, Hufflepuff had won the Gobstones tournament, and Hagrid had shaved his beard and got a haircut – something Ginny was still trying to get used to. All that was left now was for her to fall in love with Draco Malfoy.
Once, this thought would have made the redhead shudder in horror, but now she felt nothing but a depressing sense of inevitably. She had tried to fight against her fate: she had denied the probability of the prediction, attempted to change its course in her anger, and she had made bargains with Myrtle and every deity that she could think of in the hopes of having it revoked. None of it had worked. The only thing that she had achieved was to get banned from playing as Seeker against Draco Malfoy.
Ginny sighed and buried her face into her knees. So much for happy endings. Her 'destiny' had caused her nothing but trouble, and the supposed prince of her fairy tale romance seemed more like a villain in her eyes, albeit a remarkably good-looking one. She didn't even have a romance, really. All she had was a silly prophecy that stated Draco Malfoy was fated to be with her, not to mention a number of humiliating encounters to go with it. If this was what falling in love was like, she didn't think much of it.
"I thought I would find you here."
Ginny looked up to see Harry standing in front of her. "What do you want?" she muttered, glancing back down at her knees.
"I have some good news for you."
"There's no such thing as good news," the redhead responded with a depressed sigh.
"Well, this is. You're allowed to play on the team again."
Ginny's eyes dated back to his in surprise. "What? But I talked to McGonagall this morning and she said—"
"They changed their minds," Harry interposed with a grin. "You're back to being Seeker."
"Why? I thought you all agreed that I was too dangerous to play against Malfoy," she said sarcastically.
"Well, it was Malfoy who got them to change their minds, actually. He went and talked to Snape and asked for you to be pardoned. He said that he had goaded you into punching him and that it wouldn't be fair to punish you for it – or something to that effect."
"He did?" Ginny asked in surprise.
"Yep. I heard it all from Neville. He was in the room serving detention at the time."
Ginny frowned and agitatedly played with her hands. "Why would Malfoy do that for me? He must have known that his team had a better chance of winning if I didn't play. No offence, Harry, but you are pretty out of practise."
"Who cares why he did it?" Harry exclaimed with a laugh. "All that matters is that you can play again, and I don't have to worry about becoming a vegetable on the off-chance that someone hits me in the head with a Bludger."
She gave a weak chuckle at his joke, knowing that he expected it of her, but inside she felt deeply confused. She could not understand why Draco would have stood up for her like that. He certainly had no reason to do so. She had tackled him, punched him, called him names and, all in all, behaved like a complete cow to him. If he was the nice type like Harry and was known for having a strong sense of justice then maybe she could understand it, but Draco was not nice, and he certainly didn't care about justice. She knew that he never bothered to go out of his way for anyone unless there was something in it for him, so why had he helped her?
"Where are you going, Ginny?" Harry exclaimed as she stood up and started walking away.
"I'm going to find Draco Malfoy!"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Harry said with a frown. "If you hit him again you'll—Hey, Ginny, are you even listening to me? Ginny!"
Ginny ignored his shouts and ran back to the castle, desperate to find the Slytherin before he headed to his team meeting. She was lucky enough to come across the blond just as he was leaving the Great Hall, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual.
"Malfoy!" she called, striding determinedly towards him.
Draco signalled for his friends to go on without him and then turned to face Ginny. "Hello, Weasley," he greeted her pleasantly.
"Don't you 'hello, Weasley' me," she growled, folding her arms crossly. "Why did you stick up for me like that?"
"Sorry?"
"You heard me. Harry told me that you went and got me put back on the team for the match today. Why?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Of course it matters! I know what you're like! I know you never go out of your way for anyone, so why would you do that for me?"
Draco's eyes gleamed with silent laughter. "I, uh, hate to break it to you, Weasley, but I didn't actually do it for you."
Her cheeks flushed with pink. "Oh."
"You see," he continued, "I really have no desire to see Harry Potter join the permanently damaged ward at St Mungo's because one of my Beaters happened to hit him with a Bludger. Someone would be bound to blame it on me, and then I would have to deal with all the tedious consequences."
Ginny suddenly felt very stupid and wished that she was far, far away or, better yet, that the floor would simply swallow her whole. Anything had to be better than standing there in front of the handsome blond, unable to escape the humiliation of knowing that she had accused him of doing something nice for her when he hadn't even done so.
"O-of course," she stammered, blushing more deeply. "I mean, why else would you get me put back on the team? Of course it would be something selfish like that. I knew that. I was just, you know, making sure."
A ghost of a smile came to his lips, and he gently tilted her chin towards him. "Don't fret, Weasley. You're still allowed to play, aren't you?"
She looked up into his captivating grey eyes, and she could hear the alarm bells start ringing in her mind. There was something about the situation that was far too intimate for her liking, yet she found that she didn't have the strength to pull away. He slowly trailed his thumb up her cheek, and she let out a shaky breath, completely helpless to the effect he was having over her. Something flickered in those grey irises that watched her so pensively, and he abruptly dropped his hand from her face and stepped back.
"Well, I guess I'll see you on the pitch, Weasley," he said curtly.
Draco turned on his heel and walked away, and Ginny could only watch breathlessly, still lost in the tide of emotions that she had so inexplicably found herself swept up in. She wasn't sure what had just happened then, only that she felt strangely disappointed. She touched her cheek where she could still feel the warmth of his caress burning into her skin, and a small frown tugged at her lips.
"There you are!"
Ginny jumped in fright and turned to see her brother stomping towards her.
"Why weren't you at breakfast this morning?" Ron demanded. "Don't you know it's bad to play Quidditch on an empty stomach?"
"When did you become such a mother hen?" she retorted. "And, anyway, I didn't even know I was going to be playing this morning, did I?"
"Well, it's too late for you to eat anything now. The game will be starting soon."
"I know, Ron. I'm not stupid. I can read a clock."
"Right."
He stood there watching her expectantly. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Let's go then, Mother," she said dryly. "I can see that you're not going to leave me alone."
"Of course I'm not. I'm under strict orders not to let you anywhere near Malfoy."
Ginny froze in her steps and then rounded on him, brown eyes flashing dangerously. "What did you say?"
Ron paled. "I mean, uh—forget that."
"Did Harry get you to do this?"
"He may have."
"I can't believe him!" Ginny growled, clenching her hands into fists. "How dare he set you onto me like some watch dog! What did he think I was going to do?"
"Probably attack Malfoy and get yourself banned from playing again."
"For your information, Ronald, I was just speaking to Malfoy and I was very civil to him."
She didn't care to mention that Draco had also caressed her cheek, or how her heart had pounded erratically in her chest at his touch.
Ron clapped his hands with mock enthusiasm. "That's great, Ginny. Would you like a gold star for your efforts?"
"Shut up."
He grinned.
"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you," she said loftily. "I'm still not happy with you."
"Well, let's just forget about that for now. We've got a game to play, and I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to kicking some Slytherin butt."
"Now that I can agree to," she laughed, and followed him out of the castle.
oOo
Ginny was quite certain that this was the dirtiest game of Quidditch she had ever witnessed. Naturally, the students loved it. The screaming and cheers were so loud that it was almost deafening, and as Neville scored another goal for Gryffindor, the cheers became all the louder. She could practically feel the excitement in the air, but there was desperation too. For many of the players this would be their last Quidditch game at Hogwarts; it was obvious by the many fouls that were being called that they would stop at nothing to win.
"The score is eighty to sixty to Slytherin," Luna's dreamy voice echoed around the pitch. "If Gryffindor doesn't catch the Snitch now, Slytherin will win the Quidditch Cup."
Ginny glanced anxiously at the score-board and realised that Luna was right. If she didn't catch the Snitch before Slytherin scored again, Gryffindor would automatically lose the Quidditch House Cup, even if they didn't lose the game itself. She frantically searched the pitch for a sign of the little golden ball, but she could see nothing but the other Quidditch players and the violent Bludgers that buzzed through the air like rampaging bumblebees. Draco was on the other side of the pitch, watching the scene before him like a hawk. It was clear that he was not going to take any chances this time. He wanted that Snitch just as much as she did.
"Come on," Ginny muttered, still looking desperately around the pitch. "Where are you, you stupid Snitch?"
And then Ginny saw it – the sight that she had been dreading to see. Draco Malfoy was diving towards the ground, and before him was that flashing ball of gold that she had been so earnestly searching for.
She cursed under her breath and urged her broom after him, inwardly bemoaning its slow speed compared to the blond's Firebolt. She knew that there was no way that she would make it in time. Draco was already closing in on the Snitch, but then a Bludger came out of nowhere and nearly hit him in the face, making him pull back abruptly. Ginny suddenly found herself beside him, and then they were neck-and-neck, elbows bumping against each other as they chased after the Snitch. Draco had the advantage of being on the faster broom, but Ginny's petite build and quick manoeuvrability came in handy when the little golden ball decided to sharply change directions. It was a close match.
The cheering of the crowd grew louder as the two rivals drew closer to the Snitch. Draco stretched out his hand, and Ginny knew in that split-second that there was no way she would be able to get it before him with her stumpy little arms. So Ginny did something very stupid indeed; she let go off her broom and threw herself towards the Snitch, just managing to close her hands around the walnut-sized ball before the blond did. However, since she was no longer on her broom, she also started to fall. Very quickly.
Ginny let out a panicked scream, and then strong arms suddenly encircled her waist, and she and her rescuer both lurched dangerously forward as he struggled to pull her onto his broom. There was a loud gasp of horror from the crowd, and then he finally managed to yank her up beside him, much to the relief of the redhead. She had no desire to become a Gryffindor pancake.
"Why, I believe that Ginny Weasley has caught the Snitch, and Draco Malfoy has caught her!" Luna's magically magnified voice announced in astonishment.
Draco and Ginny stared at each other, both breathing heavily after their recent exertions. The Snitch fluttered out of Ginny's open hand and flew past her face, though she paid no attention to it. Even the noise of the crowd seemed to have dimmed.
"You're a real idiot, you know that?" Draco muttered, glowering down at her.
"Well, it worked didn't it!" she retorted defensively, not wanting to admit that he was right. "I did get the Snitch before you!"
"Yeah, and if I hadn't caught you, you'd be decorating the pitch with your dead body right now."
"Like the teachers would have really let me die," she scoffed. "Someone would have stopped my fall even if you didn't."
"I see," he said coolly. "Well, perhaps I should let you go right now then, since you obviously don't need my help."
Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't I?"
She met him glare for glare, and then she gave a short laugh. "Oh, I see what this is. You're just angry because I got the Snitch before you!"
"No, you stupid girl, I'm angry because you're so thick in the head that you almost got yourself killed over a Quidditch game! What kind of mental throws herself off a broom while twenty feet in the air?"
"So it was a dumb thing to do – big deal! I don't see why you care so much anyway!"
"I care because—"
He broke off abruptly and ran an agitated hand through his hair.
"Because of what?" she demanded.
"Forget it," he muttered. "I'm taking you back."
"Oh, no you don't!"
Draco ignored her and set his broom into motion, making her nearly topple off again. Ginny quickly clutched at his robe to steady herself, and then he landed them safely back on the ground. He dismounted and waited in silence for her to get off the broom. She stepped off with a huff, but she was in no mood to let him get away with saying nothing, and was all ready to continue pestering him about his unspoken words when the Gryffindor team suddenly came bounding up to her and swept her up into their arms. It was impossible to make herself heard over her teammates' shouts of elation, so she had no choice but to let herself be carried away from the blond.
She turned her head to look back at Draco, who was still standing by his broom and watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. Their eyes met, and she again wondered what he had been about to say, but then the crowd thickened around her and she lost sight of the Slytherin boy.
He had gone by the time she got another look.
oOo
The Gryffindor common room was very rowdy that night. Everyone was celebrating their victory over Slytherin and winning the Quidditch House Cup – everyone, that is, except Ginny. She could not get her conversation with Draco out of her head, and she wished she knew what he had been going to say. It just didn't make sense. He didn't make sense. Why had he got so angry at her, and why did she even care if he had?
Someone thrust a bottle of butterbeer in her face, and she glanced up to see her brother grinning down at her.
"Come on, Ginny, you can't keep brooding to yourself in the corner like this. You should be celebrating! You won us the Quidditch House Cup."
"I am celebrating," Ginny said defensively.
"No you're not. You look about as cheerful as Moaning Myrtle, and I haven't seen you say so much as two words to anyone. Now what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong."
"Then why are you sulking in the corner?"
"I'm not sulking!"
"Yes you are."
"Oh, just go away, Ron," Ginny snapped tiredly. "I don't want to have this conversation with you right now."
"Fine. Enjoy your corner."
"I will."
He rolled his eyes and left her to join the rest of the celebrating Gryffindors. Ginny scowled at his retreating figure. Her stupid brother never did know when to mind his own business, though she didn't care to admit that the real reason she was so annoyed was because he had been right. She was sulking, and she knew it, but that didn't mean he had to call her out on it.
Ginny sighed and stared down at the bottle of butterbeer in her hands. By rights she should be happy. She had finally caught the Snitch before Draco just as she said she would, but the victory seemed rather empty now. All she could think of was how furious the blond had looked after he had rescued her. Even when she had punched him in the face and called him horrible names, he had never looked at her with such open rage. It was unnerving, for she was used to him being so controlled and amused around her, yet there had been none of that then. He hadn't even smirked at her.
She shook her head in exasperation, wondering for what seemed the hundredth time why it should matter to her anyway. She hated his horrible smirks; she should be happy that she had finally succeeded in getting him to stop with them. But she wasn't. In fact, at that moment she would have given anything to have seen him walk towards her in all his smirking glory. It was a very unsettling realisation, especially since she knew that there was no rational reason for her to be upset that he had got angry at her in the first place. After all, wasn't it this same anger that she had been hoping to inspire when she had tried to stop the prophecy?
"Sweet Merlin," Ginny breathed as certain things fell into place in her mind. "That's it!"
She abruptly stood up from her chair and made her way to the portrait hole, completely ignoring the Gryffindors who tried to congratulate her again for catching the Snitch. Hermione was not so easily dismissed, however, and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Where are you going, Ginny?"
"I need to speak to Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated. "What on earth for?"
"I think I'm in love with him."
Ginny didn't wait to see what reaction her words would create and exited the common room before anyone else could try to stop her. It wasn't quite past curfew yet, so she knew she had a good chance of finding the blond, and find him she knew she must. She decided to try the dungeons first, since she knew his common room was situated somewhere down there, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than she had initially thought. The place was like a maze.
She let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against the stone wall, hugging her arms close to herself as she fought back the cold that seemed to constantly reside in the draughty dungeons. Suddenly the stone wall moved from behind her, and she jumped backwards in fright to see Gregory Goyle staring at her in blank astonishment with a half-eaten muffin in his hand.
"You!" Ginny exclaimed latching onto his arm with a delighted smile. "You can help me!"
He swallowed his food and looked at her a little nervously. "What do you want?"
"I need you to get Draco Malfoy for me. Can you do that?"
Goyle blinked stupidly. "You want Draco?"
"Yes!"
"Uh, okay."
He went back into what she assumed was the Slytherin common room. She tried to peep in to get a glimpse of what their common room looked like, but the wall slid shut as soon as he had passed through the doorway. Ginny scowled and resigned herself to waiting outside. When the seconds turned to minutes, she started pacing up and down and threw anxious glances at the stone, which still refused to move. She hoped that Goyle hadn't forgotten to tell Draco that she was waiting. Or what if he had told and the blond simply didn't want to see her?
A new wave of anxiety swept over her. She was half tempted to flee back to her own dormitory and forget all about her determination to see the Slytherin boy when the wall suddenly opened and she found herself meeting a pair of questioning grey eyes.
"Weasley," Draco said coolly. "You wanted to see me?"
Ginny swallowed against the sudden lump that blocked her throat. "Um, yes?"
She hadn't meant it to come out like a question, but it was becoming increasingly hard to be bold when she was feeling so nervous.
"Well?" Draco prompted as the wall slid shut again behind him. "What is it?"
She shifted awkwardly on her feet and stared down at her hands as her cheeks began to glow with embarrassment. It had suddenly occurred to her how impossible it was for her to tell Draco Malfoy that she thought she was in love with him, especially after everything that had happened between them. He would probably think she was crazy, and he would be right.
Draco sighed and took a step towards her. "Ginevra."
She glanced up in surprise. He had never called her by her first name before.
"I am not going to stand here freezing my arse off for you while you try to decide what it is you want to say to me." She saw his eyes soften just a fraction, and the faint traces of a smirk tugged at his lips. "Just spit it out, why don't you?"
"I—"
"Yes?" he murmured, taking another step towards her.
"Today, on the broom, what were you going to say to me?"
He stopped in his tracks and stared at her with just a hint of impatience. "Does it really matter?"
"It matters to me."
Draco sighed again. "Always so stubborn."
"You said that you cared if I was hurt," Ginny persisted, ignoring his comment. "Why? Why should you care about anything that happens to me?"
He considered her for a moment, and then he closed the distance between them and placed his hands on either side of her face as he looked gravely down into her eyes.
"I care because even though I'm quite certain that you're the most psychotic wench I've ever met, I can't bear the thought of not having you near me."
"O-oh," she stammered, flushing a light pink.
"Yes, love," he murmured as he tilted her face up more towards his, "and now I am going to do something that I have been wanting to do for weeks."
She stared breathlessly into his intense gaze, her heart pounding erratically in her chest, and then he was lowering his face to hers and her eyes slid shut. Their lips touched, soft at first, and then the kiss grew more insistent as each discovered the need to express the passion they felt for each other. It was so deep and intimate that it almost made Ginny's heart ache with the beauty of it all. She knew that this was more than just a kiss: this was love.
Draco slowly pulled his lips away and smiled down into her still closed eyes. "Our ancestors would be rolling in their graves right now."
"Why do you say that?"
"A Malfoy and a Weasley in love? It's unheard of."
Ginny thought of Myrtle's prophecy and a small smile came to her lips. "No, not unheard of. Just fate."
He looked a bit puzzled by her comment, but he said nothing and simply held her in his arms. Ginny sighed contentedly and closed her eyes as she leant against him. Neither of them noticed the ghost who watched them with a satisfied grin on her face.
oOo
A week had passed since the final Quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Most of the students were used to seeing Draco and Ginny together now, though Ron still had difficulty breathing whenever he saw the blond touch his sister. However, considering his over-protective behaviour with her previous boyfriends, most agreed that there had been a definite improvement. Even Ginny was impressed that he hadn't made any threats of castration yet.
Harry and Luna sat together in the library and watched the red-haired boy walk towards them, followed by a very smug looking Hermione.
"Have you heard?" Ron demanded by way of greeting.
"Heard what?" Luna responded, staring interestedly up at him.
"Myrtle's predictions were all bollocks. Just heard it from Nearly Headless Nick. Apparently, she was tired of being overlooked by everyone so she pretended to be a Seer to give herself a bit of importance. Of course, Dumbledore eventually found out what she was doing and took her to task. That's why she hasn't been speaking to anyone. She's too busy sulking."
"I told you!" Hermione declared triumphantly. "I told you she wasn't a real Seer!"
"But then why did all her predictions come true?" Harry asked with a frown. "I mean, they weren't exactly the most probable of events."
"People will believe what they want to believe," Hermione stated in her usual know-it-all way. "Take Neville, for example. He heard that Myrtle predicted he would get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Chaser, so he naturally believed that he would. The prophecy essentially gave him the confidence he needed."
"And what about Ginny?" Harry responded. "I don't think she wanted to believe that Malfoy was her destiny."
Hermione shrugged. "I expect she was so concerned with not falling in love with him that she inevitably did."
"Do you think we should tell her?" Ron asked, glancing across the room where Ginny and Draco where chatting together. "I mean, since Myrtle is a fraud and all, she doesn't have to be with Malfoy now."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Luna said in her dreamy way. "Myrtle may have made up her predictions, but who's to say they weren't still destined to happen? I don't think we should say anything to Ginny. She's happy with Draco."
Since the redhead in question chose this moment to start ranting at her boyfriend, the irony of this statement was not lost on the three Gryffindors.
"Well, she normally is," Luna amended with a laugh.
Ron sighed in resignation. "I suppose you're right." He looked back at Ginny and shook his head. "I just wish it wasn't Malfoy."
"Ah, but that's the thing. You can't choose who you'll fall in love with. It just happens." Luna smiled dreamily up at the raven-haired boy beside her. "Isn't that right, Harry?"
"Of course," Harry replied, taking her hand in his and returning her smile.
It may not be written in the stars, but even he knew there were some things that were just meant to be.
Almost two weeks had passed since she had first heard Myrtle's prediction. In that time, several of Myrtle's prophecies had been confirmed true. Pansy and Colin had started dating, Goyle had got top marks in the Charms test, Hufflepuff had won the Gobstones tournament, and Hagrid had shaved his beard and got a haircut – something Ginny was still trying to get used to. All that was left now was for her to fall in love with Draco Malfoy.
Once, this thought would have made the redhead shudder in horror, but now she felt nothing but a depressing sense of inevitably. She had tried to fight against her fate: she had denied the probability of the prediction, attempted to change its course in her anger, and she had made bargains with Myrtle and every deity that she could think of in the hopes of having it revoked. None of it had worked. The only thing that she had achieved was to get banned from playing as Seeker against Draco Malfoy.
Ginny sighed and buried her face into her knees. So much for happy endings. Her 'destiny' had caused her nothing but trouble, and the supposed prince of her fairy tale romance seemed more like a villain in her eyes, albeit a remarkably good-looking one. She didn't even have a romance, really. All she had was a silly prophecy that stated Draco Malfoy was fated to be with her, not to mention a number of humiliating encounters to go with it. If this was what falling in love was like, she didn't think much of it.
"I thought I would find you here."
Ginny looked up to see Harry standing in front of her. "What do you want?" she muttered, glancing back down at her knees.
"I have some good news for you."
"There's no such thing as good news," the redhead responded with a depressed sigh.
"Well, this is. You're allowed to play on the team again."
Ginny's eyes dated back to his in surprise. "What? But I talked to McGonagall this morning and she said—"
"They changed their minds," Harry interposed with a grin. "You're back to being Seeker."
"Why? I thought you all agreed that I was too dangerous to play against Malfoy," she said sarcastically.
"Well, it was Malfoy who got them to change their minds, actually. He went and talked to Snape and asked for you to be pardoned. He said that he had goaded you into punching him and that it wouldn't be fair to punish you for it – or something to that effect."
"He did?" Ginny asked in surprise.
"Yep. I heard it all from Neville. He was in the room serving detention at the time."
Ginny frowned and agitatedly played with her hands. "Why would Malfoy do that for me? He must have known that his team had a better chance of winning if I didn't play. No offence, Harry, but you are pretty out of practise."
"Who cares why he did it?" Harry exclaimed with a laugh. "All that matters is that you can play again, and I don't have to worry about becoming a vegetable on the off-chance that someone hits me in the head with a Bludger."
She gave a weak chuckle at his joke, knowing that he expected it of her, but inside she felt deeply confused. She could not understand why Draco would have stood up for her like that. He certainly had no reason to do so. She had tackled him, punched him, called him names and, all in all, behaved like a complete cow to him. If he was the nice type like Harry and was known for having a strong sense of justice then maybe she could understand it, but Draco was not nice, and he certainly didn't care about justice. She knew that he never bothered to go out of his way for anyone unless there was something in it for him, so why had he helped her?
"Where are you going, Ginny?" Harry exclaimed as she stood up and started walking away.
"I'm going to find Draco Malfoy!"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Harry said with a frown. "If you hit him again you'll—Hey, Ginny, are you even listening to me? Ginny!"
Ginny ignored his shouts and ran back to the castle, desperate to find the Slytherin before he headed to his team meeting. She was lucky enough to come across the blond just as he was leaving the Great Hall, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual.
"Malfoy!" she called, striding determinedly towards him.
Draco signalled for his friends to go on without him and then turned to face Ginny. "Hello, Weasley," he greeted her pleasantly.
"Don't you 'hello, Weasley' me," she growled, folding her arms crossly. "Why did you stick up for me like that?"
"Sorry?"
"You heard me. Harry told me that you went and got me put back on the team for the match today. Why?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Of course it matters! I know what you're like! I know you never go out of your way for anyone, so why would you do that for me?"
Draco's eyes gleamed with silent laughter. "I, uh, hate to break it to you, Weasley, but I didn't actually do it for you."
Her cheeks flushed with pink. "Oh."
"You see," he continued, "I really have no desire to see Harry Potter join the permanently damaged ward at St Mungo's because one of my Beaters happened to hit him with a Bludger. Someone would be bound to blame it on me, and then I would have to deal with all the tedious consequences."
Ginny suddenly felt very stupid and wished that she was far, far away or, better yet, that the floor would simply swallow her whole. Anything had to be better than standing there in front of the handsome blond, unable to escape the humiliation of knowing that she had accused him of doing something nice for her when he hadn't even done so.
"O-of course," she stammered, blushing more deeply. "I mean, why else would you get me put back on the team? Of course it would be something selfish like that. I knew that. I was just, you know, making sure."
A ghost of a smile came to his lips, and he gently tilted her chin towards him. "Don't fret, Weasley. You're still allowed to play, aren't you?"
She looked up into his captivating grey eyes, and she could hear the alarm bells start ringing in her mind. There was something about the situation that was far too intimate for her liking, yet she found that she didn't have the strength to pull away. He slowly trailed his thumb up her cheek, and she let out a shaky breath, completely helpless to the effect he was having over her. Something flickered in those grey irises that watched her so pensively, and he abruptly dropped his hand from her face and stepped back.
"Well, I guess I'll see you on the pitch, Weasley," he said curtly.
Draco turned on his heel and walked away, and Ginny could only watch breathlessly, still lost in the tide of emotions that she had so inexplicably found herself swept up in. She wasn't sure what had just happened then, only that she felt strangely disappointed. She touched her cheek where she could still feel the warmth of his caress burning into her skin, and a small frown tugged at her lips.
"There you are!"
Ginny jumped in fright and turned to see her brother stomping towards her.
"Why weren't you at breakfast this morning?" Ron demanded. "Don't you know it's bad to play Quidditch on an empty stomach?"
"When did you become such a mother hen?" she retorted. "And, anyway, I didn't even know I was going to be playing this morning, did I?"
"Well, it's too late for you to eat anything now. The game will be starting soon."
"I know, Ron. I'm not stupid. I can read a clock."
"Right."
He stood there watching her expectantly. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Let's go then, Mother," she said dryly. "I can see that you're not going to leave me alone."
"Of course I'm not. I'm under strict orders not to let you anywhere near Malfoy."
Ginny froze in her steps and then rounded on him, brown eyes flashing dangerously. "What did you say?"
Ron paled. "I mean, uh—forget that."
"Did Harry get you to do this?"
"He may have."
"I can't believe him!" Ginny growled, clenching her hands into fists. "How dare he set you onto me like some watch dog! What did he think I was going to do?"
"Probably attack Malfoy and get yourself banned from playing again."
"For your information, Ronald, I was just speaking to Malfoy and I was very civil to him."
She didn't care to mention that Draco had also caressed her cheek, or how her heart had pounded erratically in her chest at his touch.
Ron clapped his hands with mock enthusiasm. "That's great, Ginny. Would you like a gold star for your efforts?"
"Shut up."
He grinned.
"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you," she said loftily. "I'm still not happy with you."
"Well, let's just forget about that for now. We've got a game to play, and I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to kicking some Slytherin butt."
"Now that I can agree to," she laughed, and followed him out of the castle.
Ginny was quite certain that this was the dirtiest game of Quidditch she had ever witnessed. Naturally, the students loved it. The screaming and cheers were so loud that it was almost deafening, and as Neville scored another goal for Gryffindor, the cheers became all the louder. She could practically feel the excitement in the air, but there was desperation too. For many of the players this would be their last Quidditch game at Hogwarts; it was obvious by the many fouls that were being called that they would stop at nothing to win.
"The score is eighty to sixty to Slytherin," Luna's dreamy voice echoed around the pitch. "If Gryffindor doesn't catch the Snitch now, Slytherin will win the Quidditch Cup."
Ginny glanced anxiously at the score-board and realised that Luna was right. If she didn't catch the Snitch before Slytherin scored again, Gryffindor would automatically lose the Quidditch House Cup, even if they didn't lose the game itself. She frantically searched the pitch for a sign of the little golden ball, but she could see nothing but the other Quidditch players and the violent Bludgers that buzzed through the air like rampaging bumblebees. Draco was on the other side of the pitch, watching the scene before him like a hawk. It was clear that he was not going to take any chances this time. He wanted that Snitch just as much as she did.
"Come on," Ginny muttered, still looking desperately around the pitch. "Where are you, you stupid Snitch?"
And then Ginny saw it – the sight that she had been dreading to see. Draco Malfoy was diving towards the ground, and before him was that flashing ball of gold that she had been so earnestly searching for.
She cursed under her breath and urged her broom after him, inwardly bemoaning its slow speed compared to the blond's Firebolt. She knew that there was no way that she would make it in time. Draco was already closing in on the Snitch, but then a Bludger came out of nowhere and nearly hit him in the face, making him pull back abruptly. Ginny suddenly found herself beside him, and then they were neck-and-neck, elbows bumping against each other as they chased after the Snitch. Draco had the advantage of being on the faster broom, but Ginny's petite build and quick manoeuvrability came in handy when the little golden ball decided to sharply change directions. It was a close match.
The cheering of the crowd grew louder as the two rivals drew closer to the Snitch. Draco stretched out his hand, and Ginny knew in that split-second that there was no way she would be able to get it before him with her stumpy little arms. So Ginny did something very stupid indeed; she let go off her broom and threw herself towards the Snitch, just managing to close her hands around the walnut-sized ball before the blond did. However, since she was no longer on her broom, she also started to fall. Very quickly.
Ginny let out a panicked scream, and then strong arms suddenly encircled her waist, and she and her rescuer both lurched dangerously forward as he struggled to pull her onto his broom. There was a loud gasp of horror from the crowd, and then he finally managed to yank her up beside him, much to the relief of the redhead. She had no desire to become a Gryffindor pancake.
"Why, I believe that Ginny Weasley has caught the Snitch, and Draco Malfoy has caught her!" Luna's magically magnified voice announced in astonishment.
Draco and Ginny stared at each other, both breathing heavily after their recent exertions. The Snitch fluttered out of Ginny's open hand and flew past her face, though she paid no attention to it. Even the noise of the crowd seemed to have dimmed.
"You're a real idiot, you know that?" Draco muttered, glowering down at her.
"Well, it worked didn't it!" she retorted defensively, not wanting to admit that he was right. "I did get the Snitch before you!"
"Yeah, and if I hadn't caught you, you'd be decorating the pitch with your dead body right now."
"Like the teachers would have really let me die," she scoffed. "Someone would have stopped my fall even if you didn't."
"I see," he said coolly. "Well, perhaps I should let you go right now then, since you obviously don't need my help."
Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't dare."
"Wouldn't I?"
She met him glare for glare, and then she gave a short laugh. "Oh, I see what this is. You're just angry because I got the Snitch before you!"
"No, you stupid girl, I'm angry because you're so thick in the head that you almost got yourself killed over a Quidditch game! What kind of mental throws herself off a broom while twenty feet in the air?"
"So it was a dumb thing to do – big deal! I don't see why you care so much anyway!"
"I care because—"
He broke off abruptly and ran an agitated hand through his hair.
"Because of what?" she demanded.
"Forget it," he muttered. "I'm taking you back."
"Oh, no you don't!"
Draco ignored her and set his broom into motion, making her nearly topple off again. Ginny quickly clutched at his robe to steady herself, and then he landed them safely back on the ground. He dismounted and waited in silence for her to get off the broom. She stepped off with a huff, but she was in no mood to let him get away with saying nothing, and was all ready to continue pestering him about his unspoken words when the Gryffindor team suddenly came bounding up to her and swept her up into their arms. It was impossible to make herself heard over her teammates' shouts of elation, so she had no choice but to let herself be carried away from the blond.
She turned her head to look back at Draco, who was still standing by his broom and watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. Their eyes met, and she again wondered what he had been about to say, but then the crowd thickened around her and she lost sight of the Slytherin boy.
He had gone by the time she got another look.
The Gryffindor common room was very rowdy that night. Everyone was celebrating their victory over Slytherin and winning the Quidditch House Cup – everyone, that is, except Ginny. She could not get her conversation with Draco out of her head, and she wished she knew what he had been going to say. It just didn't make sense. He didn't make sense. Why had he got so angry at her, and why did she even care if he had?
Someone thrust a bottle of butterbeer in her face, and she glanced up to see her brother grinning down at her.
"Come on, Ginny, you can't keep brooding to yourself in the corner like this. You should be celebrating! You won us the Quidditch House Cup."
"I am celebrating," Ginny said defensively.
"No you're not. You look about as cheerful as Moaning Myrtle, and I haven't seen you say so much as two words to anyone. Now what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong."
"Then why are you sulking in the corner?"
"I'm not sulking!"
"Yes you are."
"Oh, just go away, Ron," Ginny snapped tiredly. "I don't want to have this conversation with you right now."
"Fine. Enjoy your corner."
"I will."
He rolled his eyes and left her to join the rest of the celebrating Gryffindors. Ginny scowled at his retreating figure. Her stupid brother never did know when to mind his own business, though she didn't care to admit that the real reason she was so annoyed was because he had been right. She was sulking, and she knew it, but that didn't mean he had to call her out on it.
Ginny sighed and stared down at the bottle of butterbeer in her hands. By rights she should be happy. She had finally caught the Snitch before Draco just as she said she would, but the victory seemed rather empty now. All she could think of was how furious the blond had looked after he had rescued her. Even when she had punched him in the face and called him horrible names, he had never looked at her with such open rage. It was unnerving, for she was used to him being so controlled and amused around her, yet there had been none of that then. He hadn't even smirked at her.
She shook her head in exasperation, wondering for what seemed the hundredth time why it should matter to her anyway. She hated his horrible smirks; she should be happy that she had finally succeeded in getting him to stop with them. But she wasn't. In fact, at that moment she would have given anything to have seen him walk towards her in all his smirking glory. It was a very unsettling realisation, especially since she knew that there was no rational reason for her to be upset that he had got angry at her in the first place. After all, wasn't it this same anger that she had been hoping to inspire when she had tried to stop the prophecy?
"Sweet Merlin," Ginny breathed as certain things fell into place in her mind. "That's it!"
She abruptly stood up from her chair and made her way to the portrait hole, completely ignoring the Gryffindors who tried to congratulate her again for catching the Snitch. Hermione was not so easily dismissed, however, and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Where are you going, Ginny?"
"I need to speak to Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated. "What on earth for?"
"I think I'm in love with him."
Ginny didn't wait to see what reaction her words would create and exited the common room before anyone else could try to stop her. It wasn't quite past curfew yet, so she knew she had a good chance of finding the blond, and find him she knew she must. She decided to try the dungeons first, since she knew his common room was situated somewhere down there, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than she had initially thought. The place was like a maze.
She let out an exasperated sigh and leaned against the stone wall, hugging her arms close to herself as she fought back the cold that seemed to constantly reside in the draughty dungeons. Suddenly the stone wall moved from behind her, and she jumped backwards in fright to see Gregory Goyle staring at her in blank astonishment with a half-eaten muffin in his hand.
"You!" Ginny exclaimed latching onto his arm with a delighted smile. "You can help me!"
He swallowed his food and looked at her a little nervously. "What do you want?"
"I need you to get Draco Malfoy for me. Can you do that?"
Goyle blinked stupidly. "You want Draco?"
"Yes!"
"Uh, okay."
He went back into what she assumed was the Slytherin common room. She tried to peep in to get a glimpse of what their common room looked like, but the wall slid shut as soon as he had passed through the doorway. Ginny scowled and resigned herself to waiting outside. When the seconds turned to minutes, she started pacing up and down and threw anxious glances at the stone, which still refused to move. She hoped that Goyle hadn't forgotten to tell Draco that she was waiting. Or what if he had told and the blond simply didn't want to see her?
A new wave of anxiety swept over her. She was half tempted to flee back to her own dormitory and forget all about her determination to see the Slytherin boy when the wall suddenly opened and she found herself meeting a pair of questioning grey eyes.
"Weasley," Draco said coolly. "You wanted to see me?"
Ginny swallowed against the sudden lump that blocked her throat. "Um, yes?"
She hadn't meant it to come out like a question, but it was becoming increasingly hard to be bold when she was feeling so nervous.
"Well?" Draco prompted as the wall slid shut again behind him. "What is it?"
She shifted awkwardly on her feet and stared down at her hands as her cheeks began to glow with embarrassment. It had suddenly occurred to her how impossible it was for her to tell Draco Malfoy that she thought she was in love with him, especially after everything that had happened between them. He would probably think she was crazy, and he would be right.
Draco sighed and took a step towards her. "Ginevra."
She glanced up in surprise. He had never called her by her first name before.
"I am not going to stand here freezing my arse off for you while you try to decide what it is you want to say to me." She saw his eyes soften just a fraction, and the faint traces of a smirk tugged at his lips. "Just spit it out, why don't you?"
"I—"
"Yes?" he murmured, taking another step towards her.
"Today, on the broom, what were you going to say to me?"
He stopped in his tracks and stared at her with just a hint of impatience. "Does it really matter?"
"It matters to me."
Draco sighed again. "Always so stubborn."
"You said that you cared if I was hurt," Ginny persisted, ignoring his comment. "Why? Why should you care about anything that happens to me?"
He considered her for a moment, and then he closed the distance between them and placed his hands on either side of her face as he looked gravely down into her eyes.
"I care because even though I'm quite certain that you're the most psychotic wench I've ever met, I can't bear the thought of not having you near me."
"O-oh," she stammered, flushing a light pink.
"Yes, love," he murmured as he tilted her face up more towards his, "and now I am going to do something that I have been wanting to do for weeks."
She stared breathlessly into his intense gaze, her heart pounding erratically in her chest, and then he was lowering his face to hers and her eyes slid shut. Their lips touched, soft at first, and then the kiss grew more insistent as each discovered the need to express the passion they felt for each other. It was so deep and intimate that it almost made Ginny's heart ache with the beauty of it all. She knew that this was more than just a kiss: this was love.
Draco slowly pulled his lips away and smiled down into her still closed eyes. "Our ancestors would be rolling in their graves right now."
"Why do you say that?"
"A Malfoy and a Weasley in love? It's unheard of."
Ginny thought of Myrtle's prophecy and a small smile came to her lips. "No, not unheard of. Just fate."
He looked a bit puzzled by her comment, but he said nothing and simply held her in his arms. Ginny sighed contentedly and closed her eyes as she leant against him. Neither of them noticed the ghost who watched them with a satisfied grin on her face.
A week had passed since the final Quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Most of the students were used to seeing Draco and Ginny together now, though Ron still had difficulty breathing whenever he saw the blond touch his sister. However, considering his over-protective behaviour with her previous boyfriends, most agreed that there had been a definite improvement. Even Ginny was impressed that he hadn't made any threats of castration yet.
Harry and Luna sat together in the library and watched the red-haired boy walk towards them, followed by a very smug looking Hermione.
"Have you heard?" Ron demanded by way of greeting.
"Heard what?" Luna responded, staring interestedly up at him.
"Myrtle's predictions were all bollocks. Just heard it from Nearly Headless Nick. Apparently, she was tired of being overlooked by everyone so she pretended to be a Seer to give herself a bit of importance. Of course, Dumbledore eventually found out what she was doing and took her to task. That's why she hasn't been speaking to anyone. She's too busy sulking."
"I told you!" Hermione declared triumphantly. "I told you she wasn't a real Seer!"
"But then why did all her predictions come true?" Harry asked with a frown. "I mean, they weren't exactly the most probable of events."
"People will believe what they want to believe," Hermione stated in her usual know-it-all way. "Take Neville, for example. He heard that Myrtle predicted he would get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as Chaser, so he naturally believed that he would. The prophecy essentially gave him the confidence he needed."
"And what about Ginny?" Harry responded. "I don't think she wanted to believe that Malfoy was her destiny."
Hermione shrugged. "I expect she was so concerned with not falling in love with him that she inevitably did."
"Do you think we should tell her?" Ron asked, glancing across the room where Ginny and Draco where chatting together. "I mean, since Myrtle is a fraud and all, she doesn't have to be with Malfoy now."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Luna said in her dreamy way. "Myrtle may have made up her predictions, but who's to say they weren't still destined to happen? I don't think we should say anything to Ginny. She's happy with Draco."
Since the redhead in question chose this moment to start ranting at her boyfriend, the irony of this statement was not lost on the three Gryffindors.
"Well, she normally is," Luna amended with a laugh.
Ron sighed in resignation. "I suppose you're right." He looked back at Ginny and shook his head. "I just wish it wasn't Malfoy."
"Ah, but that's the thing. You can't choose who you'll fall in love with. It just happens." Luna smiled dreamily up at the raven-haired boy beside her. "Isn't that right, Harry?"
"Of course," Harry replied, taking her hand in his and returning her smile.
It may not be written in the stars, but even he knew there were some things that were just meant to be.
The End.
Boogum is the author of 21 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 32 members. Members who liked Kismet also liked 1490 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 32 members. Members who liked Kismet also liked 1490 other stories.
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