Okay, this story is weird, but blame it on some cherry tea and Pulp Fiction soundtrack. The title refers to two characters in that movie. Well, thanks for reading.
The something -It took one moment. One single moment in a train in autumn. She was going this way, he was going the other, so their paths coincided. They passed each other and their shoulders touched briefly and she turned and he turned and they looked at each other and right there in that train they had a small moment.
When their eyes averted, the moment was lost but saved in their memory. She looked down, he looked up again and they continued their paths.
But that's how most stories start, don't they?
There's the road of life in a straight line but sometimes there are deviations that make it hard to get across. And you can't help but wish there were more of these deviations.
Draco and Ginny were a deviation and as deviations always go they're never understood, not by themselves, not by anyone. So they just happen and there are no questions asked, it can't be stopped.
Ginny Weasley – petite red-head, attractive, freckled, over-average intelligence, skilled Quidditch player, has the damsel in distress complex from time to time, hates the damsel in distress complex that she has sometimes, will marry Harry and bear his children. She's also brave.
Draco Malfoy – tall, blond pale young man, attractive, not freckled, very intelligent, but sometimes not very, has daddy issues, but hates his daddy issues, will marry Pansy/Daphne/insert any pureblood femme fatale slash good wife. He's also a coward.
She's a fourth year, he's a fifth year, they have no classes together, nothing to share, absolutely nothing in common except maybe Quidditch but that's trying hard and they can't run into each other that much.
But from that moment on, both Ginny and Draco started thinking of each other a bit. Well, not exactly. When someone mentioned Gryffindor, Draco's mind would go to the name Potter, then Weasley and then Ginny, or Weasley's little sister. When someone mentioned Slytherin, Ginny just thought of Draco. And it didn't last just a couple of seconds, it lasted almost two minutes in both cases.
And they couldn't figure out why it was like that. They had never thought much about each other. They were living in two distinct realities, shaped in a way so that they wouldn't coincide, unless an external factor changed that.
If they tried to forget about it, it still came back stronger. It was mostly curiosity, the kind that won't go away because there's just something you have to know. And the annoying question that has been there for centuries was why.
Draco was curious what Ginny's story was. He was curious whether she was still traumatized by her kidnapping experience, whether her wounds were open. He was fascinated; she had tasted Dark Magic in the most dangerous of ways. He wondered if she had forgotten. He wondered why his father was such an asshole.
Ginny was curious what Draco's story was. She was curious whether he was still that spoilt brat and whether his father still scared the crap out of people. She was fascinated with his childishness and immaturity, he was surrounded by Dark Magic but he did nothing about it. She wondered if he had forgotten. She wondered why her parents treated her like a baby.
So, does one moment settle people's lives? Nah.
Umbridge's tea party
Ginny got detention with Umbridge for misbehaving. Well she basically pushed a girl out of her seat and she fell on the floor. The girl had stated that Umbridge's methods were a good measure and a great deal safer. She was a Slytherin.
When she went to Umbridge's office that night, she was followed by Draco Malfoy who was walking beside her, quite unusually. He was heading in the same direction.
They didn't speak a word to each other. They both knocked on the door and they were both let in. Draco had been appointed Chief of the Inquisitorial Squad and she wanted to congratulate him. Ginny was going to have to scrub her tea pots. The tea pots were placed neatly in a cupboard.
Chief of the Inquisitorial Squad sounded pretty stupid to her. Draco was Umbridge's dog. She was disgusted. She would tell Harry and the team.
So she sat down to a table and listened in silence.
When Draco turned to leave, a small confident smile on his lips, he looked her up and down.
'You're missing a button there,' he said, pointing at her shirt. A button was indeed missing.
'Yeah,' she said looking down. 'I noticed.'
And he left. And she touched the place with no button.
Winter rain
Michael Corner was currently buying her some sweets from Honey Dukes and she was waiting outside, staring at the falling snow which looked a lot more like rain. She was comfortable in her woolen coat.
Ginny looked around bored and she noticed a newspaper lying on a bench nearby. So she went there and sat down, flipping through the newspaper.
After a while someone in her vicinity grunted. She looked up and saw Draco staring at her.
'That's mine. I was sitting here.'
'Oh…' she said embarrassed. But she didn't move. She just handed him the newspaper. He nodded and sat down next to her. He took his time folding it in many pieces until it fit in his large pocket.
Ginny peeked at him from behind her lashes.
He returned the look and said:
'This is more like rain.'
She instantly got up because she saw Michael getting out of the shop.
Walk, Ginny, Walk
She was late for the DA meeting and most likely Hermione would give her a talk about responsibility but she had some good reasons for being late. So she rushed to the Room of Requirement.
'Hold on there. Where do you think you're going so fast?'
'Nowhere, not your business Malfoy,' she replied halting to a stop. He was patrolling the corridors.
'As Head of the Inquisitorial Squad it is, Weasley.'
'Why?'
'You look suspicious.'
'Do I?'
'Pretty much. What are you up to?'
'I'm bent on ruling the world. So I gathered a couple of followers,' she replied nonchalantly. 'They're disorientated for now, but we'll get there.'
'No one would follow you, Weasley.'
'You'd be surprised.'
'Well, at least you're doing something productive.'
'I'm trying.'
'So you're not going to a secret meeting with Potter and the other wusses?'
'No.'
'That's good.'
'Can I go now?'
'No.'
She just walked past him and he let her. And their shoulders brushed again.
But she stopped half-way and turned around again.
'How's your family?'
'What?'
'Your mum, your dad, how are they?'
'Why would you want to know?'
'It's a polite question.'
'Why are you asking?'
'It's one of those questions people ask,' she said rolling her eyes.
'Is it a trick question?'
'Where's the trick really? I just asked about your parents. People do that sometimes.'
'I don't. I never do.'
'Well, that's your choice,' she said briefly, looking at her small watch.
'They're fine,' he replied silently. 'Anything else you want to ask?'
'Yes, but you probably wouldn't answer,' she said walking away.
Snakes go two-ways
Ginny waited outside the ward, biting her nails and acting all nervous. Her dad was in the hospital and she was waiting outside and he was in there and he was probably suffering and there was nothing she could do. Got bitten by a snake which was pretty bad in her book.
The waiting was killing her. She wanted to burst through those doors and shout at people, but instead she decided to take a walk down the corridor.
She was so mystified and absent-minded that when she raised her eyes she didn't know where she was. She just saw she was in front of an open door. And inside she saw a couple of women lying in white beds.
She had never seen her quite well, but she knew that one of them was Narcissa Malfoy. She was shaking and trembling all over and her eyes were wide open and teary.
She was very frightened and hurt.
Ginny placed a hand over her mouth and started back. Did Draco know about this?
One of the nurses gave her a shot that only made her shake more.
It had been a rough night and Ginny was on the brink of exploding and right there and then she just started crying because her dad was ill and this beautiful woman was getting torn into pieces and it just wasn't fair.
And she was sobbing hysterically and that's how Draco found her. He was coming up with a mug of coffee in his hand and he saw her in front of his mother's ward crying her heart out.
Ginny saw him from the corner of her eye but she didn't move yet.
'Your mum…' she crackled, 'she's not well.'
'Yeah, I know,' he said sourly.
'You think coffee's gonna help?'
'No, it's for me.'
'Huh. Why is she here?' she demanded.
He chose not to reply but instead stared insistently at his mother.
'That stupid prick did something, didn't he?' she asked simply.
He turned to her surprised.
'What…?'
'You know, her husband.'
'He didn't have anything to do with it. He's off somewhere.'
'Off somewhere? And where exactly is that?'
'If I knew I could probably tell you but... I wouldn't tell you anyway.'
'You don't know?'
'No.'
'You should know. I mean his wife is half-dead in there.'
'You're exaggerating,' he countered.
'I know you. Don't think I don't,' she mumbled confused and walked away very fast, so that he might not catch her if he chose to chase her.
But he did chase her partly. I mean he did grab her hand.
'My dad got bitten by a snake,' she explained when he didn't let go.
Miracle worker
Fred and George had just left the school. She felt happy and safe. Ginny felt like a hero herself. She was the sister of those rebels, so naturally she was a rebel too. Some day, maybe next year, she'd run off like that too. Then she wouldn't have to deal with Voldemort and Harry and homework and bad hair day.
Everyone was gathered in the courtyard. They were all shouting and hollering and talking like there was no tomorrow. Umbridge was trying, uselessly, to direct them back to the castle, they just wouldn't budge.
Ginny thought they'd stay there, watching the sky forever. But she noticed Draco Malfoy wasn't outside, cheering like all of them. Her dad had gotten better, had his mum?
....or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Harry had called them tonight to come with him to the Ministry. It would be dangerous, crazy, mind-blowing and wild beyond her dreams. She'd be fighting for justice and truth; she'd be fighting with the best. And she was so scared, but it felt nice to go to a small war.
They'd take the Thestrals.
She was trying to write a letter to Fred and George to tell them what she was going to do. Maybe they'd come with reinforcement, if needed.
She liked to know someone knew.
When she finished her short epistle she took it quickly to the owlry.
Their paths intertwined again, like on the train in autumn. He was walking this way, she was walking the other.
'Oh, hi,' she said.
He nodded.
'Glad I ran into you, Malfoy. I wanted to ask if your mum's alright.'
'She's pulling through, like always,' he replied shrugging his shoulders.
'That's great. I hoped she would be okay.'
'Your dad's fine too,' he added.
'Yeah. But we were lucky, it was pretty close. He could've died. That would have been horrible.'
'Right. But he didn't.'
'No, he didn't,' she agreed. 'Thank Merlin he didn't.'
'Okay, well I'll be going Weasley.'
But he didn't move and she didn't either so they pretty much stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
'One of us has to do something,' he pointed out at length.
Ginny Weasley ran towards Draco Malfoy and she tiptoed and tried kissing him but he stepped back.
'What are you doing?'
She almost fell.
'Uh, I was trying something. I guess it didn't work.'
'What were you trying? To choke me? Cuz it has happened before.'
'No, no. I just saw it in a movie once. I went to the cinema with Hermione,' she explained.
'What the hell are you talking about Weasley?' he asked amused.
'I thought it would be a spontaneous thing,' she mumbled. 'I thought it would be the right thing.'
'What thing?'
'Kissing.'
'Kissing...'
'Kissing. I wanted to do that.'
'With me?!'
'Well yes. I mean we've been through some things.'
'No, we haven't.'
'Maybe you're not picturing it the right way. But we've been in some situations together.'
'I would put that mildly, Weasley. In fact, I would eliminate that possibility.'
'And those situations seemed like the kind that would get us closer,' she continued undeterred. But she was starting to doubt her words.
'What does closer mean?' he asked.
'Well, I sometimes think about you,' she said simply. 'And we have seen some things together, haven't we?'
'Again with that. I don't remember seeing things with you. But maybe you're right, since you're so persistent about it,' he said drawing closer.
'So...what now?'
'We should just walk away before we get any stupider.'
'I knew things didn't turn out like in the movies,' Ginny said sadly.
'They don't have to,' he said and they kissed.
For about ten seconds or more to be precise.
When they parted, Ginny wiped her mouth. He did the same.
'I'm going on a mission tonight,' she said. 'Wait for me when I come back.'
'I'll probably be here.'
'Probably?'
'Probably,' he repeated.
'Probably doesn't sound too good but I'll take it.'
'Just make sure you do come back, Weasley,' he said matter-of-factly.
They passed each other, their shoulders brushing again and they looked at each other and the moment was amplified.
Bells and Rainbows
What happened afterwards is history. And the history of the moment.
