Bloody English Weather
Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation. – Kin Hubbard.
Part One
Ginny roughly swiped the rain out of her eyes so she could see the pitch more clearly. At the start of the game the weather had been glorious, but in true English style it had changed thirty minutes into play. The wind was blowing hard and the fat drops of water fell so heavily that the elements were nearly drowning out the roar of the crowd. Ginny, who usually played as Chaser on the team, had been put in as Seeker due to Harry injuring himself in Defence Against the Dark Arts the previous afternoon. She had trained as Seeker occasionally with Harry, but it was her slight frame and lightning fast reflexes that really made her a suitable substitute. Ginny wasn't a skilled Seeker, her talents lay elsewhere, but she was the best chance for the team that day.
The rain, however, was making it incredibly difficult for her to try and spot the speck of winged gold. The Snitch – while elusive at the best of times – was damn near impossible to locate when one could barely see a foot in front of you. Draco Malfoy, Slytherin's Seeker, didn't seem to be having much luck either. Like Ginny, he was hovering over the pitch, staying out of the melee of Quaffles and Beaters in hope that the Golden Snitch would present itself soon. Once one of them had caught it the game would be over, and, win or lose, it would be nice to be able to feel their toes again.
The green portion of the stands roared in appreciation as Ron nearly slipped off his broom while diving in order to knock the Quaffle away from one of the golden hoops. He failed in his endeavour and Slytherin broke even with Gryffindor. Ginny watched Malfoy punch the air in celebration. The blond looked up at Ginny and smirked; it was anyone's game now.
Deciding it was probably time she tried to look as though she were making an effort in seeking the Snitch, Ginny began to fly a few laps around the pitch. The wind whipped her crimson hair up and around her face. It was just as she was clearing the red tendrils from her vision when she spotted something glistening almost directly below her. Her muscles instantly tensed with adrenaline and she shot herself off towards her quarry. At that exact moment, Draco Malfoy pulled his broom around and began to hurtle towards the redhead and what he assumed would be the little golden ball he desperately needed to catch. The rain blurred Ginny's vision and the wind howled in her ears. Draco could no longer properly see ahead but continued to fly desperately towards the indistinct blob of red hair and crimson robes. Salazar be damned would he allow Ginny Weasley to win this match.
Everyone in the audience seemed to be holding their breath as the two Seekers careened towards each other at breakneck speed. Neither appeared willing to turn away and it was with a sickening crunch that the Gryffindor and Slytherin collided. Ginny felt herself be propelled off her broom and onto Draco. She felt the smash of her skull against his and a sharp pain in her abdomen. Draco was instantly knocked unconcious but Ginny felt her awareness ebb away slowly as they fell. Blood had blossomed, bones had cracked, and keening shouts punctured the air. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Flitwick rushed to the pitch with their wands aloft. The two teenagers seemed to be falling in slow motion. It looked as though they were executing some sort of acrobatics: limbs and hair flapping in the wind, their heads lolling morbidly.
Madame Hooch whistled for a break on the match even though no one had been playing since the collision. By the time Draco and Ginny reached the sodden grass, they were both ghostly pale and losing a fair amount of blood, the red spurting out onto their robes and the ground around them. Ron was soon swooping to be by Ginny's side, as were the rest of the Gryffindor team. Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott were all clamouring out of the stands to get to Draco.
"Students, please remain seated," Dumbledore's magically amplified voice rang out around the pitch. "Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy will be taken to the Hospital Wing and the game will continue once substitutes have been found. Please do not panic."
Professor McGonagall had cast a bubble around the two unconscious students and was levitating them slowly off the ground. Ron started to follow.
"Mr Weasley," barked McGonagall's clipped Scottish voice. "You must stay and continue to play. You'll be no good to your sister at the moment and you'll only get in Madame Pomfrey's way."
"But, Professor -"
"Finish the game, Weasley."
Ron knew arguing with his head of house would be fruitless, so he fell back into the rabble of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, all of who looked pale and shocked. He was sure Ginny would be fine but as far as Hogwarts' Quidditch injuries went, Ron was certain that was one of the worst he'd ever seen. There had been so much blood.
He watched as the lifeless body of his sister was floated away and tried not to think about how corpse-like she looked.
The sound of the rain roused Ginny. She opened her eyes slowly. Her whole body hurt. She felt bruised and beaten and there was a particularly sharp pain to the right of her naval. Ginny's head was thumping too; the little bit of light shining into her partially open eyes hurt like a red hot poker was being thrust into her cornea. Through her hazy vision Ginny caught sight of someone sitting beside her bed. As she felt unconsciousness claim her again, her one thought was why on earth was Pansy Parkinson weeping by her bedside?
Author's Note;
This was written for the DG Fic Exchange on Live Journal. I was nominated for Best Overall Story, Best Humour and Best Interpretation of the Prompt. It only won one – the latter – but as my first exchange it was a lot of fun and it was amazing to even be nominated!
The prompt I received was...
Briefly describe what you'd like to receive in your fic: In some twist of fate, during Draco's 7th year and Ginny's 6th, they switch bodies. How they come this point and how they get back to normal is up to you.
The tone/mood of the fic: Humorous, there can be some drama, but it shouldn't weight down the entire story
An element/line of dialogue/object you would specifically like in your fic: They switch bodies when it rains.
Preferred rating of the fic you want: I have no personal preference. Whatever rating the author feels like giving their story.
Canon or AU? As close to canon as you can get, but I understand the need for AU in a story like this
Deal Breakers (anything you don't want?): H/Hr, character death, angst