Chapter 6- Belonging
*****Ginny*****
Being part of a secret group was even better after Umbridge made it officially against the school rules- or maybe even against the law. Ginny wasn't sure what Educational Decrees counted as. She didn't really care to find out, because they'd be gone as soon as Umbridge was. It was always an obvious risk, meeting in that quiet, unsavory bar. But it didn't really matter, because they were doing it anyway, and they had an incredible space.
A room that would give a person anything they wanted. None of the people in their group seemed to know that the room existed, but how many students had found it over the years? How many illicit romances had happened in this magical room? And... how many of their number were now going to use it for such things now that they knew about it? It was so much better than broom cupboards that people always talked about.
The room was amazing. Most Hogwarts rooms were exterior facing, and so during the day lit by windows that let in more light than they should. Some rooms, like this one and all of the dungeons, were lit by torches. In the dungeons, it seemed ominous, but it was beautiful in this place.
There were big, fluffy cushions that looked like silk, and so, so many books. It would be a wonder if Hermione ever left. Did the room make them? Or did someone put them there? Or did the room grab them from elsewhere in the castle? Though Madame Pince would notice if whole sections of the library vanished. There were other shelves with gadgets. Ginny recognized Sneakoscopes.
Ginny wasn't just a founding member of Dumbledore's Army, she'd even come up with the name. Dumbledore's Army. Much better than the 'Defence Association' that Cho had suggested. And Harry was elected the leader, of course.
Ginny started working with Luna on Expelliarmus.
"Oh, please, I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you? the irritating boy objected. Zacharias Smith.
"I've used it against him. It saved my life last June," Harry said calmly, as if hexing Tom Riddle was just part of life. Smith didn't have anything to say, because no one possibly could. "But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said, turning his back.
Sometimes Harry was just too much for words.
Ginny picked the spell up easier than Luna, but sometimes Ginny wasn't entirely sure what Luna was trying to do.
Everyone was minding their own business and practicing after Smith's outburst
Harry flirted with Cho, who was really bad at spells for a sixth year, Ginny thought. Of course, most of their defence teachers had been questionable.
Cho went on about how even though her parents didn't want her to, she'd defy Umbridge, because it was really important to learn to fight after what happened to Cedric. The girl clearly wasn't over Cedric Diggory...
And Ginny really, really needed to grow up and not be jealous or whatever this was of Cho Chang. Ginny really, really didn't like Harry. She just didn't like Cho either, but that was unfair after everything the girl had been through. Though, even when being as objective as possible, Ginny didn't think it was a good idea for Harry to flirt with Cho. There was no way the really pretty sixth year girl could be ready for another boyfriend. But Ginny wouldn't say anything because it wasn't any of her business.
And this was when being friends with Luna Lovegood was great.
"Well, my father is very supportive of any anti-Ministry action. He's always saying he'd believe anything of Fudge, I mean, the number of goblins Fudge has had assassinated! And of course he uses the Department of Mysteries to develop terrible poisons, which he feeds secretly to anybody who disagrees with him,"* Luna was still going on, and it was obvious that everyone thought she was crazy. And she was… different, but sometimes she was right too. The Ministry was really awful some- most- of the time, like them trying to discredit Harry and Dumbledore. And no one had ever told Ginny, but Luna did bring up the Department of Mysteries a lot, and Ginny wondered if that was who Luna's mother was doing experiments for when she died. Or maybe Luna wondered if she did. Regardless, it was pretty dumb to ignore Luna entirely.
DA meetings were great. Scheduling got easier after Hermione made those coins. Hermione was brilliant really, what other Hogwarts student could do that? Maybe Fred and George. Fred looked especially impressed. Ginny had heard him complain to George that it was too bad Hermione would never help them with their products, because she'd be brilliant at it.
Between her classes, and DA meetings, and… meeting Draco pretty regularly- to snog or talk, depending on the day, Ginny was having a busier and more enjoyable term than she would have thought possible with Umbitch around.
*****Draco*****
Montague didn't even try to inspire them before the game. Not that Flint had ever done much.
Draco had to find the stupid snitch. He wasn't going to just follow Potter. Too many seekers did that, and no Hogwarts seeker was going to win matching their broom against that Firebolt. Draco hadn't even asked his father for a Firebolt, not wanting anything Potter had. But that was foolish, childish thinking, when it was clearly the best broom on the market and might be for another decade or more. All of the professional leagues had or wanted them, making them still difficult for normal people to get- not that the Malfoys were normal, even among those who could afford such a broom.
He just needed to get lucky and spot the snitch when it was closer to him than Potter, and there would be nothing the Gryffindor could do about it.
Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring,
That's why Slytherins all sing:
Weasley is our King.*
Draco's song was working, verse after repetitive verse, and Weasley missed the first quaffle. He'd probably miss every one of them after that, and racking up a high score would be good for Slytherin's overall Cup standings.
But Draco just needed to worry about the snitch.
Draco sang whenever he was near enough that anyone would hear him, especially Potter or Weasley, but it was distracting enough that it might not have been the best idea- except it did distract Potter too.
Weasley belongs in a bin
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley will make sure we win
Weasley is our King.*
Lee Jordan announced the game, as he had every game that Draco had played in at the school. It was blatant favouritism. A Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw should have to be chosen to commentate the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game, and likewise for all of the others. It was a huge advantage for the team with the commentator on their side- the boy got to shout warnings to his friends.
If they could score enough points against Weasley, the snitch would hardly matter. Like the Irish at the World Cup. Or if just once he could beat Potter.
Everyone acted like winning or losing was all that mattered, but really cumulative points of all games were all that mattered in the end. Technically, a team could win the cup after only winning one game. No one cared for the finer points of the sport.
Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley is our King.*
But there the snitch was! And closer to him, Potter not in sight. Draco took the fastest, most direct path he could.
Of course, Potter noticed right away, but Draco had the lead…
Until he didn't.
Potter's fingers closed around the snitch just a moment before Draco's would have, leaving Draco just pawing stupidly at Potter's hand before he veered away- just before a bludger hit Potter in the back. But it didn't matter. Gryffindor had already won. Again.
When Draco had earned it, but Potter had the better broom. Draco didn't want to consider the minute factors that anyone could point to it being his fault. That he wasn't a sneaky enough Slytherin, or maybe Potter wouldn't have noticed him…
Potter wasn't really hurt by the bludger, he'd barely been above the ground, but whoever sent it- Crabbe, Gryffindor's captain said- was going to be punished for it. Though, knowing Crabbe, it was equally likely to be incompetence as malice. If the bludgers didn't actively try to hit players themselves, Crabbe and Goyle would never get near anyone.
"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" Draco commented when he landed near Potter. "I've never seen a worse keeper. Did you like my lyrics, Potter?"* Because he had been able to break Weasley, even if he couldn't catch the damned snitch.
Potter turned away, ignoring Draco as obviously as he could.
"I would have said worse things, you know, but I wouldn't want to mess up what I have with Ginny, since we're so doing great," Draco said. That got Potter's attention. So he was jealous.
"Great? She hates you. She wouldn't even be in the same room as you again," Potter snapped. Was Potter in denial or just blind to everyone but himself? Draco and Ginny had exchanged letters and talked to each other in sight of other people- and a lot more often in private. They'd been to Hogsmeade together. Castle gossip knew everything there was to know about them and speculated more. Pansy certainly glared at him and Ginny enough. She was fortunately ignoring him as much as she could.
"That's not what she said when she was snogging me last night in our room on the seventh floor," Draco shot back.
Draco was not at all prepared for the fist smashing into his face. Draco blinked repeatedly, eyes watering, blood hitting his lips. Blows came down on his stomach next. Draco Malfoy had never been physically punched in his life. His efforts to fight back were more pushes than punches, and they hurt his hands too.
Someone tore Potter off him, a Weasley actually, one of the twins, though the older boy was making an unpleasant face at him. Weasleys couldn't hurt him, Draco remembered.
Potter was sent off to his Head of House.
Like anything would happen to Potter there.
This was the woman who'd seen the first year breaking rules in flying lessons and had put Potter on the team as a first year. When Draco had gotten detention.
Draco was wrong about Potter's punishment this time.
By the time supper was over, everyone in Slytherin knew that Umbridge had banned Potter from quidditch. A lifetime ban, she said. As if that would hold up after Umbridge was kicked from the place.
His fellow Slytherins congratulated him. It wasn't the sort of praise Draco wanted to receive. He hadn't been good enough to beat Potter in a real match. He just wanted to be away from it all.
*****Ginny*****
"What did he say that was so awful to justify you punching him in the face?" Ginny demanded from Harry. Because she wanted to know which boy-child she should be madder at.
"He- said that you were snogging him last night in a room on the seventh floor," Harry answered sullenly.
Was- Harry mad that she'd been snogging Draco? Did he think Draco was lying? Seventh floor- did Harry think that she had shown Draco the Room of Requirement? She hadn't. And it wasn't like Harry Potter owned the room anyway.
Ginny laughed, "I was snogging him last night. I do that often. Because I want to. And an empty classroom on the seventh floor is a reasonable place to do that, because I have to be back in the tower by curfew, and he can take his time getting to the dungeon because he's a prefect. So yeah, maybe he was being annoying, telling you about it, but that didn't merit a punch in the face," she said, getting more worked up. "Do you have a problem with us kissing? Because if you do, that's your problem. Do you want to punch me for it too?" She challenged. Quite a few people were watching them now.
"No," Harry whispered. He hadn't looked so annoyed at her before, bordering on anger. "But he was singing that song too, to taunt Ron. You should know that he called it his song," Harry said.
It was an inventive and effective tactic and didn't break any rules of quidditch. The song got under Ron's skin until Ron was a useless keeper, and that didn't even take much effort. And she'd never asked Draco to be friends with her family, because she never expected to be close with his, or his Slytherin friends.
"Ron's a great keeper in the field by the Burrow, and even at practice, but he's got to learn to deal with this, and you do too. Heckling happens all the time- you remember the veelas at the World Cup. You don't think they tried to distract the Irish players? That doesn't mean I'm happy with Draco about it, but it also doesn't mean you can hurt him. And I'm sorry you're suspended from the team. Maybe McGonagall can do something about it. Worst case, you miss a lot of practices and two games, but that's the absolute worst case, because there's no way in hell that Umbridge is lasting in this school for more than a year, and everyone should know that by now. How many years has it been since someone's kept the job? Even Bill had a different teacher every year in the class. So yeah, it sucks, but so does a lot of other stuff, and we just have to deal with it," Ginny finished, suddenly embarrassed that most of the house was staring at them.
"Er- thanks, Ginny. Sorry," Harry said, staring at his feet.
"I can forgive you. But I wasn't the one you punched in the face. Congratulations on your catch," Ginny said, walking away. She would be impressed if Harry apologized.
After Ginny was through the portrait hole, she pulled out her wand.
"Point me, Draco Malfoy," Ginny said, wand held flat in her hand. She wandered through the castle. It would be easier if she had Harry's map (which she wasn't supposed to know existed, but those three weren't exactly quiet), but this didn't seem like a good time to ask to borrow it.
She thought she was going all the way to the dungeons before she stopped on the first floor, not much above the Great Hall.
No. Why did it have to be here?
It was just a stupid room, nothing to be afraid of.
When she finally pushed the door open, Draco was inside, and it looked like he'd been crying. Why?
"Oh what, come to yell at you because I got your precious Potter in trouble?" Draco asked. He was mostly cleaned up, but Ginny could tell that he hadn't been to the Hospital Wing. "I didn't even do anything wrong, and I still feel bad about it. Why? I'm furious at him. And I still can't beat Potter to the damned snitch. Even though I saw it first! I've already had half my house congratulate me, but two of them have said that I wouldn't have to make him mad if I could just catch the snitch. Are you even listening to me? Why did you bother finding me?" he screamed. He was sort of still crying.
She shouldn't have even come inside if she was going to stand here like an idiot.
"That sink opens up," she pointed half-heartedly. "Big enough for a basilisk to fit. And it goes down and down so deep that you know you'll never be able to get back up. But I didn't care because I was so lost. I had lost," she said. "I never come here," Ginny rambled.
Warm hands closed around hers, bringing down the one that was still pointing. "Let's get you out of here," he whispered. "Thank you for coming to find me, Ginny."
And Draco walked her out of the room like she was a child. No one was around to see, no one ever was around there except Myrtle, but they were lucky that the poor, creepy girl wasn't.
Draco was looking at her with concern, like he hadn't been upset with her or anyone else a moment before. He was okay for the time being, because she wasn't. Like Mum and Dad. One of them stayed at least mostly in control all the time.
"We're probably always going to fight a lot, yeah?" he asked.
Ginny didn't answer.
"Because we're different, and young and... angry that we can't control our own lives," he said.
"Yeah," Ginny agreed.
"I'm jealous of Potter," Draco admitted.
"Harry's had a pretty awful life. I can't tell you details, but you shouldn't be jealous," Ginny said.
Draco shook his head, "I'm jealous because the whole school knows you like him. And why wouldn't you? He saved you from that... thing, and my father caused it," he said.
Ginny shook her head, "I don't like Harry like that. I only- ever really liked the idea of this famous person who did spectacular things, not as a real person. Now, I value him as a friend- most of the time when I'm not mad at him. If it helps, I just yelled at Harry in front of all of Gryffindor, and said I really was snogging you last night," Ginny said.
Draco smiled, "It does help."
"That's good, because I think all my brothers will be awkward around me now," Ginny couldn't help but laugh. The twins had been there, and Ron would hear from someone. "I'm guessing that something else was bothering you before you decided to taunt Harry," Ginny said.
"Well, we'd just lost the biggest game of the year and… Slytherin has been unusually tense this year, with half the house knowing He's back, but everyone officially following the Ministry line.
"Half the house? That's a lot. Most of Gryffindor pretends to believe Harry, but I don't think a lot of them really do. And they're his own house," Ginny said.
Draco snorted. It was the least dignified sound she'd heard from him, "At least that many. Only the Death Eater's children know for sure, I think, but not even Slytherin first years really think that Potter would lie about that. Only the stubborn families, mostly the ones who will be worst off when he shows himself and they don't want to join him."
"That's rough," Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Draco. They'd never really hugged before, unless you counted while snogging. But she came from a family that hugged a lot. "Harry might apologize to you. You'll be cordial if he does?" Ginny asked.
Draco huffed a bit, "I think it would annoy him more if I apologized first, so maybe I will."
"Is even apologizing a competition with you?" Ginny asked, but she was smiling. Her life was weird. She wouldn't have believed that she would be hugging Draco Malfoy a few months ago, but what else was she supposed to do?
"I'm sorry I shouted at you when you walked in," Draco said.
This time, Ginny allowed herself a small laugh, "Like you said, we're going to fight quite often- way worse than that- over the next… many years. So, we might as well not keep track of whose fault what is."
"So, if Potter's ban holds, you're going to try out for seeker?" Draco asked.
"I guess," Ginny said. Of course she would. She just felt horribly disloyal for being excited about it. "You're just lucky that Gryffindor doesn't play Slytherin again so you don't have to lose to me," Ginny declared, taking a step back. They had been hugging for awkwardly long, but it had been nice.
"Oh, that confident are you, Weasley?"
"Oh yeah, I'm just that good," Ginny shot back. She really hoped that she made it now.
"Then I guess you don't even need to borrow my Nimbus 2001 I was going to offer," Draco taunted.
"Really?" Ginny asked. She had been wondering what she'd do about that. The school brooms were awful, and Mum and Dad had just spent money on buying Ron one, so she almost couldn't ask them about it. And Ron's old broom was no better than the school ones.
Draco shrugged, "Like you said, our teams won't be on the pitch together again this year, and I've been meaning to start telling Father that it's about time I got a Firebolt anyway. And if you do well enough to make Potter look bad… I wouldn't complain," Draco smirked.
They was him being extraordinarily generous. Slytherin was still very much in the competition and would be better off the worse Gryffindor did. Draco… wanted her to have it anyway. Real and fake motivations aside, Ginny squealed and gave Draco another tight hug, followed by a long kiss. He took a few moments to respond.
*****Ginny*****
She was on the team. She was on the team! She was on the team! She had to attempt to subdue her excitement around everyone. The whole house was far more depressed about quidditch than they would normally be if Gryffindor had lost the match. And for admittedly good reason. And it was worse that it was an order from Umbitch, who everyone hated and was basically powerless against- except for the quiet rebellion of attending DA meetings.
Ron had to be talked out of quitting pretty regularly- though Ginny wondered if really Ron quitting would be for the best… not that she could say so.
The tryouts had just been with potential seekers and Angelina, and Ginny had pretty clearly been the only choice. She might not be as good as Harry, but most of the others trying out weren't even competent on their brooms, and never caught the snitch.
And the first practice went well, with the exception of an awkward moment at the beginning when she walked out with the Nimbus 2001.
"Oi! Where'd you get that? Did McGonagall get you a broom like she did Harry? Clearly joining the team without a broom is the way to go," Fred huffed a bit. A Weasley would never complain but… it had seemed unfair to each of them that Harry had just been given a broom, when he had a vault of gold at Gringotts, and everyone else in Gryffindor provided their own, even the Weasleys. And then there was the Slytherin team having their brooms handed to them by Lucius Malfoy- including the one Ginny held now. But she had to think of it as a loan from Draco, not his father.
"It's Draco's that he's letting me use," Ginny said with a shrug, throwing her leg over, ready to fly.
That got even Ron to look up from his feet, "Are you mental?" Ron asked. "Taking something from Malfoy? He's why Harry's banned in the first place?" Ron shouted.
"No, Harry is the reason Harry is banned, that and his weird sense of protection over me that he doesn't get to have. He repeatedly punched a boy who had just told him he kissed me- a boy Harry had just beaten at quidditch by the way, not lost to." They all had to know that that wasn't something a person in control of themselves did.
"You sure he didn't jinx it?" George asked.
The chasers just watched their family drama play out, but Angelina was starting to look impatient. The team was majority Weasley now.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Because Draco may hate Harry and most every Gryffindor, but he doesn't hate me. And even if there wasn't that, the contract would make hurting me a pretty stupid thing to do. And, because the broom worked great at try-outs. Right, Angelina?" Ginny asked their captain.
"That's right. Now everyone, up in the air," she ordered.
And practice went well. Ginny had to constantly remind herself to look for the snitch, not just watch the chasers. Ginny knew at the first attempt on goal that the girls were going easy on Ron to build back up his confidence, but he was really doing pretty well by the end, better than he usually did at home. So he must have learned something in practice. He was just easily distracted and broken in games.
"You were good out there," Angelina praised when the changing room had cleared out. Ginny had lingered. "You're a great flyer. I'm glad you've got a good broom. You say you'd like to be a chaser?" the older witch asked.
"Yeah, it's my favourite position," Ginny said. It was where the sport really was, multiple people working together. But it also made it hard to practice when she hardly ever got to play with anyone else. But it had still looked like a better option than competing with Harry Potter for seeker.
"Later next term, we'll work you with some chaser drills with Katie and… we'll find a third, to get you three ready for when Alicia and I are gone," she suggested.
"Really?" Ginny asked, which was a stupid response. But it was such an incredible offer.
"Yeah, I want them to have the best team possible next year too, yeah? And Harry will be back at seeker, because like you said, Umbridge won't last the year," Angelina waved and walked off.
Angelina was awesome. Fred had gone with her to the Yule Ball last year. Maybe… she'd be a Weasley one day too. Ginny would have to watch if anything developed there. If Angelina and Tonks could become her older sisters, that would make up for not having any for years. And Maybe Hermione would be someday too- a long, long time from now.
Ginny loved being a little older and really being part of things. The DA was the start, but now she was on the quidditch team too. She was playing and getting stronger with people she admired. She wasn't just the youngest Weasley, or the only girl.
A/N: The Weasley is our King song was altered slightly- did you notice it, and what do you think? To save you looking it up, I changed "Was born in a bin" to "Belongs in a bin" so that's it's only an insult to Ron, not to Ginny's family. Obviously, the rest of the song is a direct quote from the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I also had a quoted line from the first DA meeting, but I kept direct quotes to a minimum. Please review!