It's a Process
Draco and Ginny have a talk about House Pride and Quidditch.
Pairing: Ginny/Draco
Rating: general
Warnings: mentioned character death
Tropes: Pre-Relationship, 8th year, subtext
Words: 511
Original Release Date: 22 Feb 2020
Draco was muttering to himself as he started removing his Quidditch gear in the locker room. "Can't believe McGonagall made us do blind tryouts. Seeker for Gryffindor, might as well not even play."
"Harry told me you'd changed but you still sound like an arrogant prick," a girl's voice said behind him. Draco looked over his shoulder to find his new Quidditch Captain, Weaslette standing there. She too was starting to remove her gear and her red hair was damp with sweat and stuck to her neck.
He looked away from her but continued the conversation. "I think it's stupid that McGonagall made eighth years play for different teams. I'm a Slytherin. Why should I have to play for Gryffindor?" he asked, mostly rhetorically. "I mean, it's my last year, should I get to play for my own House? Wouldn't you want to play for your House?"
"Honestly, I'm over the Houses and Sorting. I'm just glad I get to play."
He turned to look back at her. "I'm proud to be Slytherin. You're not proud to be Gryffindor?"
She brushed her sweat-damp hair over her shoulder as she pulled off her shoulder pads. "What's there to be proud of?" She raised her hands in a mock display of a cheer, "Yay Gryffindor, the House with the highest death toll! Yay Gryffindor, the House with the most student ghosts! Filch should polish up a trophy for that, for sure."
Draco propped his foot on the bench between them and mechanically took off his shin guards. He'd seen how she'd burst into tears at the beginning of the year when the new ghosts swept through the Great Hall, her brother in the lead. They both knew that ghosts never moved on and though being able to talk to a loved one now soothes the ache, knowing that they'll never move on to the afterlife was depressing. To distract from that, he said, "They didn't have to fight." He'd meant for it to come out with a sneer but it had come out as more of a strangled whisper.
"If you think that, then you haven't learned anything," she answered back in a cold quiet tone.
"It's not like I can flip a switch on what I was raised to believe! It's a—"
She turned around as she interrupted him. "Process, yeah yeah, I've got the same mandatory counselling sessions as you do." she rolled her eyes. He doubted she had the re-education lesson that he was forced to endure but he kept his mouth shut. "Well, since it's a journey, you might as well start it here by calling me Ginny."
"What?"
"My name? It's Ginny. Not Weaslette."
He felt like this was a trap of some kind. "Why?"
"Because you're on the team now, and we're going to be spending a lot of time together. Fred says my practice scheduling rivals Oliver Wood's."
He knew that mean early wake-up calls and practices in the rain, but Wood's team had won, so maybe it was a good strategy. He nodded. "Okay... Ginny."