FicWad

It all seemed to happen in slow motion, every second crawling. She shook her head, and drew in a sharp gasp, feeling his fingers unwrap from her wrist. For a second, she seemed to hang in mid-air, until gravity wrapped its fingers around her, and started to pull. She felt herself falling, fear surging through her.

As she fell, she saw him hovering over her, watching her drift away. Strangely, the only thing she could think of is how much she hated him. But her journey was interrupted, as an arm grabbed around her waist. She turned her head, and found herself looking into the eyes of her youngest brother. Never had she been so glad to see him.

"First thing I've caught all day." he managed to say, easing his broom towards the ground.

"He had let me fall..." she whispered, her face pale.

"I told him to. Either I caught you, or you both fell." Ron corrected.

"But what if you missed?"

Ron chose not to answer, and was spared the need, as his feet touched down on the field. Instantly, they were surrounded by the rest of their team, shouting and cheering erupting from the stands. The shrill whistle of Madam Hooch filled the air, and as the Slytherin team made their landing, they, too, seemed pleased.

Unfortunately, it was not because Draco had just saved her life, Ginny realized as she watched him dismount from his broom, pumping his arm in the air.

Clutched tightly in his hand...was the Snitch.

Angelina tried to convince Madam Hooch that circumstances warranted the game to be contested, but to no avail. Realizing their loss was final, the Gryffindors slunk into the tent, their recent jubilation forgotten.

The weather had worsened by the time Ginny was ready to leave the change room. She felt awful that she had cost her team the match, and on her first day on the team. What stung even worse, was losing to Draco Malfoy.

She stepped out into the rain, which came down steadily, thick dark clouds moving overhead, flashing with lightning and booming with thunder. The weather looked as bad as she felt. She started up the path that led towards the castle, alone with her thoughts. But she realized after a few steps, that she was not, in fact, alone. Turning around, she looked back towards the way she had just come, finding the lone figure of Draco standing there.

Clenching her fists, she glared at him. "You bastard!" Her voice was barely a whisper, her fury so overwhelming, it robbed her of her voice.

"Should I have let you fall?" he asked, stepping towards her.

"You DID let me fall!"

"Your brother was going to catch you. At least, that was the idea."

Ginny glared at him again, the rain soaking her hair, causing it to cling to her face. He stood there, looking like everything had gone along with some glorious plan. But if that were true, why hadn't he told her what he was going to do? Why did he scare her nearly to death?

"You think I was going to kill you?" he asked amusedly.

"I saw the look in your eyes." She replied, still seething.

Draco continued looking at her, stepping towards her again with a shrug of his shoulders. She frowned, seeing red. Anger of this magnitude was new to her, and while she felt she might explode, he stood there, acting like her life was a joke. After everything that had happened this year, and he still didn't see her as anything but dirt.

"If I had wanted you to fall, Weasley, I simply wouldn't have caught you in the first place." He said calmly.

This made her blink. It was true, she would have fallen immediately. If he hadn't been there... Her eyes lowered to the ground, finding it hard to look at him. She was too busy being angry to realize he had most likely saved her life.

"So...why did you?" her tone was almost accusing.

He shivered, the rain soaking into his robes as well as hers, chilling them both to the bone. He had asked himself the same question, since he had released his grip and let her fall. Why had he spared her?

"I owed you." He shrugged. "Now, we are even."

His debt to her had been repaid, whether she had wanted it or not. She nodded after a moment, her anger beginning to recede. But that still didn't explain why he was out here.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"You hadn't come out. I was waiting to ensure you were alright."

"Since when do you care?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I don't." He pushed past her, heading back towards the school.

Ginny blinked and turned to face him. "Wait! I didn't mean that."

He stopped, looking over his shoulder at her, nodding his head. "I think you did."

"You're right. But...why?"

He remained quiet, peering over his shoulder at her. It was an odd silence, filled with much that was unsaid, on both sides. After a few moments, his voice broke the quiet.

"Because I am a person." He repeated words spoken by her, under similar circumstances, months earlier. "Don't make me regret my decision."

"I...I'm sorry." She blinked, stunned that he would remember any conversation he would have had with her. And that conversation in particular.

Draco shook his head "Don't be. Just don't expect it to happen again. We're even now. I owe you nothing."

Ginny was having a hard time accepting this sudden change in him. He almost seemed sincere, but it was veiled in his usual cloak of conceit and arrogance. The more he tried to appear he meant what he was saying, the less she felt convinced it was the truth.

"I didn't expect it to happen the first time." She said softly.

"Oh, I see. You think that low of me? That I am not capable of something like this?"

"My opinion of your family is so low, you'd have to work very hard to disappoint me." She frowned, starting to find him grating her nerves again.

"That's amusing, coming from the daughter of blood traitors."

Lightning flashed overhead, and at the same moment, it flashed in her eyes. Her arm drew back, moving to slap him for his insolence. But he was ready for it, and caught her wrist. With a quick twist, he bent her arm to the side, pulling her off balance.

Struggling to pull her arm free, she glared at him. "Let go of me!" She demanded.

He tossed her arm away from him, and watched as she rubbed her wrist. She was still angry, and had found it relieving to have him put up a fight. She tried again to hit him, but again, he caught her arm.

"What are you doing, Weasley?" He asked, smirking in amusement at her feeble attempts.

"My name..." She growled "is Ginny!"

Still held by his one hand, she swung the other, hand clenched in a fist, towards the side of his head. Having predicted that, he caught the wrist. Twisting her arm, he spun her around, pinning the arm against her back, and folding her other arm across her stomach.

"I don't care what your name is." he hissed in her ear. "You'll always be just a filthy little Weasley to me. Barely worth the effort to spit on."

She struggled to free herself, but his grip was strong. With her arms pinned, she couldn't reach her wand. But she was far from helpless. Setting her feet on the ground, she pulled her self forward, folding over and rolling her torso slightly. Unprepared for that, Draco was pulled up and over her shoulder, landing flat on his back on the wet ground with a thud. Looking up at her in astonishment, he blinked.

"You don't think I learned I how to defend myself, living with my brothers?" she shrugged, watching him for sudden signs of movement.

Slowly, he climbed to his feet. Now embarrassed, he was less happy than he was a moment ago. He still hadn't reached for his wand, but then, neither had she. It seemed this was not going to be settled by magic.

"I'm surprised you could learn anything from those buffoons." He badgered. "Nothing but a bunch of hooligans."

"You shouldn't talk. You and your Inquisitorial Squad. Nothing but hired thugs." she spat back.

"At least we're doing something for the Headmistress, instead of breaking rules this time. Unlike some people I could mention."

Ginny's lip curled into a sarcastic smirk. "That sounds about right. She likes using pain to get obedience. Mistress Umbridge, is it?"

Draco raised an eyebrow "Think it's funny, do you?"

"I don't think it's funny. I think YOU'RE funny."

Draco took a step towards her. She matched it, which he didn't expect. She had never backed down from anyone before, and she wasn't about to start now, or start with him. Seeing this, he nodded, readying himself for a fight.

"Alright then, Weasley. Come on."

"Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you? Give you a reason to hit a girl." she taunted.

"I don't need a reason."

"Proud of that fact?" she asked disgustedly.

He walked around her, circling slowly, causing her to turn, keeping her eyes on him. Every few steps, he'd feint a lunge, just to watch her jump. Each time she did, the smirk on his face grew. Deciding she had enough, she turned to walk away from him. But the rain had turned the ground soft, making the footing uneven. In her rush to leave him behind, she slipped.

She lost her footing, and fell back, but never hit the ground. Draco had caught her, looking down at her amusedly.

"Walk much?" he asked.

She frowned at him. "I thought I shouldn't expect this to happen again?"

Too late she realized her mistake. He dropped her, and she fell back onto the ground. He stood up as she scrambled to her feet, turning to face him again.

"You jerk! What's the big idea?"

Saying nothing, Draco shrugged, and stepped around her. He was tired of her games, of her defiant attitude, and tired of her in general. He was annoying her far more than usual. Although he had to admit he had been deriving a small amount of satisfaction from it.

As he walked away, he let out a laugh. Ginny wasn't amused, and did not want to be the butt of his joke again. Why she did it, she didn't know. But as she looked at his back, hearing him laugh at her, she rushed forward, and tackled him to the ground.

Falling face first onto the ground beneath her, Draco rolled, trying to get to his feet. But Ginny wasn't about to let that happen, and rolled him back onto the ground again. She was small, but she was surprisingly strong.

The two of them wrestled, rolling across the wet ground as the rain continued to pour around them. After a few moments, Draco still laid on his back, pinned beneath a very angry Ginny. Dirt darked their faces, water soaking and weighing down their robes, making it harder to move quickly in them.

"Getting homesick?" he asked, trying to free himself from under her.

"What?"

"Covered in dirt, rolling around like the swine you are."

She smacked him again, and then again. He fought back, shoving her off him. It looked like a schoolyard brawl, something out of a badly written story. Lasting only a few moments, both of them realized there was not going to be a clear winner.

Dirt, scratches and grass marked their faces, hands, and hair. But both looked worse than they actually were. Ginny sat up, nursing her shoulder which she had smacked against a rock in the ground. Draco remained on his back, panting as he stared up at the flashing clouds above.

"You're stronger than you look." he mused.

"Only prey on those you think are weaker than you?" She sighed, no longer having the energy to fight with him.

He sat up beside her, picking some blades of grass from his hair. "Are you calling me a bully?"

"That's exactly what you are." Ginny glared at him, "But you take things too far."

"I just happen to know my place."

"The dungeons, along with the rest of your snake like friends."

"Would you rather me living in that tower of virtue that is Gryffindor?"

Ginny rolled her eyes "You'd never be a Gryffindor. You're selfish, you're arrogant, and you care nothing about anyone except yourself."

She tried to reach behind her shoulder, the pain becoming a bit worse. But she couldn't reach far enough behind, sighing in frustration.

"Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing?" he suggested.

"And have to explain how I hurt myself, involved in a fist fight with you? I'll pass on that interrogation, and subsequent detention, thanks."

"So you are going to suffer needlessly?"

"Unless you want to get into trouble when they find out?"

Not wanting to find himself losing points for his House, and having to explain it to Professor Snape, Draco conceded her argument. Watching as she struggled to get some relief in her shoulder, Draco moved behind her. He reached his hand to where she couldn't.

Ginny blinked in surprise and tried to pull away. He took hold of her shoulder with his free hand and pulled her back. His fingers felt along her shoulder, seeking out the muscle knot that was causing her discomfort, and upon finding it, started to rub against it, massaging it out of the muscle.

Ginny felt her shoulder starting to relax, the pain fading beneath his fingers. But she felt awkward, something she didn't quite understand.

"Don't..." she said softly.

"What's the problem?" he asked, rubbing a bit more, to ensure the knot wouldn't return.

Ginny found it hard to answer. She didn't understand what the problem was, only that there was one. She avoided looking at him, hanging her head slightly to hide within the shadows cast across her face by the wet curtain of hair. She was uncomfortable, the cold of her wet clothes seeping into her, causing her to shiver.

"Stubborn, aren't you? Full of foolish pride." he chastised.

"Always finding something negative to say about me, don't you?"

"If I had said something nice, you would probably not believe me anyway." he stated with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Try me." she said.

His hand left her shoulder, as he sat in silence behind her. He scoured his mind, wanting to find something he could say that would prove her wrong, but that also would not come back to bite him later on. After a few moments, Ginny sighed, turning to face him.

"Just as I thought. Not a single thing." She seemed genuinely unsurprised. "I've never been worthy of even a single thought. Always treated like I didn't matter. You couldn't even thank me for saving your life. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? Do you even care?"

Draco looked back at her, and after another short silence, Ginny scowled. "Why do I...?"

Her words were cut off, eyes growing wide. Without warning, without any indication of what was to come, Draco had leaned forward, and kissed her. It was a strange sensation, his lips pressed to hers in mid-sentence. The confusion that raided her mind washed out any anger she had been feeling, and it wasn't until he sat back again, that she could even begin to breathe.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" she demanded, her face as red as her hair.

"Thanking you." he shrugged.

She slapped him across the face. "Don't you ever...EVER..try something like that again!"

"I forgot. You're only interested in half-bloods, like Potter. Purebloods are too good for you."

Draco had barely gotten the words out of his mouth, before he was again knocked to the ground. Ginny pinned Draco, painfully, to the ground, her eyes flickering as they mirrored the storm overhead. She wanted to strangle him. To make him choke on his words.

He tried to push himself up, but her weight kept him held down. "Get off me, Weasley!" Draco pushed up on her shoulders, but Ginny wouldn't be moved.

Ginny wrapped her hands around Draco's throat to strangle him, which made him grab her wrists with his hands as he tried to free himself.

Ginny wanted to keep straggling Draco, as she looked at him with pure hatred as he was starting to get light-headed...but she reluctantly let him go. Draco painted as he regained his breath before Ginny grabbed his wrists and pinned them down next to his head.

"Looks like I win." She smirked down at him. "Now apologize for insulting me and maybe I'll let you up."

Ginny had Draco right where she wanted him. How embarrassing would it be for him if others found out that Malfoy was beaten by a Weasley, the youngest, the girl Weasley at that?

Draco was frozen, eyes wide, breath caught in his throat. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. The heavy weight on his chest, his back pressed against the hard ground, the hands holding him down, the heat radiating from the body that was straddling him.

Having no other alternative, Draco quickly lifting his own head up, and kissed her again.

While he was expecting the shock to drive her off of him, it was he who was shocked, as she did not pull away. He pulled back first, looking up at her in confusion, only to find her glaring down at him, tears starting to slide down her face.

She was angry, and she was upset. Upset at herself for letting him see her like this, for letting her usually calm demeanor crack, and show the emotional vulnerability beneath. She hated him. Hated how he treated her, hated how he made her feel about herself. Why was she not good enough? Why was she looked upon with such contempt? She had never needed his approval before, so why was it so damned painful that she still couldn't get it?

But despite how she felt, she had let him kiss her. The realization hit her like a punch to her stomach. It was easy to blame him for it happening, but the reality was she didn't try to stop him. The impact of that truth exploded in her mind, and the last pieces of her facade broke.

She leaned down to him, pressing her lips firmly to his. If he wanted to kiss such an unworthy girl like her, then she was going to give him a kiss to remember. Her fingers clenched onto his shoulders, digging in sharply, causing him to squirm uncomfortably again.

Draco was surprised at this reaction, as it defied the logic he had envisioned. The kiss was soft, her lips trembling against his. He still held her head in his hands, and as he lifted it, he could see the pain in her eyes. This was not, he realized, the act of a girl with a secret crush, but of a person breaking down. He had pushed her to the edge, and tossed her over, driving her to lose control.

His thumbs swept across her flushing cheeks, wiping away the trail her tears had left behind. She shivered, meeting his gaze again, kissing him once more. His lips pushed into hers, returning the kiss just as earnestly. He did not want this happening anymore than she did, but like her, he found himself powerless to stop it.

It seemed to happen on its own, neither one taking the lead, but neither one falling behind. Hands brushed over damp skin, cooled by the rain that poured down over them. Rain that did nothing to quell the heat that filled them. Breath came quickly, shallowly, gasping as though unable to get enough air into their lungs. Every touch was like electricity, every scent like perfume.

Thought and logic were tossed aside. Doubt and reason evicted, leaving only the solace of abandon. Magic had never felt like this before. Intense. Powerful. Consuming. Every nerve tingled, every sense bursting. Time itself seemed to slow, until each second felt like hours. It was gentle, it was potent, and when it was finally over, it was transcendent.

It was also completely wrong. Both of them knew it. Neither one of them cared.

Months of frustration, anger, doubt and stress, all gave way to surrender, and for the moment, they had found freedom. Thunder rolled overhead, as though the skies themselves were voicing their objection. Rain continued to pour down upon them, soaking them to the core. Slowly, their warmth eroded, leaving them shivering upon the ground.

Neither one spoke, eyes locked, barely even risking a blink as Ginny continued to sit above Draco, she put a hand on his cheek, leaned down and she kissed him gently on the lips.

Only the thunder broke the silence, but they could not tell if it was from the storm above, or the pounding of their hearts against the walls of their chests. In that shared gaze, both pairs of eyes came to the same realization, at the same time.

As a result of that brief span of minutes, and for the second time that year, both of their lives had changed.