Not Just For Storing Brooms, Weasley

Bloody stairs.

Those were Ginny Weasley's first thoughts as she stood at the top of the staircase that led to the first floor. Immediately as her foot had touched the wood, the staircase began to move. Torn between not wanting to walk all the way round to the other stairs and the desire to jump backwards, Ginny did a very un-ladylike split as one of her feet stayed put, while the staircase carried the other off in the opposite direction. She almost tore the Invisibility Cloak in her haste to jump across and land on the second step. Unfortunately, her feet slipped out from underneath her and she landed on her rear, beginning to slide down the stairs like a child skidding in the snow. Ginny clutched at the railing, trying in vain to dig her nails in, but she couldn't keep her grip. Glancing down at the dark abyss below her as the staircase swivelled round, Ginny squeezed her eyes shut to await her impending doom. However, instead of tumbling through the air and landing with a messy splat on the stone floor below, Ginny rolled onto solid floor, the Invisibility Cloak landing in a tangle on top of her. Ginny opened her eyes to find that the staircase had come into contact with another part of the first floor, and she was sitting in a heap at the bottom of them.

Well, that was graceful, Ginny thought to herself as she climbed to her feet, and winced as she rubbed her sore behind.

Ginny normally wasn't prone to taking midnight strolls through the Hogwarts castle with Harry's Invisibility Cloak in tow. Actually, this was the first time she'd ever done it. The reason she had decided to go for a walk was that she hadn't had a very good day and needed to let off some steam. In her first lesson of the day she had completely messed up the potion she was making and melted her cauldron, which prompted Slughorn, prat that he was, to take twenty points from Gryffindor. Then, at lunchtime, that bitch Pansy Parkinson had started insulting her family yet again. Ginny had pulled the Bat-Bogey Hex on her and was feeling rather pleased with herself when McGonagall came round the corner and issued her a detention that evening - cleaning the hospital bedpans. It had taken her nearly three hours to finish it all.

So, back in Gryffindor Tower, she had begged Harry to lend her his cloak. He hadn't wanted to at first, but Ginny had insisted she needed it for something important, and he had reluctantly handed it over. Actually, she didn't need it for anything important at all, but she needed some time to clear her head. And that included all thoughts about Harry. No thinking about Harry, Ginny told herself sternly as she marched past a nearby broom closet, no thinking about how he broke up with you at the end of the year and... wait a moment. Was she hearing things, or was there giggling coming from inside of that closet?

Ginny backed up a few steps until she was level with it and hesitantly put her ear next to the door. No, she hadn't been mistaken. There were a few male mumblings and then a female giggle, accompanied by an, "Oh, Draco!"

A smirk crept over Ginny's face. Draco and Pansy were in there together, and she had the Invisibility Cloak... a perfect opportunity for her to cause them some serious humiliation. Grinning wickedly, Ginny grasped the handle and yanked open the door.

Twin gasps were emitted from inside, and Ginny groped around for her wand. Locating it, she pulled the door open wider and stepped up towards the entrance. When she saw who was in there, though, she froze. It wasn't Pansy Parkinson at all. This girl had hair that looked even bushier than usual, with cheeks flushed pink... it was Hermione!

"What was that?" Ginny was aware that Malfoy was speaking, but she couldn't move. She couldn't think. The scene in front of her was like something out of a bloody horror movie. Hermione... with Draco Malfoy? Ginny didn't want to believe it.

And then, as if out of nowhere, a horrified scream was dragged out of her. Hermione and Malfoy looked absolutely terrified at the sound, but Ginny couldn't seem to stop. She carried on screaming until Hermione frowned, and groping around as if she was in the dark, found Ginny's arm. Hermione pulled off the Cloak with lightning speed, and upon seeing who it was, the terrified look returned.

Malfoy was clutching his ears. "Make her shut up!" he hissed.

Hermione pulled out her wand. "Silencio!" she whispered, and Ginny found that although her mouth was open, no sound was coming out. She settled for making wild "What the hell is this?" hand gestures towards Malfoy and glaring at Hermione.

"Ginny, if you promise to be quiet, I'll take the spell off you," Hermione whispered, looking anxious. "But you've got to promise you'll stop screaming, OK? I'll explain everything, if you'll just calm down."

Ginny had no idea how exactly Hermione was going to explain herself, or whether she'd just gone absolutely crazy, but she let her arms fall back to her sides and nodded grudgingly. This should be good.

Hermione muttered the counter curse and waved her wand. Ginny clutched her throat as she began to emit raspy breaths. Hermione waited patiently until Ginny could speak properly again.

"Well?" Ginny asked finally, crossing her arms and glaring at Hermione. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like, Weasley?" Malfoy said with a sneer, which was quickly wiped away when he came face to face with the pointy end of Ginny's wand. "I swear to God, Malfoy..." Ginny said warningly.

"Ginny, stop it," Hermione begged.

"Well then, tell me what you're playing at!" Ginny said furiously, her famous Weasley temper getting the better of her. "This is Malfoy, for Merlin's sake! Is your brain not fully functioning for a change? Oh, no, wait," she growled, pressing her wand into Malfoy's throat, "this is his fault, isn't it? He's put some spell on you, hasn't he?" Ginny couldn't contain herself any longer. "Scourgify!" Immediately Malfoy's mouth began filling up with pink bubbles, which began to froth down his chin as he started to cough uncontrollably. Ginny, who was by this time boiling mad, took the opportunity to punch Malfoy in the stomach. He fell back against the broom closet door, wheezing pink foam.

"Ginny, stop it!" Hermione hissed, and Ginny found herself being yanked away from Malfoy. "Finite Incantatem!" Malfoy fell back against the closet door, gasping for breath. "You're bloody crazy," he gasped.

"Hermione, I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing," Ginny said sternly, ignoring Malfoy. "He's put a curse on you, something that's controlling your mind -"

"Ginny, will you please stop arguing for once and just listen to me," Hermione said wearily.

Ginny shot Malfoy a death glare. "Fine. Go ahead. Explain to me why you're snogging a prejudiced git - a git who's prejudiced against what you are, by the way - in the broom closet, won't you?"

"Stop it, Ginny," Hermione said harshly, and Ginny blinked. She wasn't used to Hermione being so forceful.

Ginny put her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot. "I'm listening."

"First of all, he has not put a spell on me," Hermione stressed. "Second of all, we didn't plan on this happening, it just... did."

"What, you just tripped and fell on his lips?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"It's not like that," Hermione said defensively. "Ever since we came back to school, we've been talking more and more... he's changed, Ginny, I promise."

Ginny glanced over at Malfoy, who was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, sneering at her. "He still looks like the same arrogant berk to me." Malfoy glared at her and Ginny gave him a smirk.

"He's different," Hermione insisted. "He's had the opportunity to do all sorts of terrible things, but... he hasn't."

"Oh, so that makes up for all the terrible things he's already done?" There was no way that Ginny was just going to let him off that easy. Hermione might be the 'forgive and forget' type, but she certainly wasn't.

"I'm not saying I can just forget it all just like that," Hermione argued. "It's going to take time. But he really does want to change - we've just got to give him a chance."

"Why?" Ginny scowled at Malfoy. "He doesn't deserve it."

"McGonagall thinks he does," Hermione said triumphantly. "Even Snape was given a second chance, and he was a fully fledged Death Eater."

"Of course, McGonagall's word is law." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Fine, be flippant about it," Hermione snapped. "But just think about this: I'm happy, Ginny. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Ginny looked Hermione straight in the eye. "I just don't see why you need him to be happy."

"I knew you wouldn't understand," Hermione said quietly, looking away.

"Too bloody right I don't," Ginny snorted. She began pacing up and down. "I don't understand how you can forgive him just like that, after all these years. I don't understand how you can think he's changed, when he could turn around at any minute and stab you in the back. I don't understand why you want to be with him instead of my brother, and I don't understand why you'd want to snog him in a broom closet in the middle of the night. But," she continued, with a long-suffering sigh, "if it makes you happy, then... I guess there's nothing I can do."

Hermione smiled and held out her arms. Ginny managed to muster a weak smile and stepped into Hermione's hug.

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said in a voice muffled by Ginny's hair.

"I'm not saying I approve," Ginny said sternly, as Hermione released her. "I think it's sick; it's sick and wrong." She gave Malfoy an up-and-down glance. "And what have you got to say for yourself?"

Malfoy pulled Hermione back into the broom closet. "Just a piece of advice. These things?" he smirked, gesturing to the small space in which they were occupying. "They're not just for storing brooms, Weasley. Now, if you'll excuse us," and with that, he slammed the door in Ginny's face.

"I hate you," Ginny called through the crack in the door. Shaking her head in disbelief at what had just happened, she threw the cloak back over her head. One thing was for sure, she grimaced as she made her way back to Gryffindor tower, she was never, ever taking a midnight stroll around Hogwarts again.