Chapter Text
Ginny Weasley leaned over the table in the Ministry's artifact evaluation room, studying the ancient Snitch with keen interest. It was unlike any she'd encountered. Its once-golden wings were tarnished, and the body of the Snitch was covered in runes, their meaning to be deciphered only by the most interested of experts. She couldn't believe she was getting the chance to examine such an important piece of Quidditch history. It had been dug up from a long-lost vault somewhere in Eastern Europe, believed to be tied to a historic Quidditch match over a century ago. Now, the Ministry wanted it examined before it was cleared to be displayed at the National Quidditch Museum.
"Look at you," Ginny said quietly to the snitch. "I wonder if there's something inside..."
"Don't touch it."
Ginny's head snapped up. She had not heard Draco Malfoy come in, but he had snuck up behind her and was staring at the Snitch. She hadn't paid much attention to him in the past few years, though she'd passed by him at the Ministry from time to time. He looked much the same as she remembered, but the sharp edges of his youth had softened with time.
His blond hair was shorter, neatly kept, and his gray eyes held a seriousness that hadn't been there during their school days. Dressed in impeccably tailored professional robes, he still carried himself with the same confident air, though there was a subtle calmness to him now. It wasn't that surprising to see him here - his department was Artifact Preservation - but she hadn't expected him to be involved in this case.
"Malfoy," she said, startled. "What are you doing here?"
"I requested to be here before someone potentially destroyed this snitch with whatever spell-breaking nonsense they're planning," Draco replied. "It's an ancient piece. You can't just start prodding it."
Ginny ignored him, save for a barely noticeable shake of her head, instead focusing her attention back to the curious Snitch in front of her. The runes were like a riddle she was dying to solve, and every second spent arguing with Draco felt like wasted time. "It doesn't look that dangerous. Just old."
"Apparently not enough to stop you from reaching for it without waiting for the experts to clear it."
Ginny glared at him, the irritation bubbling up. She hated how he always managed to twist things to make her seem reckless. "I am the expert on this Snitch, Malfoy. It's my job to assess any quidditch memorabilia for historical importance to the game. You're just worried about polishing the thing."
“Polishing? Are you crazy? If this thing has old enchantments tied to the history of Quidditch, then it's a valuable relic entitled to careful preservation."
Ginny clenched her jaw. Did he think she didn't know that? She turned her attention back to the Snitch and the carved runes wrapped around it. Although it had been her least favorite subject in school, they called to her, an intrigue she couldn't resist. Malfoy hadn't even played Quidditch since his school days, and he had the nerve trying to act as some sort of expert? Her frustration with Draco made her reckless. "There's something special about this one. Some of the older Snitches had compartments inside or charms woven into them. It could hold-"
"Wait!" Draco's hands shot up. His smug face snapping quickly into one of concern. "We're meant to wait for the Cursebreaker! Don't-"
Ginny's hand hovered, hesitating just for a second. She wasn't supposed to handle cursed objects, but this assignment was about the snitch's historical value, not dark magic. Surely, if there had been any real danger, she wouldn't have been called in. Ginny started to pull back, but her hubris won out. She reached for the Snitch just as Draco lunged for her, the tips of their fingers making contact with the golden surface at the same time.
A blinding bright flash filled the room, and a loud boom echoed off of the shelf lined walls. Both of them were thrown backward as the magic surged around them. Ginny grunted as she hit the floor. A static charge filled the room, like the moment just before a lightning strike.
"What the hell did you just do?" Draco hissed as he glared at Ginny.
" Me ? You grabbed it too, genius!" Ginny snapped back, swaying on her feet. "What was I supposed to-"
She stopped mid-sentence, there was a faint sensation of something pulling at her chest, something like a thread, taut and unbreakable. She rubbed at her ribs, trying to shake the odd feeling. The feeling of something tied between her and Draco, urging them closer.
Draco had noticed as well. He tried stepping backward, only to be pulled back toward Ginny. They both stumbled, shock and anger flashing on their faces.
Ginny tugged at the invisible bond experimentally, her stomach flipping as it yanked her right back toward Draco. It was like an invisible leash. She was unable to get away, no matter the movement she tried. ' Fantastic, just what I need, ' she thought bitterly, ' tethered to Draco Malfoy' .
"This has got to be a joke," Draco tugged his body back once more, testing the invisible bond between them. "What are we, stuck?"
Ginny's hand hovered near the artifact again, now glowing faintly on the table. "I don't know. It seems like something was triggered when we both touched it."
“Brilliant observation, Weasley."
Before Ginny could retort, the door opened once more. The cursebreaker had arrived. Ginny could not decide if it was more or less embarrassing that the cursebreaker for this particular case was her brother Bill. Bill sighed exaggeratedly at the scene in front of him: Ginny and Draco, both standing far too close, an almost comical tension on their faces as they tugged in vain against whatever magical bond had just formed.
"So," Bill said, smirking slightly, "you touched the cursed Snitch, didn't you?"
Ginny groaned. "Bill-"
Draco cut in, letting his annoyance fly. "If you hadn't been late, Weasley, I wouldn't have had to stop your disaster of a sister from touching the bloody thing in the first place."
Bill shook his head as he walked toward the table, chuckling. "Right. Blame it on me. Let me guess… you both touched it at the same time?"
The guilty parties stared at each other, scowling.
"Can you fix it?" Ginny asked, trying again to pull away from Draco. The sensation wasn't painful, but it was impossible to ignore - like a constant, invisible force attempting to force them closer.
Bill stepped forward, examining the Snitch. "Well, it's definitely cursed, and it looks like it was designed to target two people. Seekers, if I had to guess." He gave them a pitying smile that Ginny knew was fake. "I'll need to do some more research to know for sure, but whatever the curse is, you two are stuck together until I figure out how to reverse it."
Ginny's jaw dropped. "You mean we can't-"
"Move apart?" Bill supplied, nodding. "Yeah, that's about right. You're bound by the magic of the Snitch until we figure out how to undo the curse."
Draco scowled, trying again to step away from Ginny, only to be yanked back toward her. "And? How do we undo it?"
Bill shrugged as he glanced at the snitch. "Well, first, we'll need to figure out exactly which binding curse it is. Could be a simple magical tether, or it could be something a bit more complicated."
Ginny groaned. "Complicated how?"
Bill was too unbothered for Ginny's taste. "We'll have to run some tests. But for now, I'm afraid it looks like you're stuck until we can break the spell."
"You've got to be kidding me."
Ginny threw up her hands with a groan. "Fantastic."
Bill shook his head. He had little time to suffer fools who found themselves cursed and in need of his expertise. "I'll start researching right away. In the meantime, you two will just have to stay... er... close. "
"Define 'close' ," Draco said tightly, attempting once more to put distance between himself and Ginny, only to be pulled back.
Bill raised his eyebrows and shrugged once again. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Ginny and Draco exchanged shrewd glances before taking a few short, cautious steps backwards. They managed about a foot and a half of separation before the tether snapped taut, pulling them abruptly back toward each other. They tumbled forward, nearly colliding.
"Well," Bill said with a slight smirk, "there's your answer."
Ginny huffed in frustration. "This is unbelievable."
Draco straightened his robes, scowling. "Fantastic. Just when I thought today couldn't get any worse."
Bill gave them both a stern look. "Listen, you both need to head upstairs and report this. The department heads should be informed immediately."
"Report this?" Ginny echoed. "You mean parade around the Ministry like this?"
Draco groaned. "Can't we just wait here until you fix it?"
Bill shook his head. "I need to secure the snitch first, and proper protocol requires you to notify your superiors about any magical mishaps. Besides," he added, mischief shining in his eye, "it's not every day the Ministry gets to observe such... collaboration."
Ginny shot him a searing look. "Har. Har. Very funny, Bill."
"Don't worry," Bill said, turning on his 'comforting big brother' voice. "I just have to make sure the Snitch is safely contained, then I'll catch up. All you have to do is walk normally, don't draw too much attention to yourselves. Shouldn't be too hard."
Draco glanced skeptically at the narrow space between him and Ginny. "Easier said than done."
"Come on," Ginny muttered, nodding toward the door. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner Bill can start fixing this mess."
They moved awkwardly toward the exit, attempting to synchronize their steps to avoid the jarring feeling of the curse in their chests. Before they left, Bill called after them.
"Hey! Whatever you do, don't try to break the bond yourselves," he warned. "These curses can react unpredictably if tampered with."
"Noted," Ginny replied over her shoulder.
Draco sighed. "Just hurry up, Weasley. I'd rather not spend more time like this than absolutely necessary."
"Trust me," Ginny retorted, "the feeling is mutual."
They exited the room carefully, avoiding the uncomfortable tug of the curse. "My department is this way," Ginny veered toward the corridor leading to the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
Draco scoffed. "Absolutely not. My department is closer and will actually take this seriously."
"This is a Quidditch-related artifact. My department should know about the accident first."
Draco tugged lightly on the cursed tether, trying to steer her in his direction. "Oh, please. Your boss is more interested in broomstick models than cursed objects. We'll be there all day while he tries to figure out how to file the report."
Ginny resisted. "Stop pulling me! We need to go to someone who actually understands what this is."
"Exactly, which is why we're not wasting time in your department ."
They stood in the hallway, each stubbornly tugging the other, their brand-new bond preventing either from gaining ground. Their raised voices echoed down the corridor as they escalated their disagreement.
"Could you possibly stop being so stubborn?" Ginny snapped as she pulled.
"Me? You're the one who refuses to be reasonable," Draco shot back, pulling the opposite way.
Bill emerged from the artifact room just then, carrying a secured case containing the cursed Snitch. He paused, pursing his lips at both Draco and Ginny in ever rising frustration at the headache they were becoming.
"You two seriously couldn't even make it to the Atrium?"
The pair turned back, speaking in unison.
"He's impossible-"
"She's not listening-"
Bill raised a hand, cutting them both off. "Enough. This back-and-forth isn't going to help anyone. Since you can't decide, you're coming with me to the Cursebreakers' office."
Ginny started to argue, but Bill cut her off. "No arguments. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can start figuring out how to undo this curse."
Draco glanced away. "Fine."
Ginny folded her arms, sighing. "Lead the way."
"Thank you," Bill said pointedly. "Now, try to keep up."