One of the first the first questions we need to tackle before writing a story is a simple one: why? Why do we write Draco/Ginny? Surely there must be some reason that so many people have flocked to this relationship. To date, there are over 400 people subscribed to the Draco and Ginny fanfiction mailing list. None of them have the exact same reason for enjoying the pairing; and none of them have the same view on the pairing. It is something of challenge to sit here and explain why so many of us get behind this unusual coupling.
Unlike some other pairings, Ron/Hermione for example, very few people pick up the four books in the Harry Potter series and think, "Draco and Ginny should get together." The two characters seldom interact. Off the top of my head, I can only think of two. Both are in Chamber of Secrets. Most stumble on D/G through becoming active in the fandom and reading other fanfictions. Many can still cite the first Draco/Ginny that they read.
What then makes it so compelling?
In canon, Draco Malfoy is a rather two dimensional character. He is snotty, mean-spirited and prejudiced. He’s Harry’s nemesis. And readers have a great history of loving to hate the bad guy. Often, what drives him is even more intriguing than what drives our hero. Draco, indeed, is the subject of a great deal of fanfiction. Many of these stories seek to redeem him into a more likeable character or, at the very least, give the reader a greater understanding of him.
And what of Ginny? Like Draco, Ginny is a more minor character in the Harry Potter novels. We know little about her besides her huge crush on the great Mr. Potter. She’s routinely portrayed as the most innocent, most easily intimidated and sheltered of the Weasleys. The idea that she would fall in love with the big, bad Draco is ludicrous to many.
Perhaps, that is why it is so much fun to write. What is a good story without conflict? Without conflict, we have no plot. Putting Ginny and Draco together in a reasonable, sensible way while still keeping them in character is a great challenge for the writer. Their characters seem to be polar opposites. This strange relationship has given our ‘ship the "Fire and Ice" moniker.
Wasn’t it Paula Abdul who said that opposites attract?
How many TV movies of the week have you seen where the good girl falls for the bad boy? Or where the tormented guy finds the true meaning of life (or love, or something cliche like that) in the sweet girl who his friends make fun of? Yes, it’s been done before. Many a D/G writer will quote William Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet" in their explanation of what makes Draco and Ginny work so well. It’s easy to compare the Weasleys and Malfoys to the Capulets and the Montagues. They come from opposite sides of the battlefield. Therefore, their love must be extra strong to overcome such obstacles. Isn’t it romantic?
You’ll find that many of these ideals are present in a great deal of Draco/Ginny fanfiction. But also, they’re absent in many others. Some authors chose to make Ginny not so sweet and innocent or to make Draco an abused, misunderstood character. So then, all my theories go out the window.
In the end, I feel, it boils down to wanting what you can’t have. For all intents and purposes, Draco and Ginny really shouldn’t be together. It is that element of rebellion makes it exciting and gives them passion that many other Harry Potter relationships just do not have.
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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.