Draco Malfoy was awakened when someone pounded on his door. The sun wasn’t very high yet; it was just high enough to reflect off the snow and blind him as he peeked out the window. The light in his eyes prevented him from seeing whoever was bothering him this time of day, so he checked the mirror, decided he looked acceptable, and trundled over to the door. It had to be someone he knew — he’d taken care that his little house was well concealed and quite secluded, with the forest at his back and miles of meadow around. He opened the door, squinting.

He was surprised (although perhaps he shouldn’t have been) to see Ginny Weasley standing there, her hair windswept and her cheeks pink from cold.

“Good morning!� she chirped, beaming.

Draco scowled at her. “What are you doing here? And so ... happy!� he spat.

Ginny simply giggled and pushed past him into the house. “Get dressed, Draco; we’re going to go play in the snow!�

“Excuse me?� In Draco’s opinion, snow wasn’t something you played in, it was something you avoided.

“It’s really a beautiful day outside. Come with me!�

“How can it be beautiful? It’s winter!�

Ginny looked at him pityingly. “The sun is out, the breeze is fresh, and there’s just something in the air today. I want to share it with you.�

She’d been rummaging in his kitchen, pulling peculiar things like walnuts and raisins out of his cupboards. Draco ran up to her and dragged her away from his food stores.

“What are you doing, you crazy girl? If you were hungry, why didn’t you eat at your own place?�

Ginny patiently extracted her wrist from Draco’s grip. “I’m just gathering supplies. You’ll find that being outside in winter can be fun; you just wait.�

“And you want me to come with you and participate in this insanity?� Draco growled.

“Not dressed in your pajamas,� Ginny replied loftily. She seemed to realize her mistake and amended quickly, “But I insist you come with me, so don’t think you can get out of it by remaining in that state of dishabille.�

“But . . . but why?� Draco whined.

Ginny rolled her eyes and turned to face him. “Is it that wrong for me to want to spend the day with you? Now, please get dressed.�

Sullenly muttering to himself that Ginny could very well spend the day with him without them having to go outside in the snow, Draco went to his room and put on some warm clothes. Two sweaters and a heavy coat later, he returned to the kitchen to find Ginny amusing herself by making a carrot do jumping jacks.

She looked up at him and stifled a smile. “Ready?�

“Wipe that smirk off your face, Weasley,� he replied brusquely, following her outside to the blinding white.

“Why don’t you make me, Malfoy?� she retorted, a gleeful laugh escaping her as she bounded through the snow, scattering glitter all around.

Draco started to chase her, but soon stopped and looked down in dismay. His toes were experiencing a rather unpleasant invasion of cold and wet.

Ginny soon saw the expression on his face and ran back to him. “Is something wrong, Draco? You look like you’re about to cry.�

That remark made him scowl. “I fail to see why you think this is fun. My feet are already turning into icicles!�

She glanced down at his trainers and clucked her tongue. “First of all, you should’ve worn some warm boots,� she began. “Not only that, but – � she waved her wand over Draco’s feet and he felt them instantly become warm and dry – “here I thought you were a wizard.�

“Ginny!� Draco said, slightly abashed and irritated.

“Draco,� she replied calmly. “Where would you be without me, honestly?�

“Back in bed,� he muttered, making her laugh.

“Come on; I want to make a snowman!�

“A . . . snowman?�

“Yes; surely you’ve heard of those?� She rolled her eyes and drew a brief picture of one with her wand. “It’ll be fun!�

He raised his eyebrow in obvious incredulity.

“Just watch me do the first bit, then you can help, okay?�

Draco couldn’t do much more than watch helplessly as she expertly maneuvered a chunk of snow around, making it bigger and bigger until she finally rolled it to the center of the field. She brushed the snow off her gloves and glanced up at Draco, who quickly arranged his features in order to look slightly bored.

To his surprise, Ginny didn’t say anything, or even move for a minute. She just stood there, head cocked, watching him.

“What?� Draco, said, slightly unnerved by the steadiness of those brown eyes upon him.

“Just thinking,� was the quiet reply.

“About what?�

Ginny looked down for a moment before fixing her gaze on him again. “How the snow sets off your features and makes you look like an ice king – cold, aloof, and irresistible.�

In two strides Draco was by her side. “An ice king? Irresistible? Why, what a compliment. Never thought you’d give me one of those, Weasley.�

Before Ginny could reply (and it was apparent she was about to say, “Don’t be ridiculous, Draco!�) he caught her up in the kiss he’d been dying to give her all morning.

“If you hadn’t come over so early and made me come out to this ridiculous activity,� he muttered against her hair, “we would have had a proper hello long before this.�

She laughed at him. “If I hadn’t come over so early, you would still have been asleep and any hellos we might have had before this wouldn’t exist.� And with that she pulled out of his arms and returned to her pile of snow. “Now, how about you make the next part?�

“What, aren’t we done yet?� Draco sneered, making as if to kick the pile of snow, but quickly lowering his foot when he saw the glare leveled his way. “Just joking,� he said hastily. “So, what do I do?�

“Weren’t you watching me?� Ginny answered impatiently, grabbing a handful of snow and shoving it into his hands. “Pack that tightly, and add more to it until you can roll it around on the ground. Make it not quite as big as mine and we’ll put it on top.�

Draco did his best, but Ginny was humming some annoying, bouncy song as she supervised and it grated on his nerves – or, at least, he made every appearance that it did. Finally losing all patience, he dropped his pathetic, cold mass on the ground and rounded on Ginny.

“What are you humming?�

“It’s a Muggle song,� she replied. “Hermione taught it to me.�

Draco mastered his impulse to mutter “That Mudblood Granger,� but it was clear he was thinking it because Ginny snapped at him, “You never even gave her a chance! Even now, when we’re all supposed to be friends, you go out of your way —�

Not liking the direction this was taking, Draco hurriedly asked, “What’s the song?�

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, obviously noticing his attempt to steer the conversation to a relatively friendly topic, but still going along. “You probably wouldn’t like it. It’s called ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ and it’s really cute.�

“You’re right, I probably wouldn’t like it,� Draco agreed promptly, smirking. “Is it what prompted this snowman-making business?�

“Maybe,� Ginny said evasively, picking up the biggest chunk of snow from Draco’s pile and packing it more firmly, adding more before setting it on the ground to roll into a bigger ball. “Help me lift this, will you?�

Draco flicked and swished his wand and the ball of snow rose, then neatly deposited itself on top of the base.

“Here I thought you were a witch,� he jibed. Ginny picked up another small clump of snow.

“Have you ever heard of a snowball?� she asked casually.

“Of course I have,� he sneered. “It’s a ball made out of sn–�

The breath went out of him as a ball made out of snow hit him clean on the side of his face, jerking his neck around.

“Well done,� Ginny said blithely, packing another snowball and preparing to hurl it at him.

“I don’t think so,� Draco muttered, putting up a shield with lightning speed. Even as he feverishly packed his own snowball, he couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked. Then he threw as hard as he could, hardly surprised when it was deflected by her shield.

Not about to waste effort making another snowball just to have it fly harmlessly away, Draco brandished his wand and began making a monster snowball – big enough to be the head on the snowman. He smirked when he saw Ginny’s eyes widen. Then he waved it over the top of her shield and dropped it on her head.

“I’ll get you for that!� she shrieked, snow caking her vivid red hair and coating her eyelashes. Draco laughed, but that only served to anger her more; with one whip of her wand snow was in a swirling wind around her, obscuring her from view until she shouted, “Oppugno!�

“Ow! Ginny, you – � Draco waved furiously at the stinging snow which, undeterred, attacked him. “You come here and I’ll teach you a lesson, you firecracker!�

He lowered his head to protect himself and then charged out of the miniature storm, straight at Ginny. She screamed and started to run. “Don’t you dare put a Trip Jinx on me!� she shouted behind her, but then tripped of her own accord.

She lay so utterly still for a moment that Draco became concerned. “Ginny, are you all right?�

For a few terrible seconds, she didn’t move. Then she rolled gently onto her back, smiling happily up at him. “Frightened you, didn’t I?�

Draco almost blasted her with a hex, he was so incensed, but only scowled and said, “Yes. Are you sure you’re all right?�

“Of course,� she said, grabbing his proffered hand and heaving herself up. “Growing up with six brothers has rendered me especially hardy.�

“An advantage I have not had the fortune of experiencing,� Draco said.

Ginny snorted. “I don’t know if I’d call it an advantage, really, having all those brothers around. Fred and George used to tease me so much...never got a moment’s peace.�

“Well, you don’t need to have a lot of people around to never get a moment’s peace,� Draco pointed out, then realized what he’d said when Ginny’s eyes softened.

“No,� she replied softly, squeezing his hand. “The tumult of your mind is even more disturbing than the teasing of a couple twins, and you’ve had a lot of tumult, haven’t you.�

It wasn’t a question; it was a reference to the fact that she knew he’d been through a lot of trouble in the last few years. After Dumbledore’s death, Snape had encouraged him to turn himself into the Order to protect him and his mother; his time in ‘enemy camp’ had been one of great solitude and exclusion. One day Ginny had walked in the room and caught him crying bitterly, with no Myrtle to comfort him. According to her, she’d suddenly felt pity for the desolate boy with no one to care, so she began to try to care.

“Why did I push you away so long?� Draco murmured, tracing his finger down her cheek.

“It was a transition time for both of us,� Ginny replied. “You were realizing that following in your father’s footsteps wasn’t what you wanted, and I was realizing that my life held no promise if I simply waited for Harry. But you didn’t want to spend any time with Potter’s old girlfriend, and I was loath myself to talk to the boy who’d tried to murder Dumbledore.�

“I didn’t have a choice!� Draco cried automatically, but Ginny shook her head, indicating that she didn’t need to hear the reasons again. “Any wizard who would do that to families had to be taken down.�

“Of course,� Ginny said, not noticing that the belief she’d grown up with had come at great cost to him.

“Where would I be without you, honestly?� Draco remarked softly. “You were the only one that believed I was still worth something; being alone all those days and weeks had made me realize what a fool I was; how selfish, arrogant, cowardly, and useless a human being I had become.�

“Well, now you know that’s not true,� she responded with a small smile. “You always had it in you to be a hero, and a hero for the right side.�

“Only because you were there for me,� he replied with heartfelt gratitude. “Never thought I’d become friends with you.�

“And I thought I could never love my brother’s worst enemy.�

They were both silent for a moment, gazing into the other’s eyes and seeing reflected in each the dark whispers of what-if. Then Ginny slowly pulled her hand out of his and shook her head as if to dispel unpleasant visions.

“Draco, we’ve been out here long enough; let’s finish the snowman.�

“All right,� he replied. “Do I finally get to find out why you raided my kitchen?�

“That was just a snack,� Ginny joked, flipping her damp hair out of her way as she packed a snowball, then began adding more to it to make a good-sized head.

“Why don’t you do that with magic?� Draco asked curiously – he’d recently demonstrated it could be done quite simply.

“Because the snowman just seems better this way. More . . . real.�

He shrugged, but helped her center the head on the body and concentrated on making the line of walnut buttons straight without using his wand as anything but a ruler.

“There,� Ginny said finally. “Isn’t he cute?�

Draco stood back with her to catch the full effect. It was simplistic almost to a fault, and Draco could hardly see a part of it that wouldn’t be improved with magic, but he had to agree – there was a certain sort of charm. There was just one thing missing....

“I think it should be a ‘she’,� he stated firmly, raising his wand before Ginny could protest.

First green runners began growing out the top of the snowman’s head; then flowers appeared, which quickly ripened into bright red strawberries that just matched Ginny’s hair – and her face when she blushed, as she did right then.

“But . . . they’re out of season,� she began hesitantly.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Magic,� he reminded her, flourishing his wand before picking a particularly luscious-looking strawberry and holding it up, eyebrow raised. “Hungry?�

“How did you know?� Ginny responded, reaching to pluck the strawberry from his fingers, but he snatched it away just in time.

“Ah, ah,� he said, and as she opened her mouth to berate him he popped it inside with a smirk.

A couple moments later he was gratified by a light slap on the shoulder. “You prat! You could have choked me!�

“I wasn’t worried,� he replied lazily, eating a strawberry with such rapture it made Ginny’s mouth water. “Want another?�

“I’ll get it myself,� snapped Ginny, grabbing a strawberry with such vigor she dislodged an entire strand of “hair.�

“You’re ruining the snowman!� Draco chided. “After we worked so hard on it, too!�

“Wipe that smirk off your face, Malfoy!�

“Why don’t you make me, Weasley?� he responded, jigging backward so she couldn’t catch him – until she hit him with a Trip Jinx, that is.

“With pleasure,� she said as he stood up, drawing his face down for a strawberry-flavored kiss.

“Are there strawberries in your ‘Winter Wonderland’ song?� Draco said some time later as they stood together and contemplated the snowman.

“No, but there are some other nice parts,� Ginny said slyly. “You ought to let me play it for you sometime.�

Draco turned to glare at her. “I thought I said no!�

Ginny only waved her wand at the snowman, which blinked and said in a slow voice, “Are you married?�

The look on Draco’s face made Ginny fall over laughing. Gasping desperately for breath, she managed, “No, man!� before she lost herself in mirth.

“Perhaps I’d better let you play me the song,� he acknowledged, losing patience with her giggles and dragging her up and toward the house for some hot chocolate – and perhaps some more strawberries.