Disclamer: The Wounderful World Of Harry Potter Belongs To JK Rowling,

It was an early start to winter, and the snow danced with a harsh rhythm. The cold temperature combined with the ruthless winds that whipped around the top of the astronomy tower, caused Ginny's face to freeze.

Yet none of that seemed to faze her.

Each tear that fell, served as a reminder of the boy who caused them.

Ginny cared for Dean, but the fights they had, were a recurring event. Today she caught Dean snogging Lavender Brown in a deserted hallway. Now Ginny was stuck with the hard decision of whether she should just end it, or hold on to what they had. Yet the decision gave way to the tears that fell freely, and the numbness that sprouted.

Ginny just caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she didn't care.

When she had caught them he at least managed to look shocked, unlike Lavender, who stood there with a very smug look. He had chased after her, his voice loud as he called out her name, but the smacking of her feet against the stone floors was almost loud enough to drown it out. Eventually she either lost him or he gave up, she wasn't sure which.

Despite the amount that they disagreed Ginny had always felt slightly secure in their complicated relationship, safe with the knowledge that Dean cared more about her than she did about him.

Or so she had thought.

Perhaps Dean had sensed her reluctance when it came to him. Perhaps that's what led him to the deserted hallway in the embrace of Lavender. Maybe Dean knew what Ginny tried to hide – that he was a stand in for the secret love she had for Harry Potter.

Ginny did like Dean, and maybe if they talked about it they could work things out, but every time she tried, they just seemed to fight more.

By now her tears were falling quickly and freely, and she didn't bother to wipe them away. Instead, they just clung and froze against her face, as the wind violently raged against the thin cotton of her school robes. When she closed her eyes, she saw Dean with Lavender, she saw her classmate's sympathetic looks, and Hermione's knowing glances. She saw Harry, who never really saw her.

Then she remembered Parvati Patil's whispered gossip in the common room.

'Apparently Harry's already asked someone to Slunghorn's Party, I heard that he has a girlfriend, that they're keeping it a secret.'

As if the wind was channeling her mood, it gave her a strong shove, causing her to lose her footing. She reached out desperately into the air for something to grab hold of, but her hands grasped nothing but the empty icy air. She panicked as she began to fall over the edge, becoming dizzy as the bitter wind thrashed her tiny body.

Right as the darkness and the chill of the night started to consume her, she felt someone grab hold of her arms. Warmth and strength supported her body and pulled her back over.

Ginny fell against something hard and warm, she became light-headed, as her body shook with the shock and the deep breaths she used to still the panic.

She felt a gentle hand on the small of her back, and the cold stone floor beneath her. She felt them shift behind her, and suddenly the wind became less harsh as a black cloak was wrapped around her. Turning around to thank her saviour, Ginny's eye's landed on a set of gray ones that weren't familiar. Blinking she looked into the face of Draco Malfoy.

He frowned, as he slowly brought his hand up to brush against her cheek.
"You're pale, almost blue," he said simply. "And you're frozen." He added, as he jerked his hand back from her face. "Why are you out here without a cloak?"

He opened his mouth as if to continue, and then paused, taking in her tear-streaked face, and her disordered hair. His mouth took the shape of a small O as he looked embarrassed.

"I'm, I'm s-sorry," Ginny added lamely.

Draco turned to look at her for a while before he spoke. "The weather is about to get a lot worse, you really shouldn't be out here, you should go back to your Common room." He said.

"No. I can't go there. I can't." Ginny paused, taking in the flicker of surprise that crossed Draco's face before he masked it. "I can't face them," Ginny added looking up to meet his eyes.

"You can't stay here you're frozen. How long have you been up here?"

"Since this afternoon," Ginny replied looked down at the frozen hands she could no longer feel.

Draco pressed his lips together, as his eyes took in her thin second hand school uniform.

"At lunch I..." Ginny couldn't finish, suddenly the image of Dean with his lips pressed against Lavender's was so real it filled the room, bringing more tears to her eyes with her guilt ridden thoughts.

"Come on then," Draco said quietly as he stood up, and reached out a hand.

When Ginny made no indication of having heard him, he slipped his arms around her waist and hauled her up.

As soon as Ginny stood up the room began to spin, and she felt herself wobble before Draco's strong arms wrapped around her once more. He led her towards the stairs leading down from the astronomy tower, and Ginny didn't protest.

It wasn't until she came around, when the wind no longer beat against her face and the slightly warmer halls calmed her, did she notice the familiar path.

"No I can't go to Gryffindor tower, please." Ginny begged quietly.

"I know, it's okay." Draco whispered, as he led Ginny down an unfamiliar hall.

Ginny lay in large four-poster bed, with green sheets wrapped around her small shaking body.

Draco leaned against a fireplace across the room, watching the flames dance and flicker shadows along the wall.

Draco turned to look at Ginny's small fragile body shaking in the bed before speaking

"Are you still cold?"

"Freez-z-ing" Ginny managed to say.

"What happened?" Draco asked slowly, as he crossed the room and sat down beside her, his arm brushing hers.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, not looking up to meet his gaze.

"You were out there all afternoon, and you were…you looked like my mom does when my dad…what happened?" Draco finished, as he turned his gaze away from her and towards the fire.

Ginny sat there for a moment taking in Draco's tense posture.

"Dean he-," Ginny paused.

She felt Draco stiffen beside her.

"Did he hurt you?" Draco whispered, turning to face her.

Ginny knew she could tell him, the way he looked at her, there was no judgment in his gaze.

Ginny turned to him, and started from the beginning.

When she was done, Draco sat there in silence, looking at her in such an intense way that made Ginny realise how close he was.

"Lavender Brown?" Draco chuckled softly.

Ginny didn't say anything as she closed her eyes, maybe she had expected too much of him, after all this was Draco bloody Malfoy. Just when Ginny was about to pull away he continued his voice softening.

"Dean Thomas is a bigger idiot then I thought, if he cheated on you with Lavender Brown."

He reached over, awkwardly at first, then paused as if fighting an internal battle, and then he leaned in and held his arms around her. At first Ginny was confused she opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, and then Ginny understood.

He was hugging her.