Snowballs and Snowflakes

Draco was a sensible young man. Sure, he had made some mistakes, some indiscretions in his youth, but he was proud to be one who thinks things through before making a well-informed decision. He was a Malfoy, after all.

A snowball fight, he had come to realise as snow dripped off his nose and children ran passed him, was never thought through or well-informed. He simply disliked snow. Snow was cold and wet... and it could ruin his hair, so why would you throw it at people unless you disliked them. It certainly couldn't be fun.

Ginevra Weasley stood in front of him trying to suppress a smile while she shook the snow from her gloves, red snow boots clashing horribly with the snow-covered red hair under her green beanie. Draco wondered if she was still hanging out with Luna Lovegood.

"Sorry, Malfoy. I didn't see you there," she said, not sounding sorry at all. He glared at her, then wiped the snow off his face with a scowl. He hated these Ministry Christmas family events. There wasn't nearly enough alcohol and he had to deal with not only the children, but the immaturity of the adults too. He didn't even know why he was here, and now, he was caught in a snowball fight.

"Watch it, Weasley," he spat back at Ginny, to which she merely raised an eyebrow. Draco's scowl only grew. Glaring at the wizards and witches throwing snow at each other, he huffed. Then he saw Granger kiss Potter. Urgh. Why was he here?

"Relax. It's only snow." Draco scoffed. That was the red-nosed fiend's reply? Only snow?

"It could have gotten in my eye!" He hoped the offending substance hadn't gotten into his hair. Ginny frowned at him.

"Draco, you snowflake, have you never, oh, I don't know, had fun?" Draco couldn't believe his ears.

"I am not a snowflake!" Draco snapped before he could stop himself. He shook his head. What kind of insult was snowflake, anyway? He couldn't let this Weasley get to him. So he did what he knew best. He smirked. "Just because I don't buy into your childish behaviour does not mean I don't know how to have fun. Give me a chance Weasley, I can show you just how much fun I can have," he ended with a well-timed wink.

To which she snorted. Snorted! Unclassy, low-bred child. And now she was laughing. She eventually caught Draco's expression and attempted to stop laughing. Again.

With a frown, Draco shook his head once more.

"Draco, why are you even here?" Ginny asked, suddenly serious.

"I'm asking myself that very same question," he replied, watching Longbottom fall down a snowy bank. Then he watched Longbottom's children crowd him, laughing, rolling and hugging and urgh. Why was he here?

Ginny sighed, following his eye line. "Come on, Draco. Why are you here? You hate these things."

"Am I that obvious?" He smirked down at Ginny, leaning against the trunk of a tree.

"Only a little," Ginny replied. It was Draco's time to sigh.

"The Manor is depressing at this time of the year," Draco whispered.

"Just at Christmas time?" Ginny asked, smiling innocently up at him.

"Shut up, Weasley," Draco replied with a smile of his own.

It started to snow softly as they settled into a comfortable silence, and Draco wondered at that. Comfortable and silence were not the two things he'd ever have associated with Ginevra Weasely. Then the snow fall picked up, and Draco would have worried about his hair and gotten mad at the snow some more, except Ginny reached up and kissed him on the cheek, seemingly without a thought.

"Happy Christmas, snowflake," she whispered. And as she twirled away, arms out and her face tilted towards the sky, Draco didn't gag or get frustrated as he thought he would have. Instead, for the first time in many years, he found himself enjoying Christmas – and the snow.

This was written as a gift for idreamofdraco for the 2012 DG Holiday Gift-fic Exchange. I hope you enjoy your gift! It's a little sappy, but it is the holidays.

Prompt: Red-nosed, Snowflake and Boots.