Disclaimer: Characters/world/everything belongs to J.K. Rowling.

The coldness hit her as soon as she was outside the safety of the castle walls. She had not grabbed her cloak, and her body urged her to return to the warmth of the common room. But the desperate need to be released from the suffocation she felt within that room was too great.

She walked further down the grounds, and leaned against a tree, watching the stars twinkle in the black sky. The cool air was refreshing after the heat and dizziness that gripped her inside. She had been sitting in a chair studying… When she was distracted by a boy sauntering across the room from the entrance. He grinned wide as he saw his mates and threw himself down next to them. The realization that she possibly fancied him had struck her a couple months prior, and she had struggled to avoid him ever since, unsure of his hold over her. Yet there he was, just across the room from her, and her heart quickened immediately. Not good. She knew that if she left as soon as he entered, her friends would know something was up, so she tried to focus on her studies, with little success.

As she watched the water of the lake lapping to the land, she tried to remember how she felt. What were those feelings? Surely not ones of kindness? Not …? She dared not think the word. She knew that once she said it, even in her head, there would be no going back.

She was staring at her book for three minutes before her eyes, with a mind of their own, looked up, immediately focusing on the boy. He had a devilish look in his eyes, no doubt conspiring with his friends. All four of them erupted into laughter, and he threw his head back. As their outburst subsided, his head came down, his eyes focusing on hers. "Look away, just look away," her head ordered her. But she couldn't. She held his gaze for an eternity. His lips twitched, and spread into a dazzling smile. That smile melted her heart, along with any resolve she had left.

She stood up. The room was suddenly extremely warm, and spinning about her. She mumbled an excuse to her friends, and made for the exit, trying to appear calm, her steps growing quicker and quicker the closer she got. She could feel his eyes burning into her back, but she did not turn around.

She shook the memories out of her head. She took a deep breath, the freezing air turning her mouth and throat to ice. She shivered. And then a figure appeared facing her, and before she could identify him, he had pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

"You look cold." She recognized the voice. It was his voice. He had followed her outside.

She tried to speak, but her throat was still frozen from the frosty air. She coughed, trying to moisten her dry airways. His grip on her slackened ever so slightly, and he pulled her chin up. He stared into her eyes for a second, smiling slightly. And then his breath was filling her mouth with warmth, melting all the frostiness away; his lips pressed hard against hers, keeping any heat from escaping.

She went weak and leaned into him, her legs no longer supporting her weight. He gladly held her up, pulling her tight and never letting his mouth separate from hers.

She knew that if he let go of her now, she would surely fall. But she also knew that he never would, and she never wanted him to.