A/N: Hey guys! I haven't written a one-shot in over ten years and thought it would be fun to make a little festive one! It's not canon at all, and definitely not compliant with the Epilogue or cursed child, but I hope you enjoy it! It's fun!

Happy holidays! :D

Draco leaned against the wooden bar, sipping the most expensive scotch the nearly empty pub offered, while his eyes glazed over from the dull conversation he was subjecting himself to. The busty woman in front of him was beautiful with her long waving locks of golden blonde hair, dazzling green eyes, and perfectly bronzed skin, but damn. She was boring.

"I guess I'm just mad that my dad stopped sending me money," he said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I mean – I'm a model. It's a very competitive industry. I can't be expected to pay my own bills until I get established."

"Mhm."

"Have you ever been with a model before?" Her fingers trailed along the part of his arm exposed by his rolled-up white sleeves of his dress shirt.

"Mhm."

"Oh."

Why was he willingly engaging in this dull conversation that lacked any form of substance?

Because Draco Malfoy vowed he would not spend Christmas alone. It was the first Christmas since it happened and he needed anyone to distract him from himself. So, he stumbled to the only pub that was open on Christmas day, desperate for any human contact. It didn't matter if he befriended the grumpy old bartender or the senile woman knitting in the corner…it just so happened that he lucked out in finding a beautiful up and coming model. Maybe after a few more drinks, he would find their conversation a little more scintillating.

"So, I recently switched to a water-based foundation and it has seriously changed my life," she said, raising her hands with sheer enthusiasm. Draco had to refrain from rolling his eyes…any company was better than no company.

"Really? That's fascinating," he said, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "Tell me more."

As she continued to list off the benefits of her concealer, or whatever it was, his eyes scanned the almost empty wooden pub. Only the crazies spent their Christmas alone at a bar instead of with their families. And from then on, Draco was one of those crazies. Better get used to it. He had at least thirty more Christmases to suffer through, and that's if he dies by fifty-five. Knowing his luck, he will live a long, drawn-out, lonely life.

His eyes rested on a young woman with fiery red hair, hunched over a parchment, furiously scribbling with her quill. Strange. How did Draco not notice this red-headed woman earlier? The pub was so quiet; he was sure he had already noted everyone's presence. She must have recently slipped in. Even stranger, though, was that her red hair didn't immediately grab his attention.

See, Draco loved red hair. He blamed it on some weird internal rebellion after his parents drilled "Those homely Weasleys are all ginger scum! They should wear garbage bags over their heads to cover up that ghastly hair" into his head since he was born. Sure, he agreed with most things his parents told him. Especially the part about Weasleys being scum…that was true. Sort of. Maybe they weren't that bad seeing as they contributed to saving the world from Voldemort and all. But even so, despite blindly believing every word his parents uttered, he found himself drawn to red hair.

His eyes rested on the woman, enthralled by her distant beauty, and he watched her take a sip of her Moscow Mule. The red hair that veiled her face moved for a split second, just long enough to show a glimpse of her freckled face. That's funny – she sort of looked like Ginny Weasley. A shiver crept up his spine at the memory of the youngest Weasley. He had been cursed with some sort of twisted cruel fate; he was always unequivocally attracted to the girl. Figures, the girl who he believed was the most beautiful human to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts was the one girl who he was banned from ever having a civil, humane conversation with. Typical.

Even with his upbringing of being taught to hate the Weasleys, he still watched her from afar. It was torturous to watch her expertly play Quidditch, to gingerly press her lips upon Potter's, to stroll around the hallways with that air of confidence that surrounded her. All he could do was sneer at her or comment on her drab clothing which somehow didn't affect her beauty, and honestly, he would make fun of her as often as he could. It was the closest thing to a real conversation he would ever have with her and he would take that opportunity as much as he could.

The redhead brushed her hair behind her ear.

Wait a second.

No – it couldn't be.

Yes, it was.

That was Ginny Weasley.

What the hell was she doing alone in this grungy pub on Christmas?

"I'll be right back," Draco said quickly, interrupting the blonde woman in the middle of her sentence.

"Where are you going?" She huffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"Erm – there's an old friend from school I'm going to hello to."

"Can I come?"

"…No."

Before he had a chance to endure the glaring eyes of the blonde woman, he quickly strutted to Ginny, smoothing out any wrinkles he may have accumulated in his clothes. He paused a few feet away from her and took the moment to observe her. Her nose was pressed against the parchment she continued to write furiously on but her left hand remained grasping the tin mug for her Mule. He briefly wondered how many drinks she had and how quickly she would scream at him for interrupting whatever she was doing.

He swallowed hard and took the last few steps to reach her. It was now or never.

"Hey," he said.

She looked up from her parchment and responded by blinking her deep brown eyes three – no, four – times, with an emotionless expression before pressing her nose back against her writing. How strange. Not even a scowl or an insult? Maybe she didn't recognize him…it had been nearly eight years since they last saw each other, after all.

"How are you?" he asked with his hands shoved in his pocket, swaying on the balls of his feet. Even if she didn't recognize him, it would be rude to ignore a polite question from a stranger.

But sure enough, that's exactly what she did. This time she didn't raise her eyes from the parchment. He sighed, feeling frustrated by his failed attempts.

"Do you remember me?" He blurted out.

"How could I ever forget you, Malfoy?" She drawled without pausing her writing and he smirked. Finally, he made progress. And it was a good question. He was pretty unforgettable.

"Good," he said and pulled out the empty chair across from her. "Do you mind if I sat down?"

"I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"I see that." He took a seat and noted the way her nose scrunched up, but she still refused to look at him again. "What are you doing?"

"Writing."

"What are you writing?"

This time, she sighed loudly and placed her quill on the table, sending him a very displeased glare. "I'm writing my column for the paper. If you don't mind, I'm really busy and would like to work in peace – "

"Why are you here?" He asked and immediately cringed at how harsh that sounded.

"Excuse me?" She folded her arms tightly across her chest and raised her eyebrow.

"No, I – er – I…." He rubbed the back of his neck knowing he was making a horrible impression. "I meant, why are you here on Christmas? Why aren't you with your family…aren't you married to Potter?"

She scowled at him and remained with her arms folded for a few seconds until she sighed and pulled her left hand out, wiggling her bare fingers. His stomach lurched forwards and his eyes widened.

"Divorced."

"Oh – I'm so sorry," he said but had to purse his lips together tightly to conceal his emerging smile.

"Not your fault."

"What happened?"

She narrowed his eyes at him but took a large sip of her drink and rolled her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business…but it turns out it's really stupid to get married when you're nineteen."

He couldn't help but laugh. "You don't say."

"Yep," she said. "After a few years, I realized I no longer loved him, stayed with him for a couple more years, then eventually separated this summer."

"That's terrible."

"Yes…you look very distraught by this news," she said. "I can see you smirking,"

He covered his mouth with his hand. "No, I'm not."

"Okay."

"So…that doesn't explain why you're alone. Don't you have a hundred siblings?"

She groaned and massaged her temples. "Can you please leave me alone?"

"Probably not anytime soon."

"Fine," she huffed and rolled up her parchment. "Harry's spending Christmas with my family this year so I'm alone."

Draco's smirk quickly turned into a frown. "That's pretty cold. Why the hell are you letting him take over your family?"

"No, no, it's fine," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and he quickly noticed how elegant her collarbone looked. "He's been spending nearly every Christmas with us for fifteen years and he's having a way harder time – um – coping with the divorce. So I figured it would be better if he enjoyed the festivities rather than being alone."

He nodded in admiration. Typical Ginny Weasley; divorces the world's hero and appears borderline unaffected. "That's very nice of you."

She raised her drink in the air and with an unenthusiastic tone said, "Gryffindor life."

"So, Potter's pretty upset, huh?"

"Don't go getting all jolly over my ex-boyfriend's misery."

"No, I don't mean that. I just…I'm not surprised that he would be upset over losing you."

"Umm…okay." She said, unrolling her parchment again and he winced, knowing he said the wrong thing. Had to get back on track.

"Do you come here often?" What the fuck kind of question is that?

She blinked at him.

You screwed up, Draco.

"Seeing as you've completely invaded my privacy," she said, leaning forward. The neckline of her shirt drooped and his eyes flickered to her chest. Shit, no, Draco. Don't look there. "Why are you alone on Christmas?"

His face paled and he bit the inside of his cheek. "Um…it's a long story."

"I'm all ears."

"No…," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes darted to the blonde girl he bailed. She was glaring at him menacingly...he could go back to her and continue avoiding the question and forget this conversation ever happened. But then he would have to leave Ginny Weasley…

"Are you serious?" she asked. "I've just answered every one of your stupid questions and you can't answer mine?"

"Urgh – fine," he said and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why the hell was he about to tell her this? "My parents…they both passed away in October. Two weeks apart from each other. Some sort of freak flu or something…"

Finally, he spoke those words out loud. He had avoided the topic entirely, surrounding himself with strangers who didn't know about his life. It was easier than saying those blasted words. Though, it did feel like a small weight had been lifted from his chest. He didn't realize he had been staring at the floor instead of her eyes, so when he slowly dragged his gaze to her face, he was surprised to see her look so glum. She hated his family. A part of him expected her to laugh.

She reached out fingers to gently place them upon his hand and the touch sent an electrical current through his bones. "I'm really sorry, Malfoy. That's…that's really awful."

He shrugged. "It is what it is."

"So…this is your first Christmas without them?"

"Yep," he nodded. "I've got no other family…no friends. Thank god for liquor."

"Cheers to that," she giggled and clinked her glass on his. "I um – I hope you feel better, eventually. It's really hard losing family."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile curving at his lips. "I hope everything with Potter continues to end smoothly."

"Thanks."

"Draco, what the hell?" The blonde woman from before stomped to their table. "I've been waiting here for nearly fifteen minutes."

"Oh…" Draco shrugged and turned to Ginny, who appeared to be covering up her snickering with the drink menu. "Sorry?"

"I'm leaving. Are you coming with me or not?"

"Umm…" he swallowed hard and his eyes shifted between the blonde and Ginny. The blonde was a sure thing…he wouldn't spend Christmas alone and he would definitely get laid. But Ginny was Ginny-fucking-Weasley and he just confessed his darkest thoughts to her. "I'm gonna stay."

Ginny smirked at the blonde and gave a small wave before she scoffed and marched out the door. She giggled at Draco and said, "Girlfriend?"

"I don't even know her name."

"How charming," she snickered. "You made a bad decision, though."

"Oh?"

"You should have went with her," she said, sticking her rolled up parchment inside her bag. "I gotta head home soon. The last train leaves in twenty minutes."

Draco reflexively frowned. He wasn't sad about missing out on a day with the blonde…but he didn't want to leave Ginny. She was good company. But all good things have to come to an end. He nodded politely at her and said, "That's alright. I didn't really like her, anyway."

"I couldn't tell," she laughed and stood up from the chair. "Alright, well…I guess it was good catching up with you, Malfoy."

"Y-you can call me Draco, you know."

She tapped her finger on her lips and stared at the ceiling. "Hmm…no. I'll call you Malfoy."

"Fine," he chuckled. "But I'm gonna call you Ginny."

"It's a free world," she shrugged. "Merry Christmas, Malfoy."

He watched her walk away, admiring her effortless beauty. Her hips swayed and even when wearing a baggy winter coat, he still couldn't get over how her body perfectly mirrored an hourglass….and that god damn red hair.

"Ginny, wait!" he called out just before she stepped out the door. He pressed his palm to his forehead, already regretting his next question would be.

"What?"

"Umm…just a thought," he said, walking towards her while massaging his shoulders. "But my flat is right down the street…do you want to spend Christmas at my place? We shouldn't be alone on Christmas…"

Her mouth gaped. "Are you serious?"

"Sure. Why not?"

She swallowed hard and her eyes shifted to the snowy street. It looked as though she was contemplating running down the street and never turning back. Just as he was about to accept defeat, she turned to him while biting her lip and said, "Yeah, I guess I can for a little bit."

"Cool," he said, dropping a few gold coins to the table to cover his drinks. Holy crap, he was bringing Ginny Weasley back to his flat. Christmas miracles really do exist.

Upon arriving at outside his flat, he cringed as his hand rested on the doorknob. Shit, he had been so focussed on spending more time with Ginny that he completely forgot about the state of his flat. She was going to judge him so much…if she didn't immediately run away. He looked at her and she was beginning to narrow her brown eyes suspiciously. Shit, he had to make a decision. He could just tell her to leave…it wouldn't be the meanest thing he's ever done to her.

But fuck. She was so pretty.

He sighed and opened the door, wincing as he let her sneak in before he did. He remained at the door, peeking through his nearly closed eyelids, anticipating her reaction.

"Wow, Malfoy," she said, tutting her tongue. "I never would have taken you for a minimalist."

"Heh – yeah…"

"Have you ever heard of furniture?"

He examined his own apartment. The apartment itself was beautiful and evidently very expensive; you could tell by the marble fireplace and the stainless steel kitchen appliances. But besides a sofa, a bookshelf littered with books, and the bed in the bedroom, and a small Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, the flat was completely void of furniture.

"Helloooooo," Ginny called out, giggling at her echoing voice in the large apartment. "Seriously, Malfoy – this is a beautiful place. Why don't you dress it up a little?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, feeling his cheeks redden. He shouldn't have invited her over. What was he thinking? "Umm…want some wine?"

"Sure," she said, pulling at the branch of the Christmas tree. "You house is very festive."

"Oh, thanks," he said sarcastically, pulling a wine glass and a coffee mug from the cupboard. He poured the wine into both glasses, and hesitantly walked towards her, passing her the wine glass and keeping the mug for himself.

"Why are you drinking wine out of a coffee cup?" she asked.

His face was really going red now. "Umm…I only have one wine glass."

"Oh," she said. "Why?"

"Because I only have one of every dish."

She choked on her wine. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I dunno," he said, rubbing his neck. He was so stupid for bringing her there. "I never have company over, so it's always just myself…what's the point of having more dishes? And more furniture? I'm not trying to impress anyone."

"Wow," she said, staring sadly at the vacant apartment. "You know, you probably wouldn't feel so lonely if you didn't live in the world's loneliest apartment."

"Who says I'm lonely?"

"The fact that you invited me, a Weasley, to your weird-ass flat on Christmas was a pretty big tip."

"I'm not lonely."

"Draco, your parents just passed away," she said, putting her hands on his shoulder. "You're allowed to feel lonely. I promise."

"You called me Draco," he smirked.

"Oh. I guess I did," she giggled. "So, why don't you live in the Malfoy Manor?"

"Ahh, too many memories," he said, walking to the fireplace and pulled out his wand, sparking a glowing pleasant fire. He took a seat on the floor and patted the empty space next to him, welcoming her to take a seat. "The week my mother passed away I rented this flat. I've still got the manor, but I haven't been there since it happened."

"I get it," she said, sitting cross-legged beside him. Her knee brushed his and he stomach pulled forwards. "It's not as bad as what you're going through, but it took me months to sleep in Harry and I's bed after we split up."

"Hey, there's nothing easy about a divorce," he said, sipping his merlot. "Not that I've personally experienced it, but I can imagine."

"Yeah…it's not the best," she stared sadly at the roaring flames. "It gets easier every day, though. And it will for you, too."

"Thanks."

"Maybe one day you'll even buy a second wine glass."

"Woah – let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

She giggled and absentmindedly braided her long red hair. "So, do you not bring many girls here?"

"Curious about my love life?"

"No," she said, blushing for the first time throughout their encounter. "I'm just surprised you're able to get laid in this place."

"Well, don't be too surprised, because you're the first girl I've brought here," he said, staring at his empty walls. "I usually go to their place or get a cheap hotel."

"How classy."

He shrugged. "Being classy gets you nowhere."

"So…I've got to ask," she said, staring at the floor. "Why are you being so friendly towards me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're a Malfoy and I'm a Weasley."

"It's been almost a decade since Hogwarts," he shrugged. "In that time I've lost all living family members, you've divorced Harry Potter, and hundreds of people spend Christmas starving on the streets. You get to the point in life where you realize there are more important things than pride and stupid family rivalries."

"That's very mature of you."

"Also…" he ran a hand through his blonde hair, "I never actually minded you that much." Fuck, stop drinking so much, you idiot. You're starting to say stupid things.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I dunno," he said, unable to stop the words from spilling from his mouth. "I always thought you were funny and interesting…and pretty…"

She blushed crimson but smiled brightly at him. "Wow. I never would have thought I'd hear Draco Malfoy call me funny and pretty."

"Yeah, well, no point in lying about it, I guess."

"That's true," she nodded. "I wish I could say something nice about you but I always thought you were a spineless git."

"I probably deserve that."

"But…" She bit her lip. "You don't seem too bad, now."

"Thanks," he said, having to turn his face away from her to hide his beaming smile. "Hey, I've got a chess board somewhere. Wanna play?"

"Sure," she said, smirking. "But be prepared to lose."

"I bet you a bottle of wine that I'll destroy you."

"You're on."

And Ginny beat him four times in a row. Draco blamed it on being too drunk and having too much fun laughing at Ginny's snarky comments to focus, but she said he was simply pompous for thinking he would win in the first place. Finally, after the sun had completely gone down and the last bit of the flames were reducing to glowing coal, Ginny yawned loudly and grabbed the full bottle of wine beside her.

"Alright, well, I should probably get going," she said standing up from the floor. "Thanks for the wine."

"Don't thank me. You won it," he said. "Not that I think you won it fair and square…there must have been some cheating going on."

"Hey," she said warningly. "I would never cheat at wizard's chess."

"That's what they all say."

"You must lose a lot if they all tell you that."

He shoved her shoulder and guided her to the front door. He really didn't want her to leave. It wasn't even that he wanted to sleep with her, although he couldn't get his mind off those plump pink lips of hers, he mostly wanted to stay in her company. For the first time in months, he truly laughed. And didn't feel alone…it wasn't superficial company, either. He genuinely felt a sense of belonging that had been void from his life for months.

"Thanks a lot for inviting me," she said. "I'm not gonna lie, I had been dreading Christmas for weeks, but I've gotta say, it ended up being pretty fun."

"I'm glad you came," he said, noticing his close proximity to her. Her deep brown eyes looked up at him and he stared at her lips…it would be so easy to brush his upon hers. "Will you make it home alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright," she nodded. "Merry Christmas, Draco."

"Merry Christmas, Ginny."

And she stood on her toes to gently press her lips to his cheek. She definitely lingered for a few seconds longer than necessary, just long enough for Draco to quickly graze the ends of her hair. God, he could easily grab her waist and pull her into a real kiss. What would he have to lose? Chances are they would never see each other again anyway…

"Have a good night, Ginny," he said instead and watched her disappear through his door. He stood there and sighed, touching his fingers to the spot on his cheek she kissed. He should have done it. He should have kissed her. He cursed himself for being a coward and walked to his bedroom, collapsing on the bed.

Surprisingly, he still didn't feel lonely. Instead, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face and the memory of Ginny giggling in front of him.

It was a good Christmas.

New Year's Eve quickly came, and just like Christmas, Draco felt the desperate urge to avoid loneliness.

He sat on his sofa and stared at the box of four brand new wine glasses in his hands. Ginny had a point…maybe if he started filling up his flat he would eventually feel less lonely. It wasn't rocket science or anything. If you live in an empty house your life is probably going to feel empty. But still, everything she said stuck with him throughout the week. In fact, she had completely overtaken his mind. The desperate urge to avoid loneliness wouldn't be easily solved by making friends with other drunk strangers. No, the only thing that would resolve this loneliness was real, intimate, conversation with Ginny.

He picked up a quill and piece of parchment and started writing a letter.

Ginny,

I took your advice and bought a few more wine glasses. Was wondering if you'd

want to come over and try them out with me tonight.

If not, happy New Year!

Draco

He cringed at the cheesy, awkward invitation but tied it to his owl's leg regardless and watched it fly into the distance. The next several hours were spend pacing back and forth in his flat, eagerly watching the sky for a sign that the owl would be returning. When the sun began setting he was getting discouraged. He probably wouldn't see her again…that was fine. It was karma for being such a prat to her all throughout their time at Hogwarts. There was no reason why she should voluntarily spend time with him after everything he's done.

The rapid pecking of the owl at the window rang through his ears. Draco ran towards the window and quickly ripped the letter away from the owl and tore the envelope open.

Draco,

That sounds great! I'll be there around nine o'clock. Can't wait!

Ginny xx

It was going to be a much better year.

A/N: Yay, that was fun! Let me know what you think of it! :D

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!