This is a brief little song ficlet to the White Stripes' "In the Cold Cold Night." My first foray away from HG/SS. The first part, in boldface, is the lyrics to the song. Hope you like it...

Anti-litigation charm: This all belongs to JKR, just borrowing her toys... Oh, the song belongs to the White Stripes, and I'll gladly borrow Jack White, if I can...

I saw you standing in the corner

On the edge of a burning light

I saw you standing in the corner

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

You make me feel a little older

Like a full grown woman might

But when you're gone I grow colder

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

I hear you walking by my front door

I see the creaking of the kitchen floor

I don't care what other people say

I'm going to love you, anyway

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

I can't stand it any longer

I need the fuel to make my fire burn bright

So don't fight it any longer

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

And I know that you feel it too

When my skin turns into glue

You will know that it's warm inside

And you'll come run to me, in the cold, cold night

Ginny huddled under her heavy winter cloak on the cold stone floor of the Astronomy Tower. The grounds of Hogwarts were still and peaceful, as huge snowflakes fell silently. Her breath came in little white puffs, like smoke. She pulled the ice cold, silver flask from her pocket and took a large sip. The firewhiskey burned a trail down her throat, and she grimaced as the burning heat spread over her.

She was quite drunk by this point, which was not an unusual occurence for her. Soon the tears would come, mourning what she would not acknowledge in the sobering morning light. During the day she never thought of it, never acknowledged what was burning and aching inside of her come nightfall, when she was alone.

Two more shots of the abhorrent whiskey, and she felt the familiar wetness streaming icily down her cold cheeks. She sniffled, and buried her head in her cloak. She knew, now, that she would do anything for him. She wished, silently, that he would come to her. Ginny knew that if only he would come back to her, she would renounce everything she knew to be with him.

I saw you standing in the corner

On the edge of a burning light

I saw you standing in the corner

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

She began to drift into a restless sleep, oblivious to anything but her thoughts. Still crying, semi-conscious, she whispered his name, ever so softly, for the first time in years.

"Tom..." She did not notice the brief, glowing light that filled the small space, did not hear the soft cracking noise. An icy cold hand gently stroked her cheek as she slept.

"Virginia," her head snapped up, all vestiges of sleep gone. He grasped her tiny, warm hands in his long, cold fingers, helping her to her feet. He appeared exactly as she remembered, tall and handsome, in his Slytherin robes. She ran her hands timidly over him, not fully believing that her Tom was here, finally here.

"I've been waiting for you for so long," she breathed as he pulled her closer. "Why did you finally come?"

"I've come to claim what's mine, Virginia. You of all people should have known I was coming." He grabbed her wrist, roughly, and a blinding pain shot through her. She looked at her wrist in horror, the dark mark burning like black fire on her porcelain skin. He began to kiss her, an icy trail from the back of her ear to the base of her neck. He stopped and bit her, lapping at the small trickle of blood. She gasped, then giggled, giddy with desire.

You make me feel a little older

Like a full grown woman might

But when you're gone I grow colder

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

Tom half dragged a rapidly sobering Ginny into the corridor just inside the castle. The heat of the castle felt oppressive compared to the biting cold she'd been in for hours. He gently unclasped her cloak and laid it on the cold cobblestones. He began to unbutton her blouse as she stared at him intently. Tom began to kiss down her neck as he deftly unclasped her bra in the front. He looked up at her.

"Virginia, if you come with me, there's no turning back. I expect unquestioning loyalty from you. I will give you everything you could ever want in life. But I cannot let you leave," with that, he took a pert, pink nipple between his teeth and nipped at it. Ginny briefly considered it, trying to reconcile her Tom with the dark, powerful image of Voldemort.

"Yes..." she replied breathily as kissed further down. She'd never been with a boy before, and she was completely shocked when he began to gently stroke her clitoris with his tongue. She thrust up against him, shimmering waves of pleasure washing over her, catching in her throat.

He stopped to stare at her intently. She stared into his eyes, not phased in the slightest by his red irises. "There's no turning back, Virginia," he said, undoing his trousers as she silently nodded her assent. Eyes still locked on hers, he thrust into her powerfully. She cried out, half in pain, half in relief as his rock hard length filled her. He pulled away completely and thrust back. She felt the hot, sticky wetness of blood on her thighs as he rhythmically pounded into her. His gaze never wavered as their lovemaking grew more intense, and Ginny found herself unable to look away.

I don't care what other people say

I'm going to love you, anyway

Come to me again in the cold, cold night

She wrapped her legs around his waist, desperately trying to pull him further into her. "Patience, little one. We have all the time in the world," he said, as she began to feel the blessed friction building in her.

"Oh... oh, Tom," she whispered as he stared at her, his thrusts growing harder and faster. The pleasurable waves began to crest and she was succumbing to a feeling completely alien to her. She moaned, and threw her head back, moaning his name and breaking their eye contact for the first time since he entered her.

"Virginia," he whispered, thrusting into her as deeply as possible as he spilled into her. He collapsed on her, content for the first time in many years. She stroked at his hair, absentmindedly as they lay in silence. She'd never in her wildest dreams imagined that her fantasy would be realized, that she would have her Tom back forever.

Her thoughts drifted to her family, and she felt a small pang of sadness. "Can I say good-bye?" she asked, as he wrapped his arms tightly around her still topless body.

"I think it would be best if we left now, Virginia," he said softly. Without waiting for her reply, he apparated her away from Hogwarts forever.