Draco Malfoy was annoyed. Not because the Slytherin's were suddenly friends with more Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's, no. He was okay with that. Ever since his mother rescued Harry Potter and Draco saw that the Dark Lord was not as amazing as he grew up believing, Draco and his mother were happy to interact with those they once believed unsatisfactory. That did not mean that his mother was happy when she found out Draco began dating Astoria Greengrass, but that's another story for another day.

Draco Malfoy was annoyed because he was 18 years old and at Hogwarts for Christmas because his parents thought it was best if he did not bring his girlfriend home for the holidays. But he didn't feel the need to correct them and tell them that he had broken up with her because she was too safe and boring, so he told them he would stay in the castle for the holidays. The part that bothered him the most was that he was stuck wandering around Hogwarts while Potter and Weasley were off in their apartment with their families because they were "trusted members of society" and they were asked to be a part of the Ministry almost immediately. Not Draco Malfoy, the son of a Death Eater. He had to prove to the wizarding community that he really changed and somehow, finishing his final year of school was going to change their minds. As far as he knew, there were very few students staying at the castle this year. He took it upon himself to take care of the younger Slytherin students during the holiday and get the house elves to bring their meals to the common room so those who lost their families could still feel like they were part of one. He didn't want the younger students to feel the way he did when his family was on the bottom of the Death Eaters.

Today was Christmas though, and Draco wasn't feeling very festive. He knew staying in the dorms would make him even less festive and woke up early; hardly having slept. Knowing that hardly anyone would be in the library, that was where he was headed first. A quiet trip, Draco didn't even pass one of the house ghosts, although he had expected to at least see the Bloody Baron wandering around.

He didn't realize it until he had selected his book, Quidditch Through the Ages, but Draco was not alone in the library. Sitting in the back was a thin girl with fiery red hair down to her waist, nose buried in a book and twisting one long strand around her finger, nail painted a dark black. Draco couldn't help but notice her beauty and took a sharp breath noticing that it was the youngest Weasley he found himself attracted to. Before the war, he never would have allowed himself to take in her beauty and if he happened to notice, he would be extra hard on himself for finding a blood traitor attractive. The war is over, you can find someone attractive no matter their blood now. Draco perked up a little bit. If the Granger girl weren't wearing a ring, he would have tried to get to know her better. While he had no intentions of taking Potter's seconds, he knew it wouldn't hurt to flirt with her as the newfound man he was.

Walking silently so as not to alert her, Draco slid into the chair across from her. "Why are you here, Weasley? Shouldn't you be with the Magical Potter?" Ginny, he worked hard to keep his face straight at the awful name, looked up at the visitor.

"No. Harry and I are still finding our footing now that we can date without the threat of war to keep things interesting. I do not need to join him for Christmas." She was curt, clearly Draco had touched a nerve.

"Then perhaps the rest of your family? My parents did not wish for me to come home this year." Draco was unsure why he was revealing his secret to someone he grew up learning to hate. His house was unaware of the true reasoning, they all believed he was trying to prove that he had changed and he pretended to not feel hurt by their assumptions.

Weasley's face softened at the confession and her hand fluttered slightly on her book. To anyone who was not used to looking for small signals, they would not have seen it. Draco did and felt oddly encouraged to continue to speaking to her beyond the flirting he had been planning.

"I understand. I chose to stay away from my family this year. Instead of the large Weasley Christmas festivities, my immediate family and their significant other's will be feasting at the Potter/Weasley flat. Not something I wanted to be a part of." She gave him a small smile, signalling she knew he would understand. Draco felt an odd sensation in his stomach, one he was feeling often since the end of the war. He believed it could be a small bit of empathy for the girl. Suddenly, Draco was feeling very festive.

"Come with me. I think I can find something to take your mind off what today really is." Draco stood up and left the book where it was on the table. The Weasley girl looked concerned, then he noticed her glance around and see that they were the only ones out. She stood and left her book where it was as well, along with her rucksack. "Where you working on homework?"

"Not really. I write for the prophet sometimes, I'm hoping I can report on Quidditch for them after I'm done here."

"Have they published anything?" Genuinely curious, Draco wasn't sure he knew what made this girl give up his womanizing ways as he was no longer concerned with flirting with her, or more, but concerned about making her forget that she was not with her family for the first time in 17 years.

Ginny shook her head no as they ascended the staircases to get to the astronomy tower. Knowing she knew, Draco had a genuine fear that she would be concerned with his choice of safe haven. The place where he knew his life had changed. Making the decision to lower his wand against Albus Dumbledore made Draco realize that what had been drilled into his brain since a young child was wrong and that he did not want to murder anyone. He knew the girl would not have purposely killed during the Battle and hoped she would understand. Whether she knew where he was taking her or not, she didn't question him or ask why she should trust him. She just did and he knew it was a gift from a kind, caring young woman.

When they arrived to the Astronomy classroom, seldom used after what happened to the Headmaster, Draco lit a fire in the fireplace and waved his wand so that the candles along the walls would light as well. He looked at Ginny and saw her looking out the window, hugging herself to keep warm. With her back turned, Draco waved his wand twice more, once producing a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and the second time producing a table with festive decorations and decorations surrounding the classroom. Draco looked up to see her standing there with a small smile on her face and then he noticed what she was wearing. Draco had seen them before, all the Weasley's had one. Ginny's hugged her in the waist and was a beautiful blue shade that complemented her hair while also making her pale skin look amazing.