It took all of Scorpius's strength not to reach out and take Rose's mitten-clad hand in his own as they stood at the top of the snowy hill, gazing over at the view. The fields were blanketed with snow and the trees, once a vibrant green, were bare and skeletal.
Scorpius's heart began to race as he looked at Rose, her vivid red hair in contrast with the white of the snow. His breath sped up to become little gasps, sending pale air out in a cloud around them.
Rose shivered, wrapped her arms around her waist to tighten her beige coat around her and said in an irritated tone, "I hate winter."
"Really?" replied Scorpius with a start.
"It's too cold," Rose whispered, shuddering again as a sudden gust of wind blew some snow into her hair. "And when I get too cold my hands hurt, and my face goes pink, which looks horrible with my hair." A small smile tugged at the edge of her mouth.
Scorpius tucked a strand of hair behind her ear from where it had strayed from the rest. "But what about Christmas? Everybody loves Christmas!"
Rose didn't respond; she merely shivered again and closed her eyes. Her cheeks were starting to redden in the bitter air. "I'm too cold," she whispered after a while.
A light scattering of snow was swept up from the top of the blanket and danced in the breeze as Scorpius leaned over, smiled and wrapped his arms around the frozen angel by his side. He buried his face into her silky red hair like he had dreamed of doing for seven years and held her tighter.
She was like a statue, breath caught, body still, and arms by her sides. Then, with a breathless sigh, she wrapped her arms around Scorpius's waist and nuzzled her face into the warmth of the side of his neck, tucked just under his pale hair – just a few shades darker than the kingdom of white around them.
"Don't worry," said Scorpius softly, combing his pallid fingers through Rose's hair. "I'll keep you warm."
