Dawn.
The clock is chiming softly, indicating it's not long before the crack of dawn, but she couldn't be bothered though. Time has lost all its meaning to her.
She can hear the seconds tick by, yet for her it feels like everything has come to a halt. Not everything though, not really, she can still sense the cool breeze tickling her flawless pale skin, sending shivers down her spine, the softness with which the gentle wind is caressing her doesn't fail to enrapture her at all, as if it's trying to soothe her, comfort her, however the breezes aren't that successful in this particular task.
Taking her own time, she leisurely rose from the mattress of her queen sized bed, padding her way towards the balcony.
Letting her unclad dainty feet feel the fluffy blanket of snow, she made her way towards the railing.
The sight her eyes met was beautiful enough to stop her from wallowing in self pity. The snowflakes were practically gleaming with happiness, basking in the scant shimmering rays of the sun.
She let herself drown in the mesmerizing scenery, perhaps there was nothing more beautiful than the heavenly glow casted by the early sun rays on the snow.
"I see you haven't slept at all," a barely audible whisper made its way to her.
Startled she turned to face the newcomer.
"What's the purpose of giving me another room if you come barging in like this?" Ginny asked insolently.
Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she realized what a foolish act that was, disrespecting the darkest wizard of the century.
Well she was a Gryffindor, surely she wouldn't act like a shallow sycophant by kissing the hem of his robes, but even the brave Gryffindor in her registered that this wasn't an act of bravado but merely thoughtlessness on her behalf, how was she supposed to even save herself from his unforgivable if he lost his temper on her?
However it didn't seem the case, he merely tilted his head and stared at her in a somewhat curious manner and though he didn't seem furious by her remark, his stare unnerved her deeply.
But as she has concluded already, she is a Gryffindor, through and through, she won't let him know how his gaze was unsettling her peace. Quickly coming to a decision of not giving him the satisfaction that she was intimidated by him, she defiantly stared back. Fierce inferno burning in her eyes, but nevertheless it didn't bother him at all or even if it did, he masked it impeccably.
Then ever so slowly, with an unwavering grace, he brushed past her and stood against the railing. Reluctantly, she took a step forward and stood beside him, leaning her arms on the banister.
Out of mere curiosity, she decided to watch him rather than the scenery.
Unlike her slouched form, he stood ramrod straight. His robes billowing behind him due to the wind, the usual fringe which seemed to guard his eyes was pushed back too.
His eyes.
His eyes, she noticed were a deep shade of brown, unlike black as she originally presumed. It did seem black though, but on closer inspection, she established the fact that they weren't black at all; instead they were cocoa colored, like the hot chocolate her mother used to give her and her brothers during long winter nights.
Her brothers!
She felt a pang of guilt pierce through her as she realized how she hasn't thought about them at all; it seemed like all she ever did was wallow in her self-pity.
Deciding to push away the painful thoughts of her family from her mind for the time being, she glanced at him again.
He looked strangely at peace. There was an unmasked tenderness in his gaze and that thought itself felt weird if not downright hilarious in her mind.
Not even once his eyes made a flickering motion to see her, he kept on looking fixedly in front of him, intensely attentive to even the slightest note of sound.
He was pale but the snow was kind to him, tinting his cheeks a bit pink. He was indeed a painting casted with perfection, dark locks tousled by the breeze, smooth sun kissed skin glowing in the faintest light, cocoa eyes glistening. Perhaps he was even more beautiful, when compared to the landscape in front of her.
She had this strange urge bubbling in her heart to touch his ruffled strands, not because she was attracted to him though, the thought of attraction itself seemed gravely inappropriate. She wanted to touch solely for experimentation purposes; to see for herself if indeed his locks were as fluffy and silky as they gave the impression to be.
Her hand reached out, quite unconsciously, and the moment when she was about to brush his hair with her fingertips, he shifted his gaze and turned to face her.
His brows furrowed a bit at her hand which was now awkwardly hanging in mid-air. Calmly she lowered her hand, her face embarrassingly red like her hair. Million thoughts swirled in her mind and the most dominant was her criticizing her imbecile actions.
Stupid, stupid Ginny! What was I even thinking? Reaching out like that, now he'll surely think I am attracted to him or something preposterous like that.
Just when the stillness of the moment was about to drive her insane, he spoke up.
"I did knock. But you didn't open, so I came barging in like you quote it," he said coolly, emphasizing the words barging in.
Glad for the diffusion of tension that was building in the air; she made a small sound of acquiescence and moved inside her room and sat on her bed, leaning against the headboard.
Looking up at the chandelier, that so graciously hanged on the ceiling of her extravagant room, she thought about the man who stood just a few feet away from her, looking at her in a peculiar way.
"Knut for your thoughts?"
Despite herself, a small smile crept up to her face at his question. She lowered her gaze to him and raised a questioning eyebrow.
He just made a minute shrugging motion and headed out her room, closing the door behind.
And it didn't occur to her for an hour or so that he didn't mention why he came into her room in the first place.
A/N: I know the story is a bit too slow but mostly the next chapter will clear the air a bit, regarding the bond between Riddle and Ginny. So tell me, what do you think of it? Reviews please. :)