The atmosphere of Hogwarts had seemed to improve quite a bit in the last week, what with Christmas just around the corner. Everyone had seemed to pair off, all being deeply in love and oblivious to any consequences that might occur. There were the usual 12 Christmas trees in the Great Hall thanks to Hagrid and mistletoes had been hung in what seemed to be every corridor.

Ginny had definitely noticed this enhancement what with all the girls crowding under them every time Harry passed. None of them seemed to have any shame in the fact that Hermione was with him even though everyone knew they were a couple. The most popular couple at Hogwarts. Ginny knew she shouldn't care, shouldn't be this jealous but she couldn't help it, it was getting to her.

Luckily, Dean hadn't seemed to notice her distraction or if he had, he hadn't said anything. He was kind of soft spoken like that around her, afraid to do something wrong and sometimes he was just a jerk. She should be grateful for someone who cared so much for her but at times it seemed kind of boring. Plus, he never let her do anything herself. Did he think she wasn't capable of carrying her own books or getting through the portrait hole herself? Then again he was just trying to be sweet.

"Ginny? Ginny!"

"Hmm..?" Ginny said coming out of her trance, realizing she was still with Dean in the Gryffindor common room. "Oh, I must have zoned out. Sorry."

"It's okay baby but you seem to be doing that a lot lately. What's wrong?" Dean asked.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that and, how many more times do I have to say it before you finally get it through your head?" Ginny snapped back at him.

"I-I'm sorry Ginny," He stuttered."It's just habit. I keep forgetting you don't like to be called that."

"Habit? Who else have you been calling that? Do you have something you need to tell me?" She exclaimed not really meaning to get so worked up about something stupid but this had been building up for a while and she just couldn't take it anymore. Dean was getting on her nerves.

"N-no I-I j-just mean th-that my past girlfriends-" He stumbled over words until Ginny interrupted him.

"How many girlfriends have you had? Do you just date them and throw them away like used tissues? Because, I've been in a situation like that before and I'm not going through that again!" Thank god they were alone in the common room because they had skipped breakfast to work on catching up with homework. She couldn't take the eyes on her right now.

"Ginny I think your over reacting." He pleaded.

"I know I'm over reacting! Okay? Just let me be. I need to think." She picked up her books and shoved them into her bag, then stormed out the portrait hole.

Draco Malfoy was just exiting the 7th floor bathroom, his eyes still bloodshot from breaking down in tears of frustration and loss of sleep from working all night on the vanishing cabinet. He was exhausted and started to head towards the stairs. Why had the Dark Lord picked him for such a task? He wasn't important or even all that smart-

Suddenly, someone came running around the corner and straight into him, almost knocking him over. When he caught his balance he was surprised to find someone out and about when everyone should be at breakfast, but then he looked down and realized who it was and reacted how he was taught to react to blood traitors like her.

"Walk much?" He grumbled, trying not to make eye contact so she wouldn't realize he'd been crying.

"S-sorry," Ginny Weasley choked out, her voice ragged and strained.

He looked down to see that her face was streaked with tears and he couldn't help but wonder what had upset her like this. Her eyes were red and puffy with tears pouring out of them and running down her cheeks. Her hair, which is slightly lighter and less severe than her brothers' flaming red, was astray and it looked like she had been running away from something.

"What's wrong?" He asked completely out of curiosity. "Is there someone chasing you? Why are you running?"

"No I just-" She stopped and looked up, her sad expression turning into one of curiosity, then to hate. "Why do you care?"

"Oh, uhm, just curious I suppose." He replied in a tired tone.

"And, for your information, no, there's no one chasing me, so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing us together." Finally their eyes met and she saw his were all splotchy as well. She felt almost as if she was seeing him as a real person for the first time.

His striking blond hair was tousled slightly and looked like it hadn't been cut in a while. His grey eyes were strangely beautiful with specks of a darker grey and held look of defeat and exhaustion. His robes were crumpled and dirty and his nails were chewed down to the nub. He held none of his usual swagger which annoyed her so much. They were so close that she could see every pore on his dirty, greasy, face. She couldn't help but worry about what could have possibly put someone in such a state, even if it was Malfoy.

"I think the real question is what's wrong with you?" She said after taking in his frenzied appearance.

Draco then seemed to realize the proximity and took a step back, averting his gaze to over her shoulder to avoid eye contact. What was he doing standing this close to this disgrace. What would his father say to such a thing. Associating himself with something comparable to a mudblood. "What do you care what's going on in my life. Mind your own business." He wanted to walk away but he just couldn't help it. He could feel something there. That's why he hadn't already pushed past her and left. There was something there and he just couldn't help it.

Ginny knew she should just walk away from this before someone saw them talking and started making assumptions. She just continued to stare though. For the first time she wasn't seeing an enemy, someone to approach with caution and be ready to hex at the sign of trouble. She was seeing him as a 16 yr old boy who looked as if he'd already started to give up hope. He look so sad and all she wanted to do was comfort him, to tell him things were going to work out. She just couldn't though she couldn't bring herself to betray her friends like that. Could she?

When he looked back at Ginny she was staring at him as if it were the first time she'd ever really seen him. They'd been going to school together for six and a half years now and they were just now taking each other in. Only now were they going off their own opinions and not off what they'd heard of each other, not what they'd been taught and brought up to think. All it took was running into each other in a deserted corridor. It was weird for both of them. And, even if they didn't realize it right then, something inevitable was starting, something huge that they might or might not regret later.

They stood like that, in complete silence, for about 2 minutes before they realized what they were doing.

"Well, uhm, I'm gonna go. I have some, uhh, homework I need to finish." She said, breaking eye contact once again and starting to move around him.

"Yea homework," He said as she started to walk off. "Hey!" He yelled to her back just as she was about to go down the stairs and she turned to look back at him. "See you around?"

She thought about this for about a second and then replied, "I'd like that." She said with a small smile. When she turned back around and started for the stairs she realized she wasn't lying, not at all.