Draco was on the train, coming back from the Christmas holiday. He had had a particularly brutal time at home, what with his father and his 'friends' having meetings at his house. He chooses to ignore them on those days. But then there are days when his parents scream at each other so much that he loses sleep because of the thin walls. This all happened even on Christmas day. The only moment worth remembering was when his mother came into his room to give him a present, a new ink well and a quill with his name engraved in it, and kissed the top of his head before leaving. He was so fed up with the state of his home life that he snuck out of the house that day, not that they would've noticed.

He'd walked through the woods, admiring the sparkling, untouched snow that covered everything in sight. He let himself relish in a childhood fairytale and imagined Jack Frost visiting and cloaking everything in white. He allowed himself to smile slightly.

He heard the snapping of a twig and his head shot up to see a wisp of long blonde hair. He knew that hair. It was crazy; it could be anyone, but he someone felt that that was a specific head of hair. So he quickened his pace to catch up with the person. After a couple minutes of chasing a ghost he stopped to catch his breath. He looked around but all that was left was a set of footprints in the snow. He decided to follow them because why not? He got this far.

They led him to a nearby small town. After that, they disappear into the mess of people. He let out a defeated sigh. Why was he sad? It's not like he was excited to see the girl. It was just a natural curiosity. He looked behind him, then back to the town. The way he came had such a dark feel to it, filled with sour memories and disappointment. The town, although busy, seemed much more welcoming.

Turning up his collar to protect his face from the wind (and from being recognized), Draco walked along with the flowing stream of people. It was a quaint little town with various shops. There was a flower shop, a cafe, and a bookstore right in a row. He decided to pop into the bookstore to check it out. It had a cozy, cottage feel to it. He walked past row after row of books before stopping in front of the fairytale section. There was a mix of muggle stories and stories he grew up with. He had always secretly been intrigued by muggle stories but never dared to actually read them. His finger skimmed the books as he read the titles: Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood…

"Hello, Draco." Draco jumped back a couple feet. He spun around to see that his earlier suspicions were true. Luna Lovegood stood in front of him, smiling in her usual serene way. She was wearing two different overly fluffy, knitted sweaters, shorts and pantyhose, and her high tops. Her cheeks were rosy and her hair was all mussed up, suggesting she hadn't been out of the cold for long. He saw that a strand of her hair had gotten tangled up in her ridiculous Butterbeer cork necklace. He wanted to reach out and disentangle it. Maybe tuck it behind her ear…

Draco's eyes widened and he let out no more than an "Er…" before he hurried back past the shelves, ploughed through the door, and sprinted back home. He didn't look back. He made it back into his bedroom and sat on his bed with the lights off. He dared not to think about what had happened or why he had freaked out.

And now Draco was sitting alone in a compartment in the back of the train. His friends had initially tried to sit with him but he let it be known that that was not an option. He held the new quill his mother had given him in his hands and twirled it between his fingers. He was caught up in his own thoughts and didn't see the short blonde outside of his compartment. There was a light tap on the glass and Draco started, almost dropping his quill. He stood up and opened the door just enough to see her.

"What do you want, Lovegood?"

"Hello, Draco! I hope you had a good holiday. You looked lonely in there so I decided to bring you a cup of tea." He looked down to see that she did indeed have to cups of tea in her hands. "I am regretting the idea, though, seeing as the train is quite bumpy." As if to prove her point, the train lurched and the tea sloshed a bit. Draco looked back and forth to make sure no one could see them.

"Well, okay, since you're out here making a mess…" He opened the compartment door a little wider. Luna smiled widely.

"Thank you." She walked in and sat opposite the tall man, handing him a cup. "You see like a man who likes lemon in his tea. I hope that's alright." Draco tried not to show his surprise at how spot-on she was and held the cup in his hand. He didn't know how much he needed this until the warmth washed over him. He glanced up from his cup to see Luna kicking her feet and looking out the window. The sunlight glittering through the frost on the window hit her eyes just right, making them shine.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, making Draco jump yet again. "I almost forgot!" She reached into her bag.

"You've gotta stop doing that. I'm gonna have a heart attack-" He stopped abruptly when she pushed a package into his hands. It was small and square and wrapped in festive wrapping. He studied it for a moment before looking up at her.

"Merry Christmas. You didn't look too well when we met on Christmas Day. I thought this could cheer you up." She gave him a slight smile. Draco slowly and carefully pulled the wrapping off. It was a book.

"A Complete Collection of Grimm's Brothers Tales?" He couldn't believe it. He looked back up at her. She looked a little sheepish.

"You seemed to be so enthralled by their titles. I've always loved their stories. They've brought me great joy and I hope they can give you at least a little joy as well. You seem so upset and so lost most of the time. I wanted to help in any way I could. This may be a small gesture but I know it's effective."

"I-I don't know what to say." None of his 'friends' had ever given him a gift before. Well, nothing that actually mattered. They never play close enough attention. Not that he lets them. And here was Luna, a ditzy girl that approaches him without warning or hesitance, who knows more about his true self than anybody in his life. He could say that for a fact.

"I just want to see you happy. I know the world is a dark place sometimes. Sometimes it's hard to find any light. I try my best to find the happiness in the dreary moments and the goodness in the most misunderstood people. It's not hard to find it in you. It's just covered up. I have a feeling that your smile is the warmest of them all. Maybe that's why you don't show it to just anyone, because it's so special. I just thought that if I could help in bringing it out I would be extremely honored."

Draco traced his fingers along the spine of the book, eyes looking on in wonder. He looked up at her and it was obvious he was at a loss for words. He had to say something, but it wasn't that easy. Luna held up a hand.

"You don't have to say anything. It's not an obligation. Just promise me you'll read it and try to find some light." He looked at her for a long time, then nodded. Luna smiled again and looked down at the quill on the table.

"That is beautiful. Did you get it for Christmas?" Draco looked at it.

"Yeah… My mum gave it to me." Luna put her chin in her hands.

"I bet your mother is beautiful as well. I imagine her with long hair and eyes that match your own. I'll bet she is very elegant. You should tell me about her someday." She stood up. "I can see that you like to be alone and that this is kind of overwhelming. I hope we can talk again soon, Draco. I love your company." She grabbed her bag and put her hand on the door when Draco stood up as well.

"Wait." Luna withdrew her hand. Draco looked into the hall. When he saw no one he turned back to Luna.

"Er… Thank you. For everything. Um, can-can I hug...you?" Luna looked a little surprised but nodded nonetheless. Draco awkwardly put his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. He put his mouth near her ear.

"If you ever need help with your, you know, problem, come to me. I can't promise I'll be much help but I'll try." He then patted her upper back lightly and they pulled apart. She blinked up at him to make sure she had heard him right. When she saw him looking around the room awkwardly, looking embarrassed, she smiled to herself. She nodded once and left with a small wave. Draco sat down and eyed the book, then the place where Luna had been sitting. He opened the book to the first page and started reading with a little unknown smile on his face.