"Merry Christmas, Ginny!!" Ginny groaned and rolled over, wrapping the covers around her.

"What t-t-time is it?" she yawned, as she snuggled into her pillow.

"7 a.m." Ron laughed, grabbing her foot and trying to tug her out of bed. Ginny responded by holding onto a bedpost. "Come on, Ginny, it's Christmas! Ugh, help me, Harry."

Harry picked Ginny up off the bed while Ron untangled her fingers from the bedpost. Along with much angry threatening on Ginny's part, and laughter from Harry and Ron, Ginny was slid down the stairs to the common room, still wrapped in blankets, while the boys gathered up her gifts and brought them downstairs.

"I decided it was easier to co-operate." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ginny as she picked herself up from the base of the staircase.

"Mmm Hmm." Ginny agreed. "Probably."

And then the gift-opening began...

"Ow! Ginny, that hurt!" Harry winced, his face covered by snow.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Harry." she grinned at him impishly. "Consider it payback."

The four of them, plus several students from other houses had decided to go ice skating before the afternoon Christmas lunch, and were cleaning the snow off the lake by throwing it at each other.

"Psst." A loud whisper came from a tree behind Ginny. "Oy. Ginny."

She turned around and grinned to see the face of Draco Malfoy sticking out from behind the tree. Quickly she skated over. "I take it you aren't joining us then."

He shook his head. "No. I just wanted to give you your gift." Blushing, he handed her a card with two roses on top of it, one white, one red.

"Oh, that's so sweet..."Ginny smiled at him. "But I didn't get you anything."

"Doesn't matter. Well, I have to go, but I'll see you around."

"Bye." Ginny sat down in the snow by the tree and opened the card.

Dear Ginny,

I just want you to know how amazing I think you are.

I have never known anyone like you before, and I would like

to thank you for giving me another chance to be your friend...

Or maybe more? I'll be out by the lake at about 8 tonight, if

you care to join me, please do.

Draco.

P.S. the white rose means innocence and honesty, and the red rose

means love and respect.

"Was that Draco Malfoy I saw just now?" Hermione asked as she took a seat beside Ginny.

"Yes."

"Why are you giving him a second chance?"

"Because I was given a second chance after that whole Tom Riddle incident." Ginny looked over at Hermione. "Now that his father isn't watching his every step, why shouldn't we give him a chance to show us who he really is?"

"I'd never looked at it that way before." Hermione smiled at her.

"Well, he truly seems to have changed since his father has been imprisoned and now that Crabbe and Goyle are gone."

"Yeah, he does." Hermione agreed quietly. "But be careful, okay?"

Ginny nodded. "I will."

That evening, she made her way down to the lake to meet Draco. She found him leaning back against the weeping willow tree that draped into the lake and took a seat beside him.

"Hey." he whispered quietly in the absolute darkness. "Look." he pointed across the lake. Tiny fairies glowed among the bushes that lined the other side, and Ginny caught her breath.

"Its so beautiful!." she breathed in awe. She shivered in the snow, and Draco gently tucked the blanket that was covering his legs around hers as well.

"I come here whenever I can, to see them." he whispered to her. "Would you like a butterbeer?" Ginny nodded silently, and sipped at the warm liquid he gave to her.

After sitting in comfortable silence for a while, Ginny yawned and gently settled her head on his shoulder. "You don't mind, do you?" she spoke quietly in his ear.

In response, he settled his arm around her.