Christmas Eve dawned crisp and dark, the sun was late to rise and everyone was late in getting up, not willing to brave the chill. Ron soon made it known early that everyone was to travel to Diagon Alley that day and woke everyone (including Bill and Fleur, who were caught in a rather awkward position), yelling and banging on doors until Geroge took it upon himself to murder him with his pillow. It was apparently a Weasely traditon to leave everything to the last minute and so, with breakfast dishes not yet done and beds not made, everyone dressed and hurried to the fire place.

"Oh God, not flu powder," Harry joked to Ron, remembering his first attempt at reaching Diagon Alley by Flu Powder in his second year.

However, their travel to Diagon Alley through people's fireplaces turned out quite uneventful. Diagon Alley looked incredible, Christmas trees decorated every shop entrance, miles of tinsel and winking Christmas lights hung from street lights and signs, magical shiny baubles were suspended in mid-air above shopper's heads, and brightly coloured banners trailed down to the ground in dancing spirals. There were also wizards dressed up as Wise Men handing out free candy-canes and Christmas treats, and Shepards selling pet lambs with tinsel collars.

At once, everyone split up. Mrs Weasley tried desperately for the first few minutes to keep tabs on where everyone was going, but Fred and George had already bolted, Bill and Fleur had snuck off ten minutes prior, and Charlie had run off to meet some mates at the Leaky Cauldron. Sighing in a 'what can you do' way, Mrs Weasley turned to Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione. "Oh go on then, off you go too!"

"Let's go!" Ron yelled at them all and pulled them down the street and into Flourish and Blotts. However, he turned around a second later and blocked Hermione's entrance. "Um, I'm sort of going in here to get your pressie, hun, so you might not want to come in just yet." Sighing in annoyance, Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Nice to know what I'm getting, Ron." Ron just laughed and ran into the bookstore. He came out a few minutes later with a suspiciously book-shaped object hidden beneath his robes and a secretive look on his face.

The next stop was the jewellers, where Harry purchased Ginny's present, and then they all headed off in different directions to do their seperate shopping. At around lunch time, they met up again at Florean Fortescue's for icecream. Harry hadn't said much during the entire morning. He was still a little too caught up with all the colourful christmas lights and decorations to take much notice of anything else. However, that was about to change as a very familiar, yet slightly unwelcome voice rang out across the street.

"Harry!" Everyone turned around to see who it was, but Harry already knew. With a slightly nervous expression, he slowly turned to face his ex- girlfriend. She was hurrying, beaming at him, across the road. Harry's eyebrows shot up. Since when were ex-girlfriends happy to see ex- boyfriends?

"I never would have guesed it was you, Harry! You, here, at Christmas time!" She was grinning happily at him. Harry briefly had time to notice that she had Michael Corner standing a few feet away, before she was talking excitedly again.

"So, how've you been, Harry?"

Harry turned to face her again, not really sure of what to say. "Um... fine, I guess. Cool, I 'spose, " he winced at himself. Pathetic. "You?"

"Yeah, great," she beamed, before turning to wave at Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "Hi everyone!"

Ginny gave a vague, bemused smile in return, while Ron and Hermione just looked at each other in confusion.

"I see you're with Michael Corner," Harry said awkwardly.

Cho beamed again. "Yeah. He's staying with me for Christmas. We're dating"

"Oh, right," Harry answered slowly. "Lucky Michael, I guess."

"Thanks, Harry," Cho grinned at him warmly. "Hey, don't you love Diagon Alley at Christmas time?" she asked him quickly, looking around at all the decadence.

Harry finally gave a natural smile and answered truthfully. "Yeah, it looks incredible. I've never seen Diagon Alley in the Festive Season before. I'm very impressed."

"Me too, and I've been here during Christmas heaps of times. It just keeps getting better, I think," she answered happily. "Would you like to have a tour? I know my way around here like the back of my hand..."

Without a word, Ginny gave Hermione and Ron meaningful looks and left the table, to wander quite aimlessly down the street. She wasn't going to stick around to hear what Cho had to say. She knew that Harry was loyal to her and only her, but she just couldn't stop running endless negative possibilities and outcomes of Cho and Harry even being near each other through her mind. She couldn't stop thinking of the circumstances of their breakup and what should or could happen now.

I'm paranoid, she thought to herself as she absent-mindedly picked up a crystal bauble. I'm just being stupid now. Glancing up, she saw a pair of small figurine Angels, beautifully decorated in white and red, sitting in a shop window. Their tiny, painted little faces intriqued her, and their small white dove-feathered wings slowly folded and unfolded around their pretty white dresses. Ginny couldn't help but wonder ruefully if it would be her or Cho getting something as beautiful for a Christmas present.

Her hands were cold and she rubbed them together as she looked across the alley, noticing with a sigh that Harry was indeed still talking to Cho, as they walked around together, pointing particular Christmas decorations out to each other. Ginny grimaced ruefully, turned to face the way she was walking, and was promptly knocked over by an impatient shopper. Ginny groaned to herself. Diagon Alley had been busy enough before, but she could swear it had gotten busier. She glanced up from where she sat awkwardly on the pavement as cold white snow tickled her face, falling gently from above. Shoppers milled about her as she pulled herself up off the freezing street and brushed her clothing free of snow.

She could barely see Harry conversing warmly with Cho now, as the amount of snow and shoppers increased around her. Wiping her face of the cold white powder sticking to her eyelashes, Ginny turned around but walked straight into a black-clad chest. Strong hands reached out to steady her as she stumbled, and she looked up into the gaze of Draco Malfoy. She reeled back in horror, terrified he would say something, terrified of his hands on her arms, bringing back those awful memories. "Get off me," she shrieked at him, yanking herself out of his grasp, breathing hard in fright.

However, with not one word, or even a smirk, he pulled his hands away and brushed past her. Eyes wide with shock, Ginny watched him walk, without the normal arrogant swagger, down the street away from her. "Malfoy?" she called out to him, frowning in confusion. What was wrong with him? She could visibly see his shoulder muscles tense at the sound of his name, but he didn't stop walking, or even turn around to acknowledge her.

Ginny trotted curiously after him, perplexed at his attitude. She caught up with him and stopped, several feet away for caution's sake, in front of his black-clad, rather imposing figure. "What's wrong with you?" she asked him, panting slightly. Draco glanced once at her confused face, and then continued straight past her.

Ginny gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "What, no abuse?" she turned around, calling after him. "No verbal bashings?" she laughed scornfully at his retreating figure, bullying him in his newly-acquired sombreness.

Draco glanced back at her as he walked, and in that instant, Ginny froze. Snow fell in a heavily falling swirl around him, seperating them in a sheet of freezing white. His face was etched with pain. His eyes were cold, but not with the usual arrogant surliness. They seemed desperate and lost, somehow, and very, very, haunted. Dark smudges stained the skin beneath his eyes, and his cheeks were hollowed and deathly white. A gasp parted Ginny's lips, and then Draco turned slowly away from her and strode off, disappearing into the drifting snowfall.

Ginny stood still, staring at the place where Draco had disappeared. Her palms were cold and clammy. She was confused, so confused, and felt torn between following him and leaving him alone, as he seemed to want her to do. However, that look he'd given her... that lost, alone look... as if he couldn't handle anymore...

"Ginny! There you are!" a voice yelled behind her. Ginny didn't turn around, but continued to gaze into the empty space where Draco had been. "I'm starving, let's get something to eat," Harry told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her up the street. Not quite knowing why, Ginny quickly snatched her hand away from him. Harry turned back to her, a bemused expression on his face.

"What's up with you?" he asked her, a little irritably.

Ginny shook her head. "I just saw Draco..." she said softly, still in the midst of her own thoughts.

Harry's expression darkened immediately. "What did he do to you?" he growled dangerously.

Ginny frowned to herself, ignoring Harry's reaction. "He seemed... very different... upset."

Harry scoffed. "What, he didn't try to crack onto you this time, is that what's different?"

"No," Ginny snapped at him. "He barely knew I was there, actually. He seemed lost."

"Well," Harry said snidely. "That's probably because he doesn't have any friends."

Ginny sighed tiredly and, with one last, troubled glance in Draco's direction, she turned around to make her way back up to Ron and Hermione, leaving Harry standing, utterly bewildered, in the middle of the street.

Everyone was exhausted when they finally reached the comfort of the Burrow. Even Fred and George were quiet, which was rare indeed for them. Christmas Eve night was cold and stormy. Snow swirled around the house, causing the joints to creak and the trees to groan. The Christmas Lights Mr Weasley had set up around the house glittered in the snow, and in the living room of the Burrow, the fireplace glowed red and warm. Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Ginny made big steaming mugs of hot chocolate for everyone, while Mr Weasley sat down to read the Christmas Story outloud to anyone who would listen.

It wasn't long before everyone called it a night and went upstairs to bed. Ginny sat beside the fireplace, fiddling with a bit of tinsel. Harry sat on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling with his feet up and his hands behind his head. A thoughtful expression marred his features, his eyes narrow and his mouth set in a grim line.

"So..." he began softly. "How was your day, then?"

Ginny didn't turn around to face him. "It was ok. How was your day?"

"Alright, I guess," Harry replied, an unnatural calm in his voice. "Although I can't say I had your full attention for most of it."

Ginny tensed. She knew he was going to start sooner or later. "I can't say I had yours for most of it, either."

Harry broke eye contact with the ceiling and swung around on the couch to face her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked her stonily.

Ginny shrugged. "Well, I couldn't exactly help but notice your animated conversation with Cho."

Harry laughed softly. "We were just catching up, Ginny."

"Bit of a change since last time's abuse flinging, don't you think?"

"Ginny, she never "threw abuse" at me, she was just a little hurt by what we did to her."

"By what we did to her?" Ginny shook her head, but refused to look at him. "All we did was fall in love."

"Still, we didn't take her into much regard, did we? And you never even once gave a thought to her while we were having sex, did you?"

This time, Ginny did turn around, and glared at him angrily. "You're making this sound like my fault. Like I dragged you into my bed or something. Forced you away from her."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not implying that at all. I'm just saying, in the wake of our 'passionate love affair', we didn't give one shit about those who were heart-broken because of it."

Ginny turned back around and threw her bit of tinsel into the fire, watching it sizzle with narrowed eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? And Cho doesn't seem to be too hurt about it anymore, I noticed."

"How would you know, Ginny? You ticked off a quarter of the way through the conversation and went to comfort Malfoy," Harry said disgustedly.

Ginny spun angrily around. "Don't you DARE bring Malfoy into this!"

"Why not?" Harry growled at her. "He's the other half of this bitch-fight we're having. You can't blame EVERYTHING on Cho!"

"No, poor old dear, darling Cho, always getting the thin end of the stick!" Ginny snapped at him.

"Ginny, you're completely jealous of her, aren't you? You're worried I'm going to go back to her, and leave you used and abused, right?"

"Well, why not?" Ginny snarled at him. "You did it to her with me, it's not exactly out of the question to think it could happen around the other way!"

"And what's not to say that YOU wouldn't do the same thing with MALFOY?"

Ginny gave him an incredulous look. "And why the FARG would I do something like that?"

"I can see that concern you have for him," Harry sneered at her. "It's etched all over your face. You've been obsessing about him all evening. Him and that look he gave you."

"He looked upset, I wouldn't be a human not to be concerned!"

"Concerned for your would-be rapist's upset, Ginny?" Harry cried at her, leaping off the couch. "You, best of all, know what he almost did to you! Why this sudden compassion for such a fked up, rapist dickhead?"

Ginny, angry as a wild cat, leapt up to meet him. "You don't know the half of it, Harry!"

"I know that you wouldn't talk to me for a week after he tried to rape you, that's how frigging upset you were! And WHO comforted you in that time? I did! And this is how you repay me? You may as well throw all that I did for you back in my face!"

"Harry, you're being stupid now-"

"You never said 'thankyou' to me after that. And now I see, in the absence of that 'thankyou', a growing compassion for the dickhead who started it! How could you just go forgetting about all that, Ginny?" He put on a fake, whiny voice, obviously mocking her. "Oh, no, Malfoy looked upset, so let's rush to his side and help him, shall we? Screw Harry, he may have helped me get through it and all, but screw him anyway!" Harry sneered sarcastically at her.

Ginny shook her head at him, her eyes narrowed furiously. "I'd almost forgotten what a prick you could be, Harry," she spat at him.

"Oh, thanks for that, Ginny, thanks SO much," Harry snarled at her. "I'm only trying to knock some sense into that thick head of yours! STOP defending Malfoy. He doesn't deserve it from you. What he did to you should have stopped you from ever thinking kindly about him for good!"

"Harry, I'm not thinking kindly about him!" Ginny cried out in frustration. "You didn't see the look on his face, I did. He wasn't the old, dickhead Malfoy that tried to rape me and abused you, not in that instance. He seemed so different."

"What, different in the space of a few weeks, I don't think so," Harry said bitingly in frustrated anger.

Ginny closed her eyes, praying for some restraint. "Harry, don't you believe that people can change? For the good?"

Harry gave her a disgusted look. "I find this really off," he hissed. "It's like you've forgiven Malfoy for what he did to you, just because he looked at you funny. And in answer to your question, no, I don't think someone as screwed as Malfoy could ever change. He's incapable of it."

Ginny stepped past Harry and went to get herself a drink of water. "I'm beginning to think you are, too."

Harry followed her, glaring at her angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know," Ginny said impatiently as she took a sip of water.

"I don't think I do," Harry spat at her. "You'll have to fill me in."

Ginny sighed and turned her eyes to his. "Harry, you're just so set in your ways. It's as if you like having Malfoy for your enemy. Someone you have an excuse to hate because he hates you back. You refuse to give him a second go."

Harry leant back against the sink. "It depends how far that second go is," he replied tightly. "I wouldn't invite him to bed and give him a kiss like you seem so willing to do, put it like that."

Ginny's fists clenched by her sides. She felt the hurt of his words strike a deep infliction to her heart, but refused to show it. "I'm sick of this, Harry," she sighed wearily, and made off to the stairs.

Harry gave her an incredulous look. "What, no abuse this time?" he cried out in disbelief, echoing the words Ginny had called jeeringly, bullying, at Draco only hours before. "No punch to the face, no kick in the nuts?"

Ginny turned around slowly, giving him a very irritated look. "No, Harry, not this time, because unlike you, I have maturity, and I don't run around bashing people up willy-nilly."

"Ooh hoo, ouch" Harry sniggered sarcastically. "For your big fat information, Ginny Weasley, I only bashed Draco up for you. So don't you go getting on your high horse."

"I never asked you to bash him."

"You seemed pretty pleased about it at the time," Harry argued back.

"Back then, Harry, I was still dealing with everything. But, unlike you, I've learnt from it all, and I've moved on. It's really a pity I can't say the same for you, Harry. You, the great "Boy who Lived", would still prefer to lock jaws with old enemies instead of sorting things out and growing up."

There was a sudden, ominous silence between them. Neither of them moved, and Ginny could hear Harry breathing harshly from where he stood by the sink. She knew she'd gone too far saying that. She held her breath, waiting for the tirade to begin.

"Go to bed," he said suddenly.

Ginny bit her lip awkwardly, not sure what to say or do, but still too angry to apologise to him. "I do still love you, Harry, this fight hasn't changed tha-"

"Go to bed," he snapped again, his voice tight and cold. Ginny fiddled with the wooden balustrade nervously, watching his dark silhouette against the window. His head turned towards her.

"I said, go to bed," he hissed at her. "I don't have anything more to say."

"Harry," Ginny began softly. "I don't want us to hate each other on Christmas Day."

"You should have thought of that before you started the fight," he growled.

"Oh, I started the fight, did I?" Ginny snapped at him, her hackles rising again.

"Go to bed," Harry snapped at her for the fourth time.

Ginny shook her head, overtly pissed with him all over again. "Ok, Harry, get all sooky, pretend it was all my fault, tell yourself that you're perfect and I'm just a victimising bitch. But I'll tell you this, due to everything you said to me, I have a hell of a lot better reason to be sulking than you do."

There was silence again for a few seconds, as they stared at one another through the darkness between them. "Get lost, Ginny. And you said you were mature," Harry said coldly.

Ginny sneered at him then, and took a few steps up the stairs. "Moreso than you, you sulking little boy." And with that, she took the rest of the steps running, hurried into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. Just to make sure that Harry knew for sure that he was in the shit, she grabbed her bedroom key from the cupboard and locked the door. No sex for you, Potter, she thought grimly, but triumphantly, to herself.