Flashback: Malfoy Manor- 2 days earlier

"Master Draco, your mother requests your presence immediately," said Pheobus, Draco Malfoy's personal house elf.

Draco looked up from the letter he was writing and sent the elf away. Sighing, Draco folded the letter and placed it into the inside pocket of his midnight blue robes. This was Draco's first Christmas at the manor since his graduation from Hogwarts and he had been foolish enough to expect some time to himself.

"Yes, Mother?," asked Draco once he found his mother.

Narcissa Malfoy looked up from her drawing room desk, gave Draco a grim smile and beckoned him to take the seat in front of the desk. While doing so, she toke her long white blonde hair from a bun on the back of her head. Her hair fell in place framing her porcelain white face and bringing out the color in her pale blue eyes. Draco sat in the chair and knew from his mother's expression that the news would not be good.

"Draco, my child, something has happened with your father. I just received an owl from the ministry....he was released from Azkaban," said Narcissa detachedly.

Draco stared at his mother in disbelief. Lucius Malfoy, murderer of 5 wizards and muggles, was released only 5 years into his life sentence.

"I, I don't understand. How in the hell could he be free?," asked Draco out loud to himself.

"Well, you know how he kept going for appeals and such. He's always had pull with people in the ministry and he's made promises...They were planning on releasing him earlier, you know, but they wanted to save face, I believe...Draco? Where are you going?," asked Narcissa with a hint of anxiety in her voice.

Draco had got up and walked to the door before his mother had finished talking, "I'm leaving."

"Why?," asked Narcissa, although she already knew the answer.

"He's coming here isn't he? Isn't he!?," yelled Draco in spite of himself.

Narcissa only nodded and Draco continued with a look of pure hatred in his gray eyes, "You know good old dad is going to come here and kill me. You know it. I've been number one on his shit list since the trial, because of my testimonies that put him away. I turned my back on the bastard to help save my own skin and he's coming to get his revenge."

"You should not speak of your father so," said Narcissa defensively.

"You're defending him? Honestly mother, are you mad? If anything, you should be running. You were the double crosser. You were working for Dumbledore behind you husband's back. You'll be killed before me, but stay if you think you can soften him up with your dashing good looks and witty remarks. I won't be here to witness the bloodshed. I love you mother and you helped me out, but I won't be helping your arse, mines comes first," said Draco with finality knowing he hurt his mother.

Narcissa laughed bitterly, "And where will you go, son? How will you get there? Remember the only way they'd let you go free was if you testified and was banned from Apparation for 10 years. You came here in a carriage! My dear, little boy, you're stuck here with me!."

"Honestly mother, don't be bitter because you never even learned how to apparate. I'm not letting myself be stuck here to die with you. I'm taking my old broom and I'm flying the hell out of here," said Draco dismissively while opening the door.

"You selfish little prat," said Narcissa as she stormed angrily towards her son, "if it weren't for me, you'd be in Azkaban right now. You owe it to me to let me go, to give me your broom. If you loved me -"

"No, mother, if you loved me you would have made sure his connections to the ministry were severed. If you loved yourself you would have made sure he received the Dementor's kiss. He was Voldemort's right hand man for God's sake. He was a fecking madman! Don't...I...forget it. Just forget it. I'm leaving, I'm saving my arse," said Draco solemnly.

Narcissa stood in anger as Draco called Pheobus for his broom and then turned to her to say, "I loved you, mother."

Draco leaned in, gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, and left with a swish of his robes. As soon as she knew her son had gone, Narcissa put her head down on her desk and cried. She hated crying and her face grew hot in shame as she rid herself of the tears she had kept bottled up during her conversation with Draco. She stayed that way for what seemed like hours to her until she heard a cold voice address her, "Why do you cry, my love?"

She looked up and yelped uncharacteristically in surprise, "Lucius!"

"Yes, my darling. I am here and I plan on making things all better," said Lucius as he pulled out his wand with a sadistic look on his once handsome face.

Draco had been flying for what felt like forever. It was freezing cold and snowing and he had no place to go. He couldn't go to his own flat, that would be too obvious, and he definitely couldn't go to the homes of his friends, for he had none. So he flew aimlessly until he knew he was lost. His tired mind forced him not to think of himself as lost ("A Malfoy would never get lost," he repeated to himself to stay awake.) and he stayed in the air for two days, without food and water until finally the snow and the cold became too much for the young wizard. He fell from the sky to the welcoming white wonderland below. Draco was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Present

Ron had finally gotten his car to start and was making his way slowly down the road when he once he again came upon the area where Malfoy laid, freezing to death. Ron drove past the spot, but ran a shaking hand through his ginger hair.

"Oh bloody hell, Harry would stop even though it's Malfoy," thought Ron as he tried to justify why he had stopped his car.

Ron stepped out of his car and gasped in surprise at the cold. The temperature had dropped at least 5 degrees since he started up his Coop. Ron went up to the unconscious boy and to his surprise, lifted Malfoy almost effortlessly off the snowy ground.

"Jesus Christ, he's freezing," thought Ron as he hugged Draco closer without realizing it.

Ron carefully placed Draco back onto the snow to open the door and then placedhim inside. After getting into his car and closing the door, he took his quilt from the front seat and placed it carefully over Draco's still, thin body.

"If Fred and George found out about this...," thought Ron as he restarted his car and went on his way in search of a rest stop, "What the hell have I gotten myself into..."