Ginny had convinced her mother to let her remain at school. She claimed to need the time to study for her OWLs. Really, she just wanted to be alone. She had wanted to be alone for a long time. This would probably be her only opportunity.
She went for a walk alone on the ground. As she approached the lake, she spread her arms wide and turned her face to the sky. She inhaled the silence, the solitude, the peace. She exhaled the tension, the mask, the pent up emotions.
As the last bit of air left her lungs she fell to her knees in tears. She hadn't cried yet. She didn't want to cry now. She couldn't stop herself. This is what happens when you relax. Your body does what it needs to do, and without the built up tension there is nothing you can do to stop it.
It started snowing again. There would probably be a blizzard. She didn't care. Maybe she would just go to sleep out here. They say freezing is a peaceful way to go. No, she wouldn't let herself die, but she wouldn't move until she absolutely had to.
She didn't know how long she had been kneeling there, but the stormy crying had subsided into the occasional sob as her body forced out the last of the unwanted tension. She thought she was dreaming when she felt warm arms wrap themselves around her. They were so comfortable. They couldn't be real.
She felt herself being pulled to her feet. Probably a good thing. She probably had stayed out too long to make it back to the castle on her own.
She looked up when she felt someone wiping her face with soft, warm cotton. She didn't know why but it didn't surprise her to see it was Malfoy. She didn't really care anyway. After all, he was probably the only one who understood what it was like to go through life pretending to be someone else.
He led her back to the castle and she relied on his strength to get there. Why was he helping her? What did he care? It didn't really matter. He was warm and he was strong.
He took her upstairs and left her against the wall. She watched him walk up and down the hall, sliding to the floor, unable to support her own weight. He came back to her and helped her up again, taking her inside the warm room.
He set her down on the couch and she curled up on herself, expecting him to just leave her there. Why did that make her feel worse? She had wanted to be alone, hadn't she?
She looked at him in surprise when he sat down next to her. Did he really just ask if she was okay? Was he really worried about her? He wanted to know if she was warm enough. Well, to be perfectly honest, she hadn't felt warm since the end of last term, that was, until she had felt his arms around her.
She surprised herself by scooting close to him and curling up next to him. She felt him stiffen under her, but he didn't push her off and he didn't storm out.
Well, she had become distant from those around her; she had taken to wearing a mask to hide who she really was; she had lost all her energy and love of life. She supposed it only made sense that Malfoy would be gentle and concerned. She felt him relax and snuggled closer to him when his arm draped around her. The universe did have to maintain a balance, after all.