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Part One
"GOOD TIDINGS WE BRING,
TO YOU AND YOUR KIN,
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAAAAPPY NEW YEAAAAR!"
Draco scowled at the squeaky, somewhat tipsy, little elf choir as he strode through Hogsmeade. It was the first Christmas Eve after the war had ended and Draco had spent much of the last few months recovering with his mother in France. They had a little home on the outskirts of Bordeaux and it was a perfect sanctuary away from hateful glances, gossip and The Daily - sodding - Prophet.
It had been peaceful and anonymous; Hogsmeade was neither of those things. It was full of festivity. Drunk revellers lined the street outside the Hogs Head and The Three Broomsticks. People were singing, laughing, shopping. Christmas trees decked in brightly coloured lights and noisy little ornaments seemed to fill every nook and cranny of the small village. People stared at him, others turned away muttering to the their friends or holding their child's hand a little tighter and some, mostly those who'd spent a good portion of their day in the bottom of a tankard of mead, were outwardly hostile.
He knew he wasn't welcome and certainly hadn't expected open arms waiting for him back in England but he had hoped not so many people would recognise him. He had shaved his head so that he was almost bald and had let his facial hair grow in so that he was covered in stubble (which was thankfully darker than his white-blond hair).
But, of course, people knew who he was. There was once a time he loved everyone knowing, respecting, even fearing him and the Malfoy name. Now he yearned for anonymity.
He'd do anything to be able to be celebrating Christmas as he had done as a child. Presents and delicious food, party games and his mother and father together in the same home. Safe, secure.
Draco was suddenly ripped from his thoughts by bumping into something. Someone. Her cup of coffee had gone flying up in the air, the hot liquid landing over both of them. Her shopping bags were scattered around them, lying in the faint dusting of snow which had begun to fall only twenty minutes before.
"Merlin — I'm sorry!"
He couldn't believe she was apologising for his mistake. She was already scrabbling around on the floor picking up her fallen parcels. Her cream coat was stained with the spilt coffee.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention — let me buy you a new coffee."
"Thank you, that wou—"
She had finally stood up straight and seen who had collided with her. Her breath caught slightly and her large brown eyes became instantly wary. He felt his heart begin to race.
"It's fine. You don't have to. I need to — I need to get going."
Ginny Weasley tried to turn but Draco put his hand out and touched her arm before she could escape.
"Please, Ginny, let me buy you a drink."
She froze for a minute then slowly made eye contact with the man before her. He looked so different from the last time she'd seen him but it was unmistakably him.
"Okay. But I do have to go soon."
They walked in silence to the Kismet Cafe (a new addition to the Hogsmeade high street).
"Take a seat, I'll bring it over."
Ginny looked like she'd have liked to protest this; ask for a coffee to go so she could carry on with her Christmas Eve without ghosts of the past haunting her. But, in the end, she walked to a table by the fire, set down her bags and took off her coat so she could begin the necessary cleaning spells to syphon off the residue of her previous drink.
He looked over at her, watching her performing the complicated little waves of her wand. Her hair had grown long and fell in slightly damp waves around her shoulders, the different reds catching in the glow from the fire. She was pale, as always, tall and slim. She was dressed simply in a deep green turtleneck jumper and tight black jeans. She was seventeen now, he recalled, it had been her birthday back in August.
—
He set down a tray on the low, wooden table between the two seats; black coffee for her, mint tea for him and a slice of chocolate cake with two forks beside it.
"I didn't know if you were hungry."
He looked at her, a small smile on his lips.
Ginny picked up the mug of coffee and felt her cold fingers slowly come back to life. She wasn't sure what to say. She knew she would bump into him at sometime or another but somehow she hadn't expected it to be so soon.
"Thank you."
"How - how have you been?"
He knew this was a stupid question. What did he expect her to say? Oh, great, brilliant, having the time of life picking up the pieces of my family and all those I hold dear.
Another thought, petulant and jealous, sprung into his mind too: Was she with Potter now?
"Better, more recently. It's been…difficult but things are feeling sort of positive again. Where have you been?"
Why did she ask? She knew where he'd been. She'd pestered her father and brothers for any news at the ministry. If they'd found it strange, they never mentioned it.
"France. With my mother. After the trials…well, I know we don't perhaps deserve much peace but it was too difficult watching her deal with everything after my father was sentenced."
Ginny nodded.
"I spoke to Harry about…about how you'd tried to help other students. He mentioned you could have revealed him to Bellatrix at the manor and how your mother…how she covered for him."
He stared at her, trying to discern her expression.
"I'm glad you and Narcissa were recognised for not — for not —"
"— not being entirely evil?" he supplied for her.
She blushed.
"You're not evil, Draco."
Her cheeks went an even deeper shade of red. For something to do she picked up a fork and dug into the cake.
He was remembering last Christmas, before the school emptied for the holidays. He had walked in on her in the kitchen, sitting crosslegged on the floor by the fire, fresh cuts still healing on her cheek from the Carrows. She had been eating chocolate cake.
He had been looking for a place to breathe. To cry. To escape. He'd just patched up a couple of small Ravenclaws and sworn them to secrecy; the rest of his gang, Snape and the Carrows could not find out he'd shown them mercy. He couldn't bear it if the news made it back to Voldemort as his parents would be sure to face the consequences.
He wasn't trying to be Saint Potter or anything like that but he hated what Hogwarts had become. He hated being the Death Eater's pet. He was Draco Malfoy, for fuck's sake, and Malfoys weren't bullied or belittled by anyone. So this became Draco's secret protest, this was how he kept control of his own life, his own actions. Small moments of defiance.
"Where did you disappear to?"
Draco came back to the moment, back to a Ginny who was a year older than the one in his thoughts. She was looking at him quizzically, a crumb of chocolate cake in the corner of her mouth.
"Sorry. Just…thinking."
Silence. Jazzy Christmas carols played in the background and there was a faint babble of excited chatter. Christmas was coming and everyone seemed to want to make this years bigger and brighter and happier than ever. He couldn't blame them.
"I feel awful that I didn't write to you. I wanted to but I didn't think you'd want to hear from me."
He felt himself turning red now. The truth was he hadn't written to her because he was afraid she'd have rejected him. Pushed him away now that she had her family back, now that she had Potter by her side. She didn't need him, didn't need his confidences, his tears. Didn't need him to hold her when she was falling apart.
"I…I would have liked to have heard from you. But I didn't write to you either. I didn't know what to say. I'm not sorry your father went to Azkaban so I didn't want to lie and say I was. But I am sorry for all the hatred you and your mother received. People wanted you both to be villains too but…well, it's far more complicated than that."
She was bitingly honest as always. He wasn't sure he was sorry his father had gone to prison. He was sorry for his mother, for the shame, but his father had done so much wrong in his lifetime that it was time he repented for that.
Ginny met his icy grey eyes. His hair looked awful that short but he was still handsome. He looked like he'd filled out a little.
She hesitated and then said, "I have thought about you though. A lot."
His breath caught in his throat.
"I — I think about you too. About those final months."
She smiled, tears pooling in her eyes that she quickly swiped away. The tender moment was over.
"Are you staying in England now?"
"Yes, Mother and I are thinking we'll come back properly in the new year."
"To live at the Manor?"
"Merlin, no. Can't stand the place anymore. Bloody awful. I want somewhere light; lots of windows and high ceilings and land."
"That sounds lovely."
"Are you going back to Hogwarts?"
"I don't think think so, perhaps a private tutor. I want to take my NEWTs next year."
Draco nodded.
"How are your family?"
"They're…getting there. We miss Fred like mad. Remus and Tonks too. Harry looks after their son, Teddy, but mum helps him. I think she likes having a baby around again."
His insides turned to lead.
"You see a lot of Potter now then?"
She noticed his icy tone.
"A little."
"Are you…together?"
He hadn't been able to help himself. He wanted to know.
"I'm not sure. I haven't much felt like having that discussion. But, I don't know if my heart is really in it anymore."
He felt a little of the tension leave his shoulders. Not that they were together. Not that they had ever been. It was none of his business but somehow the thought of her with Harry Potter made him feel sick.
"I should go really and join my family. Mum's got us all at the Burrow so we can wake up together Christmas morning."
"That sounds nice. I wanted to find something for my mother but I'm not really sure what I could get her. Everything feels a little hollow."
"I know what you mean. Buying all this stuff —" she gestured around her "— just seems daft. The things we want aren't really physical, material, things this year."
They lapsed into silence once more. He didn't want to say goodbye. He liked sitting here by the fire with Ginny. For a few intense weeks she had been a safe space for him, a source of strength that he had missed these past few months. But he knew she needed to go and that he would soon need to find his mother and return to the house they were renting in London.
Knowing she was lingering for his sake he took control of the situation and stood up, beginning to put his coat on.
"Come on, it's Christmas Eve. You have a family to see. And I have a present to buy."
She gathered up her belongings and stood up to face him. He realised again how tall she was, they were almost face to face. Lifting his hand to her lips he wiped away the little morsel of chocolate cake and her cheeks flushed pink. She leant into his touch, closing her eyes for a few beats.
He kissed her forehead softly, lingering a few seconds. She smelt of flowers.
"Merry Christmas, Draco, I'm glad you ran into me."
"Merry Christmas, Ginny."
"Can I…can I see you again?"
He nodded, elated, "send me an owl."
And, before she could change her mind, she disapparated out of there. She felt light headed and, despite the cloud of grief that was never too far away, Ginny felt a little giddy. She had assumed any feelings conjured all those months ago was simply the secretive, forbidden, desperate nature of their unlikely friendship but, perhaps, it had been something more.
—
Okay, so, this is for Ruhi in the DG Forum Christmas Fic exchange.
It's late, of course, because I am bloody awful at getting anything where it's supposed to be on time BUT I'm hoping the fact it won't just be a one shot makes up for this(?). This will end up being a little 4/5 parter.
I may try and keep it canon, disregarding the epilogue and Cursed Child, of course.
Ta x