TW: Angst, grief, mentions MCD

This one's a bit angsty I'm afraid, but there's still plenty of 'cute' in it and I promise the next one will be more fluffy again.

ooo

"You know what I'm going to say, right?" Ginny exclaimed the second she spotted him; her fiery hair billowing behind her as she rushed down the last few steps of the grand staircase that lead into the entrance hall. She came to a skidding halt in front of him, cheeks flushed with excitement and eyes shining like amber, as she bit her lips to hide a brilliant smile.

Ignoring the way his heart skipped several beats, he pulled his face into a reluctant grimace and nodded. "We're going out, aren't we?"

"Of course, we are!" Ginny confirmed, practically bouncing on the spot.

Greg let out a deep sigh. He had expected as much. After three whole weeks of dismally grey days and multiple thunderstorms, the weather had finally turned and the habitants of Hogwarts had woken that morning to find the entire school covered in a thick blanket of pristine, fluffy snow.

Suppressing a chuckle at her childlike glee, he rolled his eyes at Ginny, but didn't protest when she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the giant doors that lead out into the Hogwarts grounds.

Squealing with delight, Ginny ran a few steps ahead, and Greg couldn't help but marvel at the energy that was radiating off her. He knew that the witch could be serious and mature when needed. She was also incredibly strong and loyal, and always took life in stride; but it was her ability to enjoy the little things in life that he admired the most about her. Those moments when she spontaneously burst out laughing, her little squeals when she got excited, and those adorable little dances she did when she was happy.

He had always known the Weasley family to be a lively and energetic bunch, much to the contrast of everyone he had grown up with, but he truly thought that Ginny outshone them all.

"Look!" she breathed, coming to a sudden halt and staring down the steep descent that led down to the Black Lake. "It's beautiful!"

She was right. The view was breath-taking: layers and layers of featherlight snow, covering the grass and dusting the trees. It made everything look soft and cosy, like a bed of velvety clouds; and every now and again, when the light hit just at the right angle, everything around them lit up, - like a sea of diamonds glittering in the sun.

They began to walk, the snow crunching noisily under their feet, and Greg couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Over the past month and half, he had spent a fair amount of time alone with Ginny, but something about meeting up like this, in public, where everyone could see them, felt different.

It didn't take long, however, for them to fall into a comfortable pace and he began to relax.

They had been walking for a while, happily chatting away, their noses red from the cold and fingers stiff and numb, when they suddenly heard a high-pitched shriek, followed by and angry yell, coming from the direction of the greenhouses.

Exchanging a worried look, they both pulled out their wands and hurried towards the source of the noise; but came to an abrupt halt, when a round object shot past them and only nearly missed Greg's left shoulder.

Heart thudding, he looked around for the attacker, when he finally realised what they had walked into and huffed out a relieved laugh. – The round object had been a snowball, and the source of the noise was a group of fourth years having a rather heated snowball fight.

Greg turned to grin at Ginny, but instantly dropped his smile when he spotted her face. The redhead was staring at the group of teenagers as if she had fallen into a trance-like state; eyes rimmed with red and mouth slightly agape, as she took a step back and began to shake her head.

"Ginny?" His stomach twisted with fear, as he gave the witch a gentle nudge. "Hey, what's up?"

She didn't react, so he nudged her again. "Come on, let's go."

It was then, that she seemed to snap out of it and shook her head, her expression morphing into something wild and terrifying, that was so alarming that he took a step back.

"They can't do this." She breathed, a look of desperate fury in her eyes, before she turned towards the younger students and began to shout "OI! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Brandishing her wand, she took several angry strides towards them. "I SAID YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

The students froze as soon as they noticed Ginny approach, instantly dropping the snowballs in their hands, but Ginny didn't let off.

"HOW DARE YOU?" she seethed, magic crackling ominously at the tip of her wand. "HOW DARE YOU PLAY IN THE SNOW WHEN –"

"Ginny!" Gregory called, running to catch up with her. It took all but two seconds for him to reach her, and he quickly turned around and stood in front of her, using his body to block her from view. "Ginny, stop!" he murmured. "They aren't doing anything wrong."

But Ginny only shook her head; fury glittering in her eyes, as she tried to push him aside.

"Hey!" he huffed, digging his heels into the ground. "Stop it. Ginny, look at me. You need to calm down."

It took Greg's full strength and body weight to fight against the struggling witch, but he refused to budge. It was only when he put both of his hands on her shoulders and began to shake her lightly, that she seemed to snap out of her rage and finally met his gaze.

"They are just playing, okay?" He said, trying for a soothing tone. "They didn't mean nay harm."

Chest heaving, she stared at him for several long seconds, a myriad of emotions playing out on her face, before she gave him a curt nod, whirled around and walked off without another word.

Letting out a deep sigh, Greg cast the group of teenagers an apologetic look and went after her.

It didn't take long for him to find her on the main bridge that led into Hogwarts, leaning far over the stone balustrade and staring blankly at the river below. She didn't look up when he walked up beside her, but the fact that she wasn't trying to run off again felt slightly encouraging.

Feeling a little helpless, he cast her a quick sideways glance in the hope that she would prompt him of what to do next. He had never been good with emotions and he didn't know whether he should try and say something, or if it was best to give her some space and let her come around in her own time.

"My brother…" She began after a long pause, her gaze firmly trained at the valley below. "Uhm… Fred." The name was nothing but a breathy whisper, and still her face contorted as if saying it caused her a tremendous amount of pain. She sucked in a stuttering breath before she continued "He…uhm… he loved the snow. Always has. Every year, when the first snow came, he would wake us all up at the crack of dawn and drag us out for a walk." She let out a small sniffle, but when she carried on there was a slight tremor of amusement in her voice. "His speciality was hexing snowballs and making them whizz around in the air like rogue Bludgers." She huffed out a shaky laugh. "It never failed to start a snowball fight."

Greg felt his lips pull into a little smile, as an amused snort escaped from his throat. He had never known Fred Weasley personally, but he had heard plenty of stories about the pranks he used to pull with his twin brother. Hearing that he was the king of snowball fights felt perfectly in character for the late prankster.

At the sound of his chuckle, Ginny looked up, eyes briefly lighting up with mirth, as she returned his smile with one of her own. But then her face fell again and her eyes grew dark. "I don't know what happened, but when I saw those children play in the snow it… it all came back to me and I just …snapped."

She looked up at him, her gentle features contorted with a mixture of guilt and pain, and for a moment she looked so small, so vulnerable, that he couldn't help himself; - he threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Ginny let out a shuddering gasp, before she sank into his embrace and leaned her forehead against his chest.

They stood like that for a long while, his hand rubbing soothing circles across her back, as he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo. He didn't really know what to say, but he hoped that his embrace would at least partially convey how sorry he was for her loss.

It was Ginny who pulled back first, a deep sigh falling from her lips, before she cleared her throat and straightened her coat. "Thanks." She said, a sheepish expression on her face. "I think I needed that."

"Any time." Greg returned, offering her a friendly smile, before adding a playful "Now, what do you say? Shall we go back inside and warm up… before I freeze my bloody balls off out here?

Ginny laughed, and in that moment, he thought it was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard.

Grinning wildly, Ginny linked her arm with his and began to pull him back towards the castle. "Well we can't have that, can we?" she said, lips pulled into a cheeky smile, before adding. "What do you reckon are the chances that Finty will make us a cup of hot cocoa to warm us up?"

"Good, I'd say." Greg said, a smug smirk on his lips. "That elf likes me."

"Hmm, she does." Ginny agreed. "You never know, she might even throw in a couple of mince pies if we ask nicely."

And with that, Greg let her lead him back to the castle, a small smile on his lips and a flurry of butterflies in his stomach.