Okay, so it hadn’t been the best Christmas ever. Then again, were his Christmases really ever good? He had everything he could ever want, so there was really no point in his family buying him anything else. All he received from his parents these days was a significant monetary increase in his Gringotts account… But could money buy happiness? Could money buy love? He wondered if Ginny had opened his gift yet. Had she liked it? When would she wear them? Would she even wear them? He knew that she went skating after lunch nearly every day and hoped that today wouldn’t be an exception.
~*~*~*~*~
Sure enough two hours later he watched as his favorite little Weasel wandered out of the Castle. He observed her closely and saw, to his great surprise and joy that she was smiling. She had a look of determination on her face as she marched towards to Great Lake. He smiled at her from his third story window, knowing that she was unable see him bathing in the joy that the smile on her face had given him.
~*~*~*~*~
Far down on the ground below him, Ginny sat down on the cold, wet snow. Taking a deep breath she reached for the white box. She lifted back the lid and paused in thought for a moment. Should she wear them? Excitement overtook her again, and as a feeling of giddiness spread through her, she reached for the first white boot. She had never received anything in her life that had obviously cost so much money. The thought of the secret person that she didn’t know intrigued her. She pulled the boot on her foot and tying it up, she wriggled her toes around a little. Well, whoever had bought it for her had definitely been watching her closely; it was a perfect fit. This scared her a little, but she tried to keep thoughts of the Riddle Diary out of her head as she reached for the other boot.
~*~*~*~*~
He watched her as she strapped on her new skates and admired the way they glinted in the afternoon sun. He watched carefully as she slipped onto the ice and he sat down in preparation to watch her usual warm up routine. But it didn’t come. Instead, he saw her make her way to the far corner of the lake. His face creased in confusion as he watched her begin to skate in what looked like a ‘T’ formation. He was even more confused when shortly after he saw her do an ‘H’. Then slowly it came to him. She was writing on the ice. They were wobbly letters, and the K was backwards, but down below him on the clean ice of the Great Lake he could read an unmistakable ‘THANK YOU’. He now understood the look of determination on her pale face and the smile that he had never seen before and it struck him that she knew that her gift-giver had been watching her.
He saw her sit down beside her message and wait. He wanted so much to go down there and tell her that he loved her, but how could he? Would it be okay if he just went down and spoke to her? Yes that would be alright. He thought about it for a while. He was frightened about how she would react. If she scrunched her nose and looked at him in distaste, he would be not only embarrassed, but heart broken. But then again, what if she liked him too? No, that could never be the case. She hated him. His dad had nearly killed her in her first year of school, for crying out loud! But this was his last year of school. This would be the last time he would get the chance, and if you couldn’t tell the truth at Christmas, then when could you? He slowly rose to his feet, his mind made up. He grabbed his winter cloak and whisked it across his shoulders as he exited his room.
~*~*~*~*~
She waited for fifteen minutes before she clambered to her feet again. Hoping that her present giver had seen the message, she began to skate her usual warm up. She was so involved in her skating that she hadn’t realized that someone had approached the ice and was watching her. She finished her last spin and she was about to begin her next routine, when she caught a glimpse of yellowish white along the edge of the Great Lake. Reeling with shock, she missed her next jump and landed sprawling across the cold ice.
~*~*~*~*~
He had been watching her for about ten minutes before she noticed him. She had turned around to begin her next routine and he saw the look of shock on her face. Then, without warning, he saw her miss her jump and collapse onto the ice. Without thinking, he ran towards her, and forgetting that ice was slippery, tried to run across it. His feet slipped out from beneath him, and before he knew what was happening, he had landed in a small heap about a meter away from her.
~*~*~*~*~
Quickly she pulled herself to her feet and skated over to him.
“Do you need some help there?” she asked, biting her lip nervously.
“Um,” he cursed himself, Malfoys never said “um”. “Yeah, that would be great.”
He brushed his hand through his pale blonde hair before taking the proffered pale blue, mitten clad hand.
“Thanks,” he replied.
“Why were you watching me?” she asked him gently.
“You are very talented.”
“Thank you,” she said as a slight blush tinted her cheeks.
Draco noticed her blush and thought for a moment before saying, “Nice boots.”
She stared at him before responding, “Yes, I got them today.”
“Present?”
“Yes.”
He lifted his head up and stared into her eyes. “Will you teach me to skate?”
Her eyes widened at his request.
~*~*~*~*~
Sure enough two hours later he watched as his favorite little Weasel wandered out of the Castle. He observed her closely and saw, to his great surprise and joy that she was smiling. She had a look of determination on her face as she marched towards to Great Lake. He smiled at her from his third story window, knowing that she was unable see him bathing in the joy that the smile on her face had given him.
~*~*~*~*~
Far down on the ground below him, Ginny sat down on the cold, wet snow. Taking a deep breath she reached for the white box. She lifted back the lid and paused in thought for a moment. Should she wear them? Excitement overtook her again, and as a feeling of giddiness spread through her, she reached for the first white boot. She had never received anything in her life that had obviously cost so much money. The thought of the secret person that she didn’t know intrigued her. She pulled the boot on her foot and tying it up, she wriggled her toes around a little. Well, whoever had bought it for her had definitely been watching her closely; it was a perfect fit. This scared her a little, but she tried to keep thoughts of the Riddle Diary out of her head as she reached for the other boot.
~*~*~*~*~
He watched her as she strapped on her new skates and admired the way they glinted in the afternoon sun. He watched carefully as she slipped onto the ice and he sat down in preparation to watch her usual warm up routine. But it didn’t come. Instead, he saw her make her way to the far corner of the lake. His face creased in confusion as he watched her begin to skate in what looked like a ‘T’ formation. He was even more confused when shortly after he saw her do an ‘H’. Then slowly it came to him. She was writing on the ice. They were wobbly letters, and the K was backwards, but down below him on the clean ice of the Great Lake he could read an unmistakable ‘THANK YOU’. He now understood the look of determination on her pale face and the smile that he had never seen before and it struck him that she knew that her gift-giver had been watching her.
He saw her sit down beside her message and wait. He wanted so much to go down there and tell her that he loved her, but how could he? Would it be okay if he just went down and spoke to her? Yes that would be alright. He thought about it for a while. He was frightened about how she would react. If she scrunched her nose and looked at him in distaste, he would be not only embarrassed, but heart broken. But then again, what if she liked him too? No, that could never be the case. She hated him. His dad had nearly killed her in her first year of school, for crying out loud! But this was his last year of school. This would be the last time he would get the chance, and if you couldn’t tell the truth at Christmas, then when could you? He slowly rose to his feet, his mind made up. He grabbed his winter cloak and whisked it across his shoulders as he exited his room.
~*~*~*~*~
She waited for fifteen minutes before she clambered to her feet again. Hoping that her present giver had seen the message, she began to skate her usual warm up. She was so involved in her skating that she hadn’t realized that someone had approached the ice and was watching her. She finished her last spin and she was about to begin her next routine, when she caught a glimpse of yellowish white along the edge of the Great Lake. Reeling with shock, she missed her next jump and landed sprawling across the cold ice.
~*~*~*~*~
He had been watching her for about ten minutes before she noticed him. She had turned around to begin her next routine and he saw the look of shock on her face. Then, without warning, he saw her miss her jump and collapse onto the ice. Without thinking, he ran towards her, and forgetting that ice was slippery, tried to run across it. His feet slipped out from beneath him, and before he knew what was happening, he had landed in a small heap about a meter away from her.
~*~*~*~*~
Quickly she pulled herself to her feet and skated over to him.
“Do you need some help there?” she asked, biting her lip nervously.
“Um,” he cursed himself, Malfoys never said “um”. “Yeah, that would be great.”
He brushed his hand through his pale blonde hair before taking the proffered pale blue, mitten clad hand.
“Thanks,” he replied.
“Why were you watching me?” she asked him gently.
“You are very talented.”
“Thank you,” she said as a slight blush tinted her cheeks.
Draco noticed her blush and thought for a moment before saying, “Nice boots.”
She stared at him before responding, “Yes, I got them today.”
“Present?”
“Yes.”
He lifted his head up and stared into her eyes. “Will you teach me to skate?”
Her eyes widened at his request.
Leave a Review