~The grey ceiling on the earth
Well, it's lasted for a while
Take my thoughts for what they're worth
I've been acting like a child
In your opinion, and what is that?
It's just a different point of view...~

She sat, listening to the sounds of the night which surrounded her. She'd escaped the confines of her bedroom, the four walls seeming to close in around her a little more with each thought of him. It seemed that every thought, every feeling these days was simply Draco. She could no more escape the thoughts than she could ignore the fact that she was horribly, inexplicably without him in every sense. She'd pushed him away time and again, despite his desperate pleas and declarations of love. He'd stalked her all winter long, following her through the halls of Hogwarts, pulling her into empty classrooms and begging her to give him, them, a chance. Her fear of the unknown had always won out over any inkling of feelings that may have been beginning to stir within her. The many reasons that they shouldn't and couldn't do this became her constant mantra, reminding herself just as much as him why they were not destined in any way to be together.

With her back pressed up against an ancient oak tree in the garden, the moon bathing the Burrow in a beautiful silvery glow, she swiped absently at a strand of her copper-colored hair that was sticking to her face in the intense humidity. Those reasons not to be with him were circling over and over in her head now, taunting her and filling her with regret. It should matter that they were soon to find themselves on opposite sides of the biggest war in Wizarding history. It should matter that their families had held a great dislike for one another for centuries. It should matter that he was the enemy of her brother's best friend. And the list went on. It should matter, but it didn't... not anymore, she thought miserably. She wrapped her arms around herself, chilled to the core despite the summer heat. She thought about how, by spring, he'd nearly worn down her defenses, and she'd been on the verge of giving in to him completely. Then Harry had kissed her, that day in the common room after the Quidditch match, and she knew she couldn't do it. No matter how she tried to explain to him that she was with Harry now, that it was what everyone expected, and that she'd had feelings for him ever since she was a little girl, he refused to understand. The look in his beautiful, stormy grey eyes as he smiled sadly at her, cupped her cheek gently with his palm, kissed her lightly, and then walked away for good, was forever imprinted in her memory. Those eyes had haunted her dreams and nightmares nearly every night since.

How, how could she have been so stupid? That kiss, light and full of innocence, had contained more passion than any she'd ever shared with Harry. At Dumbledore's funeral, when Harry had left her, she was still clinging stubbornly to the notion that she'd done the right thing; she'd done what she had to do. Silent tears began to fall from her large brown eyes as she thought of how horribly wrong about everything she'd been. No matter how hard she'd tried to ignore it, no matter how much she'd tried to run from and deny it, she was in love with Draco Malfoy. And she had missed her chance to be with him.

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~What else can I do?
I said I'm sorry, yeah, I'm sorry...
I said I'm sorry, but what for?
If I hurt you, then I hate myself
Don't want to hate myself,
Don't want to hurt you
Why do you chew your pain?
If you only know how much I love you,
Love you...~


He flew on into the night, his thoughts only on his destination rather than what he would do or say once he reached it. He could no longer bear the pain of being away from her, his Ginny, the beautiful creature who had captured his heart. He'd tried his hardest all winter long to explain how he felt and to get her to give him just one chance, but she'd refused him every time. He knew she must be feeling whatever it was he'd begun to feel, that burning need to be with her, because he could see it in her eyes even when she tried to hide it. He knew now that that feeling was love, and he was no longer ashamed or afraid of it, as he'd been throughout the fall before he had gotten it together enough to approach her. Her fears and misgivings were something he understood, but try as he might, he could not convince her that they could get past it, together.

What he didn't understand was why in hell she was fighting it so hard, especially when the chemistry between them was so undeniable. It hung in the air as thick as a fog whenever they were near each other. And when they touched, like they had the day he'd walked away from her, he'd felt like an electric current was rushing through his veins. He knew she'd felt it too, he could sense it, feel it radiating from her in a way that laws of nature could not explain. The picture of her that remained in his mind's eye was of that last meeting they'd had, when she told him she was with Potter. After he'd caressed her cheek and just barely grazed her lips with his, he had turned to walk away, and he'd caught the briefest glimpse of unbearable pain etched into every line of her face. Her lower lip had trembled fiercely, and he'd never seen those beautiful brown eyes full of such sadness. Though he knew he'd fought for her as hard as he possibly could have, he couldn't help but feel as though he should have stayed that day and tried just a little bit harder. He'd analyzed that last moment together from every possible angle in the months that had followed, and he'd have given his very life just to keep her from feeling that pain.

Unable to bear the agony of being separated from her a moment longer, he'd grabbed his broom and begun to fly towards the Burrow. He couldn't explain why this night was the night, but he'd woken from a dream filled with her and known that he had to go her. He just hoped she'd stopped arguing with herself once and for all.

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~I won't be your winter
I won't be anyone's excuse to cry
We can be forgiven
I will be here~

She closed her eyes tightly, willing away the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her senses. Very quickly, she realized that this was a mistake, for the moment her eyelids fell closed, she was flooded with visions of him, of his perfect white-blond hair and fair skin. She'd never really admitted it to herself before, but she'd always thought he resembled a beautiful and tragic angel, those stormy eyes always full of more emotion than she could bear to take in at once. Letting out a sob that she desperately tried to choke back even as it left her lips, she forced her eyes open to rid herself of those god-like visions that haunted her. As soon as she did so, however, she knew she must be dreaming, for the sight that met her eyes was far too good to be true. She blinked rapidly, to reassure herself that she was really awake and that what she was seeing was correct. For, only a couple of yards from her, walking towards the tree under which she sat, was Draco; Draco, just as ethereal and gorgeous as she remembered him. As he met her gaze about six feet away, he froze in his tracks, his eyes never once flickering away from hers. She stood quickly and opened her mouth to speak, only to realize her voice had failed her. She licked her lips tentatively and tried once more, managing to whisper, "Draco?"

This seemed to be all he needed to break him from his trance, and as he began to run the remaining feet towards her, she ran forward as well, flinging herself into his arms as he hoarsely cried out, "Ginny."

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He landed in her backyard, stepping swiftly from his broom and letting it drop to the ground unnoticed. As his eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, a flash of something fiery red underneath an ancient oak tree caught his attention. There, sitting just yards away against the base of the tree was Ginny. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her appearance: the moonlight streaming down and illuminating that gorgeous coppery hair, her eyes squeezed shut tightly while tears gleamed like diamonds on her lashes. Unable to stop himself, he began striding towards her as quickly as possible. Suddenly, she let out a strangled sob and her eyes snapped open, immediately locking with his. He froze, rooted to the spot by the intensity he saw burning in those brown eyes he loved so well. She scrambled to her feet and opened her mouth, licking her lips when nothing came out, finally managing to whisper his name. That broke the spell she'd had him under, and he was running towards her. She met him halfway, and he cried out her name as he wrapped his arms firmly around her small, curvaceous frame.

They stayed like that for a while, locked in each other's embrace and staring intently into one another's eyes, until Ginny finally reached up to run her fingers through his hair.

"I never thought I'd see you again, I was sure I'd messed everything up, I-” she began in a breathy voice.

"You could never mess this up, Ginny. No matter what happens, I'll always find you,” Draco whispered. And with that, their lips met in a sweet, soulful kiss filled with all that they needed to say to one another.

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~The old picture on the shelf
Well, it's been there for a while
A frozen image of ourselves
We are acting like a child
Innocent and in a trance
A dance that lasted for a while

You read my eyes just like your diary,
oh remember, please remember
Well, I'm not a beggar, but what's more
If I hurt you, then I hate myself,
Don't wanna hurt you
Why do you chew your pain?
If you only knew how much I love you~

Sunlight streamed through the window of their bedroom, waking Ginny up and causing her to smile as she sat up in bed and stretched. She looked at the man asleep next to her, a blissfully serene look on his face, and her heart melted. I swear I fall in love with you all over again every time I look at you, she thought. Just then, Draco shifted in his sleep, and awoke to find her smiling down at him.

"Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, yawning. "Why can't I always wake up to you smiling at me like that?"

"Because then, Draco dear, you'd get sick of seeing me," Ginny teased, smoothing his blond locks off of his face.

"Get sick of seeing you? Never," he swore as he pulled her down for a slow, sweet kiss. Pulling away after some time, she rested her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms securely around her, tracing slow patterns up and down her back with his hands.

"Draco? I love you so much," she breathed into his neck, snuggling closer to him.

"I love you too, Ginny." He held her more tightly to him, knowing that whatever came their way, whatever forces tried to rip them apart, he would never let her go.

~I won't be your winter
I won't be anyone's excuse to cry
We can be forgiven
I will be here ~


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