Chapter 12: Winter Wonderland

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.

Many thanks and hugs go to VIVAvivacious for beta-ing this chapter.

--

Canada was a winter wonderland. The snow fell thick, and even with the frosted white everywhere, the Niagara Falls continued to flow over into the abyss. The water was one of the most constant things ever. Ginny liked things that were constant, but the last three days had been the opposite to the definition of the word. The only thing that had remained constant besides the water was that she had been having a wonderful time with Draco, Sarah, and the tall, brunette New Yorker man, Jake. She thought he was nice, and he seemed to be rather taken with the bubbly, silver-haired Sarah.

The falls had been amazing, and it was the last day there before they moved on to Alaska for the last three days of the tour. Ginny had never felt better about taking a holiday before, and this had definitely been the best one ever. She was ready to move on and let go. She was ready to take a chance with Draco; as long as he wanted her, she was his.

Besides, the silvery-blonde hair was dead sexy.

She watched him from across the dinner hall with the other boys who had decided to go on the little excursion with them and smiled when she caught his eye. Draco felt his heart do a back flip when she smiled at him that way. She was an angel. He had been walking a long, hard road of guilt until that fateful night when they had first arrived in New York. That was almost two weeks ago. It was the ninth day of Christmas, and he had yet to see that she got her figurine of the lady dancing.

It was just like the rhyme said: nine ladies dancing. If only he knew whether she liked them or not. He watched as she stood from her place at the bar and made her way over to where Sarah and the other ladies were sitting. They only had the night left in Canada, as it was already lunchtime.

He was almost glad to have the company of Sarah's new beau, Jake, just so he would get bored when Ginny was not with him.

'Are you all there, man?' Jake asked from beside him.

'Yes, right. I just got distracted for a little while,' he replied as neutrally as he could, but if anyone were to see what he stared at, it wouldn't take long for them to figure out just what had captured his fancy.

Jake chanced a look over to where his eyes were focused, and he laughed a little. 'You're really into that girl, aren't you?' he asked jovially.

'Damned straight,' he returned intensely.

'Hey man, I don't blame you. She's a nice girl, but I think I am just as happy,' he said with a smile, looking pointedly at Sarah. 'I've always had a thing for British girls.'

Draco smirked. 'Sarah's lovely, too. I can tell that, and I only just met her on this trip,' he said appraisingly. 'You'll be good for her. I hated letting her feel like a third wheel with Ginny and me. Sometimes I got the feeling she was a bit uncomfortable.'

'Do you think it might be too early to convince her to move here and live with me?' Jake asked seriously.

Draco looked over at the eccentric, bubbly woman and shook his head. 'Nothing would be too early for that girl. She said herself if she had a good reason to live here, she would. I think she would do it for you in a heartbeat,' Draco replied honestly. 'Just treat her right, and be yourself.'

'She's one of those girls, huh? Well, I think I might ask her tomorrow. I'll be going with you guys to Alaska, so I might give it some thought,' Jake said, smiling. 'Thanks for your advice, man.'

'Hey, no problem.'

Draco smiled inwardly when he thought what it might be like to live with Ginny, to settle down with her, to be married to her, and to have a family with her. The thought made him grow warm, so he got up and went to the bar door, throwing on his coat before he went out into the winter cold. The gust of freezing air hit him hard as he walked out, and he soon found himself walking toward an old bridge with a footpath crossing reaching over a smaller river linked to the one fuelling the falls.

He leaned against it and wrapped his arms around himself for warmth before staring out absently, trying to clear his mind. What if he did want to live with Ginny, and marry her, and father her children? He had never wanted that kind of relationship with a woman before, but with Ginny, the prospect seemed deliciously tempting. She definitely had the kind of face he would love to wake up to.

Sighing, he closed his eyes against the wind so he could listen to the distant slap of the waterfall. Ginny would never want that with him, if she even wanted that sort of thing at all. She was too independent and liked the freedom she had. He had known that about her when they got to know each other in New York. But maybe, just maybe, it was worth a try anyway.

He could start off slow and ask her to come live with him, beg her, tell her she needed to, tell her he wouldn't be able to get out of bed in the morning if he couldn't wake up to her radiant, glowing face. And it would be true. If he couldn't do that when they returned, he would crumble back into the mess he was before this trip had straightened him out. And it was all because of her.

'Draco?' asked an inquisitive female voice from nearby.

Draco opened his eyes and turned quickly to see a shock of fiery red hair and the smiling face he found beautiful beyond that of the woman of his dreams. He held a hand out to Ginny, and she went to him, stepping into the warm circle of his arms and snuggling into his chest. Her hands found their way inside his jacket, and he gasped when the coldness of her hands seeped through the thick fabric of his long-sleeved shirt inside.

'Gods, Ginny, your hands are freezing,' he said, hugging around her and pulling her flush against him.

She giggled a little and smiled into his chest, breathing in deeply the scent of his cologne, letting it fill her senses. She could definitely wake up to that scent any day of the week. Ginny knew it was early, but she would willingly wake up in his arms every morning then and could fall asleep like that every night. A shiver ran down her back at the thought, which led to others. Oddly enough, she could imagine a life with him, even after they left this fantasy holiday they were on.

She could see herself as his wife, a Malfoy, the mother of his children, the woman he woke up next to and shared his innermost thoughts and desires with. But, she knew she shouldn't be so wistful. This was just a holiday fling, and he would most likely get over this stage he was going through and head back to England with a clean slate and a million other witches to date.

'Ginny, I have something important to ask you, and I know it is early, but I need to do it soon,' he said from outside of her mind's ramblings.

She pulled back slightly with a confused expression but still kept her hands inside his coat, wrapped firmly around his waist. That was a good start, he supposed. 'What is it, Draco?' she asked, anxious for him to make her or break her.

He looked down at her face, nervous as to whether this wonderful, exciting witch would make him or break him, and took a deep breath to start. 'I – that is, we haven't known each other as we do now for very long, but I do believe in love at first sight,' he started honestly. 'I knew from the moment I saw you in New York I loved you, and I couldn't live another day without you in my life. I want you to come and live with me, in Malfoy Manor.'

She sucked in a breath of relief and almost sighed before smiling. 'Are you asking me to just live with you, or to marry you?' she asked hesitantly.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear and kissed her neck gently. 'Both, if you'd like, but if you don't want to get married, I'd understand,' he replied smoothly.

She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. 'I don't think my family would approve of me living with a man I'm not married to,' she said.

He felt his heart sink. 'Oh...'

'– but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't object if I were to marry you,' she continued. 'I think it could be an interesting conversation when we get home, don't you?'

He smiled at that. 'Yes, very interesting, love.'

'Just imagine what Ron will say. And you'll have to come with me to see my parents when I tell them the news,' she joked playfully, looking up and gazing at his face adoringly. Leaning forwards, she brushed her lips over his in a chaste kiss. 'I love you too, Draco Malfoy.'

He smiled broadly at that and hugged her tight, picking her up and twirling her around a few times as he did. 'I love you, Ginny Weasley. And I will prove it to you any way you like,' he declared earnestly.

Ginny quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly and asked, 'Anything?'

'Anything,' he vowed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his neck just below his ear. 'Take me to bed, then,' she whispered in a low, seductive voice.

Draco didn't need to be told twice, and he hefted her easily into his arms before carrying her off towards their rooms, patient but still in a hurry to make her his own.

--

A/N – Yes, I realize you probably weren't expecting another Ginny/Draco chapter, but you will be glad to know that the remaining chapters are all about Hermione and Snape.