Girl Who Survived: Book Two {Harry Potter: Order of Phoenix}

[Chapter Twenty One: Snowballs and Tempers]

Hermione ploughed her way back to Hagrid's cabin through two feet of snow on Sunday morning. Harry and Ron wanted to go with her, but their mountain of homework had reached an alarming height again, so they remained grudgingly in the common room. Being the good friend I was, as always, I remained behind, trying to ignore the gleeful shouts drifting up from the grounds outside, where students were enjoying themselves skating on the frozen lake, tobogganing and, worst of all, bewitching snowballs to zoom up to Gryffindor Tower and rap hard on the windows.

"Oi!" I bellowed, finally losing patience and sticking my head out of the window, "If I hear one more snowball I bash your f—!"

I ducked quickly as a snowball zoomed just over the top of my head. My hands rested on the window seal; I heard Ron yell, "OUCH!"

The snowball had narrowly missed me and pegged him in his face, which was now covered in snow.

I stood and peeked back out the window to see who it was. Below were two fiery-haired, mischievous-looking twins. They waved up at me enthusiastically, blowing kisses. I couldn't help but grin.

"It's Fred and George," I said to Ron, only partially turning around.

"Gits..." Ron muttered.

I turned fully back to the window and Fred cupped his hands over his mouth, "Come hang out with us!" He shouted. 

"I can't!" I shouted back, "I'm helping your brother!"

"Our brother is beyond helping!" said George, "Come on, just a few minutes!"

I glanced back to Ron and Harry who were looking up at me curiously. It was Harry who spoke first, "Honestly Ash, you help us all the time and you're not the one who procrastinates in homework."

"We'll be fine," said Ron, "I'll ask you to proof them later when you're not busy."

"Oh, I love you two!" I said, running over and placing kisses to their cheeks. Just before I left the room to dress for the cold weather, I noticed that each of their faces were bright red that reached all the way up to their ears.

I rushed up to the common rooms and dressed in thicker robes and put on gloves fit for snowy weather. I went as quick as I could before leaving Gryffindor Tower and out to where the twins were playing snowball.

I peeked around the corner to see The twins and Lee Jordan in a free-for-all snowball war. They probably thought I'd abandoned them to help Ron with homework.

They were, for the most part, abstaining from magic, only using their wands to make the perfect little balls of snow. 

I watched as George ducked down behind a tree and breathed heavily. He still hadn't seen me. I smiled mischievously to myself before using my wand to make several snow-balls and pelt them his direction. George was totally caught off guard. 

Snow slid down his pretty, slightly freckled face and he looked around before his eyes met mine, "Ash, love! You made it!"

At the sound of my name, Fred and Lee looked up at me happily. I emerged from around the corner and smiled at them sweetly before hugging them all in turn.

"So how are we gonna do this? Free for all—?" I cut George off by another snowball to his face. He shot me a playful glare and readied himself a snowball, in a very low voice he said, "Run."

The fluffy snowball zoomed toward my face and I shrieked. Fred seized me by the shoulders and pulled me out of line of fire before it could hit me; it smacked Lee in the face instead.

"I'll protect you!" Fred cried, shoving me in the opposite direction. I stumbled across the thick snow, giggling as I went.

"Teams it is!" Lee laughed behind us.