Written For:
Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments: Religious Education: Forms of Worship (Task 5 Sermons - write about four or more people meeting somewhere.), Assignment 9, Gryffindor
The Houses Competition: Gryffindor, Drabble, Year 1, [First Line] The water was ice cold, refreshing on a hot summer day.
Word Count: 446
The water was ice cold, refreshing on a hot summer day. Rose made a point of splashing James as she walked in, grinning as his glasses fell into the sapphire lake.
"You just," Hugo declared, an expression of grand importance plastered upon his face, "Don't like that James got that Quaffle past you."
Rose scowled. She most definitely did not like that James had beaten her, and she liked even less that Hugo was rubbing it in her face. "You just don't like that everyone beat you, Hugo!"
But there was little bark to her bite, and Rose knew it. And before her little brother had a chance to respond, something tugged at the top of her frilly purple bathing suit…
...and for a split second she was under, and then she resurfaced, shrieking with laughter. "Jamie!"
"ROSE!" Albus, his hair uncharacteristically flat from being soaked, waved his arms at her, further from the shore. "Merlin! Come out here! Teddy's teaching me all these tricks!"
And sure enough, Teddy Lupin was bobbing next to Albus, his hair as green as Albus's eyes.
"Me too!" Lily grabbed Rose's hand, waddling furiously. "Let's go, Rose. Do you think we might drown?"
Rose smiled warmly at the eight-year-old. How her cousin could be so sweet when her brother was so annoying, Rose would never know…
...not that Hugo was truly annoying. But girl power and all that.
"I don't think we'll drown, Lily. It's not a deep lake. And mum and dad and your mummy and daddy too are all on that island!" To point, she splashed in the direction of the island, which hovered above the water and moved wherever the four adults - and sometimes Teddy - pleased. Amused, Rose noticed that they steered it clear of the children.
"Are you sure?"
Scrunching her eyes, Rose pretended to ponder. "Yup!" But only if you splash James with me!
And then the battle was on. James shrieked as the girls ganged up on him, and Albus shouted, exasperated that Rose wasn't joining him, and Lily's peals of laughter drowned out both of them.
Harry rolled onto his back, relaxing as the sun beat down. "It was a good decision. To meet here."
"You were right, Ronald." Next to him, Hermione's contented murmur was barely audible. "We needed a break."
Ron and Ginny watched the children, identical smiles in their eyes. Then Ginny spoke. "I just wish -"
Her brother put his arm around her, and squeezed her shoulder. "I know, Gin. But they're happy. We can be too, you know."
And they were. Years of happiness stretched behind and ahead, clear as the water below, and powerful as the hot sun.