With Easter in Mind
A/N: Written for Pinky Green's "The Hunt" Easter challenge. Happy belated Easter to those who did celebrate.
Disclaimer: My birth certificate does not lie...it says I am not J.K. Rowling. So I guess I'll have to believe it until it says otherwise.
It was an unusually sunny day in March at Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students had gladly exited the castle to go outside for the first time in month and enjoy the warmth of the sun. When it got cold here at Hogwarts, students were smart enough to stay inside as it would be freezing outside. Leanne, a fourth year, was laying in the grass on her back, staring at the clouds above her. Her peaceful relaxation in the grass was interrupted by her friend Katie.
"Leanne, get up!" Katie exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Why should I, Katie? I'm having a nice enough time on the grass!"
"Because Leanne, you should be more social."
"Didn't we go through the whole 'I need more friends' talk last year?"
"Yes, but now we're going to put the talk into action. Besides, Fred and George are going to start an official Easter event of some sort today."
With pranksters like Fred and George planning a full scale event, Leanne felt every right to be nervous. She knew that they could do some pretty horrible things if left alone to plan. With the serial killer Sirius Black on the loose and out to kill, Leanne wished she could be less nervous.
"It's Easter already? But Easter isn't until April and it's March twenty-third!"
"Well, Easter came early this year."
Leanne was never good with dates and could never keep track of holidays. Besides, she never really celebrated Easter outside of small egg hunts with Katie, Alicia, Angelina, Fred, George and occasionally Oliver, if they were lucky at school.
"When did they say that?"
"This morning at breakfast. Didn't you hear?"
"No I didn't. That's why I'm asking."
"They must have planned really hard for this. And rumor has it Roger Davies will be there, so I'm positive this will be big."
Leanne felt her cheeks get hot at the mention of the Ravenclaw's name. She had a crush on Roger for the past six months. Leanne was the quieter type and it would be really painful if she admitted a secret like that to a guy.
Who ever said that if Roger went to a social event that it would be big? But this is Katie's logic, so it must be better if I don't ask about it.
"Leanne, come on, we've got to find Fred and George for the Easter celebration!"
Ten minutes later, Leanne, Katie and a little over a dozen kids had gathered around a platform in a part of the outdoor parts of Hogwarts Leanne never knew about.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Fred announced with great enthusiasm. He was on a platform so that all could see him. This had caught the attention of the students immediately.
"Welcome to the first annual Easter Egg Hunt of Hogwarts!" George finished. A small round of applause had followed.
"The rules are simple. Those who decide to participate will get into groups of two. The point of this hunt is to find as many decorated eggs as possible. Inside those eggs are small prizes, like chocolate or a small toy. The couple who finds an egg with a heavily decorated outside, a galleon, a knut and a sickle with lots of confetti inside is the couple that wins the game. We will know if you win because when you open the egg, there will be fireworks that go off to signal the winners." Fred explained with ease.
As soon as the red haired teen finished explaining the game, the small about of participants decided to pair up. Alicia had paired up with Katie, and Angelina paired up with a friendly looking Ravenclaw seventh year boy whose last name was, Leanne was positive, Collins. As the paired groups went off, a familiar person approached her.
"Leanne, would you like to partner up?" It was Roger who asked her. He was normally a very happy, excitable person but his normally beautiful blue eyes said otherwise. Roger seemed quieter than usual, but Leanne didn't dare to ask.
"Sure, let's go!" Leanne replied and grabbed the Ravenclaw's arm to go start the game.
"Isn't spring time so pretty?" Roger asked dreamily after fifteen minutes of looking for eggs. Leanne had found two eggs, while Roger had found three.
"Yes, it is. It's my favorite time of year, when it's warm and breezy." Leanne smiled as she answered.
A pause ensued. Leanne stopped for a moment to sit on the grass. Roger looked at her with a look that said What in the world are you doing? In reality, Leanne stopped to admire the blooming flowers. This time of year had always brought amazing plants to bloom and the Gryffindor girl always was happy to see them.
Roger picked a nearby magenta flower and handed it to the girl. Leanne smiled and blushed slightly in response. Out of nowhere, Roger kissed her lightly on the cheek. Leanne's face went red out of embarrassment.
Did I win the hunt? No, not even close. Did I have a good time? Sure did! Will I do this next year if Fred and George plan this? Oh yes, definitely. Is Roger absolutely the kindest guy I've ever met? Yes, no doubt about that.
She could care less about the winnings because Leanne felt like dancing in joy after the kiss.
Today ended up being very good, indeed.