1Ginny Weasley absolutely adored snow. Winter was her favorite season, and she eagerly awaited the first day of snowfall every year. It was her fourth year at Hogwarts, on a Saturday in early December, when the long-expected day arrived. Ginny woke up to find the grounds blanketed in white. Even better, it was the weekend, so there were no classes to sit through before she could go outside to play, so to speak. She bounded out of bed, ignoring the other girls who were still sleeping, and dressed warmly before skipping out of the Gryffindor common room. She did not notice the three seventh-years sitting by the fireplace, but they most assuredly noticed her, and dressed to follow.
Ginny was barely out of the castle before she felt something hit her square in the small of her back. It made a wet crunching noise. She half-turned and ended up with an earful of snow. Boyish laughter echoed behind her from a pair of redheaded rascals she knew all too well. Ginny spotted a dark flash sprinting away from the twins, coming around in a half-circle to meet her, but before she could move he was by her side and she heard his voice in her ear: "I'd say two on two is a bit fairer, don't you think, Gin?" The boy with dreadlocks flashed her a grin. Ginny smiled back gratefully and followed Lee's example as he bent down to gather snow while Fred and George were still occupied with their mirth.
Splat. Fred's laughter died on his lips as he brushed snow from his chest, and George, wondering why his brother had quieted, followed his gaze to the pair about six meters away.
"This means WAR!" Fred cried, and scooped up a handful of snow. Ginny shrieked and dodged Fred's frigid missile, falling backwards. Lee dropped the snow he had been holding and caught Ginny. She looked up and said a quick thanks as he steadied her. As soon as she was back on her feet she lobbed a snowball at Fred, who caught it full in the face. Ginny Weasley wasn't a Gryffindor Chaser for nothing, after all.
Although he was the only one present who was NOT on the Quidditch team, Lee was holding his own admirably. His speed was impressive, although his accuracy could be much improved. George was shielding his face and attempting to evade Lee's barrage of projectiles, barely managing an offensive throw at all.
Lee paused to rewrap his scarf to further protect his neck, and George took advantage of the opportunity. A snowball in each hand, he tossed the first at Lee, who jumped behind Ginny to avoid it. The second came flying at Ginny, who turned to deflect it on her side. She lost her balance again, but this time she wasn't so lucky, and tumbled over on top of Lee.
Fred and George were crowing triumphantly in the background, high-fiving each other and pumping their fists in the air over their victory. Lee and Ginny, lying on the ground, barely heard them.
Ginny's heart beat faster and her face was flushed. Her breath came in puffs from the cold, and she looked mildly surprised at what had just happened, though not entirely unhappy. Lee's dark eyes stared into hers, and he raised his eyebrows as he brought his arms up to keep her there. She leaned towards him, closing her eyes and unconsciously tilting her head to the side . . .
Their lips met, and suddenly Ginny wasn't remotely cold anymore. Blood surged through her veins like liquid fire. Lee traced her lips with the tip of his tongue, and she was only too happy to let him in. Lee didn't really think about the fact that he was kissing his best friends' younger sister, or that said friends were standing just a few meters away, and that they most likely would be coming to interrupt in a moment or so. Right now, he had all the moments he needed, and Lee was quite content to kiss Ginny Weasley in the snow. In fact, he made up his mind to kiss her again sometime, if she'd let him.
Ginny had lost her mittens somewhere along the way, and presently twined her slender hands in Lee's dreadlocks. She felt the gentle pressure of his own hands playing up and down her spine, which made her feel quite tingly. She had never been kissed so sweetly before, never by Michael Corner. He had never invoked such a feeling of heat and wonder, innocence and insanity. She decided she definitely wanted to do this again soon.
Fred and George had suddenly realized their victory had gone unnoticed, and decided to find out what exactly was going on. They glanced over at the figures on the ground and were fairly shocked at what they discovered.
"Bloody hell!" George yelped, at the exact time Fred bellowed, "What do you think you're doing?" The latter's face was turning a peculiar shade of purple.
Ginny broke the kiss and pulled Lee to his feet. The two of them dashed away towards the castle, laughing, with their hands joined.
George, who seemed to recovered more quickly than his twin, shrugged and said quietly, "At least it wasn't Draco Malfoy." Fred nodded reluctantly and followed George to breakfast.