For The Houses Competition Round 1, Year 3

Ravenclaw

6th year

Standard [Weather] Snow

Word count will be at end.

It was a chilly December evening when his aunt locked him outside of the house. It had begun snowing earlier that day, falling from the heavens like crumbs. The breeze carried the cold and snowflakes, causing the air to become colder.

This took place the week before Christmas and the night was colder than any other night the eight-year-old had been locked out in. His aunt had grabbed him by the arm and thrown him out the front door, barking, "We don't want to see nor hear you tonight so you'll stay out here." Then she had slammed the door and he heard the lock turning with a click.

He had stood there for a minute, just staring blankly at the door before he turned and made his way down the steps. Making his way off of the property and down the street, shivering at the cold that bit his nose and nipped at his fingers. His aunt hadn't given him his coat that he wore on the way to school and he knew she hadn't forgotten too; she just didn't want to, it seemed. His aunt usually never gave him his coat during the winter time but only did when someone told her that it was "too cold, he could get hypothermia and die from it".

The look on her face when anyone told her that makes him shiver; she looks like she would love it if that happened to him.

He made it to the park and made his way to the swing set, climbing onto a swing. He sat there, pushing himself forward gently as he tilted his head back and watched the snow fall.

He was used to the cold. Being left outside for nights at a time during the winter made him adapt to the cold, even though he still got cold and shivered. The snow would feel like a pillow underneath his head, his head sinking slowly into it that it would leave an indent when he woke up the next morning.

The snow also never hurt him like his relatives did. All it did was sway with the wind in a dance, fall to the ground in a waterfall of snowflakes, and crunche under your feet like chips when crunching the bag.

He was so into his thoughts that he never noticed someone sitting next to him.

"What're you doing out here all alone?"

He looked over and blinked at the older kid that was there, wearing a winter coat with a black beanie and a pair of cotton gloves. The older kid also wore snow boots that were covered in snow and dirt.

"My aunt locked me out," he finally replied.

"Oh, why?"

He was silent.

Then, "My aunt doesn't like me much."

The older kid nodded, pushing himself into a slow sway forward and backward. "I get it," he told him. "My step-mom doesn't like me much either. Not since she married my dad, that is."

"Did she lock you outside too?"

The older kid laughed. "No, I snuck out my window."

"Won't she notice that you're gone, though?"

"She probably will. But that won't be for a while." The older kid pushed himself to a stop and twisted in the swing to look at him. He held out a hand. "Oh, and my name's Daniel."

"I'm Harry," he said shyly, slipping his hand into the older's and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, Harry."

"You too, Daniel."

Harry turned away from Daniel and went back to looking up at the sky as he pushed himself slowly. He jumped when he felt a weight settle over his shoulders and he looked over, startled, to Daniel, who was giving him a sheepish smile.

"You looked like you were cold," he was told. "You're not wearing a coat and it's cold out."

Harry didn't reply but instead wrapped the coat tighter around himself. The coat covered his whole top body and fell off the back of the swing, almost touching the ground. The only thing Daniel could see was Harry's head, black locks and snow, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Daniel? What's so funny?"

"Nothing, kiddo. You feel warmer already?"

Harry nodded, glasses almost slipping off his face. "Much better. My fingers don't feel as cold and don't look as blue as they did earlier."

"Yeah, and you don't look as blue either."

They were silent, both of them swinging slowly side by side.

A few minutes had passed before Daniel pushed himself off the swing, dusting snow off of his clothes. "I should be heading home," he said to Harry.

Harry began to take off the coat to give it back to him when the older boy shook his head and told him, "Keep it for tonight. Just give it back to me when we run into each other again, okay?"

Harry nodded and gave him a small smile.

Daniel grinned, gave his head a ruffle, then began to walk off.

Harry wasn't cold for the rest of the night.

Several days later, Harry ran into Daniel walking on his way home. His aunt had picked Dudley like she always did and had then driven off as quick as she could, leaving him to walk home once again in the snow.

The older boy had been walking with another boy, the two chatting about something, when Harry had spotted him.

"Daniel!" he had called, running up to them. The coat was in his hands and when he made it to them, he held it out for the older boy to take. "Here's your coat back."

Daniel took it back and grinned. "Thanks, kiddo." Then, with a look to his friend, he placed the coat on Harry's shoulders and told him, "I want you to keep it, kiddo, so you aren't as cold."

"But—" Harry began.

"No buts, kiddo. Keep it."

Daniel ruffled his hair then and began to walk away, the other boy following behind him. Harry turned to stare after them, the coat still in his hands.

He looked down at it and smiled slightly.

[word count: 1015]