Wizards In Winter

A/N: Title is taken from the music by the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

This is a Harry/Hermione story taking place in sixth year.

JKRowling owns the characters and settings. I only play in her sandbox and make no money from this.

A/N 2: Anonymous reviews note: If you review anonymously, even though it's a good review, you risk being blocked and removed. I will allow the 3 that have been posted so far, but really, folks, don't review anonymously. It's irritating to an author to not being able to respond.

Chapter 2: The Winter Wizard

As January passed into February and March, the weather started to thaw. The winter had one last surprise however. Before March ended, a heavy blanket of snow covered the area. Trips to the greenhouses were cancelled as the snow was too deep to traverse the short distance from the castle. It would be days before Hagrid could clear a path. Quidditch practices were also cancelled and the castle corridors were a chilly place. As the snow continued to pile up, the days got progressively colder. Students took to casting warming spells on their clothing and Hermione wore warm gloves inside until they reached the classrooms. The dungeons were always cold and Professor Slughorn taught all the students a general warming spell that they carefully cast at the cold stone walls. It helped, but had to be cast for every class and wore off before the end of the lesson. Potions were difficult to brew under these conditions and although Harry was using the Half Blood Prince potions book, (which Hermione thoroughly disapproved), his potions were only marginally better than hers.

The snow had now reached several feet deep and there was no end in sight. As soon as Hagrid cleared a path, it would fill with new snow. Soon, the only contact with the outside world was by floo. Even the owls were grounded. Harry and Hermione visited Hedwig everyday to check that she was okay. Hedwig was in her element, however. The other owls were a sorry lot to see, but Hedwig thrived. Of course hunting was severely restricted, but she managed to catch enough field-mice that ventured out of their burrows. An occasional ferret also became dinner and the other owls envied their snowy friend. The house elves took to providing food for the resident owls, but Hedwig provided for herself.

Harry, oddly enough, relished the snow. He had never seen this much snow in Little Whinging. Winter was a time of dreary rain and leaden skies. If he saw the sun more than a day in succession, it was an unusual gift. Hermione usually went skiing over the winter holidays except this year and was used to the snow; although, this was a bit much, even for her. Harry paid more attention to Hermione than he had in previous years, but that was to be expected as their relationship developed. Hand holding between classes and snogging in a quiet corner of the library as they researched and studied together, and infrequent trips to the Room of Requirement became their favourite venues. Harry had finally figured out what the Headmaster wanted from Professor Slughorn. Tom Riddle had enquired about Horcruxes and how to make them. Evidently seven was considered a magical number and the teens were horrified at the magnitude of the problem that faced Harry. Two were already destroyed and the Headmaster had located a possible site for a third. Harry was to accompany him once the snow relented and melted enough for a foray to the location Dumbledore suspected.

Malfoy was annoying as usual, but Harry could never catch him doing anything illegal. One day while walking with Hermione, Draco decided to be more than annoying. "Well well well, if it isn't scar-head and his mudblood whore."

Incensed at the blatant insult, Harry whipped around and confronted Draco. In a dangerous voice, he warned. "I suggest you apologize Malfoy. NOW!"

Draco was unmoved by the implied threat. "Or what? You'll go whining to McGonagall? You and your pathetic whore will be the first on the Dark Lord's list to be killed."

Waves of magic started to roll off Harry as Hermione sought to calm him. "Relax, Harry, he's just a pathetic blowhard."

"No, Hermione, he's finally gone too far." In the blink of an eye, far too fast for the eye to follow, Harry's wand was at Draco's throat. "Now, Malfoy, unless you'd like a visit to Madam Pomfrey for a prolonged stay, you'll apologize."

Before Harry could react, Draco had ducked to the side and pulled his wand. A curse on his lips; Harry's reaction was instinctual and he fired a new cure he'd found in his Half-Blood Prince potions book. "Sectumsempra!" A long deep cut struck Draco, slicing him from shoulder to navel. He dropped as if a puppet with its strings suddenly cut.

Hermione gasped in horror. "Harry, what have you done?"

"I-I was protecting you," he stuttered.

Professor Snape had appeared just as Harry had uttered the curse. "Potter, I'll have you expelled for this! Where did you learn this dark curse?"

Working quickly, he sealed the cut and prepared to levitate Malfoy to the Infirmary.

"Headmaster's office! NOW! I'll let Professor Dumbledore deal with this attempt at murder!"

Unable to answer, Harry made his way to the headmaster's office, followed by Hermione. He felt really badly for his actions. The curse was much worse than he'd imagined it would be.

Hermione remained silent, too horrified to speak. Finally, she clasped his hand in hers and tried to soothe him. "Relax, Harry, he tried to curse you. You were faster, It was obviously self defense. Merlin Harry, I've never seen you react so fast."

The hearing in the Headmaster's office was mercifully short. Harry received detention for a week and was banned from going to Hogsmede for the rest of term. Harry considered himself lucky, he could have been expelled or arrested. Hermione's testimony backed him up that Draco started it, but the fact remained that he'd cast a near lethal curse against a fellow student. Snape was livid, promising retribution after they left the office. "Watch your back, Potter. My Slytherins will not take kindly to this, and I may overlook anything that happens to you if I see it," he sneered.

Hermione was incensed. "That-that greasy GIT!" she stormed. He as much as admitted he'd encourage an attack on you."

"And you Hermione, they won't distinguish between us now. As you're always seen with me, you'll be as vulnerable as I am. We have to be aware of anyone approaching us; word will get out."

"Harry, my Grimoire has some spells that should protect us. I'll look into it again. I know a few of them, but I need to research a few more that I noticed while skimming the book. Meet me in the Room of Requirement in an hour. And Harry, watch your back. Word will travel fast."

"The same goes for you, Love. Use my cloak and I'll see you shortly."

Hermione furiously attacked her notes and the Grimoire, searching for just the right spells. Later, it would prove fortuitous as several sneak attacks were foiled when the curses and hexes bounced harmlessly off the pair. A few well placed tripping jinxes and other non lethal spells against the perpetrators discouraged the less able Slytherins. A couple of seventh year Slytherins were more persistent but were also stopped when Harry and Hermione teamed up to hex them thoroughly, which resulted in a short stay in the Hospital Wing for the perpetrators. Still, the odd curse was sent their way from the shadows, but they were prepared.

As the days dragged on, Harry became increasingly agitated and restless. Hermione was worried. Nothing she'd discovered so far in the Grimoire would get rid of the suspected part of Riddle's soul lodged in Harry's scar. Harry was beginning to doubt that he'd survive the final encounter with Voldemort, despite Hermione's protection.

Then, a break. While idly wandering along the corridor containing the Room of Requirement, he thought of a brilliant idea. Searching for Hermione, he led her to the room and concentrated. He'd remembered something when Snape questioned him about his Potions book. He knew the spell he hit Draco was in the book and he didn't want Snape to find it, so he hid the book in the Room. He remembered an odd Diadem sitting in a disused corner along with a bunch of junk and discarded objects. Headmaster Dumbledore suspected that Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem was a Horcrux. He'd seen it he was certain, in that room. As they entered the room, they were beset with a new problem: where had he seen the Diadem. The room seemed to go on forever and just when it looked hopeless, Hermione spotted it atop a wizard's bust. Harry could feel the evil radiating from the circlet and dared not touch it. Hermione levitated it it out of the room and together they brought it to Professor Dumbledore.

"Congratulations Mr, Potter, where did you find it?"

"In the Room of Requirement Professor. Can you destroy it safely?"

"I'll find a way, don't you worry about it. Good work. I presume you've told Miss Granger about our search?"

"Yes, Professor. She's the one that located this one. About the others Sir, Do you know what they are?"

"Ah, Mr. Potter that is the question. I fear I'm not able to answer that. I have my suspicions, but nothing definite. We must delve further into Tom's life if we hope to answer that."

That answer was unacceptable to the teens. "Surely you can guess that Voldemort has concentrated on things important to him. Things he would have access to even at school. Ravenclaw's Diadem was associated with Hogwarts, surely others would attract him. Items from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Slytherin."

"Alas, you may be right but there is no proof. True the Diadem was Rowena's, but I think we can discount Gryffindor. The Hat and Sword are not cursed. As for Slytherin, his ring proved to be one and I believe I know where his locket may be. We will check it in the near future. As for Hufflepuff, her cup has been missing for some years. There are also other possibilities. That would only account for four; the Ring, the Diary, the Diadem and possibly the Locket. The Cup, if it still exists could be a fifth. That still leaves at least one more plus Tom himself. We would need to destroy all of them before Tom can be finally killed."

Harry decided not to tell the Headmaster about his suspicions that he was also one. 'After all, seven was a magical number, surely he wouldn't consider himself part of the equation. Then again, that could still be possible. I could be the sixth one or a seventh one. Best not to open that can of worms,' he thought.

Hermione was also considering the possibilities. "Sir, what about his snake?"

Albus shuddered at that. "I'd think that would be a dangerous thing to do. After all, living matter has a finite lifetime. It could be killed or die at any time. No, I think a living Horcrux is unlikely; it would be a foolish move for Tom to do."

After leaving the Headmaster, they prepared for bed. Kissing each other goodnight they prepared for bed. Hermione delved into her book once again and Harry sat by the window watching the snow falling. A brief break in the weather allowed the clouds to part and a full moon shined brightly, reflecting off the deep snow. It was a magical moment and he looked in wonder at the glittering crystals. No movement could be seen, although he knew life still moved in the stillness of the night. The soft beat of wings alerted him to a school owl hunting for prey, but otherwise the world was quiet and undisturbed. The owl hooted once and silently dived after its prey, a small mouse that had ventured forth. The mouse was quickly taken and the owl swooped away to search for further prey. Harry contemplated his life and came to realise that he was lucky. He had Hermione in his life and that helped make up for all the shitty things that had befallen him. He was still worried about his scar, but Dumbledore seemed to think that Voldemort wouldn't use him as a Horcrux. Perhaps there was a connection between them, but it could be argued that it was something other than a Horcrux. He hoped he was right.

Finally the snow was starting to recede, spring was fast approaching. The sun made an appearance and the effect on the snow was to blind anyone that glanced at it for more than a second or two. The glare could not keep the students inside for long and impromptu snowball fights were a fun pastime on the weekends. Harry and Hermione would join with their friends on occasion and laughter ensued.

Luna became very adept at conjuring snowballs from bits of snow tracked into the corridors and banishing at unsuspecting Ravenclaws that had been teasing her. It turned out that Luna had a vicious streak in her normally placid personality when provoked. Ravenclaw students soon learned not to mess with the quirky girl. Cho Chang was a particular target, as she'd harassed Luna for years. Marietta Edgecombe was another. Neither girl could be persuaded to leave her alone and so both wound up in the Hospital Wing with nasty pustules all over their body. Nobody had seen Luna attack, but everyone knew she'd taken her revenge. It had taken Madam Pomfrey several days to figure out what curse had been used on the unlucky girls. Everything she tried only seemed to make things worse until she discovered, quite by accident, that the curse was a many layered set of interconnected hexes. The lesson was forcefully learned and both girls ceased their harassment, particularly when Professor Flitwick heard of it. Cho lost her Prefect badge and Marietta was restricted to Hogwarts for the rest of term. The winter had taken its toll on the nerves of all the students and teachers.

Draco had recovered but had taken pains to avoid Harry and Hermione. Harry was still serving his detentions, but that too was coming to an end.

As winter passed into spring, the snow that had so kept the students indoors had melted enough for lessons to resume in the greenhouses. Professor Sprout pushed her students hard to catch up. The plants had suffered from the neglect and the students were able to save most of them. Neville came into his own, ruthlessly pruning and prodding the plants back to life. Luna joined in with her own special gifts, nursing the more aggressive plants back to health.

Hagrid still was not able to hold outdoor classes and was seen clearing large swaths of ground in preparation for one of his more "Interesting" animals. Harry shuddered at what he would surprise them with next.

Hermione had finally worked her way through her Grimoire and was organising her notes. She had already cast several protection spells that would help both herself and Harry against a variety of curses and magical accidents.

At the vernal or spring equinox, night fell on a cloudless moonlit sky. Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore set out to retrieve one more Horcrux. The air was still and after making their way to the castle gates, the Headmaster side-along apparated them to a rocky cliff by a calm sea. Peering down the cliff, Harry could see no way down, but Dumbledore evidently knew where he was going, for a narrow path appeared in his wand light. The moonlight shimmering off the waves had Harry entranced by the rugged beauty of the area.

"Tread carefully Mr. Potter, the rocks may be slippery close to the water.

...