Disclaimer: I've been called a lot of things, but JK Rowling is not one of them.

A/N – Look at this, three stories in three days. Wow, I'm on a roll. How long before we tap the well out?

It's snowing at Hogwarts and Hermione convinces Ron, Harry, and Ginny to go outside with her. There's a snowball fight, some romance ensues, etc. Mostly holiday fluff.

SNOW DAY

By: Hopeful Writer

The snow fell around Hogwarts. Sighing and feeling an extreme bliss overtake her, Hermione leaned back against the side of her window sill, waiting until it was late enough to wake her best friends. She was itching to go outside, crazy to play in the snow. She hadn't been in the snow for years. Normally the boys went outside while she was studying, and she usually didn't want to pull away. But this year she wasn't going to let books stop her.

Finally the clock flipped to 8:00 and she ran into the fifth year girls' dormitory. "Ginny," she hissed in her friend's ear. "Wake up, come on." She shook her impatiently. "Let's go already."

"What is it?" Ginny mumbled, turning on her stomach and burying her face in her pillow.

"It's snowing. Come on, I want to go outside."

That took Ginny by surprise and, reluctantly, she rose from her bed and began to dress. "Fine, fine. Go get Ron and Harry, then."

Hermione let out a quiet squeal of delight. "Thanks, Gin, you're the best." She disappeared from the room.

Racing into the sixth year boys' dorm, she jumped onto Ron's bed. He sat up quickly and she wound up on her back on the floor. "Are you trying to kill me?" he grumbled.

"No, wake you," she replied honestly.

"What for?"

Hermione dragged him to the window. "It's snowing. Let's go outside."

Ron kicked Harry's bed, causing the black-haired boy to awaken. "We're going outside," the former told him. "Hermione said so."

She beamed and threw her arms around him. "Thanks, guys. Ginny and I will be waiting for you in the Common Room."

* ~ * ~ *

Ron struggled into a warm pair of pants and a Weasley sweater, then went into the bathroom to wash. He smiled into the water in his hands. He couldn't get the picture of Hermione out of his head. She had a childlike innocence around her, the innocence of someone who didn't get to "play" very often. He sighed. He'd be damned if this wasn't the best day of her life.

"Ready?" Harry asked from the doorway.

Ron dried his face and nodded, running his fingers through his unruly red hair in a vain attempt to comb it. "Yeah, let's go before they come back up here and find us."

* ~ * ~ *

"We're ready," the boys announced as they made their way down the stairs to where Hermione and Ginny sat, waiting.

"Let's go, let's go!" Hermione's smile and anticipation were contagious; soon the others couldn't wait to get outside either.

As soon as they left the castle they were knee-deep in snow. Ron grinned and picked up a handful. "Don't you dare," Hermione warned, seeing him advance towards her. "Ron, I'm serious. Ah!" He pelted her with the snowball, followed by several others. She started to run, and Ron chased her, stooping every so often to pick up more snow.

* ~ * ~ *

Ginny and Harry watched them run off and they smiled. "They're so cute," Ginny commented, her eyes still following her brother and best friend. She didn't see Harry sneak up behind her with a snowball.

Grabbing the collar of her robes, he dumped the handful of snow down her back. Ginny shrieked as the cold touched her warm skin. Harry began to laugh. "You are so dead!" she cried, pouncing on him and dragging him to the ground. Successfully pinning him, she proceeded to dump a very large mound of snow on his face, effectively burying him. He squirmed to be let out, but Ginny didn't pay attention.

Suddenly he was writhing. Panicking, Ginny pulled him out of the snow. His face had turned a light shade of blue and his breathing was very fast and very shallow. "Are you okay?" she demanded, sitting next to him with her arm around his shoulders.

He took a moment to catch his breath. "When there's a tightly packed mound of snow of your head, you can't breathe," he explained to her.

Her eyes widened and she paled, thinking what she had almost done. "Oh, Gods, Harry! I'm so sorry! I didn't... I mean, I wouldn't..."

"Shh... I know." He put one gloved finger to her lips. She looked up at him shyly, familiar spark in her heart as she did. Dammit! I thought I was over him! she mentally berated herself.

Harry surprised her by leaning in. His lips brushed against hers in a very chaste kiss. He pulled away only a second later, blushing very hard. "I... sorry, Ginny, I don't know what got into me," he began, but she cut him off.

"Don't apologize," she ordered, although it came out more like a plea. "I... uh—" Then they were kissing again, this time harder and more seriously.

When they broke away, Ginny settled in his arms. "Does this mean what I think it means?" she asked quietly.

Harry smiled into her hair. "Will you be my girlfriend, Ginny?" he blurted.

Ginny cuddled against him even harder. "Of course."

Harry kissed her again, then stood up. Ginny looked at him curiously. He smiled apologetically. "I just realized how wet my ass was." They both burst out laughing.

* ~ * ~ *

Meanwhile, Ron had chased Hermione into a well-secluded section of the Hogwarts grounds, but now he had lost her. He looked around anxiously, holding a snowball poised to be thrown. "Hermione?" he called softly. "Where are you?"

Suddenly he was assaulted by a large amount of snowballs, which seemed to chase him around. "Ah! Hey! No fair! Hermione!" He fell to the ground, laughing, covered in snow and cold water.

She emerged from behind a tree, grinning broadly. The snow stopped pelting Ron, and she helped him to his feet. "Looks like I win this round," she declared.

Ron smirked at her. "Not if I can help it," he challenged. As she was helping him get to his feet, he yanked hard on her hand, bringing her crashing to the ground with him. He dumped a handful of snow into the back of her robes, laughing as she yelped in surprise.

"RON!" she yelled. He began to laugh harder.

"Truce?" he offered, holding out one gloved hand for her to shake. She nodded, still shaking melted snow from her robes, and shook his hand. He leaned back against a tree. "How come you never came out with us before?" he asked suddenly.

Hermione stopped trying to get the snow out and sat next to him. "I don't know. I was always doing something else, I guess. It's too bad, though. I really do love the snow."

"Obviously." Ron wrapped an arm around her casually, and she leaned against him.

"Ron?"

"Hmm?"

Hermione looked up and kissed him quickly. "Nothing," she whispered.

Ron smiled and wrapped his other arm around her, in an awkward sort of hug. "Yeah," he agreed, kissing the top of her head.

Hermione grinned and captured his lips again, this time with more force and more passion, pushing him back into the snow and winding up leaning on his chest. He smiled up at her. "Okay, now you've got to come out in the snow more often."

A/N – All done! Please review. I welcome all comments, critiques, and flames. Bye – HW (http://www.geocities.com/msbjewel) or (http://www.geocities.com/phoniexchild)

Christmas fluff: melts in your mind.