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Chapter 05 - The Snow War

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If Dumbledore's reason for attempting a Christmas Dance was to try to persuade people to stay at Hogwarts, it surely worked.

Half of the entire population had remained at Hogwarts. The other half, first years, second years, third years, and Draco Malfoy, had gone home for the winter. The formers because they weren't invited, the latter because he did not want another chance to be bullied into dancing with Pansy Parkinson.

===== CHRISTMAS MORNING =====

Hermione stared sleepily at the source of her unexpected wake from Dreamland. It was Ron.

"Come one Hermione!" he urged quietly. "It's Christmas morning! Wake up!"

She groaned slgihtly and looked around. Most the dorm mates were still asleep. She looked at her watched and made a little noise in the back of her throat.

"Ron, it's 7 in the morning! What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that it's Christmas morning, and that everyone's waiting for you! Now get down here!"

She grunted angrily, but got out of bed.

===== COMMON ROOM =====

"Hey guys." She said as she took her seat beside the Christmas Tree. "Merry Christmas."

Her greeting was chorused back to her as her presents were shoved near her feet.

"Merry Christmas!"

===== GREAT HALL =====

When they went down to breakfast, they found that thought the food had been laid out, that no one else was there eating. The entire hall was deserted.

"Excellent!" said Ron. "More food for us!"

"Ron, Mind you manners."

"Spare me Herm."

"Make me"

"Gladly"

"BOTH OF YOU STOP!"

They stopped briefly.

"Fine Harry."

"Whatever you say, smart one."

"STOP."

"Now that everyone's settled" Harry continued, "Who's going with who to the Yule Ball?"

He continued, grinning. "Lemme guess. Sakura, you're going with Shoaran."

Shoaran smiled.

"Ron, you're going with Hermione." Ron blushed, "How d'you know?"

"You mean all the 'knowing glances' when you two though I wasn't looking?" he teased.

"And you're going with Cho," said Hermione smugly.

Ron smiled evilly. //My turn//

The mentioned turned a bright shade of red. "I asked her and she said yes," he mumbled, just as Cho skipped over with her hands behind her back.

"I would now like to invite all of you people out to a snowball fight" she said playfully.

"No thanks Cho." Harry said, face redder than ever.

She sighed. "I was afraid I was going to have to do this."

With that, she revealed her hands from behind her back and dumped the contents into the back of Harry's robes.

Snow.

"AHHHHHHHHHH"

The Hogwarts students and staff (particularly the Slytherins) took great pleasure in seeing Harry Potter dancing around the room with snow down his back. When he finally got all of it out, he shot a Death Glare at Cho.

"This means War." With a shriek, Cho took off screaming bloody murder as Harry tore after her. Ron and Hermione followed soon after that, and Shoaran and Sakura where behind them.

Two seconds after they left, ALL the students and even all the teachers rushed out to the Quidditch field as they watched the war from a safe distance.

===== 2 hours later =====

"We CLOBBERED YOU. Admit it. We BEAT you BAD. Say it. SAY iT!!!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had beed beat rather badly by Sakura, Shoaron, and Cho. So badley, if fact, that Harry still had icicles hanging from his nose.

The three of them were good, but compared to a 6th year, and two cardcaptors, they didn't stand a chance.

"I'll see you all later." Said Cho cheerfully as she headed the opposite direction of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Where are you going?"

She looked at Harry in a 'shocked' manner.

"To get ready for the ball. We only have about and hour."

She left.

"OH SHIT!!!"

===== 60 minutes later =====

"Why are we here, Harry?" asked Ron.

"For the twentieth time, Ron, we're waiting for the girls."

"Why can't they hurry up?"

"Cause they have to be perfect."

"Aren't they already perfect?"

"Can't you shut up for a second?"

Here, Shoaran cut in.

"I think our wait was well worth it."

They looked up.

And saw the most amazing sight.

Hermione came down first. Her dress was pleasingly form fitting, and was thinly layered. The front part came down to her knees and the back had a small train. When she moved, you could see her feet moving underneath. It was white, but the enchanted sparkles made it look lavender. It was scoop necked and had straps that rounded around her neck and the top of her back. Otherwise, her entire back was shown. Her usual bushy hair was not sleek and shiney like last year's Yule Ball. Itstead, it was piled elegantly on her head with two long curls reaching down.

Ron's mouth looked like the entrance to a never ending cave. He didn't move until Hermione finally came over and took his arm.

Harry had been looking amusedly at his friend. But his reaction to Cho's outfit wasn't much better.

Cho was wearing a sleeveless silk midnight blue dress that swayed when she walked. It was also formfitting with a square neckline, and was quite simple excluding a gold belt around her waist. Lastly, she had veil-like arm clamps. Her exotic black hair was let loose and fell down to her hips.

Last, but certainly not least, Sakura.

She came down the stairs too, and they froze.

Her dress was in her own customary pale pink. It was not truly form- fitting. It was more or less flowed around her. Underneath the dress was a white lace skirt. Her hair tied in a bright pink ribbon. She looked everybit, an angel.

When he had recovered, Shoaran smiled. He went up to her and held out his hand.

"You are my angel."

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(Of ALL the lame fluffy endings . . . Sakura's dress is in here: ) .

-Kawai-chan