Disclaimer: We don't own Harry Potter. No one owns anything. The government does. Therefore we must rebel. Rebel!

Jade: REBEL!

Masterharper: We're supposed to be writing stories, not leading the readers into anarchy.

Jade: Anarchy...fun.

Masterharper: No, anarchy, bad. Communism, good.

Jade: Oh god. Anyway..."I said brr! It's cold in here! There must be some mischief in the atmosphere!"

Masterharper: What?

Jade: Never mind. It's a stupid movie. This is a good chapter though. Hope you brought your mittens!

Puck's Children

By Masterharper and Jade

Chapter 4

The Great Blizzard of Thursday

The Great Hall was filled with the usual chatter at supper. In the two weeks since the start of term the first years had gained enough confidence to actually talk during the meal to one another. Whether this was a good thing or not depended on if the child's parents had taught them not to talk with their mouth full. The students were so focused on their conversations and food that it took a few moments for all to realize that the Headmaster was standing. After waiting for the students to quiet, Dumbledore spoke.

"I will try to make this as short as possible so you may continue to stuff your faces to your delight. I have a few announcements.

"The horrible prank that was so expertly played on all of us is no more. Professor Flitwick has finished removing the charms off all the doors." He paused while there was a round of applause. "So as a reminder, if you close the door and hear a ouch, please be sure to open the door immediately and offer assistance to the person whose nose you have just broken.

"The masterminds behind this rather creative joke have yet to be caught. However, our own Mr. Filch assures me that he is rigorously pursuing every lead and will find the perpetrators soon. He has also suggested suitable punishments for the pranksters. Most of these suggestions will not be followed through on because, after contacting the Ministry of Magic, I was informed that most are illegal since they result in the painful death of the individuals. I'm sure you all will join me in wishing the best of speed to Mr. Filch in his investigation and best of speed to the ones running from him.

"Apparently two of the teachers are offering their aid to the investigation. Professor McGonnagal is offering a hundred points for information leading to the apprehension of the pranksters. Professor Snape has offered to give those responsible a quick death by poison if they turn themselves in now. A worthy reward indeed since he reminded me he is capable of making poisons that kill over the course of a year.

"On a lighter note, Professor Flitwick has informed me that who ever performed the charm is very gifted. He asks that after the perpetrators survive their punishment that they be transferred to his higher-level charm classes. I of course, feel it is my duty to remind all of the returning students as well as to tell the first years, that tampering with the doors of Hogwarts is strictly against the rules as are pranks of any kind. That said, I would like to say that the prank brought me several nights of laughter and I am sure that three years hence we will all look back on it and laugh. Thank you for your attention, you may now stuff your face." Almost as soon as he sat down the students began to converse and debate over the information they had just heard. Hardly anyone noticed the paper airplane flying across the room.

*

As soon as dinner ended Patrick rose from his seat and hurried out of the Great Hall. He then stood impatiently near the doors. Zack followed at a more causal pace.

"You know, we gave up racing to see who would be the first one out of the Great Hall in first year," Zack said when he got to where Patrick was.

Patrick shook his head. "I know, I hurried because I have to talk with my sister for a bit and I didn't want to miss her."

Zack raised an eyebrow in puzzlement but didn't try to get Patrick to tell him why he had to talk so badly with Fay. Patrick had been unusually tightlipped about his communications with his sister. "Okay. I'll meet you in the common room. We still have to do potion homework."

Patrick nodded his acknowledgment and Zack went off to the East tower. Fay soon walked through the giant oak doors and right over to Patrick. She had a slightly confused look on her face.

"What's the big problem, Patrick? Something happen in the family or something?"

Patrick shook his head empathetically. "Come with me." Together they walked up the Grand Staircase and proceeded along a hallway.

After they had walked for a bit Patrick whispered "Dumbledore knows."

Fay's face paled slightly. "He can't know. We left no sign, not one, that it could have been us. We checked every passageway to make sure we weren't followed. He can't know."

"Dumbledore has a way of knowing everything that goes on in Hogwarts. Weren't you listening to his speech?" Patrick hissed.

"Is that what this is about? Don't tell me that Snape's threat got to you. Even if they did catch us, Snape would never poison me, I'm a Slytherin, remember?"

"It's not you I'm worried about. And what's to stop McGonagall from turning you into a table and putting you in the Gryffindor common room?" They both stopped to consider this. Fay was the first one burst out in laughter quickly followed by her brother. "Man, I am getting paranoid." His face quickly turned serious. "But I mean it. Dumbledore knows. He kept on referring to the pranksters, not prankster, pranksters. Every other teacher has referred to us as the prankster or villain or something. Dumbledore knows there is more than one person." Fay's eyes widened a little as that fact sank in.

"You're right. But that doesn't mean he knows it's us."

"He also felt 'it was his duty' to tell first years it was against the rules."

"Yeah, he did single out first years, didn't he? But what makes you think he knows about you? He didn't mention fifth years."

Patrick's face showed an uncertain look. "I know it's a stretch, but he said that we would look back on it 'three years hence.'" He stopped, looking at her to make the connection. Fay's eyebrows skyrocketed up after a few heartbeats. When she spoke, it was just above whisper.

"You graduate in three years." Patrick nodded, thankful someone else had made the connection, even if it was his sister. They were silent for a while until Fay spoke with a little more confidence and with a slight smile. "On the other hand, Dumbledore said he liked the prank, and since he hasn't turned us in, that is sort of like approval." As she said it her smile grew more and more mischievous.

Patrick's smile soon matched her own. They suddenly stopped, checking to see if anyone was around and entered a room that no one ever went in.

"Myrtle must be out. Let's go check to see if the potion is done yet." Patrick walked down to the last stall and opened it. Carefully perched on a chamber pot was a black cauldron. The cauldron was filled with an ice blue liquid and cold mist rose from the top.

Fay looked in the stall and smirked. "Looks like Hogwarts is getting an early winter. Better dress warm tomorrow."

******

Ginny tried to pay attention, she really did. She was, after all, a prefect, and therefore should set an example for the rest of the students. 'Where did that idea come from?' she thought. After a few minutes of self- reflection she realized that she had listened too much to Hermione while the older prefect described her duties. Ron's instructions on the matter were much simpler: get as many Slytherins in trouble as possible. But it was hard to pay attention.

Professor McGonagall was lecturing on the proper way to do a switching spell. Since it was only two weeks into term, the class was still reviewing the spells from previous years. Some of the other students had forgotten some of the spells they had learned last year. Ginny, however, knew how to do a switching spell in her sleep, and was having a hard paying attention. She was having such a hard time that she didn't realize it at first when McGonagall dismissed the class.

Mentally, she cursed herself for not paying attention. Collecting her things she made her way to the door. There was a crowd around the door. Upset that since she had not been paying attention she was now going to be the last one out, it took her awhile to realize that the crowd wasn't moving.

"Why isn't the line moving?" she asked the boy in front of her, who happened to be Colin.

Colin looked over the other students' heads; he had had a growth spurt over the summer. "It looks like they can't get out. They're blocked by...snow!?!?!" He looked at her with a confused expression on his face.

Ginny looked back incredulously. "Colin, it's the middle of September and were INSIDE. It can't be snow."

Colin looked again. "Fluffy white stuff. On the ground. Looks like snow to me."

Ginny decided to take matters into her own hands. Pushing her way through the crowd she made her way to the door. "Coming through. Make way. Prefect coming through." Flashbacks to when Percy was prefect came to her. She swore never to say 'Prefect coming through,' again.

When she got to the door, she was amazed. There was a mound of snow blocking the exit, almost a meter in height. She belatedly realized that she had no idea what to do.

Fortunately, McGonagall apparently had begun to wonder why her class was staying by the door. Ginny turned just in time to McGonagall's reaction to the snow. Her face twisted in anger, turning purple with suppressed rage. It made some of Ginny's Mum's tantrums look mild.

McGonagall's face quickly turned to her normal color, but a stern look that made her lips almost disappear replaced the anger. "Move aside please," the professor whispered sending a shiver down the spine of most of the students. McGonagall then raised her wand and murmured a few words. A bright flash exploded from her wand heading toward the door. The spell caused a good amount of the snow to disappear making it possible to step over the mound and into the center of the hallway where the snow was not as deep. McGonagall was the first to leave, storming off down the hallway as quickly as the snow allowed.

The students, by some unspoken agreement, waited until they no longer heard the professor's footsteps before venturing out into the hallway. Ginny began the trek to the Great Hall for lunch.

It soon became apparent the snow was all over the school. At the Grand Staircase two Gryffindor first years, Allen Longfellow and Kyle Armstrong, were arguing.

"Come on Kyle, your not going to get hurt."

"The banister is icy. I'm not going to slide down it."

"It'll be fine, trust me. If you do fall you'll just land in the snow."

"I don't know."

Ginny shook her head and slowly walked down the ice-covered stairway. At the bottom, she saw Filch and Hagrid trying to shovel the snow out the door, which was open revealing a sunny autumn day. Hagrid's waved his shovel, which was as big as a table, at Ginny in greeting. He was cut off from speaking to her by a black blur that came down the banister and went plowing into the snow at the bottom. Hagrid helped Kyle to his feet in time for Kyle to be knocked down by another blur.

Almost to the Great Hall she felt a snowball hit her back. With reflexes honed by living with six older brothers who liked to pick on her, she whipped around to face her attacker while simultaneously scooping up a handful of snow. Her keen eyes found the target and her arm launched the snowball at it. It hit her attacker in the face, knocking him down into a mound of snow.

"Gee, thanks Ginny," Patrick said as dryly as possible. He walked toward her while trying to brush the snow off his face and clothes.

"Serves you right for attacking a poor defenseless little girl." Ginny couldn't keep the grin off her face as she said that.

Patrick snorted. "If that was you defenseless, I hate to see what you can do when you're ready for a fight." Ginny tried to put on a mask of innocence before laughing. Then she noticed something.

"Patrick, why are you wearing a coat? And boots? There hasn't been enough time for you to get to your dorm and here since class let out." She put more of an accusing tone then she meant to.

Patrick laughed showing that he wasn't insulted. "We have Herbology later, remember? It's chilly and muddy out there and I didn't want to spend the time after class wiping off my shoes by the fire. Guess it was a stroke of luck that the blizzard happened today."

Suddenly two projectiles hit them both in the side of the head preventing further questioning. Looking for her new nemesis she saw a little girl, must be a first year, with a wide smile on her face. She was also wearing a coat and boots.

"I'll get you later Fay!" Patrick said in outrage. With that the girl went off to find another victim, forming a large snowball in her hands as she walked. Patrick turned to Ginny and smirked. "Don't worry, I'll get her back. See you around Ginny." He scooped up a handful of snow and stalked after his sister.

Ginny watched him go, hoping to see his sister, Fay, jump out and ambush him. She didn't appear, so Ginny went into the Great Hall, only to see the Headmaster getting ambushed in a different way.

*

Dumbledore stood in the center of the Great Hall. He was also the center of attention since two normally controlled Professors were yelling at him.

"The students couldn't even get out the door-"

"My potions are freezing-

"Had to blast a path for them-"

"They don't work if they freeze-"

"The children are throwing snowballs-"

"The teachers are throwing snowballs-"

"Had to pull Flitwick out of a drift-"

"Hooch HIT ME with a snowball-"

"The stairs are icing-"

"A little GIRL HIT ME with a snowball-"

At this Dumbledore held up a hand for silence. The two teachers stopped but were obviously still fuming. "I know this is an annoyance, and I understand your anger, but what do you want me to do about it. I don't even know how it happened."

"It wasn't there before the last class started," McGonagall noted.

Snape nodded. "Some one must have done it during the class."

Another professor walked into the Hall and joined the discussion. "It wasn't a charm, Headmaster. I tried the anti-snow charm and I barely did anything," Flitwick reported.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a few minutes. "Perhaps it is a potion." Attention went to the Potion Master.

Snape thought for a few moments. "It is possible that it is a variation of an icing potion."

McGonagall looked at him quizzically. "You mean that potion that Poppy uses on burns?" Snape nodded.

"I don't teach that potion till fourth year. However, I don't teach how to change a potion and there are very few students foolish enough to attempt to alter a potion and fewer still that are intelligent enough to be able to do so successfully."

"Who Severus? Who would be capable of doing this?"

A sneer went across Snape's face. "Certainly Miss Granger would be able to do it."

"Out of the question. Miss Granger would never be foolish enough to do such a thing. She is a model student and is above such childish pranks."

"Perhaps Minerva, perhaps. But her friends, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, I assure you, are not above tricking her into doing it for them. I have said time and time again, Headmaster, that Potter thinks he is above the rules and this is the behavior-"

Dumbledore interrupted sternly, "That's enough Severus. I can assure you that Harry is not responsible for this. And please have proof next time to back up your accusations, of any student."

He looked every teacher in the eye. "I suggest we all keep our suspicions to ourselves until evidence is uncovered. In the mean time, I ask you all to assist Hagrid and Mr. Filch in clearing our hallways of the snow. If we work hard we should have it all done by tomorrow morning."

He glanced around the hall. Most of the students were staring at the teachers, probably listening to every word. He turned to walk out of the hall while still addressing the teachers.

"Now then. I'm going to have the elves make us some hot soup for lunch. If were lucky, they'll prepare chicken noodle or tomato soup. Maybe I can get Dobby to make cookies. Possibly in shapes. I do love the ones that look like witches' hats."

A/N: A witches' hat cookie, made by Dobby, for everyone who reviews!