Didn't expect this, didja Mals?

Well, I somehow found the time to write one more chapter before I go. Yes, it's short, but at least it's happy. Thought I'd leave you all on a good note. And now you have something really cool to look forward to: BROOM RACING! It's not in this chapter (sorry Mals), but it will be in the next one-I promise! So, for now, just enjoy The Fight and I'll see you in two weeks.

I honestly shouldn't be writing this at all-I have massive amounts of summer reading to do for English, as well as packing for my two-week camping trip (I'm leaving tomorrow at like five a.m.). But, that's me for you: a person with really screwed up priorities.

And here's the result! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's much happier than the others have been (they deserve a break from all the drama, don't you think?). I think the story will have a much happier tone from now on, though there are some not-so-happy things coming up as well. You'll just have to see I guess...

Let the fight begin!

Chapter Ten

The Fight

Professor McGonagall stood behind her desk, her hands resting on a few un- graded papers and a quill with a red tip. She glared sternly at the three boys in front of her, nodding to indicate they should sit down. They did so, but rather reluctantly, as if they were more vulnerable when sitting. Come to think of it, they probably were.

Severus Snape edged his chair away from Sirius Black, who was sitting next to him. Black rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair unconcernedly, crossing his arms in front of him and staring impatiently at McGonagall. James Potter, on Black's other side, was glaring at the floor and clenching his fists to control himself.

McGonagall sighed and sat down in her chair, looking at each boy in turn.

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on here?" she asked sternly, leaning forward and resting her arms on the aforementioned papers. She noticed with some surprise that one of them was Black's, and that it had received a perfect score. And yet, here he was, after picking a fight in the Great Hall.

As soon as she said the words, Potter and Snape leaned forward and began yelling explanations at her. She held up a hand to stem the flow, but they were beyond caring about that. Snape was so angry he actually stood up and screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Black killed my girlfriend!"

There was complete and sudden silence after this. Black shook his head, almost sadly, as if pitying Snape for making such a rash accusation. Potter let this sink in a moment, then started yelling again. He stood up as well and began defending his friend, but Black put a hand on his arm and pulled him back into his seat.

"What did I say about letting me fight my own battles?" McGonagall heard him mutter. Potter nodded, looking sullen, and settled quietly into his seat.

"Please, Mr. Snape, sit down and tell me how you came to such a rash conclusion." Snape glared at her venomously and didn't sit down.

"Black has hated Alyssa ever since he found out that his stupid suicidal git of a friend-" It happened in a split second. One moment, Black was sitting calmly in his seat and listening to Snape's rant. Before McGonagall could even begin to ponder who Snape meant, Black was out of his seat and punching Snape with all his might. They toppled to the floor and Black began pummeling Snape, yelling in time to each punch.

"Never-talk-about-Remus-that way!" McGonagall jumped up and stopped Potter before he could join in, then pulled Black bodily off his victim. Snape sat up slowly, his nose bleeding heavily and a cut above his eyebrow, and stared up at his attacker, who was struggling furiously against McGonagall's grip.

"Mr. Black!" she yelled into his ear. He stopped struggling, but continued to glare at Snape, breathing hard. "You are in enough trouble as it is for fighting in the Great Hall-"

"But I didn't fight in there!" he cut her off. Potter nodded vigorously behind him.

"He stopped our fight, Professor!" he said quickly, indicating himself and Snape. McGonagall looked to Snape for confirmation of this fact.

"Is this true?" she asked when he didn't say anything. He sneered at Black and pressed the heel of his hand to the cut above his eyebrow.

"Of course not," he snarled. Black looked even angrier, if that was possible, but didn't go after him again. Potter looked like he was about to say something, but stopped at a look from his friend.

"Professor, if you'll let me go, I will tell you what happened," Black said slowly, careful to keep his voice even. McGonagall looked him up and down, then shook her head.

"Mr. Snape was in the middle of telling us something, and I think I'll let him finish. As for you...if you can keep your hands to yourself for the duration of this meeting, I will let you sit down." Black glared at her momentarily, then nodded. She let him sit down, then turned to Snape, who had stood up and was leaning on the back of his chair.

"May I continue then, Professor?" he asked quietly. She nodded and sat against her desk, wanting to be nearby in case they went at each other again.

"Right. As I was saying, Black has always had a grudge against Alyssa because of her relationship with Lupin." McGonagall was relieved that, even though he was speaking as though it sickened him to think about Lupin, Snape was at least keeping his words civil.

"When she bit Lupin-and yes, I know she did it, she told me everything the next day-something happened, I don't know what. Maybe an allergic reaction." Black shot McGonagall a meaningful look, and she nodded slightly. She knew what had really happened that had left Lupin bedridden. "I guess that pissed off Black even more, because he came after her. First he yelled at her in the Ravenclaw common room-I heard that from a number of eye witnesses-and then dragged her off somewhere, presumably to yell at her even more. She didn't return to the common room that night. I saw her around eleven, sitting in the corridor and crying because of something Black had shown her-she wouldn't say what. I had to leave because it was after curfew, and her brother had come to bring her back inside anyway. Not half an hour after I left, he-" Snape pointed a shaking finger at Black, anger and other emotions clouding his dark eyes. "-came back to finish her off! Must've known that he could save his friend by killing her, that it was the easy way out! He probably did away with Jason just for good measure, maybe to teach the vampire population a lesson!"

McGonagall held out a hand to shush him. She didn't want him to make everyone angry again. She turned to Black and raised her eyebrows.

"What do you have to say to this?" Black sighed, relieved that she hadn't immediately accepted Snape's theory. She shook her head inwardly, amazed he didn't give her more credit than that.

"I don't deny yelling at Alyssa in the common room," Black said slowly, "but I do regret that. I was angry at what she'd put Remus through, and didn't realize the whole truth behind the matter. I took her History of Magic essay and basically blackmailed her into coming with me to the hospital wing. Jesse was there, she can vouch for me. I only wanted Alyssa to see what she'd done to Remus, I guess make her feel guilty or something. She did, and she apologized and all that. It turned out she'd had no idea Remus was a-" He stopped suddenly, shooting a wary glance at Snape, who was watching him curiously. Potter sucked in his breath and held it.

McGonagall nodded. "I understand what you mean, just go on." Potter let out his breath and Black looked relieved.

"Right. Well...she didn't know what her bite would do to him, even though she knew it would've been wrong anyways. She couldn't control it, it had been so long...and so I forgave her, because I figured Remus would understand what that meant." He spoke haltingly, as though not sure he should be saying so much. "I figured they could talk when he was feeling better."

"And you knew he'd feel better, because you were planning to do away with her!" Snape yelled suddenly, flecks of spit flying from his mouth. McGonagall shot him a warning look.

"Mr. Black remained silent while you spoke, and I expect you to exert the same courtesy towards him." Snape stiffened and turned away, and Black continued.

"She and I were actually on better terms than ever before when she left the hospital wing. We weren't friends or anything, but we didn't hate each other either. It was kind of...a mutual agreement not to bother with it. Just to be acquaintances, and that was it. It would have worked out fine, I'm sure...she'd have talked things over with Remus, and we could have all just gone our separate ways." He sighed. "But obviously that didn't happen. She must've stayed up late to think things over, and then..." he shrugged helplessly. "But I didn't kill her, Professor. I had no reason to, especially after we'd just made peace. And I certainly had nothing against Jason...I actually kind of liked him...I guess I kind of thought of him as a kid brother, someone I could pass on my 'knowledge' to. I never wanted him dead..."

McGonagall nodded. "I understand. I believe I heard of your kitchen escapade from Professor Grae-just as a friendly story, nothing to get you into trouble, I assure you." She looked back at Snape. "After hearing Mr. Black's side of the story, are you still convinced he was responsible for this tragedy?" Snape was shaking with fury.

"Yes. I know he did this, I don't care what lies or excuses he has." McGonagall sighed.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," she said quietly. "This means the two of you will have to go through questioning by Ministry officials...a tedious and easily avoidable process." But Snape said nothing, and she sighed again. "That settles it, then. When we're done here, you two will have to go up to the headmaster's office and talk it over with him." She turned to Potter.

"And now, the real reason I dragged you all in here. Potter and Black, you claim you didn't fight in the Great Hall?" Potter shook his head.

"Not quite, Professor. Snape cornered us as soon as we came in for breakfast, shouting about Sirius killing Alyssa, and I guess I got really pissed off. I went in to punch him, but Sirius stopped me and told me not to fight his battles for him. Then you came over and took us up here."

"Is this true, Snape?" He sneered again.

"No. I did accost Potter and Black, and their...ahem...friends, but that's where the truth in Potter's story stops. They both came at me, much like Black did in here. If you hadn't stepped in so early, Professor, they would probably have kept at it." McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

"Interesting. But, as I recall, when I approached you all, Potter was standing a few feet away and no punches were being thrown by either party." Snape paled momentarily.

"Well, perhaps you just saw us...at that particular moment...when nothing was happening..."

"There is an easy way to fix this problem," McGonagall said quickly. "I will simply ask the witnesses what they saw. I believe there were three Ravenclaw girls and four Gryffindors, two girls and two boys?" All three boys nodded. "Can I trust you three to remain in your seats while I go down to fetch them?" They hesitated, glared at each other, then nodded again. "Excellent. But if you're fighting or yelling when I return, your punishments will be much more severe." They nodded once again, and she left.

Sirius stared straight ahead, completely ignoring Snape. James fiddled with a rubber band he'd found on the floor, and Snape paced slowly from the desk to his chair and back. They were still like that when Professor McGonagall returned more than half an hour later.

"I questioned the Ravenclaw girls during the rest of breakfast," she said when she was standing in front of them again, "and the others shortly afterward. They are all at class now, as you will be soon. I have determined that they were telling the truth, because all their stories were the same, and they hadn't yet talked to you three. It seems that Potter's story was closer to the truth, so that's the one we are going with. Since none of you actually fought in the Great Hall, you will not be punished severely. Potter, you have detention with me tonight for trying to punch Mr. Snape. Mr. Black, you have detention with me tomorrow night and the night after that for what you did to Mr. Snape in here this morning. And Snape, you have detention the night after that for lying to me." She looked around at them. "Is that clear to all of you?" There was a collective nod. "Good. Potter, go to class. You two, up to the headmaster's office. He'll meet you at the bottom to ensure you get there without incident." She glared at them meaningfully, then sent everyone off.

"And don't forget your detentions!" she called out as they left.



Christmas Break was upon them all before they knew it. They spent the last few days of term studying like crazy for their end-of-term tests, the worst of which were in Transfiguration, Potions, and Charms. Remus and Jesse tested each other on Divination, memorizing the meanings of certain shapes and patterns, while the others worked together on Arithmancy, a class only Sirius and Lily truly enjoyed. James and Peter groaned over confusing number charts and stared longingly out the window, where the first snow of the year was finally falling.

"It's so perfect for packing!" James whined, getting up to stand at the window. The snow was the perfect balance between hardness and wetness, and stuck to itself perfectly. James opened the window and grabbed a handful off the windowsill, packed it into a snowball, and chucked it at Peter. It hit him rather hard in the back of the head, splattering all over his hair and melting down his back in the head from the fire Peter was sitting with his back to. A few drops ran off Peter's face and dripped onto his number chart, which was nearly complete. He slowly raised his head and stared at James wide-eyed. James was looking rather nervous; he hadn't meant to throw it that hard.

"That is soooo cold," Peter whispered, then his face broke into a grin. Everyone laughed happily, including Peter; he'd never been the recipient of the first snowball of the year. "And this means war!" He made to stand up, but Lily cleared her throat.

"This means war after term is over," she said firmly. Peter grimaced at her, but settled down and stared at his rather smudged number chart again. James eventually closed the window and went back to his own studying.

Finally, they all met at the dinner table after their last tests, Divination and Arithmancy, and grinned at each other.

"CHRISTMAS BREAK!" Sirius yelled. About twenty students, mostly boys, responded with a happy cheer before going back to their dinners. "Shall we eat first, or does Peter wish to get dearest Prongs back for his terrible sneak attack?" Peter grinned.

"That's already been taken care of," he said smugly. James glanced at Sirius in alarm, then looked around frantically.

"What d'you mean?" he asked quickly. "Nothing's happened to me yet!" Peter only grinned, and suddenly Jesse burst out laughing. She pointed at James' bag.

"James-your bag!" she said between laughs. Everyone stared at it, and Remus, Sirius, and Lily joined Jesse in laughing as he pulled out a stack of papers, soaking wet and dripping ink. He looked back into his bag to see the remains of a snowball melting at the bottom of it.

"Wormtail!" he yelled, barely concealing a grin. Peter smiled back.

"Yes?"

"You little bugger, I never knew you had it in you!" James began laughing as well, and quickly performed a charm that dried out his bag, then another that repaired the damage done to his books and papers. That done, they all sat down to eat-they needed their strength before the start of The Fight, the biggest ongoing snowball fight in Hogwarts history.



"And let the fight begin!" Sirius yelled, cupping his gloved hands around his mouth. They were all outside, bundled up against the pre-dawn chill. The gray light of disgustingly early morning made everyone harder to see, and that was an advantage to them all. They needed this time to build forts and start stocking up on snowballs before they had to defend themselves against attack. They started out 'every man for himself,' but it was common to pair up or get into groups during the fight. Sirius tended to stay on his own, preferring to sneak up on people and ambush them; James always worked with Lily, no matter what; Peter generally switched sides multiple times during each battle, betraying his team members when they needed his help in an all-out war-he found it easier to do this, as he had awful aim over long distances and needed to get close to someone before he could hit them; Remus did whatever he felt like at the time, though he often stuck with James and Lily. He was the only one smart enough to keep an eye on Peter, and the only one who could guess when the boy was going to switch sides.

This year, Jesse and Remus joined James and Lily, while Peter started out with Sirius. They built as many forts as they could in that stretch of time before real daylight hit, occasionally stopping to add to the various piles of snowballs behind each defensive wall. James had been right: the snow, though not as deep yet as they would have liked, was perfect for packing.

And conditions only improved as the sun rose. Just as they were about to start the real fighting, snow began to fall again in big, thick flakes that built up quickly. Sirius grinned, knowing this would help camouflage him as he sneaked around. Peter was glad because it would provide cover for him while he approached someone, though he knew it would make it even harder to aim. The others became slightly more paranoid, looking around constantly to make sure Sirius wasn't approaching under cover of the snowfall.

Ten minutes later, the first snowball was thrown-from behind James and Lily's fort. Lily screeched as it hit her in the back of the head, whirling around to toss one back at her attacker, but Sirius was already gone. She glared into the falling snow; it was getting even thicker, and she could barely see the tree not ten feet away from her. She'd never be able to protect herself from Sirius.

"We need to build another wall," she whispered to James. He nodded and they began piling up the snow, packing it down so it would be stronger and harder to break through. It was almost waist height when the second snowball came flying over it. This one grazed James on the ear, and in two seconds he was returning fire. There was a great "HA!" from the direction the snowball had come from as Sirius dodged James' attacks. Snow crunched under boots as Sirius moved away, presumably to go after Remus and Jesse, who were guarding the next fort over.

Remus heard Sirius' triumphant yell and glanced meaningfully at Jesse. She nodded and grinned; they'd have to be on the lookout now, he was coming for them... Sure enough, a few minutes later, a snowball came flying at them from out of nowhere. Remus dodged it, but barely, and Jesse tossed one towards where she hoped Sirius would still be. But he got away; moments later, they heard a war cry off to the right, and Sirius came running towards them, hurling snowballs as fast as he could pack them. Jesse cried out and began returning fire, and Remus rolled out of the way of his friend's feet. Sirius threw himself to the left as a particularly big one of Jesse's nearly hit him, and he disappeared into a snow bank. Or perhaps it was behind a tree; no one could really tell through the thick snow.

"We should build up our defenses," Remus whispered to Jesse, and she nodded. They began packing up snow for another wall, facing where Sirius had disappeared. As they were building, snowballs came flying at them from behind-Peter was nearby. There was precious little snow around, and they wanted it for building walls, so Remus offered to make an emergency run to their sister fort and get some more ammunition.

"Be careful!" Jesse whispered melodramatically as he ran away, crouching low. He grinned and waved, and that moment of distraction cost him-a snowball hit him smack in the side. He looked around frantically and, seeing that he was almost at James and Lily's fort, picked up speed. Suddenly, he was being bombarded with snowballs from either side. He couldn't possibly dodge them all, so he gave a yell and launched himself at the fort, as high as he could so as to clear the wall...

But he was a bit too far away. With a soft thud, he landed directly on top of the wall Lily had just completed. She gave a little scream and began bombarding him with snowballs, thinking he was Sirius. James laughed and, though he knew full well it was Remus, joined in. Remus scrambled up off the wall as fast as he could and ran back to his own fort, grabbing an armful of snow as he did. When he got back, covered in snow and panting heavily, he collapsed behind the walls and dumped his snow next to him.

"They-they're all against us!" he panted to Jesse, who was now using his snow to finish her wall. "It's three sides now-us, James and Lily, and Peter and Sirius!"

"That's Sirius and Peter!" Sirius yelled from a few feet away. He tossed a snowball lazily into their fort, where it landed harmlessly on the pile of snow Remus had just brought back.

"Thanks for the ammo, Padfoot!" Remus called out, sitting up. This was a mistake; he was immediately smacked in the face with a rather wet snowball. The snow ran down his neck and under his cloak, making him gasp at how cold it was. Jesse stifled a laugh and returned the fire for him while he tried desperately to get the chunks of snow out from under his clothes.

"Ooh, I'll get him for that one..." Remus grumbled, though he was grinning. "Time for drastic measures!" He grabbed a handful of snow and packed it as hard as he could, then crawled through the break in the wall on his belly. "I'll be back!" he whispered to Jesse, but she was following him.

"No one's going to attack the fort while we're gone," she explained in a whisper. "And you're going to need some help if you're planning to corner Sirius." Remus grinned his thanks and they set off, half-crawling through the snow, in the direction they'd last heard Sirius yell from.

Ten minutes later, they'd spotted him hiding behind a tree, occasionally tossing snowballs into their fort. He didn't realize they'd left it. Remus and Jesse exchanged a grin, then launched themselves at him, tossing snowballs and chunks of snow and anything they could get their hands on. Sirius gave a yell of surprise and stood up, dripping with snow.

"And that is why you don't work alone," Remus laughed, thumping Jesse on the back. Sirius gaped at them, then grinned Marauder-style.

"Alright you little-" But whatever Remus was, they never found out, because at that moment Peter decided his team member was losing, and it was time to find a better ally. Sirius got a wet one right in the cheek.

Remus and Jesse burst into laughter, leaning on each other for support as they gasped for breath. Peter gave a little diabolical giggle and turned to run for the safety of the fort of the team he'd just joined. Sirius glared after him.

"Ooh, this means war..." he growled, packing a snowball and approaching the fort at a crouch. Remus and Jesse knew they should have taken the opportunity to chuck snowballs at him while his back was turned, but that seemed dishonorable. Besides, they were still trying to catch their breath.

An hour later, Peter was working with James and Lily, Sirius was nowhere to be seen, and Remus and Jesse were trying to repair the damage done to their fort. During the short time Peter had been on their team, James and Lily had suddenly attacked from their fort, doing their best to lob snowballs over the relatively high walls of the enemy's defense. Peter, seeing that he was in the perfect position to attack, began destroying the fort from the inside. Before Remus or Jesse could stop him, he'd knocked down the highest wall, exposing them to attack from James and Lily. They'd promptly chased him out and begun rebuilding their wall. Luckily, the snow had picked up even more, and there was plenty to work with.

Now, there was a rare moment of silence. Sirius was still missing, so everyone was wary, but the two groups had stopped attacking each other for the time being. James and Lily had finally decided to give their enemy time to regroup and repair their fort, and they were now stocking up on snowballs with Peter's help.

Jesse sneaked out to grab some more snow from the snow bank around the nearest tree. They were wishing they'd built closer to it, as the snow was always deepest there, but it was too late to move now. Their walls were steadily getting higher; one was almost in danger of toppling over, so Remus and Jesse got on opposite sides of it and packed snow into it, making it thicker at the bottom and supporting it at the sides. Remus had to admit-they made a pretty good team.

He pressed a handful of snow against the wall, feeling Jesse do the same on the other side, and smiled at that thought. Ever since they'd talked in the hospital wing, everything had been so much better between them. Remus couldn't believe how stupid the whole fight had been-a misunderstanding! But now it was all fixed, and they were as close as they'd ever been, if not closer. Over meals, they talked constantly about their childhood, reminiscing about the good times they'd had. The Marauders and Lily loved to hear about Remus' days before Hogwarts, since he rarely talked about them, and they all listened raptly to the funny and embarrassing stories being shared.

And now Jesse was a part of The Fight. To Remus, that was the final proof that she'd been accepted into the group. She'd never be a Marauder, just as Lily wasn't one, but she was still their friend, and that was all that really mattered.

Remus' thoughts were interrupted by a scream from the fort next to his. He packed a last handful onto the wall and ducked behind it, joining Jesse in the protection of their fort. They listened to the sounds of Sirius attacking James, Lily, and Peter with smiles on their faces. Ah, winter.

Remus turned to Jesse to suggest they start making snowballs, of which they had precious few, but stopped with the words only half-formed in his mind. She was staring through a porthole they'd left in their thickest wall, the one that faced the opposing fort, which was now being attacked. Her dark hair, flecked with snow, was falling loosely around her face. Her cheeks and nose were red from the cold, and her eyes were shining from excitement. She grinned and turned to face him.

"They're putting up a good fight," she said, then stopped at the look on his face. He blushed and looked up at the porthole, but from his spot on the ground he couldn't see anything but gray sky. He raised himself up and looked through it, simply trying to distract himself, but that was a mistake. Jesse was still close to the little window, and he could feel her warm breath on his cheek. He blushed again and pulled away, sitting against the wall opposite, as far as he could get from her in the small fort. She looked at him, an odd expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. He nodded quickly and began packing a snowball with the snow next to him.

"We should start making more ammo," he said firmly. "Sirius could come after us any minute." Jesse nodded, her grin back in place, and joined him in adding to their growing pile.

Remus let his mind wander as he made snowballs and piled them up in their designated spot, a little alcove protected by extra snow coming out from the walls. What had that been about? He'd never thought of her that way before...she'd always just been his best friend, like Sirius and James were his best friends. So why had he looked at her differently just then?

Then it dawned on him. The moon. It was a full moon tomorrow night, so he must be feeling those primal urges that came with being part wolf. It had happened once before, he suddenly remembered, that night shortly after she'd arrived at Hogwarts. She'd come down to the common room to talk to him, and he'd felt that same strange feeling as he took in her scent. Something bordering on lust...

No, said a voice in the back of his mind. It was different that time. You'd wanted her then, just as you occasionally wanted other girls around the full moon. That was certainly lust, the wolf coming to the surface. This time was different...you didn't want anything, you just...saw her differently, somehow.

Remus shook his head to clear it. It didn't matter what he'd felt, it was entirely because of the wolf. He could ignore it.

But he couldn't.

The rest of the day, all up until lunch, he kept finding himself uncomfortably close to her. When before it would have been no big deal to work next to her building a wall or packing snowballs for later, now it was strange and made him uncomfortable. He always came up with some way to work farther from her, where he couldn't see her and smell her and sense how close she was.

Then, when Sirius was attacking one last time before lunch, she'd lost her balance trying to dodge a snowball from James. Remus had been crouched behind their lowest wall, trying desperately to pack a snowball and let it fly before he could be attacked again, when suddenly she'd fallen directly on top of him, knocking him flat. She was laughing crazily, snow all over her face, and he was staring, bewildered, at the girl whose head was on his lap. He sat up and leaned over her, suddenly concerned.

"You okay?" he asked, brushing snow off her forehead. She stifled her laughs and nodded, completely oblivious to how cold the snow on her face was.

"Never better!" she yelled excitedly, helping him get the snow out of her eyes. He found he was quite disappointed when she sat up to get revenge on James.

Just as another snowball came flying over Jesse's head and right at Remus, the bell for lunch rang. Remus dodged the snowball by rolling over in the snow, but he accidentally rolled into the tallest wall of their fort. It had been weakened by numerous attacks, and this was the last straw for it. Before anyone knew what was happening, it broke off at the base and collapsed on top of Remus.

Remus sat up, spluttering. About three inches of snow was coating him, and as he sat up it fell off in chunks. Jesse was laughing maniacally, though she was also holding a hand out to help him up. He accepted it and stood, brushing the rest of the snow from his clothes. It stuck to his cloak and hung off in large, icy chunks. Jesse helped him clean off, and they were soon joined by Sirius, James, Lily, and Peter, who were also red from laughing. They'd all seen the wall collapse, but hadn't realized anyone was under it at the time.

When everyone was relatively clean, they left their forts for the younger kids and went off to lunch. It was a wonderful feeling, sitting in the warm Great Hall and eating hot stew with stiff, frozen hands. They laughed and talked over the meal, mostly discussing the snowball fight. Afterwards, they all retired to the common room for a not-so-quiet game of Exploding Snap. The common room gradually got more crowded as it became dark and others came in from outside, and they eventually had to give up their seats by the fire for some of the wetter students.

Around ten o'clock, Lily and Jesse said good-night to the boys and went off to get some sleep before the next day, so they'd be alert for the continued snowball fight. An hour later, the Marauders decided it was late enough to go to bed and they climbed the stairs to their dorm, quietly discussing what they would do with Moony the next night.