Hayleigh watched the snow falling outside as she began to set her stuff up the way it had been before Christmas break.

"Hayleigh? Harry wanted me to tell you that he must have your trunk, and you must have his." Confused, she opened the trunk, and smiled, picking up Harry's wand. Nodding, she closed it back up, and hauled it back downstairs, setting it down at Harry's feet.

"Well, here's yours," she said, smiling. She turned her head as the picture pulled back, and some other students returned from break. Her smiled faded as he stepped in, and set his trunk down for a minute, to take off his jacket. Looking away, she picked up her trunk, and headed back up the steps. He looked up at her, and sighed as she disappeared in the stairwell.

She sat near the wall, listening to Snape's droning lecture about Potions, and turned her gaze to him, as he watched Snape with forced interest. Hayleigh watched Professor Snape set his wand down on his desk as the bell rang, and she gathered her books in her arms, and headed from the room, ready for lunch.
Her hair hung about her face as she sat at the table, and looked up as Harry, Ron, and Hermoine sat down around her.

"How was your first day back?" Harry asked. She yawned, holding her hand over her mouth.

"Too long. I wish it was Saturday, so I could go outside, and keep up my.Quidditch physique," she said, giggling. Harry laughed.

"Same here. I have Snape next, too."

"Just had him. He's still as." She stopped as Snape traipsed by, heading for the staff table. "Just as boring," she finished, as he sat down. Ron laughed. Hayleigh lifted her fork, and speared a piece of meat off one of the plates in front of her, and lowered it onto her plate, looking up to see him watching her. She closed her eyes, and turned her head, dropping her hair over her face.

"Hayleigh?" Harry asked, looking at her.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you keep looking away when Wood looks at you?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Oliver and I are having.creative differences right now, and I do not wish to speak to him, so I don't want to look at him, either," she said, sighing. Harry nodded, pretending to understand, and began his lunch.

She was so glad that Saturday had finally come that she pulled on her jacket, and ran down the steps before anyone else had woken up. Hayleigh stood outside, breathing the fresh air, and looked over at the trees as the sun rose. She saw the beams of light shoot through them, and smiled that she had woken up so early. It wasn't until she had been standing out there for a few minutes that she realized she could still see her breath, and that a thin layer of snow still covered the ground.

"Surprised to see you up this early, Hayl," a voice called. She turned around, and rolled her eyes as Oliver jogged down, jamming his hands deeper into his pockets as an icy wind began to blow.

"What do you want, Oliver?"

"I want to talk to you. You've been ignoring me for about a month, now, right?"

"You were the one who chose to argue about something so stupid as my cousin's accent," she said, squatting down, and playing with the snow.

"You didn't have to fight back, you know. And you didn't have to stop talking to me. It's not easy going through a break without talking to you." She smiled faintly behind her hair as he walked up beside her.

"I know. It's not easy giving you the silent treatment, either," she said.

"Than why do it, Hayleigh?" She stood up.

"Because you were being stubborn."

"I'm sorry. I've tried to apologize about arguing over the fact that your cousin shouldn't try speaking with an English accent when she's not used to it," he said. She pushed her hair behind her ear, and smiled.

"Well, I'm sorry I wasn't listening to you, Oliver." He smiled.

"It's alright. Will you talk to me now? And stop looking away when I try to smile at you?" She stepped closer, and put her hands around his shoulders.

"Only if you don't push me around too much during practice," she said, smiling, and placing her forehead against his collarbone. He put his hands around her waist, and held her.

"I'll try, but I am captain, and that is what I'm supposed to do." She laughed a little and he lifted her head, and pressed his lips against hers.

"Oliver?"

"Yea?"

"I."

"Wood! Gryffindor! Come inside! It's time for breakfast!" a voice called. They turned to see Professor McGonagall waving them inside, and they jogged up to the doors.

She sat at the table in the common room, writing a letter to her father.

Dear Dad;
Hey, papa! I just thought I would write, and see how you are doing. School's going fine. I mean, I'd rather it was summer, and time to come home, but unfortunately, I don't know how to move time forward yet.hehe. No, don't worry, I'm not doing anything that could possibly break the rules. I've checked. Just kidding! I hope you and momma and Melissa are alright without me there, and I also hope that you are taking care of my cat, Linnie. I know she misses me, and I miss her too, and I can't wait to come back home, though I've only been here for a week. We start Quidditch practices again in a few days, so long as the snow is gone. It doesn't matter to Wood what the temperature is.unless it's too cold. He's the judge. We have to stick it out. But it's a lot of fun. I'll write again when I get a response. Love you guys.

~Hayleigh.

She sealed the envelope, and stood up from her place at the table. Ron and Harry looked up from their homework, and sighed.

"This is too boring!" they moaned. Hayleigh smiled, shaking her head, and pulled on her sweater, heading towards the painting.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked, straightening his glasses.

"Owlery," she said, holding up her letter. They nodded, and she walked out of the common room, turning down the long corridor, towards the Owlery.
She looked up at all the owls perched around her, gazing down as though they could have attacked her at any moment. After a second, she whistled a light tune, and a shiny white snow owl landed on her shoulder. She had just attached the letter to her owl, when she heard a responding whistle.

"Well, Tallie, seems as though you've learned a new trick," she said, patting her head.

"Actually, that was me," a voice said. She turned around, surprised, and saw Oliver step up onto the landing, smiling.

"Frightened me," she said, walking to the window. Tallie nipped at Hayleigh's ear, and took off, flying over the forest.

"Who's that to?" he asked, walking up behind her. Hayleigh watched the trees sway lightly in the breeze, and noticed the tiny bits of snow fly off.

"My father. I've only been back here for a week, and already I miss him. And my sister Melissa." He put his arms around her shoulders, and smiled as the snow began to fall again.

"I'm glad we don't have classes today."

"Me too." He kissed the back of her head, and pulled her away from the window, laughing.

"What are you two doing in here?" a voice said. "Aren't you usually outside?" Hayleigh turned around.

"Hi, Percy. I was just sending a letter to my father: Oliver chose to come with me. We were just going to head downstairs," she said, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Besides, its not as if it is against the rules to send out an owl from the Owlery, is it, Percy?" she asked sweetly. He smiled.

"Your right. It's not," he said, waved his hand, and walked back down the steps.

"How'd you manage to get him to go away? Doesn't he usually lecture?"

"He's had a crush on me, like, forever. It's funny, yet pathetic, yet useful at times." Oliver laughed slightly, shaking his head, as they headed down the steps.
She turned her head, watching Oliver talk with Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Harry, Fred, and George. Smiling to herself, she picked up a snowball, and whipped it at him. It splattered against the back of his head, and dripped down the back of his robes. He jumped, feeling how cold it was against his skin, and turned around.

"Hayleigh!"

"I couldn't resist!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Well, get over here! This is a team meeting, and you are part of the team." She jogged over, and stood by Harry, listening. "Practice is tomorrow, at three o' clock. Professor McGonagall has booked us the field, and, halfway through, one of you six is going to have to sit out, and let Hayleigh take your place. She is our backup, she needs to be just as prepared, just incase something should happen." Hayleigh smiled at him over from behind everyone, and cleared her throat.

"Who are we playing for the first game?"

"We are playing." He turned his head, looking over at Marcus Flint. "Slytherin," he said, in a low, dark voice. She held back her giggles, and continued to listen to Oliver. "We will meet in the changing rooms at two forty-five, get our uniforms on, grab our brooms, and head out." Everyone nodded, and scattered across the lawn, except Hayleigh. She smiled at him, and put her arms around his shoulders.

"You know what I can't wait for?"

"School to end, and us to graduate?" he asked.

"Well, aside from that."

"I don't know.what?"

"The Hogsmeade visit. I love going there."

"Well, it's in a couple weeks. Closer than it was before break."

"It is, isn't it?" she asked. He smiled, and leaned down, kissing her. She heard a laugh, and pulled away, looking around.

"What?" he asked.

"You didn't hear it?"

"Hear what?" She looked around. No one was laughing anywhere near them. She shook her head.

"Nothing.must've imagined it." He shrugged, and slid his arm around her shoulders. She put her arm around his waist, and they walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hayleigh glancing inside.

"You ever wondered why the forest is there if we can't go in it?" she asked.

"Sometimes.but then I remind myself that there are more people here than just us students." She dropped her head against his shoulder.

"Why do you have to be so smart, Wood? Makes me feel inferior." He smiled, and pulled her closer as the wind began to blow.

"Heads up!" a voice called. Hayleigh looked up as the snowball slammed into her back. Spinning around, she saw Harry and Ron throwing snowballs at them.

"Harry!" she cried, making one and chucking it at him.