As the month changed to November, the weather turned extremely cold. The peaks of the mountains surrounding the school became thick with snow and the lake became so icy that only the bravest or most foolhardy would dare dip even a toe into the freezing water. Every morning there was a fresh crisp frost on grounds of the school, and, despite the numerous fireplaces and heating spells used by the teachers to keep their lessons warm, the corridors did not give much protection from the cold. Especially seeing as Peeves took much delight in opening as many windows in the school as he could.

Outside of classes, most of the students had taken to retreating to the warmth of the Common Rooms where the crackling fires gave some refuge from the harsh winter conditions.

"That's it," said George huddled up gratefully in front of the fireplace. He had a heavy looking jumper on and had pulled his hands back into the sleeves for extra warmth, "I don't care what happens, I'm not moving from this fire the whole weekend."

"What about lunch and dinner?" asked Lee relaxing in the basking glow of the flames. He too was similarly dressed in warm looking clothes and was rubbing his hands together before exposing them to the fire.

"Well you and Fred can just pick me something up from the table," said George waving a hand dismissively. He closed his eyes and let out a long satisfied sigh.

"What about if you need the toilet?" asked Fred raising an eyebrow, "don't think Lee and I are helping you out with that."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," replied George after a few moments of thoughtful consideration.

There was a clattering of footsteps coming from stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. The three boys shifted their position so they could see what the commotion was. They were greeted to the sight of Angelina, Alicia and Katie all rushing down the stairs, hurriedly trying to force on shoes or wrapping coats and scarves around themselves.

"No need to hurry ladies," said George, "there's plenty of time to get me a Christmas present, it's only November after all, but if you must insist, there are a number of Zonko items that I have my eye on."

"Very funny," snorted Angelina plonking a large woollen hat down over her head and pulling it down over her ears, "we're getting out of here, apparently Oliver is on his way up."

"And what?" said Fred leaning back in his chair lazily, "you just can't stand being around him? Oliver seems to have that effect on women."

"Well according to Emma Singleton," explained Katie quickly as Angelina tapped her foot impatiently, "she overheard Kevin McGillycud being told by Aziza Bexley that he'd seen Maxwell Chesterly and Leanne Burbank talking about how they had overheard Oliver talking to Madam Hooch about booking the Quidditch pitch for after breakfast."

"So?" frowned Lee shrugging.

"Quidditch practice? In this weather?" Alicia asked wide-eyed.

Lee and the twins looked over at the window. If someone had said that 'it was a bit windy outside' it would have been like them saying that 'Voldemort had been a bit naughty' when he tried to take over the wizarding world. There is a pastime enjoyed by a very select, and some would say down right potty, group of wizards. It's called Windriding, and basically, involves flying your broom into the heart of a storm and trying to stay on for as long as possible. Windriders are some of the bravest or, depending on your point of view, insane, members of wizarding society and even they would have looked out of the window and decided that a nice cup of tea and a warm blanket would be a better idea.

"He wouldn't make us practice in this," said Fred uncertainly. The wind was buffeting against the glass so hard that it made an ungodly sound as it rushed passed.

"This is Oliver we are talking about," stated Angelina still tapping her foot and looking across at the back of the portrait opening

"What in Godric's name are we waiting for?" exclaimed George jumping up instantly.

"What about a coat?" asked Fred looking towards the boys' dormitories.

"No time," Lee retorted as the group headed towards the portrait hole.

As Angelina reached the doorway, it swung open into the corridor. She had to stop abruptly as someone was trying to get through.

"Ah Angelina," the voice of Oliver echoed out into the room, "I was just coming to see you, who's that behind you? Katie, and Alicia as well? Brilliant."

"Hi Oliver," said Katie and Alicia glumly. Angelina stepped back into the Common Room to allow the Quidditch Captain in.

"Good news," Oliver beamed at his team, "Slytherin had the Quidditch pitch booked for this morning, but for some reason they decided to cancel their practice. Once I found that out, I was right over to Madam Hooch and luckily she said it was ours if we wanted it."

"You really can't see why they would have cancelled their practice?" asked Angelina folding her arms and thinking that she had almost made it to freedom.

"No, why?"

As if to answer Oliver, at that moment a large screech owl that had been trying desperately to get back to the owlery smacked against the window as a strong gale caught hold of it. Everyone in the room looked at the sight of the stricken creature disappearing from view before looking back at the Quidditch Captain, who still had an expression of utter ignorance etched onto his face.

"Owls eh? They should watch where they are going more. So anyway," said Oliver rubbing his hands together, "I already saw Harry on my way up, so he already knows, we just need to find Fred and George."

"Fred and George? They're right…" Alicia frowned before looking behind her. Neither Lee nor the twins were standing there anymore, "… there?"

Angelina stepped forward and drew her gaze over the room, after a few moments she locked her eyes onto one of the large armchairs in the corner of the room. She headed over and looked behind it. She reached down.

"Ouch, hey…" complained Fred steadily getting to his feet as Angelina pulled him up by one of his ears. She let go once he was standing, "ow, that really hurt. Oh hi Oliver, I didn't see you there."

"Hi…er… why were you hiding behind the armchair?"

"I wasn't hiding," dismissed Fred still rubbing his ear, "I…er… dropped something and was just looking for it."

"What did you drop?" asked Angelina pointedly, "your spine?"

"You should just better hope that you didn't damage my ear," complained Fred, he turned around to look in a mirror that hung on the wall of the Common Room, "I think you stretched it, it looks stretched to me."

"Did you hear the good news?" asked Oliver looking at Fred's reflection in the mirror.

"No," lied Fred, turning back around once he was satisfied that his ear was still the same size it had been when he woke up that morning. He pointed towards the window, "I couldn't hear anything over the hurricane currently going on outside."

"Oh well I've booked the Quidditch pitch for practice," Oliver informed him completely ignoring the subtle hint. "Slytherin had it booked but they cancelled."

"Obviously," nodded Fred, clamouring out from behind the armchair, before resting back on its arm, "only a complete idiot would give up the chance of trying to fly in that storm."

"I know, right?" Oliver Wood: naturally impervious to sarcasm. "Where's your brother?"

"I think I know," said Angelina standing next to a bulky set of curtains. She nodded her head down. Sticking out of the bottom of the drape were two feet. She pulled it back dramatically.

"Hi guys," said Lee awkwardly standing behind the curtain.

"Hi Lee," nodded Oliver, "have you seen er… the other one? Sorry, I still can't tell you apart."

"That's okay, I'm Fred. You'll be able to tell us apart now since I'm the one with the slightly lopsided ear."

"Why were you hiding?" asked Angelina Lee quietly, ignoring Fred's complaining, "it's not as if you are on the team."

"I panicked." He replied sheepishly. Luckily for Lee, everyone else was suddenly distracted by the sound of a loud sneeze emanating from underneath a chaise-lounge at the side of the room.

"Alright?" said Alicia bending over and addressing George, who had somehow impressively managed to scuttle under the chair without being seen.

"Hiya Alicia, damn dust," said George gradually crawling out, "hey Oliver."

"Did you…?"

"Yes, yes," George interrupted him and nodding, "Quidditch practice, Slytherin cancelled, yay for us."

"Excellent," smiled Oliver looking decidedly happy. He looked up at the clock on the wall, "okay down at the pitch in an hour then."

"Would any one really mind if I killed him?" asked Angelina after Oliver bounded up the stairs to the boys' dormitory."

"I would," admitted Fred still watching the stairs, "mainly because I what to be the one to do it."

"Honestly where is your team spirit?" asked Lee pointedly settling down in front of the toasty warm fire, "if I was on the team I'd be out there practicing during rain, wind and snow. Of course I'm not, so sadly instead I'll just stay here and keep warm.

"Would any one mind if I killed him instead?" said Angelina nodding towards Lee.

****

"Okay I changed my mind," said Fred as he stood with his brother and the Chasers, "I don't care if I don't get to be the one to kill Oliver but could someone just get on and do it so I can get back inside?"

The five Gryffindor students were huddled together at the side of the Quidditch pitch, each of them were wrapped from head to toe in as many warm clothes as they could manage. In fact, George had gone the extra mile, located a number of hot water bottles, and stuffed them inside his coat for good measure.

"Here comes our fearless leader," stated Fred stamping his feet on the frost covered ground. The group looked over their shoulders to see Oliver approaching the pitch. He was talking animatedly with the team's new Seeker, Harry Potter, who looked as cold as the rest of them. They were carrying the equipment trunk that contained the various balls used during the game.

"Morning team," Oliver greeted them smiling.

"Oliver are you serious about us flying in this?" asked Angelina pointing behind her.

"What's wrong with it?" said Oliver, raising his voice so that he could be heard above the wind, "it's bracing."

"Bracing? Suicide is what it is," complained Angelina.

"It's good practice," Oliver countered, "what happens if the day of our first match the weather is like this?"

"Then Madam Hooch would call off the match and we'd replay it another week," replied Alicia.

"Call off a Quidditch match? For a little bit of wind? I don't think so," said Oliver shaking his head in amusement.

"Fine, watch this," snapped Angelina. She stepped forward, opened the equipment trunk and took out the Quaffle. She held it in her hand for a moment before launching it high into the air. The team watched as the ball was caught by the wind and dragged down the far end of the pitch before hitting the ground, even after it touched down it continued to roll for a good while before coming to a stop. Angelina turned back to Oliver with her hands on her hips.

"What's your point?"

"My point," exclaimed Angelina "is that we physically can't play in this weather."

"Of course you can," stated Oliver thinking that the only thing wrong was that his team lacked confidence to fly in the windy conditions, "you guys are easily good enough to play in this weather."

"I give up," snorted Angelina throwing her hands up.

"Let me try a different approach," advised Fred. He placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder, "Oliver, you know and I know, that practice makes perfect."

"Exactly."

"And that normally we would all gladly love to put in extra Quidditch practice no matter what the conditions," Fred continued to inform his captain, "but if we practice today there is a very good chance that one of us could get injured by a twig or stone…"

"Or a Chaser smacking someone over the head with their broom," muttered Angelina under her breath.

"… being blown into their face," said Fred ignoring his friend, "and the last thing we want is to have an injured player so close to our next game."

"You know I hadn't even considered that," admitted Oliver thoughtfully, "do you really think someone could get injured in this?"

"Oliver, do you see that tree over there?" said Fred pointing towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, "well up until about ten minutes ago it was standing upright. Yes, I think there is a very good chance someone could get injured in this weather."

"I suppose," admitted Oliver reluctantly, "but we've got the pitch booked all morning so if the weather gets better we'll come back out okay."

"Of course," agreed Fred in voice that was generally only used by people carefully negotiating hostage situations.

The relieved group headed back towards the castle, they huddled together as best as they could to try to conserve warmth between them until they gratefully got inside the school.

"If the weather doesn't die down today, maybe we'll fit in some extra practice tomorrow morning," sighed Oliver still looking hopefully at the outside blustering gale.

"On a Sunday morning?" asked George raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah it'll be perfect," nodded Oliver, "no one ever books the Quidditch pitch for practice on a Sunday morning."

"That's probably because they are all enjoying a nice long lie in," Katie pointed out.

"Really?" frowned Oliver, "Why?"

"Because it's a Sunday," George tried again, "it's the day you're supposed to have a long lie in."

"Are you sure? Never heard of that," said Oliver shaking his head, "well, I'll just go and find Madam Hooch after I er… well… you know," he nodded towards the boys' toilets.

"He just doesn't get a hint does he?" said Angelina aloud once he had disappeared from sight.

"Right that's it," snapped George, "he can drag me out into the cold, make me do ridiculous exercise routines, and take up most of my nights with extra practice. But no one, and I mean no one, stops George's Sunday lie in. It's traditional for Godric's-sake."

Under the watchful gaze of the rest of the team, George stomped forward, took his wand from his pocket and pointed it at the keyhole of the boy's toilet door.

"Colloportus!" chanted George. There was an audible click as the door magically locked itself, "there. Let's see him go and find Madam Hooch now."