Advent Calendar: Write about someone playing in snow
Christmas at the Movies: Love Actually, Write about finding love during the holidays
Jingle Bells: "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas", FredHermione
Showtime, "Bad Horse Chorus", "Let the games begin."
Count Your Buttons: impressive
Word Count: 570
"Let the games begin!"
Hermione rolls her eyes when she hears the declaration. She keeps her head down and clutches her books a little closer to her chest as she makes her way across the quad. The last thing she needs is to get caught up in one of Fred and George's silly games.
Luck, unfortunately, is not on her side. She feels a soft thump against her shoulder, followed by a flurry of ice crystals as a snowball explodes against her coat. "Hey!"
Fred offers her an unapologetic smile and a quick shrug of his shoulders. "You're out in the open," he says innocently. "Fair game!"
Hermione scowls. For a moment, she considers stalking back to the castle and ignoring the twins. Still, she knows it won't make a difference.
Quickly casting a charm to prevent her books from water damage, she sets her things aside. The only way to get them to leave her alone is to play the game, and she's been in plenty of snowball fights before. One more won't hurt, and her studying can wait a moment longer.
As Fred and George continue chuckling and crafting snowballs to hurl at unsuspecting victims, Hermione quickly rolls a few balls of snow. She takes careful aim, smiling proudly as one bursts against the back of Fred's head.
He turns, brows raised, looking for the culprit. When he realizes it's Hermione, his surprise fades into an amused admiration. "Impressive!" he calls, hurling another snowball at her. Hermione doesn't move fast enough, and it grazes her cheek. "Didn't know you had it in you, Hermione."
"I'm full of surprises," she laughs, launching two more. One crashes against George's chest while Fred manages to duck away from the other.
She loses track of time. Everything seems to move so fast, and yet it feels like hardly any time has passed at all. The three of them exchange snowballs as they run and skid across the slick grounds. It's only when her skin feels like ice and her bones feel stiff and frozen that Hermione decides she had better get back inside. While Madam Pomfrey may have plenty of vials of Pepperup Potion, Hermione doesn't fancy having to visit the hospital wing.
"I'll walk with you."
Hermione considers reminding Fred that she knows her way around the castle, but there's something about the way he smiles at her as he jogs over. There's something gentle in his expression, almost hopeful.
"You should relax more often," he says. "You're lovely when you're having fun. I mean… You're always lovely, but…"
Hermione blushes, holding her books close as they enter Hogwarts. "Thank you," he says.
"I mean it. You really are lovely. And smart, and everything," Fred continues.
She waits for the punchline. Even paying a compliment warrants some sort of joke in the end. To her surprise, however, his features remain composed, and there is nothing but honesty in his eyes.
"Have a drink with me," he says. "A nice hot cocoa by the fireplace in the common room."
She should probably tell him no. She has research to do over the holidays; he's her best friend's brother. Excuse after excuse passes through her mind, but she finds herself grinning instead. "I'd love to."
Fred puts an arm around her as they walk along. A smile tugs at her lips as she realzies this is what it's like to take a chance.