The Healer | Part 2: The War

Christmas at the Burrow

Christmas Eve was definitely a lively affair even if three of the Weasley siblings were missing from the festivities. After lunch, Mr Weasley and the boys went outside to put protective enchantments over the house and garden so we could all go out in the snow.

It wasn't long before a girls-against-boys snowball fight broke out and Ginny showed me how to magick snowballs through the air. With her being underage, it was up to me to make and launch the snowballs while she strategized. She seemed quite pleased to be able to use magic against her brothers. After the fighting got underway, it became quite clear why.

The boys were merciless, from the moment we opened fire, there was a steady stream of snowballs pelting us from their direction. We had to quickly redesign our fortress to adapt to the attack and add tiny windows to monitor their actions. It had been my idea to use a freezing spell to turn our fortress to solid ice to market it harder to penetrate. Once we had done that, we were able to go on the offensive.

We weren't a bad team. The boys seemed surprised at this as we found a way to melt through their fortress and Ginny pelted them with snowballs while they retreated. The household and cooking spells Mrs Weasley had taught me turned out to be extremely useful in battle.

Ginny pointed at a snowman near the orchard on the boys' side of the garden. I understood her meaning and pointed my wand at it. It came to life and started throwing snowballs at the boys from behind. It was quite funny for a moment until Charlie blasted it with fire from his wand and it melted.

'Dammit, Charlie! That was good snow you've just melted!' George yelled.

George and Fred appeared to be quite well-practiced in snowball fights, they were creating and launching snowballs individually faster than anyone else, and there were two of them at it. It was a struggle just to maintain visual contact with them.

I caught motion from the corner or my eye just in time to see Charlie point his wand at the tree above us to make the snow sitting in the branches fall. I waved my own wand around the fort to create an ice roof. I created a curve so the snow was redirected towards the boys' fort.

A garden gnome accidentally got caught up in the excitement and ended up flying through the air towards Fred, who managed to kick it away before getting bitten. I got momentarily distracted, making sure there were no other gnomes caught up in our pile of snowballs when I felt a pair of hands on my waist lifting me from the ground and launching me into a snowbank.

'Oi!' I shrieked as George tackled me into the snow when I attempted to get up. 'That's not fair!'

I had dropped my wand in my surprise and George was now shoving snow down the back and neck of my coat. I squirmed and kicked, but it was no use, he was stronger than me.

'Get the other one!' He called over his shoulder.

I heard Ginny shout not that far away and knew a similar fate must have befallen her.

'Geroffme!' I heard her muffled yell. 'That's not fair!'

'Stop, stop!' I yelled as more cold and wet snow was shoved down my coat. 'Alright, alright! I surrender!'

'No, Edith! The Scottish don't surrender! Don't let them break you!' Ginny yelled.

I caught a glimpse of her just over George's shoulder, it was taking both Fred and Charlie to hold her down. She looked like she was putting up more of a fight than I was.

George pulled away for a second and looked over his shoulder at the commotion behind him. I tried to take advantage of his distraction and wriggle away, but he only grabbed my shoulders and pushed me harder into the snowbank.