Harry Potter AUS

Day 11; George Weasley; Look Out for Snowballs

     Hogwarts was always an amazing place, but especially after it snowed. I loved all of the secret passageways and tricks that I had been taught or found on my own, and the snow only made it so much better. Plus, snowball fights were infinitely more exciting.

I crept across the courtyard behind a long hedge that wrapped around the school, providing me permanent cover on one side. Fred Weasley and his brother Ron, Harry Potter, and Dean Thomas were all building a fort a few yards away from me, on the other side of the bush, with no knowledge of my whereabouts. It was the perfect time to strike.

I whispered a spell under my breath to levitate my pre-made snowballs and prepared to run. It was going to be a long chase after I gave myself away. But it was totally going to be worth it.

With a flick of my wand, I sent the snowballs flying over the hedge, right into the boys, then turned and sprinted away, keeping low. I heard Fred cursing loudly and the boys beginning to pursue me, but there was no way they would catch me. I knew about the secret passageway behind the wizard statue just a few feet away.

I leaped over the hedge, turned a corner and sprinted briefly along a covered walkway, the boys' snowballs soaring through the air around me, and finally reached the statue. I kicked the stand twice, knocked on the wizard's head, and dropped through the trapdoor that had just appeared on the ground in front of me.

I landed on the ground of a dark, freezing, stone hallway that ran underneath the school. It didn't lead anywhere useful, but it was perfect for making an escape. I heard Fred, Ron, Harry, and Dean walking above me. They would never find me.

I giggled quietly as I began to walk away. I was sure that they would make me pay for this later with some prank or another, but I had beaten them (as usual) in this round of our snowball fight. I always beat them when we were at Hogwarts. The only people who even had a chance against me were Fred and George, but I hadn't seen George around today, and I didn't have to worry about Fred for a while.

I pulled out a map I had hastily drawn earlier of the tunnel. I began to read it as I walked. I wanted to get to the whale painting, so I had to turn left and -

I crashed right in to George Weasley, who had been too distracted levitating snowballs to notice me. We both stared at each other in shock, until I said, "I thought I was the only one who knew this passageway."

"Nope. Fred and I have been using it since our second year." He ran a hand through his messy red hair, and I felt my heart skip a beat. I had always had the slightest crush on him; always dreamed about what we might do if we met alone.

But I had to keep my head - I thought back to what he had said and frowned. "Good to know. Speaking of Fred, I just got him, Ron, Harry, and Dean with snowballs."

George cursed. He was so hot. "Looks like I'm too late then."

"You missed out. It was pretty fun."

He arched a perfect eyebrow. "What are you doing down here?"

"Making an escape."

George laughed. His breath frosted in the air. "You've always been good at that. God, it's cold down here. Want to get some hot cocoa from the Great Hall? Now that you've already won the snowball fight, I don't have much left to do."

I realized how cold I was as soon as he spoke the words, nodded, and then shivered. George noticed and wrapped his scarf around me, his hands lingering perhaps a bit longer than necessary, but I didn't mind.

"I guess I don't need these any more," George said, waving away his snowballs, shoving his wand into his pocket, and pulling me close. "You look frozen, y/n."

I leaned into him and allowed myself to be held. His closeness gave me courage, and I said, "It isn't so bad. I'm not so cold. Besides, I know how to warm us up."

I kissed him, hard. George's eyes widened, but after a moment, he pulled me closer and deepened the kiss.

We stayed like that together, entwined, for a long time. My head was swimming when a flying snowball brought me back to reality, and away from George. I turned to see Fred, Ron, Dean, and Harry in the hallway with us, with an arsenal of snowballs.

"So this is where you disappeared off too."