A Winter at Hogwarts

The Patronus and Goodbye

The last two weeks, no matter how hard I tried to be happy, I was still depressed that the last day was two days away. What did lift my spirits, however was that down in the forrest, there was a small pond that was uninhabited by any living creature, and the weather was nice enough for all of us to go for a swim. Professor McGonagall allowed us to go, if we were accompanied by a teacher. Professor Brewer volunteered.

Me, Zane, Winter, and Karley all made our way to the lake wearing our swimwear, carrying a bag with a change of warm clothes. We all ran into the water and enjoyed ourselves, playing marko polo, chicken, and just enjoying the cool water. Professor Brewer just sat on the shore wearing a white sleeveless undershirt, enjoying the sun.

I made my way to the shore, and sat next to them. "You gonna join us, Professor Brewer?"

They gave a light chuckle and replied "Nah. I'm good, but you should enjoy the time with your friends while you can. You gotta start packing tomorrow."

"Don't remind me." I said, looking down.

"By the way, since you're done with your classes, you no longer have to call me Professor. Please...call me Z."

"Gotcha." I replied.

Zane, Karley and Winter made their way back up to the shoreline and we all sat in the sun chatting about what we were going to do after Hogwarts. To be honest, I didn't want to talk about it, because I was dreading the moment I had to get on the train home.

"What about you, Vince?" Winter asked me. "What's beyond the horizon after Hogwarts?"

"I have NO clue." I replied.

"How exciting." Said Z.

"To be honest...I want you all to be there." I said, looking at Zane, Karley and Winter.

Winter blushed and looked down when I looked at her.

"You know what...I think I'll take a dip." Said Z. They went into the lake with Zane and Karley following.

When they were at a distance, I looked at Winter again who was smiling, watching Z, Zane, and Karley splash each other.

"Winter?" I said.

"Yeah?"

I brushed a strand of hair from her face and gently pecked her lips. She smiled and looked down, blushing once more.

"I know."

Before long, no one wanted to swim anymore, because it got chilly. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the shadows of the trees were starting to make things colder. Our swimwear was dry enough that we put on our warm clothes. I wore a black hoodie with black jeans and black tennis shoes, and just because I liked the look of them, black and gray striped gloves with the tips of their fingers missing.

Z started a fire and pulled out a surprise. Sticks, marshmallows, and hot dogs.

We were all fed, we were all happy, and we snuggled closer to the fire. It was getting colder out.

I noticed that for an early summer night, it was a little too cold. It got so cold, in fact that the water started to freeze over, and my hoodie wasn't enough anymore.

"Is it me, or did it get colder out here?" Said Z.

"That's not just you." Said Zane.

Our breath was showing now. We all felt a familiar wave of despair and stood up.

"All of you stay alert. You all know how to conjure a patronus, yes?" Said Z.

Everyone but me said "Yes."