Snow

Hermione looked up from her book at the sound of something hitting the window. Curious, she set the ancient copy of Advanced Arithmancy on the overstuffed chair and walked to the Common Room window. What she saw made her smile.

Ron was outside, wearing a thick woolen coat and chucking slushy snowballs at the window. When he saw her peering out at him, he grinned and waved. She waved back, and he motioned for her to come outside and join him. One minute, she mouthed, and went back to her chair, grabbing her books and quills before rushing to her dorm. She threw her things haphazardly on her bed and quickly pulled on her thickest set of robes and a scarf, remembering to seize her dragonhide gloves at the last minute.

Five minutes later, she was out in the falling snow, wind biting at her cheeks and sun shining down on her back. She plodded through the deep snow towards Ron, loving the way he smiled at the sight of her.

"Took you long enough, Granger!" He was tossing a snowball back and forth in his hands and grinning in that mischievous way of his. "Might have to teach you a lesson."

She leveled him with her best glare, trying not to laugh. "Don't even think about it."

Ron threw up his hands in mock surrender and dropped the snowball. "Alright, you win! I secede!" He bent down and started to roll the clean, white snow in his hands. "Wanna make a snowman?"

They proceeded to roll large mounds of snow and packed them on top of each other. Ron kept making jokes, and Hermione could barely speak for laughing. When did we get like this? When did we stop finding things to fight about and start enjoying each other's company?

It wasn't an easy question to answer. Maybe it was after last year's battle against Voldemort. Maybe it was just that they were getting older. Or maybe it's something else entirely. All she knew was that she craved his presence, loved spending time with him, even doing something as trivial as building a snowman together.

"Stop daydreaming and help me get this piece on top of the other!" Ron was laughing at her. She stuck out her tongue before joining him in lifting the large ball of snow.

She stepped back to admire their work. "Who should this snowman be?"

Ron smirked. "Harry."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Harry?" Then she laughed. "Perfect."

With the help of a few twigs, an old broom that Hermione summoned from the school shed, and Ron's Gryffindor scarf, their lumpy snow creation turned into a fairly decent, albeit humorous, version of their friend. The sight sent Hermione into a fit of giggles, and she had a hard time catching her breath.

Ron apparently thought that she'd laughed enough. He scooped up a handful of snow and, grabbing her by the arm, shoved the icy cold mass down the back of her robes.

"RON!" Her scream echoed off the surrounding trees. "I'm going to get you for that!" She wiggled and squirmed, trying unsuccessfully to get the wet snow out of her clothes, but finally gave up and just started flinging snowballs in Ron's direction. Unfortunately, her aim was very poor, and Ron doubled over with laughter at her pathetic attempts at vengeance.

"Wait, Hermione. Let me stand still so you can have a fair chance at hitting me." He stood two feet away from her and spread out his arms, as if begging her to try.

Her eyes narrowed and she rolled the snow in her hands, forming a tightly packed missile. "You're asking for it, Weasley." She wound up and let it fly, laughing at the shock on Ron's face as it hit him smack dab in the middle of the forehead. He stumbled and fell, landing on his behind in the soft snow.

Her giggle fit came back. He just looked so silly, sitting there in the snow with white slush dripping down his face. Perfect!

Suddenly his hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. She felt herself being pulled to the ground, and she squealed in surprise as she landed flat on her back. "Ron! Now I'm all wet!"

There was that mischievous grin again. "Serves you right!" He lay back in the snow and spread out his arms and legs, swishing them back and forth as he made a snow angel. She followed his lead, and smiled. What a picture we must make! She hoped no one was watching from the castle, but at the same time, she didn't care.

Unexpectedly, she heard a sigh escape him. "'Mione?"

She turned her head to look at him, and found him staring right at her. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad we can spend time like this and not fight like we used to." He pushed himself up on one elbow and looked down at her, his eyes serious. "What happened to us?"

She was shocked to hear that he was thinking the same things she had been just minutes before. She took a deep breath and answered. "I don't know, Ron, honestly. Something's changed, though."

He nodded. "Yeah. I know."

Suddenly they were staring at each other, and Hermione found that she couldn't look away - she didn't have the power, or the desire. She just wanted to look at his face forever.

His eyes darkened, and then his lips gently brushed hers. The sensation was the sweetest thing she'd ever known. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek, to pull him closer and to savor this moment, engraving it in her mind for eternity.

When he pulled back, his ears were tinged with the trademark Weasley blush, and Hermione smiled up into his sweet face. She saw him swallow, his Adam's apple moving up and down compulsively. "Hermione, I--I--"

She placed a finger over his mouth. "I know, Ron. I know."