For Old Time's Sake

"Harry?" Hermione called, brushing snowflakes from her coat and taking off her boots.

"In here, love." His voice drifted in from the common room of their flat.

She hung her coat on the hook and readjusted her sweater, walking into the common room in her socks and curling up next to Harry on the sofa.

"Hi," she whispered into his shoulder, breathing in his scent. "How was work?"

"It was alright," he shrugged. "Nothing out of the ordinary. You?"

Harry worked as an Auror, and Hermione headed the Department of Literature, both at the Ministry of Magic (which had recently been headed by Ernie Macmillan). She'd had to work late, catching up on her correspondence for work.

"A bit tiring," she replied. "Lots of owls have been coming in lately about new additions to the library."

As head of the department, Hermione was also in charge of adding a copy of each newly published book to the collection the Ministry had.

"Well, I made some hot cocoa to brighten your spirits," Harry said cheerfully, moving up from the sofa. "It's in the kitchen; I'll bring you a mug."

"Thanks," she smiled, settling back onto the couch and pulling a blanket around her.

Harry returned after a few moments, setting two steaming mugs of hot cocoa on the table and poking at the fire in the fireplace before returning to his spot next to Hermione.

She picked her mug up carefully, sipping it before turning to him.

"When are we getting our tree?" she asked. "Christmas is in a couple of weeks. How about tomorrow?"

Harry paused, thinking. "Sure," he said. "I don't have to go into the office tomorrow."

She grinned, looking past him out the window. "Harry, let's go outside!"

"What?"

"Let's have a snowball fight."

He looked at her, puzzled. "Okay."

"I was just thinking, as we were talking," she explained, as they moved towards the door and pulled on their coats, gloves, and boots. "We sound so... grown up."

"Well," Harry said slowly. "We are grown up, love."

"I know," she said impatiently, pulling him towards the door. "But if you think about it, we grew up so fast. Let's have a snowball fight for old time's sake."

They had grown up rather quickly, what with fighting Voldemort and all that. Sure, they'd had a few snowball fights at Hogwarts over the years, but by the time the war was over, they were actually adults and had just moved on to their grown-up lives.

Not that she was complaining, of course. Recently engaged, she and Harry had been dating since their seventh year and living together for the past three years.

"Come on!" Harry shouted, getting into the spirit and rushing ahead of her, leaping into the snow.

She laughed as he partially disappeared in the pile of snow he'd half-jumped, half-fallen into.

She piled up some snow to use for cover and then began forming snowballs, launching them in his general direction as he struggled to get up.

"Not fair!" he yelled. "I'm already down!"

"Then get up!"

Muttering, Harry managed to get himself up and behind his own little, crudely-made snow fort. Soon the snowball fight was in full swing, snowballs flying back and forth between them.

Hermione shrieked as one hit her full in the face, scooping up more snow into her gloved hands and packing it hard. She was about to return fire when Ron's voice shouted from the distance.

"Hey!" he yelled, walking towards them from the street and waving. Luna was at his side. "What are you doing?"

"Snowball fight," Harry called back. "Join in! Male versus female in the snowball fight to end all snowball fi--"

Luna had already joined Hermione and her first snowball hit him in the side of the head. Ron laughed, sloshing through the snow to reach Harry's side.

"So that's how you want to play it," Harry called to them.

"Exactly," Hermione said back, laughing.

Ron and Luna had been dating for a couple years now. Despite their many differences, they seemed to work together.

Snowballs flew back and forth at an alarming rate for nearly an hour when Ron called a white flag from thin air with his wand, waving it as a sign of truce.

"We surrender, we surrender!" he and Harry said simultaneously.

Out of breath, the four of them trudged back inside, shaking the snow out of their hair, coats, boots, and "manly regions" (according to a slightly annoyed Ron).

Harry went into the kitchen to bring out more hot cocoa as they gathered around the fireplace, grinning and replaying the fight aloud. Harry handed everyone a mug and joined in the conversation.

"I cannot believe you hit me in the face--"

"--most fun I've had in a while--"

"--my manly regions--"

"--so much snow this year!"

"We won, obviously--"

"We should do this every year, you know--"

"--my manly regions--"

Hermione sat back and smiled, looking around at the other three. It had been a long time since they'd all relaxed together, just being kids again. She wouldn't trade that moment for anything in the world.