The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Hogsmeade Weekend

Hogsmeade Weekend

Snow began falling over the grounds of Hogwarts in early November like a whisper. Students were out on the lawns having snowball fights - the Gryffindor Second Years among them. Sirius had applauded rather loudly when James aimed a large snowball perfectly between the shoulders of Severus Snape as the Slytherins and Ravenclaws had crossed the grounds, headed to their Herbology lesson. The snowball had knocked Severus over into the banking and given him snow burn on his hands as he fell. He stood up, soaked, and dusted off the white powder, anger burning within him.

"Bloody prats will get what they deserve when the Dark Lord rises up," muttered Evan Rosier, seeing Severus's anger. "Remember what Malfoy said about checking yer anger."

It took every ounce of his restraint not to pull out his wand and hex the lot of them - even Remus, who looked more ashamed than amused. Severus scowled at them, then continued on his way, following after Rosier toward the green houses.

"What's a'matter, Snivelly?" called James, "Did the snow wash some of that grease from your head?"

"Good one James," Sirius laughed so hard there were tears in his eyes.

Peter had mimicked James and tried throwing a snowball at one of the other Slytherins but the ball didn't make it anywhere near far enough to actually hit anybody, and also the others had already bored with the Slytherins progression across the lawns, and turned to work on building a snow fort instead. Peter scrambled to catch up.

Each year, the students in Third Year and higher were allowed to visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, not far from the grounds of Hogwarts. Derek Bell, Bilius Weasley, and Alex Tinnamin were among the students leaving the castle that day, though they were a more subdued group than some of the other clusters of students, who shouted and laughed loudly or ran through the snow along the road to Hogsmeade.

Derek was in a mood. It was the two month anniversary of the day that Alice had been killed by the death eaters and he hadn't really wanted to go to Hogsmeade, but Bilius and Alex had insisted that he get out and about. Derek, they claimed, had been spending too much time indoors and moping about the castle, only leaving the Gryffindor common room for Quidditch practice.

"Alice wouldn't want that, mate," Bilius had said, throwing Derek his scarf and warm clothes for the trek to the village, "We don't have to stay all day if you don't want to, but at least let's give it a go."

So Derek had agreed, reluctantly, and now there they were, nearly upon the village and he wasn't feeling any better about it than he had when the damned poster had appeared on the bulletin board announcing the Hogsmeade trip in the first place. Alice hadn't ever gotten to go on a Hogsmeade weekend. It was one of the things she'd most been looking forward to over the summer and she'd asked him endless questions and saved all her sickles and knuts all year to spend in the village. She'd wanted to skip over Florean Fortescue's ice cream sodas when they'd gone to Diagon Alley for their school supplies, not wanting to spend ten sickles on them. Derek thanked all his stars that he'd offered to pay for hers that day - sitting at the table in front of that little ice cream shoppe with his sister was one of the last good memories that he had left.

But that memory didn't keep Derek's heart from agonizing as they walked through the streets of Hogsmeade and he saw all the places that Alice had so desperately wanted to go. He had brought along her little coin purse, planning to spend it on all of the things she'd wanted to buy - butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks, a box of chocolates and a sugar quill from Honeydukes, and something fun from Zonko's - but now it just felt heavy like lead in his pocket. She'd also wanted to send a letter from the owl post to their parents, Derek realized as they passed the post's window, with all the different owls fluttering about the rafters of it. Now, she wasn't here to send the letter to their parents who were not there to receive it.