Time quickly passed, and before they knew it, December had arrived.
Saturday, Just After Eight O'Clock
"David, wake up! It's snowing!"
Early in the morning, Terry shouted in the dormitory while eagerly pulling open the window.
Since their dormitory was on the top floor of Ravenclaw Tower, a cold gust of wind mixed with fresh snowflakes immediately rushed inside, making David shiver and fully wake up.
"It's just snow. What's there to be so excited about?" David yawned and sat up, looking at his roommate with mild irritation.
On a cold winter day like this, there was nothing better than staying in bed. And since there were no classes today, he had planned to sleep in.
"This is the first snowfall since we came to Hogwarts! Look down there—some students are already having a snowball fight!" Terry said, his eyes filled with excitement.
David glanced outside and saw a group of students in the courtyard tossing snowballs at each other, laughing and shouting. He shook his head, thinking Terry might have been better suited for Gryffindor. A Ravenclaw who prioritized snowball fights over studying? How unusual.
"Well, it's a day off. Maybe some of the seniors are waiting for you downstairs to build a snowman together," Gene added, also supporting Terry's enthusiasm.
Seeing that everyone was eager to go out, David sighed in resignation. He might as well join them rather than be the odd one out. After changing into warm clothes, he followed his roommates out of the dormitory.
The First Snow at Hogwarts
After breakfast, they stepped outside into the snowy landscape of Hogwarts. By now, a decent number of students had already gathered.
Snow sculptures of lions, badgers, and snakes dotted the open space near the Black Lake, but there was no sign of an eagle—perhaps because it was too difficult to make one without the help of magic.
"David, come help us build a snowman!"
A familiar voice called out, and David turned to see Zhang waving at him. She was standing with three other girls: Penelope Clearwater, Marietta Edgecombe, and Enid Hansen.
David had some recollection of Marietta—she was the one who had betrayed Dumbledore's Army in the future. However, he understood her reasons. The pressure from the Ministry and that vile toad, Umbridge, had been immense. Considering that Marietta's family worked for the Ministry of Magic, refusing to comply could have put her future at risk.
Nearby, Terry saw the group of girls and grinned. "We won't bother you, David. Michael, let's go join the snowball fight!"
Without waiting for a response, he dragged Michael toward the chaos, where students from all four houses were flinging snowballs at each other.
"Have fun," David called after them, shaking his head in amusement.
As David approached, Enid playfully smacked Penelope's backside before walking off with Marietta.
"I'll leave you two alone," she teased, smirking.
She had been Penelope's roommate long enough to know her feelings for David. However, in Enid's opinion, David had too many admirers. He wasn't exactly an ideal choice for a long-term relationship. But since Penelope was clearly interested, there was nothing more to say.
The trio—David, Penelope, and Zhang—began crafting snowmen, even fetching ice from the Black Lake to create ice sculptures. However, after a while, their hands became painfully cold. Even magical warming charms had their limits when dealing with freezing temperatures.
Suddenly—
CRACK!
A loud sound echoed across the Black Lake as the ice split open near its center. The students standing on the ice quickly ran for safety.
A massive tentacle broke through the surface, followed by another, then another. Soon, the entire giant squid emerged, as if it wanted to bask in the winter sun.
The sight was both breathtaking and slightly terrifying.
Chaos in the Snowball Fight
"Prefect! There's a fight over there!"
A young Ravenclaw student ran up to them, panting as he spoke to Penelope.
"Who's fighting?" she asked immediately.
"All four houses—it's a total mess!"
The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff prefects had already arrived, but the Ravenclaw student had spotted Penelope nearby and sought her out.
"What started it?"
"Someone from Gryffindor put a rock inside a snowball and threw it at a Slytherin student's head. The Slytherins retaliated, but one of their rocks hit a Ravenclaw by mistake. Then somehow, Hufflepuff got involved, and now people are using wands instead of snowballs!"
"I'll handle it!"
Penelope quickly left, jogging toward the scene of the fight.
David couldn't help but wonder if his roommates were caught up in the brawl. Knowing Terry and Michael, they had likely been dragged into the chaos.
Meanwhile, Zhang checked her watch and turned to David.
"I have Quidditch practice soon. Want to come watch?" she asked.
"No thanks," David said with a shrug. "You know I'm not really interested in Quidditch."
Zhang had been trying to convince him to join the Ravenclaw team for a while, but David had no real desire to play. He preferred watching from the sidelines or—if there was betting involved—placing a few strategic wagers.
After parting ways with Zhang, David decided to head to the library.
His restricted section pass, granted by Professor Quirrell, was only valid until Christmas. He needed to make good use of it to research alchemy and ancient magic.
A Prank on Quirrell
On the way to the library, David spotted Fred and George Weasley sneaking around with snowballs in their hands.
"What are you two up to?" David asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Fred whispered.
"We just saw Professor Quirrell enter his office," George added.
"And?"
"We want to see what's under his scarf," Fred said excitedly.
David raised an eyebrow. He already knew the answer: Voldemort's face was hiding beneath that scarf. But he couldn't exactly tell the twins that.
"What's your plan?" he asked instead.
"We're going to hit him with snowballs until his scarf gets soaked," Fred explained. "Then he'll have no choice but to take it off."
David smirked. "I have a better idea."
Using Transfiguration, he created a wooden bucket that could be suspended over the office door. Filling it with snow and freezing water, he set up a simple magical trigger.
"As soon as Quirrell opens the door, the bucket will tip over and drench him," David explained. "That way, you won't get caught, and Professor McGonagall won't take points away from Gryffindor."
Fred and George exchanged a glance before grinning.
"Brilliant!"
They waited in hiding.
A few moments later, the door creaked open.
SPLASH!
A torrent of icy water drenched Quirrell from head to toe.
"AHHH!" he shrieked, recoiling from the freezing shock. Looking around wildly, he saw no one and quickly rushed back inside, slamming the door behind him.
"He didn't take it off," Fred observed, frowning.
"He must be hiding something," George added.
David chuckled. "That's none of our business. Now, let's get out of here before we get caught."
With that, they went their separate ways.
Ancient Magic and Alchemy
Arriving at the library, David headed straight to the restricted section.
After searching for nearly an hour, he picked out three books:
Runes Explained
Ancient Magic: Lost Power
Alchemy: Equivalent Exchange
Alchemy was one of the most complicated subjects. Unlike the twelve standard O.W.L. subjects, alchemy was only offered to students in their sixth and seventh years. It was closely linked to ancient magic, and many wizards struggled to grasp its deeper concepts.
David planned to master both.
Taking a seat by the fireplace, he opened the first book and began to read.
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