Golden Girl; 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓵𝓮𝔂

Third Year: Wonderful Weather to Bewitch Snowballs Together

December 1991

It seemed that before she knew it, the Winter season was already afoot at Hogwarts. Every morning since November the ground would be covered in an icy grey frost that eventually grew to be several feet of white powdery snow as the season progressed. The Quidditch field turned muddy and brown until Professor Flitwick was tasked to charm it back to life again.

After returning from Hogsmeade, Fred, George, and Lee surprised Bambi with some candy and a few other little gifts they had found for her birthday. They hung out in the common room late that night drinking Butterbeer they had brought back with them, and talking about how little they were looking forward to the two-foot Potions essay due that next week.

The Quidditch season was in full force now, and Gryffindor had won their first game against Slytherin. Oliver Wood had been so excited to see Harry riding a new Nimbus 2000, then about fainted when Bambi also walked onto the field with hers.

"We've got a great team here- The best team Gryffindor's had in years. Some of the best brooms too! This game will be in the bag! We're going to win. I know it." He had said as they were all gathered together that November day, a maniacal glint in his eye.

It had been a strange first game, but a good one. Everyone was very impressed with Harry's flying skills, even when he almost got bucked off of his broom.

Now that it was December, most students moved in small packs through the corridors in an attempt to conserve body heat. Even Bambi found herself leaning over her foul-smelling potions in class just to warm up in the clammy dungeons. It had turned her eyebrows a sort of green color for a day, but they soon enough turned back red by the next morning. Bambi swore that Filch had ice cycles coming down from his long nose hairs, but later found out it was some booger hex that Fred had shot at him between classes.

The lake had frozen solid and many students spent their time trying to ice-skate in their free periods, falling over a lot much to the annoyance of the Giant Squid inside who would blink his yellow eyes up through the glasslike panes.

"Hargroves!"

Bambi had been taking a stroll through the snow, which was proving much more difficult than she had originally thought. Trudging was a better word, but strolling is what she convinced herself she was doing.

Her hazel eyes landed on the willow tree by the bank of the lake.

"Weasley, where's your other half?" She called back.

Fred, who was wearing his Weasley F sweater again, smiled. His freckled nose was pink from the bitter weather. He had a knit cap pulled down over his ears, flattening some of his red hair across his forehead.

"I can't out him, you'll just have to wait and see later."

Bambi shook her head with a small laugh and trudged over to him. She pulled her wool cloak tighter around her shoulders. She wasn't used to the cold weather, and especially not snow. She had only seen it once before in her life, when her Dad went to upper Canada to find some crackling ice vine or frozen rose heart or something- she couldn't remember. All she knew was that she didn't like the cold.

"Thought you'd be a bit happier to see me- What's with that miserable face of yours?"

"I'm not miserable, I'm cold." Bambi crossed her arms tighter across her body.

"Hello Cold, I'm Fred Weasley." He took one of his mittened hands and grabbed one of hers, shaking it. "Ah well, that's the problem there. You don't have gloves."

Bambi snatched her hand back and tucked it back under her cloak, "Ha. Ha very funny." She rolled her eyes at his joke but still chuckled, "I never needed gloves before and I got on just fine."