Gift exchange fic for Caitie!
To: Caitie | caitieness
From: Colleen | schizophrenic0
Title: Love and War
Summary: The first snowfall at Hogwarts brings some unexpected events for Neville. <333
Characters/Pairings: Neville/Ginny
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Rating/Warnings: PG/None
Word Count: 2759
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Sure
The grounds of Hogwarts looked like they had been covered in white sand when the students awoke that morning. Winter had crept in during the night, leaving them with a beautiful blanket of snow, crisp and pure. Almost all of the students -- from the first years who had barely even begun their training in the magical arts to the seventh years already studying for their N.E.W.T.s - looked upon the scene with excitement, wanting nothing more than the chance to run out there and flop down to make a snow angel. Talks of snowmen and sledding echoed in the halls, everyone excitedly making plans for when their lunch period rolled around.
“Fred and George taught me a spell that’ll make any snowball thrown at you go back and hit the person who threw it,” Ron said animatedly as he tore into his waffles. “That’ll come in handy when we get out there,” he added, half-chewed food rolling about in his mouth.
“Honestly, Ronald, can’t you eat like a normal person,” Hermione said with a wince of disgust. “And anyway, shouldn’t you be using your free time to finish your essay for Professor Binns?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,” Ron said in a tone that indicated he had not so much forgotten it as he had forcefully ejected it from his mind. “Hey, Hermione, you can help me out, right? I mean, you wouldn’t want me all cooped up on a day like this, would you?”
Hermione sighed and shook her head. “I may as well give in now, as you won’t stop bugging me until I do. But if so much as one snowball of yours hits me you’re on your own.”
“I can’t wait to get out there,” Seamus said, his eyes gleaming as he looked out the window at the flurries that were continuing to flutter through the air. “What about you, Neville?”
Neville’s eyes peeked out over the top of his Herbology book. He had been listening with little interest in any snowball fights or other snow day activities. He just wanted to be back in bed with his book and maybe some tea. What interest his peers had in pelting each other with balls of ice he never knew.
“Not for me,” he mumbled. “Loads of homework.”
“Aw, come on,” Dean said, “everyone’s going to be out there. It’ll be fun!”
Right, thought Neville derisively. He almost spoke his thoughts aloud, but then came the only voice that could leave him speechless and make his cheeks burn like coals.
“I’ll bet the professors let us out early,” Ginny said as she looked to the staff table. “They’re as excited as we are, maybe even more so.”
Sure enough, a number of the staff was looking out the window with a longing similar to their students. Neville almost thought he heard Professor Flitwick say something about dusting off his old toboggan.
“Well, we’ve got Trelawney and Snape this morning,” Harry grumbled. “Don’t think there’s any chance they’ll be letting us go early.”
“Knowing Snape, we’ll be in class until the very last second, the nasty git,” Ron added under his breath. “Bet he’s brooding over the idea of us having any fun at all.”
Students began trickling out of the Great Hall, giving the snow-covered grounds one fleeting look as they trudged off to their classes. Ginny grabbed her things and gave Neville a bright smile. “I hope I’ll see you later, Neville.”
He was left with that funny sensation in his stomach.
***
As Ron had predicted, Snape seemed to hold his class for as long as he could, checking each person’s batch of Fatiguing Infusion at an agonizingly slow pace. Even his own Slytherins seemed a bit put out at being kept from whatever shenanigans they hoped to get into. Finally, it seemed he had no cause to keep them there any longer and so, with a frown (and his customary load of homework), he dismissed them.
The rest of the students seemed to congeal into one mass, scurrying out and into the halls, itching to be the first to reach the grounds and start stockpiling their snowballs. Neville, though, was happy to linger behind, to let them all rush out so quickly he’d never be missed. He intended to spend his lunch hour wisely, not gallivanting about outside in freezing weather. Just thinking about it made his nose become runny.
As he passed by the windows of the courtyard, he heard screams of excitement, triumph, and defeat. Neville pulled his coat around himself more tightly and kept his head ducked down in the hope of bypassing them without incident.
WHACK!
His hopes were dashed as a rather large chunk of snow hit him in the back of his head. The force of it caused him to stumble and drop his books. When he whirled around to see who his attacker was all he saw was long, red hair disappearing around a corner.
“You’re not going to just let me get away with that, are you?” asked a sly voice, the owner of which was just out of sight.
Neville leaned down to pick up his things. “Ginny,” he said, following where she had just gone, “I’m really not a snowball kind of person.”
No sooner had he turned the corner than another snowball flew at him, this one hitting him directly in the face. Ginny laughed as he wiped away the snow, her face turning as red as her hair.
“It’s not funny,” he said, wiping the last bit of slush from his face as he felt himself grow angrier.
“It is!” she exclaimed, still doubled over. “If you could have seen the look on your face!”
Neville frowned, feeling his cheeks grow red. Without even thinking, he grabbed the closest pile of snow and chucked it her way, hitting her straight in the side of the face. Ginny touched where the snowball had impacted, looking up at him in shock. Neville was not sure who was more surprised.
“Ginny…” he stammered, “I am so…so…”
But her face morphed into a wicked grin. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Good hit, Neville! But you’re going to have to be quick if you want to get another hit in.” And with that, she was off running, her red hair waving behind her like a silk ribbon.
Neville stood dumbfounded for a moment, unsure if he should give in and follow or continue on his way as though the encounter had never happened.
All it took was one backward glance from Ginny (giving him that impish grin of hers) to set him running outside behind her.
The grounds outside were like a battlefield. Teams were set up, pitted against one another in the ultimate of snowball fights. Some played dirty; some played even dirtier. But no one seemed to mind much as they were all too invigorated by the snow to care.
Neville ran full into the fray, taking in the scene. He saw Ron trying to jinx oncoming snowballs away from him. Whatever spell he was using, though, did not seem to work as three of them pelted him square in the face. He managed to duck one, but without realizing that Hermione was directly behind him. As she cleared the ice from her face she mumbled about how Ron could write his own paper for Professor Binns.
He saw Hagrid romping about with Fang, both eager to join in on the fun. The snowballs slapped against Hagrid’s large body, but he paid no attention as he continued to help some of the tiny first years fashion a fort out of some of the looser snow. They all cowered behind him, using him as a human shield.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper snowball fight without Fred and George who seemed to have eschewed fighting in favor of hocking their wares and taking bets on who would come out the victor. From what they were shouting it sounded as though Cedric Diggory and his Hufflepuff friends were currently favored at 4 to 1.
But even as the snowballs hit him and the commotion continued around him, Neville’s focus remained on that red hair, waving through the chilly air as it bobbed up and down, with Ginny now at a full run. She was not running toward any one group, nor did she seem to have any allegiance to the other teams fighting. She was all her own, a one-woman fighter interested only in the target that was currently pursuing her.
Soon she had led him away from all the rest of the fighting, around the castle to an area of snow that, thus far, had remained pure and untrodden upon. Neville was panting, certain he could not run for very much longer, when she finally stopped and turned around. Neville too came to a halt some ten feet behind her and watched, waiting for her to make the first move.
“Well,” she said, “glad to be away from all of that mess.”
“I thought you wanted a snowball fight,” Neville said cautiously. He knew better than to let down his guard around her again.
“Oh, I did,” Ginny replied. “But I prefer more of a one-on-one.”
“Ginny, I really don’t want to fight you.”
“Really?” She leaned down and packed together a snowball “Even if I got you in the face again?”
He hesitated. If she threw the first snowball he would have no choice but to retaliate (as he certainly would not let it be known that he allowed Ginny Weasley of all people pelt him with snowballs!), but admitting that to her would only fuel her desire to engage him in this fight of hers. Or was she just bluffing, knowing full well she would throw the snowball either way?
As he pondered this, Ginny took her shot. Luckily for Neville, he was better prepared this time and managed to duck it. Grabbing his own pile of snow, he returned fire, managing to graze her shoulder, but little else. Her next shot hit him in the stomach, but he did not let it faze him as he was now focused on one thing and one thing only: besting Ginny Weasley.
Their match continued for what felt like hours (though, Neville later realized had only been minutes), each making some hits, while missing others. His cheeks, nose, and fingers were numb from the cold, but he ignored it, keeping his mind on his impending victory. The sounds of the larger battle echoed from nearby, but they were in their own world, their own battle, and, as silly as Neville would feel about it later, their fight seemed so much more important to him, with so much more at stake.
Finally, he got lucky. An errant snowball thrown in haste managed to score a direct hit, knocking her clean off her feet. Neville was stunned, but elated. He had finally done it! He had won the war against Ginny Weasley!
But his victory was short-lived as fear washed over him. Ginny did not seem to be moving. “Ginny?” he asked, rushing toward her. “Ginny are you alright?”
He knelt down beside her, feeling sick as he saw her eyes closed, her body lying like a ragdoll in the snow. He leaned down, not certain what to do, but certain that he must do something. How could he have done this? How could he have hurt her?
It happened so quickly that he did not even see the snow flying toward him until it had made impact. When he opened his eyes he saw Ginny sitting up, laughing and smiling that impish smile that drove him crazy.
“Gotcha!”
“That was a dirty trick,” he muttered as he sat up, touching the cheek where the surprise snowball had hit him.
“Well, when you grow up with Fred and George you have to learn to play dirty. Besides, all’s fair in love and war. Help me up?” she asked, holding out a hand.
Despite being sore at her for deceiving him, Neville took her outstretched hand and gently helped her to her feet. As Ginny brushed off the snow still clinging to her robes, she asked, “Shall we call it a truce, then?”
“Truce?” Neville repeated.
“Yes, I do think I’ve gotten enough frostbite for one day. I could use some tea and a nice fire.” He must have been eyeing her suspiciously because Ginny added, with a laugh, “I’m serious, Neville. No more snowballs. Besides, I think the battle is heading this way.”
The voices did seem to be growing louder, and the last thing Neville wanted was to be involved in such a large snowball war. Fighting against Ginny was one thing; fighting the rest of the student body was quite another.
“See?” Ginny said as they crept back into Hogwarts through another entrance, “aren’t you glad I convinced you to play?”
Truth be told, the fight had been a lot of fun, even if she had managed to best him in the end. But Neville knew that the fun for him had not been in the battle, but in the partner. Only Ginny Weasley could make him even remotely enjoy an activity that usually had him wishing he could be anywhere else.
“It was okay,” he said, downplaying the exhilaration and thrill he had felt as the fight had gone on. He felt his cheeks growing red, belying his comments, but hoped she would assume they were red from the cold. “So shall we get up to the common room before all the good seats in front of the fire are taken?” he asked.
But Ginny did not respond. In fact, she had stopped walking all together.
“Ginny?”
“Well, well,” she said, her eyes looking upward. “Look what we have here.”
Neville followed her gaze and, when he saw what she was looking at, felt his cheeks grow even hotter. Mistletoe, dangling dangerously above the doorway, just waiting to ensnare unsuspecting couples. No doubt this was Peeves idea of a joke.
“Come on,” Neville said, his eyes darting about for any witnesses, “we can pretend like it’s not there.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to kiss me, then?” Ginny asked in a mock-hurt tone.
“What? No! I mean, not that I’m saying I want to…but I wouldn’t not want to…um, I mean…”
“What if I said I wanted to kiss you?”
Neville had never known his face to feel so hot, not even when he had accidentally burned a hole through his cauldron (not to mention Snape’s shoe!) during his first year, resulting in the most embarrassing tirade he had ever received.
“This is a trick, isn’t it?” he mumbled. “Just like out there in the snow.”
To his surprise, though, Ginny did not laugh as he expected her to. Instead, her face grew quite serious as she stepped in toward him, almost shyly, a demeanor he had not seen from her since her first year at Hogwarts. Then, tenderly, Ginny leaned up and placed a single soft kiss against his lips.
“Would I trick you?” she asked after pulling away.
She left him there, stuck in his spot, still reeling from what had just occurred. Ginny had actually kissed him of her own free will. In fact, she had initiated the whole thing! It could not be a trick; not even Ginny would play such a joke.
He ran after her, managing to catch up just as she reached the stairs. She said nothing, but smiled warmly as he timidly took her hand in his own.
As the epic Hogwarts snowball fight waged below, they shared two steaming mugs of tea in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room.
“I wonder who put the mistletoe up there in the first place,” Neville mused as the fire crackled, warming their chilled and tired bodies. He built up enough nerve to even put his arm around her.
“Oh, I may asked a favor of Peeves,” Ginny said nonchalantly as she leaned into him. “In exchange for helping lock Mrs. Norris in the broom closet while he filled the trophies in the Trophy Room with chocolate pudding.”
“Wait, you knew about that being there?” Neville asked. “You led me there on purpose!”
“Perhaps,” she replied coyly.
“So all of this was really about getting me to end up under that doorway with you!”
Ginny leaned in and gave him another soft kiss. “Like I said: All’s fair in love and war.”
Colleen | Claw | 92
From: Colleen | schizophrenic0
Title: Love and War
Summary: The first snowfall at Hogwarts brings some unexpected events for Neville. <333
Characters/Pairings: Neville/Ginny
Genre: Fluff/Romance
Rating/Warnings: PG/None
Word Count: 2759
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: Sure
The grounds of Hogwarts looked like they had been covered in white sand when the students awoke that morning. Winter had crept in during the night, leaving them with a beautiful blanket of snow, crisp and pure. Almost all of the students -- from the first years who had barely even begun their training in the magical arts to the seventh years already studying for their N.E.W.T.s - looked upon the scene with excitement, wanting nothing more than the chance to run out there and flop down to make a snow angel. Talks of snowmen and sledding echoed in the halls, everyone excitedly making plans for when their lunch period rolled around.
“Fred and George taught me a spell that’ll make any snowball thrown at you go back and hit the person who threw it,” Ron said animatedly as he tore into his waffles. “That’ll come in handy when we get out there,” he added, half-chewed food rolling about in his mouth.
“Honestly, Ronald, can’t you eat like a normal person,” Hermione said with a wince of disgust. “And anyway, shouldn’t you be using your free time to finish your essay for Professor Binns?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,” Ron said in a tone that indicated he had not so much forgotten it as he had forcefully ejected it from his mind. “Hey, Hermione, you can help me out, right? I mean, you wouldn’t want me all cooped up on a day like this, would you?”
Hermione sighed and shook her head. “I may as well give in now, as you won’t stop bugging me until I do. But if so much as one snowball of yours hits me you’re on your own.”
“I can’t wait to get out there,” Seamus said, his eyes gleaming as he looked out the window at the flurries that were continuing to flutter through the air. “What about you, Neville?”
Neville’s eyes peeked out over the top of his Herbology book. He had been listening with little interest in any snowball fights or other snow day activities. He just wanted to be back in bed with his book and maybe some tea. What interest his peers had in pelting each other with balls of ice he never knew.
“Not for me,” he mumbled. “Loads of homework.”
“Aw, come on,” Dean said, “everyone’s going to be out there. It’ll be fun!”
Right, thought Neville derisively. He almost spoke his thoughts aloud, but then came the only voice that could leave him speechless and make his cheeks burn like coals.
“I’ll bet the professors let us out early,” Ginny said as she looked to the staff table. “They’re as excited as we are, maybe even more so.”
Sure enough, a number of the staff was looking out the window with a longing similar to their students. Neville almost thought he heard Professor Flitwick say something about dusting off his old toboggan.
“Well, we’ve got Trelawney and Snape this morning,” Harry grumbled. “Don’t think there’s any chance they’ll be letting us go early.”
“Knowing Snape, we’ll be in class until the very last second, the nasty git,” Ron added under his breath. “Bet he’s brooding over the idea of us having any fun at all.”
Students began trickling out of the Great Hall, giving the snow-covered grounds one fleeting look as they trudged off to their classes. Ginny grabbed her things and gave Neville a bright smile. “I hope I’ll see you later, Neville.”
He was left with that funny sensation in his stomach.
***
As Ron had predicted, Snape seemed to hold his class for as long as he could, checking each person’s batch of Fatiguing Infusion at an agonizingly slow pace. Even his own Slytherins seemed a bit put out at being kept from whatever shenanigans they hoped to get into. Finally, it seemed he had no cause to keep them there any longer and so, with a frown (and his customary load of homework), he dismissed them.
The rest of the students seemed to congeal into one mass, scurrying out and into the halls, itching to be the first to reach the grounds and start stockpiling their snowballs. Neville, though, was happy to linger behind, to let them all rush out so quickly he’d never be missed. He intended to spend his lunch hour wisely, not gallivanting about outside in freezing weather. Just thinking about it made his nose become runny.
As he passed by the windows of the courtyard, he heard screams of excitement, triumph, and defeat. Neville pulled his coat around himself more tightly and kept his head ducked down in the hope of bypassing them without incident.
WHACK!
His hopes were dashed as a rather large chunk of snow hit him in the back of his head. The force of it caused him to stumble and drop his books. When he whirled around to see who his attacker was all he saw was long, red hair disappearing around a corner.
“You’re not going to just let me get away with that, are you?” asked a sly voice, the owner of which was just out of sight.
Neville leaned down to pick up his things. “Ginny,” he said, following where she had just gone, “I’m really not a snowball kind of person.”
No sooner had he turned the corner than another snowball flew at him, this one hitting him directly in the face. Ginny laughed as he wiped away the snow, her face turning as red as her hair.
“It’s not funny,” he said, wiping the last bit of slush from his face as he felt himself grow angrier.
“It is!” she exclaimed, still doubled over. “If you could have seen the look on your face!”
Neville frowned, feeling his cheeks grow red. Without even thinking, he grabbed the closest pile of snow and chucked it her way, hitting her straight in the side of the face. Ginny touched where the snowball had impacted, looking up at him in shock. Neville was not sure who was more surprised.
“Ginny…” he stammered, “I am so…so…”
But her face morphed into a wicked grin. “Now that’s what I’m talking about! Good hit, Neville! But you’re going to have to be quick if you want to get another hit in.” And with that, she was off running, her red hair waving behind her like a silk ribbon.
Neville stood dumbfounded for a moment, unsure if he should give in and follow or continue on his way as though the encounter had never happened.
All it took was one backward glance from Ginny (giving him that impish grin of hers) to set him running outside behind her.
The grounds outside were like a battlefield. Teams were set up, pitted against one another in the ultimate of snowball fights. Some played dirty; some played even dirtier. But no one seemed to mind much as they were all too invigorated by the snow to care.
Neville ran full into the fray, taking in the scene. He saw Ron trying to jinx oncoming snowballs away from him. Whatever spell he was using, though, did not seem to work as three of them pelted him square in the face. He managed to duck one, but without realizing that Hermione was directly behind him. As she cleared the ice from her face she mumbled about how Ron could write his own paper for Professor Binns.
He saw Hagrid romping about with Fang, both eager to join in on the fun. The snowballs slapped against Hagrid’s large body, but he paid no attention as he continued to help some of the tiny first years fashion a fort out of some of the looser snow. They all cowered behind him, using him as a human shield.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper snowball fight without Fred and George who seemed to have eschewed fighting in favor of hocking their wares and taking bets on who would come out the victor. From what they were shouting it sounded as though Cedric Diggory and his Hufflepuff friends were currently favored at 4 to 1.
But even as the snowballs hit him and the commotion continued around him, Neville’s focus remained on that red hair, waving through the chilly air as it bobbed up and down, with Ginny now at a full run. She was not running toward any one group, nor did she seem to have any allegiance to the other teams fighting. She was all her own, a one-woman fighter interested only in the target that was currently pursuing her.
Soon she had led him away from all the rest of the fighting, around the castle to an area of snow that, thus far, had remained pure and untrodden upon. Neville was panting, certain he could not run for very much longer, when she finally stopped and turned around. Neville too came to a halt some ten feet behind her and watched, waiting for her to make the first move.
“Well,” she said, “glad to be away from all of that mess.”
“I thought you wanted a snowball fight,” Neville said cautiously. He knew better than to let down his guard around her again.
“Oh, I did,” Ginny replied. “But I prefer more of a one-on-one.”
“Ginny, I really don’t want to fight you.”
“Really?” She leaned down and packed together a snowball “Even if I got you in the face again?”
He hesitated. If she threw the first snowball he would have no choice but to retaliate (as he certainly would not let it be known that he allowed Ginny Weasley of all people pelt him with snowballs!), but admitting that to her would only fuel her desire to engage him in this fight of hers. Or was she just bluffing, knowing full well she would throw the snowball either way?
As he pondered this, Ginny took her shot. Luckily for Neville, he was better prepared this time and managed to duck it. Grabbing his own pile of snow, he returned fire, managing to graze her shoulder, but little else. Her next shot hit him in the stomach, but he did not let it faze him as he was now focused on one thing and one thing only: besting Ginny Weasley.
Their match continued for what felt like hours (though, Neville later realized had only been minutes), each making some hits, while missing others. His cheeks, nose, and fingers were numb from the cold, but he ignored it, keeping his mind on his impending victory. The sounds of the larger battle echoed from nearby, but they were in their own world, their own battle, and, as silly as Neville would feel about it later, their fight seemed so much more important to him, with so much more at stake.
Finally, he got lucky. An errant snowball thrown in haste managed to score a direct hit, knocking her clean off her feet. Neville was stunned, but elated. He had finally done it! He had won the war against Ginny Weasley!
But his victory was short-lived as fear washed over him. Ginny did not seem to be moving. “Ginny?” he asked, rushing toward her. “Ginny are you alright?”
He knelt down beside her, feeling sick as he saw her eyes closed, her body lying like a ragdoll in the snow. He leaned down, not certain what to do, but certain that he must do something. How could he have done this? How could he have hurt her?
It happened so quickly that he did not even see the snow flying toward him until it had made impact. When he opened his eyes he saw Ginny sitting up, laughing and smiling that impish smile that drove him crazy.
“Gotcha!”
“That was a dirty trick,” he muttered as he sat up, touching the cheek where the surprise snowball had hit him.
“Well, when you grow up with Fred and George you have to learn to play dirty. Besides, all’s fair in love and war. Help me up?” she asked, holding out a hand.
Despite being sore at her for deceiving him, Neville took her outstretched hand and gently helped her to her feet. As Ginny brushed off the snow still clinging to her robes, she asked, “Shall we call it a truce, then?”
“Truce?” Neville repeated.
“Yes, I do think I’ve gotten enough frostbite for one day. I could use some tea and a nice fire.” He must have been eyeing her suspiciously because Ginny added, with a laugh, “I’m serious, Neville. No more snowballs. Besides, I think the battle is heading this way.”
The voices did seem to be growing louder, and the last thing Neville wanted was to be involved in such a large snowball war. Fighting against Ginny was one thing; fighting the rest of the student body was quite another.
“See?” Ginny said as they crept back into Hogwarts through another entrance, “aren’t you glad I convinced you to play?”
Truth be told, the fight had been a lot of fun, even if she had managed to best him in the end. But Neville knew that the fun for him had not been in the battle, but in the partner. Only Ginny Weasley could make him even remotely enjoy an activity that usually had him wishing he could be anywhere else.
“It was okay,” he said, downplaying the exhilaration and thrill he had felt as the fight had gone on. He felt his cheeks growing red, belying his comments, but hoped she would assume they were red from the cold. “So shall we get up to the common room before all the good seats in front of the fire are taken?” he asked.
But Ginny did not respond. In fact, she had stopped walking all together.
“Ginny?”
“Well, well,” she said, her eyes looking upward. “Look what we have here.”
Neville followed her gaze and, when he saw what she was looking at, felt his cheeks grow even hotter. Mistletoe, dangling dangerously above the doorway, just waiting to ensnare unsuspecting couples. No doubt this was Peeves idea of a joke.
“Come on,” Neville said, his eyes darting about for any witnesses, “we can pretend like it’s not there.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to kiss me, then?” Ginny asked in a mock-hurt tone.
“What? No! I mean, not that I’m saying I want to…but I wouldn’t not want to…um, I mean…”
“What if I said I wanted to kiss you?”
Neville had never known his face to feel so hot, not even when he had accidentally burned a hole through his cauldron (not to mention Snape’s shoe!) during his first year, resulting in the most embarrassing tirade he had ever received.
“This is a trick, isn’t it?” he mumbled. “Just like out there in the snow.”
To his surprise, though, Ginny did not laugh as he expected her to. Instead, her face grew quite serious as she stepped in toward him, almost shyly, a demeanor he had not seen from her since her first year at Hogwarts. Then, tenderly, Ginny leaned up and placed a single soft kiss against his lips.
“Would I trick you?” she asked after pulling away.
She left him there, stuck in his spot, still reeling from what had just occurred. Ginny had actually kissed him of her own free will. In fact, she had initiated the whole thing! It could not be a trick; not even Ginny would play such a joke.
He ran after her, managing to catch up just as she reached the stairs. She said nothing, but smiled warmly as he timidly took her hand in his own.
As the epic Hogwarts snowball fight waged below, they shared two steaming mugs of tea in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room.
“I wonder who put the mistletoe up there in the first place,” Neville mused as the fire crackled, warming their chilled and tired bodies. He built up enough nerve to even put his arm around her.
“Oh, I may asked a favor of Peeves,” Ginny said nonchalantly as she leaned into him. “In exchange for helping lock Mrs. Norris in the broom closet while he filled the trophies in the Trophy Room with chocolate pudding.”
“Wait, you knew about that being there?” Neville asked. “You led me there on purpose!”
“Perhaps,” she replied coyly.
“So all of this was really about getting me to end up under that doorway with you!”
Ginny leaned in and gave him another soft kiss. “Like I said: All’s fair in love and war.”
Colleen | Claw | 92