Snow
It was early January, and Hogwarts was blanketed in thick layers of snow, the courtyard was quiet except for the sound of footsteps crunching in the frost.
Peter, was complaining about classes, as usual. "Slughorn keeps making me brew things that I swear could be used in an experiment for disaster. How does he expect me to make a perfect Polyjuice Potion?"
James chuckled, nudging Peter lightly. "Don’t worry, Pete, you won’t need to worry about Polyjuice Potion until third year. You’ve got a while to figure that out."
Peter grinned. "Yeah, but me and Sirius are still stuck in a group with that snape guy."
"You’ve got to admit, though, watching Snape in Potions is actually kind of fun. You can see his face twitch whenever he has to pretend to be nice."
Remus raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Out of nowhere, a snowball flew through the air and hit Sirius right in the chest. The cold powder exploded against him, and for a moment, he froze in shock. The snowball had been perfectly aimed, and it left him standing there with snow all over his coat and shirt.
Before he could react, the culprit appeared, Marlene McKinnon, one of the Gryffindor girls who shared their year. Sirius had seen her around, but they’d never actually spoken much. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, and she was dressed ridiculously, in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, despite the snowstorm. The cold didn’t seem to bother her as she stood there, a cocky smirk on her face.
“Nice shot!” Sirius called, brushing off the snow. “But you’ll have to do better than that, McKinnon!”
Marlene’s grin widened, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Is that a challenge, Black?" Her voice had a teasing edge to it.
Sirius raised an eyebrow and grinned back. “Absolutely,” he said, scooping up a handful of snow. “You think you can throw better than me?”
Marlene didn’t answer immediately but instead lunged forward, grabbing a snowball from the ground and hurling it at him. It was fast and precise, and Sirius barely dodged it as it sailed past him. He scooped up more snow and sending it back in her direction. But Marlene was already ducking and weaving, her reflexes sharp, and the snowball missed her entirely.
"You're going to have to try harder, Black. That one was pathetic." She laughed, shaking her head as she easily avoided another of his throws.
Behind Marlene, standing just a little further back but clearly enjoying the scene, were Mary McDonald and Lily Evans. The other two griffindor girls.
"Oi! Don't just stand there, Evans!" James called out, raising an eyebrow. “You going to join in or just watch from the sidelines?”
Lily blinked, startled, then gave James an almost sheepish glance. "I—I don’t know," she said, looking down at the snow in her hands. "I’ve never actually thrown a snowball before."
Sirius laughed. “Well, now’s as good a time as any to learn, then.” He threw a glance over at Marlene, who was still grinning, obviously enjoying herself. “Besides, it’s just a bit of fun.”
Lily hesitated, then seemed to gather her courage. Without a word, she picked up a snowball, aiming it carefully before throwing it straight at Peter, who had been standing behind Sirius, complaining about the cold.
Peter yelped in surprise as the snowball smacked into his back. “Oi! Lily!” he shouted, half laughing and half whining. "That’s not fair!"
Lily, her face a mix of surprise and delight, turned a little pink. "Sorry!" she called out, her voice quiet but amused.
Peter groaned, rubbing his back where the snowball had hit him. “I knew it was going to happen to me.”
Marlene turned to him, still grinning. "You’ve got to take it like a man, Pettigrew!" she teased. “Or at least act like you don’t mind the cold.”
Peter scowled, but it was clear he didn’t have the energy to complain much longer.
Sirius, meanwhile, had refocused on Marlene, who was still making snide comments. She grabbed another snowball and launched it at him, but this time, he wasn’t ready. The snowball hit him square in the face, covering his hair and the front of his shirt.
Marlene burst out laughing, her voice sharp and loud. "Take that, Black!"
“Oh, you’re in trouble now!” Sirius yelled, wiping snow off his face with exaggerated movements. Without waiting for her to react, he grabbed another handful of snow, ready to strike back.
"You can’t handle me, Black," she shouted back, preparing for another throw. Her tone was cocky, and she was clearly enjoying it.
Sirius laughed, clearly enjoying the sparring. He was on a roll now, hurling snowballs with abandon. “Keep talking, McKinnon,” he shot back, “it only makes it more fun when I take you down.”
“You think you’ve got me beat, Black?” Marlene called back, throwing a snowball so hard it almost knocked him off his feet. “Well, you’re about to get pummeled.”
James was darting around, hurling snow at anyone within range, while Peter kept up his complaints about the cold. Sirius couldn’t stop laughing. The whole thing was ridiculous, he hadn’t had this much fun in ages. It was just the kind of chaos he needed. The snowball fight had been raging for what felt like hours. The Marauders and the girls were absolutely covered in snow from head to toe. Despite their best efforts, the boys were quickly beginning to lose ground against the relentless onslaught from Marlene, Lily, and Mary. Never the less, Sirius was in his element. He was dodging, diving, and throwing snowballs with impressive accuracy, determined to outplay Marlene, who had proved herself to be just as quick and skilled as he was. They were locked in a heated exchange, hurling insults as much as snow.
“You know, McKinnon, you’re really starting to annoy me,” Sirius called, ducking behind a snowbank to reload. Marlene’s laugh rang out, bold and unashamed. “Oh, you’re so cute, Black. Keep it up, you’re almost as good as I am.”
“Oh, I’m better, just wait,” he shot back, standing up and preparing for another throw.
But just as Sirius made a move, Marlene launched a snowball at full force, catching him right in the face. The snow exploded on impact, and for a split second, he was blinded by the cold, wet mess.
Marlene didn’t give him a chance to recover. She immediately grabbed a final snowball and hurled it straight at him, the projectile hitting him square in the chest. He stumbled back, falling into the snow with a dramatic flair.
“I win!” Marlene called, jumping up and down in the snow. “Told you, Black!” She struck a dramatic pose.
“Alright, alright, you got me, McKinnon,” he admitted, brushing himself off as he stood up. “You’ve officially defeated me. But don’t think this is the last time I’m going to challenge you.”
Marlene grinned, throwing her arms out in a wide, theatrical gesture. “Victory is mine!”
The Marauders all groaned in mock defeat, collapsing into the snowbanks around them.
“Alright, alright, we get it, McKinnon,” James called, dusting snow off his coat and brushing off his hands. “You’re the queen of snowballs. Can we go inside now? I’m freezing out here.” Peter was already trudging back toward the castle, teeth chattering. “I don’t care who won. I’m done,” he muttered, his voice tinged with both exhaustion and cold.
Lily, who had been standing off to the side for a while, joined the group. “Looks like it’s over then,” she said, a faint smile on her face as she wiped the snow off her jacket. “You guys weren’t half-bad.” The group started heading back toward the castle.