Sunrise at Midnight

Winter, winter winter.

It was the best season of the year.

I skipped down the courtyard with Rayne as we craved for the coldness. It was never unusual for us to be so excited and cheerful when the winter season came around. It was our favorite time of the year. Snow, wind, Christmas, and happy smiles. Not many people liked the weather conditions, but it was something I enjoyed greatly ever since I was a little kid. This time made me so happy, I was positive not even a Slytherin like Malfoy or Moreno could ruin it.

“Ah, I love the winter,” I exclaimed as I felt the familiar, icy pang of air hit my face.

“We must sound like lunatics to everyone if we like this kind of weather,” Rayne stated with a giggle.

“Well, to bloody hell with them,” I said, making a hand gesture as if to shoo off someone. “We can go out into the coldness forever and become snow habitants. Which is exactly why I’d love to visit Alaska some day.”

“Alaska? As in Alaska in America? Are you insane - it’s probably more like Antarctica over there,” she said with yet another giggle.

“Well, at least visit it, like I said, because I’m not fond of blizzards and snow storms,” I added, chuckling.

I began walking towards one of the benches, which were a bit cold. I took a seat, only to slide off from the ice that was frozen onto it. I grumbled and Rayne fell to the snow laughing.

“I think I broke my arse,” I joked, groaning as she continued to burst into fits of laughter.

“That was priceless,” she exclaimed.

“But fun,” I huffed, crossing my arms and sticking my tongue out at her.

We both stood up from our position on the floor and immediately had the same idea. I grabbed some of the snow that was stuck to the ground and rolled it up into a rather messy ball and threw it at Rayne. It hit her face, and she gasped. “You did not just throw it first!”

I smirked. “But I did.”

She threw one at me which I tried to dodge, but it still managed to collide with my forehead. I touched the puffy substance that was now melting from the heat of my body and licked it. I laughed as Rayne threw me a disgusted look.

“Why are you eating snow,” she asked me as she wrinkled her nose.

“It tastes like water, for Merlin’s sake! Not like it’s poison,” I chirped happily, defending my action.

Rolling her eyes, she stuck her tongue out and let a fleck of snow fall onto it. She wrinkled her nose as she closed her mouth. “That feels weird and cold.”

“Obviously, it’s ice, Rayne,” I playfully snapped.

She flipped me off and I just giggled. I reached to the ground to make another snowball to throw at her. Before I could launch it in her direction, we heard footsteps coming our way. Turning around, I saw Professor McGonagall walking towards us.

“Miss Potter, miss Allister, may I ask why you two are not in your common rooms packing,” the Transfiguration Professor asked.

“Well, erm, I’m staying here for Christmas break, Professor,” I explained.

“Yes, but I heard miss Allister is visiting her family, am I right?”

Rayne nodded slowly. “Yeah - I am…”

I sighed. Why did McGonagall have to come ruin the fun?

“I assume you’re done packing, then, if you’re out here playing?”

Rayne looked to the floor. “No, Professor.”

“Well then, I suggest you go pack. The train does leave in less than two hours, if I’m correct.”

And with that she walked off.

I scoffed. “That didn’t ruin the fun.”

She rolled her eyes. “But I do have to pack. I plan on actually being at home for Christmas.”

I sighed. “I know, I know. No need to get all sassy.”

She laughed. “But where’s the fun in no sass?”

Winking, she took off towards the Gryffindor common room. I laughed to myself. Rayne was really the weirdest sometimes.

I hesitated a minute, before deciding to go to the library.I wasn’t really the studying type at all, but sometimes essays can’t write themselves.

I walked slowly to the library. When I walked in I noticed Harry being yelled at by Madam Pince.

I squinted my eyes as I tried to make out what she was saying, but I couldn’t tell. Harry and Hermione turned around towards the exit when they saw me.

“What happened,” I asked.

“Nothing - we just accidentally toppled over some books,” Hermione answered, stuttering a bit. Her tone seemed unsure - making it easy for me to tell she was lying.

I sighed. “Okay, what happened?”

“I just told you,” she mumbled.

“I mean what really happened,” I said, turning my gaze to Harry.

“We can tell her, ‘Mione. She’s my sister,” Harry told her. She sighed and nodded.

I raised a brow as I waited for him to reply. “We were in the restricted section, trying to find any information on Nicolas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone. But Madam Pince caught us without a pass and yelled at us for not having a pass - so now we got kicked out.”

I shook my head. “You should have at least made up an excuse to the History of Magic Professor about wanting to research about Nicolas Flamel, a famous wizard and gotten a pass.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. But it’s not about anything we’re learning, so I decided not to mention anything and try to sneak in.”

“My brother sneaking into places? I think you’re spending too much time with Fred and George,” I joked.

“Or you,” Hermione cleverly threw back with a chuckle.

I laughed at her comeback. “True.”

Wait, you should be scolding them - not praising them, Rosalie!

I stopped laughing and looked at them seriously. “Harry, I honestly don’t think you guys should keep searching for information on that stone. I feel like you might attempt something stupid. And trust me, when I feel something, it usually happens - or else I wouldn’t be a Seer.”

They rolled their eyes at me. “Nothing is going to happen, Rosalie,” Hermione assured. “We’re not really idiotic - and we’re not going to attempt anything like go after the Stone itself.”

Harry bit his lip.

I pretended not to notice. “Okay, I can trust you guys and Ron, right?”

They nodded. I ruffled Harry’s hair and dismissed myself, walking to the bookshelves as I searched for books on werewolves, and a book on the history of magical artifacts. As I was walking to a table, I couldn’t help but glance at the restricted section. Was there even one single book on Nicolas Flamel?

I shook my head, ridding of the thought as I took a seat. I opened the books and began skimming through them, writing on my parchment as I read every important fact I felt like I should include.

Minutes ticked by and I grew tired every passing one. Dinner time eventually came, and I had finished writing what I needed on the paper. I closed the books, putting them back where they belonged. I was reading over the written words when I felt two people standing over me.

“Hello Rosalie,” the familiar voice of George Weasley greeted.

“You haven’t come to the common room,” Fred said.

“We thought you were dead.”

“But Harry told us you were in the library!”

“So here we are,” George finished.

I chuckled. “I hate when you guys do that thing where you just continue each other’s sentences. Can’t you guys speak a proper sentence on your own?”

They shook their heads, and ruffled my hair.

“Afraid not, love,” Fred chirped.

They laughed. George snatched the parchment from my hands and looked over my paper. “This is pretty impressive, you should do my essays for me,” he praised, throwing the piece of paper back down onto the table.

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, but I’m no tutor.”

“Tutor Potter. That has an odd ring to it, but we can make it work,” he said.

“Oh, come on! First Nanny Potter, now Tutor Potter. This isn’t -”

They hushed me. “This is a library, keep your voice down,” George teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him and the two Weasley twins scoffed.

A first year walked by and stopped on her heel as she turned to see us. She had black, silky hair that was cut shoulder-length. We eyed her, puzzled.

“You guys are Fred and George Weasley, right? And Rosalie Potter?”

I nodded, chuckling. “The one and only. Why?”

“Oh, I was just wondering. It’d be kind of easy to tell apart someone from the rest of the students who has really amateur pranks,” the girl sneered.

I turned to her badge on her robe and laughed. Slytherin. Of course.

“Oh, I’m sorry - I forgot I don’t talk to Slytherins,” I shot at her, turning around.

Fred and George just laughed. “Sorry, little girl, but we’re not intimidated by you. But I would suggest you watch your back.”

She gasped. “You can’t do anything to me!”

We all laughed and ignored her as she stomped away.

I chuckled. “So it looks like we have a prank to pull, now?”

The twins grinned and nodded. I smirked.

“I’ll go get Peeves.”