A Snowball Fight for the Ages
Date: December 6, 2025; early afternoon
@Zephyr Deakin
Speech: a38b3e
It began, as many snowball fights do, with a Gryffindor.
The grounds at this time of year were covered in a good blanketing of snow. Littered across the grounds was the evidence of young students: footprints, snow angels, snowmen, and one particularly impressive igloo that a group of students were building in the distance. Campion strolled along the grounds, nose pink with cold and hands dutifully kept inside his cloak. The Hufflepuff scarf around his neck kept him warm enough, which he could be thankful for. He stopped to admire the igloo from afar, noting that the same students seemed to have been working on it for the whole weekend thus far. It was just walls as of yet with no roof, so it was more of a fort than an igloo -- most child-built igloos don't get roofs.
Campion was strolling along, minding his own business, when, out of nowhere, a snowball pelted him in the back. He turned around to see his older brother, Basil, a second-year Gryffindor.
"Basil!" he shouted after him, but his older brother was already running away. Always one to run from a fight, so to speak. He started it! Campion humph-ed and dropped to the ground. He took a bunch snow in his hand and packed it tightly into a ball, stood up, wound up his arm and -- oops. That wasn't who he meant to hit.
WC: 234
@Zephyr Deakin
Speech: a38b3e
It began, as many snowball fights do, with a Gryffindor.
The grounds at this time of year were covered in a good blanketing of snow. Littered across the grounds was the evidence of young students: footprints, snow angels, snowmen, and one particularly impressive igloo that a group of students were building in the distance. Campion strolled along the grounds, nose pink with cold and hands dutifully kept inside his cloak. The Hufflepuff scarf around his neck kept him warm enough, which he could be thankful for. He stopped to admire the igloo from afar, noting that the same students seemed to have been working on it for the whole weekend thus far. It was just walls as of yet with no roof, so it was more of a fort than an igloo -- most child-built igloos don't get roofs.
Campion was strolling along, minding his own business, when, out of nowhere, a snowball pelted him in the back. He turned around to see his older brother, Basil, a second-year Gryffindor.
"Basil!" he shouted after him, but his older brother was already running away. Always one to run from a fight, so to speak. He started it! Campion humph-ed and dropped to the ground. He took a bunch snow in his hand and packed it tightly into a ball, stood up, wound up his arm and -- oops. That wasn't who he meant to hit.
WC: 234
"I'll gently rise and softly call: 'Goodnight and joy be to you all!'"
| STAMINA: 7 - EVASION: 5 - STRENGTH: 8 - WISDOM: 6 - ARCANE: 4 - ACCURACY: 5 | |
A Snowball Fight for the Ages
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Zephyr was walking across the snowy Hogwarts grounds, just taking a break from studying. He's been cooped up in the library most of the morning, and the cold air was a welcome change. Seeing the snow blanketing the ground was an amazing sight, never disappointing, that was his thought as he made his way past the Black Lake to enjoy his solitude for a few minutes. His thoughts went to his family back in Swansea, his mum was probably bundled up with a cup of tea, while his dad was doing something in the barn. He smiled at the thought. Hogwarts was exciting, but it was also overwhelming at times, and moments like this helped him catch his breath.
He crouched down and made a small snowball to test how well it packed. Maybe he would try a snowball fight later when he spotted some students laughing near the igloo. He was mostly just watching, careful to stay out of the way. Then suddenly-- WHAM-- a snowball hit him square in the back. He yelped and stumbled forward. When he turned around to check who it was, jade eyes wide in surprise, he expected someone to apologise or laugh sheepishly.
But before he could even figure out who threw it, he saw another student, a Hufflepuff by the scarf he was wearing, staring back at him, looking every bit shocked himself. Zephyr couldn’t help but laugh as he brushed more snow off his shoulders. "That’s one way to make an introduction. No worries.” He told the boy, grinning. “Just maybe aim a little lower next time?” To be clear, he was not annoyed by what happened, after all, this was Hogwarts, and snowball fights were practically part of the experience. "I'm Zephyr Deakin."
Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
A Snowball Fight for the Ages
@Zephyr Deakin
WC: 204Campion froze, and not exclusively because of the chill wind that blew through. He saw his mistake just before impact, hitting the back of one of his yearmates he recognized from the common room and class. It was almost theatrical, the way the snow hit Zephyr's back. Campion watched the arc of the throw, then the explosion of snow from the center of Zephyr's back. That had to have hurt! He heard the cackling of Basil, his older brother, as he ran off, and was left with Zephyr alone to babble his way through an apology.
And babble he did. The best thing he could vocalize was something along the lines of "I- I- oh, I'm sorry! Didn't mean to hit you! I was aiming for my-- for my brother! BASIL!"
Campion's face was red with cold and embarrassment, but Basil, now long gone closer to the castle, did not respond. "Er, I'm Campion," he said, remembering his manners. "Campion Taylor. I've seen you around the common room and all that." Campion stood there looking rather pink for a moment before he decided the best course of action would be to be polite, so he approached Zephyr and held out his hand to shake.
"I'll gently rise and softly call: 'Goodnight and joy be to you all!'"
| STAMINA: 7 - EVASION: 5 - STRENGTH: 8 - WISDOM: 6 - ARCANE: 4 - ACCURACY: 5 | |
A Snowball Fight for the Ages
Reducio Word Count: 349 |
Reducio Mention:@ Campion Taylor |
The boy started explaining, but he shook his head quickly, still smiling. “Hey, hey, it’s really okay,” holding up a hand before the apology could spiral any further. “I could tell it wasn’t on purpose. If it was, I think you would’ve aimed better.” Chuckling at what he said, and glanced in the direction the other boy had run off and laughed. “Your brother’s fast if that was the case,” he added. “And loud.”
Then he introduced himself, the name rang a bell. He definitely saw him around the common room. He took his hand whose name was Campion, giving it a firm and friendly shake. “Zephyr Deakin, and yeah, I’ve seen you around the common room and some of our common classes.” He used the friendliest tone he could muster not wanting Campion to feel worse than he already did.
He brushed a bit more snow off his shoulder and looked at the half built igloo in the distance. “Don’t feel sorry about what happened, snowballs are common this season,” shrugging carelessly to show it’s no big deal to him. “Back home, my sister once hit our mum by accident. Mum was not even playing, that one didn’t go over as well.” The corner of his mouth lifted again.
“If you’re trying to get your brother back, I’m not against helping,” He gave a good natured smile. “I’m not great at throwing, but I can run fast, and I don’t mind being a moving target.” He scooped up some snow and packed it loosely in his hands, not throwing it yet, just showing he was in. “So,” He glanced at Campion, “friends who survive snowball injuries together sounds like a good start to me.”
Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
A Snowball Fight for the Ages
WC: 233Campion was briefly apprehensive, turning his head slightly to the side with a minute squint to his eyes. That only lasted a second though, as Zephyr offered to get Basil back for pelting Campion with a snowball. Campion grinned as Zephyr bent to scoop up some snow and the thought of absolutely decimating Basil settled in.
"We'll have to find him," he said with a mischievous tone. Basil had run off before and was now lost amongst the various groupings of children spread thinly across the huge grounds. Mostly younger students willing to brave the snow and cold for the appeal of playing outside, with a few older groups here and there taking walks or those otherwise willing to engage in 'childish' play. Basil would be found among the younger students, being only a second year himself. Campion laughed warmly as he adjusted his gloves to be more snug and crouched to scoop up a small pile of his own snow.
As he stood, Campion packed the snow into a ball and scanned the grounds for his brother. He spotted a (hopefully) familiar silhouette laughing with a group not too far away. Campion beckoned Zephyr and began to jog towards the figure that he was at least mostly sure was his brother, though he thought it might be a good idea to verify the identity of the target before throwing the next snowball.
"I'll gently rise and softly call: 'Goodnight and joy be to you all!'"
| STAMINA: 7 - EVASION: 5 - STRENGTH: 8 - WISDOM: 6 - ARCANE: 4 - ACCURACY: 5 | |
A Snowball Fight for the Ages
Reducio Word Count: 295 |
Reducio Mention:@ Campion Taylor |
He scooped up more snow with both hands and packed it carefully. While fixing his snowball, he followed the other boy's gaze across the grounds. There were a lot of people out that day, which was not surprising, given the good weather despite the snow. It reminded him of home, of kids running across fields, and the constant noise that filled the air all day long.
When Campion gestured to follow him to the group in the distance, he glanced in that direction, trying to see better. “The one leaning forward when he laughs?” As he asked, he started jogging too, just as Campion did, keeping pace easily. Running on uneven ground came naturally to him after years of fields and mud. His breath fogged in front of him, but he didn’t really care about that.
“Probably smart to make sure,” Lowering his voice a little as they got closer. “It would be bad to hit the wrong person again.” The last part was added just to tease the boy; it's nothing personal. He glanced at him again, “If it is him, I can run across first,” he offered. “Draw his attention. You throw.”
The idea of working together made him excited for some reason, as if he were part of a small plan instead of just watching from the sidelines. Although he cannot tell if the brother would be too kind to their plan.
Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5