When the two children returned to the party, soaking wet after their wild, unrestrained escapade, they were met by Chessie, who had been waiting for them. She looked at her beloved daughter in surprise, though she showed not a hint of blame—or rather, she would have, had they not been so bedraggled.
"Merlin, where have you two been? It’s winter! Look at you, soaked to the bone. Come here, quickly."
Chessie pulled both children into her arms, murmuring incantations to cast warming charms and dry their clothes. Sirius stood stunned. Every word out of Chessie’s mouth had been "we." There was no angry scolding, no cold, stern glare, no interrogation or accusation. There was only a warm embrace and the urgent concern of a mother for her children. It was so tender—so tender that Sirius felt a stinging in his nose, a sensation he had almost never known.
"We went to the beach, Mother. The sea was truly beautiful," Elodie said, smiling up at her mother. Her tone was soft and sweet—a sound Sirius had never heard before. He had always known Elodie to be clear-headed and cool; even when she was with him, she never used a tone that carried this hint of girlish pouting.
Now, she was simply a daughter cuddling in her mother’s arms.
"The beach? How could you go there without dressing warmly? Did you use magic to keep yourselves warm? It’s winter, for heaven’s sake!" Chessie looked at Sirius as she spoke, clearly including him in her question.
"I’m fine, Madam," Sirius replied.
Having received his answer, Chessie gently ruffled his hair and said with a smile, "Alright, the ball is over. It’s time to go home. Sirius, your mother is waiting for you. Remember to take some potions when you get back so you don’t catch a cold."
She took Elodie’s hand and pulled Sirius along with them toward the house. Sirius felt a bit overwhelmed as he looked at his hand being led, but Elodie noticed and gave him a reassuring smile.
Some guests had already left. Walburga looked at them as they entered, her expression dark, her eyes fixed primarily on Sirius. She marched over.
"You rebellious child! How dare you sneak off in the middle of the night! And you still have the nerve to show your face!"
Sirius listened to the familiar words with an air of indifference. Chessie, however, frowned and stepped in front of Walburga, placing herself between her and Sirius.
"That’s quite enough, Walburga. As long as the children are safe, that’s all that matters."
Seeing this, Walburga didn't push the issue further. Elodie followed her mother to bid farewell to the host, the Head of House Travers. Since they were leaving early, it was necessary to be impeccably polite. However, Elodie frowned as she caught the look of satisfaction in her father’s eyes as he exchanged glances with Mr. Travers. A sinking premonition stirred in her heart.
But for now, all of that was far away. Fortunately, Elodie didn't fall ill, so she didn't need any of the potions her mother had prepared just in case. She didn't know if Sirius had been punished by his mother—perhaps locked away, or worse.
On the train back to school, she caught a glimpse of him from afar. He looked as reckless and carefree as ever, which set Elodie’s mind at ease.
After returning from the Christmas holiday, Elodie devoted most of her time to final exams. On the night before the first weekend after Christmas, Elodie leaned in with a mischievous smile.
"My dear Elodie, do you want to go play in the snow tomorrow?"
"Play in the snow?"
"Yes, we need to relax properly."
Elodie leaned back against Tyres, her arms crossed. Her blue outfit stood out sharply against the green of her surroundings, though it was accepted well enough. Elodie watched the two of them, their natural, intimate movements going entirely unnoticed by them. She twitched the corner of her mouth but didn't point it out; they were just two hearts in sync.
Elodie put down her cutlery. "Fine, I’ll consider it. Let’s go, Abby."
The next morning, after a few seconds of reflection, Elodie decided to take up Elodie’s suggestion. She walked over to the bed where the little girl lay and, in a rare moment of playfulness, pinched Beverly’s cheek.
"Bailey, do you want to go out and play in the snow?"
Beverly wrinkled her face, ignoring Elodie’s prodding fingers, and mumbled, "Merlin, it’s too cold outside. It’s a rare weekend, my dear Elodie. Just let me sleep here."
Seeing that the little girl wouldn't even open her eyes, Elodie gave up.
When Elodie arrived at the square, the white snow had yet to melt. The area was filled mostly with Gryffindor students. Elodie rested her hands on the railing, letting her gaze linger on them. In reality, it was just the Marauders; they were always so full of fiery enthusiasm.
Even the biting winter couldn't extinguish their burning passion. They were like valiant, fearless lions. Elodie watched Sirius messing around with James, a smile in her eyes and a hint of tenderness that was hard to detect.
She pushed herself up, walked behind a stone statue, and quietly packed a snowball. Catching Sirius off guard, she pelted him, instantly coating his black hair in pure white.
Sirius was stunned by the sudden cold. He turned around fiercely, ready to settle the score with the "culprit," but upon seeing the little girl with such a sly, mischievous smile, his anger vanished as if doused by that very snowball. His eyes filled only with the girl who laughed so happily at him.
"Elodie!"
Before Sirius could react further, he was brought back to reality by a shout. Elodie and Lily ran out from the corridor and threw themselves at Elodie. Seeing them, Elodie opened her arms to receive them. The three beautiful girls hugged in a circle, startling Sirius, who hurried over behind Elodie, worried she might fall.
Although the three girls eventually toppled over together into the snow, their laughter followed. Of the four Marauders present, aside from Remus and Peter Pettigrew, James, Sirius, and the newly arrived Tyres watched their respective crushes helplessly and stepped forward to pull them up. Perhaps it was the joyful mood, but Lily didn't express her usual dissatisfaction or refusal, which left James secretly happy for a long time.
If people from other houses were there, they might have been surprised to see three girls from different houses embracing so happily as best friends. Perhaps friendship was never meant to be bound by house rivalries.
Such tender moments happened often among the girls, but they weren't suitable for the boys—especially when four were Gryffindors and one was a Slytherin. Even without animosity, a "war" was inevitable with the mischief-loving Marauders. By the time the girls realized what was happening, a snowball fight had already begun.
As more people joined in, the battlefield grew. Students from all four houses were involved, yet, quite miraculously, there was no malice to be felt. The war between the four houses saw its first moment of true peace in history.
While the battle raged on, Sirius quietly slipped away, moving behind Elodie. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his ice-cold hands against her warm, soft cheeks.
Elodie dodged, but there was nowhere to escape in that position. She stepped back, right into Sirius’s cool embrace. He tightened his arms, and Elodie was firmly trapped.
Elodie and Lily saw this and exchanged a knowing smile, quietly stepping aside.
At that moment, Sirius loosened his grip. Elodie took the chance to turn around and toss snow onto him—not a snowball, but handfuls of loose snow. Sirius laughed and packed a tiny snowball, tossing it at Elodie with gentle force.
They played in the snow, radiating the vitality and playfulness that belonged to their age.
All of this was witnessed by Adel from not far away. He watched the scene, lowered his eyelids, and a flicker of loneliness crossed his face before he turned and walked away.
Sirius and Elodie eventually stopped, sitting down to catch their breath. Elodie looked at the matching white snow on their heads and remembered a line she had read somewhere: *If we walk together in the snow, we shall reach the end of our lives with heads of white.*
Was it a wish? Or an expectation? Sirius, will this be our ending? Will we be partners? Or will we stop as close friends?
"Elodie, do you want to build a snowman?"
Sirius’s voice pulled Elodie out of her endless thoughts. Hearing him, she stood up and grabbed the wrist of the person still sitting on the ground.
"Then why are you still sitting there?"
Sirius smiled indulgently at Elodie. After standing up, he held her hand and led her toward a patch of deep snow.
Nearby, the friends' war was gradually dying down. Seeing the two of them building a snowman, the others came over to join the fun. But James was always finding ways to tease Lily, or talking to Remus, or occasionally bickering with Tyres.
In the end, not a single snowball was rolled by them, while the snowman Sirius and Elodie were building was nearly complete. It only lacked eyes and other decorations. Elodie thought for a moment, gathered some stones to arrange, and pulled out her wand to transfigure the stones into blueberries, carrots, and twigs. It was perfectly done.
"Whoa, Merlin, your Transfiguration is truly incredible," James exclaimed.
"It’s almost as good as mine," James added, though one could never expect James Potter to be serious for more than three seconds, even if his Transfiguration was indeed excellent.
"It’s a real shame; if Professor McGonagall were here, Slytherin would have earned points," Tyres said, arms crossed as he looked at Elodie’s perfect work, lamenting the lost points. Thinking of James’s remark, he smirked and provoked him.
"Speaking of which, Potter, don't brag too much. You certainly won't be top of the class this year again."
"So what? I’m happy to lose to Elodie and the others. If you’ve got the guts, face me on the Quidditch pitch." James put an arm around Remus’s shoulder and said loudly. Everyone knew that James Potter had joined the Quidditch team as an excellent Chaser this year.
"Fine, you’re on," Tyres replied.
And so, the smoke of competition began to drift toward the Quidditch pitch that would soon follow.