AN: Fluff alert. Avert your eyes if you were looking for any kind of smutty behavior.

HOLY COW. AN UPDATE? I will reiterate what I wrote in Cooks: Sorry for the long wait. I GOT MARRIED! WOOHOO. Now I'm broke and desperately trying to catch up at work! Yay! Please enjoy!

Team Snape (11) Snape, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Lupin, Luna, Lavender, Padma, Parvati, Blaise, Hooch

Team Gred (12) Fred, George, Tonks, Gryffindors One, Two, and Three, McGonagall, Dean, Seamus, Hufflepuff One, and Two, Ravenclaw One

While no one knew who threw the first snow ball, everyone saw when Harry and Fred were both nearly hit. Squeals, laughter, and the sounds of crunching snow filled the space in the air that wasn't occupied by small white missiles flying in every direction. Hagrid and Madam Maxime and a few other spectators had retreated to the front of his hut, mostly out of the line of fire. They called out words of encouragement or derision and the betting began immediately.

"Hermione! Help me with this!" shouted Ginny, grinning wildly and gesturing toward the low walls of packed snow growing all around at the direction of her wand. Hermione ran over to her friend to help with the mini-bunkers, carving out a few inches of the snow below their feet and behind the walls to be used like trenches. Meanwhile, Snape and Potter directed the others to build up ammunition and launch them at specific targets. Lupin and Tonks were going at it quite fiercely, involved in a battle of their own, charming the snow into hard packed balls with one hand and targeting their spouse with the other, the feral gleam of battle shining in their eyes and broad grins plastered on their faces, eventually forcing each other to hide in their respective newly-made defensive walls.

McGonagall, Fred, and George were trying to orchestrate their own ammunition assembly line and construction of defenses, but all three were each yelling out different instructions to their team causing the students and alumni to trip over each other in a very good impression of the 3 Stooges. Finally, Professor McGonagall, in a fit of frustration cast a silencing spell on the twins and took control of their team, her lips set in a grim line.

Until this point, any snowballs that had been thrown had landed erratically- aimed, of course, only to test distances and windspeed; no one had yet been hit. While each side took their assigned positions, a moment of stillness settled upon the grounds. Hermione took in the moment, watching the puffs of breath hang suspended, glittering in the sunlight while each man, woman, and child readied their throwing arms and wands for battle. Ginny stood at Harry's side, George at Fred's, while Tonks and Lupin stood far apart, but directly across from each other. She watched the band of girls on Snape's team tense their hands above the piles of perfectly aerodynamic snowballs and the students on Gred's team shift anxiously besides a nearly vibrating Seamus. She saw McGonagall's eyes narrow, still shrewdly calculating different battle plans. And she felt Severus behind several yards behind her, tense with anticipation. He was full of surprises today. Hermione breathed in deep and let it out slowly.

At once, the voices of Professor Snape and McGonagall rang clear in the air, barking orders and charms and suddenly all Hermione could see was white powder exploding against the people around her while she lobbed snowballs in the vague direction of the enemy. In a matter of minutes, half of each team was captured and placed in the 'jail' of the opposite team. 'Jail,' here meaning a bench made of melted and refrozen snow at the rear of the playing area on either side of the field. Unsurprisingly, the people who had the most battle training or experience were those left standing. So far, no one had been released.

Fred, George, Ginny, and Harry were facing off once again, while Lupin and his pink haired wife squared off against each other (no one wanted to get caught in that crossfire.) McGongall was holding her own against Luna and Severus while Hermione finished off the brawny Ravenclaw 5th year. "OI!" a familiar voice distracted some still in the action, "Why didn't anyone think to wait for me?" Ron whined loudly, joining the line of spectators.

This was enough of a distraction for George to send both Harry and Ginny to jail, Tonks hit her husband square in his face, and McGonagall managed to take out Luna. It all came down to Hermione and Severus against McGonagall, Fred, George, and Tonks. Snape edged in front of Hermione, blocking her from direct hits while the others smiled pityingly. "Severus, Severus," tsked the Gryffindor head of house. "There's no need to carry on. You must know that you are outnumbered and out-strategized. I believe that this is the best time to surrender."

"Minerva," he drawled taking a menacing step forward. Hermione followed, knowing that her team had lost, but also that Severus would keep fighting until the very end. She summoned a snowball to each hand. "You must know by now that I never give up. Never surrender." He froze and stumbled back. "Wh-What is that?" he pointed frantically behind the heads of Tonks and George.

Everyone turned in a panic to look at… absolutely nothing. Four consecutive thumps of snow hitting backs signaled the end of the game. Snape's team jumped up from their bench screaming in triumph while the other team looked on in shock. Lupin was loping across the battlefield, laughing loudly and shouting, "I can't- HA! I can't believe that you all fell for it! Severus you are brilliant! Pure GENIUS!"

Hermione was jumping up and down, clapping her hands, and laughing happily. Snape merely stood back, with a look of supreme smugness on his face. It was here that his rather enjoyable morning was ruined. Caught up in the moment, Hermione jumped on him, entwining her arms around his neck, legs wrapping around his waist, and kissed him through a grin. He merely froze. Yes, most of these people knew he was courting Hermione, but what was she thinking, kissing him in public?

When he didn't respond, Hermione's grin slipped away and she pulled back to look at his face. His expression was stony as he none too gently pulled her off of him. She lowered her feet to the ground as he whispered angrily. "What do you think you are doing, Hermione?"

She flinched. "Celebrating?"

"That was utterly humiliating. NEVER do that again!" he growled and turned on his heel, stalking back to the castle, ignoring Lupin and McGonagall's calls to him.

Hermione stood in the snow in shock, her mouth gaping, eyes shining with unshed tears. Then she clenched her fists and growled. "Fuck this." She furiously wiped away the tears and stalked after her lover, gripping her wand, intent on some serious damage. Kissing her was humiliating, was it? "SEVERUS SNAPE, you absolute ASS. GET BACK HERE!"

Tonks put her arms around her husband and said, "Erm, what just happened?"

Lupin shook his head in confusion. "I have no idea."

AN: :) Tell me what you think. Too much?