Harry woke up with a start, feeling that he'd been dreaming vividly, although any memory disappeared within a couple of heartbeats. The other boys in the dorm were all fast asleep - Neville just a hump under the bedclothes, Seamus and Dean snoring a duet, and Ron spread-eagled on his stomach mumbling softly.

The alarm clock told Harry that it was still very early, but it looked quite light outside. Wrapping his dressing gown around himself and climbing onto the window seat, he saw that the school grounds were covered in thick, white snow!

Huge fluffy flakes were still falling; it looked as if someone up in the sky was shaking out the contents of a feather quilt. As he watched, the snow began to stop falling and suddenly Harry couldn't resist. Grabbing his Muggle jeans and old - but still warm - duffle coat from his trunk, he quickly dressed. Extracting his wellington boots from under the bed he ran downstairs through the silent castle, and out of the big oak doors into his own personal snowy playground.

Harry wandered across the lawn area for a bit, kicking a path and sliding about in the snow. Then, spying the lamps set up on wrought iron stands along the low wall flanking the path to the Herbology area, he had an idea, and began making himself a little pile of ammunition.

OOOOO

Severus Snape was returning from his early morning walk in the snowy grounds. This was one of the things he loved about Hogwarts - the pristine whiteness and depth of the stuff. Such a contrast to his childhood memories of Spinners End, where the snow rapidly turned into dirty ice on the pavement, and never seemed to lie as thick and deep as it did in Scotland. He also loved to get out early before the peace was disturbed by the little bug...er...brats known as students.

Snape turned towards the castle from the corner by the greenhouses, when ... splat! He stopped. Snow dripped down his face, off his nose, and inside the front of his cloak. Splat! More snow dripped down the back of his neck. Casting a wandless drying charm, he slowly turned his head.

OOOOO

Just as he'd flung his last snowball at the lamp, Harry noticed a dark shape beyond the wall. He watched in horror as the ball missed the lamppost and splattered.....Snape!

Hells bells, he was dead meat now! Harry couldn't force any part of his body to move as dark eyes raked over him, and he watched with terror as the Potions Professor ducked down behind the wall.

OOOOO

Potter's face was truly a sight to behold! Obviously he'd been using the lamps for target practise. Merlin only knew what the boy was doing outside at this time of the morning, but the grounds were perfectly safe and Snape wasn't going to chastise him for enjoying the time as he himself had been.

Severus bent down, scooped up a large double handful of snow and compacted it into a ball. He stood, and aimed it gently but with unerring accuracy at the still immobile boy. Savouring one last look at Potter's black, spiky head covered in white clumps, Snape turned and continued his journey towards the castle before allowing the corners of his mouth to twitch upwards. Harry's gobsmacked expression was reward enough that he wouldn't take points, and he certainly wouldn't waste his own time in supervising a detention. Besides, who would ever believe the boy. He found himself smiling fully as gleeful childish laughter rang out behind him.

OOOOO

Harry stood dumbfounded for a moment or two, then, awakened by melting snow dripping down his face, he began to laugh. The dungeon bat wasn't going to hex him, jinx him, take points, nothing! Mind you, no-one would believe his story if he told them. Still laughing, he began constructing a giant snowball for his next project of building a snowman before breakfast.