"So, we haven't been to the post office or the Shrieking Shack yet," Pansy said as she and Piper sat in a train compartment. Draco was sitting in another one with Crabbe and Goyle, still miffed about Piper's slug in the face. Piper didn't regret anything. She hoped Draco would stay some distance away from her in the future, and hoped that her punch discouraged any crush-like feelings.

"I think I heard Draco say to Crabbe and Goyle that they were going to the Shrieking Shack," Pansy continued. "Maybe we could go with them."

So much for staying away.

Piper shrugged. "The Shrieking Shack? Doesn't sound to lovely."

Pansy waved her hand indifferently. "Oh, it's been silent for years," she said. "If this is about you punching Draco the other day, it's fine. He already said he forgave you."

Piper's hope crumbled and she shrugged again. "I'm just not feeling it today," she said. "I'll probably just grab a butterbeer and hang at Three Broomsticks."

Pansy shook her head in disgust. "What's the point of going to Hogsmeade if all you're going to do is get a Butterbeer?" she asked. "I mean, at least go to Honeydukes or something."

Piper shrugged again. "Sure. If you need me, I'll be in Three Broomsticks."

Pansy rolled her eyes and stood up as the train slowed. "I guess we're here," she said. "Have fun at your little lonely fest all by yourself."

Piper waited until she strode out of the compartment, then hurried down to find the other demigods.

She burst into the compartment and crashed right into Thalia.

"Woah there," Thalia steadied Piper, then her face broke out into a grin. "Piper!"

From inside the compartment, where the rest of the demigods were standing up, Jason hurried over. "Hey!"

"Hey, guys," Piper said, feeling relaxed in contrast to her tense state when she was alone. "It's alright if I hang with you guys for Hogsmeade, right?"

"Of course it's all right!" Annabeth said, grinning. "We we're just going to ask Frank and Hazel if they wanted to join with."

"Sweet!" Piper stepped back to make room for them to get out. "It's been a while since it was just us."

"Too long," Jason agreed. He intertwined his fingers with Piper's. "anywhere in mind you wanted to go?" They paused outside of the compartment Frank and Hazel were in while Percy invited them along. They agreed immediately.

Piper shrugged (and realized she'd been doing it a lot, then stopped). "I dunno," she said. "Did you guys check out Three Broomsticks yet?"

"No," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "Some people wouldn't leave Honeydukes." She gave a pointed look to Nico, Percy, and Jason.

Nico grinned. "Hey, blame Bianca!" He said, pointing to the minuscule kitten that was nestled on his shoulder. "She jumped into one of those massive containers of Bertie-botts Every Flavor Beans and went on a hunt to find every single fish flavored one!"

Bianca yawned, looking as cute and innocent as possible.

"Sure," Jason snorted. "Blame the kitten."

Piper was suddenly hit with a gust of cold air as they stepped into the snow. Bianca felt it too and curled back in the folds of Nico's Gryffindor scarf.

"You guys definitely have to try a butterbeer," Piper said firmly. "Especially in this cold."

They trudged over to the Three Broomsticks, settling down at a table.

"You guys haven't tried butterbeer yet?" Frank shook his head as Annabeth ordered. "That's crazy. Butter beer is like nectar. But better."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Nectar literally tastes like your favorite food."

Frank shook his head enthusiastically. "I know. That's how good it is."

"Eight butterbeers," a tall witch bustled over with a tray full of the golden liquid sloshing inside eight mugs.

"You guys first," Hazel said as she gripped her mug tightly. She could feel the warmth radiating into her cold hands, but was eager to see the Gryffindor's reactions.

Annabeth took a cautious sip first, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Not bad," she said, nodding. Thalia and Nico went in sync next, their eyes both doubling in size.

"Not bad? Not bad? Annabeth, you can't appreciate a truly incredible drink when you see one, can you?" Thalia drank from her mug again.

Jason went next. "If Thalia says it's incredible, then it can't be half bad," he said, jokingly. Thalia didn't even try to glare at him over the rim of her cup, she was so engrossed into the buterbeer.

Jason took a sip and his eyebrows shot up. "Tastes like butterscotch," he remarked.

Nico rolled his eyes. "That's the first thing you think of?"

Jason grinned. "Of course not. The first thing I thought of was-- 'I have a new flavor for nectar'. The second thing I thought of was-- 'Tastes like butterscotch.'"

"You haven't tried it yet, Percy?" Annabeth asked incredulously. Percy was eyeing his cup uncertainly.

"It looks great..." he began.

"It is great," Nico emphasized.

"...but it's not blue," Percy finished.

Thalia drained her cup. "Fine, if you don't want it, I'll take it." She reached over.

"No!" Percy hugged his mug protectively.

"Then hurry up!" Thalia said. "It's taunting me." She glared at the foaming liquid.

Piper couldn't wait anymore and took a large drink of the nectar-like liquid, sighing contentedly as the drink ran across her taste buds. "If Thalia doesn't get that soon, I'm taking it," she warned Percy.

"Never have I ever thought I would need to convince Percy to eat something," Annabeth muttered.

Percy rolled his eyes as he took a sip of it. Then the sip turned into a larger sip, which turned into a large gulp, which turned into Percy draining his entire cup in one go as his eyebrows shot up.

"I'm guessing you like it," Hazel said. Percy nodded as he swallowed the last drops of the butterbeer and licked his lips.

"It's liquid nectar," he claimed.

"Nectar is liquid," Frank said, frowning. Percy waved his hand indifferently. "You know what I mean."

"Not as good as your mom's cookies though," Annabeth said. Percy opened his mouth on mock hurt.

"Annabeth! How dare you suggest such a thing! You're never getting Mom's cookies again!"

"Your mom loves me too much to allow you to do such a thing," Annabeth said, grinning.

After another round of butterbeers (or in Thalia's case, two more rounds), they wandered around Hogsmeade and through the woods, eventually reaching a snowy clearing. Annabeth dropped to her knees and began to pack the snow into blocks.

"Is Annabeth playing in the snow?" Piper asked, grinning.

"Excuse me if I reach into my eight old self," Annabeth said loftily. "But I'll have you know I loved making snow forts as a kid."

"Bet I could make a better one, Wise Girl," Percy grinned.

"Only because you can control water and snow is technically water," Annabeth replied.

"But you're good at designing stuff," Percy said. "How about a contest? Boys versus girls on who can make the best snow fort? Then a snowball fight to test it?"

Everyone grinned.

>>>•3rd person POV•<<<

Percy made a snow wall between them to block out each fort, as the others used magic to level out the ground.

Annabeth conjured up a piece of paper and sketched a rough design on it as the girls began building.

"This technically isn't fair," Piper said to Annabeth. "Because the boys have the greater advantage, power wise, to build something like this."

Annabeth grinned back. "Oh, but we never said no magic."

On the other side of the wall, the boys laid back as Percy began to move the snow. Nico nestled Bianca in his scarf, which was placed on the fallen log they were leaning against.

"So... are you just making a giant block of ice to cover us?" Frank asked. Percy grinned.

"You'll see." His forehead was beaded in precipitation as he solidified each block of snow completely, turning it into glassy blue ice. "Hey, can you give me a hand?"

Frank looked down at his hands. "How?"

"Just... make like a couple snow pillars," Percy said. The boys set to work.

"Aguamenti!" Hazel cried as she pointed her wand in the direction Annabeth mentioned. A stream of water gushed out, reinforcing the intricately designed fort with a layer of ice. Thalia grinned.

"That should do it!" she said. "WE'RE DONE!" she screamed over to the other side of the wall. The boys grunted in surprise.

"WE'RE ALMOST DONE TOO," Nico replied.

Thalia grinned. "Leave it to the boys to take forever," she said. "I wonder what--"

Then the snow wall collapsed, revealing the two forts.

Percy looked at the girls' fort admiringly. It was intricate, yet carefully structured and built. The fortifications were strong everywhere, he noted and internally smiled. Leave it to Annabeth to come up with something so graceful yet deadly. And completely original, unlike theirs.

Annabeth looked skeptically at the boys' fort. Or, for lack of a better word, castle.

"You made Elsa's castle?" She asked incredulously. Percy grinned and nodded.

"Who's Elsa?" Hazel asked.

Piper waved her hand. "She's this person in a Disney movie with snow powers who makes this epic castle. This castle. This one's a lot smaller, but other than that it's pretty much identical."

"How very original," Thalia said sarcastically.

Then a snowball went flying in her face.

"Argh!" She spluttered through a mouthful of snow. "Nico!"

Nico ducked under the snowball that came whirling back at them.

"Hey, hey!" Annabeth held up her hands. "I thought this was a test of our forts?"

"She's right," Percy said. "She's always right," he muttered under her breath. "To the castle!" Percy cried dramatically, pointing Riptide in the direction of their fort. The boys ran for cover.

"Boys," all the girls muttered at once, and ducker under to their own.

"ON THE COUNT OF THREE," Percy roared from the other side. "ONE... TWO... THREE!"

"Protego!" Thalia and Piper screamed. The magic shield ripped from their wands to form a glassy barrier to protect them from the barrage of snowballs that came flying at top speed. At the same time, Annabeth and Hazel raised their wands.

"Diffindo!" the cried in sync. With a shattering blue light, the spell collided at the foundations of the tower. And suddenly, the fight was over in seconds.

The boys all let out cries as they fell to the ground, along with the ice shards, which turned to water as Percy frantically melted them so they wouldn't get hurt.

"Molliare!" A new voice yelled from the side, and the boys slowed their fall.

Piper wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and turned to spot the newcomer. Hermione stood, her lips curled into a smile though her eyes were bleak looking, adding on to the overworked and depressed state she was constantly in.

"Hey, Hermione!" Annabeth said, hopping down with grace from the tower. "I'd ask if you wanted to join... but it seems like it's over already."

Hermione's lip trembled, and the paper in her hand crumpled. "Yeah, it's over already," she said. "Just like Buckbeak's trial. He lost. They're going to execute him."