Jory smiled at Ronnie and wrapped his arm around him. "Thanks for being a good listener,'' he told her. He had never told anyone about Grace. Besides his parents, only Gwen and Ari knew but he had never even told them in the detail he had told Ronnie. It made him feel better knowing he could be so open to her. "It feels better... you know, sharing it when someone.'' He wasn't one to say lots of those sentimental stuff but he felt a lot better.

Jory let his forehead lean against Ronnie's. "Yes,'' he agreed. "The same amount.'' And on impulse, he leaned in closer and kissed sealed what he had said with a kiss.

That was just plain cruel. He could STILL feel the cold residue of what was left of the snowball trickling down his back when he finally got his emotions back under control and stopped his MANLY dance. It wasn't manly, was it? Ugh.

But for the brief moment that he had gotten to see that it was his GIRLFRIEND who had been the one to throw the snowball at him, Ascanius was already fuming and ready to attack. Yeah, that including tackling her down in the snow and shoving his own bit of snow down the back of HER shirt. See how she liked that. Pfft. She wouldn't, that was how.

And that was why he was chasing her. So that he could inflict his revenge on her because NO WAY was she going to get away with this. Sure, the nice and average boyfriend would let this go, but that was for ugly people. And he wasn't one of those. Smirk.

ALSO, did he hear her laughing? Oh, so now she was laughing at him too? She was getting a snowball to the face for that offense. This wasn't funny. It was sad and tragic and the sooner she realized that the better off they would be. Hmph.

RUN FOREST RUN. 'Cause he was a'comin.

After a few minutes of running and fumbling through the snow, he finally EPICALLY jumped out- think slow mo, yeah- and tried to catch her by the ankle. To take her down...

...but all he did was face plant. This was just like the beach... all over again.

Penelope could honestly say that the snow going down his shirt was an accident. She'd thought it would just smack him in the head and then hang out in his hair until it melted or something. Really, if she wanted snow down his shirt, she would've run up to him and stuffed it down his back herself. So surely he would use that brain of his to figure out it wasn't her fault for his "unmanly" behavior.

But no, apparently his brain was frozen or something because he didn't seem to figure that out. Unless he had and he still thought running after her was the solution to being hit by a snowball?

Eh, whatever. She could totally outrun him.

And she was. Sorta. She didn't notice he was close enough to to reach out and grab her ankle...until she heard a plop! right behind her. That made her stop and turn around...

...and start laughing again.

Oh yeah, she was definitely having flashbacks to that time at the beach when he'd face planted into the sand. Yeah, seemed he was just as uncoordinated in snow too. Bahahaha. She was laughing far too hard again to run now and hardly noticed she was still within reaching distance for him...

Pth, pth, pth.

Ascanius lifted his head out of the snow and started to spit out all of the stuff that was now on his lips. Gross. He didn't know WHERE this snow had been, who had been walking through the snow, what animals found relief in this snow. It was gross and could have been a breeding ground for ALL kinds of nasty. Mmk?

And now it was all over his mouth. That was why he was spitting everywhere. Pth, pth, pth.

Moving his hands up to his face, Ascanius rubbed at his eyes and tried to wipe all of the snow off of his face. It wouldn't be long now until the left over snow had melted, but he needed to be able to see. Mostly because... it was revenge time.

Not only had he been SNOWBALL ASSAULTED, but he had been unmanlified when he had face planted AND he had done a ridiculous dance. This was not turning out to be his finest hour. Although, he did find solace in the fact that he knew that even looking ridiculous... he looked better than almost ALL of his peers. Smirk. At least his confidence was still in check.

But when he could finally see out of his snow covered eyes, he smirked. She really had to stop laughing at him... it was gonna only cause her trouble, which was going to happen right about now. And without any warning, he reached forward and grabbed her leg... and yanked her down to the ground.

SNOW BATTLE COMMENCE!

Oh, did he get it into his mouth even? Bahahaha. That was great. Maybe he needed a kiss to feel better. Actually, not "maybe" - more like "definitely." But he was getting a kiss right now, too bad. Penelope wasn't gonna get close to-

O_O

Plop!

Her leg was yanked out from under her, and she lost her balance and fell flat on her back in the snow. "Oof!" Blink. Blink. What in Merlin's...

Oh. She looked down at him and his hand around one of her ankles. He'd yanked her down. Cute. Good try at revenge, but not good enough.

With one hand, she gathered a handful of snow, smushed it into a sort of ball, then, smirking, threw it at his face.

"Anytime, Jory." she said, smiling at him. She then nodded. "I know exactly how that feeling is. And you can share anything with me, even if it's not that big. I'm still here to listen." she said, taking his hands in hers and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

Ronnie felt her heart start to beat a little more faster when he leaned in more and kissed her. Her heart jumped as their lips touched and she kissed him back, her arms around him holding him close.

Jory was glad he had someone to talk to. Better yet, someone who loved and understood him. Not that he couldn't tell his parents anything but sometimes he could use advice from others.

After he broke their kiss, Jory placed his forhead against Ronnie's once again, his arms still around her. "I can hear your heart beating rather loudly'' he joked. Actually, he couldn't but he knew Ronnie's heart must be pounding, just like his was. And now they also had the matter of who loved whom more settled. Jory lapsed into silence. He was so comfortable being around her that it did not even feel like awkward silence. "Love you,'' he said again and squeezing Ronnie's hand. He'd never get tired of saying that.

Ronnie made her way down to the lake, pulling her bright orange hair into a ponytail and carrying a little gift for Jory in her hand as she went. She had brought a little present for him...just 'cause she loved him and thought he was just purely amazing. Heh.

It was a bit early in the morning for jogging...but she liked it that way, and hoped Jory didn't mind. Besides, it was really peaceful out here with not many people around and awake yet.

She leaned against a tree, peering out towards the castle. No sign of Jory yet. She better do some stretches then while she waited. She stood up a bit straighter with her back perfectly straight, abs engaged, shoulders down, and feet hip-width apart. Slowly, she brought her left leg forward with her heel down, toes up and leg perfectly straight. She kept her back straight and abs engaged, she bent her right knee as if sitting back, while supporting herself with both hands on her thighs.

Jory hummed as he headed down to the Lake. He was wearing a black and yellow jogging pants with a black jersey. It was the perfect day (despite being a bit chilly) and time to go jogging. It reminded him of the good old days when he went for early morning jogs with his dad. As he approached the Lake, he looked around for Ronnie.

And there she was! By that tree straight ahead. There was no mistaking that bright orange hair that he loved so much. Hehe. He patted his pants pocket as he approached her. Waiiiiit! Ronnie surely had not seen him as yet. Maybe if he circled around the tree and approach her from the back. Like he always did. The Puffer headed for the far right of the tree where he sure would no be able to spot him, and then circled back to her so that he came up directly behind her.

"Hello, Ronnie,'' Jory said. He hoped she wouldn't jump. "You're looking beautiful this morning.'' He grinned to himself. She always looked beautiful. "Don't move as yet,'' he told her as he reached into his pocket and removed a small box. He had asked his mother to get it a few days ago and it had arrived last night. Jory removed the necklace and placed it around Ronnie's neck, clasping the hook. "I got you something. Hope you like it.''

After doing a few more stretches, Ronnie stood there looking out at the water. The lake was so peaceful right now. She could sit here all morning! She sighed, continuing to look and not noticing her boyfriend who was sneaking up behind her...

His voice made her jump. "Aaahh!" she cried, turning around to face Jory. Her cheeks turned a deep red and she laughed a little. "S-sorry. I didn't here you come up." she mumbled. He was good at startling her.

Oh...she looked beautiful this morning? D'awww. And there went the blushing again. He was so good at making her blush! "Aw, thanks Jory! And you look very handsome this morning. As always." she said with a smile, planting a kiss on his cheek. Then he told her not to move. She froze, looking at him curiously as he took out a box for her. *gasp* Eeeep! He had gotten a necklace for her! Jory was such a sweetheart.

She felt her heart beat quickly as he put it around her neck. Once it was on, she turned to him, smiling. "Thank you, Jory. I love it." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. Once she pulled away, she bent down to pick up his gift she had set on the ground. "Here, I got you a little something too." she said with a small smile, handing it to him.

Jory laughed. "Sorry but I couldn't help sneaking up on you. You weren't too scared, were you?'' he asked with a wink. "Why thank you, my lady!'' He gave her a small bow and a peck on her red cheek. He liked when she blushed. "So, it is okay?'' Jory asked, referring to the necklace. "You make the necklace look so nice.'' She did! His beautiful Ronnie.

He wrapped his arms around her too and kissed her back. She had a gift for him too? Ronnie was so thoughtful! Aww a little teddy! And a framed photo of her! "These two will be going right on my table next to my bed,'' he told her. That way, he would see her before he fell asleep and as soon as he woke up. "And the Chocolate Frogs and the beans will be for when I'm studying late.'' Yup! Sometimes he got hungry but was too lazy to go to the Kitchens. Even though it was not far from the Common Room. "Thanks, Ronnie,'' Jory said. He hugged her.

"So, you're all set to go on our jogging date?'' What a weird date. But it should be fun.

She smiled, chuckling. "No, I wasn't that scared." she said. That was kinda a lie, though. She had been pretty startled since it was early in the morning and she was still kind of half asleep...

She nodded her head. "Yes! It's beautiful, Jory. I'll wear it every single day." she said, looking down at the necklace and smiling at it. It really was beautiful, she was really glad he got it for her. She looked back up at him when he said she made it look so nice and blushed. "Thank you," she said, giving him another kiss on the cheek. He certainly knew how to make her happy!

A smile spread across her face when he told her he'd keep them on the table next to his bed. Yay! She was so happy he liked his gift. "You're very welcome, Jory." she said, hugging him back tightly.

Oh, right. Jogging. She had almost forgot the reason they were down here! She pulled away from the hug, nodding. "Sure am!" she said, zipping up her jacket a little more as a little gust of wind blew against her. She did a few more arm and leg stretches and then got in the position to jog. "Let's get going then!" she said, smiling at Jory as she began to jog next to him.

Jory smiled. "That's my brave girl!'' he said. "You will?'' Awww She was so sweet! "I'm really glad you like it that much. But I love your gifts even more.'' Did this mean another round like what they had earlier about who loved who more? He didn't mind. He could go about it all day. Jory continued hugging his awesome and adorable girlfriend. He didn't want to let go but they had jogging to do.

"I'd better do some stretched too,'' the Puffer said. He did a few, just like his dad thought him. "I want ice cream,'' he blurted out rather suddenly. On this cold morning, as silly as it seemed, this dude wanted ice cream. Maybe they could get some after he and Ronnie returned to the castle? Yup, that would be awesome!

And so, the love birds set off. "Too bad we didn't have to race, I could have beat you,'' Jory joked. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Harvey walked down to his favourite place in the whole school, it had been since his first year. Even though he liked it for a different reason to the reason he liked it back then. Gosh that seemed so far away, he had grown up since then, a lot had happened since then.. and there was a lot! A lot of memories had been made here and he wondered if many more would be made of if the memories would stop being made and get made elsewhere. He sat down on the grass with a little pin in his hand. Minnie's gift.. she wasn't too pleased with it but that could have been cause it was him that gave it to her.. after breaking his promise of course. He put it on the grass and just looked out to the lake wondering how he could get back to the guy he was a couple of years ago, cause everyone seemed to love that guy against who he was now. He may have changed but this lake had never changed and he knew it would probably never change at all.

He loved her gifts even more? Here they go again! She shook her head. "Nuh uh! I love yours WAY more!" she said, poking his chest and smiling.

Ronnie was reluctant to let go of Jory...she felt so comfortable in his arms. But they had to jog and stuff. But maybe they could...tomorrow...or...next week...'cause that's how long she could stand here hugging him! But then he let go. Okay. Okay. Time to jog. She watched as he stretched and laughed when he mentioned ice cream. Her eyes widened and a smile crept onto her face at the thought. Ever since the feast, Ronnie had been addicted to ice cream. "I LOVE ICE CREAM." she said rather loudly. "How about we get some after we jog???" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. Okay, now she was FULLY awake.

As they jogged, Ronnie laughed. "I could so beat you!" she said, sticking her tongue back out at him as well. Hehehe.

Hehe. And so they started again. Jory loved how they could do all this friendly banter without getting angry at each other. "Nope. Yours is soooo awesome!'' Emphasis on the so.

"We can hug afterwards,'' the Puffer said with a laugh, even though he didn't want to let go either. "Yes! I want loads of chocolate flavour. It's a date!'' He glanced back at Ronnie. "I sound like I've never eaten it before,'' he added with another laugh. They seemed to have lots of "dates'' today didn't they? Jogging date and then an Ice cream one. Oh well. At least he got to spend time with his Ronnie. "So, maybe we could run the length of the shore of the Lake a few times?'' Jory asked as they jogged, passing a few students.

"Maybe you could, but Imma let you win all the time because you're so cute.'' Big grin.

She shook her head firmly, her hair flipping as she did so. "Nuh uh!" she said, giggling and playfully punching his shoulder. His was definitely better. Hehehe.

"Awwwwwwww. Okaaay." she said with a sigh and a small smile. She then clapped her hands together a little out of excitement. "Hooray!" she squealed.

She nodded as they jogged. "Okay, sounds good to me!" she said. She then laughed when he talked about letting her win. An idea suddenly popped into her head. "We should actually race. When we go get our ice cream, let's race all the way to the castle!" she suggested, grinning. "And don't let me win, mister!" she added, giving him a I've-got-my-eye-on-you look.

"Ouch! That hurt!'' Jory said, contorting his face in fake pain. "You've got a mean punch and I won't talk to you again if you keep punching me.'' He turned his face away from Ronnie and grinned. Yeah right. He liked getting punched by her.

"Oh! That's a great idea! I bet I'll grab some before you at the Gryffindor table.'' Yup, because the Lion's table seemed to be where he sat all the time now, ever since the feast. "Okay, you got it. But try not to be sad when I win.'' And Jory was so busy laughing, he failed to watch where he was going until it was too late. His foot tripped on something and he went sprawling face first into the sand. Great. This was fun. Ronnie must be dying of laughter.

Wait. Did that actually hurt?! Ronnie looked at him worriedly, but then figured he was joking. She had barely even hit him...so he was probably joking. Either that or he was very weak! She made a fake worried face, grabbing his shoulder. "Nooo! Jorryyy!" she said. "Talk to meee! I won't hit you agaaain!" she said, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him.

"Naww, I will before you can even get there!" she said with a firm nod. She then rolled her eyes. "I have nothing to worry about being sad. 'Cause I'm gonna win!" she said, turning to look at Jory but...wait, where'd he go? She looked left then right then down and saw him sprawled on the ground. She put a hand to her mouth, giggling softly. Okay. Don't laugh Ronnie. Don't laugh. She bent down, sticking her hand out towards him to help him up. "You okay, sweetheart?" she asked as she pulled him up.

"I'm just kidding,'' Jory responded. "It didn't hurt one but.'' He hugged Ronnie back. "And, I can be your punching back for all my life.'' He grinned a goofy grin.

Jory remained still on the ground. "I can hear you laughing, Ronnie,'' he said. Was he whole? No broken anything right? Even though he had not fell that hard to break anything. He looked up, wiping some sand from his face. "I'm okay, I'm okay,''he replied reassuringly. He grabbed Ronnie's hand and pulled himself up. "Go ahead you can laugh at my anguish.'' Once again, the Puffer put on a look of pain. Fake of course. But he pecked her cheek. "Let's go! Ice cream and a chance to beat you awaits!''

Licking on his ice cream cone as they walked he looked out over the snow covered grass. Glancing sideways at Medea, Leo asked curiousluy "When you were young did you make angels in the snow or build snow men?" Shivering slightly as a brush of cold went past them on the path he unconciously stepped a little closer to Medea.

Grinning he chuckled "It should be safe to walk on it. I asked Ali at breakfast if the lake ice was thick. According to him its thick enough to walk on." It could get very interesting if it wasn't thick and you went through the ice and took an unplanned dip in the cold lake. Trying to not think about that Leo instead furrowed his brows in confusion at Medea. "Skate without ice skates? No I don't think I have. Have you ice skated without skates?" It sounded odd.

The ice cream probably didn't help with the cold, especially when those chilly breezes came by, but she didn't quite notice it all, considering her attention was focused merely on the fact that Leo was standing so close. Ahem. "Of course." she smiled, nodding slowly. "My brother and I used to build snowmen all the time before I'd gone to school and, vell, everyone has made a snow angel before. Or should haff."

At least the people who have lived or been in snow before.

Ice skating, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. "I can't say that I haff." Looking out to the frozen lake, the thought that perhaps they should finish their ice cream first would probably be wise unless they wanted to cover the lake with it. At least, that'd more than likely happen on her part. "Or ice skating in general actually. Noooo laughing vhen I fall over."

Poke poke.

So she was right, he wasn't hurt. Phew! She then laughed. "Aw, I'd never wanna punch you Jory!" she said, squeezing him tightly. Yeah, she'd never punch him. And if anyone did, she'd make sure they never ever went near her Jory ever again! EVER!

Her lips quivered at what he said. She tried her hardest not to burst out laughing. "S-sorry, Jory. It was kinda funny...in a cute way." she said quietly, giggling a little as she helped him up. She then waved a hand. "I'm not gonna laugh, Jory." she said with a smile, wrapping him in a big bear hug. She had already let out most of her laughing through all that giggling earlier...

OH YAY! Was it ice cream time already?! "WE'RE GOING TO GET ICE CREAM NOW?!" she asked, bouncing on her heels.

"I don't mind,'' Jory said. "Besides, you punch like a girl!'' He stuck his tongue out at Ronnie again. He loved his Ronnie tons! Probably more than she knew, so he did not mind getting punched or anything.

"Well, I guess it was,'' the Puffer admitted. "It's your fault though, you're too beautiful'' he accused, with a grin. It wasn't of course. He just couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He returned Ronnie's bear hug, lifting her off of her feet for a while.

Jory wished now. "Nope,'' he replied. "We've still got a few more laps to do!'' He was feeling hyped, like he could run all day! Jogjogjogjgojog. "I haven't done this for a while,'' he told Ronnie, meaning the jogging. "I would normally go with my dad.'' Jory glanced over at Ronnie. She was pretty much in shape like he was, not breathing hard, looking tired or anything.

Ronnie's mouth fell open and she shot him a look. "I do not punch like a girl! I was just teasing! Honestly!" she said with a firm nod, stamping her foot. That's right! She'd grown up with many brothers and cousins, and had plenty of practice with punching and all that. "I'd show you my real punching skills...but I don't wanna hurt my baby." she said, smiling at him and sticking her tongue out at him.

Her cheeks turned a deep red when he said she was too beautiful. She hadn't been called beautiful in so long, and it felt so nice to finally be called it again. Especially when it was Jory calling her it. "Thank you," she said softly, giggling as he lifted her up. As he held her, she laid her hands on both of his cheeks and kissed him.

Frown. Oh alriiight. The ice cream will come soooon. "Okey dokey!" she said, getting back into her jogging position. "Really?" she asked as they began to jog. "I jog as many times a week as I can. Normally early in the mornings." she said. She wanted to stay fit!