It had snowed, not once, but three times in the past week. There had been plenty of time to clear the streets, paths and walkways around Hogsmeade, and everyone seemed rather excited today. It was the first weekend since she’d moved here that the students would be coming down from the castle to explore the shops and hang out in town. Enitan thought this was super cool, and was excited by the idea that she’d get to come home every once in a while and check on her father’s lizards, and her plants, while at school. She hadn’t been told that first years weren’t allowed to yet. Still, she’d only seen students from a distance, or while walking through the massive and totally freaky castle with her father on their way to his classroom, or home. No one had really seemed to notice the small girl clinging tightly to the divination professor’s side. She was okay with this, but it felt weird. She was in a place with a ton of other kids, but didn’t have any friends.
But Enitan had decided that this would be the day she’d make friends. It was that easy right? She just needed to lure them into her yard. She wasn’t allowed off their property without Sam’s permission, and after the baking incident last night that had resulted in half baked cookies stuck to the ceiling and her getting banned from using the stove unless he was in the room, aware, and had granted permission, until further notice, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to ask… so how to lure them in… she sat by the window, staring up at the castle until her breath steamed it up so much that she couldn’t see out it anymore, before grinning wildly and racing past her father in the living room doing teachery stuff with stacks of papers and up to her bedroom.
Two pairs of socks, a pair of leggings, pants, and then her special pants that had been enchanted to be waterproof in the snow. A tank top, another shirt, a sweater, and she was racing back down the steps again. “Building snowmen!†she shouted back to her father’s barely heard query, before pulling on her gloves, and her appleby arrows hat and scarf, before realizing she forgot the headband that covered her ears, and had to redo her head protections. She almost went outside without her boots, but stopped when she opened the door and realized she was still in socks. Disaster averted, she ducked outside finally, grinning with the extra scarves. Apparently Sam’s family had some similar ideas when it came to christmas gifts, and she now had four scarves and two winter hats. She’d also stolen Sam’s pointy hat, so she could make a wizard snowman. But her Dad didn’t have to know that till it was done…
She’d make that one first, she thought, dumping the pile of snowmen accoutrements and the bag of carrots she’d snagged from the fridge in one corner of the front yard. Fortunately the snow was perfect for packing. But as many snowmen as she wanted to make…. Enitan looked out towards the street, and then back to the swing hanging from the tree in her back yard. Yes…. there was plenty of snow back there. Making her way back, she quickly started rolling up some balls, pushing them towards the front yard, but not into it just yet. She’d do this assembly line style. Yes, that would work best…
With a dozen balls of varying sizes rolled up to the side of the house, Enitan stepped back to admire her work. This was definitely a good start. The largest of the balls she began rolling to the front, it coming up to her waist already. “You… are going to be Dad.†she patted the massive roll of snow affectionately before picking up one of the other balls and putting it on top. Which made her realize one glaring problem. She was too short to get a head on top of this one….
