The Rest of Winter Break

The morning after the Yule Ball had enough happening (what with gossipers getting up to speed and sharing stories about last night's event while others tried to catch up on sleep) that it wasn't until a day or two afterwards that the younger students questioned themselves on what to do with their remaining holiday. A good deal of fourth-years and up were taking the time to study for their OWL's and NEWT's, but students below that age found themselves lacking in homework assignments to be completed before the new term. As the house common rooms were being utilized for quiet-time study halls, unconcerned students were more or less forced to wander outside of their dorms if they wanted to do anything.
Delfina had bundled herself up in enough layers to let her last a good while outside and was currently wandering through the courtyards. The school seemed almost empty due to many students staying at home over the holidays, and Delfina hadn't come across anyone on her way through the corridors. Now, exiting to the outer courtyard, she saw that no one had come through, leaving a fresh layer of snow (thanks to a mild blizzard the night before) unmarred.
Uninterested in the beauty of nature, Delfina stomped through half-foot-high snow until she reached a stone bench. Taking out her wand, she began to draw incendiary runes and watched as the piled-up snow melted as a result. It would be good practice and eventually give Delfina a place to sit after trudging all the way through the castle and outside.

Just getting outside after breakfast, and right away spotting her friend from the last Divination-lesson, Freya couldn’t help but to grin as the picked up some snow and carefully shaped into a loose ball. Then she threw it and laughed happily as it hit the other girl in the back!

It was ALWAYS the back. Pokes, surprise hugs, and now SNOWBALLS. Had there been a bullseye magicked onto Delfina's back long ago and she'd just never noticed!?
She had to brace herself on the stone bench to make sure she didn't fall forward. Fortunately, Delfina had finished clearing the surface of snow just before getting hit. Turning around, she saw Freya laughing. It didn't take her long to shape and toss a counter snowball at the Gryffindor.

Getting hit by a snowball hardly made the Gryffindor laugh less; this was nothing but a fun friendly game to her! So of course she scooped up more snow to be able to throw more balls right back at the other girl

Delfina realized a bit belatedly that going against Freya's strength in a snowball fight was not the wisest choice. But it was too late now; this was war! Pride and honor were on the line between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor houses, and Delfina was bent on getting some snow down Freya's cloak if it was the last thing she did.
But why oh WHY did it have to be a one-on-one match?

Taking the hit of one other snowball Freya only giggled as she made her own bigger and bigger before throwing them, soon using both her hands to hurl them towards the other girl; she’d bring her down, that’s for damn sure!

Slowly stepping closer to not run out of snow she had to make sure the little Hufflepuff didn’t run for cover behind some pillar, she’d win, no alternatives!

The onslaught was relentless from both sides. Delfina wasn't doing a good job of dodging Freya's attacks though, especially when most of the courtyard was still covered in several inches of snow. It was slightly hindering, but Delfina was at least able to dodge the half-foot diameter snowball that nearly clipped her shoulder. Wait-- why were Freya's snowballs getting bigger!?
She would have to take cover, the closest structure with some height being the empty fountain in the center of the courtyard.

“Don’t you dare run and hide, little badger! I’ll get yah!” Now giving up on snowballs entirely Freya hurried down the snowy path and dragged the other girl along with her down on the ground, where she sis her best to poke snow down the back of her neck

"It's called a strategic regrouping-- AAAAAAAAAAAH!!" Delfina was caught off guard when Freya tackled them both to the ground and had wasted no time in getting snow down the 2nd year's clothes. Adrenaline pumping from the shock of the cold hitting her skin directly, Delfina tried to turn around and get even, a chunk of snow already in her hand.

Laughing at her poor ‘enemy’s’ fate Freya wasted no time in getting up and push Delfina’s arms down into the snow, now practically sitting on her

“You give in?! Admit your surrender, and the Lion will rule the Castle with justice!”

Trying to keep her head up in order to avoid getting a mouthful of snow, Delfina shouted, "NEVER!!" She would never submit to another house! Wriggling did nothing against Freya's strength and weight. If only she had one arm free Delfina could retaliate or at least write the name of the culprit in the snow for when her Hufflepuff peers would surely try to avenge her later on.
With Freya on her back, Delfina tried to kick her legs. They could barely reach back far enough to tap the Gryffindor, so Delfina had no choice but to tap Freya's back repeatedly with her feet.

"Pity..."
Pulling the poor Hufflepuff's hand up to trap them both with one hand over her head Freya turned to one of the last weapons she had right now; tickling. The cloak wasn't that thick, neither was the clothes of the school uniform, so she guessed it was magic in them to keep the wearer warm. But it made it quite easy to poke the sides of said person as well...

Delfina nearly screamed bloody murder. This was cheating, Gryffindor or not! She kicked her legs even harder, trying desperately to break free.
"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!" Her lungs were going to explode from all the laughter

pausing for a moment, letting the threat of more hang in the air, Freya grinned
"Ready to give up yet?"

As much as she hated giving up, Delfina didn't seem to have any other option.
"F- fine. You win."

Throwing her hands up in the air with a happy "Yay!" Freya got up and dragged the Huffepuff back up on her feet and dusted the snow of them both
"And as the once victorious I say we go back inside for some hot chocolate before we both have to take that yucky cold-medicine."

"Sounds good to me." Magically-protected layers or not, the snow Delfina had been lying in earlier had started to soak into her coat and was giving her chills.
Hot chocolate sounded perfect, but they would have to make sure to go somewhere that didn't have students studying.

Nodding and grinning Freya took the Hufflepuff's hand and dragged her off towards the kitchen; it wasn't too long ago since she'd learned where it was, and now she was going to use it!

At first Delfina thought that they were headed towards the Hufflepuff dormitory, recognizing the familiar path Freya was taking them on. If the Gryffindor thought she could infiltrate the badgers' hideout, then she had another thing coming. But no; they had already passed the barrels that constituted the dorm's entrance. Oh, they must be going to the kitchen. Did Freya have a connection with the house elves there?
"Are you sure we're allowed to go straight to the kitchen like this?" she asked.

Freya just shrugged “I don’t think people mind so badly, if they did it would have come up with that rule-rant they hold every sorting-ceremony. I guess they just hid it for fun, and to get students to show up to dinner.”

Arriving at the painting the Gryffindor tickled the pear and waited, keeping an eye in the Hufflepuff's reaction

Delfina had never heard of a student entering the kitchen directly, so the entry procedure was new to her. She waited for Freya to offer up a password to the bowl of fruit portrait-- wait, what was she doing? Why was Freya violating that pear!? The Gryffindor must have realized that it was near-impossible to do anything to a two dimensional object by hand, for she had already stopped.
They waited as Delfina was unsure of the whole situation.

“Don’t look so chocked, if everything worked by passwords there would be no fun at all, now would it?”
Chuckling and climbing in through the now opened hole Freya was gone in two seconds

Oh! Oh ok, apparently violating painted pears was a legitimate way of entering school kitchens. After a moment's hesitation after Freya had disappeared through the portrait, Delfina followed.
The kitchen was much larger than she was expecting, full of busy house elf chefs carrying ingredients and trays across the room to various counters. Hardly any of them gave the two students a glance.
"Are we able to get the hot chocolate on our own? They all look pretty busy at the moment," Delfina whispered to Freya.

Freya just chuckled at the Hufflepuff, took her hand and dragged her through the elf-crowd, ignoring how they all bowed to the students as they passed by

"They're always busy, this is the ant-weel that pulls the school froward."

Getting over to one of the big tale she got her cloak off and sat down, almost right away having an elf by her side asking if there was anything they could do for the girls

A bit dumbfounded, Delfina took a seat next to Freya and watched her order them both hot chocolate. The way the elves were attending to them made it feel like a cafe.
Except they were in a kitchen. A very busy kitchen. Ok, so it wasn't really like a cafe at all, but Delfina felt like she was going to have to pay the elves or something afterwards for taking time out of their busy schedules for the two students.