As Christmas break approached, it wasn't just the students growing restless—the wind and snow were becoming increasingly vicious.
The weather was especially terrible today. Even though Filch had shut all the windows, thin drafts of cold air still slipped through the cracks, carrying bone-chilling cold as they prowled the corridors.
The wind and snow were launching a fierce assault as well, battering the windows with creaking rattles, as though they might burst through at any moment.
Draco Malfoy found himself dealing with just such a situation. By the time he had firmly shut the window again, his cheeks, ears, and fingers had all been frozen bright red.
The cold seeped through his robes and spread across his body, making him frown and shiver.
"Lumos!" He raised his wand, then flicked it around and lightly tapped himself with its tip.
A soft glow poured from the tip of his wand, rapidly spreading across his body and dispelling all the cold that lingered around him.
"Draco!" Cedric Diggory's voice came from behind him.
Accompanied by a burst of footsteps, Cedric approached him. "It's so cold today! The snow's falling heavily too—Quidditch practice couldn't even go ahead."
"Mm." Draco answered somewhat casually. "This kind of weather... really isn't suitable for practice."
"Though, you never know..." He looked out at the wind and snow beyond the window. "People like those Gryffindors might actually take advantage of weather like this to train."
"Yeah! Angelina is pretty strict too." Cedric understood what Draco meant and nodded with a smile.
He looked at Draco and said, "Draco, your Illumination Spell is getting more and more impressive. You can make it produce different effects."
"It was Wizet who inspired me before I started studying the Illumination Spell." Draco smiled, clearly pleased by the praise. "After researching it, I