The snow seemed to have come earlier this year than in previous years. November had barely begun, and there had already been a heavy snowfall.
Given the damp weather of the British Isles, a heavy fall of feathery snow was perfectly normal, and the young wizards were used to it.
But when that snowfall happened to land on the day Hogsmeade opened to everyone, it became rather unwelcome.
Unlike the previous visits, which had only been open to sixth- and seventh-years, this was the first day all Hogwarts students in their third year and above could visit Hogsmeade. The young wizards had been looking forward to it for a long time.
But the weather refused to cooperate, and heavy snow fell that day.
Even so, it clearly did nothing to dampen the young wizards' enthusiasm for visiting Hogsmeade. The younger students set out into the heavy snow carrying umbrellas, or simply wearing a hat.
The older students, especially those with better grades, took it much more in stride. The magic they had mastered allowed them to handle conditions like these with ease.
Harry and Ron, for instance, casually cast a spell on themselves to keep out the wind and snow, along with a Levitation Charm.
The former kept the cold, snow-laden wind from blowing inside their clothes, while the latter let them walk over the soft snow as though it were solid ground. Qiu could do the same, but Lavender fell a little short.
At a time like this, though, Ron was naturally more than happy to help his girlfriend.
Neville and Rolf were with them too.
Neville and Rolf had not got to know each other right away, but once they did, their friendship had developed far faster than Rolf's friendship with Harry and the others. Rolf seemed to