The Houses Competition (THC), Round 8.
House: Gryffindor
Class: Charms
Category: Standard
Prompt(s) Chosen: [Location] Frozen Pond, [Animal] Snow Hare
Rating: T
Word Count: 2233
Beta(s): DeepShadows2, apckrfan
Warnings: animal death
…
Summary: Harry and Hermione are camped in the forest on their hunt for Horcruxes. Hermione takes advantage of a nearby frozen pond to do something she hasn't done in a long time…skate.
…
Hermione had been skating the pond behind her parents' house since she was five years old. Every winter after the first solid freeze, her father would take her down to the pond and lace up her skates just-so. They would spend hours gliding over the smooth surface of the pond, the blades on their skates cutting into the ice, causing it to crackle in that satisfying way. The cracks had scared her when she was younger, but over time her father had taught her the difference between the normal shifting cracks and the dangerous ones.
Once she'd started at Hogwarts, there hadn't been many opportunities for her to skate. There was a small rink outside Hogsmeade she'd ventured onto a few times, but it was busy most weekends in the winter, and Harry and Ron didn't love skating as much as she did. She'd managed to get out on the ice a few times each year, and always when she'd gone home for Christmas holidays.
This year was different, though. In so many ways.
Running from Death Eaters, hunting for Horcruxes…not knowing if their loved ones were safe or not. She endeavoured not to think about her parents, but whenever it was her turn to wear Slytherin's locket, those fears and worries came flooding in relentlessly.
Harry wore the locket now, staring mindlessly into the fire he'd stoked up, seemingly lost in his own unpleasant thoughts. They'd had lots of those lately, with Ron gone.
They were near a pond this time, Hermione having noted it when they'd set up camp. She was tired and hungry–it had been a couple days since either of them had eaten a full meal–but suddenly she found herself craving the distraction of the ice.
"I'm going down to the pond for a bit," she told Harry, reaching into her bag for an extra pair of shoes. "Send up red sparks if something happens, and we'll meet at the next spot."
Harry nodded, though Hermione wasn't sure he'd actually heard her.
They needed to find a way to destroy that Horcrux…for both of their sakes.
Hermione walked quietly through the woods, breathing in the cold evening air as she went. It was peaceful out here. If they didn't need to constantly move positions, this would be a great spot to lay low for a while. The woods were tranquil, the sounds of birds and the wind through the trees was peaceful, almost therapeutic.
She arrived at the edge of the pond after only a couple minutes walking, grabbed a twig from the ground, and transfigured it into a long stick. She set down her extra shoes by the edge of the pond, carefully treading out onto the ice. Hermione used the stick to prod the ice every couple of feet, tapping it and pressing it into the ice, listening to the way it moved.
When she was satisfied the ice was thick enough to hold her weight, she returned to the edge of the pond. Her extra shoes were tall, white, and thinner than the ones she was currently wearing; those were better suited to hiking through the forest than gliding across the ice. Hermione tapped her wand against the white shoes, transfiguring them into a simple pair of figure skates with ease. As she tied the laces, she remembered her father doing the same for her, all those years ago.
Hermione blinked back the tears before those memories could carry her away. She stepped out onto the frozen pond and took a few tentative strides, listening to the ice shift underneath her.
It was just as she remembered it.
She closed her eyes, breathed in the forest around her, and took off across the ice.
Her body had been tired, but this seemed like second nature. Each stride was sure and true, making her body move with speed and purpose. She skated faster than she could run, the icy wind whipping against her face. Hermione considered casting a warming charm on herself, but decided to save it for when she got back to the tent. This kind of cold was a welcome distraction, a reprieve from the coldness that the Horcrux brought them.
Hermione skated across the pond for minutes, hours…she wasn't sure how long she'd been out there. The sky had begun to darken, her legs finally tingling from the cold, her cheeks rosy and stiff. She didn't want to head back, but knew she couldn't stay out much longer.
As she began to make her way across the pond, back to the edge where she'd left her winter boots, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Hermione stopped abruptly, her heart hammering in her chest.
Had they been found?
She pulled her wand out of her sleeve, clenching it tightly in her hand as she turned towards the movement. Her breath came out in quick, shallow puffs, fogging lightly in front of her face as she eyed the trees beyond the ice.
She was still for a full minute before she saw movement again. Her eyes drifted down to the edge of the pond, where a small, white shape scampered onto the ice.
It was a bunny…no, it was a bit big to be a common rabbit. Hermione lowered her wand slightly, watching the animal hop in quick, powerful strides. It was pure white, easy to lose in the backdrop of the snowy forest.
A snow hare, Hermione finally decided. Bigger than it seemed at first, especially when its full body stretched out to leap forward. She watched it jump forward a couple paces, sniff around investigatively, then hop off again. Searching for food, maybe.
Hermione raised her wand, glancing back at their camp. They had a bag of carrots they'd managed to sneak off with a few nights ago…there might be one or two left.
She pointed her wand back at the camp. "Accio carrot," she whispered, hoping Harry was too distracted to notice a single carrot flying past him.
It was loud enough for the snow hare to hear, immediately stopping in its tracks and turning its beady eyes on her.
Hermione held the animal's gaze as she stood perfectly still, listening for a sound coming from the camp. A moment later, a single carrot flew into her waiting hand. She took a breath, regarding the food she held. They didn't have much, and they would need their strength…
She sighed, looking back at the snow hare. Its fur was so sleek, its body tensed tightly as it watched her, debating what it should do.
"It's okay," she whispered, lifting up the carrot for it to see. "I have a treat for you."
She broke off a piece of the carrot, the simple action making a small cracking noise that perked the hare's ears towards her. Hermione dropped to one knee slowly, taking the piece of carrot she'd broken off and sliding it across the ice towards the hare.
They watched each other for several long moments, both seemingly afraid to move. The hare's nose twitched, sniffing the air inquisitively, defensively.
Just when Hermione thought it had no interest in the snack she had offered, the hare took a few slow, cautious hops towards the piece of carrot on the ice.
Hermione held her breath, watching it draw closer. It sniffed at the carrot, prodding it with its nose a couple of times, glancing between her and the suspicious food.
Finally, it reached out with its front paws, pulling the carrot into its mouth.
Hermione breathed out a soft sigh, not realizing she'd been so tense until that moment. She watched it eat, thinking of Crookshanks back at the Burrow with Molly and Arthur, and how much she missed him.
As the snow hare finished the small piece she'd given him, Hermione broke off another piece, sliding it across the ice again, but not quite as far.
The hare watched her again for a long moment, weighing its options before deciding the treat was worth it.
Hermione broke off two more pieces for the hare as it drew closer to her, more comfortable in her presence. The last piece she held carefully in her hand, waiting to see if it would take the carrot from her. She could make out the whiskers against its cheeks, the slight grey fur mixed in with the white, the little bit of black on the tips of its ears. Its front paws were delicate, its hind legs big and powerful.
Such a beautiful creature.
Hermione had been lost in thought for a moment before she felt a cool, tickling sensation on her hand.
The hare nibbled at the carrot in her hand, its ears brushing her wrist as it shifted closer.
Hermione carefully lifted her free hand, brushing it softly over its white ears. The snow hare stiffened under her hand, watching her for a long moment.
"It's okay," Hermione whispered, her voice soft and calm. Her knee against the ice was nearly numb, but she forced herself to remain as still as possible.
The hare twitched its nose a few times, returning its attention to the carrot.
Hermione waited a breath before stroking her fingers across the hare's head again. It grew steadily more comfortable in her presence, eating the carrot from her hand and allowing her to stroke its head, its ears, across its back.
When the carrot was finally finished, it leaned itself into her strokes, sniffing up at her, curious if she had more food.
Hermione smiled sadly down at the small creature, stroking from the top of its head to its short tail. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't have any more food."
The hare disregarded her words, sniffing and leaning into her further.
Hermione kept stroking its fur, getting lost in its tiny, innocent eyes. It had no idea of the war that raged around it, the battles that had been fought, or the ones still to come.
Hermione glanced back at the camp, a wave of shame running through her body as her hands brushed through its thick fur. She didn't know if it was a boy or girl…didn't want to know.
"I don't have any more food," she whispered brokenly, as her hands stilled at the hare's neck. "I'm so sorry."
It was over in a moment.
Hermione forced herself to her feet, her leg frozen and numb, carrying the limp creature in her arms. Hot tears fell down her cheeks as she rested its body on the edge of the pond, changing back into her winter boots and returning to their camp.
Harry was still sitting by the fire, just where she'd left him. She placed the hare beside him, sniffling as she told him they'd need to prepare it quickly. She pulled a knife from her bag, her hands trembling.
Harry took her hands in his, steadying her and making her look at him. "I can do it," he told her. "Just tell me what to do."
And she did. She couldn't bring herself to watch as he worked, turning the beautiful, innocent creature into food that would sustain them for a while longer. She talked him through everything, staring out at the woods as they grew darker, the light from the fire and their wands guiding Harry's movements.
Their stomachs were full that night for the first time in a while. Harry's spirits were up for the first time in a while, especially when she took the locket from him so he could take a break.
She curled up on her bed inside the tent, wrapping her arms around herself, letting the tears fall freely.
The hare had trusted her…just like her parents trusted her, just like Harry trusted her. What if they all met the same fate?
She cried quietly throughout the night, falling in and out of sleep, but never truly resting.
Harry rustled her from her half-slumber with a soft kiss to the top of her head, brushing the wetness from her cheeks with a stroke of his thumb. "My turn to be the strong one," he muttered, carefully pulling the locket from her neck and tucking it over his own head. "Get some real rest, Hermione. When you're ready, I'll make breakfast. We have enough meat for a couple more meals."
Hermione nodded, appreciating the reprieve from the locket.
"Maybe before we take down camp, you can show me how to skate?" Harry offered.
Hermione didn't think she had any tears left, but another one found its way down her cheek.
Harry crouched down beside the bed, not knowing what else to say, so he pulled her into his arms.
Hermione held tightly to her friend, letting herself cry for the hare, for her parents, for Crookshanks, for Ron, for everything they'd left behind and might still lose.
Harry held her through it, stroking her back softly, just like she'd stroked the hare. Soothing, comforting, trusting.
She sniffled against his shoulder, turning her head as she spoke, "I might not say it often enough, but I'm glad you're my friend, Harry. Whatever happens…I'll never regret being your friend. I'll never regret taking this journey with you."
Harry squeezed her a little tighter. "I love you too, Hermione. Always have. We'll get through this, you and me. Together."
She hoped with all of her heart that he was right.
…
The end.