Chapter 29 - Ice
HG
It took a while before Professor McGonagall and Hermione found the right time to let her join the extra classes because the Professor didn't want Hermione sitting in with the Ravenclaws, what she really meant by that was Oaklee. And with half of her free periods already occupied with extra potions class, it wasn't easy. But finally, they found the time and class to place her in. She would start with Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors and Slytherins next week. But she had to take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes with the Ravenclaws, but Oaklee wasn't in the class, so it didn't bother her that much, besides she had Lee and Angelina in Arithmancy and Cedric in Ancient Runes. Happy with the schedule she walked out of the Professor's office and back to common room.
"You were gone a while." Katie said as she climbed through the portrait.
"It wasn't easy planning everything." She smiled as she flopped down next Katie. The whole group was seated in front of the fireplace as there was no quidditch practice that night and Alicia and Lee decided to have a girlfriend/boyfriend free night. Angelina had broken up with Oscar about two weeks ago, and by the looks of it she didn't even mind. Even Cedric was in the tower tonight as they planned on another game night. "I have Care of Magical Creatures next week with you two." She waved to the twins. "And Arithmancy with Angelina and Lee following week. And then Ancient Runes with you, Digs."
"Blimey, Mione. You won't have any free time left." Lee chuckled as he looked between the games.
"I'll manage." She waved him off, but Lee looked up to her worried. "So, what are your plans for valentine's day?" She quickly changed the subject.
"Lena and I are going to Hogsmeade." He said as he picked out Jenga.
"Gavin is taking me sledding." Alicia giggled.
"What about you three?" Katie asked the twins and Cedric.
"Why aren't you asking Angelina?" Fred pipped up.
"Because Ange is staying at the castle. She has plans with us." Hermione countered.
"And what are those plans?" George inquired as he lifted his eyebrow.
"Hermione won't tell us." Katie pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's a surprise, and part of your birthday gift, so you just have to wait two days to find out." Hermione grinned at her best friend. "Back to you." She turned back to the boys.
"After... you know. I'm not planning on dating someone soon, especially not on Valentine's Day." Cedric shook his head. "I'll probably head to Hogsmeade with Matt for a while."
"Well, if you two get bored you can always join us later that day." Hermione smiled. "But I can't tell you what we're doing, Ange doesn't know either." Hermione snickered as the two girls stuck out their tongue.
"I'll tell Matt. If we're planning on joining you lovely ladies, where do we find you?"
"By the boathouse."
"The boathouse?" Katie and Angelina asked in surprise.
"Yes, and that's the only thing I'll give way."
"Can't we come?" The twins pouted and gave her puppy dog eyes.
"Don't you have dates?" Alicia asked as she stacked the wooden blocks.
"Yeah, but..."
"No buts. Oh, grow up." Hermione rolled her eyes as the twins' snickered. "You can all come. We'll probably still be out there when you get back."
"What in Merlin's name are we doing?" Katie looked wide-eyed at her. Hermione just shrugged and she looked at her best friend, her smile wide. "Shit!" Katie gasped as she saw Hermione's teeth and that's when it hit her. "Mione, your teeth!"
"What?" She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Are they growing again?"
"No, they look smaller." Katie cocked her head as she looked closer. She saw the others look at her teeth with great interested too. "I knew something was different about you since the hospital wing."
"Yeah, I see it too." Lee said as he leaned over the coffee table and grabbed her chin gently.
"Well, when Madam Pomfrey was shrinking my teeth, I let her go a little further." She blushed from all the attention that was fixed on her.
"I like it. Not that I didn't like your previous teeth, but I knew you weren't happy about them." Alicia smiled at her. She smiled gratefully and was glad that Cedric interrupted to change the subject.
"Can someone tell me what the point of this is?" Cedric asked as he inspected the Jenga tower in front of him.
HG
It was Sunday, Valentine's Day and the day before Katie's birthday. The twins, Lee and Alicia had all departed for Hogsmeade after breakfast, leaving the three girls at the breakfast table. The girls were trying to pry more information out of Hermione when Harry and Ron walked up.
"Good morning, Harry, Ron."
"Hi, Hermione." Harry dropped down next to her. While Ron took the seat across from his best friend. "Is the plan in motion?" He whispered, but the others all heard it as they listened intensely.
"What? Potter knows?" Katie asked incredulous.
"He helped me with my research." Hermione shrugged. "Are you two coming later?"
"We can?" He asked surprised. When Hermione nodded, he added. "Yeah, I think it would be fun."
"Great."
"Oh, Angelina." Harry started as he took a red heart-shaped note out of his pocket. "Someone asked me to give this to you."
"Oh, a secret admirer?" Hermione glanced over the note. "I heard about those Valentine's Day love notes."
"Love notes?" Ron frowned as he looked at the still closed note in the older girl's hands.
"Yeah, it's mostly third years and up, they send love notes through carrier." Katie pointed to Harry. "Or owl, or even let it fly over with the help of a little magic."
"So, aren't you going to open it?" Ron asked quite rudely.
"Uhm." She looked to Katie, but when Katie nodded quickly, she opened it, little glitter broomsticks fell out of the note. "Your hair is like a beautiful wave; your eyes are like shining pearls. Your lips are rosy, red, your smile makes my heart curl. Your look is always trendy. Your oomph is like exceptional. You walk like a diva. You are just too hot to handle. I like you." Angelina finished and looked up at the several snickers around the table.
"Is there a name?" Hermione asked as Angelina past her the note.
"No, but I think I know from whom it comes..." She groaned slightly as she looked over the Gryffindor table. "Oscar. He's been trying to win me back."
Katie took the note from Hermione as her eyes scanned the paper. "One thing is for certain, even though the poem could be better, he's telling the absolute truth." Both girls blushed but recovered quickly when they remembered that Harry and Ron were sitting with them.
HG
The three girls, alongside Harry and Ron played a few board games in the common room before Hermione took them to the boathouse for Katie's birthday surprise. It was nearing one o'clock when they walked over the snow-covered grass. When they finally reached the boathouse, Hermione put down her heavy bag with a loud thud as she gestured the others to sit down.
"Okay Katie, close your eyes." Once they were closed Hermione pulled out a pair of ice skates out of her bag. Ron cocked his head at the weird shoes in her hand, but Harry and Angelina both knew what it was.
"Hermione, that's brilliant!" Angelina beamed.
"What, what is it?" Katie asked behind her hands.
"You can open your eyes." Hermione's voice full of mirth. Katie lowered her hands and opened her eyes. She saw the skates dangling in front of her eyes. "Happy early birthday!"
"What is it?" Her eyes wide as her fingers grazed the skates.
"These are ice skates. You put them on and then go skating on the ice."
"On the black lake?" Katie squeaked.
"Where else?" Hermione chuckled. "I can show you first if you want." Her hand went in the large bag as she took out skate after skate.
"Where did you get all of these?" Angelina asked as she looked at the skates in front of her.
"Harry helped me find books on ice skates in the library, which wasn't easy and then he helped me find old or lost shoes. Professor McGonagall and I have been transfiguring the shoes into decent skates since last week. I think I have enough pairs." She started to count them.
"What if Lena and Gavin come along?"
"I've practiced enough. I can transfigure their shoes into skates and back."
"Blimey." Ron gasped impressed.
"Let me put these on and I'll show you." Hermione picked up the right size and planted herself next to Katie as she took of her shoes. "Oh, Ron. Do you mind taking out the drinks and snacks?" She asked as she pulled on her first skate. Ron walked up to the bag and pulled everything out setting it on a flipped boat on the grass. "Ange, can you help me up." Hermione grinned sheepishly. Angelina smiled as she stood up and dragged Hermione with her. With a few clumsy steps in the snow, she stepped on thick layer of ice on the black lake. Hermione started slow, before she picked up her speed and started twirling around on the ice or skated backwards with her hands on her back. The others had walked forward and stood against the banister.
"Hermione! That's-" Angelina gasped.
"AMAZING!" The twins voice appeared next to them as they leaned on the banister as they watched her on the ice. They were closely followed by two more Gryffindors and four Hufflepuffs.
"What is she doing?" Lee asked.
"Ice skating, it's a muggle sport." Angelina said already sitting down to switch out her shoes.
"Looks easy enough." The twins grinned as they walked to the pile of skates, Angelina huffed at them but decided not to tell them as they would soon figure it out.
"Katie, this is your surprise. Come here, I'll help you put them on." Angelina gestured her over.
While they all put on their skates, Alicia, Gavin, Lee and Lena took a seat as they poured themselves some hot chocolate. Angelina helped Katie up once her skates were tied and led her to the ice. With one last spin, Hermione skated closer. But when she saw Angelina help Katie on the ice, she let the girls be as Katie's hands were firmly in Angelina's.
HG
"So, who's next?" Hermione grinned as she stopped at the banister and looked at her friends.
"We are!" The twins jumped up clumsy.
"Do you need any help?"
The twins huffed and waved her hand away as they stumbled to the black lake. Cedric had come closer to the banister and leaned against it next to Hermione as they watched the twins. They were only on the lake for a few seconds before they both fell down on the cold ice. The whole group laughed at the twins, who tried to get up but failed miserably.
"I think you better go help them." Cedric snickered next to her.
"Maybe you're right, before they freeze to death." She chuckled. "Do you need any help?"
"I never done this before, so probably." He grinned. "But help those two goons out first."
"Harry can help too, if you want." Harry had made his way onto the ice as he skated past the twins, who still couldn't get up. Harry wasn't as good or gracious as Hermione, but he wasn't bad. Once he had adjusted on being on skates again, he skated back over to the others and helped Ron on the ice.
"Still don't need help?" She stopped in front of the twins with her hands on her hips. The twins gave up their attempts to get up on their own and looked up to her.
"Why would we need help?"
"We're just hanging."
"Okay, if you want to get frostbite." She started to turn.
"No, no, wait!" George yelled, making her turn back to the two boys. "Can you help us up- "
"Please." Fred pouted for dramatic effect. Hermione smiled at the pleading boys in front of her before she reached her hand out to George.
"Put your skate against mine and I'll pull you up." George placed his skate against hers as he grabbed her two hands, before she pulled him up in what looked like one swift movement, but since George was a lot taller than her it wasn't easy. "Don't move." She pointed at him before she turned to Fred. When Fred was standing still next to his twin on the ice, she looked between them. "Who's first?"
The twins looked at each other, both not really into this skating thing since it didn't come naturally. Hermione rolled her eyes as she took both of Fred's hands in hers. "Georgie, you stay here or try to get to the railing where Cedric is waiting, I'll come get you."
George looked over his shoulder and saw he was only a meter away from it. Hermione let Fred's hands go before she placed her hands on George's back. "Bend your knees and keep your arms close. I'll push you."
"Push me?" George shrieked as she gently pushed him to the side. He wrapped his arms around the wooden banister as he glared over his shoulder to her. Hermione grinned before she turned back to Fred.
"Ready?" She asked as she took his hands in hers. Fred gave her a weak smile. "Just like I told George, bend your knees a bit and try to glide."
Hermione had a hard time holding back her laughter as she saw Fred's movements on the ice. She skated slowly backwards as she pulled him with her, even though she bit back her own laughter, she glared at George who was laughing at his twin. Angelina and Katie had figured out how to skate together as they skated with ease hand in hand on the black lake. Ron had giving up after falling down for the fifth time and was now munching on the cookies at the boathouse. Harry was helping Alicia on the ice as Gavin decided to sit this one out, after seeing the many failed attempts of the others. Fred was getting better; he wasn't hunched over anymore for the fear of falling as he glided over the ice. Without warning, Hermione slipped her hands out of his and let him glide alone. A moment of panic crossed his face before he found his balance and skated slowly on the ice, making his way to Angelina and Katie.
Hermione turned back to George, who suddenly looked nervous as a wicked grin crept on her face. With only one glide she stopped in front of George and braked right in front of him, making snow hit him in the face. "Ready, Georgie?"
"I'm good."
"Oh, no you don't. You don't make fun of your own brother, just to back out yourself, come on." She took his hand and pulled him to the ice, making Cedric chuckle as they found their way on the ice. "Just follow me." With her hands in his, she pulled him forward. Hermione saw the nervous look on his face as his eyes were fixed on the ice. "George." He looked up slowly. "Do you trust me?" George gave her a look that said, DUH! "If you can teach me how to fly high up in the air, I can teach you how to skate on the ground." A chuckle escaped. She readjusted her stand and wrapped one arm around his waist and pulled his arm around her shoulder. "Copy my movements."
They skated together on the ice for a while before they heard someone shout. "Little Granger, how do I stop!?" Fred's voice called loudly, and everyone turned to look at him. He was going fast and before Hermione had a chance to react, he reached the end of the lake and toppled in a large fresh pile of snow. Everyone looked worried at the snow-covered red head, before he popped his head out of the snow. "That was awesome!" He called out, making everyone laugh.
Hermione shook her head with a laugh as she focused back on George but was soon distracted again.
"Hermione?" Harry's voice called her. Hermione looked behind her and saw Harry standing there with Cedric. "Can you take over? Cedric is a little tall for me, and you seem to have a way of working with those giants." Harry chuckled.
"Okay!" She called back and looked to George. "Think you can try on your own?"
"Yeah." He said as he retracted his arm.
"Just don't copy your brother." She chuckled as George tried to glide clumsily away from her. She skated to where Harry and Cedric where standing. "Alright, giant number three." She grinned up to Cedric, who pursed his lips at her. She took his hands in hers and glided away from Harry. Only after a few minutes she noticed that Cedric was a natural, so she let go of one hand and skated together over the ice. Even when they nearly bumped into Lee and Lena, who had just come on the lake, they easily avoided a collision. When it was starting to get dark, everyone had at least tried once to go on the ice, even Matt and Gavin after Cedric had to basically push them on the ice. Katie and Cedric could skate alone fairly quick, while Gavin and Ron had the most trouble on the ice. It was a perfect day, and they only went back inside when the snow came down too hard.
