Out in the middle of the pond, Tapio was gracefully turning in large, looping circles out on the ice. Skating had always been a fun family activity for him, and he had been delighted to find an excellent skating pond out on the grounds. It was well frozen by this time of year, but he had carefully added magical charms to reinforce it, and was now testing to make sure it was strong enough (he figured it it would hold his weight, it should do for anyone else).

Hopefully some people will come down to join me in trying it out, he thought. Meanwhile, it was just him and a few curious squirrels peering out from their snug hole in a nearby tree.

This was an activity that Ary and Bry had been looking forward to, even if Ary had no skates. At least Professor DeVries had taken the initiative to make a few pairs available. The little Slytherin was dressed quite snugly and he padded down onto the Grounds happily hand-in-hand with Bryony. It was quite easy for the duo to find their way to the right spot, thanks to those banners.

When they arrived, Ary immediately spotted the professor seemingly having the time of his life on the pond. Next, there was the table of snacks and goodies, most of which probably were sweets. Was that cider he smelt? Yes, he thought that was it.

Also, hi, professor. Ary waved at the man since his mittens did not allow him to do the finger wave.

Tapio was quick to notice the first arrivals at the pond and stopped his looping and skated over toward them. "Hello, there! Welcome! Do you need any help finding skates?" he called as he approached.

This small girl right here couldn't get herself across the grounds fast enough! Normally she would just run wherever she wanted to get to quickly but the simply fact that her very small hand was clasped firmly in the grasp of none other than her bestie Aryan, she wouldn't be doing that right now. She didn't want to cause the poor boy to slip and fall because she was pulling him through the snow. Sooooooo, some quick power walking would have to do. Well, erm.. as quick as their bundled up young eleven year old selves could manage to get there that is.

Finally they made it! And what a sight it was! Bryony smiled brightly at Aryan, shaking his arm excitedly. "Lookit AryBears! There's cookies an- and.. mmm is that hots chocolate?! Squeeeee! These professors all knew how to make her happy. Snacks!

Whooooooa! Their professor looked like he was having a grand ole time out there on the pond. Cue wiggle fingers. Hiya, Professor! Yes please. Do they come in pink??" Could she turn them pink of they didn't?!

If it wasn’t evident by the baby pink, glitter laced, white fluffy insoled ice skates that Aurora had flung over her shoulder, the Ravenclaw was more than ready for this particular activity. The ear muffs that protected her dainty ears matched the insoles of her skates perfectly and the scarf she had loosely flung over her shoulder was in the same baby pink shade. The rest of her outfit was white and closely fitting to her body to not become an obstacle whilst she skated. Safety was important after all.

“I’m HERE!” the third year beamed, bouncing her way down the hill towards the frozen pond where a small group had already begun gathering. Aurora had a big advantage you see as she had been ice skating from a very young age. Her mothers were both keen on the sisters engaging in a sport of some kind, for health reasons, discipline and to form a camaraderie with teammates that came with being a member of a club. Living in the inner city of London meant that her first choice of horse riding was a little out of the question and it had been enrolling at the local ice rink for ice dancing lessons that the thirteen year old had chosen as her alternative. She’d even competed for the club on several occasions and had the medals in her bedroom at home to prove it.

The second she had seen the notice that Professor DeVries had organised a skating party, Aurora had practically levitated with excitement. She wasn’t here to show off however, she was here to help teach the others to skate if they didn’t know how. There was nothing better than skating arm in arm with your besties.

"Hello, Miss Ackerly, I see you came prepared. Help yourself to some refreshments, or try the ice first, if you like--it's very good today." It had better be, if the weather and magic had anything to do with it.


"Well, I suppose we can turn a pair pink, we are wizards and witches, after all," laughed Tapio, skating toward the shore and clambering up onto the land. He magicked a pair of skate guards onto the blades of his skates and awkwardly walked toward the crate of skates. "First, though, we'd better find a pair in your size--do you know what size you wear?" he asked hopefully.

Ary was quite grateful that Bry was being thoughtful by not dragging him along in all her eagerness. There wasn’t a need to hurry, anyway, as they got there quite early it seemed. How attentive of Professor DeVries to have spotted Ary and Bry so quickly! The small boy gave the man the usual finger-wiggle-wave in greeting, along with a happy smile.

Excuse him about not being too excited about snacks: sugars weren’t his thing. In general, he hadn’t a huge appetite. There was some inward wincing as Bry shook his arm {but he was quite used to this action of hers since it happened ever so often}. “I sees them! Skates first and then eats or the other ways around?” Was eating forbidden before hitting the ice? His unasked question was answered almost immediately when Aurora turned up and DeVries encouraged her to try either first.

With that settled, Ary gave his attention to the skate selection. It was only obvious that Bry select pink. “Any colour’s fine for me, professor.” Pink, purple, blue… whichever fitted his feet perfectly.

While her leg had ensured her skating days were long over, Roulan could not help herself from joining in the fun at the Skating Party that Tapio had arranged for the students. Even if she was only in attendance as a surveyor - she could at least assist if there were any injuries or students more hesitant to get themselves out on the ice.

Having herself a good day, she was able to forgo the cane she usually had with her and instead just slowly made her way down from the castle, stopping as she reached the gathering and smiling at both colleague and students alike. "Good day, Professor DeVries. Mr. Atreyu-Rehman, Ms. Paton, Ms. Ackerly. Are you all seasoned skaters or first timers?" Or perhaps anywhere in between. Seeing Tapio was busy getting the younger two students prepped to get out on the ice, she moved towards the trays of refreshments - helping herself to a cup of spiced cider as she simply observed.

*****

This was not an activity she engaged in often, the whole ice skating thing, but she liked trying new things and being adventurous and all of those type of things. And while perhaps she had a healthy fear of the ice (she'd been out there enough to know when you fell, you fell hard or y'know... really cold water below), her Gryffindor-ness meant she was still very much willing to ignore that fear in order to instead pursue the thrill of something new... ish.

Making her way down to the group that was gathering, she waved at Aryan and Bryony as they were gathering their skates and instead made her way over towards Aurora who was also in attendance. And looking very much like this was something she was used to doing. Sidling up to her, Vera crossed her arms over her chest - red sweatshirt comfortably keeping the chill away from her and a pair of jeans on her legs with leggings underneath - more for padding than warmth. "You look like this is a typical Saturday afternoon for you. Any tips for out there?"

Tapio rummaged around in the crate for a moment until he found a couple of pairs of skates that looked about the right size. He motioned Ary to come over to let him fit a turquoise pair on him. "Try these on for size--they should be about right, but if not, I know a shoe-fitting charm that will make them fit just perfectly." Handy charm, that--Tapio had learned it one holiday from a fellow who ran a bowling alley.

Then, turning to Bryony, he held up a pair of bright pink skates and motioned her over to try them on. Ah, magic was a wonderful thing. And skating on a pond of really fine ice was a kind of magic, too.

Noticing some more people arriving, Tapio waved to his colleague. "Welcome, Roulan, make yourself at home."Tapio hadn't really expected her to come to a skating party, but realized he shouldn't make assumptions about what people could and couldn't do. "Hello, Miss Thanatos, let me know if you need any help." Though it looked as though the two older students could probably manage things just as well without him.

Once he got everyone situated with skates, Tapio planned to return to the ice for some more glorious skating!

Ary strode forward, his eyes on the skates. They seemed as though they would if, and if they didn’t, well… its like DeVries said, there was magic. “Thanks, Professor,’’ he said politely and sat down to pull on the skates, the colour which he liked a lot. It was while he was in the process of swapping out his trainers for the skates that he saw Professor Rou. Oh, he never called her ‘Rou’ out loud; it was only in his head he referred to her in that manner as it might be frowned upon for a student to call a professor by a nickname. “Hi, Professor.'’ Ary gave his favourite of two teachers that finger wiggle/wave. He was looking forward to seeing how good she was at skating. Maybe if he kept falling over, he would ask her to help him with any spell that helped to keep one’s balance. After all, he may have skated a few times before but he still wasn’t that good at it.

“The skates fit fine, professor,’’ Ary said, looking over at DeVries. The man sure knew his skates sizes! “Ready, Bry?” the Slytherin continued, having just finished securing the pair to his feet. It was at that moment that he spotted Vera; he gave her a hearty wave. She was growing on him, that Vera Thanatos.

Bryony was doing her very bestest to not drag him around. This was still very much a learning process for her, as was the tantrum thing and the always getting her way thing. Unfortunately, she was still working on the not shaking his arm to death thing, sorry! "Ummm, skates first and then we eats?" That way they would work up an appetite for the snacks that had been provided. And they wouldn't make their bellies hurt from all the moving about while skating if they ate too much first. See, she was trying to do some thinking ahead.

GASP! Did Devries know how happy he had just made her with those simple words? That's all she needed to know. Anytime things could be turned pink, she was happy. The bright smile on her face proved it. When it came to her shoe size, there was a giggle. "Tiny! Mama always resizes my shoes for me cause they never fit comfortably." This is what happened when she liked certain things and was a bit small for her age. None of which appeared to be any issue however because as quickly as their professor had found Ary a lovely pair of skates, he had found a pair of pink ones too! The squeal of delight was typical from her as she moved forward to take them from her, dropping down onto her bottom beside Aryan. "Thank you!" Bry chirped, excited removing her own shoes to put on the ice skates and lace them up. "I think they fit okay. She could wiggle her toes around at least.

Oooooh, look! Vera was here! Hiya Vera, hi! The older girl got a finger wiggle wave from her and a huge smile. Blue eyes may have glanced about in search of her brother to see if he was around as well... but it didn't look like he was. Bummer. There was another one of their professors though. "Hello, Professor! I've been skating some but I'm not that good. Which meant she was likely to fall several times at least.

It was time to get to her feet. Slowly. This took a minute or two but once she was up and standing a hand was held out to Aryan. "Ready!"

"Jiiiiiingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…"

The booming baritone voice of Norman Carton rang out as he practically skipped down the path to the skating pond. The transfiguration professor was dressed to impress in a festive skating costume consisting of a white shirt, red jacket, dark green trousers, and gold tie and belt. All of which were embellished with coordinating sequins. A pair of matching white ice skates were tied together and slung over his shoulder.

If the professor’s singing and costume didn’t make for a dramatic entrance, his greeting would certainly do it! “WHAT’S UP, PARTY PEOPLE?” he called, waving to everyone gathered. Party people… yeah, let’s go with that! So many people, so many names he couldn’t be bothered to remember. Remembering things made his brain hurt!

He quickly laced up his skates and sped onto the ice, doing two spins in rapid succession. He spun so fast that he didn’t even cast a shadow upon the frozen pond!


An ice skating party… ooh, how elegant! Desiree had been looking forward to this little get-together since she saw the notice on the Hufflepuff board. It had been a long time since she’d been ice skating - the last time was several years ago when she had a Frozen-themed birthday party - but she was fairly confident she’d fall back into the swing of things in no time. Ice skating wasn’t that different from ballet, and she was good at ballet.

As tempting as it was to wear something Elsa-inspired, she opted for something a bit warmer instead. Today she was channeling Anna’s winter outfit in a teal turtleneck under a black flower-patterned vest, blue skirt with a flower trim, black leggings and boots, a magenta coat and hat, and teal mittens. She’d also styled her dark hair into two braids to complete the iconic Anna look.

Desiree was all smiles as she took in her surroundings… the colorful banners, frozen pond, and table full of treats. Professor Devries always provided the best snacks! “Hello, Prof-” she started to greet her Head of House, but her voice trailed off as she saw Professor Carton twirling about on the ice.

What the-?!

Her jaw dropped. Who knew Professor Carton was an ice skating star? And what was with that outfit?

Since it had been decided they would get some skating done before they ate, Ary was eager to get out there on the ice. He had busied himself by watching Bry interact with DeVries. Pink stuff always made her so happy, which was why all his paperclip creations for her had been in pink. And they would continue to be! While Bry finished up with her skate, the boy cast his gaze around again since more persons were turning up. But it was his ears that pricked up at the singing; it was the loudness that attracted his attention. He stared in surprise, observing Carton’s uncharacteristic behaviour. Singing? Dressing to kill? Uncommon slang?

Aryan was stupendously confused.

He shot Bry and those nearby a bewildered look even as Carton sped to the ice in all grandeur! Wow! Look at the Professor go!

Excuse the fact that Ary’s mouth was open in a gape. He also forgot that he was supposed to be heading out there with Bry.

Tapio was just finishing making sure everyone had skates that fit and felt comfortable getting out on the ice before he returned to the ice himself when he heard his colleague's voice.

"Ah, Norman, glad you could join....us..." Tapio forgot the rest of what he was going to say at the sight of his fellow professor's dress and attitude. Before he could say anything more, though, Norman was out on the ice...doing a very creditable job of skating, too.

My, he must really love skating, Tapio thought to himself. Apparently this skating party was bringing out a new side of Norman Carton. Well, who could blame him? Nothing like skating to get the blood moving on a cold winter's day. "Wait up for me!" he cried, and glided expertly back out onto the ice.

Bryony was already super excited about getting out there on the ice with Aryan. So when there was some very loud singing and the greeting of 'Party People' from one of the professors, it made her even happier! The young girl giggled and grasped Aryan's hand (it's okay that he appeared to not being attention right then, she was slightly in awe too!). "Hello, Professor!" she chirped brightly, wiggling the fingers of her free gloved hand at the man. If Carton even noticed, well, that was uncertain seeing as to how he had instantly taken to the ice but that was alright.

She didn't mind standing there and admiring their professors' skating abilities for a few moments but... they were here to skate. This was why she gave Ary's hand a little squeeze to get his attention. "Ary, are we gonna go skating noooooow?" She really didn't want to go out there without him.

It was Bry’s giggle and grasp on his hand that brought him back to reality. Ary actually shook his head as he snapped his mouth shut to ensure that he wasn’t dreaming. But there was no denying it: professor Carton had a completely different personality right now. Feeling his hand being squeezed, he gave his friend his full attention now. Right. They were here to skate and to have a good time. He nodded and gave her a small apologetic smile; apologetic because he had just been distracted.

“Let’s go,” the boy said. Still holding Bry’s hand, he slowly got to his feet. His free hand was stuck out to the side to help keep his balance. Remember, Ary wasn’t that good when it came to skating of any kind. He took his first step out onto the pond; he rather felt unstable like a newborn hippogriff that was testing out its legs. Despite trying to sort himself out, he looked around for Bry. How was she doing?

That smile. Ugh. Her young Slytherin heart. Even an apologetic smile such as the one Ary had just given her had a way of making nothing else matter. He could've ignored her for hours and then simply smiled at her and all would be right in the world again. Anyone else, well, they would have met her wrath. Not him. He got the Bryony smile that he always got. He need not worry about a thing.

Bry didn't move an inch as Aryan got to his feet. Her gloved hand still holding onto his tightly even as she took her first tentative step onto the ice. She was a little shaky on her feet, ice skating wasn't the same as roller skating or rollerblading in her opinion. Feeling eyes on her, Bry looked over at Ary and smiled. "We can stay together, don't worry."

SPOILER!!: Bry! <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolyander

That smile. Ugh. Her young Slytherin heart. Even an apologetic smile such as the one Ary had just given her had a way of making nothing else matter. He could've ignored her for hours and then simply smiled at her and all would be right in the world again. Anyone else, well, they would have met her wrath. Not him. He got the Bryony smile that he always got. He need not worry about a thing.

Bry didn't move an inch as Aryan got to his feet. Her gloved hand still holding onto his tightly even as she took her first tentative step onto the ice. She was a little shaky on her feet, ice skating wasn't the same as roller skating or rollerblading in her opinion. Feeling eyes on her, Bry looked over at Ary and smiled. "We can stay together, don't worry."

What smile?

This usual, everyday smile? Ary really didn’t see anything special about his smile and would just think that Bry was being biased about him as usual. Luckily for her though, he never ignored her, even when she was having a tantrum. Ary would pat her hand or shoulder or he would give her his Muggle toys as a method of comfort in those situations but ignoring her never was, nor never is going to be, an issue.

The pressure of the grip on his hand was felt but it was to be expected given that both Ary and Bry needed each other’s support if they wanted to go ice skating. “Wasn’t planning on leavings you,’’ he replied, his focus mostly on taking small steps and not losing his balance. “We shoulds try skatings small distances at the same times.” That way neither of them were going to leave the other behind. In the meanwhile, steps were enough so that they could practice keeping their balance.

Norman completed a perfect series of spins, landing with a spray of ice to shower all in close proximity. He noticed the kids’ stares but mistaking their confusion for admiration, he gave a dramatic bow. “Thank you! What a wonderful audience!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one girl’s (Bryony) finger wiggle. What was her name? Something with a B… Bridget? Breanna? Never mind. He had just enough time to return her finger wiggle with a dramatic wave of his own before being distracted by his colleague. He slowed down for a fraction of a second, looking back to see the much taller man gliding onto the ice. “Try and catch me, you old beanpole!” he exclaimed with a laugh and a twinkle in his eye.

“Hey, kids! Who wants to race us?” he called before speeding off again.


Desiree shook her head, completely baffled by Professor Carton’s antics. In all her time at Hogwarts, she’d never seen him act like that! She was so caught off guard that she completely forgot to greet everyone upon her arrival. Goodness, how rude of her!

She laced up her skates and glided onto the ice, wobbling only slightly. “Hi, Ary! Hi, Bryony!” she greeted the younger students, waving a mitten-covered hand. “Hello, Professors!” Her bright blue eyes darted from the younger students to the two professors and back again. She shot Ary and Bryony a confused look as if to ask, What’s going on with Professor Carton?

He slowed down for a fraction of a second, looking back to see the much taller man gliding onto the ice. “Try and catch me, you old beanpole!” he exclaimed with a laugh and a twinkle in his eye.

“Hey, kids! Who wants to race us?” he called before speeding off again.

Beanpole?!? Tapio had endured lots of teasing about his height (friendly and otherwise) over the years, but never 'beanpole'. He was pretty sure he would make a very thick beanpole if he were one. He started to shout back a witty response, then paused to take a good look at Norman. His behavior was well beyond high spirits or a day off, out of the classroom. In fact, now that Tapio thought about it, Carton had been acting decidedly strangely of late. Perhaps he should speak to Feirgund about it later...or even Headmaster Winterbottom. Just in case there was something really wrong.

But for now...building up speed, Tapio got ready to show Professor Norman Carton just what Dutch skating was like!

Yes, that smile. Her, biased? Nah-uh. Okay, well.. maybe. So what if she was. She was allowed to be. He earned the way that she was with him. Being one of the few people that were always able to handle her no matter what she was currently throwing his way. Ary dealt with a lot when it came to her and she knew that.

The confirmation that he wasn't planning on leaving her side, had her smiling over at him. Not that she had thought he would but him saying so was nice. "Good, if's we stay together than we can helps each other." That was her reasoning. Even if it wasn't. Everyone knew her real reasoning was simply because she wanted to be at his side, like always.

Small distances. Yes. Nod nod. "Kay'. Ready? Together? Left foot, right foot... or right foot, left foot?" That's how it worked, right? They needed to move together in order not to fall?

Her attention was on Ary and the two of them not falling. Or at least it was until their Professors were out on the ice skating around like professionals. She glanced at Ary to see if he was watching this too. Did she want to race? Uhhh, she was currently lucky she hadn't fallen over yet.

Yes, he supposed he put up with a lot of things coming from Bry. Yet Ary would never think twice about any of that; he was simply happy being Bry’s friend and going along with all that made her her. It was why he wasn’t planning on leaving her during this little skating party. Recently, he had come to understand that Bry was secretly insecure when it came to him. She never said anything about it but something had shifted since they had started Hogwarts, and he knew her well enough to pick up on her emotions. Ary was doing his best to show that she would always be important to him.

“Exactly.” This was Ary’s reasoning too. They’d be there to catch the other if they stumbled. Or at least they’d try to. “Um, right foots, left foots,’’ he quickly decided, going with Bry’s dominant side rather than his. The boy was actually trying not to focus on the professors lest he lost his concentration and fell over. He was just taking his baby steps and occasionally letting himself glide along the ice. Without realising it, he was gripping Bry’s hand tighter in the process.

The fact that he put up with her was one thing, but that he also went along with all of what made her 'her', that was a whole other level. This was ice skating though, there shouldn't be any issues here. Not when they were currently hand in hand and barely going anywhere along the ice. All was perfect and well in Bryony's perfect little bubble right then. Him and her.

See? She knew it. Her little mind thought exactly like his. They would be moving together so they could keep one another safe. Everything would be okay though. If Ary went down, it was likely she would too. "Right foots, left foots," she repeated. "We gots this." Before long she was skating slowly at his side, one foot and then the other with very small glides between. If not for Ary she may have become much more daring in her ice skating attempts but there would be other times for that. Her small gloved hand was very proudly clasped firmly in one of his and there was noway she would be letting go.

Oh yes, he did. Ary was glad Bry recognised that he went along with all of her; not because he wanted praise but because it was simply nice to be recognised for his continued efforts to be a decent friend. But she would be right: they were having a good time out on the ice while moving along at their own pace. Not even the hyped up professors.

“We gots this,’’ Ary repeated happily and confidently. They worked well as a team, even though he knew fully that Bry would have been off and skating at a rapid pace if it hadn’t been for him. “It’s okay if you wants to goes by yourself,’’ he told her, checking to ensure that their feet were in sync. “Don’ts let me hold you backs.” At the moment, he banked a turn a little too quickly and almost lost his footing. Thankfully it was Bry’s grasp that steadied him.