Braeden's goofy smile only grew wider and brighter as he watched his friend loosen up, assuring him that he wasn't going to hurt him or tear that one picture they took over the summer. Sniffle. Good. Because Braeden was quite fond of that picture… He kept a copy in his wallet. Always brightened his day to look at it.

As the Ravenclaw boy then asked him not to leave him hanging again, as the school has already witnessed enough of their spats, Braeden couldn't help but chuckle softly with amusement. Awwwww, Deus was even joking with him now! He might just cry. Out of joy this time. "I promise, won't happen again," said Braeden holding up his hands as he made the promise (he wasn't sure which hand one was supposed to lift while promising, so he lifted both). "I'll… set up a tent out on the grounds or something, if I have to," he said with another of his lopsided grins. But he couldn't have Deus be mad at him again… for the sake of their friendship and of the Gryffindor boy's own well-being. He feared for his life sometimes. Gee.

And so, as the violin and harp music began to play in the background and the two friends exchanged happy smiles for a few moments, Braeden threw himself at the older boy in a hug, the way a child greets a parent after a long day at work. He… he was just so happy to have him back… sniffle. It felt good to be friends again.

Amadeus fell into his boyfriend's arms and held the leaner lad close to him as they made up in an utterly public display of their bromance and friendship. "You're too good to me, mate." He muttered gratefully, chuckling once more ever so slightly. His mind traveled to the photo that he had under his pillow in the Ravenclaw boys' dormitory, an exact copy of the photo that Braeden kept in his wallet at all times. He could see the ink and paper versions of them now: Braeden waving goofily in his straw hat and Hawaiian shirt and leaning next to Amadeus, laying on the sand looking the definition of cool, smiling and winking for his camera whenever he lowered his sunglasses.

As for Braeden holding back tears, Deus would have normally been embarrassed beyond belief. But seeing as they had made such a breakthrough in their relationship today, the Ravenclaw simply gripped the Gryffindor even tighter. At least, until he realized what was directly underneath them. As Braeden had pulled Amadeus into a tight hug, he had unwittingly began displaying affection for his friend directly over the innocent blonde girl who was still on the ice, probably too frightened and surprised to move.

"Erm, Brae?" Amadeus loosened his grip on his friend and tapped him on his shoulder, indicating that he should let go as well. "I believe your lady friend is a bit uncomfortable." He pointed downward to the small girl that was still undoubtedly underneath the embracing bros.

Everything was laughs and smiles and happiness and rainbows and joy as the two best friends celebrated their reunion; until, that was, Amadeus reminded Braeden of one tiny little detail that had completely slipped from his mind. Under the two hugging boys sat, still, that blonde girl that had knocked him over earlier. Oh. Oh Merlin. Oh, this wasn't embarrassing at all… Turning slightly pink on the face, Braeden cleared his throat and ran a gloved hand through his lion's mane a bit awkwardly, releasing his friend and taking a couple steps back.

"S-sorry 'bout that," muttered the Gryffindor boy sheepishly, flashing the girl an apologetic smile. He offered her his hand once more, like he had done earlier when he'd first found her sitting on the ice, and lifted the girl with ease before turning back to his Ravenclaw friend. "What do you say we go have a race?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows slightly and allowing his lips to curve into another of his goofy smiles.

Eirian had laced up her ice skates, turned them bright orange, and stepped out onto the ice before she looked up at the gray sky and pushed herself towards the center of the lake. Wow... Winter here was weird. She could never get over it... But at least her blood had thickened the tiniest bit. Eiri was bundled up just as much as everyone else, but not any more. In the past, she had worn this much into the spring and early summer. Only now she was adjusting. Two years... With a sigh, the Brasileira skated around the ice gracefully, her mind far off. It was two years that she'd been in England. And she was turning seventeen in a week. And she would be married in eight days... And she would probably never again love only one person. Her boys... When had they both become her loves? Sigh. Hopefully this skate would get them off her mind...

Amadeus felt a bit embarrassed as well, biting his lower lip. "I'm sorry, love." He apologized to the thin blonde. What must she think of them? He was surprised that she hadn't run off in the midst of their fight. Looking back at Brae, he couldn't help but flash a grin as well. "A race? In these?" He gestured towards their feet, where their ice skates were still laced. Looking back at his friend, he grinned mischievously.

"Sure. Why not? From... here to the end of the lake?" He turned to gaze toward the lake's end, making sure that they both had a clear path. "Then, shall we go inside and grab a warm drink? The loser... let's say that the loser has to shine the other's shoes for a week." He grinned, assured that his muscled frame would be able to beat his scrawny counterpart. Thoughts of Braeden laboring over Amadeus's designer shoes was quite amusing.

Cass wandered down by the lake, looking a little confused. His hands in the pockets of his wool trench coat, his hufflepuff scarf wrapped nicely and tucked inside it, he wasn't the least bit cold, however he was enjoying the mist his breath made against the stale air. He sighed, gazing out across the ice. He wanted to stand on it, but was too afraid of falling. Falling was not something he enjoyed. Speaking of falling, he squinted, noticing a certain girl he had fallen on once skating around on the lake. He smiled at her orange skates. "Miss Eirian!" He called to her, removing his gloved hand from his pocket and waving it at her. His nose was pink and he realized his gloves were as well. He sighed, blushing at himself. His sister obviously packed those for him.

Eirian stopped short, digging her picks into the ice as she stopped at the sound of her name. It took her a moment to find the source: Cassidy. Smiling, she waved back to him and skated to the edge of the lake, waiting for him to join her at it. "Cass!" she called. "Vindo aqui, meu filho!" She giggled as the realized his gloves were pink. Aww... He was too cute. She loved this little dude!

Cass grinned, meeting her at the edge and clapping his hands together. "Hey, how have you been?" He chuckled. "I, uh, I was actually looking for you but I came out here and....forgot how to get back inside the castle....." He blushed, laughing at himself.

"Oh, better and worse," Eirian admitted, sighing. She clasped her hands over his and kissed his forehead. "You are too sweet, filho. Why were you looking for me?" She stooped to unlace her skates and stepped off of the ice, over to where she had put her big, furry boots. Pulling them on, she threw an arm around Cass. "I will help you back when we are done talking, okay?" With a smile and a wink, she guided the boy to a cleared bench and sat down. "What is up?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." Cass smiled and nodded, following and sitting beside her, hands still on hers. He cleared his throat. "That's, um, I think that's sort of what I want to talk to you about.....I uh, I don't quite...know how to say this..." He trailed off, thinking. He looked at her then, offering a kind expression. "Well, I suppose I should start by saying I talk to Jayce..." He smiled shyly.

"No, no," Eirian protested. "It's good... I'm good. And I have news. But... Why don't you talk first?" She nodded as he continued, smoothing some of his hair before deciding to keep her hands to herself. "Jayce? What does he have to do with anything, filho?" Gosh, Jay wouldn't have... Told Cass... Would he?

Cass frowned. "Well, for starters, he told me you kissed him." He coughed awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably. This whole situation with Eiri, Jay, and....Thi-something or other (Cass could never remember that guy's name) was just so complicated.

"Flying is fuuun," she nodded in agreement. It was a shame she wasn't able to take the class anymore, but at least they were allowed on the practice pitch.

"Its mostly horses," her eyes were down on the ice as she did a lazy spin. "We have a few ponies, and dogs and cats too. And owls." Arya's house was secluded in the sense that she had SO MUCH land for the horses. "None except my kneazle are magical though." Which was sooo sad sometimes.

...It ran away? Arya had a pygmy puff, and it had never done much, so she was confused as to how one could...run away. Giving Ellie a puzzled expression, as she thought further on it. After a moment, however, she let the expression fall and simply shrugged her shoulders. "That's a good way to look at things. Sometimes I think that the house elves feed my kneazle when he gets into the kitchens." Really, she wouldn't be surprised.

"Yeah," Eiri concurred. "When? I kissed him the first day we met... And I kissed him after he saved me from drowning." Kisses didn't matter... They were far from mattering. Eirian was a very affectionate person... She'd kiss strangers on the cheek, friends on the forehead, best friends on the lips, and lovers... all of the above. And then some. "It is smaller than it seems, Cass." Perhaps she should kill him to make her point? Eh, nah. He'd understand just as well without that example.

Cass sighed, trying hard to articulate. "B-But that's just it, Miss Eiri....It was a very VERY big thing...For him. And well, I told him to talk to you about it and I wanted to know...if he did?" He looked hopeful.

Eirian sighed. Well, she couldn't very well lie to Cass. "Oh, filho," she murmured. "We talked... and we talked... And we talked some more. But Jayce and I are not going to be... no matter what either of us feels. I am getting married on Valentine's Day, Cass... The day after I turn seventeen. Thiago and I are meant to be."

Cass nodded. "That's sweet. I'm happy for you, I really am, I just.....I want you to be absolutely SURE you are making the right decision. I mean....You are so young and I just want you to be happy." He smiled, blushing. "Am I invited to the wedding?"

"Thank you." Gosh... Cass was the first person to say that. Why could no one else be happy? Merlin... Eirian was beginning to think they were right. Even if she loved Thi... And even if the wanted this... If they all thought the same thing.... "I will be very, very happy. I cannot wait!" Lie. "We... we are eloping, but I need two witnesses... I only have one. Jayce refuses to take part in our union."

Braeden nodded his head as Deus first spoke. The Gryffindor boy didn't really stand a chance; while Deus was going around making fancy twists and basically floating on the ice, poor Braeden was struggling to keep himself up and kept losing balance. But the boy was feeling far too cheery at the moment to realize his disadvantage, and either way, he just wanted to play, regardless of who won.

It seemed Deus was feeling a little more competitive, though, as he soon gave out the terms and conditions of the race, explaining what the loser's punishment would be. Braeden chuckled softly and nodded confidently. "Done," he agreed with one of his goofy grins, turning and beginning to lead the way over to the other end of the ice rink as fast as his clumsy feet would allow. Looking back, he saw Deus was already catching up with him, and so the boy picked up speed, though he knew it wouldn't be long until he slipped and fell flat on his behind. Oh well!

And so, like two happy little boys, they disappeared through the crowds standing on the ice and skated happily ever after.

Cass smiled. "I'd be happy to be a witness, as long as you promise me that you are sure you are making th right decision." He placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling re-assuredly.

"Thank you!" Eirian squealed, glomping Cass with all of her might. "I love you!" Well, in a friendly way... But he knew that. "I am quite positive that this is the right choice. I promise it is... I am NOT making a mistake. Not this time."

Cass chuckled, hugging her back. "Good! Fantastic! I'm happy for you then. I'm sure you will be a beautiful bride and have a beautiful life with Thi." He grinned. He felt bad for poor Jayce but, at least Eiri was happy.

" Loookd like you have been skating for years" Rex told Skyler." I thought your name is Skyler, not Jessie" Rex said to her." Fee and I are just best female and male friends, so we do not need to skate together" Rex explained to Skyler." This is Rene, my girl, and I will be skating with her" Rex smiled.

" Well, at least I do not smell like a fish" Rex laughed." I just remembered what you said about my dancing and put it to work with my ice-skating" Rex said to Rene. " Show-off" Rex teased Rene while she circled, jumped and landed twirling on her skates. " I love you" Rex kissed her, " I think I will stick to the basic standing up on my skates and not fall down" Rex told Rene.

"Well yes - but you see well I'm thinking of changing my name...you know Skyler isn't really like me at all" she chuckled, blushing slightly. "Well, the thing is my name is Skyler but Jessica was my nickname," she chuckled. "Aw thanks Rex, yeah I know I practice all the time." She smiled.

Ava Jade laughed and said, "Yeah, we HAVE to be related! Maybe you're a distant cousin's brother-in-law's aunt's son's daughter, or something...." She burst out in giggles, shaky from the cold air in her lungs. "Yeah, let's move where we don't run over the first years!" she agreed, swerving toward the center of the ice. "Hey..." she said, a mischievous smile appearing on her face, "wanna race?" And with that, she pushed off and sped as fast as she could through the clear center of the ice, aiming straight ahead for the shore of the frozen lake.