Ice Skating

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella had just completed all of her exams and decided that she needed something, an activity perhaps, to relieve stress. Probably to mock her, her cousin Luke had sent her a pair of ice skates for Christmas. He knew well enough how bad she was at it, having bruised many a tailbone when she was younger. When it came to her feet, she just wasn't coordinated. However, years had gone by, many years, in fact, and she wanted to see if she could try it out again. The lake, being frozen over, was just as good, if not better, than the pond back home.

At first she had considered opting for Quidditch, but then she had to remind herself that with the current temperature, that would be a stupid idea. Walking was a second option, but then again this year, she didn't think there was a place in the school she hadn't wandered too. She found herself down at the lake with skates in hand.

Plopping her bum down on the shore, she slipped off her shoes, grimacing at the cold that bit feet, penetrating the thick cloth of her stockings. Luckily, she had been smart enough to bring her hat and minutes. Cursing quietly, she occupied herself attempting to figure out how to tie her skates. It was harder than it looked.

 

[Zoe-Hope Weasley]

It was mid-december, and Zoe thought that the weather was perfect for skating. Her parents had signed her up for skating lessons when she was younger, but had to stop them when she enrolled at Hogwarts. She hadn't been skating in a while, though for her birthday a few years back she had gotten a new pair of skates, that she brought with her to Hogwarts, in case she found the time to go skating while the ice was still good. Since she had no exams to study for this year, she thought that it would be the best time to try out her new skates.

She wrapped her scarf around her, and across the great lawn with her snow-white skates slung around her neck. The air was cold, but it was bearable. She arrived at the lake, and noticed that Estrella was there, so Zoe quietly snuck up behind her, and quickly lay both of her hands on Estrella's shoulders, yelling, "Boo!" in the process.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella was muttering to herself and her misfortune with the skates when someone attacked her from behind, a loud noise filling her ears. Her immediate reaction was to thrash and yelp out, her left skate sent flying into the snow. She had managed to get her right skate on all the way, although she could do with some help with the laces. She turned about to yell, but then couldn't bring herself to do it when she realized that it was only Zoe. "Merlin! Zoe, you scared the living daylights out of me!" Her cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, she grimaced as she realized that she would have to crawl through the snow to get at her skate. Feeling grounded, she looked up to the girl, noticing the skates she held. "You out to skate too?" She chuckled a bit, awaiting Zoe's response. The Ravenclaw girl adjusted her hat on her head, pulling it snugly over her ears. She had always hated getting her ears cold.

 

[Zoe-Hope Weasley]

Zoe snorted, trying to hold in her laughter at Estrella's physical reaction, until she realised her skate flew a few feet away. "Woops, sorry." She said, taking out her wand, and she called out, "Accio skate." She stuck her hand out to get the skate that was flying her way, and nearly got her fingers swiped off by the blade. Though, she dodged her hand away in time, and the skate dropped to the ground by their feet. "Woops," She said, feeling relieved that she still had her fingers.

Zoe bent over, and picked up the skate, handing it over to Estrella. She sighed, then finally responded. "Yes, I haven't been skating in a long time. With no exams, I figured now or never!" She exclaimed, as she sat on the ground, regretting it the moment she felt the snow melt and seep through to her butt.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella snickered a bit, fighting the urge to smack herself on the forehead. Had she forgotten entirely that she could use magic? The Ravenclaw girl frowned as Zoe caught the skate, but was immersed in relief when the Slytherin girl hadn't cut her fingers off with the blade. She took it, grinning. "Same here! My cousin sent them to be a smartass- the last time I was skating I spent most of my time on the ice. But it was more like my whole body than the actual skates." Shaking her head in embarrassment, she struggled to put on her skate. "Wait a minute," she muttered out loud, and pointing her wand towards the inside of the soles, using the Hot Air Charm to dry them out. "This comes out handy after all!" she chortled to herself. Wishing now that she had a charm to tie the laces on her skates properly, she stood, pushing herself onto the ice. She wavered as she stood, afraid to move in case she would fall down.

 

[Zoe-Hope Weasley]

Zoe eased her feet into her skates. Perfect fit. She thought to herself, though she found it slightly odd how her feet hadn't grown much over the past few years. She tied them up, and got up off her wet butt, easing her way to the ice. Zoe couldn't help but let a grin slide on her face as Estrella stood still, seemingly stuck. "Need a hand?" She asked, as she glided across the ice, only losing balance twice. Woah, I've actually...improved? She asked herself, slightly confused, but nonetheless happy, as she skated back to Estrella.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella shivered, her legs seemingly locked in place as she stood. With a nervous smile to Zoe, she replied, "I think I'll be okay," although that was far from the truth. She couldn't get her legs to move, her brain seemingly losing connection to the nerves in all her lower body. She couldn't keep her composure forever, however, her face dropping as her legs started to move from beneath her. If she didn't act quick she would end up doing the splits. Giving Zoe an uh-oh look she threw her upper body to the side, her skate scraping the ice as she fell to the slippery surface on her bottom. For all it's glistening glory the ice sure could be painful.

Chuckling a bit, she looked about her, trying to decide the best way to pull herself up. "Well, maybe I'm not so okay after all. That hand still up for business?" She grinned, adding, "I don't think I've been skating since I was... I want to say ten." That was quite obvious, considering her current expertise.

 

[Zoe-Hope Weasley]

Zoe's eyebrow's went up, in a way that she was sure Estrella would need help based on how she was standing-attempting to stand- on the skates. She watched as Estrella seemed like she was trying to move, but then ended up turning over so her face was flat on the ice. Immediately, Zoe rushed a few feet to her friend, and crouched over, to help her up so she wouldn't get hurt any more than she probably already was. "You alright Estrella?" She asked, trying to keep a straight face. Zoe's weakness was laughing. Once you got her started, it was difficult for her to stop.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Estrella snickered a bit as she sat up, looking back to her concerned friend. Over the years she had gotten to know Zoe, she had come to like her a lot. "I'm absolutely fine!" she laughed, "Unless you consider my backside of course. I suppose I'll be using a lot of the hot air charm before the end of today." She yanked her hat securely over her ears, by now increasingly annoyed with the headwear. She grinned up at Zoe as she tried to figure out how to get out of her little predicament. Did she push herself up with her hands, or what? The Ravenclaw girl had had the same problems skiing.

 

[Zoe-Hope Weasley]

Zoe could tell by the slight hesitation that Estrella had trouble getting up. "Try going on your knees, then come up one foot at a time." She said, raising herself back up to her towering height. She skated to the edge of the rink, where the lake stopped, and crouched over again, picking up some snow and packing it into a snow ball. She hadn't brought her gloves out, having forgotten them on her bed, so her fingers were red and numbing. Zoe waited for Estrella to get up before making her next move.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Not really in a position to argue, Estrella attempted what Zoe had told her, tentatively getting up one foot at a time. Her legs wobbled as she forced herself onto her feet. The Ravenclaw girl felt quite unsteady on thin blades, afraid that she would lose her balance at any moment. "Thanks!" she exclaimed to Zoe, although she made no attempt to move anywhere else, for fear of planting her face on the ice. Her lip pursed, she asked curiously, "Whatcha doing over there, anyway?" The other girl had made her way to the edge of the lake, doing something in the snow. Estrella was lost to what it was.

 

[Zoe-Hope Weasley]

"Oh, nothing really." Zoe said maliciously as she rose from the snow, hiding the white, round snowball behind her back, as she slowly skated towards Estrella. "I sure hope you're a fan of winter!" Zoe exclaimed before unleashing the snowball from behind her back, aiming it towards her friend. Zoe had made sure that no ice had been put into the snowball, so it wouldn't hurt, considering she was quite strong, well stronger than she looked.

 

[Estrella Drage]

Even though she had sworn up and down that she was horrible at skating, Estrella was not expecting to be back on her bum so soon. "What?" she exclaimed as an object flew towards her chest. Zoe was really much stronger than she had thought. Her balance was horrible enough without things being thrown at her, so here she was, back on the ice, again. "I'm going to get you for that!" she bellowed, wondering what spell she could use to make some killer snowballs. For the moment, she had to settle with getting back on her feet, which was a task in its own. She laughed good-naturedly, despite the fact that her backside was now burning.