Ice skating

[Briar Murray]

It was... Cold. Though, growing up in London, Briar was accustomed to the prickly unpleasant feeling that was constant during winter days.

She stared out at the vast pool in front of her and wondered how something so large could freeze so suddenly. Only yesterday the lake had been thriving with life and now its dark depths were further concealed with a solid layer of ice.

The girl loomed over the bank.

She wondered where all the fish had gone too. Was it possible for them to be alive and well under that icy exterior, or had they all died out, and then when spring arrived perhaps all the little fish eggs would hatch and out they'd swim. No, that couldn't be right how would the eggs survive in such a spiteful environment. Besides, Briar thought, their were other creatures in the Black Lake as well. It was rumored that a giant Squid was living down their and if that were true he couldn't be dying and being re-birthed every year, could he, or else he wouldn't be giant.

A breeze blew across the lake picking up tiny snowflakes in clusters and skated with them across the glassy surface.

Bri admired their grace from her spot on the bank.

Hesitantly the girl placed one foot directly on the ice.

  

[Declan Wood]

This looked lonely. <3

In all honesty, it was surprising that Declan still attended Hogwarts. Statistics were against him. Most of the lower class first years had dropped out before the winter holidays, but the eleven year old Wood boy had hung on. It wasn't for himself, although he did enjoy the company of the other boys as well as the warm bed and delicious food offered to him. His mother had pushed him to attend the school and had made it very clear why it was important for him to get an education. It was for her and his younger sisters that he forced himself to go to tutoring appointments and try to keep up with homework.



However, even hardworkers needed a break once in a while. It was a weekend besides this, and he didn't have much homework to be done. Granted, the homework that he did have would be put off until the very last minute.



He clutched the navy blue coat his mother had made him around his shoulders. He had popped a button and hadn't told her of it because she'd worked incredibly hard on it. It didn't stay completely closed, but it was better than nothing. The light snow hopefully would thicken up so that he could have a snowball fight with his peers. The snowball wars between the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years had not gone unoticed by the staff and had been put an end to, but Declan couldn't help but hope that they might be able to sneak a few before he were to get a detention.



It wasn't often that he hung out by the lake, but after seeing an older girl near it, his curiosity was peeked. Just as she took one step upon the ice, he decided it would be worth his time to go and see what she was up to. The boy didn't say anything nor did he alert her of his presence. Instead, he crossed his arms across his chest and watched her with his grey-green eyes.

  

[Briar Murray]

(occ: ha ha thank you)

Briarácautiouslyáplacedáheráotheráfootánextátoátheáfirst.á

Sheáglancedábackáatátheábank,áalmostálongingátoáreturnátoáit& #39;sásafeáandásteadyásureness,ábutáonceásheáhadágottenáaánotionáinátoáheráheadáthieráwouldábeánoátu
rningáback.áááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááááá

Turningábackátoátheásolidáemptinessáináfrontáofáher,áBriarátookáanotherátinyástepátorwardsátheácente
ráofátheálake. áSheáwentáonáináthisámanner,áandáalmostálaughedáoutáloudáatáhowáoutrageousáandáfoolisháásheámustáloo
kátiptoeingáoutáinátoátheámiddleáofátheáBlackáLake.áSheáfeltáquiteáluckyáthatámostástudentsáweren'táoutátravelingáináthisáunwelcomingáweather.

Finallyátheágirlástoodáináwhatásheáassumedátoábeácloseátoáthácenteráofátheálagoon. Sheátappedáheráfootáonátheáice,áandásatisfiedáwitháit'sásolidness,ásheáletáherselfáglideáalongáitáasáshe'dáseenátheásnowáflurries. áUnlikeátheágracefulásnow,áhowever,áBriaráfoundáherselfálackingáinábalanceáandágirlácameácloseátoáfa
llingáaáfairáamountáofátimesábeforeáfindingáaásensibleáglidingámotion.

Sheádelightedáináthe soaring sensation and reasoned that this was how flying, without the assurance of a broom, must feel like.

When her breath had left her, Briar paused for a second close to the bank. She leaned over, placing her palms on her knees, in what she was sure was a most unlady like fashion, and then glanced briefly at the bank.

Bri gasped, startled by a pair of greyish green eyes, and then upon seeing the tiny person they were attached to, tried to smile.

She had not expected a small boy to belong to the pair of eyes, and she worked to keep her disposition from shocked to friendly.

"Hello their, nice bit of weather were having!"

  

[Declan Wood]

Declan watched as she moved out toward the center of the lake. Either she weighed less than himself, which was doubtful, or the ice of the lake was thicker than he had thought. He had never tried to go out on the ice. He had heard from his peers that a boy had done the same thing last year and had fallen through. They never found him. Declan and his friends figured the Giant Squid had eaten his body.



She skated around and the boy couldn't help but think how fun it seemed. He wasn't brave enough to go out himself however, for fear that he would fall through to his death. Declan was a Slytherin for a reason, rather than a Gryffindor.



When she turned in his direction, she finally noticed his presence. Her greeting was met with a disapproving frown, "Ya better hope it don't get too nice or the giant squid'll eat ya!"

  

[Briar Murray]

Briar contemplated whether the boy was seriousáor not.

"A giant Squid?" Briar raised a blond eyebrow and laughed. The girl played it off as if it were a joke, though she now felt a little uneasy. She couldn't help tilting her head down to stare down at the ice, entertaining the possibility of a giant squid emerging from it and swallowing her whole. She thought back to the creatures of the lake.á

"Nah I think he might be sleeping."á

She looked back up at the boy and smiled again.

"Im Briar by the way, what's your name?"á

  

[Declan Wood]

Her laughter was not something he had expected. Most girls would have taken what he had said and skated off of the ice as fast as possible. She wasn't like most girls, apparently. Then again, he ought to have known that - he had never seen someone stand out on the ice of the lake before. He should have known that she wouldn't be afraid of the giant squid either.



"He does that? Sleeps?" Declan asked curiously. It was hard not to believe her. She seemed quite convinced of it herself. She introduced herself. Briar. Wasn't that some kind of thorny bush thing? She didn't seem to resemble that at all. A thorny bush, that is. "Declan," He told her and edged a bit closer to the ice.

  

[Briar Murray]

"Well he must, right? He probably hybernates during the winter, like bears! He probably has a little cave under their, somewhere where he sleeps all winter long!"

Briar had no idea if any of what she was saying was the truth, but it sounded sensible enough, and she didn't think anyone had really been eaten by a giant squid, the ministry would have made a big fuss of it and had it áremoved. She wondered if thier even was squid lurking in the murky warter, and if thier was couldn't it be completely possible that he was a friendly squid? Perhaps, people who had seen him, had expected him to be evil, as well as hungry, but really he was just a misunderstood beast trying to make his way in the world.á

She almost told Declan of her theories, but she doubted he would believe her, besides the story she was spinning right now seemed to be doing it's trick; that or the boy thought her loony.

"Pleased to meet you Declan. "á

The blonde held out a thin, pale hand. áá

  

[Declan Wood]

Her statement made sense. Declan had never seen a bear, but he figured she knew what she was talking about. She certainly acted like she did, and for the eleven year old - it was good enough for him. Then she held out her hand, as if he would come out upon the ice to shake it. No sir, not for him! He wasn't about to risk his life simply for a handshake.



"Er," He said awkwardly. He stretched his own dirt smeared hand into the air and pumped it up and down a few times, an "air handshake" if you will. "Right," Declan said and self-consciously removed his hand from the air and ran it through his messy dark hair.



The girl before him, Briar, was odd, he had decided. She was unlike any girl he had ever met. Since when did they just traipse about on the ice like it was completely acceptable?

  

[Briar Murray]

Oh, the boy did think her looney. Briar concluded this when he attempted a hand shake without actually shaking her hand.á

The girl couldn't resit the urge of rolling her eyes, but she smiled as doing so.á

"You know," Briar's voice had lost it's previous excitement and took on a gentler tone, álike a mother soothing a young child and assuring them that their was no boogeyman to fear,"the Dutch have been doing this for about two hundred years, it's completely safe." She attempeted a reassuring smile.á

She was telling the honest truth this time because she remebered reading about it, and Briar was one of those people who remebered most everything she'd ever read. She wondered if the boy was inquistive enough to pick up the change of out right fibbing and factual truth, or if Bri might endure the same consequences of the little boy who cried wolf.

Whatever the case she supposed it wouldn't matter because Briar quickly switched to a new tatic one she had used on Lither enough to know it's succes in the young male mind.

"Your not afraid, are you Declan?"

  

[Declan Wood]

Declan pinched his lips together as he gave her a doubtful look. He didn't know a thing about the dutch, but he wasn't gullible enough to believe her now that she'd said other crazy things already. The boy didn't quite know what to do with himself. The dare that came forth next was something he had not expected, and, being an eleven year old boy, he couldn't resist it.



"Course not Briar," He said haughtily, despite it being a straight out lie. The boy was quite terrified of the ice and what lie underneath it - especially since he had heard the story about what could happen if you fell through. "I'm just usin' my brain. Seems to me that ya haven't got a very good one." It was a bit mean, but he had been placed in a rather uncomfortable position.



"Ice skatin' is for crazies," He told her confidently. His breath hung in the air as he spoke, revealing just how cold it was outside. The Slytherin pulled his coat closer around him.

  

[Rowena Godwin]

The cold weather always seemed to drag on, but Rowena truthfully liked it. She crossed her arms, her robes billowing in the bitter wind. She liked the cold, but this was just painful. Still, she made her way to somewhere she like to go in winter. The black lake.
Often, it was deserted. In fact, she had never met anybody there before, and all of her friends were too scared to join her. She just laughed happily, not bothered that she would go on her own. As she trudged through the path, she knew it was nearby. Not because she recognised where she was, but because she heard voices.

Rowena froze. Were they students she could hear? Rowena had been quite positive she was the only student to come to the lake. She moved more quickly, tucking her hands in her pockets and peeing around for signs of the students. She followed her ears, and when she finally saw them, she ducked out of sight, behind a thick tree trunk. She listened to their murmers for quite a while, intrigued in what they were saying.

It was growing colder, and Rowena began to shiver. She rubbed at her arms, determined to keep quiet and then come into view of them when she felt like it. But as she tried to warm up, a twig snapped beneath her feet. She cursed, then froze. Her hiding was blown. She stepped out from behind the tree, grinning foolishly. 'D'ya mind if I join you?' She asked, lifting her robes to avoid them getting covered with mud. 'I love ice skating here, I've been doing it for'a few years now. I've never seen a giant squid, by the way,' she giggled, stepping towards the lake and gently placing a foot on the ice. It was slippy, obviously, but it was certainly strong. She stepped right on, sliding effortlessly into the middle. It seemed a long way in. She grinned, loving the adreneline rush. 'Come on!' She shouted back, gliding cautiously around the center, feeling the wind through her hair and closing her eyes happily.