The list

Chapter 9: In Which They Ice Skate

Why I was clearly right when I said that we shouldn't go ice-skating
By Harry Potter

1.I slipped and hurt myself. Hermione was wrong. Quidditch is a lot safer.

2.I can't skate. I learned, but that doesn't really go on this list.

only resulted in disaster. Disaster.

4. The rink has themes. Themes that create an incredibly awkward situation for people who so desperately are trying to prove that they're only friends (we are only friends...I mean, clearly we are, what I meant is that we both want that...I'm fairly certain. I think I may have to burn this paper so that Hermione never sees this)

5. Because skating was so horrid, I had to write this list, and because I wrote this list, I said something absolutely stupid (idiot of me to think such a thing, really), and now I'm going to have to waste paper (and kill a tree) because this really is better suited for kindling...

It's easy to fall in love. The hard part is finding someone to catch you.
-Bertrand Russell

"Ready?" Hermione asked, pulling a dark blue parka over her white turtleneck, which was paired with blue jeans and brown snow boots. Black gloves peeked out of one of the parka's pockets. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, which was being held together by an incredibly thick hair elastic.
"I just realized," Harry said, not answering the question.

"Hmm?"

"I don't have a coat. I never need one over the summer, and in the winter I'm either at school or at the Weasleys, so I just use my cloak.

"You can just borrow one of my dad's," Hermione reasoned. She opened the hall closed and produced a large, grey coat. "Ready?" she asked once again.

"Not really," Harry replied, now clothed in his own winter clothes (one of Mrs. Weasley's many "H" sweaters, the jacket, jeans, and hiking boots). He was noticeably nervous, and it took every bit of will Hermione had not to burst out into laughter. The last time Harry had been this worried was during the Triwizard Tournament.

"Oh come on," Hermione said, patting Harry on the back. "You'll be fine!" She picked up a black bag and opened the door as she called, "We're leaving, Mum!"

"Have fun!" her mother called back, and Harry and Hermione left the house.

"Maybe I should just stay in here and watch you," Harry said weakly, lacing up his rented, brown skates as Hermione did the same with her own white pair.
"Come off it," Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's just skating. The worse that can happen is that you fall and hit the ice. That's nothing compared to the fall you took in third year."
"But I didn't foresee that fall. This is absolutely avoidable."

"Stop acting as if you're about to go out and fight a death eater. Now get up," Hermione instructed, grabbing at his hand and pulling it, forcing him to stand, "and act like a man, or Ron will hear about this and you will never hear the end of it."

Grumbling, Harry reluctantly followed Hermione on to the ice, trying his best not to topple over. The second his skates hit the ice, however, Harry realized that his attempts to balance would be futile, and he fell right over, sliding a few feet to the right of the entrance.

Hermione knew that she shouldn't, but she burst into a fit of laughter.

"Yes, very funny," Harry said, almost acidly. "Hilarious. Don't know why I'm not laughing."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione apologized, although her laughter was yet to subside. "You can balance in the middle of the air on a slight piece of wood, but you can't balance on two pieces of metal when you're hardly an inch off the ground? You have to see the humour in this situation."