"...I've received the information. Thank you for letting me know."
"By the way, Hermione asked me to wish you a Merry Christmas on her behalf. Our gifts should have already arrived for you and the other professors. Please check and confirm."
"Your student, Glenn Hawthorne."
In a world of pale white, atop a snow-blanketed ski slope, a black figure stood out starkly.
Glenn, clad in a black ski suit, stood at the base of the slope, skis strapped to his feet.
Above him, a brown owl perched lazily on his head, dozing off as it waited for Glenn to finish reading and replying to the letter.
With the Acromantula attack resolved, Hogwarts had returned to its usual tranquility. While there were undoubtedly many follow-up matters to address, they were not Glenn and Hermione's concern.
After enduring two consecutive major events, Hermione, although outwardly composed as always, was clearly just putting up a brave front. Glenn could see that she was utterly drained. Even he, for the first time in a long while, felt a rare sense of weariness.
When Christmas arrived, Glenn set aside his research, and Hermione reluctantly put down her studies under Glenn's insistence. Together, they boarded the Hogwarts Express with other students heading home for the holidays, returning to King's Cross Station.
Though they chose not to tell their parents about the two major incidents at Hogwarts to avoid causing them worry, the Hawthorne and Granger families could still see the exhaustion in the two children.
"This Christmas, let's go out and have some fun, relax a bit!" Mr. Hawthorne declared after a family meeting, ultimately deciding that the family's Christmas activities would focus on leisure and relaxation.
However, this plan was too vague. Mr. Hawthorne was quickly overruled by Mr. Granger, who had long prepared detailed plans for Christmas family activities.
After dismissing Mr. Hawthorne's chaotic suggestions, the final decision for this year's Christmas activity was skiing.
Which explained why Glenn was now dressed in ski gear, standing on the slopes and replying to a letter sent by Dumbledore.
After sealing the letter, Glenn gently grabbed the owl perched on his head, shaking it awake. The drowsy creature blinked groggily, took the envelope in its talons, and wobbled off into the clear blue sky.
"...Do you think it'll fall asleep mid-flight or lose its way?" Glenn muttered.
Behind him, a cold breeze swept by, accompanied by the soft sound of snow being disturbed. Hermione slid down the slope once again, skillfully stopping just behind Glenn.
White mist escaped from Hermione's rosy lips, her cheeks flushed from excitement and exertion.
In stark contrast to Glenn, Hermione was dressed in a white ski suit and had chosen a snowboard instead of skis. Her reason? "It looks cooler." She had even tried to persuade Glenn to choose a snowboard as well, but he had refused.
Even though he could easily break free with force, the sensation of having both feet bound made Glenn feel unsafe, so he chose the more flexible skis instead.
Compared to skis, snowboards are harder to master. Despite her above-average physical coordination from training, Hermione still fell on her backside several times during her self-taught attempts. Thankfully, her thick clothing spared her from the worst of the pain.
However, once she got the hang of it, Hermione quickly mastered the basics. While she couldn't yet perform the flashy tricks showcased by experts on advanced slopes, she easily handled the fundamentals—gliding, braking, pushing, and edge-switching. Being a practical person, Hermione had no intention of learning those fancy moves. But if she wanted to, she probably could pick them up quickly.
"Not sure," Glenn replied, turning toward Hermione. "Though it might take longer, Hogwarts' owls are generally reliable... Even if it doesn't make it back, it's not a big deal. My reply was just to confirm receipt of the information."
"That's quite unfair to the hardworking owl delivering your letters," Hermione retorted, giving Glenn a sidelong glance.
"Where's Crookshanks? Still afraid to slide down?"
"No idea. I explained the movements to her several times. While the skiing posture and movements for humans and cats might differ slightly, they're generally similar, right?"
"Did you read that in a book?"
"I made it up on the spot."
Hermione shrugged, then pointed toward the slope with her chin. "Look, here comes Crookshanks."
A small orange dot hurtled down the slope at an unimaginable speed, weaving through astonished onlookers and heading straight for Glenn and Hermione.
It was Crookshanks.
"She's doing quite well," Glenn remarked, offering his praise.
"That is, assuming Crookshanks knows how to brake at such speed without crashing," Hermione pointed out bluntly.
Crookshanks, dressed in an orange pet sweater and wearing a tiny hat like Hermione's, stood on a pet-sized snowboard that Hermione had transfigured for her. Her flat face betrayed no emotion, exuding an air of calm and dignity amidst the icy landscape.
But in reality, she had simply resigned herself to her fate, having given up on braking and awaiting whatever outcome awaited her.
"Impedimenta," Hermione murmured softly. A white glow emanated from her gloved left hand, her Hand of Sorcery casting a soft Obstacle Charm toward the speeding Crookshanks.
The invisible force gently countered Crookshanks' momentum, slowing her down enough to control her snowboard. She managed to turn her snowboard sideways, adopting a braking posture.
And, predictably, she crashed.
Glenn lightly tapped the ground with his foot. Alchemical circuits spread from beneath his sole, their glow concealed by the snow. Without much fanfare, the hardened ice and snow beneath Crookshanks' landing spot transformed into soft, fluffy powder through alchemy.
"Thud."
Crookshanks tumbled into the snowdrift.
Crookshanks emerged from the snowdrift.
The orange cat had turned into a white cat, spinning around like a fan to shake off the snow clinging to her fur.
Then, she bolted off the ski slope.
What a ridiculous activity! I'm never doing this again!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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