"Hmm... It seems Crookshanks isn't much of a fan of skiing," Glenn remarked with a hint of regret, watching Crookshanks dart off the field.
"...That was obvious the moment you tried to put skis on her," Hermione sighed, rubbing her temples. "Crookshanks might be smart, but expecting a cat to learn skiing in just ten minutes is way too ambitious."
Although Hermione understood that Glenn only wanted to include Crookshanks in the fun, she couldn't help but find his approach utterly unreasonable.
"So, what did Professor Dumbledore say in his letter?" Hermione asked, unfastening the bindings that secured her legs to her skis. She hooked the skis with her foot and held them by her side, finally addressing the question that had been interrupted earlier.
"He mentioned that the Acromantula population in the Forbidden Forest will be strictly controlled. Lockhart has been sent to Azkaban for fraud, theft, and malicious harm. When the Ministry of Magic came to hold someone accountable, Dumbledore took the opportunity to inform them about the Chamber of Secrets, the heir of Slytherin, and the related attacks. Hagrid's previous charges and punishments, stemming from false accusations, have been revoked. That's about it."
"Oh, that's wonderful news!" Hermione exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight. Among all the updates, the revocation of Hagrid's charges was enough to make her genuinely happy.
"To celebrate all this good news, let's go up and ski a few more runs!"
The young girl extended her hand toward Glenn with an inviting smile.
"Let's go."
Glenn nodded, taking Hermione's small hand. Together, they walked toward the ski lift.
The lift swayed gently, and the serene, snowy landscape below mirrored the tranquility in their hearts.
...
"Heave-ho!"
At the terminal, Hermione jumped off the lift with her skis in her arms and ran a few steps forward. Glenn, on the other hand, simply extended his legs and let the lift's momentum carry him forward. Ahead of them, a group of familiar adults was gathered in conversation.
It was none other than the Hawthorne couple and the Granger couple.
"Why are you still here, Dad? Don't tell me you're still too scared to ski down?" Hermione asked, placing her hands on her hips and looking helplessly at Mr. Granger, who was sitting in the snow, psyching himself up.
The Hawthorne couple were naturally adventurous and had a knack for sports. They had mastered skiing long before Glenn was even born. Mrs. Granger, on the other hand, had some skiing experience, and after brushing up on her skills, she could ski decently. As for Glenn and Hermione, being the prodigious students they were, their exceptional balance and coordination allowed them to quickly master skiing with just a bit of self-study.
Thus, Mr. Granger, who had initially suggested the skiing trip, became the only one in the group who wasn't proficient at skiing. After several falls, he developed a psychological block.
Although he could manage on the beginner slope with help, he adamantly refused to go down the intermediate slope when the two youngsters wanted to try it out. However, after taking the lift up, he immediately regretted it. Even though there was a more challenging advanced slope, the intermediate slope was already a world apart from the beginner slope.
Poor Mr. Granger had been sitting at the lift exit for ages. Hermione had already gone down three times and even brought Crookshanks up once after Glenn's "training," yet he still hadn't made a move.
"Dad, if you really can't do it, just take your time and walk down. It's only a few minutes of embarrassment. If you fall, you might end up stuck at home for a while," Hermione said, crouching in front of her dad and speaking in a sweet yet devilish tone.
Of course, Hermione didn't actually plan to let her dad fall too badly. Even if an accident happened, Glenn and Hermione could use magic to protect him. Her words were just a little push to encourage her dad.
"Grr... Fine... Let's do this! Let's ski down!" Mr. Granger, unwilling to appear weak in front of his daughter, stood up with determination, his eyes resolute, like a warrior heading into battle.
Though his legs were trembling slightly at the sight of the distant slope below.
"Oh, now that's the spirit!" Mr. Hawthorne laughed heartily, giving his good friend a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Looks like Hermione's words do the trick," Mrs. Hawthorne said, crossing her arms and smiling.
"If you're scared, you can always give up. I'll walk down with you," Mrs. Granger offered, genuinely concerned for her husband.
"...Ah, Tina, you really are the only one who cares about me," Mr. Granger said, looking gratefully at his wife and sniffing.
Then Glenn, with a straight face, said something brutally honest and possibly unsettling.
"Don't worry. If you fall, Hermione and I will catch you with magic. And even if we can't, I have potions here. As long as you're still breathing, I can bring you back."
"?!"
Mr. Granger looked at Glenn in horror.
This little rascal! Not rooting for me at all, huh?
Is this how you treat your future father-in-law?
Wait, no, no, no!
You little brat, I don't approve of this marriage!
Glenn looked at Mr. Granger's agitated expression in confusion and turned to Hermione for clarification. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Umm... I can't really comment. Let's just say it's very... you," Hermione said with a mix of amusement and exasperation. While Glenn wasn't wrong, his bluntness wasn't exactly friendly to her dad.
What was this?
This was the kind of reassurance that made people feel awkward~
"Enough! Don't stop me! I'm skiing down today, no matter what!" Mr. Granger exclaimed, grabbing his ski poles with fiery determination.
"Alright~ Let's go then~" Hermione said with a mischievous smile, giving her dad a gentle push on the back.
"Ah, ah? Wait, I'm not ready—ahhhhhhh!"
Mr. Granger's slightly panicked voice faded into the distance, followed by the laughter of the other adults.
"Let's go, Glenn! Pull me along so we can get ahead of them. I don't want my dad to really take a bad fall."
Hermione lightly tapped Glenn's arm and held out her hand for help.
"Alright, let's go."
Glenn pulled Hermione from the flat snow onto the sloped hill. Like an arrow released from its bow, the girl shot forward, kicking up a spray of snow, quickly catching up to the wobbly Mr. Granger.
Glenn silently watched his family's retreating figures before stepping onto the slope himself.
"This is nice."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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