December 21st, 1890 — Woodcroft Plaza Ice Rink

Gideon was quite pleased with the gamble he'd taken in writing to Miss Robins over the summer. Billie had taken to her immediately, from his perspective, and he thought his daughter now had an appreciation for her sex that extended beyond the prim and proper ladies she might see taking a stroll through Padmore Park. That alone would have been enough to justify any time and effort Gideon spent writing to keep her appraised of Billie's misadventures during the first semester she was away, but the truth was that he was enjoying writing to Miss Robins as well, so it had turned out beautifully for all parties. Inviting her to come and see Billie over the holiday had been an obvious choice, and Gideon had thought the ice-skating rink he'd agreed to sponsor as part of the Christmas festival was equally obvious. Miss Robins might not be the type to blush at stepping indoors with an unmarried gentleman, but all the same it was probably best to avoid anything that might lead to scandal — to set a good example for Billie, if nothing else. And he had assumed she would be keen on ice skating, given that she was an athlete by trade.

She had seemed keen, when he invited her, but moments after getting her skates on it was clear that she was much more graceful on a broom than she was on the ice. Gideon wondered why she'd accepted the invitation in the first place — did she feel as though she couldn't refuse without being impolite? She didn't strike him as the type to stand on ceremony, but — well. Here they were.

"I thought you'd be skating circles 'round the both of us," he admitted sheepishly to Miss Robins. He felt as though he were partially to blame for any embarrassment that befell her this afternoon, since he'd issued the invitation, although she still seemed to be in fine enough spirits. "I suppose it's much different than flying?"

Augusta Robins Billie Farrow

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If she were honest with herself, Gus suspected that she would not have turned down the invitation no matter the activity it had entailed. She was not one to turn things down generally - obviously, given her absent-minded agreement to Mr. Ollivander’s original request - but she was excited enough to see Billie, the new Hufflepuff seeker, home from her first term that she probably would have agreed to a rat-catching session or sitting through a wandmaking seminar if they’d asked. And clearly skating was much better than that: in the open air, fast-moving and fun, she could wear the brightest, ugliest, most terribly-knitted bobble hat if she wanted; what was not to like?

Although, now that she was here and Mr. Ollivander seemed a touch rueful about the invitation, Gus wondered whether she maybe ought to have warned him, or found some polite excuse to bow out so she didn’t ruin their bonding time. After all, Billie wasn’t back for that long over Christmas, and it was already kind enough of them to let her tag along.

But she supposed she had warned them, the first time she’d met them. “I really wasn’t joking when I said I was good at quidditch but bad at everything else,” Gus said, half-cheerful and half-apologetic, throwing a wink in Billie’s direction in hopes that she would remember that and back her up if he didn’t. “My feet aren’t used to having so much responsibility,” she joked, trying to make one stuttering skid forwards without a wobble and still having to thrust out her arms to steady herself. (That had not been necessarily in demonstration, either: she tripped over her own feet often enough when she got too overexcited just walking, and that was before anyone had strapped blades to boots.) “But I thought this might magically be my year,” Gus added merrily. Maybe she had been overly optimistic. At least - given the day job - she wasn’t afraid of falling.

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   Ophelia Devine

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gorgeous set by Lady!

Billie was shocked that Gus didn't know how to ice skate. She seemed like the sort to be talented at anything related to athletics. Then again, it did cross her mind that, perhaps, Gus didn't have ice skates. Quidditch supplies were expensive; getting skates, too, might have been too much money. Her own mother had certainly been unable to afford to get them a pair (not that she would have entertained the idea), so ice skating took the form of just sliding in one's boots and hoping you didn't get trapped out in the middle of a pond. It wasn't until last year that she'd learned how to do it. Thanks to Gideon, of course.

"Don't worry, Gus, just keep practicing, and you'll be real fast at it!" She encouraged, gliding up further so she could see them both. She giggled a bit at Gus's remark about not being good at anything else. Of course, she thought differently, but she didn't say as much, too concentrated on keeping an eye on the poor woman in case she fell.

"You just gotta balance real good. Right, Gideon? Have you ever climbed on a roof ridge or on top of a fence or something? Kinda like that sort of balancing. And then puuuuuush!" She demonstrated and looked back at them, beaming. She had no idea that her explanation didn't make the most sense, but she didn't aspire to be some sort of teacher or instructor, so it was probably okay.

"The hardest part is stopping," she tacked on, seriously. It was still the part that she also struggled with, especially when she got overzealous.

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon couldn't help but smile at Billie's explanation. He doubted Miss Robins had spent any significant amount of time balancing atop fence posts, but who knew? Maybe that was a part of Quidditch training he'd never heard about before. "It is actually easier when you go faster," he pointed out. "To keep from falling, I mean. Not to stop." That was a conversation for a different time, though; stopping was hardly a concern if one didn't know how to get going in the first place.

"I think that's why Billie took to it so quickly," he added with a laugh. "Most people try to take little baby steps and go very carefully when they start, but Billie's never shied away from speed. Have you?" he asked fondly as he skated towards her. Returning his gaze to Miss Robins, he added, "If that doesn't work, we could charm your skates. Then it could really be magically your year," he teased lightly. As long as she still seemed to be enjoying herself and Billie was enjoying 'teaching' her, Gideon saw no reason to intervene — but there were plenty of other things to do if they tired of this. Billie might object to abandoning skating at first, if it came to that, but she could probably be persuaded by cocoa and candy, if Gideon had to guess.

  

Gus couldn’t say she ever had balanced on top of a fence, really, though she might have climbed over some in her childhood; but then she had made a living out of balancing on a broomstick much higher than the average fence, so if she could drill her feet into submission she might be able to use that.

Starting fast rather than slow seemed a useful trick to it, and Gus watched Billie go with a wide grin. “No, no,” she protested to Mr. Ollivander, still grinning, “no charms just yet, I’m too fond of the challenge.” Or the lost cause, one might say, but she hadn’t bruised herself (literally and metaphorically) enough yet to abandon it. She nodded to herself, and then started off in an attempt to follow in Billie’s footsteps, copy her movements with a longer, more bracing stride and perhaps catch her up. It worked for the first sliding movement or two, the pushing herself along - and then the skate nicked the ice at slightly the wrong angle and she found herself half a blink away from faceplanting again.

“But you must not let me slow you both down,” she insisted firmly, not having intended on being the centre of their attention. She chuckled, only partly teasing. “I’m sure if I can’t keep up, I can very well cling to the edges and watch you do some incredible skating tricks, Billie. You seem quite the prodigy.”

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gorgeous set by Lady!

"Yeah, try going fast!" She quickly agreed with Gideon's assessment. After all, it was a tactic that, almost always, seemed to work for her. Schoolwork was an exception. Speeding through that just left her with poorly cast spells and homework that was practically illegible. "Just make sure to turn if you're gonna hit something." Or someone.

Billie beamed at Gideon and shook her head at his question. No, she hadn't really ever shied away from speed. It was something that had started out as a survival tactic. If she could get her chores and other tasks done quickly, she could avoid her mother. Once she started catching rats and other pests, it had morphed into something that brought her pride.

She quieted to watch Gus attempt to speed up, her smile growing wider as she glanced at Gideon as if to say 'look, she's doing it.' The grin faltered only slightly when it seemed Gus nearly faceplanted, but, when it seemed she was okay, she smiled again. "Yeah! Just keep doing it like that. Even if you trip. That was real good and better."

Her head was then quickly shaking. "You won't slow us. It's okay." She just liked Gus and Gideon's company. She didn't mind they were progressing at a snail's pace. "I'm not a prodigy. Gideon's just a real good ice skating teacher!" She couldn't do tricks either, unless skating backward for five seconds counted.

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon smiled good-naturedly at Billie's compliment, but shook his head. "Don't need to be a good teacher when you've got such an eager student," he retorted. Billie had taken to ice skating quite enthusiastically, but then, she took to almost everything with as much vigor. It was hard to fathom how she had remained so full of energy and joy after such a challenging upbringing, but she was. It was always a delight to have her around at home or at the shop, and it was particularly enjoyable to introduce her to new things. Seeing her glide across the ice, or watching her face light up after tasting a peach tart, or anything at all she hadn't been able to do in her old Muggle life, made Gideon's heart feel so full it was about to burst.

"But I don't think you'll slow us down at all. You nearly had it, that time. Just try to pay attention to the angle of your feet and keep them the same... if you wobble in or out, your skate will slip and you'll fall," he told Miss Robins. "You know, if you don't mind looking a little silly —" Somehow he suspected that she would not. "— you can put your arms out wide while you skate. It helps with your balance a little, and it lets you focus on your feet more. Here —" he said, opening his arms as he'd described and skating out into an empty corner of the rink. "There's plenty of room over here, if you want to try. And Billie can skate circles 'round the both of us to see how fast she can go," he offered his daughter with a teasing smile.

  

Speed, then. And arms out. Gus was doing her level best to pay attention to their barrage of advice, but it was hard to stay focused when they were such a cheerful pair. She didn’t want to miss a smile, and she was very interested in watching Billie and her guardian interact, the radiating fondness between them quite enough to melt the rink. Gus wondered how long they’d lived together, known each other - but now seemed like too busy a time to ask.

No, it was time to have another try. Gus launched herself forwards again, following Mr. Ollivander towards the emptier patch of rink and attempting to mimic Billie’s natural fleet-footedness. The addition of her arms was helping, she thought; she guffawed a little when she successfully made a larger, unimpeded circle than she ever had before, keeping her balance all the while. “Aha!” With a grin of gleeful confidence, and all that encouragement to boost her, she did another arc, picking up speed until it did feel a little like flying.

“And, er, how do I -” She started to call out - but oh, no time to ask. Turn if you’re gonna hit something, Billie had said. Realising the edge of the rink was rushing up to her and she had no idea how to slow herself to a natural stop without hurtling into it, Gus twisted her whole body to try and move away from it, veering sideways as if she were doing a tight roll on a broom.

But she was not on a broom, the ice was not so forgiving as the sky, and trying to angle her feet properly only tangled herself up more - the next thing she knew she had thrown herself off balance again, ending up flat on the ice and the thud she had made resounding in her ears.

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gorgeous set by Lady!

Billie giggled a bit as she watched Gideon demonstrate with his arms stuck straight out like he was some sort of fledgling dragon. Or, well, that's what she imagined anyways. She shrugged off the suggestion of skating circles around them for she hoped to watch Gus's attempt more closely. It was hard to do so when one was merely zooming by.

"If anybody laughs, I'll bump 'em!" She offered with a crooked smirk as she eyed the others out on the rink with narrowed eyes. She was, of course, completely serious, but she did shoot Gideon a 'just kidding' look, just in case.

She skated off to the side, but still nearby to Gideon, so she could give Gus a big enough area to practice in. A wide grin broke out on her face when the woman made her first attempt at a large circle. "You're getting it!" She cheered her on, "You're---" But Gus's success was short lived, and Billie found herself peeking over at her father and whispering loudly, "Maybe we oughta teach her how to turn better."

Cringing at the sight of Gus flat on the ice, she skated closer, more concerned than anything. Once she was close enough to view her from upside down, she quickly asked, "You okay?"

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   Augusta Robins

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon's spirits soared right alongside Billie's, then fell flat as Miss Robins did. He skated over. It crossed his mind that perhaps he ought to let her get up on her own, as this was hardly a dignified position for a young woman to be in — but Billie was already in her face, not allowing her much dignity anyway. He gave her a sympathetic look and offered a hand.

"You did nearly have it, that time," he said encouragingly. "Now getting up can be a bit of an ordeal. Dig your skates in, so you don't slip." He bit his lip, trying but mostly failing to stop the smile that had started to creep in as he remembered the rather splendid way she'd fallen. "And next time you might try turning a bit sooner and slower."

  

“You know, I think I hear laughter from over there,” Gus murmured to Billie’s upside-down face, gesturing vaguely across the ice, though from where she was lying flat against it she really couldn’t see all that much. “Really, I’m fine,” she assured, grinning at the girl to say no need to bump ‘em, I promise.

Used to injuries from quidditch, these dull aches were nothing, though she probably was going to come out in a fantastic set of bruises tomorrow - like a leopard’s spots, only black and blue - or big lumps that would make her look like an egg. Or a potato. Gus chuckled to herself at the thought for a moment, but supposed she should get up before they thought her any stranger. Luckily Mr. Ollivander offered a hand, which she slapped her palm into and gripped tight, just long enough to hoist herself up securely. She dug her skates in as he said and returned the grin he was attempting to suppress; she didn’t mind a bit if he was amused.

“I’m no reflection on your teaching, I swear,” she told them both, ruffling Billie’s hair as she found herself upright again - and before the girl could skate away again. “You’re both very good. Patient as saints, the pair of you. Oh, my hat!” Gus exclaimed, leaning forwards to - very unbecomingly - scoop it up where it had fallen, so she might jam it on her head again to hide her horribly mussed hair.

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gorgeous set by Lady!

Billie skated a few inches away so Gus had enough room to get back up, just in case she took out Gideon in the process. Creating a pig pile on the ice wasn't on the top of her to-do list. The last time that had happened, little Agatha Flute's face was sliced with an ice skate. Thank Merlin for magic. If she were a muggle, she would have been permanently disfigured. Either way, that was not a story she wished to relay to Gus while she was still learning.

It was only Gus's assurance that kept Billie from aggressively skating over to the laughing people and bowling them over. (And probably Gideon's presence, but she wasn't going to admit that.) "Maybe they'll be next to fall, then," she hmmph'd simply, wishing they'd get a taste of their own vile medicine. Even though, it was likely they were laughing about something else.

Once Gus was back on her feet, she laughed and tried to duck away from the hair ruffling, but she was too slow. "You really are doing great. It just takes some getting used to!" She paused then and tried her hardest not to cringe as the woman reached down for her hat. She gave Gideon a sidelong, worried look before looking back. Hopefully, she didn't go ass over tea kettle again.

  

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

Gideon almost felt a little jealous of Miss Robins for a moment, when she reached over and mussed Billie's hair and Billie laughed and took it in stride. He loved his daughter, and he often had the impulse to do little things like that, but he didn't often follow through; not when physical touch was involved, anyway. Partly it was because of appearances. Billie was, at least as far as the world was concerned, only a girl he'd taken in to live in the bottom of his shop and sweep the floors on occasion, so any overt affection would have seemed out of place (and possibly even a little insidious — him a man living alone and her recently revealed to be a girl after all). Partly it was because of Billie — with her history, she had never seemed particularly encouraging of physical affection. Miss Robins made it look so easy, though. She did it like it was nothing, and Billie reacted as though nothing could have been more natural.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Billie gave him a significant look, and he realized Miss Robins was putting herself in a precarious position by trying to lean over like that when she was barely steady on her skates to begin with. "Oh, here, let me —" he said quickly, trying to reach down and retrieve her hat, but succeeding only in getting his head directly in the way of hers as she righted herself again. The sudden unexpected contact set him off balance, and now it was his turn to have his skates slip out from under him as he landed hard on the ice.

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Billie really was a bright young thing - quick-witted of course, but mostly she meant warm and sunny and kind. She remembered what children were like - remembered being one, certainly - and Billie’s patient encouragement, even at her hopelessness, was really rather endearing. Mr. Ollivander was a lucky man to have her, to be sure.

Gus fancied she was going to manage to swipe up her hat from the ice without incident, which would be a miracle - and apparently was too far-fetched a dream, because Mr. Ollivander had come to save her again and now all she’d done was essentially headbutt him out of the way. “Oh no! I’m so sorry -” she blurted out awkwardly, reaching for his arm to steady him as if catching a fumbled quaffle, but too late, he’d gone down -

And she nearly - nearly - ended up toppling down on top of him, which would have probably been worse, except that looking down at him flushing tomato red at her own incompetence certainly felt like the worst place to be right about now, since she was at fault for this again. “I - think my clumsiness is catching,” she murmured wryly, peering down in concern and wondering whether she dared get any closer to help him up in turn, or whether in chancing it she’d only slice his finger off or something. Maybe best wait, follow Billie’s lead. “Are you alright?” she settled for asking, her joking tone tinged simultaneously with worry and sheepishness. “A wise man once told me getting up can be a bit of an ordeal.”

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gorgeous set by Lady!

It seemed Gideon had become the ice's next victim, and she spent all of ten seconds ensuring he hadn't broken his neck before she immediately began sniggering. In a matter of moments, all of the laughter she had been holding back suddenly burst out of her, and it took all she had in her not to double over. All the while, she shot the poor man an apologetic look. It was the headbutting that had thrown her over the edge of patient encouragement to uncontrollable giggles, really.

"Yeah, you okay there, Gideon? Didn't break a hip or nothin', did ya?" Isn't that what older people often complained was going to be injured? The query left her smirking, but sincere concern could also be seen in her eyes.

Her gaze flicked to Gus at her commentary, and she nearly snorted. With feigned seriousness, she nodded, "Yeah, just take it slow, and we won't have to ship you off to St. Mungo's or something."

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   Augusta Robins

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MJ, yet again working her magic.  <3 <3 Thank you

"I'm not half old enough to break a hip," Gideon protested, sending an exaggerated grimace in Billie's direction to let her know exactly what he thought of her 'concern,' though it lasted only a moment before he stuck his tongue out instead, to indicate that he was joking.

Gideon had the impression that Miss Robins might be inclined to come try and help him up, her comments about clumsiness catching aside, and he waved her off preemptively. He'd been skating long enough that he could manage without help — and he didn't have any corsets or heels to deal with, besides (a thought — did women who played Quidditch still wear corsets? Presumably they must because Gideon wasn't sure there was an alternative in polite company, but Gideon had not paid enough attention to Miss Robins in the right sorts of areas to notice, and it seemed as though it would be terribly uncomfortable while flying. But surely she would be wearing one now? — but he probably ought not to be thinking about Miss Robins' corset, or lack thereof, at all). At any rate, he moved to one knee and dug his opposing skate in to return himself to a standing position — no assistance needed (maybe the difference between skirts and trousers had more to do with it than corsets did, with whether one needed to be helped up after they'd fallen on the ice — or maybe it was only that Gideon was trying to be chivalrous, even if Miss Robins wasn't quite a proper lady, and she could have gotten up on her own just fine).

"No need to ship me to St. Mungo's," he said cheerfully, brushing some flecks of snow and ice from his coat and trousers. "But I may ship myself off to the cocoa stand for a few minutes while I recover. Miss Robins, if you think you can make it there without crashing into anything, I'll buy you a cup, too," he teased lightly.

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