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.