Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were two very separate environments, and after months of being cooped up in his office for much of the fall Nigel had forgotten how to act like a normal person—a non-professor. Fortunately the holiday season was the perfect time to practice being normal, because Nigel was terrible with the cold and snow and was bound to do something that made him feel a little more human and less like a stuffy authority figure.

The moment finally came when he stepped onto the ice rink. Nigel could skate, but not really. He could do a circle alongside the other skaters, and wasn't the slowest of them all, but he did have a klutzy side, and it was only a matter of time before it reared its ugly head.

He was already apologizing when he collided with the young woman, and even more apologies followed when the collision sent her sliding along the ice on her bottom for a good teen feet. He struggled to find his footing, but when he did he immediately made his way to her and offered a hand.

"Terribly sorry, Miss. I've got two left feet for skates and neither of them should be out here with this many people," he joked, shaking his head at himself and his own stupidity. He only hoped that Beth hadn't seen; he'd never hear the end of it.

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