Chapter Text
“So that’s it, then? They put knives on your shoes and tell you to have fun? Blimey,” Harry let out a shaky breath as he chopped along the ice rink at its outer edge, joining the smattering of kids who had not yet learned the ropes. “Have you brought the dittany, ‘Mione?”
Wordlessly, she shook a flask in front of her, torn between amusement and exasperation. “Honestly, Harry, you’ll fly a broom a hundred meters in the air and this is what gets you?” With a huff, Hermione broke away from her boyfriend and skated out into the middle of the rink where the more comfortable skaters found themselves.
He watched as, rather than pumping with the usual effort of the other skaters, she seemed to glide over the ice. Each stride seemed to take longer than the last until she had spent seconds on the knife-edge of her right skate, looking like a beautiful statue as she approached the other end of the rink.
When Hermione turned around and met his gaze from the other end of the arena, she moved towards him, building speed, one foot after the other into the empty middle of the rink until suddenly, she jumped. She twirled in the air, arms crossing over her chest, her face frozen into one of concentration. As soon as Hermione had left the ice, she met it again, coming down on her right foot, limbs spreading out to slow her rotation. The pose she held, one leg away from her, arms out as though she was flying, betrayed a level of grace Harry didn’t know she had, and it filled him with wonder.
It was an oh moment for him, the same moment he had at the Yule Ball when he saw her coming down the stairs into the Entrance Hall. The same moment he had when he realized living with Hermione was something he’d very much like to do. It made his heart blossom and his face blush, feeling redder as he watched with doe eyes and she approached him, smirk on her face.
What do you think of that, Potter? is what she would have said if he hadn’t spoken first.
“Marry me.”