When Fawkes brought Dumbledore's message, the conversation between Wendell and Hector had basically come to an end. Father and son—who now looked more like a pair of brothers—were bent over the shore, rummaging through the pebbles to find the smoothest stones possible.
Straightening up, gathering strength, a few ripples spread out, over and over again, yet neither of them had had enough.
Skipping stones in itself wasn't all that interesting; competition brought out the real fun. The competition wasn't started by anyone in particular—the moment two boys stood on the shore holding similar stones and doing the same thing, a silent contest began the instant those stones left their hands and hit the water.
Chapter 164