Christmas Ball (2)

Since the slightly awkward dance class last year, Sean noticed that Hermione seemed to have changed.

Sean couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed about the other person, but the feeling he got from them was completely different from before.

He's still the same person, his personality hasn't changed. He still likes to read all kinds of books, do all kinds of homework, and practice all kinds of spells. He still scolds Sean and Daisy for their lack of ambition from time to time.

But Sean just felt that Hermione was really different.

To be honest, it seems that she has never been in a low mood since then; she is always energetic and lively.

Sean felt something was off, so he secretly asked someone to find out.

Hagrid said Hermione had contacted him and asked him about the lakeside flower field where Sean had Buckbeak take her.

"Hermione and Buckbeak were surrounded by Dementor there back then, and a whole patch of flowers withered and never grew back to its original state. Those Dementor are really annoying, aren't they?" Hagrid said.

Sean frowned in confusion, then asked, "Did she say anything else?"

Hagrid raised his head and recalled, "Oh—right, she also asked me if you were the one who discovered that flower field."

"Then what?"

Hagrid shrugged. "I told her about that flower field. That's what I told her."

Sean was a little confused. Hagrid's explanation didn't seem to make sense; Hagrid had indeed told him about the flower field. He and Hermione had a minor disagreement, so he'd thought of having Buckbeak drive Hermione to the flower field. Unfortunately, they ran into the Dementor had just entered the school, but after resolving the problem, his relationship with Hermione immediately improved...

After thinking for a long time without getting any answers, Sean had no choice but to give up for the time being.

After all, Hermione didn't seem to have anything wrong with her; she just gave off a slightly different vibe than before...

He's still troubled by that same thing: what to do about his dance partner at the Christmas Ball...

If he could, he'd love to invite one of his best buddies to go dancing, whether it's Harry, Neville, Ron, or the Weasley twins.

What's wrong with boys dancing with other boys? It's in English here, so it's perfectly normal...

Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall wouldn't allow it at all, and those people had all found dance partners.

Harry successfully invited Ginny to be his dance partner. Although Ron strongly objected, he was silenced by his sister's retort, "Instead of wasting your time, you should be thinking about where to find your own dance partner."

After suffering a major blow, Ron finally found a dance partner, Lavender Brown from Gryffindor —fate is always so coincidental.

Ron, in high spirits, even secretly wrote a letter to his uncles, hoping they could sponsor him a more normal-looking dress.

The Weasley family are doing fairly well financially, but they're not generous enough to buy each of their children a Christmas dress. Ron still received the lace-trimmed "grandma dress," and he struggled with the dress for a whole day before finally deciding to write a letter to his uncles.

Neville, on the other hand, invited Hannah Abbott, a girl from Hufflepuff. To be precise, it wasn't him who invited her, but rather the two hit it off in a dance class and naturally decided to go to the ball together.

So, of the four people who were hesitating and sighing on the railing, only Sean is left without a dance partner.

Professor McGonagall also asked Sean once more, and when he said he hadn't found one yet, she sternly instructed him, "You're the first one to appear at Hogwarts. The deadline is a week before the Christmas Ball. Find me a dance partner—or I'll arrange one for you."

Sean even began to crave some kind of accident, like another Ashwinder incident, or a few ignorant Dark Wizard attacking Hogwarts...

Of course, this is highly impractical— Dumbledore has been at the school recently, and the headmasters of the other three schools are also there, as is Gellert Grindelwald, the president of the International Confederation of Wizards.

Only someone who is utterly blind to reason would choose this time to cause trouble at Hogwarts.

Before Christmas, it was Sean's birthday, and as always, he received so many gifts that they could fill an entire bed.

Hermione gave him a whole set of magic books, Daisy gave him a beautiful cloak, the new Gryffindor trio each gave him a bunch of wizarding toys for entertainment, and the Weasley twins were exactly the same—he received a whole box of Dungbomb and a large box of Canary Creams (these things can make the person who eats them suddenly sprout feathers, exclusively developed by the Weasley brothers; by the way, lately the people in the castle are not too afraid to eat cookies).

Unlike his friends, Sean's admirers also sent many gifts, but those gifts all looked rather serious, such as bow ties, lesson plan books, magic book clips, and the like.

Capen gave him a wooden Fire Dragon he had carved himself, with a few pretty little spells on it that allowed the dragon to flap its wings freely and even breathe fire—a very thoughtful gift.

This child has become the professors' darling. His naturally vast Magic Power Source allows him to progress faster than others when learning spells. With the extra help from Sean, he is practically a first-year "Sean Wallerup".

As for his affair with that arrogant kid Henry Lestrange, Sean didn't interfere; he trusted Capen to handle it well.

In the Ravenclaw Common Room, surrounded by people, Sean blew out the candles, officially turning a year older.

As the birthday party drew to a close, Sean exchanged a few casual jokes with the others before heading outside.

Today is not only his birthday, but also Stephanie's birthday. She didn't appear in the Common Room at all, so she must be hiding in the Room of Requirement.

This is probably a tacit understanding between the two of them: to wish each other a happy birthday at the end of the day.

However, what Sean didn't notice was that as he quietly left, Hermione, who had been chatting and laughing with others, was secretly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

As Sean disappeared from sight, the girl sighed almost imperceptibly. Her eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, her expression filled with determination and pride.

Leaving the Common Room, Sean casually found a secluded corner, called for the wooden door, and entered the Room of Requirement.

He easily found his way to Stephanie's private room, and before he could even knock, the wooden door opened by itself.

He carried a cake inside and looked at it with considerable surprise.

The room has been beautifully decorated, with delicate ornaments and various banners adorning the warm and elegant space. A small chandelier has appeared on the ceiling, and inside it, many pretty, glowing House-elf seem to be flying around.

However, the surprise at the decorations was fleeting; what truly stunned Sean was Stephanie standing in the center of the room.

The other person was dressed in an exquisite sky-blue evening gown, and their long silver hair, which was usually loose, was now styled into a magnificent updo. Magical snowflakes drifted down and melted quietly on their shoulders, which were even whiter than snowflakes, adding a touch of dewy luster to their skin.

Stephanie took off her glasses, and her dark eyes seemed to hold an entire galaxy, with Sean's reflection shining brightly in the center of the galaxy.

Sean was stunned for a moment before he realized that it wasn't the allure of Lust, but rather the girl's stunning beauty.

"Happy birthday." Stephanie, dressed in a formal manner, spoke first. Her voice was more lively and gentle than her usual cool tone.

Sean glanced down at his hoodie and jeans, scratching his head in exasperation. "So elaborate... Happy birthday, Stephanie."

Stephanie smiled gently, and the House-elf seemed to dim a little.

"This is my last birthday at Hogwarts."

Sean suddenly realized, "Yes, Stephanie is in seventh grade, and she will officially graduate from Hogwarts at the end of this school year."

In less than a year, he would no longer be able to see this petite and delicate Silver-haired Girl in the castle.

For some reason, a slight feeling of melancholy rose up.

Sean let out a long breath, then smiled gently, "Yes, it should be more formal—"

He put the cake down. "Give me a minute."

When he returned from outside the door, he had changed into a smart suit.

Stephanie stared at Sean, somewhat lost in thought.

The well-tailored suit paired with Sean's tall and upright figure was a match made in heaven. His handsome but non-aggressive face was adorned with an elegant and gentle smile, and his light blue eyes were calm and wise, yet they concealed immense confidence and pride.

The girl lowered her head slightly and gently bit her pearly teeth.

When she looked up again, her face was adorned with the most beautiful smile.

"May I invite you to dance?"

Stephanie was more proactive than ever. She walked over gracefully, carrying her long gown, and extended a small, fair hand.

Sean paused for a moment, then shook his head and laughed.

He took a half step back and extended a hand. "Beautiful lady, may I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Their hands clasped together.

There was no music, no audience, and the exquisite cake was forgotten in a corner. The faint flames of the candles danced lightly with the boys and girls in the room.

The House-elf inside the chandelier flew merrily, casting their light down, mingling with the falling snowflakes.

The entire room seemed to be adorned with starlight, and Sean and Stephanie danced gracefully in the light.

The girl's ears were slightly red, but her beautiful smile never stopped. No matter what she did or when, she stared intently at Sean, as if she wanted to imprint him firmly in her mind.

After the dance ended, Stephanie gently leaned against Sean's chest.

He could feel her slightly rapid breathing and the pounding of her heart.

"You're quite the enigma, Miss Ollivander," Sean said with a smile.

Stephanie didn't reply; she leaned quietly against Sean's chest, as if sensing something.

Sean remained silent.

After a long while, when Stephanie's breathing finally calmed down, she gently raised her head to look at Sean.

Sean was somewhat dazed. The last time the two of them were this close was when Stephanie's memory became confused, and then her Lust awakened in an abnormal way.

The two of them almost became one.

In a true sense, Pride, as the foremost Sin, can absorb the power of other unawakened Sin. If Sean had not refused this so-called "gift," then Stephanie would have disappeared from this world forever.

This is the first time the two have been this close while both are fully conscious.

Sean also truly realized just how beautiful Stephanie's face was.

His breathing became uncontrollably heavy, regardless of anything else; any normal young man would react this way.

Seeing Sean's nostrils twitch suddenly, Stephanie flashed a mischievous smile unlike her usual self.

"Mr. Wallop, I've been wondering about this for a long time."

"Hmm? Miss Ollivander?"

"Although I've always been a loner since I was a child, and I'm sometimes isolated and sometimes ignored, I've always understood one thing—" Stephanie smiled slyly, "My charm works very well with most men and a small number of women, even without the aid of seductive abilities."

"Only, regardless of whether my charm works or not, when you face me, you will look at everyone the same way you would face anyone else, whether it's Potter, Granger, or Weasley, whether it's a boy or a girl. Your gaze will be the same—frankly, my idea is probably a bit arrogant, but I think it's normal to have this kind of thought."

The Silver-haired Girl's hair had come loose at some point, and her long, flowing hair cascaded down Sean's shoulders.

Stephanie moved a little closer, her orchid-like breath gently brushing against Sean's face—

"Sean, aren't you even a little bit attracted to me? Just because of my looks... that makes me a little resentful."

Sean blinked, his face full of innocence. "You are indeed very good-looking, I've always admitted that..."

Stephanie suddenly put her finger on Sean's lips.

"You're lying, Mr. Wallop."

Sean shrugged innocently, but his lips were covered by the other person's fingers, so he didn't speak.

Stephanie stared at him silently for a long time, then suddenly took a light step back and stretched.

"Sean, you're a really interesting person."

"Can I take that as a compliment?" Sean replied with a smile.

Stephanie remained noncommittal, then said, "But there's one problem you have to face directly."

"Um?"

"There's no point in pretending to be stupid now. Anyone can see that Daisy or Hermione like you, really like you."