Christmas Ball (V)

Snowflakes fell heavily on the castle and the grounds. Beauxbatons' pale blue carriage looked like a large, frosty pumpkin in winter, and the gingerbread house next to it, sprinkled with icing sugar, was Hagrid's Hut; the gunwales of Durmstrang were covered with a layer of ice, making them smooth and shiny, and the sails were also frosted with white. Down in the kitchen, the House-elves were busy preparing a variety of hot stews and sweet Pudding.

Perhaps it was also related to the tense atmosphere last year. After the situation gradually became less serious, the students seemed to be released, and everyone wanted to enjoy this Christmas to the fullest—last Christmas they spent in the Great Hall wearing pajamas a size too small, listening to Dumbledore's serious words.

The professors had taken this into consideration. Neither the serious Professor McGonagall nor the playful Professor Flitwick assigned much homework. Even the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Moody, who had just earned the nickname "the mad teacher" among the students, only left one practical exercise in breaking a minor curse—during Moody's tenure as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, everyone had witnessed a whole host of terrifying curses that were unimaginable, such as the Three Unforgivable Curses...

Moreover, although Professor Moody's assignments are not numerous, they are always very difficult. This Christmas, he can be considered to have "shown mercy."

Of course, what surprised everyone the most was that Snape actually took pity on them and didn't assign much homework, which was simply unbelievable to everyone.

"I bet that with a Silver Sickle, Snape must have been put under Imperius Curse," Ron said.

Harry, standing nearby, wholeheartedly agreed, because in the last Potions before Christmas, Snape didn't even bother him and Sean; he simply finished the lesson dryly and that was it.

Even Snape, who was used to going overtime, seemed eager to end the class.

"This is nothing like that big bat. Today's last class is Potions, and tomorrow is Christmas. How could he be so kind? Usually, he should be giving Sean and me extra trouble before the holidays—come to think of it, he's been acting strange in the last few classes, even giving Sean extra points..." Harry said after Potions.

Sean, who was listening in, smiled without saying a word; he knew what was going on...

That day, when Professor McGonagall urged him and Daisy to find dance partners, Sean took the opportunity to invite Daisy.

After much hesitation, the innocent Little White Flower finally accepted Sean's invitation with a smile—which was also related to her finding out who Hermione's dance partner was.

Then, after word got out that Sean and Daisy would be the first pair to go on stage, Snape quickly learned of it.

Sean, who "unluckily" encountered Snape in the corridor, almost had dozens of holes poked in his face by the old bat's hooked nose.

After his difficult escape, Sean knew that the next few classes would be tough...

Therefore, in order to protect himself, Sean chose a rather shameless approach.

Using the Marauder's Map and information provided by Dave, Sean learned Snape's location in advance, and he deliberately led Daisy around the area.

When Snape reached the corner, Sean pretended not to know that anyone was nearby and loudly asked Daisy, "Daisy, how's the gift you prepared for Professor Snape coming along?"

Although Daisy was a little puzzled as to why Sean suddenly brought this up, the Little White Flower still honestly replied, "I've been prepared for a long time..."

"Looks like you've taken my words to heart." Sean nodded in satisfaction.

Daisy gave him a suspicious look. Sean had never asked her to prepare a gift for Professor Snape; it was her own idea.

However, before she could question it, Sean pulled her hand and walked away, saying as they went, "Although the professor doesn't care much about fancy things, I think gifts should still be wrapped properly. I happen to have a lot of wrapping boxes and greeting cards left over—of course, you'll have to do it yourself."

"I already..." Before Little White Flower could finish speaking, Sean covered her mouth and led her away.

After walking a distance, Sean secretly glanced back, and sure enough, Snape hadn't come out from around the corner after hearing their voices...

He wore a smug look on his face. "Hmph, with my plan in place, I don't believe you'll still have the nerve to target me these days..."

On the other side of the corridor corner, above greasy long hair, the animated figures in the oil painting are commenting on the people below.

"Oh, this gentleman seems quite pleased."

"Ha, he can actually laugh!"

Snape looked up and glared at the painting, then slowly walked away after the little figures fell silent.

After he walked away, the little people started talking quietly again.

"Look, he is indeed very happy, and he walks with a lighter step."

"Oh, I can understand this gentleman's thoughts, back then..."

In short, thanks to Sean's actions, Snape not only didn't make things difficult for him in the subsequent Potions, but even gave Sean extra points, which was quite rare!

A historic leap forward!

In such a joyful atmosphere, Christmas quietly arrived.

This was probably the Christmas with the fewest people going home for the holidays; the castle was bustling with activity early in the morning.

After everyone enjoyed breakfast in the Great Hall, they returned to their respective Common Room to unpack the gifts from their friends. As always, Sean received a large number of gifts, and in return, he gave away a large number as well—except for the freshmen, the other students were used to it.

Before Christmas, a large number of owls would arrive with packages and drop them on Sean Wallerup of Ravenclaw. Many people would even joke about which package was their gift.

Receiving and giving gifts took up Sean's entire morning. By lunchtime, they returned to the Great Hall for a sumptuous lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys, a huge pile of Christmas Pudding, and a mountain of Crispy Wizard Biscuits.

In the afternoon, Sean would also take advantage of this rare holiday to go out and play with his friends, instead of either practicing spells or deepening his relationship with Magical Creatures as usual.

A large group of people had a great snowball fight outside. While Sean used his magic wand to create a giant snowball that buried everyone else, the girls watching were already packing up and heading home.

"It's only 5:30, the ball starts at 8:00—did they go back to prepare for the ball so early?" Harry pulled himself out of the snowball and looked at the girls' departing figures, puzzled.

"If you ask me, shouldn't we go back and prepare?" Ron's face was flushed, whether from the cold or something else, it was hard to tell.

Finally, the boys reached a consensus and walked towards the dormitory together.

On their way back, they saw a pair of people dressed in strange clothes and carrying odd musical instruments hurrying into the castle from a side path.

Ron and Harry looked extremely excited. They told Sean that it was the famous band "The Weird Sisters"—it seemed that Dumbledore had gone to great lengths for this Christmas Ball, after all, it was quite expensive to invite a band of all eight members, all of whom were featured on Chocolate Frog Card, to perform.

Back in their respective dorm rooms, Sean spent some more time studying Ancient Runes before finally changing into formal attire under the urging of his anxious roommates.

Apart from Sean, his roommates all looked extremely nervous, with Terry Boots constantly checking in front of the mirror to make sure the buttons on his suit were fastened correctly.

Another roommate, Michael Conner, looked at Sean with envy as he changed into his tuxedo. He glanced down at his own plain black suit and said with some emotion, "Sean, you're already handsome enough, and you have to change into such a dashing suit. My God, I definitely don't want to stand next to you."

The other roommates nodded in agreement.

Sean laughed heartily, "My mother has been preparing for this for a long time. She values these kinds of ritualistic things."

His suit wasn't bought from Diagon Alley, but rather was a piece that Mrs. Wallop had personally overseen for a long time at a haute couture boutique in London. According to Mr. Wallop in the letter, Sean's first time attending a banquet with a dance partner was of great significance.

The couple's only regret now is that they can't see their son dancing with other girls.

Sean accepted his parents' good intentions without hesitation. The dress was indeed worth its six-figure price tag, perfectly fitting Sean's Sean while highlighting his best features. It was exquisite yet understated, luxurious yet composed.

When they came out of the dormitory, there was already a large group of people in the Common Room. The people were no longer all wearing black robes, but were wearing colorful formal robes.

When Sean appeared, the crowd gasped softly, especially the girls, who excitedly grabbed their companions' hands and pointed at Sean.

His roommates all took a step back, their eyes filled with resentment.

Sean shrugged helplessly, greeted his friends, and waited for Daisy to arrive.

As I glanced down at my watch, the crowd suddenly erupted in gasps of amazement, both boys and girls, with some boys even whistling.

Sean looked up and saw two radiant girls walking down the stairs.

It's Daisy and Hermione.

The two already beautiful girls became even more radiant after changing into their gowns, instantly becoming the focus of the crowd.

Terry remarked from the side, "She's just as beautiful as Phoebe from Beauxbatons, isn't she? Hermione and Daisy are so pretty..."

Sean nodded in agreement.

Terry gave him a sour look. "They're all your best friends... Daisy is still your dance partner... But who's Hermione's dance partner? I heard that big oaf Krum invited her, but she refused."

Sean simply shrugged, indicating that he knew nothing.

Two girls approached Sean under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Hermione was wearing a flowing robe made of a light purple-blue fabric today, and her demeanor was completely different from usual, exuding amazing feminine charm.

She walked over, gave Sean a haughty look, and then waved her hand. "I'm going to find my dance partner."

"Have fun." Sean winked.

After Hermione left with her head held high, Daisy leaned closer. Watching Hermione's departing figure, she said uncertainly, "Is this really okay...?"

"Professor Flitwick has agreed anyway," Sean shrugged.

"And Hermione seems quite willing..." the Little White Flower muttered.

"That's a good thing..." Sean said softly, then turned to look at Daisy.

Today, Little White Flower wore a light blue strapless dress. Unlike her usual sweet and lovely temperament, she exuded a sexy femininity and youthful energy, making her captivating at first glance.

He extended his arm and smiled most elegantly, "May I have the honor of inviting you to be my dance partner tonight, Miss Potter?"

Daisy's eyes curved into crescent moons as she gently took Sean's arm. "With pleasure, Mr. Wallop."

When they arrived at the Entrance Hall, it was already packed with students, Sean had to brace himself against the wall, holding Daisy in his arms.

The oak front door opened, and everyone turned to see students and professors from other schools walking in. Krum led the way, but he didn't seem particularly excited.

Over their heads, Sean saw a patch of lawn transformed into a cave, shimmering with Fairies light—meaning there were hundreds of living Fairies, some sitting among magically conjured rose bushes, others flapping their wings atop statues that appeared to be Santa Claus and his reindeer.

It was eight o'clock, and Professor McGonagall's voice rang out. "Champion, please come this way!"

Professor McGonagall was wearing a long red plaid robe, with an unsightly wreath of thistles adorning the brim of her hat. She told them to wait by the door, letting the others go in first. Once the students were seated, they would line up and enter the Great Hall. Phoebe Delacour and Roger Davis stood closest to the door. Davis seemed unable to believe his good fortune in having Phoebe as his dance partner; he simply couldn't take his eyes off her.

Cedric's dance partner was Cho Chang, who was wearing a cheongsam. The two were laughing and talking. George's dance partner was Angelina Johnson, Fred's dance partner was Angelina's best friend, Arya Spinnet.

Krum's dance partner seemed to be one of Durmstrang's girls; she was very pretty, but looked quite young and a bit nervous. Meanwhile, Durmstrang's other two Champion were paired with the remaining two girls from Beauxbatons, though neither pair seemed to know each other very well...

The arrival of Sean and Daisy only attracted a few glances, as everyone's attention was focused on the last couple.

Stephanie and... Hermione...

Daisy gripped Sean's arm tightly and whispered in surprise, "That's Stephanie..."

Sean's eye twitched slightly. "Yes..."

The group of girls standing at the very edge received surprised looks from others, most of which came from the person next to Hermione.

Stephanie.

She used some kind of magic, and her originally petite figure grew much taller, even reaching the same height as Sean. Instead of wearing a formal gown, she wore a suit similar to Sean's, with standard men's leather shoes on her feet.

Stephanie's long silver hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and above her thin tie, her usually expressionless face was adorned with a cheerful, youthful smile.

She walked arm in arm with the beautiful Hermione, looking dashing and spirited.