Professor McGonagall's Efficiency, a Last-Minute Dance Partner

The clock struck eight o'clock sharp, and Aaron looked at the entrance to the Entrance Hall, but the familiar face did not appear.

"Gaius." Professor McGonagall quickly pulled a girl over. "We've just caught up. This is Ravenclaw Lovegood. Luna wasn't easy for me to persuade her."

"Hehe!" Aaron looked at the blonde girl with waist-length hair and a quirky appearance, and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Professor, your efficiency is really high. You found it in less than three minutes."

"This is no time for jokes." Professor McGonagall anxiously pushed Luna in front of Aaron. "I'll go tell Filch to open the Great Hall doors first. You two should get familiar with it quickly."

"Uh...you..." Luna said slowly, "I'm a third-year Ravenclaw, and I don't like dancing, so you'd better be prepared."

"Perhaps I should apologize," Aaron sighed. "It's really not very kind of me to have someone who doesn't like to dance accompany me to the ball."

"At least the result is good," Cedric couldn't help but tease. "Luna, you've done me a great favor this time."

"I didn't want to come here originally, but Professor McGonagall said she would lend me her pet for a day."

Aaron paused for a moment, then turned to look at Abei, who was squatting on the ground with a haughty expression, and his heart skipped a beat.

"No, absolutely not."

"Nothing is impossible." Professor McGonagall glared at Aaron. "I'm the vice principal. There's nothing I can do about your dance partner not arriving on time."

"But professor, you know, Abei isn't an ordinary cat, it..."

"I believe you can see it."

"Is that right, Gaius first?" Professor McGonagall gritted her teeth, her voice full of warning.

Aaron suddenly felt immense pressure and nodded blankly.

Creak!

The oak doors of the Great Hall opened, Phoebe and Roger confidently led the way, followed by Krum and his dance partner, Cedric and Cho Chang in the middle, Harry and Parvati following somewhat reservedly behind, and finally Aaron and Luna.

The walls of the Great Hall were covered with silver frost, and the ceiling was a star-studded night sky, with countless silver stars falling like raindrops.

Hundreds of beautiful flower fairies Accio in mid-air, and several Long Table were replaced by hundreds of lanterns.

When they entered, hundreds of people applauded in unison to welcome them.

The Champion, accompanied by their dance partners, arrived at the stands. Dumbledore wore a smug smile, and the other referees also changed into formal attire.

Barty Crouch didn't come; Percy Weasley was sitting in his seat.

Adrian glanced at Aaron, then at Luna beside him. After a moment of confusion, he gave her an approving look and a thumbs up.

The Champion and their dancers sat down at the guest table. There was no food on the plates, but there was a menu. When a name was called out, the corresponding food would appear on the plate.

"It's very Christmassy," Luna said with a smile, hugging Abei. "It's really beautiful."

"After all, we have guests." Aaron said meaningfully, "We need to make them feel at home."

"The Beauxbatons Great Hall has a huge, Winky diamond statue," Phoebe said dismissively. "The food is top-notch, there's Wood Nymph Choir, and no mischievous Ghost."

"Exactly right, that's it, no doubt about it." Davies said, slapping the table, as if everything Phoebe said was correct.

"This senior's composure is really something else!" Aaron said in a low voice, with disdain.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing, let's eat!"

The Christmas feast is much more lavish than usual.

"It's just too greasy."

"You don't have to eat it!" Aaron rolled his eyes.

"If Miss Delacour is dissatisfied with the food in any way, you can ask my brother," Adrian said with a smile. "It's no exaggeration to say that he is an expert in various cuisines from different countries, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

"Are you kidding me?"

"This is real," Harry interjected. "I had the pleasure of tasting it once a couple of years ago at the Weasley family, and it was an unforgettable delicacy."

"Harry," Aaron immediately gave him a wink, and said seriously, "You can't just say things like that!"

Harry realized what was happening, gave an embarrassed smile, and silently lowered his head to eat.

"No need to be so modest, it's the truth," Percy said.

Aaron suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest; Percy's finishing blow was truly exhilarating.

"Really?" Phoebe asked Aaron with suspicion.

"Fake," Aaron said defiantly. "I'm the family heir, after all. Do I need to be researching recipes?"

"It seems to be true."

Aaron chuckled, not wanting to explain.

Whether you believe it or not is your business; whether he cooks or not is his business.

"Not bad," Adrian said casually. "I really didn't expect you to find your first dance partner in such a short time."

Clang!

Aaron's fork fell onto the plate, speechless. "So... Hermione, you did this?"

Adrian shrugged. "You really shouldn't have revealed who your dance partner was. How does it feel to get stood up?"

Where is she? You didn't do anything to her, did you?

"Don't worry." Adrian pointed to the room behind, "Miss Granger is having a meal in there."

I have to admit, you have good taste; she really is beautiful.

Aaron rolled his eyes and was about to get up to go and see what was going on when Adrian stopped him with a look. "Sit down!"

I'll explain what needs explaining; now you need to eat properly.

"Sis, are you bored? What's it to you?"

Adrian didn't answer directly, but instead asked with a smile, "Did you receive your Christmas present?"

"An unforgettable ball, is that what you mean?" Aaron said irritably, "You made someone stand me up and deliberately embarrass me."

"I know you have a way to solve this."

And you actually did it.

"Um..." Luna said shyly, "I was called here by Professor McGonagall."

"Is that so?" Adrian was a little surprised. "I thought you had just pulled in a pretty girl at the last minute. It seems the teachers at Hogwarts are quite good."

"Minerva is reliable, otherwise she wouldn't be the vice-headmaster of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Aaron snorted. "I have a dance partner, and I know she didn't stand me up on purpose, so I'm actually in a better mood."

Adrian smiled without saying a word, but the familiar playfulness in his eyes made Aaron's heart pound and a sense of unease arise.

The meal was enjoyed by all, but Aaron found it dull and was distracted.

After dinner, Dumbledore stood up, waved his Wand, and all the tables, chairs, and tableware flew to the wall, leaving a large empty space in the middle.

He turned the open space in the middle into a stage, placed a set of musical instruments along the wall, and specially invited the Weird Sisters to come up on stage and play their respective instruments.

As the beautiful music began, all the lanterns in the Great Hall were extinguished, leaving only the central dance floor brightly lit.

"Let's dance!"

Cedric and Cho Chang were the first to take the stage to lead the dance, followed closely by Phoebe and Krum with their respective partners.

Harry nervously pursed his lips, and was pulled onto the stage by Parvati, where he jumped up, stumbling.

"Um... I have a small problem," Luna said, blushing. "I've mentioned before that I'm not very good at dancing."

"It's okay, I'll guide you." Aaron shrugged. "I'm fairly confident when it comes to dancing."

Luna's initial jumps were stiff, and she even accidentally stepped on his feet a few times.

But Aaron was, after all, professionally trained, Jeans took social skills and etiquette very seriously, putting a lot of effort into training him.

Under his guidance, Luna quickly got into the rhythm and gracefully waltzed, performing just as well as the other four groups of Champion.

Gradually, many people joined in, and the Champion were no longer the center of the dance floor.

Neville and Ginny in one group, Draco and Pansy were in another, Dumbledore and Maxime were in yet another, and even the half-crippled Moody started dancing clumsily with Professor Sinistra.

Adrian sat alone in a chair, watching his younger brother dance with great interest.

Abei squatted obediently next to her, occasionally stuffing some snacks into his pocket.

Finally, the organ played its last note, and the piece came to an end, followed by enthusiastic applause from the Great Hall.

"Whoosh!" Luna shouted excitedly, then gave Aaron a hug and laughed, "Dancing isn't so boring after all."

"But it doesn't really matter." Aaron lowered his arm from Luna's waist and said politely, "The Champion's task of leading the dance is complete, we can go down now."

Then the second piece of music started, with a tempo much faster than the first.

Luna was still a little reluctant to leave, but Aaron didn't want her to, and there was nothing she could do; no one else could take her along.

"Aren't you going to dance a little longer?" Adrian teased. "The ball lasts four hours, and you're leaving in less than twenty minutes. Aren't you ashamed?"

"I'm sorry," Aaron said speechlessly. "I didn't want to dance in the first place, but I had to come because of the tradition of the Triwizard Tournament. Even my dance partner was found at the last minute."

I need to go see Hermione now; the misunderstanding from tonight must be cleared up.

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining that I asked you to have a dance partner?"

"Yes," Aaron readily admitted, "Even if you're my sister, you can't embarrass me like this!"

"I just wanted to test your adaptability."

If you haven't found a dance partner, Miss Granger will come out, but I'll find it boring.

"But I didn't expect Professor McGonagall to interfere."

"That's right, beautiful girl." Adrian smiled meaningfully. "But this makes it even more interesting, because it means that a girl who had absolutely no connection with Aaron before has joined us."

Aaron:...