A Bewitched Boy and a Jealous Girl / Before the Ball, a Show-Stopping Dress

"Who?!"

Harry didn't wake up naturally this morning; he sensed the Apparition's magical fluctuations and instinctively awoke from his sleep!

But when he saw those two big, round green eyes, the magic he had been holding back immediately relaxed, and his previous wariness turned into boundless joy.

"Dobby!!" he shouted excitedly, practically leaping out of bed.

The one appearing in the bedroom was undoubtedly the House-elf who had gone to China with the Mr. and Mrs. Granger. He was wearing a casual children's outfit and a small cloak with patterns that had a distinctly China style.

"Sir, it's Dobby!" The House-elf jumped and skipped happily on the ground. "Dobby has come to see you!"

"Then sit down quickly, you must be exhausted from the journey!" Upon hearing Dobby's words, Harry hurriedly pressed him down into a chair in the room.

Having traveled thousands of miles from China to the Britain Isles, Dobby must have had to Apparition countless times along the way, and he had to be extremely careful not to be discovered. You can imagine Dobby arduous his journey must have been.

"Actually, it's not too bad. There's a time difference between China and Britain, so Dobby has Dobby time," the House-elf said with a silly smile. "Besides, Grandpa Kong gave Dobby Invisibility Cloak. As long as you wear the hood, you can become invisible and no one will notice you."

"Then I really have to thank Elder Kong properly," Harry said with a knowing smile, glancing at Dobby's cloak.

It must be said that the reserved nature of Elder Kong, a characteristic of the China, was something that the Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Dobby, with their Western way of thinking, simply couldn't grasp.

But Harry could see that the old man was returning the favor.

They had arranged everything so clearly for their adoptive parents' lives and had even sent them a lot of gifts. Harry couldn't pretend not to know, so he had to do something in return.

Harry knew perfectly well what kind of return gift Elder Kong expected.

"Dobby, if you're not in a hurry today, take a rest and leave later," Harry said after thinking for a moment. "After breakfast, come with me to see Norberta. Take the scales it shed, and some other things, back to Elder Kong for me. Tell him it's a gift from me to him."

"Yes, Dobby understands... Oh, right!" The House-elf, who was just agreeing, suddenly shrieked and hurriedly pulled a box from her bosom. "Dobby was so happy to see the master that she almost forgot that the master and mistress had prepared gifts for you!"

"A gift... is this something to eat?" Harry curiously took the box Dobby handed him and discovered that it appeared to be a lunchbox.

"It's... dumplings," Dobby said to Harry in broken China. "Master and Madam said they've had your dumplings before, and this time they want you and Miss to try theirs. They also said that back in China, if you don't know what to eat for a festival, you can eat dumplings!"

"Dumplings! What a wonderful surprise!" Harry gratefully clutched the lunchbox to his chest. "Perfect timing! Hermione and Luna Lovegood should be up soon, let's call them over to eat together!"

"Yes!" Dobby nodded excitedly and followed Harry out of the room.

Dobby!

After the two left the room, Hermione's door happened to open, and the sleepy-eyed academic girl immediately perked up upon seeing Dobby.

This morning, everyone at the Granger family was very happy. Dobby's unexpected return was undoubtedly the best Christmas gift.

The biggest surprise was the dumplings that the Mr. and Mrs. Granger made themselves. This breakfast, which had traveled halfway around the world, not only warmed the hearts of Harry and Hermione, but also satisfied Will, who was staying there.

However, someone seemed somewhat lost in thought while eating...

"Sir, look..."

As the group shared dumplings, Dobby suddenly nudged Harry next to him.

Harry and Hermione, at this moment, also saw the situation before them.

Luna Lovegood's eyes reddened, and two tears quietly slid down her cheeks, but she seemed oblivious to everything, continuing to enjoy her breakfast as if nothing was amiss.

"Luna Lovegood..." Seeing this scene, Harry felt a sudden pang in his heart.

He quickly got up and grabbed a tissue, only to find that Hermione had done the same thing.

After exchanging a glance, the two simultaneously wiped away the tear stains from Luna Lovegood's cheeks, one on each side, and Hermione then hugged Luna Lovegood.

"I'm fine, I just suddenly thought of her... This dumpling is delicious."

Luna Lovegood shook her head gently, her tone as ethereal as ever, but Harry felt a strange tightness in his chest as he listened.

And... guilt.

It was clear that today's breakfast reminded Luna Lovegood of her mother, which caused her to fall into this unexpected sadness.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't because Harry neglected her or anything; it was just a perfectly normal expression of his feelings.

But whenever Harry saw Luna Lovegood like that, he couldn't help but feel guilty, feeling that the reason she was sad must be because he hadn't done something right.

At this moment, Harry wasn't dwelling on why he was acting this way, because he was already thinking about what he could do for Luna Lovegood...

And I did think of that.

Chapter 658 The Obsessive Child and the Jealous Girl

Harry realized that he had really been negligent.

Luna Lovegood always seemed to have seen through everything, like a wise woman who did things her own way and didn't care if others didn't understand her.

She didn't seem to care about her mother's situation, and even after learning the origin of Harry's Space Ring, she showed no surprise.

But Harry has now discovered a misconception: seeing through things doesn't necessarily mean letting go.

Luna Lovegood's mother tragically passed away when she was young, and she remained calm when discussing it, as if she were no longer saddened by it.

She often says that one day she will definitely meet her mother in another way, so there is no need to keep dwelling on the past.

But how can a person completely forget the past?

Those experiences and sorrows are merely temporarily sealed away deep in our memories. One day, when certain events occur, people will involuntarily recall the past, and all the lingering resentment will once again envelop them...

Just like Luna Lovegood now.

Her statement that she would definitely see her mother again may have sounded very optimistic in the past, but now Harry feels that Luna Lovegood must have something to say to her mother.

Harry wants to help her do that!

At that moment, this idea completely occupied Harry's mind.

He even felt a little guilty for not acting sooner and for having to take advantage of the enactment of the Children Act to leave the Dursley family.

Luna Lovegood's mother tragically died when she was nine years old due to a cursed accident... which was also the time when she planned and escaped from the Dursley family.

If everything could have happened a little earlier, even just a year earlier, I might have been able to change Luna Lovegood's mother's fate...

Of course, this was just a kind of reactive impulse on Harry... to put it bluntly, he hadn't yet realized the change in his emotions, so he seemed a bit delirious.

He himself knew that it was simply unrealistic.

If changing fate were truly so easy, Scamander and his friends would have done it long ago; there would have been no need for Harry, who had no power at the time, to intervene.

Even so, he still wanted to do something for Luna Lovegood.

For example, allowing her to speak directly with her deceased mother... Harry felt he could do that.

In this world, nothing can truly break the boundary between life and death, but... that boundary can be blurred to some extent.

With Hermione's comforting words, Luna Lovegood's mood quickly returned to normal, or rather, she wasn't really hurt at all, and the little incident from the morning soon passed.

After breakfast, the four day students, plus Dobby, returned to Hogwarts through the Vanishing Cabinet, and Harry also took Dobby into the suitcase.

He gave Dobby some of the dragon scales that Norberta had shed and his regularly recorded physical condition indicators, and also wrote down the entire process of how he incubated the dragon eggs.

Elder Kong was a dragon tamer, and he had always hoped that the Chinese Fireball could regain their intelligence. Therefore, what he needed most was Harry's experience in raising dragons.

Of course, the reason Harry was able to awaken Norberta's intelligence was actually because his magic was different from that of ordinary wizards. Therefore, Harry also let Dobby take away a bracer he had made himself.

If you were to incubate a dragon egg with that thing in hand, there might be a chance it would hatch into a rather intelligent creature...

This year, the Hogwarts students and staff seem eager to impress the guests at Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, especially this Christmas, where they are going to great lengths to showcase the castle's grandeur.

When Harry and the others returned to the school, they found that the entire school had already been decorated with lights and colorful decorations. Not only were the handrails of the Marble Staircase covered with icicles that would never melt, but even the Christmas tree that was usually placed in the Great Hall had a much more novel design than in previous years.

There were Winky holly berries and a golden owl that kept chirping... By the way, all the owls were alive, and even Hedwig had been brought in for a part-time job; it's no surprise that Hagrid brought her.

Right now, Harry's bird is perched on the brightest star at the very top of the tallest Christmas tree, basking in its glory.

"Hi Harry, Merry Christmas everyone!"

Meanwhile, Hagrid, the main character, was in the Great Hall, warmly greeting Harry and the others.

He also dressed himself very neatly today, not only changing into an oversized suit but also carefully trimming his beard.

"Merry Christmas, Hagrid," Harry greeted him with a smile. "Isn't the ball in the evening? Why are you dressed up so early?"

"Well, that's because..." Hagrid stammered for a while before finally saying sheepishly, "She'll be bringing her students over for breakfast later. I made plans with her to eat together and then we can wander around... Ha, they're here already!"

Although he was talking to Harry, Hagrid's eyes were fixed on the entrance to the Great Hall. When he spotted the tall figure, he immediately abandoned Harry and ran over.

Seeing Hagrid's smug expression, Harry couldn't help but shake his head.

It's a holiday today, Granger family eat dinner earlier than the school, so they'll arrive just in time for the meal, which is fine.

The problem is, the game keeper of Hogwarts, the man who could tame any wild beast in the Forbidden Forest, was actually tamed by someone like that!

"Hey, you!"

The Beauxbatons arrived at the Great Hall, and the sharp-eyed Phoebe spotted Harry immediately, then strutting over with Gabrielle.

"You absolutely cannot lie to me about what happened tonight, do you hear me?!"

"What happened tonight?" Hermione asked, a hint of suspicion in her Phoebe.

There's only the Yule Ball tonight; Hermione doesn't know what else Harry and Phoebe might be up to.

Could it be...

Suddenly, a possible Hermione occurred to him, and he panicked, his face immediately darkening!

Harry... you wouldn't, would you?!

"Don't worry, you won't be without a dance partner." Harry nodded with a smile. "I promise, besides Hermione, you'll definitely be the most stylish one, okay?"

"Hmph, there's no way I could lose to her." Phoebe snorted arrogantly, giving Hermione a defiant look before turning and leaving with Gabrielle.

"Harry... see you tonight~" The little girl greeted Harry sweetly, then skipped away.

"Harry... do you want to explain to me what that conversation just now meant?"

After watching the Delacour sisters leave, Harry turned back to find the studious girl's hair practically on fire.

However, Harry didn't panic at all when faced with Hermione's questioning. Instead, he showed a carefree smile and said, "I was just discussing the ball with her tonight. By the way, I found a dance partner."

"I see!" Hermione glared angrily at Harry, so angry she wanted to kick the bastard in front of her.

So all her calculations went wrong; she overlooked Phoebe's 'sticky phlegm,' which led to Harry hooking up with her!

This is simply...

"I said, Miss Granger, I did indeed ask Delacour for my dance partner..." Harry grinned cheekily, seemingly oblivious to the danger, while Hermione was on the verge of exploding.

"But... you don't have to be jealous of even a child, do you?"

"A... little kid?" Hermione was completely stunned when she heard Harry's words.

What does that mean? Does it mean I was wrong?

Chapter 659 Before the Ball, the Dresses Shocked the Stage

Seeing Hermione's pouty and embarrassed expression, Harry certainly wasn't heartless enough to laugh at her, but he was definitely a little smug.

Serves you right for lying to me before, and for tearing my wings before!

If you're so capable, then dump me; if you're so capable, then don't be jealous!

Of course, Harry was still very sensible and didn't go too far.

A little bit of fun like this between couples can sometimes be a good way to relax, but if it goes too far and gets out of hand, then even a miracle won't save them.

Therefore, Harry quickly explained the whole story to Hermione, letting Hermione know that... Harry did indeed choose a girl from the Delacour family as his dance partner, but it was that little girl.

But then Hermione remembered another question.

"So... you just pushed him onto that woman?"

Hermione was well aware of Harry's original plan from the beginning, but now, due to unforeseen circumstances, she has become Luna Lovegood's dance partner, so the person Harry brought in to save the day will inevitably be replaced by Phoebe.

That duo... seems like they'd be interesting to watch!

After imagining certain scenarios for a moment, Hermione couldn't help but smile.

It has to be said that although Harry's actions were awful, they were absolutely satisfying.

Because the one who comes to the rescue, just like Harry, will definitely not tolerate Phoebe and will make her suffer repeatedly.