Dress Robes

On Christmas Eve, a timely heavy snow fell on the castle, and the snowflakes drifted down onto the castle and the grounds, adding a unique touch to the place.

A thick layer of ice had formed on Black Lake, freezing Durmstrang's large ship to the ground. It shimmered in the sunlight, and a layer of glistening white frost clung to its sails... It looked much better than before.

Christmas breakfast consisted of hot stew and delicious pudding. Although it was a holiday, the castle was just as crowded as ever, and the Great Hall was as packed as before.

"The food at Hogwarts is so greasy," Phoebe complained softly, filling her plate with corn tortillas and boiled potatoes. "I feel like my Dress Robes are about to burst."

Kyle calmly ate the stew on his plate without saying a word... after all, he had heard similar comments many times recently.

Sometimes Kyle even suspected that if he served Phoebe a plate of leafy greens, she might find it greasy.

However, Kanna next to her seemed to take it seriously. She looked at the food on Phoebe's plate, which even the owl could hardly eat its fill, and compared it with the large bowl of stew that had just been brought to her. After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly put it back on the table.

"It's alright, please eat."

Kyle casually pushed the bowl back, "When you grow a little taller next year, you'll definitely need to change your current Dress Robes. We can just buy new ones then."

"No," Kanna shook her head and said softly, "Not today..."

She then took some tortillas as well.

At this moment, Phoebe seemed to realize something, turned to stare at Kyle, and said in an unfriendly tone, "You mean to say that I'm not going to grow any taller?"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean that... You said it yourself." Kyle shrugged, putting on a show of refusing to admit it no matter what, which infuriated Phoebe.

After finishing their meal, they returned to Hufflepuff's common room and began unwrapping their Christmas presents.

Phoebe's gifts were also delivered here, piling up like a small mountain in the corner of the lounge. However, she only picked out a few items, and packed the rest into a box and sent them back to Beauxbatons ' carriage.

They spent the entire morning in the common room sorting through the Christmas gifts they had received, before returning to the Great Hall for a hearty lunch.

The House-elf in the kitchen have come up with a new treat: Dervish and Banges Wizarding Crackers... They're really crunchy! Every bite is like a firework going off in the Great Hall, with crackling sounds everywhere—it's so lively!

Finally, it was afternoon, and just as it turned six o'clock, Kanna jumped up from her chair and rushed back to her dorm to prepare for the dance.

Not just Kanna, but after six o'clock, there wasn't a single girl left in the common room.

"Two hours... just to change clothes, do they really need that much time?" Mikel said, unable to understand.

By seven o'clock, as darkness fell, Kyle stopped playing Wizard's Chess with Cedric and they returned to their dormitory to change into their formal Dress Robes.

By 7:30, everyone had gradually emerged from the dormitories. The common room looked strange; the people inside were no longer all wearing uniform school robes, but rather a mix of various colors...

Mikel changed into a navy blue Dress Robes, looking much more mature than before, Ryan wore a burgundy one.

As soon as the two stepped out of the dormitory, they slammed their hands on the table, attracting everyone's attention.

"Girls..." Ryan said with a grin, "You have no idea what you're missing out on..."

"If you're referring to yourself..." Hannah looked Ryan up and down, then couldn't help but tease, "Well, I guess I haven't missed anything."

"Hey, don't say that," Susan Bones nudged her friend and couldn't help but laugh, "He's my dance partner, let's give him some face."

"Thank you for your kind words, Hannah ..." Ryan said curtly, "But I'm sorry to disappoint you, I wasn't talking about myself, but... oh, he's here."

Everyone followed his gaze.

So, as soon as Kyle stepped out of the dormitory, he saw this strange scene... almost everyone in the common room was staring at him.

"What are you all doing..." Kyle looked down at his Dress Robes in confusion. "Did I wear the wrong Dress Robes? No."

"Oh..." Susan couldn't help but gasp, then tugged at her friend's arm. "Hannah, do you think it's too late for me to change dance partners now?"

However, Hannah did not answer; she, like everyone else, was looking at Kyle.

For most Hufflepuff students, this was the first time they had ever seen Kyle wearing clothes other than her school uniform.

Wearing a black velvet Dress Robes with a simple gold thread trim around the collar and cuffs... it was a perfectly normal Dress Robes, but somehow it instantly changed Kyle's demeanor.

"I'm so envious..." Susan sighed. "I wonder who Kyle's dance partner is..."

"Is there even a question?" Ryan walked over.

But before he could speak, a voice came from behind them.

"Have you all changed yet?"

"Oh..."

Another gasp came from the lounge.

"I think I know who you're talking about." Susan looked at Kanna behind her and couldn't help but say, "She's so beautiful..."

Kanna seemed to have taken Professor McGonagall's advice to heart; instead of using the headband, she carefully braided her hair into a simple bun.

Her loose-fitting school uniform was replaced with a long robe made of apricot-yellow fabric. She wore no extra accessories, nor did she need any; she was beautiful enough to make people unable to look away.

"Why are you all looking at me like that..." Kanna looked down. "Did I wear the wrong clothes?"

"Oh, I'm even more certain they're dance partners now," Susan muttered to herself.

"Don't worry, it's nothing." Kyle walked over. "You're... well, very beautiful."

"Thank you..." Kanna said softly, "Should we go to the Great Hall now? Or should we wait for Cedric? He doesn't seem to be out yet."

"Let's go to the Great Hall first," Kyle said. "Professor McGonagall instructed us that we need to get there early."

"Okay." Kanna nodded with a smile, and then the two of them walked through the wooden barrel door and headed towards the Great Hall.

"They're such a perfect match," Hannah couldn't help but say.

"Who says otherwise?" Mikel smiled.