Stirring Up Trouble

When Kyle returned with the pudding and Pumpkin Juice, he saw a Durmstrang boy standing in front of Kanna, seemingly wanting to ask her to dance.

However, Kanna refused, and the boy didn't press the matter. He turned and walked towards another Gryffindor girl not far away. Kyle remembered that her name was Parvati or something, anyway, she was in the same year as Harry.

"Have some soda," Kyle said, stepping forward and handing over what he was carrying. "Someone recommended this pudding, saying it's quite good."

Kanna took the pudding and took a bite. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from dancing three dances in a row.

"Hogwarts has never been this lively before, has it?" she said. "Everyone looks so happy; this is the best Christmas ever."

"Yes," Kyle said.

Of course, it would be even better if someone didn't keep staring at him.

Kyle was referring to none other than Professor Snape...

His gaze had briefly disappeared for a moment while he was dancing, but that unease returned as he went to get his drink.

Kyle turned his head and saw Snape standing by a table not far away, staring intently at him.

Karkaroff was standing next to Snape, looking somewhat anxious and pointing repeatedly towards the door, as if he had something important to discuss with Snape.

Kyle curiously turned his head, wanting to hear what they were saying, but because of the distance and the noise around him, he could only vaguely hear some intermittent sounds.

"You know... Severus ... this is important..."

"We've already talked... Igor, you're making a mountain out of a molehill..."

"Hello." Just as Kyle was engrossed in listening, a girl from Beauxbatons suddenly stopped in front of him. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Sorry, I might need to replenish my energy." Kyle picked up the Pumpkin Juice next to him and took a sip.

The girl looked somewhat disappointed.

"But I can recommend someone else," Kyle continued, pointing to the table with desserts where the man was chugging Butterbeer. "Harry Potter, ever heard of him? I've noticed no one has invited him yet."

"That famous the Chosen One?" The girl from Beauxbatons was initially curious, but after seeing Harry's appearance clearly, she looked puzzled. "He seems different from the legends."

"He was probably hungry, or maybe he was just trying to cover up his embarrassment because no one invited him."

"Really?" The girl walked over with a hint of doubt.

When Kyle turned around, he saw Kanna looking at him with a very strange expression.

"Hogwarts rarely hosts a ball..." Kyle shrugged, explaining, "It would be a shame to spend the whole night eating a buffet here."

That's not what I meant.

For some reason, Kanna's face turned even redder. She looked at the cup in Kyle's hand and said in a very soft voice, "I already drank that drink you're holding."

"Sorry, but I'll keep this one," Kyle said with a smile. "Dancing is really tiring; I really don't want to make another trip."

"Yes... yes..." Kanna said, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Thanks."

"Heh, it seems our Champion Mr. really enjoys Pumpkin Juice." A cold voice came from behind.

Snape appeared behind Kyle without warning, snatched the cup from Kyle's hand, and roughly shoved another cup of Pumpkin Juice into Kyle's hand.

Because of the excessive force, a lot of soda splashed out of the cup and onto Kyle's Dress Robes.

"It's okay if you don't want to move, I can get it for you," Snape said coldly. "Don't be shy, drink up."

"Uh... Professor." Kyle chuckled awkwardly, "I just had a drink... um... not yet."

You're kidding, even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare drink anything Snape brought him.

"Is that so..." Snape drawled.

He seemed to want to say something more, but fortunately, a sudden argument nearby caught his attention.

Snape looked towards the source of the noise and, upon discovering that the two arguing parties were Hermione and Ron, looked away again... clearly not intending to resolve the conflict.

"Whenever you want Pumpkin Juice, just come to me, I guarantee you'll get plenty," Snape said ominously, before returning to his previous spot, looking like an owl on guard duty.

He didn't choose to take Kanna away from the ball... probably because there was almost no one else in the Hufflepuff Common Room at that time.

At least here he can keep an eye on things and stop anything that might happen.

Then Kyle was targeted. Now he couldn't go anywhere, couldn't dance, and couldn't leave the Great Hall. Helpless, he was forced to join Harry's buffet party.

However, Harry and Ron didn't seem to be doing well either. Hermione was missing, and Ron was complaining about something before leaving the Great Hall with Harry.

Kyle and Kanna moved to the other side of the table and sat down at the furthest point from the dance floor. They ate pudding and muffins and chatted idly, talking about everything from the Triwizard Tournament to their predictions for the Second Task, and even Cedric's awkward dance moves... They talked about whatever came to mind.

However, judging from Kanna's expression, she seems quite satisfied with the current situation.

Occasionally, people would invite them to dance, but they would always find an excuse to decline.

An hour later, the ball became Fred and George's domain, with the two abandoning their partners and dancing a lively tap dance as if no one else was around.

The Weird Sisters were also drawn in, and the originally soothing music instantly transformed into a cheerful drumbeat.

After noticing this, the people around them joined in... This time, even Kyle and Kanna couldn't stay seated any longer. They were dragged and pushed to the middle of the dance floor by Cedric and Cho, joining the revelry.

The atmosphere of the ball reached its peak at this moment.

They played like that until midnight, when the Weird Sisters stopped.

They gave them another round of enthusiastic applause, and then began to walk toward the Entrance Hall.

"That's great..."

"I love these Weird Sisters so much, I never imagined the school would even manage to get them here..."

"I hope there will be more opportunities like this in the future, ideally every Christmas..."

"That's unlikely. Don't forget this is Triwizard Tournament..."

That's why I said I hoped it would be possible...

Everyone chattered as they entered the Entrance Hall.

Karkaroff finally seized his chance and dragged the bloodshot-eyed Snape to the area outside the castle.

"Phew, he's finally gone," Kyle said wistfully.

Kanna chuckled softly, covering her mouth. "It's alright, maybe there'll be a ball next year."

"If that's the case..." Kyle glanced toward the castle gates, "I hope the headmaster will find Professor Snape something to do beforehand, just something that keeps him out of Hogwarts."

After all, he doesn't seem to have any interest in dancing at all, does he?"