In the days since the Yule Ball was announced, Hogwarts Castle had been exceptionally lively compared with the same period in previous years.
The girls had begun moving around in groups, putting a great deal of pressure on many boys. Whenever they wanted to invite a particular girl, they had to face the scrutiny of an entire group of girls.
Besides the groups of girls, one rumor after another had also begun circulating;
For instance, Dumbledore had supposedly ordered over a thousand barrels of spiced mead for this Yule Ball;
And the amount of sweets Dumbledore had ordered also seemed astonishing. According to so-called "reliable sources," Honeydukes' warehouses had been emptied out.
However, according to Hufflepuff students' investigations, most of the rumors had only one purpose—exaggerating the extravagance of the Yule Ball to attract more students into staying at school, thereby increasing their chances of finding a dance partner.
"How did it go?" Michael Corner hurriedly asked as Anthony Goldstein returned to the Ravenclaw table. "Did you succeed?"
"I failed..." Anthony ran a hand through his hair, sat down, and sighed. "Lini has already found a partner."
"Who's her partner?" Michael asked. "Is it Andrew Kirk from Gryffindor?"
"You! Did you know all along?" Anthony glared at Michael, already pulling his wand from his pocket as though he was about to cast a spell the next second.
"Let me explain!" Michael hurriedly raised both hands. "I only found out from Justin Finch-Fletchley this morning..."
"Zacharias actually told Andrew Kirk that too. And the news about Lini—I heard that from Zacharias before."
"Zacharias?" Anthony raised an eyebrow, getting to his feet and looking toward the Hufflepuff table as if confirming something. "You mean Zacharias Smith?"
"Yes! Him!" Michael hurriedly nodded. He saw Cedric's ears redden slightly as he waved off