Daphne in Full Bloom
As soon as Skylar stepped into the Great Hall, he immediately became the focus of many people's attention.
Lately, Skylar has become increasingly elusive, rarely even eating in the Great Hall anymore. He's lost count of how many "friend cards" he's given out, and the news has spread throughout almost the entire Hogwarts.
Skylar ignored the stares of the crowd; he straightened his back and walked with steady steps past the Gryffindor table—
Then there's the Hufflepuff table—
Then we passed the Ravenclaw Table—
He walked to his usual seat but did not sit down.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Daphne and Astoria both lowered their heads, but to outsiders, their cheeks were redder than ripe apples.
After a moment of silence, Skylar bent down and extended his right hand, palm up.
"Miss Daphne Greengrass, would you like to be my dance partner?"
Daphne abruptly raised her head, her azure eyes widening slightly, her lips pressed tightly together. She paused for a moment, then stared blankly at Skylar's face, lost in thought, until Astoria gently nudged her, bringing her back to her senses and making her realize what had happened.
Unable to control her emotions, tears of happiness welled up in her eyes. Without saying a word, she grasped Skylar's outstretched hand, stood up, and threw herself into Skylar's arms in front of everyone, hugging him tightly.
After a long while, the two separated from their embrace. Skylar and Daphne both looked at Astoria and Morrie at the Ravenclaw Table.
Daphne lowered her head slightly, her eyes filled with apology. Skylar patted her arm, then said to Astoria, "Tori, I won't..."
Astoria quickly reached out her small hand and covered his mouth. She gently shook her head and smiled, "You don't need to say anything, I understand." She then winked at Skylar.
Skylar looked up in Morrie's direction. She was clapping softly, her eyes conveying understanding and encouragement Skylar another surge of emotion. He was glad he had turned down Hermione, Katarin, and the other girls' invitations, and hadn't caused them any real harm.
Why choose Daphne? Besides having the longest relationship and experiencing the most together, Daphne's personality was also the most suitable choice. Tori was too kind-hearted, even soft-hearted; while Morrie neither liked nor was good at scheming and plotting, and these qualities were necessary for sitting in the position of mistress of the house. So Skylar didn't really have a better choice.
The last week of the semester was increasingly bustling and noisy at school.
People were spreading rumors about the Yule Ball, such as Dumbledore buying eight hundred barrels of mead from Rosmerta, the Three Broomsticks; and that Dumbledore had booked the Weird Sisters to perform.
In class, Professor Flitwick noticed that his students were clearly distracted, so he simply stopped lecturing. He allowed them free time, even to play games. He himself spent most of the time talking to Skylar, discussing the brilliant protective spell Skylar had used in the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Professor Flitwick had already written a letter of recommendation for Skylar, qualifying him to participate in the European Dueling Championship, which was originally only open to adult wizards. Clearly, in his eyes, Skylar 'Skylar strength was no less than that of adult wizards.
Professor Binns' attention was undiminished; he continued his arduous trek through his pile of notes on the Goblin Rebellion and Giant rebellions. Most remarkably, he managed to describe these bloody and thrilling rebellions in such a dry and tedious manner.
Alchemy Class became the young wizards' favorite subject. Professor Burke, fittingly, began teaching alchemy related to the ball, such as ball boots that would make steps lighter, perfumes that would make a dance partner's heart race, and corsets that wouldn't cause back pain. It was the first time Skylar had ever seen the young witches, including Daphne, display such fervor and passion for a subject...
Of course, there are still professors who teach diligently— Professor McGonagall and Professor Moody still teach with meticulous care.
Needless to say, Snape would rather adopt Harry as his godson than let his classmates play games in class. He gave the class a dark look and told them that he would test their antidote in the last class of the term. Skylar chuckled inwardly. Snape had already mentioned poisoning on the day of the wand test, but he had deliberately delayed it until now, so his choice of target was obvious.
The Christmas holidays have finally arrived amidst the students' eager anticipation.
Despite the teachers assigning a lot of homework to the fourth-grade students, the cheerful atmosphere remained undiminished.
This holiday, a large group of students stayed on campus to celebrate, making Christmas a lively affair. They gathered in small groups, playing and laughing, with no interest in doing their homework.
Snowflakes fell heavily on the castle and the grounds. Beauxbatons' light blue carriage looked like a large, frosty pumpkin in winter, and the gingerbread house next to it, sprinkled with icing sugar, was Hagrid's Hut; the gunwales of Durmstrang were covered with ice, making them smooth and shiny, and the sails were also covered with a layer of white frost. Below, the House Elf in the kitchen were busy preparing a variety of hot stews and sweet puddings.
On Christmas morning, Skylar discovered that his Christmas presents had doubled compared to the previous year. He couldn't help but feel depressed, thinking that in a few more years his dormitory room might not be able to hold all the Christmas gifts.
Narcissa's gift was a pair of erotic rings, used in the same way as Muggle rings, but not as convenient as erotic rings, because the two people involved in an erotic ring are limited to that pair. If Skylar wanted to have an erotic ring with another person, he would need to buy another pair of erotic rings. Skylar remembered that in the Fantastic Beasts movies, erotic rings had erotic rings, which meant that erotic rings actually had room for other types of erotic rings.
Gareth also presented a gift: a pair of Dragon Hide, engraved with Ancient Runes, Skylar felt incredibly light, his running speed rivaling that of a transformed Werewolf. Skylar was absolutely enamored with the boots; after all, the Killing Curse was useless if he missed, and this equipment, which increased his evasion rate, would give him a significant advantage in future battles.
Daphne and Astoria each gave Skylar a magic book; Morrie gave him an elegantly designed magic bookmark with a Lumos so Skylar could read at night.
Cho Chang delivered the Zhang Family Secret Transfiguration Technique, <****>, which Skylar had been longing for, along with a thank-you letter from Zhang He himself, expressing Skylar for Sherlin's care of Cho Chang this semester. <****> is an extremely profound Transfiguration, involving not only physical Transfiguration but also the Transfiguration of the mind and soul. In Zhang He's own words, it is at least three times more difficult than Animagus.
Through this Transfiguration, one can transform their own ****, such as ****, into ****, which is commonly known as ****—this **** is not ****, but rather ****, ****'s ****, possessing the ****, ****, ****, ****, even **** of ****!
Upon seeing this, Skylar was overjoyed. Didn't this mean his fighting power had doubled?
Susan Bones' gift was equally impressive: an investigation file detailing the dark histories of Pure-blood families throughout the years. It included records of the House of Selwyn, House of Yaxley, House of Avery, and of course, the House of Malfoy. These were evidence gathered by the righteous Auror during their investigations, but without exception, they were all stopped by their superiors (usually the Minister for Magic) for various inexplicable reasons.
Sure enough, no one who becomes an official is simple. This gift was clearly sent to him by Aunt Leah through Susan, and its underlying meaning is worth pondering!
There were also some simple gifts; for example, Luna gave herself a Venomous Tentacula seedling, and even tied a bright red bow on it as decoration!
There was also an unexpected gift from Hermione: a beautiful quill pen, perfectly neat and tidy, just like the gift from an ordinary friend. Only someone as observant as Skylar could notice the tiny letters "H" and "S" faintly engraved on the quill's bristles.
Skylar couldn't help but smile wryly to himself, but he couldn't bear to just throw it in the trash. After thinking for a moment, he carefully put it away in the locked folder.
[Two-Way Mirror obtained!]
[Wind-Setting Boots obtained!]
[Obtained!]
[Confidential Investigation Files Obtained!]
Around 7:30 p. m., Skylar changed into his evening suit and came out of the bedroom. Although Dobby had bought it for him in Diagon Alley, he had actually asked Mr. Tattings, the owner of the Twilfitt and Tattings, to have it custom-made from imported France silk and black velvet. The overall fabric was similar to Draco's suit, both being black velvet, but the collar was made of silk with a high-gloss black sheen, so at least he wouldn't be mistaken for a parish priest.
(Note: Wizards' formal attire is a dress robe, not Muggle suit. In the original book, Draco is described as wearing a high-necked black velvet tuxedo, Harry wears a dark green tuxedo similar to his school robe. It can be seen that apart from the different fabric, the design and cut of wizard robes are not much different from those worn by ordinary wizards. The only difference is that the collar and cuffs can be decorated a bit.)
While Skylar's appearance didn't ignite the same fervor as some wish-fulfillment novels, making all the women swoon and all the men envious, it certainly made him the center of attention.
It must be said that even the best clothes depend on who wears them. Skylar is handsome and tall, and the aura of Champion surrounding him makes him look masculine. Therefore, this simple formal dress style can better highlight his dignified and imposing presence.
Daphne arrived at the common lounge soon.
Daphne's blonde hair was elegantly styled in a bun at the back of her head. She wore a full satin off-the-shoulder high-slit evening gown, which made her skin look as white as snow. Under the soft light, she appeared so radiant and beautiful.
This wasn't the first time Skylar had seen Daphne dressed up, but he still felt his heart flutter. Especially since their relationship had grown rapidly this semester, it made him realize for the first time how lucky he was to have been reborn as a child and experience pure, innocent love again.
He stepped forward, took Daphne's fair hand in his, kissed it, and said, "You are the most beautiful tonight."