Choice of Dance Partner

After parting ways with the Slytherin first-years, Professor Lore unusually did not return to his office. Instead, he circled around and arrived at the entrance courtyard.

"Disillusionment." He raised his wand and tapped himself, then blended into the surroundings.

At the stairs before the Great Hall, the figure of a black-haired ghost appeared. He frowned in puzzlement, then his pupils turned a clear, glass-like color. Professor Lore's faint outline emerged before his eyes.

He followed silently.

"Are you the new ghost?"

Xiwen's attention had been entirely on Professor Lore. He had not noticed anyone approaching and nearly jumped out of his skin.

He turned his head, silently dispelled the All-Seeing Eye, and looked at the newcomer with an unpleasant expression.

The one who had silently appeared beside Xiwen was a ghost. Xiwen suddenly understood. No wonder I didn't hear any footsteps.

The ghost was an elderly man dressed in a classical scholar's robe. He wore a tall square cap and had a small goatee on his chin, looking refined and scholarly.

"That's right. I'm Stephen Strange. May I ask who you are?" Xiwen asked.

"You may call me Scholar Angulo." The refined old man smiled kindly. "I heard you are a doctor?"

"Ahem, it's nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning..." Xiwen said awkwardly. He was clearly a fraud; the real Strange had earned two doctoral degrees, while he could not compare at all.

Scholar Angulo smiled. "I have always admired knowledgeable people. Perhaps we can exchange ideas more often in the future."

"Definitely next time!"

Xiwen readily agreed, though inwardly he grumbled, Ghosts can't truly learn knowledge they failed to master while alive, so what use is exchanging ideas...?

He absentmindedly turned to look at the staircase leading to the Slytherin Common Room. Professor Lore had indeed already vanished.

Professor Lore's spellcasting had always been exceptional. If one did not know his exact location beforehand, even the All-Seeing Eye would struggle to catch any trace of the Disillusionment Charm he used.

Looks like I won't find out what Professor Lore was up to today. What a pity. Xiwen secretly shook his head and sighed.

Scholar Angulo, meanwhile, had no awareness that he had delayed Xiwen. He enthusiastically offered to introduce Xiwen to some important members of the Ghost Council.

After considering it, Xiwen felt that spending every day glued to Helena in the library was not entirely appropriate, so he accepted the invitation.

After talking along the way, Xiwen's impression of Scholar Angulo changed greatly.

Though he was called a scholar, Scholar Angulo's knowledge surpassed even that of many people with doctoral degrees. He possessed extensive and profound reserves of magical knowledge and had even dabbled in alchemy, which interested Xiwen greatly.

Looks like I can get quite a lot out of Scholar Angulo. Xiwen thought with satisfaction.

The next day was Friday, the weekday closest to the weekend break. The little wizards all eagerly wished for the day to end quickly, letting time leap straight into the happy hours of carefree weekend play.

The Slytherin first-years were especially fortunate: they had only one Potions class scheduled on Friday morning. That meant that once they got through Potions, they would officially enter a two-and-a-half-day holiday!

This school year, apart from the fifth- and seventh-years, who were in crucial examination years, Professor Slughorn only needed to teach an additional fourth-year class. Since Professor Rice's class was not taught by their own Head of House, even though his Potions lessons were lively, he still could not resist the little wizards' enthusiasm for the weekend.

However, none of them had expected Professor Slughorn to silently appear at the somewhat dim doorway of the Potions classroom five minutes before class ended. Looking rather displeased, he caught Mobley causing trouble in class on the spot, yet overlooked Abraxas, his Potions partner in mischief.

After class, the kind and approachable Head of House was still waiting at the classroom door, inviting Abraxas of the Malfoy family, Elshiona of the Greengrass family, and Walburga of the Black family to join his Slug Club.

"That's not fair!"

As they walked toward the Great Hall, Mobley said indignantly.

"Maybe that's the difference between us." Abu lifted his head smugly and looked down his nose at Mobley. "By the way, why didn't the Head of House invite you, Xiwen?"

"The Head of House said my Friday detention every week would be replaced by Slug Club gatherings, so I had no choice but to agree." Xiwen spread his hands, indicating that he had already joined a few days ago.

"No choice?" Gomez and Mobley stared at him in disbelief, as though they were about to fall apart.

Xiwen patted their shoulders and consoled them. "It's fine. The Head of House actually values talent more. If you perform a little better, you won't have to worry about him not inviting you."

"How could it be so easy to perform well..." Mobley immediately deflated upon hearing that. Gomez did not answer, but the determination in his eyes suggested that he intended to give it a try.

"Xiwen!"

At that moment, Elshiona's voice called out. She sent away the group of girls teasing her and ran over alone.

Xiwen stopped and looked at her curiously.

"I heard from Walburga's cousin Lucretia that there are dances at the Slug Club. Do you have formal robes?" Elshiona asked, her face slightly red.

"What? A dance?" Xiwen looked completely bewildered. "Why would there be something like that? Aren't clubs founded by professors supposed to discuss studying?"

"The Slug Club is different!" Elshiona stomped her foot anxiously. "Do you have formal robes or not? If we send an express letter to Elegant Wizardwear in Hogsmeade now to rent a set, they should be able to deliver it before dinner!"

At the mention of Elegant Wizardwear, Xiwen remembered. Sandrine seemed to have bought him a set of formal robes in Diagon Alley, and they were from Elegant Wizardwear.

So he replied, "I do have a set of formal robes."

He paused, then weakly asked, "But can I not dance? I don't know how at all..."

Xiwen was certain that, even counting both his past and present lives, he had never had anything to do with dancing. If he were asked to go onstage and perform a set of martial arts, he might do fairly well. But dancing? Just thinking about it felt a little embarrassing.

"No!" At those words, Elshiona's beautiful brows immediately shot up as she declared fiercely, "You can learn now!"

After glancing at the utterly clueless Xiwen, Elshiona added softly, "I can teach you."

Then, with her face burning red, she slipped away in tiny hurried steps.

"Hey, brother! So have you decided that Elshiona is your dance partner?" Abu approached with a mischievous grin and slung an arm around Xiwen's shoulders. Mobley and Gomez beside him also watched with gossipy expressions.

Xiwen took a long while to recover, still wondering how things had developed to this point. It was only when he heard Abu's question that he realized something was wrong.

"I don't think I ever said I was going to dance? And I never said I wanted Elshiona to be my dance partner?"

Xiwen suddenly came to his senses. It seemed that, perhaps, maybe, possibly... he had been arranged...?