The Yule Ball (5)

As the first song ended, the music didn't stop; the Weird Sisters then presented a second song—"The Hippogriff."

William and Hermione, standing in the center of the dance floor, had become the focus of the entire room, with most eyes on them.

Except for Harry.

Having only danced one dance, he quickly lost interest and returned to his seat. Then, he eagerly stared at Qiu.

"One more, please, Harry! This song is really nice!" said Harry's dance partner Parvati.

"No, I don't like it." Harry shook his head, saying dismissively, "I'm a little tired."

Parvati stared at Harry's face with a scrutinizing gaze, and said meaningfully, "You're already done jumping after such a short time? It seems your stamina is quite poor."

"Yeah, my back aches after just a little exercise," Harry said casually.

"Oh, I see." Parvati's gaze toward Harry grew increasingly strange.

She crossed her arms and legs, and a few minutes later, a boy from Beauxbatons came over and asked her to dance.

"You don't mind, do you, Harry?" Parvati asked, turning her head.

"What?" Harry was still staring at Cho.

Parvati followed Harry's gaze and saw Cho as well.

She snorted and stood up, saying:

"It's nothing, just continue enjoying Cho Chang and Diggory's dance."

She "thoughtfully" reminded them, "You only have time to watch for a little while. I heard that after they finish dancing, they'll go on a date in the woods..."

"A date?" Harry suddenly raised his voice. "A date with what?"

"It's just dating... kissing, hugging, and stuff like that." Parvati delivered the fatal blow.

"No... Cho wouldn't..." Harry stammered.

Parvati Shrimp and Pork Heart said, "You've never been to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, have you?"

Couples all do this; I saw two of them go in last year.

Besides, Diggory is already an adult, and Cho is fifteen or sixteen, almost an adult. Doing these things... is perfectly normal."

Harry sat there, motionless, like a wilted eggplant.

Parvati chuckled, and in front of Harry, she put her arm around the Beauxbatons boy's arm and laughed as they left.

Harry's eyes darkened as he stared in the direction of Cho and Cedric.

The image of Cho and Cedric passionately kissing gradually surfaced in his mind.

Ahhh~ We have to stop them both!

Even angrier Harry was Lavender, who was holding Ron and trying to teach him to dance.

But Ron was completely oblivious; his movements were stiff as a corpse, and his eyes kept glancing in other directions.

"Ah, my boots! Ron!" Lavender finally stopped calling Luoluo.

"This is the seventeenth time! You've stepped on me seventeen times!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Ron sighed, then suddenly said, "Forget it, I'm not jumping anymore. It's pointless!"

He turned to leave, but then stepped on Lavender and his foot slipped.

Ron flailed his arms wildly, finally grabbing onto something to avoid falling.

With a snapping sound, Lavender's sleeve was torn open, revealing her slender arm.

She was completely stunned, standing there dumbfounded. Was it a hallucination caused by the impact of the airflow, or was she drunk from dinner?

The surroundings were silenced, and everyone froze for five seconds before bursting into pig-like screams.

"It's rented! My girlfriends and I rented it! It was very expensive!" Lavender was so anxious she was almost crying.

Ron was also completely bewildered. He panicked and said, "I'll pay!"

Ron then remembered that he was penniless and had to work as a drug dealer to pay off his debts. So, he immediately changed his tune:

"Take it off now, I'll sew it up for you... No, take it off in my dorm, no one's there..."

"You... you pervert!" Lavender's face flushed red, and his chest trembled with rage.

She cursed, raised her hand high, and slapped Ron hard across the face. Then she covered her face, cried, and ran out of the Great Hall.

Many students stopped dancing and burst into laughter.

Ron was completely stunned, and his ears were ringing.

After a long while, he walked dejectedly down to the dance floor and sat down next to Harry.

Harry was still glaring at Cedric through gritted teeth, oblivious to the commotion in a corner, and didn't even turn to look at Ron.

He opened a bottle of Butterbeer, handed it to him, and asked, "How was it? Had fun?"

"Not good!" Ron took the drink and gulped it down. "I hate dances!"

"Yes," Harry murmured. "We didn't invite anyone we wanted to invite..."

Ron chugs down his drinks, staring at William and Hermione embracing on the dance floor.

He suddenly said, "Harry, if I go and ask her to dance later..."

"Who are you inviting? Don't you already have a dance partner?"

Harry finally turned his head, and when he saw Ron's face, he leaned back and shuddered violently.

What happened to your face?!

There was a clearly visible handprint on Ron's face.

If we compare a face to paper and a palm to words, the only way to describe it is with force that penetrates the paper and is deeply penetrating.

"Lavender hit him," Ron said angrily.

"Why? What right does she have to hit someone?!" Harry said angrily.

I accidentally tore her skirt... I asked her to come to our dorm to mend it for me... and she slapped me.

Ron opened another bottle of wine and shouted, "Do you think she's out of her mind?"

"..."

Harry thought Lavender's slap was too light. If it were him, he would have kicked Ron in the groin again.

Let him know what utter despair feels like.

Ah, if only Cedric were Ron.

Harry could rush over right now and give him a good kick.

The Weird Sisters performed four songs in a row: "This Is the Night," "The Hippogriff," "Magic Works," and "The Queen Lives Forever."

As the melody of "The Queen Lives Forever" ended, Hermione, who had been dancing for more than thirty minutes, finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed into William's arms.

The girl's face flushed red, and she was covered in sweat, with a few strands of hair sticking to her cheeks.

William took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, then asked, slightly out of breath, "How are you? Can you still walk?"

"It's alright, just my legs are sore and a bit heavy," Hermione said breathlessly, but with a cheerful smile. "Let's go rest over there."

William hummed in agreement and bent down. What happened next left the students who had been secretly watching the two of them speechless with shock.

William gathered Hermione's skirt and gently lifted her up in his arms.

Hermione didn't struggle. Instead, she bent her slender waist and pressed her blushing face against William's chest, avoiding everyone's gaze.

The crowd automatically parted to make way for the two of them, and William walked towards the corner as if no one else was there.

After sitting down on a chair, Hermione left his embrace, moved to the chair next to him, and then bent down to straighten her dress.

William smiled broadly and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Hermione tilted her head, glanced at the restless girls around her, and gave a sly smile, "Let's have some... eggnog."

"The wine, are you sure?" William glanced at Hermione, but didn't expose her little scheme.

He snapped his fingers, and a large bottle of eggnog appeared on the table.

William poured two glasses, and Hermione picked up one of them, took a big sip, and savored it.

Hermione drank heartily, but after only a few drinks, her face turned red, and she leaned on William's shoulder, slightly tipsy.

In the short time that followed, quite a few witches abandoned their dance partners and hurried over, boldly inviting William to dance.

I couldn't invite him to be my dance partner, but we can still go dancing together.

Granger was already drunk anyway.

This is a perfect opportunity.

William refused outright.

Hermione secretly covered her mouth and smiled, having anticipated this situation.

She can't hold her liquor; once she's had a few drinks... William would never abandon her to dance with other girls.

Seeing that Stark refused, many people sat down at nearby tables. Their gazes towards Hermione were filled with intense jealousy.

Krum also sat down nearby, staring intently at Hermione in William's arms, waiting for the right moment to invite her.

After waiting a while, just as I was about to get up, a red-haired wizard approached me.

Krum was startled by the sight of that face with its chubby cheeks.

What the heck... that's so scary!

Ron clenched his fists, looked at Krum eagerly, and said in a trembling voice, "I'm your biggest fan, I can..."

Krum stared at him with a dark expression and muttered, "Sorry, I don't dance with men!"

"No... it's not... dancing..."

"Dating is definitely out of the question!"

"No," Ron quickly waved his hand, "I'm Champion too, I want your autograph!"

"You're Champion too?" Krum frowned, then exclaimed in realization, "Oh, you're Champion from Hogwarts... the one who uses Dark Magic?"

Ron's face turned bright red.

Krum took the paper and quill and bent down to sign his name. But when he turned his head, he found that the red-haired wizard was gone.

Ron mustered his courage, walked up to William and Hermione, and said nervously, "Hermione... may I ask you... to dance?"

Hermione looked surprised, then shook her head and said, "Sorry, I'm very tired tonight and don't want to dance anymore."

Ron froze like a statue, his face even paler than after being rejected when he invited Phoebe.

His mouth moved, but no sound came out, like a goldfish emerging from the water.

Hermione whispered in William's ear, "Let's go, William, I'm a little drunk. Let's find a quiet place... it's too noisy here."

William nodded, stood up, and put his arm around Hermione's shoulder as they walked out of the Great Hall.

Ron suddenly looked up and shouted, "William, where are you taking Hermione? Can't you see she's drunk!"

What do you want to do?

William turned around, looked at Ron's somewhat ferocious face, and chuckled:

What my girlfriend and I do is none of your business.

Ill!"

After saying that, the two ignored him and walked out of the Great Hall.

Krum strode over, his face grim, and asked, "Why did they leave?"

"How should I know!" Ron said stubbornly, looking up at him. "If you want to know, go ask him yourself!"

Krum's face darkened again, and he tore the signature to shreds and threw it on the ground.

He said coldly:

"Ill!"

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