Let's Start Today's Ball!

The group filed through the doors and into the Great Hall.

Because of the Christmas Ball, the place had been decorated very nicely. Looking up, one could see a sky full of stars, hundreds of mistletoe sprigs and wreaths of ivy hanging from the ceiling, and the flags of the three schools fluttering in the wind.

A dozen Christmas trees were scattered around the Great Hall, lit by candles that illuminated the dim interior. The desks of the four presidents had disappeared, replaced by tables lit with lanterns.

"Ivan, Harry, come to the main table!" Professor McGonagall, who was sitting at the teachers' table, called out to them as they entered.

Yvonne nodded and led Hermione up the aisle.

For a moment, the pair were the centre of attention in the Great Hall.

Ivan was a champion who defeated the dragon, and had a reputation for being highly admired by many, including Hermione, who was so stunning that she put many people to shame.

Under countless envious and jealous gazes, Ivan took his place at the head of the table, and Hermione did not shy away from taking Ivan's arm.

They arrived early, and the main table was not full.

Yvonne greeted Moody and Bagman, who had arrived earlier, with a nod, and a few moments later Fleur and Krum arrived with their partners.

"Hi, Yvonne!" Fleur greeted her warmly. She had dressed up to be charming, and boys were stealing glances at her.

Fleur's partner was Roger Davis, a Ravenclaw senior who Yvonne had seen on the Quidditch pitch.

Now, however, it seemed that he had fallen head over heels in love with Fleur, and when he saw her talking to Ivan, he got angry, but when he thought about Ivan's performance on the pitch, he backed down.

Yvonne, having little interest in Fleur, was about to brush her off when Hermione intervened.

"Hello, Miss Delacour!"

Hermione stared daggers at Fleur, her words thick with alienation and hostility.

Ivan immediately shut his mouth and said nothing.

"How do you do, Granger?" Fleur chuckled, then turned and sat down at the Beauxbatons Warriors' designated table. Roger Davis followed suit, moving more like a minion than a dance partner.

Krum sat down at his table without a word, next to a Slytherin senior girl who was quite pretty.

Krum, however, did not seem to be responding. He seemed to be inattentive, as he kept glancing at Hermione with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Ivan was, of course, aware of Krum's gaze and resented it, but could not do anything in public.

Crucially, Ivan recalls that the second match of the Triwizard Tournament involved rescuing hostages, and that Hermione would most likely be placed at the bottom of the lake as his most prized possession.

But what if Krum got to the hostage-saving area first? Would he abandon the people he had to save and insist on taking Hermione?

As unlikely as the possibility was, it had to be guarded against.

How to keep Hermione safe at the bottom of the lake was also an issue.

It seemed that he needed to plan for the second match…

"Leave him alone, Ivan! It's a ball…" Hermione said, tugging at Ivan's arm and trying to calm him down. She noticed that Ivan was looking at Krum with an odd expression on his face, as if he was worried Ivan was about to start a fight.

"Well, I won't look at him, then. What about you?" Yvonne teased, turning back to Hermione and taking in her delicate features.

"If you want to see it, go ahead!" Hermione blushed and deliberately turned her head away from him. She tapped the plate in front of her with her wand, summoned some dessert, and began to nibble on it.

Ivan continued to stare at her without moving, and Hermione grew restless, the blush spreading to her neck and making her look even more attractive in the candlelight.

"Aren't you going to eat it?" Hermione asked, turning to stare at him.

Yvonne, knowing that the little witch would get really angry if she kept this up, restrained herself a little, but still pushed her luck and insisted on eating Hermione's dessert.

Hermione was initially unhappy, but when Ivan continued to stare at her, she took advantage of the fact that not many people were looking and cut a piece of dessert off a plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Can't you just eat it yourself?" Hermione said indignantly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Yvonne muttered through a mouthful of dessert. He had the feeling that Hermione's food would be sweeter than usual, and he looked at her again.

"Don't even think about it!" The young witch shook her head vehemently.

Seeing that Hermione was extremely shy, Ivan had no choice but to wave his wand and summon some food to eat.

Ivan, meanwhile, glanced around the Great Hall, where witches and wizards were chatting and laughing with each other.

Harry and Ginny were sitting at a table nearby, looking more natural without Ron and the others' presence.

The professors at the main table were no longer as solemn as they usually were, and were chatting and laughing in their fine, expensive robes. Snape, however, was the only one who looked as bitter as ever.

Hagrid looked as if he had been given a new lease of life. He was talking happily to Maxime, and his large robes were so tight around him that one could not help but worry that the buttons on his collar would suddenly burst.

The dinner lasted nearly half an hour, and at eight o'clock that evening, Dumbledore stood up slowly and cleared his throat.

"Well, everyone, I think you've all had your fill, don't you?"

Dumbledore's gaze swept the Great Hall, and when no one objected, he cleared the food from the table and gestured for everyone to stand.

"Then let us begin today's ball!" Dumbledore's booming voice echoed through the Great Hall, and he waved his wand high in the air with his left hand.

All the tables and chairs in the Great Hall seemed to have been guided by something, as they automatically flew to the walls and piled up, leaving a large empty space in the middle. Then, a towering stage rose out of the ground, with all kinds of exquisite instruments on it…

(PS: Today is still the third chapter.)