Chapter 265: Formal Attire

The students and faculty of Hogwarts were eager to impress their guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, determined to showcase the castle in its best light this Christmas. 

The school was adorned with festive decorations: the marble staircase was lined with everlasting ice columns, and the twelve Christmas trees in the Great Hall were adorned with an array of ornaments, from shimmering holly berries to live golden owls that chirped incessantly. 

Even the suits of armor had been enchanted to sing Christmas carols as people passed by. It was quite amusing to hear an empty helmet belt out, "Oh come, all ye faithful."

During this time, Alaric had become the envy of all the boys, having secured a total of four dance partners.

If these partners had been like Eloise Midgen—the girl widely considered the ugliest at Hogwarts, whom no one wanted to dance with—it might have been understandable. 

However, Alaric's four partners were exceptionally talented: two were the only female warriors among them, and the other two were equally beautiful and charming girls.

If Alaric hadn't been a wizard of considerable magical prowess, he would have been knocked out long ago.

But now, Alaric's daily swagger seemed to convey to all the young wizards that with strength comes the freedom to do as one pleases.

Soon, Christmas Eve arrived, and snowflakes fell gently over the castle and grounds. 

Beauxbatons' pale blue carriage resembled a frosted pumpkin in winter, next to which stood Hagrid's gingerbread cottage covered in sugar icing. 

Durmstrang's ship's hull was encased in ice, smooth and translucent, with frost on its sails. 

Meanwhile, the house-elves in the kitchen were bustling with excitement, preparing a variety of hearty stews and sweet puddings. Only Fleur found reason to complain.

"The food at Hogwarts is far too greasy," she had frowned at Alaric the previous evening as they left the Great Hall. "My robes are becoming tight!"

"Oh, how tragic," Alaric hadn't spoken yet when Hermione interjected bluntly, "I thought you were proud of that little bit of extra weight!"

"Hermione," she said as she spoke, Alaric seemed to discover something, frowning suddenly at her, "Your teeth..."

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"They're different... I just noticed they're perfectly straight now, and the size is normal."

Hermione had always had a pair of small buck teeth, with braces that detracted significantly from her appearance, making even kissing a bit awkward.

Hermione suddenly laughed mischievously, "That's because... I went to Madam Pomfrey to shrink the longer teeth, just like you mentioned before, using magical cosmetics."

She laughed even more cheerfully. 

"Mom and Dad won't be happy about this. 

For many years, I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink my teeth, but they insisted I stick with the braces for correcting crooked teeth. 

You know, they're both dentists, and they believe teeth shouldn't be magically corrected."

In fact, for this ball, she had not only straightened her teeth but also spent three hours on grooming, which was unprecedented for her, who loved studying and found dressing up a waste of time.

When she emerged from her room, Alaric felt like he almost didn't recognize her.

She had done something to her hair; it was no longer unruly but smooth and shiny, swept up elegantly at the back of her head. 

She wore a robe made of flowing light-colored fabric, with pale green ribbons tied into bows at the chest, waist, and in her hair. 

Somehow, her demeanor had changed as well—perhaps simply because she had shed the over twenty thick books she usually carried around.

She was a lovely girl indeed.

"Is this still Miss Granger? I never realized she could be such a charming girl," Alaric's roommate, Terry Boot, swallowed and said when he saw her.

His words echoed the sentiments of most boys, though Hermione had always been cute before, there was still quite a gap compared to Cho Chang, Fleur, and Penelope. 

Especially with her hair always messy, not to mention the buck teeth and braces, everyone was puzzled as to why Alaric had become best friends with Hermione since their first year at Hogwarts. With Alaric's excellence, he should have chosen a prettier girl.

Later on, Hermione's talents gradually emerged, and the young wizards began to believe that Alaric was attracted to Hermione's talents rather than her appearance.

But now they realized they were wrong.

Alaric's vision far exceeded their imagination; Miss Granger was not just a talented girl, but a beautiful and exceptional woman.

They were the ones who had been blind.

After a while, Cho Chang also pushed open the door of the dormitory and walked out.

Alaric had personally designed Cho Chang's attire.

She had her hair styled with a phoenix hairpin into a classical hair bun, wearing a blue cheongsam adorned with dancing golden phoenix patterns. 

This classical attire showcased her grace and elegance in full.

Although Cho Chang had been beautiful in the past, the young wizards had never seen this kind of beauty before.

"Ladies, you look stunning today," Alaric smiled as he approached, taking each of them by the arm and leading them out of the Ravenclaw common room.

Along the way, hearts were breaking, not just among the boys but also among the girls.

Alaric himself was quite handsome, and despite some reluctance, he had prepared formal attire for the ball under the girls' insistence. 

It was a double-breasted suit with a collar patterned with golden lines—made from Veela's hair dyed gold and woven into a garment that nearly led to a major quarrel with Fleur. 

The buttons and tie were also gold, complemented by a red overcoat, giving him a dashing and commanding appearance.

Furthermore, Alaric had imbued the suit with a charm that enhanced the wearer's charisma, inspired by Veela's allure, which was nearly conceptual in nature. 

Combined with the amplification from Veela's hair, it was virtually immune.

Alaric decided to treat this outfit as his charm attire; in any negotiation, this suit would give him tremendous assistance.

Originally a popular figure at Hogwarts, when he paraded around in this formal attire, he was practically half of a male version of Veela.

If it hadn't been for the exceptionally high quality of his two female companions, discouraging competition, he might have been surrounded on the spot.

And so, with two girls on his arm, he headed towards the Great Hall for the ball.

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