Chapter 613 - 614: Tensions and Invitations; Unexpected Invitations

Hermione seethed with anger, likely a response to Ron's insensitive remarks. Those words had led her to believe that the three friends had little respect for girls and were choosing dance partners solely based on appearances. Such sentiments were entirely misplaced, and any girl with a strong sense of justice would understandably feel furious at such a notion.

However, Evan couldn't shake the feeling that this had something to do with him, though he remained perplexed about how to address the issue. The prospect of the Christmas ball now seemed more daunting than summoning a demon or confronting an evil dark wizard.

For the next few days, Hermione distanced herself from Evan, Harry, and Ron. She no longer frequented the Gryffindor common room at night and instead immersed herself in solitary reading within the library. Harry and Ron found themselves equally baffled and unable to offer any helpful suggestions.

Another surprise came Evan's way the day after the incident: he received an invitation from Cho Chang. Exiting their Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Colin, Evan spotted Aki Chang waiting for him outside. She clutched her school robes with formality, her gaze bashful yet sparkling with an unexpected boldness.

"Evan, may I speak with you?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Of course," Evan replied, leading her to an unoccupied corner.

Given Chang's demeanor, Evan had a hunch about what she wanted to discuss. He had never anticipated that Autumn would extend an invitation to herself. A stunning girl, her beauty was accentuated by the subtle smile she wore, which had a heart-fluttering effect on those who beheld it.

Many boys at school harbored a crush on her, including Harry, Cedric, and others, who were all commendable choices. Cho Chang hardly lacked potential dance partners or invitations, which made her decision to invite Evan all the more astonishing.

"Evan, I've heard that you haven't chosen a dance partner yet," Autumn began with flair, gazing shyly at Evan, her cheeks growing redder by the moment. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and daring.

"Evan, will you accompany me to the dance?" she asked, her words punctuated with a flourish.

Observing the girl before him, Evan was genuinely touched for a moment. He had to remind himself not to entertain such thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Evan said candidly. "I've already made plans to attend with Hermione."

Autumn's face fell, and she nodded, taking a deep breath. "I see," she murmured. "I know you're going with Hermione, and when I heard people saying you didn't have a dance partner yet, I thought I'd give it a try."

"I'm sorry," Evan repeated softly. "I had already intended to invite Hermione."

"I understand," Autumn replied with a sigh. They stood there, eyes locked, as tears welled up in Autumn's eyes. She fought to keep them at bay.

"That settles it then," she finally said, her voice trembling.

"Yes," Evan concurred.

"Alright, goodbye," Autumn said, her face still flushed, and she turned away quickly.

Colin regarded Evan with admiration, at a loss for words. Evan had declined Autumn's invitation, a surprising decision considering Autumn's popularity in school. Such news, if leaked, would be headline-worthy.

After instructing Colin not to disclose the incident, Evan set the matter aside. He had always been committed to attending the ball with Hermione, and that had never wavered. All he needed was an opportunity to have a private conversation with her and express his feelings.

However, with Hermione still upset, finding such an opportunity proved elusive.

Hermione remained absent from Evan, Harry, and Ron's company for the following days. Even when they visited Hagrid on Fridays, she was conspicuously absent.

Overall, the school buzzed with preparations for the Christmas ball. The one silver lining was that Rita Skeeter hadn't resurfaced, refraining from publishing articles about the first task or Evan's performance, and she hadn't authored any stories about Hagrid in the Daily Prophet.

Evan tasked Overdobby with monitoring Rita Skeeter, should she return to her bug form. However, Rita appeared to be preoccupied elsewhere and hadn't been seen at Hogwarts for over a week.

"Truth be told, she doesn't seem all that interested in magical creatures," Hagrid remarked as they all gathered inside his hut. Conversation naturally gravitated toward his interview with Rita Skeeter.

"She didn't care about the Blast-Ended Skrewt; she simply wanted me to talk about you two, Evan and Harry!" Hagrid continued. "There wasn't much to say, really. I mentioned that we've been good friends since you both started school here. 'You mean you've never reprimanded them?' she asked. 'Have they never misbehaved in class?' When I told her no, she looked disappointed, as if she expected me to tarnish your reputations."

"Of course she did. Her focus wasn't on the Triwizard Tournament or the Warriors," Harry remarked matter-of-factly. "Take me, for instance; she's tired of writing about me as the tragic little hero."

"She needs a fresh angle for her story!" Ron chimed in sagely, setting down a pie crust harder than a rock. "You should tell her that Evan and Harry are wild juvenile delinquents secretly dabbling in dark magic or something. That's the kind of tale she thrives on."

"But that's not true!" Hagrid exclaimed, genuinely shocked.

"She won't care if it's true; all she needs are sensationalized rumors to capture people's attention," Evan explained.

"If she wanted that, she should have interviewed Snape," Harry huffed. "One of these days, he'll berate us in front of her, revealing how we've been breaking school rules since our arrival."

"Snape would probably say much worse!" Ron added. "In fact, we did break a few school rules, didn't we?"

"Well, enough of that," Evan said dismissively. "Trust me, she'll resurface sooner or later."

Viewed from a different perspective, Rita Skeeter wasn't so much creating rumors as she was distorting facts. For example, Evan might have inadvertently violated numerous school rules when he summoned a demon, ignorant of the potential consequences.

With the topic of Rita Skeeter behind them, the conversation naturally shifted to the impending Christmas ball.

"Will you be attending the ball on Christmas Day, Hagrid?" Ron inquired.

"I thought I might drop by," Hagrid replied gruffly. "It should be a good time. You two will be opening the ball, won't you? And who do you plan to take as your dance partners?"

"Not decided yet," Harry and Ron replied in unison.

Hagrid turned his attention to Evan, inquiring about his plans, given that he was not eligible to participate.

Evan shook his head, unsure of how to address Hermione's absence from his plans.

While Snape wouldn't actually poison the students, there was the possibility that he might employ a more subtle tactic to keep someone bedridden during the Christmas season. This risk could materialize if the antidote wasn't brewed correctly. This threat was especially concerning for students in the fourth grade and above since missing the Christmas dance due to Snape's machinations was not an option.

Ron expressed his frustration in the Gryffindor common room, venting about Snape's last-minute quizzes and the excessive holiday homework load. Hermione, however, gave Ron a pointed look from behind her Potions notes, implying that perhaps he hadn't put in the necessary effort.

Meanwhile, Ron was engrossed in constructing a castle using his deck of Crackling Blast cards—a much more captivating pastime than Muggle poker. The stakes were high, as an incorrect move could lead to a catastrophic explosion.

"Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas!" Harry remarked lazily from his armchair by the fire, engrossed in his tenth reading of "Flying with the Firebreathers."

Hermione turned her head and fixed Harry with a stern gaze. "Christmas?" she retorted. "If you don't want to spend the entire holiday in a hospital bed, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, then you must focus on brewing the antidote as Snape has instructed. He's certainly not one to make idle threats, and no one will be able to help you!"

Harry remained unfazed, even as he watched Jor-El Jenkins from the Firecrackers deliver a powerful blow to a ball, sending it hurtling towards one of the Barryburgh Batsmen's ball chasers.

"Yeah, if the two of us can't find dates, maybe we shouldn't bother attending the blasted ball," Ron quipped.

"You have to attend, Ron; you're a warrior!" Hermione admonished him.

Ron, realizing his earlier comment may have been ill-conceived, quickly attempted to backtrack. As Hermione lowered her head to study her Potions textbook, he leaned in and whispered to Harry, "What's going on with her?"

Hermione appeared even grumpier than usual, her face practically screaming "do not disturb."

"It's because she hasn't secured a dance partner yet," Harry whispered back. "I heard from Evan that they still haven't discussed it."

Ron nodded in understanding as he placed the final two cards atop his castle. However, the ensuing explosion left his eyebrows singed.

"That suits your formal robes nicely, Ron," Fred teased as he and George approached, accompanied by Evan. The trio had been deep in conversation about a new prank product and strategies for collecting debts from Bagman. After several unsuccessful attempts, they had turned to Evan for assistance in resolving the matter.

In Evan's view, getting Ludo Bagman to repay his debts was nearly impossible. Bagman was already financially destitute, burdened with numerous outstanding gambling debts that he had no means of settling. In light of this, Evan assisted them in drafting a strongly worded letter for delivery.

As the group joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the table, Ron rubbed his eyebrows, assessing the extent of his burns.

"Ron, may we borrow the piggy?" George inquired.

"What for?" Ron asked, looking at them skeptically.

"Because George intends to ask it to the ball," Fred replied sarcastically.

"Because we have a letter to deliver, you big, daft oaf," George chimed in.

"Who are you writing to, huh?" Ron questioned.

"Mind your own business, Ron, or I'll singe your nose as well," Fred warned, brandishing his wand menacingly. "From the looks of you lot, have you still not secured dance partners?"

This statement struck a chord, even with Hermione, who had abandoned her pretense of reading and raised her head to glare at Fred.

"No!" Ron retorted, shaking his head with frustration.

"Listen, lads, it's time to get a move on, or all the good partners will be taken," Fred advised. "And the same goes for the ladies; if you don't act quickly, someone else will snatch them up!"

"So, who are you taking, then?" Ron inquired.

"Angelina," Fred replied without hesitation, showing no signs of embarrassment.

"What?!" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "You've already asked her?"

"That's a fair question," Evan interjected, turning his head towards the end of the common room and calling out, "Hey, Angelina!"

Angelina, engrossed in conversation with Alicia Spinnett by the fire, heard Fred's call and turned her attention towards him.

"What's going on?" she inquired aloud.

"Would you like to accompany me to the ball?" Fred asked, entirely unfazed.

Angelina regarded Fred with a measured look, showing no signs of embarrassment herself.

"Alright," she agreed before returning her gaze to Aria, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"It's settled!" Fred declared to Evan, Harry, and Ron. "It's as easy as pie."

To everyone's astonishment, he rose triumphantly from his seat and let out a yawn.

"George, since Ron won't loan us the piggy, we'll have to use one of the school owls; let's go," Fred suggested.

The trio departed, leaving Evan behind. None of the four friends spoke, merely exchanging glances. Evan couldn't help but notice that Hermione was avoiding his gaze. She then lowered her head to immerse herself in her Potions textbook.

Evan, eager to say something, found himself unable to articulate his thoughts, much like Fred before him.

Ron ceased his examination of his singed eyebrows and directed his attention to Evan and Harry, who sat across from him beside the smoldering remains of the cardboard castle.

"Guys, it's high time we take action and extend some invitations," Ron asserted. "He's right; we don't want to end up dancing with the last-resort partners."

With a snap, Hermione closed her textbook, her anger palpable, causing even her words to stumble.

"Ron, what did you just say?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you don't get it!" Ron shrugged, addressing everyone present. "I'd rather go to the ball alone than settle for someone like Eloise Midgen."

"Her complexion has improved lately, and she's rather attractive!" Hermione retorted.

"Really? She's still unattractive, even beyond the acne. I think her nose is slightly crooked," Ron remarked.

"I see. It's finally clear to me what you boys are thinking!" Hermione seethed, standing up abruptly. "So, essentially, you want to invite the prettiest girl who will agree to go with you, even if she's entirely insufferable?"

"Uh, yeah, that's about right," Ron admitted.

"Fine!" Hermione exclaimed, taking a deep breath. Without another word, she stated, "I'm going to bed!" With that, she shot a pointed look at Evan and Harry, who remained silent, before briskly ascending the stairs to the girls' dormitory.