Chapter 267: The Ball

Under Professor McGonagall's lead, the four champions and their partners arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall.

Soon, the doors of the Great Hall swung open, and young wizards and their partners streamed in.

As everyone passed Harry Potter, they cast suspicious glances at him, since no one recognized Harry's partner.

"Hmm, Potter, so you've already secretly found yourself a partner," George Weasley remarked as he passed Harry.

"By the way, have you seen Ron? This daft brother of mine has gone off somewhere.

I hope he didn't skip the ball just because he couldn't find a partner?"

Upon hearing her name mentioned, Ron's partner, Rona, felt a pang in her heart.

She quickly grabbed Harry's hand and whispered in his ear, "If you dare, if you dare tell George the truth, you'll regret it!"

However, Harry paid no attention to her warning; he was completely captivated by Rona's soft hand, as gentle as cotton, leaving him wanting more.

"If only this were real... how nice would that be? No, what am I thinking?" Harry silently pondered.

Next to George was Fred, who scrutinized Rona for a moment, making her feel uneasy; she almost felt like she'd been found out...

"Hey, Harry," Fred tugged at Harry's sleeve, finally snapping him out of his reverie.

"Who is this lovely lady? She seems oddly familiar; she's not another Weasley Ron's brought to help you out, is she?"

"Y-yes, Fred... cousin," Rona, sensing trouble, stammered in explanation.

"Ron asked me, um, your distant cousin, to come to Hogwarts as Mr. Potter's partner. You know, I admire Mr. Potter the most."

Harry heard Rona's words and suddenly felt fluttery inside.

How nice would it be to have a girl who admires me like this...

Anyway, they managed to smooth things over in front of familiar faces.

After everyone had taken their seats in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall arranged the champions and their partners in pairs.

She led them towards the head table where a judge was seated, and the people in the hall warmly applauded.

The walls of the Great Hall were covered in sparkling silver frost, the ceiling a brilliant starry sky, adorned with hundreds of mistletoe and ivy garlands.

The four House tables were replaced by a hundred lantern-lit smaller tables, each seating about ten people.

The champions arrived at the front of the high table, where Dumbledore smiled happily.

Karkaroff, however, upon seeing Krum and Hermione approaching closer, had the same expression as Ron.

Ludo Bagman wore a resplendent robe tonight, adorned with large yellow stars, and he enthusiastically clapped along with his fellow students.

Madam Maxime had shed her usual black satin uniform for a flowing lilac gown.

However, Mr. Crouch was absent; in his place at the table sat his assistant, Percy Weasley.

The gleaming plates were yet to have food, but each person had a small menu in front of them.

Dumbledore examined his menu carefully and then clearly announced to his plate, "Pork chops!"

Pork chops appeared immediately.

Others at the table caught on and began to order their preferred foods into their plates.

Before the dancing began, everyone filled their stomachs. During the meal, the people at the tables conversed.

Krum kept trying to talk to Hermione, wanting to boast about his Quidditch experiences and his school—those were the only topics he had—but his partner was visibly annoyed.

Hermione immediately mentioned her close relationship with Cho Chang, leaving Krum momentarily choked up, and he promptly fell silent.

Fleur began to complain about the Hogwarts decorations, "This isn't much," she said disdainfully, looking at the twinkling walls of the Great Hall.

"At Beauxbatons, our hall is filled with ice sculptures at Christmas. Of course, they don't melt... like giant diamond statues, sparkling in the hall.

The food is also top-notch. We even have a choir of wood nymphs who sing serenades to us during meals.

We don't have these ugly armors along the walls either.

If any prankster ghost dared to enter Beauxbatons, they would surely be chased out, just like that."

Several boys down the table were all watching her with intoxicated expressions, their forks nearly skewing the food, and Alaric felt they would not enjoy the rest of the dance.

After finishing their meal, Dumbledore stood up and asked everyone to rise.

He then waved his wand, causing some of the tables to zoom to the walls, clearing a space in the middle.

He conjured a tall stage against the right wall, where a set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and a few organs were placed.

At that moment, the Weird Sisters—celebrity band of the wizarding world—swept onto the stage, eliciting thunderous applause from the audience.

Their hair was unusually thick, and they wore deliberately tattered black robes.

Each took up their instruments, and everyone eagerly watched them, almost forgetting what was to come next.

The lanterns on the tables suddenly extinguished, and the champions and their partners all stood up.

Suddenly, Fleur looked at Hermione and asked, "Do you dance?"

Hermione didn't understand the meaning behind her words but shook her head honestly.

"Well then, let me demonstrate for you," Fleur said cheerfully, then promptly stood up and grabbed Alaric, heading towards the dance floor.

Hermione finally understood what Fleur meant, feeling she had been duped again, so she could only sit alone, sulking.

The Weird Sisters played a slow, melancholy tune, and Alaric and Fleur stepped onto the dance floor.

He held Fleur's hand with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, gracefully dancing under Fleur's lead.

Although he hadn't tried much before, these dance moves weren't difficult for Alaric.

Soon, the two became synchronized, even adding some flair.

In contrast, Krum's dancing was clumsy, while Harry and Rona seemed like two ducks learning to walk, playing a game of stepping on each other's feet.

The organ played its final quivering note, and the Weird Sisters ceased their performance.

The Great Hall erupted into warm applause once again, much of it directed at Alaric and Fleur.

As the lead dancers, they not only had a pleasing appearance but also danced elegantly and professionally, becoming the most beautiful sight on the dance floor.

Fleur seemed quite satisfied with the applause; she wanted to dance another song with Alaric, but Hermione had already stood up and was walking towards Alaric.

Fleur could only leave the dance floor reluctantly.

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