Chapter 217

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The door to the women's wing opened again, revealing Lavender in a long beige dress with slightly darker patterns. The dress looked light despite the fact that it was almost floor-length and almost completely closed, leaving only her arms and neck open just enough to wear a neat necklace. It's hard to put into words but combined with the uncomplicated long hairstyle of slightly curly golden hair, it created a surprisingly nice and beautiful look. Well, yes, and gloves to match the dress above the elbow. Lavender came down absolutely happy, smiling broadly and happily at the bewildered Seamus. I guess if they were going to the ball just as friends, it's quite possible that at least one of them would reconsider their attitude.

Just as Seamus came to his senses and approached Lavender, who had almost come down the stairs, offering his hand, another certainly beautiful girl appeared in the doorway of the women's wing. From the choices offered and unknown to me, Hermione chose a dress as black as my costume, almost completely deaf but sleeveless, with a perfectly fitted corsage, and a not particularly but still fluffy floor-length skirt. Rare glints of light along the patterns on the corsage lent volume to the all-black fabric, slightly outlining the girl's figure. The perpetually unruly hair fell in neat, curly strands down her right shoulder, while on her left, it was gathered up and pulled back with a flat silver barrette. Her light makeup, rare and inconspicuous silver accessories did not attract the eye but gave her image a sense of wholeness and completeness. A light cloak over her shoulders and black gloves above her elbow completed the image.

Stepping out of the gloom of the unremarkable corner of the common room, I walked up the stairs and gave the girl a hand.

"You look gorgeous," I turned to Hermione with a slight smile as soon as her hand was in mine. "Rest assured, this image will forever remain in my heart."

A light and slightly predatory smile visited the girl's face. She was neither embarrassed nor blazing with enthusiasm, holding herself as if the ball were an everyday thing. Her posture, her movements, her gestures - nothing gave away any unnecessary emotion except her eyes. They were full of enthusiasm, and my words were clearly reflected in them.

"Thank you, Max."

At this moment, Dean Thomas chose to run out of the male wing with a crash. In a tailcoat, everything is as it should be.

"I changed my mind!" he announced loudly to all those willing and unwilling to know the reasons for such a fuss."I'm coming!"

With those words, and to the laughter of the others in the common room, Dean flew out of the common room like a bullet. I once again checked the space with various spells through the wand in my cane. This turned out to be a very convenient thing if you know how to conjure without gestures and words - no one would even suspect if the spell is without visual and other effects, of course.

"I think," Lavender said with a happy smile. "We should all hurry. The ball starts in ten minutes."

So the four of us left the Gryffindor common room, and I checked the space around me again and again found no one. I was doing this all the way to the Great Hall, and just before the last turn, I slowed down our company.

"Have you forgotten that we need to find out the identity of the villain?" I said to the guys who were perplexed by the sudden stop.

"Um..." Seamus thoughtfully ran his hand through his hair, immediately messing up his hairstyle. His hair is generally unique - as you move it, it stays that way. Lavender immediately smoothed a few strands out of her partner's head. "Looks like we forgot."

"I understand that you want to make a splash going down the stairs, but I propose to make it a little differently. We hide the ladies under the disillusionment and pretend to come alone. In order not to part with the girls, we hold our hand like this..." I bent my left arm at the elbow and as if to hold the lapel of my jacket at the very button.

"Like this?" Seamus repeated the gesture, and Lavender immediately realized and put her hand on the crook of the guy's elbow - there was just a place for her. Hermione repeated after the blonde.

"Exactly. That way, we'll be sure the girls are with us. So?"

"I don't know charms," Seamus and Lavender said almost simultaneously.

"We do. So, we look out for and remember the gloating faces at the sight of us. Ready?"

Everyone nodded, and I, reducing my cane to the size of the wand, quickly put a concealing charm on Lavender and Hermione.

"The charms are removable by any witchcraft. You can do it without a wand. Lumos, for example."

"I see," I heard Lavender's voice from the void, and Hermione already knew that.

"Let's move out," I returned the cane to its original size.