Christmas Party

Ron looked at his reflection in the mirror for a long moment before turning to Yvonne and stammering, "How long will it last?"

"It's fine for a day or two if you don't go out of your way to destroy it…" Ivan replied with a shrug.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! It's the best Christmas present I've ever had!" Ron exclaimed, as if he had just been hit with a huge surprise. Having decent clothes meant he didn't have to make a fool of himself at this year's Christmas party.

"I'm glad you like it!" Yvonne laughed.

Harry, Seamus, and Neville, who had been watching from the sidelines, gathered around, praising Ron's new dress and cheering him on.

After so many days, Harry's anger had long since dissipated, and he was able to talk to Ron as if they had never had an argument.

Ron, on the other hand, was acting awkward. He had something he wanted to say, but could not bring himself to say it.

There seemed to be a thin membrane between the two of them, and their relationship was always worse than before.

Ivan noticed this, but didn't care.

To him, Ron was only a relatively good friend, and although they had known each other for a long time, they had known each other well over the years.

Therefore, Ivan was not in a hurry to argue with Ron when he tried to cut ties with them.

Unlike Harry, Ivan recognised him as a trusted friend.

He still remembered that when he was in his first year and needed money to buy a potion, Harry tried to help him by offering him ten Galleons as a Christmas present.

When Harry borrowed the Cloak of Invisibility last year, he did not even ask what he was doing with it.

Ivan took all this help to heart, which was why he was willing to spend several days teaching her charms…

Concerned that the ball was about to begin, the roommates chatted for a short while before heading to the Gryffindor common room.

It had only been a few hours since they'd last seen each other, but it was already a miniature exhibition hall.

The students inside had all changed out of their uniform and into formal robes of all kinds, especially the girls, who were all gorgeously dressed.

"I had no idea there were so many beautiful girls at school," Seamus said, looking around.

"Yeah, I never noticed…" Harry nodded in agreement, looking to the side where Ginny was chatting with her friends.

Ginny, perhaps catching Harry's eye, quickly turned her head, and her eyes lit up when she saw him. She whispered to her friends and ran towards him.

"Ginny!" Ron greeted her happily, and was shocked to see his sister clinging to Harry's arm.

"Wait… Harry, Ginny, what are you doing?" Ron was stunned, his eyes darting between them.

"He invited me to the Christmas Ball this year!" Ginny said, blushing.

"Ah, yes, I was in need of a partner, so… so…" Harry's voice trailed off in embarrassment at Ron's intense stare, and he vaguely regretted having asked Ginny to dance with him.

It was Ivan who broke the awkward silence.

"Ginny, where's Hermione? Have you seen her?"

"She was taking care of her hair when I came down! She should be here any minute now…" Ginny explained, then seemed to remember something and said mysteriously, "You'll be surprised to see her!"

Harry and the others were curious, even Ivan.

They all waited there for a while, and then there was a commotion on the stairs, and Yvonne turned around and froze.

It was Hermione!

Hermione, who had shed her bookish air, was now shining like a new star.

Her wild brown hair had been styled to be smooth and lustrous, and she wore it in an elegant bun.

She was walking slowly down the stairs, her fair hands resting lightly on the corners of her dress. Her light-colored dress shone with a faint purple light, illuminating her rosy skin. A black ribbon was tied around her waist, accentuating her beautiful figure.

The two Gryffindor girls who came down the stairs with her seemed to have been relegated to the background, as all eyes were on Hermione, Ron's jaw dropped in disbelief, and Harry was no better.

"Is she really Hermione?" Seamus asked, surprised.

He was not the only one who wanted to ask this question. Even Parvati, who was in the same room as her, stared at her with suspicion, wondering if she had the wrong person.

Ignoring the looks of astonishment and questioning from the crowd, Hermione slowly approached Ivan.

"Well? Is it all right?" Hermione asked nervously, sounding shy and hopeful.

"It's beautiful," Ivan said admiringly. "I didn't expect it."

Hermione's face lit up with joy, and she gently took Ivan's arm. "Come on, it's almost time for the ball, let's go to the Great Hall!"

Yvonne nodded.

The students in the lounge also found their partners, and although Ron did not have Harry's help, he did have Lavender as his partner.

Harry, on the other hand, was more embarrassed, as he could not bring himself to be intimate with Ginny due to Ron's presence.

"Ronnie Junior, you've got a new dress. It's… unbelievable!" After teasing Harry, George and Fred noticed Ron's "new dress" and were both shocked.

"You can't? You're only allowed to wear new clothes?" Ron looked at them unhappily and retorted.

After being rebuffed by George and Fred, he turned his attention to Ivan and Hermione and said with a mixture of surprise and admiration, "You've got a good eye. No wonder you've been giving up all those girls for Hermione."

"Of course!" Yvonne replied graciously.

As they chatted, the oak front door of the Great Hall opened slowly, indicating the start of the ball.