The Shopkeeper of All Worlds in the British Wizarding World

Chapter 303 Dancing and Crouch's News (Please subscribe, please bookmark, please vote)
After clearing the venue, Professor Dumbledore conjured a high stage against the wall, on which was placed a drum set, several guitars, a lute, a cello and several organs.

"What a strange arrangement of instruments." Hermione whispered. As someone who had studied piano, she had some basic knowledge of music, so it was normal for her to feel something was wrong after seeing the instruments on the stage.

"Maybe the popular things and playing methods of wizards are a little different from ours. After all, the two worlds have been separated for hundreds of years." Ryan said. At this time, she saw two witches dressed in the style of the 1980s walking up to the stage with musical instruments.

At this time, the audience burst into thunderous applause. The two musicians picked up their instruments, the lanterns on the table went out, and Ryan and the other six warriors and their dance partners stood up.

The Weird Sisters played a slow, sad song. Ryan took Hermione to the brightly lit dance floor and gracefully began the first dance. He held Hermione's waist and slowly spun on the dance floor.

"You're using that bottle of perfume." When Ryan approached Hermione, she finally smelled that the perfume on Ryan was the one she gave him in the morning. This gave Hermione a surprise, after all, she knew that Ryan never used perfume before.

"Of course, the pine and cypress smell suits me very well, thank you."

After a short prelude, Dumbledore and Madame Maxime stepped onto the dance floor together, and soon they began to dance the waltz. For Madame Maxime's size, their dance moves were definitely elegant. Even Moody, who usually had a serious face, came out to dance, but his artificial leg made him look a little clumsy, so his partner, Professor Sinistra, had to stare at his artificial leg nervously.

The most exaggerated one was Filch, who stood on the edge of the dance floor holding Mrs. Norris and seemed to be dancing. Unfortunately, the cat didn't like this and looked like there were always villains trying to harm me.

As the music played, many people entered the dance floor, and the warriors were no longer the center of attention. Ryan saw many acquaintances dancing on the side, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun.

The opening dance ended successfully when the organ played its last trembling note and the band stopped playing. The auditorium burst into warm applause again.

The next step was free time, and after dancing two fast-paced songs, Ryan took Hermione out of the dance floor. He saw Ginny sitting alone at a table, fanning herself with her hands.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked as the two approached the table.

"He's gone to get a drink." Ginny said as she pulled Hermione to sit down, while Ryan went to the table over there to get butterbeer. After passing a large group of people dancing happily, Ryan happened to meet Harry at the beverage table, so the two of them carried a few bottles of butterbeer back to the lounge together.

When they returned, they saw Ron sitting at the table, talking quickly and quietly to Ginny. When Hermione saw Ryan coming over, she stood up and pulled Ryan to the other side.

"Ron is dealing with family issues, so we'd better not get involved." Hermione explained as the two drank butter beer. Fortunately, from a distance, Ron just patted Harry on the shoulder, so there should be no fight. Thinking of this, Ryan was extremely glad that Hermione was an only child.

Mr. Crouch also came down to dance with Mrs. Maxime. As they passed by the dance floor, they could see that Mr. Crouch looked a little tired. It seemed that his son must have run away, which put a lot of psychological pressure on him.

Percy also came to Hogwarts today under the guidance of Ms. Bones. After seeing Ryan, Percy soon came over with Penelope.

"Congratulations on becoming a warrior of Hogwarts." Percy congratulated Ryan, "Luckily Ms. Bones knew that my girlfriend is still in school, so she gave me the opportunity of attaché. Ha, it feels so good to be back in this castle after graduation." At this point he smiled at Penelope, and Penelope took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Percy's temples.

"You didn't come here to show off your affection for me, did you?" Ryan asked. "Of course not, I just came to tell you that the magic ministries of several countries have been arguing for a long time over the applicable laws for the second project, so Ms. Bones came to Hogwarts today. I hope this news is useful to you."

"Thank you so much." After thanking Percy, Ryan asked his own question: "By the way, didn't they say Mr. Crouch was in the hospital? Why did he show up at the ball again today? He looked very tired."

"I can only say that Mr. Crouch is too dedicated to his work." Percy said seriously, "Although I have some disagreements with him, I admire his professionalism very much. I heard from colleagues that his physical condition has recovered a lot during this period of hospitalization, but the psychological pressure is still hindering his complete recovery. This may be because hosting two large-scale international events in a row is too stressful. My father told me that Crouch came directly from St. Mungo's to Hogwarts today after drinking a bottle of stimulant potion. I guess he will have to go back to the hospital after the ball."

"That sounds terrible," Hermione said from the side.

"Yes, Ludo Bagman is indeed an excellent player and a lovable person, but he is a mess when it comes to management. For example, he hasn't asked anyone to find Persa Jorkins, who disappeared during the summer vacation in their department, and it has been four months. So when there are organizers of such activities, the Ministry of Magic can only rely on Mr. Crouch alone to support the current situation. It is normal to have great psychological pressure in this situation."

After chatting for a while, Percy took his girlfriend Penelope to the dance floor again. Unlike the breakup in the original book, Percy has maintained contact with his girlfriend after his fate changed. For a long-distance couple like them, it is natural to spend more time together when they finally have a chance to meet.

At this time, the Weird Sisters played their famous music, which was very disco-style. The atmosphere in the venue was completely ignited, and the explosive rhythm ignited the ancient castle. The little wizards twisted their bodies happily to the rhythm.

"It seems a bit noisy, let's go out for a walk." Ryan whispered to Hermione.

So the two of them slipped out quietly and into the hall. The front door was open, and as they walked down the steps, the fairy lights in the rose garden shimmered. They found themselves surrounded by low bushes, ornate winding paths, and huge stone statues.

Ryan could hear the splashing sound of water, like a fountain, and occasionally he could see people sitting on carved benches.

"Ha, much better. I really wasn't used to that kind of atmosphere just now." Hermione said, patting her chest lightly. At this time, the two of them walked along a winding path among the rose bushes.

"...I don't understand why there is such a fuss, Igor." A voice suddenly came from the other side of the flowers.

"Severus, you can't pretend this didn't happen!" Karkaroff's voice sounded panicked and hoarse, as if he was afraid of being heard. "It has become more and more obvious over the past few months. I am very worried now, and I can't deny-"

"Run away then," said Snape's voice impatiently. "Run away - I will excuse you. But I want to stay at Hogwarts."

Snape and Karkaroff turned a corner. Snape held his wand in his hand and blew the rose bushes aside. He had a straight face and an ugly expression. Screams came from many flowers, and several dark figures jumped out from them.

"Ten points for Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" said Snape fiercely - a girl ran past him, "Ten points for Hufflepuff, too, Stebbins!" Another boy chased after the girl.

(End of this chapter)