Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 548 Why Distinguish
"Don't do that, Ron. This is a brand new formal gown, after all."

Fred Weasley heard Ron's mutterings and comforted him.

He said this because the Weasleys were not well-off and could not afford to prepare brand-new dresses for every child.

In previous years, Ron would have definitely bought an old formal robe.

This year, with Percy's graduation, the Weasley family's financial burden has been greatly reduced.

Hearing Fred say that, Dean Thomas glanced at the twins and couldn't help but mutter like Ron:

"I really don't understand how you two managed to get the prettiest girl in our whole grade."

The prettiest girls in the whole grade were naturally the Petit twins.

Dean had raised this point more than once a year ago, and it had been widely accepted.

His good friend Simon also came over, his tone tinged with envy: "Yeah, what's your secret?"

"The secret?"

George raised an eyebrow, grinned, put his arm around Fred's shoulder, and said to Fred, "You tell them?"

"sure!"

Fred deliberately lowered his voice and said mysteriously:
"It's because twins are attracted to each other—they're drawn to our unique understanding!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around him couldn't help but laugh. Even Ron, who had been frowning the whole time, couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

The atmosphere lightened because of this little joke, and the common room was instantly filled with a cheerful air.

Before long, most of the lion cubs were waiting for their dance partners in the common lounge.

When the most beautiful girl of the year, Parvati Petit, appeared.

Everyone's attention was inevitably drawn to it.

Even her striking pink robe was completely overshadowed by her appearance.

Her jet-black hair was braided with gold ribbons, and the gold bracelet on her wrist glittered.

Harry and Ron couldn't help but steal a few more glances at her after they saw her.

Especially since she wasn't grinning like an idiot as usual today, she became even more attractive.

"you're so beautiful."

Fred, her dance partner, said this to her.

“Thank you,” Parvati smiled slightly, then said to George, “Padma will meet you in the foyer.”

“Okay!” George winked mischievously at his twin brother and dance partner.

Parvati then turned to Sherlock, “Hermione asked me to tell you that we need to wait a little longer…”

"She's been preparing for three hours, and she's still not done?" Ron's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"I've already said it, girls are different from you boys!"

At this moment, Ginny also came over and stood next to Neville.

Harry looked at the girl he had always treated like a little sister with surprise, wondering if it was just his imagination or something to do with her clothes.

In short, he felt that Ginny had grown quite a bit older today.

“Um… Parvati, your twin sister, did she wear the same clothes as you in Padma, Ravenclaw today?”

Ron asked, looking rather naive.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Parvati tilted his head.

"nothing."

Although Ron said that, he quietly moved closer to Fred and George and asked in a low voice:
"Your dresses are exactly the same, and their dresses are exactly the same too. What if we can't tell them apart at the ball later?"

Why is it important to distinguish between them?

Fred raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on his lips, his question implying, "You wouldn't understand."

"what?"

Ron stared at the two brothers with wide, incredulous eyes.

What does it mean to distinguish between them?

Isn't it embarrassing to mistake someone else for your dance partner?
“You still have a lot to learn, little Ronnie.”

George patted Ron on the shoulder.

“Don’t call me that.” Ron slapped George’s hand away angrily.

George didn't seem to care, and he said to Harry:

"It's almost time. Shall we go down to the entrance of the auditorium and wait for our dance partners?"

Because Harry, Ron, and George's dance partners all happened to be from Ravenclaw.

Upon hearing this, Harry looked at Sherlock with a hesitant gaze.

He was a little worried that Sherlock might get bored waiting here alone.

"You just go ahead."

Sherlock saw through his thoughts, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips. "I'll wait here for Hermione to come."

Harry then nodded.

The others were already looking impatient.

After all, it was the long-awaited Christmas ball, and no one wanted to be late.

So as soon as George finished speaking, everyone crowded around and headed towards the door.

Before long, the once bustling Gryffindor common room was empty, with only the flickering flames in the fireplace casting swaying shadows on the walls.

Even though he was the only one left in the lounge, Sherlock showed no signs of anxiety.

He leaned back in the armchair by the window, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.

Snowflakes began to fall again outside the window, and Sherlock watched this scene, but his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

At this moment, he seemed to be quietly enjoying this moment of tranquility, but his brain was still working at high speed.

This is perfectly normal; after all, giving the brain a rest would be torture for Sherlock Holmes.

Five more minutes passed, and Sherlock, lost in his thoughts, suddenly heard a familiar, slightly shuffling sound of footsteps behind him.

The footsteps were light, yet carried a unique rhythm, and he instantly knew that his dance partner had finally arrived.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long..."

The next moment, Hermione's apologetic voice came from behind him, with a hint of nervousness in her tone, as if she was afraid he would get impatient.

Sherlock slowly turned around.

Even though he wasn't particularly sensitive to women's appearances, Sherlock noticed something different about Hermione at this moment.

It's no exaggeration to say that she was like a completely different person.

The brown curly hair is no longer a messy clump, but has been carefully styled.

Now they have a soft sheen, appearing neat and smooth, with an elegant bun at the back of their heads.

She wore a light purple-blue robe, the fabric of which was light and flowing, and when she moved, it was as if she was wrapped in a faint halo, which made her skin appear even whiter.

What's even more remarkable is that her temperament has also become exceptionally gentle.

Perhaps it was because she had taken off the backpack she always carried, which contained more than twenty thick books, that she lost some of her bookish awkwardness and gained more of a girl's liveliness and elegance.

Hermione felt a little embarrassed under Sherlock's scrutinizing gaze.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she gently gripped the hem of her skirt with both hands. Her voice was softer than before, but with a hint of seriousness: "I want you to be the first person to see me like this."

When she opened her mouth to speak, her front teeth, which had already been shrunk by Gemma, looked even smaller.

"This outfit suits you very well."

Sherlock withdrew his gaze and gave his assessment.

Hermione couldn't help but feel a surge of secret delight.

Sherlock continued, "Did you finally read that book, 'Makeup for Beginners'?"

Hermione: (╬◣д◢)

When the lion cubs emerged from the portrait hole and entered the hall, they found it also crowded with students.

They were all pacing back and forth, waiting for eight o'clock to arrive.

Because the auditorium doors will not open until then.

Some people wanted to meet up with their dance partners from other colleges, so they squeezed through the crowd, trying to find their counterparts.

During this process, Parvati Petil found her twin sister, Padma Petil, and led her to meet Fred and George.

"Hello."

Padma said.

After dressing up carefully, she looked just as beautiful as her twin sister.

Especially when the two sisters stood together, they immediately attracted the attention of everyone nearby.

The two were quite pleased that the Weasley twins were their dance partners.

There's no doubt that the combination of twin brothers and twin sisters will attract plenty of attention at tonight's Christmas party.

Ron looked left and right, up and down, but still couldn't tell the two sisters apart.

"Harry, are you looking for Cho Chang?"

At that moment, Padma noticed Harry looking around in the crowd and asked him a question.

“Ah, yes!” Harry nodded, then immediately pressed, “Do you know where she is?”

"She's a year ahead of me."

Padma shook her head. "But I think she should be down by now. There was no one left in the common room when we left."

Harry felt a little relieved upon hearing this.

Ron couldn't help but ask again, "Then do you know where Luna is? Luna Lovegood."

“She’s a year below me,” Padma said, looking at Ron with a strange expression. “Are you her dance partner?”

Ron was a little embarrassed, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Harry, the two people you mentioned have arrived."

Just then, Parvati patted Harry on the shoulder and pointed in a certain direction.

Harry immediately looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Cho Chang and Luna Lovegood walking toward them.

Upon seeing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

Dean always said that the Petit twins were the prettiest girls in their age group, and that was absolutely true.

Today, the two sisters proved this point with their own abilities.

But when Qiu Zhang appeared, even with the added advantage of being twin sisters, they paled in comparison.

The crowd seemed to part unconsciously to make way for the black-haired girl, and everyone's eyes were fixed on her.

At this moment, Qiu Zhang's radiance almost overshadowed the lights in the lobby.

She already possessed a beautiful Eastern face and an elegant temperament, and at this moment, a finely tailored silk cheongsam dress perfectly showcased her slender figure and elegant charm.

The cheongsam was a deep sea blue, faintly shimmering with a soft glow, like a tranquil night sky.

The collar, cuffs, and hem are embroidered with intricate and beautiful raven patterns using fine, hair-like silver thread.

As she walked gracefully forward, the slits on both sides of her cheongsam subtly revealed her shapely and slender legs.

The soft satin fabric perfectly hugged her body curves, neither overly revealing nor lacking in alluring oriental mystery.

Her long, flowing black hair was simply draped over her shoulders without much embellishment, making her neck appear even whiter and more elegant.

She pursed her lips slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Her aura was both serene and captivating, like a lady stepping out of an ancient painting.

A chorus of gasps and barely suppressed gasps rose from all around.

The boys were almost stunned, while the girls' eyes were filled with undisguised amazement and a hint of envy.

Dean Thomas muttered to himself:
"Now I believe I was wrong... The most beautiful girl was here all along..."

“No, you’re right, she’s not in our grade,” Dean said from the side.

The once radiant Petit twins, standing beside Cho Chang, had to subtly tones down their beauty.

Their beauty is the passionate and unrestrained beauty of young girls.

Qiu Zhang's beauty is a kind of quiet, profound, and elegant charm.

Harry's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat, and he was so nervous that his hands and feet were stiff.

The closer Qiu Zhang got to him, the clearer he could see the exquisite embroidery on her gorgeous dress and the captivating gentleness on her face.

For a moment, he couldn't believe his good fortune in having a dance partner like Qiu Zhang.

He simply couldn't take his eyes off her.

It wasn't until Cho Chang, blushing, called out "Harry" that he snapped out of his daze and said somewhat awkwardly:
"You...uh...you look beautiful today."

Qiu Zhang blinked: "Does that mean you weren't pretty before?"

“No, that’s not what I meant!” Harry quickly explained. “You’ve always been beautiful.”

Cho Chang smiled, then stood in front of Harry and said nothing more.

Just by standing there, she attracted the attention of everyone nearby.

At the same time, Ron finally managed to shift his gaze from Cho Chang to Luna Lovegood beside her.

Upon seeing it, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and his expression changed from nervous and anxious to relieved and relaxed.

Harry noticed that his friend was even grinning like an idiot.

However, he could understand Ron.

Because today Luna wasn't wearing her usual carrot earrings, butterbeer cork necklace, and demon-proof glasses.

Her long, pale golden hair hung down smoothly, and her face wore her usual dreamy expression, as if she were listening to music in the distance that no one else could hear.

Although she can't compare to the twin sisters Cho Chang and Petit, she looks much more refreshed and normal.

This made Ron feel like a weight had finally been lifted from his chest.

At least he no longer has to worry about bringing a dance partner covered in strange ornaments to the school's most anticipated party.

At that moment, a group of Slytherin students came up the steps from their underground common room.

Leading the way was Draco Malfoy, who was wearing a black velvet high-necked tuxedo robe and looked more energetic than usual.

(End of this chapter)