Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 549 The Ugly Duckling Turns into a Swan

Draco Malfoy's dance partner was, unsurprisingly, Pansy Parkinson.

She was wearing a light pink robe with many ruffles, and she was clinging tightly to Malfoy's arm, looking as if she wanted to hang on to him.

Crabbe and Goyle were both dressed in pure green formal robes.

Ron was very pleased when he saw them.

Because neither of them could find a dance partner, they looked like two big green rocks.

Although the three hadn't bothered them for a long time, Ron still couldn't stand the sight of them.

Following Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, the students of Hufflepuff also emerged from underground.

Ron immediately bent his knees slightly and hid behind Harry.

Because Fleur Delacour came along.

She was wearing a silver-gray satin robe, and she looked absolutely stunning.

Cedric was by her side.

Once they were out of sight, Ron straightened up again.

"what are you doing?"

Seeing Ron's actions, Luna asked in confusion.

"No, nothing..."

Ron was a little embarrassed.

"I know, you're avoiding her, aren't you?"

Luna suddenly looked enlightened. "I heard from Ginny that you were rejected when you asked her to be your dance partner."

Ron: "..."

He suddenly turned to look at his sister, glaring at her angrily.

Ginny, who was usually not afraid of her brother, turned her head away somewhat guiltily today.

“Luna, actually…”

Kind-hearted Harry was about to change the subject when the oak front door was opened.

Everyone turned around and saw Durmstrang's students and Professor Karkaroff walk in together.

Viktor Krum, Toby Tossen, and Lucas Poliakko, the three warriors participating in the Triwizard Tournament, were at the front.

Each of them had a pretty girl by their side.

Harry wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Krum looked even more gloomy than before.

After them, Beauxbatons' students came in with Ms. Maxim.

Since Fleur Delacour had already left with Cedric, the group leading the way consisted of the average-sized, muscular man, Roy Levan, and the slightly slender girl, Felicity Lavin.

Without Fleur's presence, Ms. Maxim became the most eye-catching person in Beauxbatons.

After all, she is tall and big.

As Harry looked at her, his gaze involuntarily drifted over their heads, and he suddenly noticed that a patch of lawn in front of the castle had been transformed into a cave, shimmering with fairy light.

“There are hundreds of fairies there,” Cho Chang explained, noticing Harry’s gaze.

At this moment, they were either sitting in a rose bush conjured by magic, or flapping their wings on a statue.

As for the statues, they depict Santa Claus and his reindeer.

"Why aren't Sherlock and Hermione down yet?"

Ron looked around and couldn't help but ask.

Harry also found it a bit strange, just then Professor McGonagall's voice rang out: "Warriors, come this way!"

"Go, Harry, Cho!"

Ginny spoke up.

Cho Chang smiled slightly, said "See you later" to her friends, and then pulled Harry, who seemed to have not yet reacted, forward.

The chattering crowd spontaneously parted to make way for the two of them.

Today, Professor McGonagall was wearing a red plaid robe with an ugly thistle wreath adorning the brim of her hat.

She told the warriors to wait by the door while the others went in first.

After the students were all seated, they lined up and walked into the auditorium.

Cedric and Fleur stood closest to the door.

When Cedric saw Harry and Cho Chang, his gaze swept over Cho Chang, a hint of amazement in his eyes.

"Hello, Harry!" he said with a smile. "Hello, Miss Zhang!"

Harry and Cho Chang both nodded and smiled at Cedric in a friendly manner.

Furong, however, kept a straight face and remained silent.

Even so, it did not diminish her beauty.

Qiu Zhang, who had just overpowered the Petit twins, was now unable to defeat Furong.

Veela bloodline, terrifying indeed!
"Where's Sherlock? Hasn't he come down yet?"

As the others entered the auditorium, Cedric couldn't help but ask.

"He's still waiting for Hermione."

Harry replied that he also found it a bit strange that it would take so long.

Cho Chang smiled and said, "It seems Hermione takes today's ball very seriously."

“She definitely takes it very seriously,” Harry said instinctively. “She went back to pack around 5 p.m.…”

Qiu Zhang nodded: "Yes, me too."

This remark made Harry and Cedric turn their attention back to Cho Chang.

The difference was that Cedric only glanced at her before looking away, while Harry couldn't take his eyes off Cho Chang.

Even though the other person was her dance partner, Qiu Zhang felt a little embarrassed at this moment and softly reminded him:
"Harry!"

Harry then realized that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons' champions and their companions were looking at him with a half-smile.

At that moment, Harry almost wished he could disappear into the ground.

"Sorry, Professor, we're late."

Just then, Hermione's familiar voice came through.

“It’s alright, everyone hasn’t entered yet,” Professor McGonagall said.

Harry thought to himself that it was just the right time, and then turned around.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide in surprise.

He had seen Sherlock in his formal robes before, so it was Hermione who surprised him the most.

The stunning beauty that Sherlock already knew about was now projected like a bomb into the eyes of the warriors from the three schools and their dance partners.

Her carefully styled, elegantly updo brown curls shimmered with a healthy sheen.

That dreamy, light purple-blue flowing robe made her look like an innocent water fairy.

That face, devoid of any bookish awkwardness, radiated a youthful glow—fair, delicate, with clear eyes, and even a gentle tranquility never before revealed.

In terms of looks alone, Hermione is not as pretty as Cho Chang or Fleur.

They are not even as good as the Petit twins.

However, the impact of this dramatic contrast is explosive. Is this still Hermione?

Harry couldn't help but rub his eyes.

He seemed to understand why Hermione had spent so much time getting ready.

He's not the only one who did this.

When the auditorium doors opened, the students walking past them stared at her with utter astonishment.

Parvati Pettier, Hermione's roommate, suddenly covered her mouth as Fred Weasley walked over.

She gasped, her eyes widening as if they were gold, and she involuntarily took a small step back, as if to confirm that she hadn't mistaken him for someone else.

Another roommate, Lavender Brown, was also frozen in place, his jaw almost dropping to the ground, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

She instinctively turned to look at Parvati, her eyes asking a question.

Ron and Luna stared wide-eyed at Hermione as they walked by, their gazes filled with undisguised suspicion.

At this moment, Hermione demonstrated in the most direct way what it means for a girl to grow up to be eighteen.

Its impact even temporarily overshadowed the stunning performances of Qiu Zhang and Furong.

For everyone who knows her, this is a completely revolutionary way of getting to know her again.

Hermione was initially a little shy under that gaze, but when Gemma smiled and greeted Sherlock and her, she saw encouragement in Gemma's eyes.

At that moment, Hermione's eyes showed gratitude, and she also straightened her chest, ignoring those stares.

After a while, everyone was seated in the auditorium, and Professor McGonagall then told the warriors and their dance partners to line up in pairs and follow her inside.

The three Hogwarts warriors led the way, filing in one after another toward a large round table in front of the Great Hall where the referees sat.

When Cedric and Fleur, who led the way, entered the auditorium, the people applauded enthusiastically.

The walls of the auditorium were covered with glittering silver frost, and the ceiling was a starry night sky, hung with hundreds of garlands of mistletoe sprigs and ivy.

The four college tables were gone, replaced by a hundred small lantern-lit tables, with a dozen people sitting at each.

Sherlock and Hermione were the second couple to enter the Great Hall.

It must be said that Hermione's transformation earned them applause no less than that of Cedric and Fleur.

Almost everyone stared at Hermione with a shocked look.

At this moment, Sherlock, whose arm she was holding, was completely ignored.

The titles of Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes are far less appealing in this context than the story of the ugly duckling turning into a swan.

The third couple is naturally Harry and Cho Chang.

Like Sherlock and Hermione, Cho Chang also attracted everyone's attention.

However, Harry wasn't as calm as Sherlock.

He was extremely nervous at that moment and had to concentrate to avoid tripping.

Qiu Zhang, who was holding his arm, noticed this and deliberately slowed her pace, saying in a low voice:
"Relax, Harry, it's okay."

Hearing Cho Chang's gentle words of comfort, Harry breathed a sigh of relief and let Cho Chang lead him forward.

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that his dance partner was Qiu Zhang, because only she had the patience to accompany him.

As he approached the VIP seating area, he saw Ron and Luna, Neville and Ginny.

All four of them were waving at him vigorously.

This eased his tension somewhat.

After that came Beauxbatons' three warriors and Durmstrang's three warriors.

The young wizards gazed enviously at the warriors' dance partners, wishing they could take their place and become the center of attention.

A bizarre, even somewhat terrifying, thought even popped into Ron's mind:

Who says a guy's dance partner has to be a girl?

Finally, the nine warriors and their dance partners arrived at the main audience seats.

Dumbledore, sitting in the middle, smiled happily, especially when he saw Sherlock and Harry; his smile was absolutely radiant.

Karkaroff, perhaps having caught Krum's gloomy expression, wore the same somber look as him.

Ms. Maxim took off her usual black satin uniform and wore a flowing light purple dress, which surprisingly made her look charming.

Ludo Bagman, dressed in a bright purple robe with large yellow stars, clapped enthusiastically like his classmates.

Only Alastor Moody looked unremarkable—no, unremarkable, he looked exactly the same as usual, which seemed out of place in this setting.

Under Professor McGonagall's direction, the warriors and their dance partners went to the table.

Everyone kept their distance from Mad-Eye Moody, which made the area around him relatively empty.

Upon seeing this, Sherlock took Hermione and walked over without saying a word.

Seeing this, Harry hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said something to Cho Chang, and the two of them walked over together.

Seeing this, Dumbledore gave Sherlock and Harry an approving look.

The gleaming gold plates were empty, but each person had a small menu in front of them.

Someone picked up their menu and started looking around—there were no waiters.

However, Dumbledore soon demonstrated this to them.

He looked carefully at his menu, then, looking at his plate, said very clearly:
"Lemon Snowball Candy!"

What he wanted appeared immediately.

The others at the table suddenly realized what was going on and followed suit, ordering their favorite foods onto their plates.

Although he knew it was unfair, Harry couldn't help but look up at Hermione, wanting to see how she felt about this more complicated new style of dining.

After all, it definitely means that raising house-elves will require more work.

However, for the first time ever, Hermione seemed to have completely forgotten about Spew.

She and Sherlock discussed the menu:
"How about some French food, Sherlock? What do you think?"

"You can try it."

Qiu Zhang glanced at the menu and shook his head with some regret. "It's a pity there are no Chinese dishes."

“My beautiful lady, Chinese food is indeed delicious, but it is much more difficult to make. However, I have tried some of it at school.”

The speaker was one of Durmstrang's warriors, whose name Harry vaguely remembered was Poliaco.

"Oh? Durmstrang has Chinese house-elves?"

Upon hearing Qiu Zhang's question, Poliaco, who had been staring at Qiu Zhang, perked up and immediately began to speak eloquently:
Of course!

We also have a castle, but I feel it's not as big as this one, nor as comfortable.

Because our building only has four floors, and it can only be lit when magic is being cast…

Harry and Cho Chang both frowned.

Cho Chang looked at Harry apologetically. If she had known he would act this way, she wouldn't have asked.

Neither of them wanted to talk to him any longer, but out of politeness they didn't want to interrupt, so they listened as this fellow continued with great interest:

"...but our venue is more spacious than this one."

Unfortunately, the days are very short in winter, so we can't play on the playground.

In the summer, we fly around every day, over lakes and over mountains—”

Just as Harry's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, someone finally interrupted him.

(End of this chapter)