Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 364 Harassing Horseflies and Gnatants
This Christmas was more exciting than ever because of the three-way battle.

The Christmas lunch was exceptionally lavish, with at least a hundred turkeys and a huge pile of Christmas pudding, leaving everyone completely satisfied.

The mountains of Kribitch Wizard Cookies were also a delightful treat.

This is a hard cookie coated in icing and rich butter, designed in different shapes such as a wizard's hat, a broom, and a golden snitch.

What's even more interesting is that these cookies have various hidden effects. Xiren ate a very ordinary small round cookie, and then a tiny, constantly wandering golden snitch appeared around him.

Fireworks were constantly shooting out from above people's heads, and Lee Jordan's hair turned a dazzling blue, standing up in all directions, crackling with electric arcs from time to time.

To be honest, this look was really cool, and everyone else was extremely envious. Fred stuffed more than a dozen cookies into his mouth until he was so full he could barely walk, but he still didn't get the same result.

In the afternoon, everyone went outside to have a snowball fight.

Because of the large number of people, the snowball fight was much larger than in previous years, and the entire castle was filled with laughter and joy.

Finally, the sky gradually darkened.

The girls returned to the common room early to prepare for the ball.

By seven o'clock, the boys had returned to the castle.

On the eighth floor, the plump lady and Ms. Violet, who was downstairs, sat together in a picture frame, both of them drunk. Several empty boxes of liqueur-filled chocolates lay at the bottom of the portrait.

“I’ve always been curious,” Siron looked at her and asked, “Where do all the things you eat come from? Does Hogwarts have a portrait of a brewery or a chocolate factory?”

“We’re just picture frames at Hogwarts… that doesn’t mean we’re confined to Hogwarts…” The fat lady hiccuped. “Do you want to go in?”

“Of course, the light of the fairyland,” Xiren said.

“That’s right, it’s this one!” The plump lady chuckled and turned to move forward.

Xiren walked into the common room, but everything he saw felt somewhat unfamiliar to him.

Those familiar, baggy black school uniforms were all gone, and everyone had changed into colorful dresses and robes.

Especially the witches... This was the first time Xilun had ever discovered that robes could come in so many different colors.

Ten minutes later, Xiren also changed into his light gray formal robe.

I bought this in Diagon Alley before the start of the school year.

Although after the first project ended, Celen's mother, Lila, suggested buying him a more glamorous gown for the opening dance, Celen felt it was unnecessary.

The more ornate the gown or dress, the more difficult and uncomfortable it is to wear; this one is just right. At least in terms of comfort, Madam Malkin's craftsmanship far surpasses that of the Elegant Wizard's Clothing Shop and the Eccentric Clothing Shop... even though the robes from the latter two are very expensive.

At 7:30, Xilun left the common room on time.

The lobby was also packed with students, all pacing back and forth, waiting for eight o'clock when the auditorium doors would open.

Xiren circled the crowd but couldn't find Luna.

Around eight o'clock, Luna finally arrived, wearing a robe adorned with silver sequins, which immediately drew snickers from many people.

Some of the Ravenclaw girls, in particular, seemed quite surprised to see Luna there, and wondered who would invite the crazy girl.

The snickers stopped when they saw Celen walk away, only to turn into resentment moments later. Celen was rather pleased, though the sequined dress was certainly... well, novel, but at least Luna wasn't wearing her carrot earrings, cork necklace, and other peculiar accessories anymore.

Just then, Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, "Warriors, please come this way."

At the same time, the auditorium doors were also opened.

Professor McGonagall instructed the warriors to wait by the door, allowing the others to go in first. Once everyone was seated at the long table, they then lined up to enter the Great Hall.

Xiren and Luna were closest to the door and walked at the front.

Luna's shimmering robe once again drew everyone's attention. Many people laughed, while others looked on with interest.

Sheren noticed that Ms. Maxim of Beauxbatons showed great interest, constantly examining the location of the sequins.

Perhaps she herself likes those sparkly decorations, after all, among everyone present, she was the only one with various opal rings on both hands.

Fleur's dance partner is Roger Davis, the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a tall and handsome young man.

He was a little too excited, and his gaze never left Furong.

Krum's dance partner was a Slytherin girl. He didn't know her very well, only that her name was Daphne Greengrass, and she was also a famous pure-blood wizard.

As she walked past them, the members of the "Krum Fan Club" glared at her with extreme hatred.

Daphne just snorted and walked straight past with her head held high, as if those people were insignificant bugs on the roadside, whom she couldn't even be bothered to glance at.

The auditorium had been rearranged, with three more round tables added between the teachers' seats and the long tables—the warriors' seats.

After Luna sat down, she began to stare intently at Barty Crouch, who was not far in front of her.

Mr. Crouch looked more haggard than when we last met, and even his usually meticulously groomed hair and beard were much more disheveled.

Luna's gaze seemed too direct, for he looked over as well, frowning in displeasure.

But because Luna was sitting on the Warriors' bench, he didn't say anything.

"What's wrong..." Siren asked, "Is there something wrong with Mr. Crouch?"

“Naughty flies.” Luna finally looked away and said, “This is the first time I’ve seen so many nectar flies around one person; they’ve almost covered his face.”

This was the first time Xiren had ever heard of such a thing, as if a swarm of insects, large enough to cover Mr. Crouch's face, were flying around his head.

But that was obviously impossible. In order to make a good impression on the guests, Filch and the house-elves cleaned the castle inside and out several times, not even sparing the empty classrooms. The spiders and ants that were usually there were cleaned up completely.

Even empty classrooms are like this, let alone the auditorium where meals are served.

Crouch was surrounded by nothing but Ludo Bagman.

“Oh, I also saw some hooks, quite a few,” Luna continued. “Should I remind him that he can prevent hooks from stealing his things by simply turning his wand inside out and sticking it behind his ear?”

“It’s best not to,” Siren said. “Besides, even if you say that, Mr. Crouch probably won’t believe you.”

……

(End of this chapter)