Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 407 The Ball
The warriors and their dance partners stood side by side as they entered the venue to the melodious sound of violins.

The magic dome revealed a brilliant night sky, with hundreds of mistletoe and holly vines woven into wreaths hanging on the stone pillars and Christmas trees. The four long academy tables were gone, replaced by hundreds of round tables lit with lanterns, each large enough to seat a dozen or so people.

A layer of shimmering silver frost hung on the wall, like ice and snow in the depths of winter, or like the icing in the Honey Duke shop, crystal clear and seemingly sweet.

“You could see similar scenes in Beauxbatons, and you could see frost on the exterior walls when you woke up in the morning,” Christine said nostalgically.

"Spring or autumn?"

“You can see them all year round. The climate in the Pyrenees is very complex, with glaciers and hot springs.” Christine flipped through the menu on the table, tapped the plate lightly, and called out the name of the dish so it could be served immediately.

She was more lively than usual, perhaps because of Christmas, or perhaps because she had already drunk a few glasses of mead.

"It is said that the founder discovered an extinct volcano underground, and Mr. Nicolas Flamel confirmed this," Mrs. Maxime added from the side. She was wearing a flowing purple dress tonight, and sitting next to Hagrid, she looked perfectly at ease.

“Iphamoni is also on the mountain, because the founders settled there back then. I don’t know what they were thinking…” Principal Gilbert Fontana said with a smile. He was wearing a blue satin suit today, which made him look a few years younger.

"Demstrand is in a place that doesn't exist on the map."

Karkaroff squeezed in excitedly, as if to prove Durmstrang, grinning to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth: "We also have a castle, although it's not as big or as comfortable as Hogwarts, and it's minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius, so only magic can light it. But it is precisely in this environment that instills indomitable and tenacious students."

Ms. Maxim and Principal Fontana exchanged a glance, then turned around simultaneously to carefully examine today's menu.

As for Dumbledore, he had been looking at the menu since he sat down, and was now muttering the names of his favorite dishes, just waiting to call them out and enjoy them as soon as the banquet started.

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. Unfortunately, the real leader of Hogwarts was not present, and she was slightly at a disadvantage in this contest.

She gave Melvin a reproachful look.

"Hungarian-style beef stew".

Melvin tapped his plate, and the tempting dishes appeared out of thin air. As he ate, he glanced at the Warriors. Tonight's dance partners were indeed beyond his expectations; the butterfly effect had steered things in an interesting direction.

……

Another type of buffet satisfied the students from the other three schools, but they were unwilling to admit defeat. The house-elves underground were busy preparing a portion of each dish for everyone to ensure an ample supply.

However, the warriors refused to eat to their hearts' content because they were going to perform the opening dance. If they ate too much, they wouldn't be able to move around properly and might make a fool of themselves in front of the teachers and students of the four schools.

"The ball has begun."

Professor McGonagall, seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, waited a moment before standing up, waving her wand to move the chairs to the wall, leaving an empty space in the middle.

The eccentric sisters, who had been playing quietly in the corner, stood up, bowed, and moved their instruments to the center stage.

The drum kit, guitar, and bass are typical of a Muggle band, but the addition of a slug, violin, and several organs gives it a classical feel.

The warriors arrived at the main table and lined up to enter the dance floor. The applause and cheers from the teachers and students in the auditorium temporarily drowned out the band. George and Fred whistled, while Hagrid paced back and forth nervously, his hard-soled leather shoes making a dull sound.

……

"Um... Qiu Zhang, may I ask why?"

Why did I agree to be your dance partner?

Harry, his body tense, wrapped his arms around Cho Chang's waist and twirled slowly in the dance floor. The waltz played by the eccentric sisters was even softer than he had expected.

His movements were stiff as he turned around, and he felt constrained at all times. The fireplace in the Great Hall was warm and cozy, and the room was filled with a rich aroma of incense, making Harry feel dizzy. Everything seemed so unreal.

The other warriors twirled and swayed on the dance floor; the boys wore dark suits, and the girls wore brightly colored long dresses. The air was filled with the scent of lavender and olive perfume. This was the opening dance, a stage for the warriors.

The girls were all stunningly beautiful. The Patil sisters' gold jewelry jingled, Cho Chang's cheongsam dress was uniquely charming, Hermione's pale purple dress was breathtaking, and Fleur Delacour wore a silver-grey satin gown, the skirt billowing out as she turned as if a flower were blooming.

Hermione invites Cho Chang to be her dance partner...

Whenever Harry thought about this, he felt dazed, somewhat lost, and sad.

Looking in another direction, Hermione and Cedric were politely completing their dance, as if they were doing an assignment given by a professor. As they passed each other, Harry overheard them talking about the golden egg.

"Hermione, I'm sure I've found a way to open the golden egg, but I need you to lend me the egg to do an experiment."

Can I just stand by and watch?

“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Cedric laughed.

Looking further to the left, you see Fleur with her hand on Roger Davis's arm. Her slender, fair arms and legs gleam in the candlelight, and her pale skin is almost dazzling. Roger's eyes widen in disbelief, as if he finds it unreal that Fleur has chosen him as her dance partner.

The entire dance floor was filled with a faint scent of perfume. Many people had learned this kind of dance for social occasions, and their postures were elegant and their movements precise. However, some people, like Harry, had learned the dance steps in a crash course in the last two days. They were so flustered that they almost stepped on Cho Chang's shoes.

How should I position my arms?
Which way should I walk?
Harry was preoccupied with not embarrassing himself in front of everyone. Cho Chang chuckled and guided him to turn slowly, occasionally whispering reminders: "You should turn right now, watch out for what's behind you."

He suddenly felt that the ball wasn't so scary anymore, and inviting a dance partner wasn't as terrifying as facing a fire dragon. If nothing unexpected happened, he would probably only dance this one dance tonight, and it didn't really matter who his dance partner was.

“It was Hermione’s plan. She said you like me.” Cho Chang glanced at her dance partner, who had frozen again, and gave a gentle smile, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“No…she…I…” Harry stammered in shock.

Harry was stunned. His hard-won composure was instantly shattered. He was completely unable to look Cho Chang and Cedric in the eye.

“You are a very good wizard, but I have met Cedric,” Cho Chang said softly.

Harry slipped and stumbled, but regained his balance with the agility of a Seeker. His eyes kept glancing at the band playing on stage; he felt the piece was too long and wished they would end soon.

“I know a lot of girls in school like you, but you’ve never noticed. Maybe you should look back at them.” Although Qiu Zhang was trying to comfort him, his expression carried a hint of undisguised mischief, as if it was amusing to see the famous boy get his comeuppance.

“As far as I know, the Crevi brothers are both men.” Harry pulled her around in a circle. “I mean the girl over there, under the third Christmas tree.” Cho Chang slightly raised her chin to point it out to him.

The Christmas tree was placed on the edge of the auditorium, surrounded by round tables. The other students attending the ball were sitting and watching them perform the opening dance. Under the third tree was a Gryffindor student, MacLagan, an unpopular and extremely arrogant fellow.

Sitting next to him was his dance partner, Ginny, who wore a red dress and had red hair.

She impatiently pushed away McLagan's outstretched arm, her eyes fixed on the dance floor, clutching the hem of her skirt, a hint of gritted teeth in her expression. The two met eyes briefly, then simultaneously looked away.

Harry suddenly remembered that when he rode his broomstick to lure away the dragon, Ginny had done the same thing, standing under the flag in the stands watching him.

Before he could think it through, Harry saw Ron sitting not far away, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He shook his head to clear his mind of the jumbled thoughts and focused on dancing well with Cho Chang.

……

If there were an award to be given to tonight's ball, Melvin and Christine would be top contenders.

One was the sole heir of a French wizarding family, the other a seasoned veteran of theaters and balls, who had directed special effects for musicals. Christine, also dressed in a silver gown, had fair skin, but possessed a beauty entirely different from Fleur's.

Melvin watched the witch spin and leap. Although his face remained expressionless, a faint smile appeared in his eyes. It was hard to reconcile him with the cold and stubborn female Auror and the newcomer of the Budapest Party.

Their dance was more composed than that of the young warriors, yet it was still agile and skillful, as if they had been partners for many years, even though they had not rehearsed beforehand.

High heels and leather shoes swayed on the carpet, and the hem of her skirt swayed.

“I probably can only dance one dance. Ms. Maxim has been watching me for a while now,” Christine said in a low voice.

The main seats were now empty. Bagman invited Professor McGonagall to dance, Dumbledore tapped around Sprout, and Maxim and Hagrid were the two most eye-catching, their waltz was very neat, clearing a wide path in the dance floor.

“I only plan to dance once. Professor McGonagall asked me to patrol the castle later.” Melvin blinked, his expression somewhat strange, “to prevent any accidents.”

"Would the dark wizards invade at this time?"

"No, it's a different kind of accident."

In a boarding school, where boys and girls are at the most impulsive age, especially at such a special time, in such a setting, and in such an atmosphere, it's necessary to prevent young couples from doing anything out of line on their date.

As the song ended, the band paused to rest, and the audience applauded.

Ron returned to the round table, gulped down a few mouthfuls of butterbeer, clutched his chest, and felt his heart pounding even harder, requiring several deep breaths to calm it down.

"How was it dancing with Fleur?" Harry asked teasingly.

"..." Ron chuckled foolishly, then frowned slightly.

"Shouldn't you be excited and happy... Did Furong curse at you while she was dancing? Or did you step on her foot?"

“It’s Hagrid and Ms. Maxim! They’re taking up way too much space!” Ron said angrily. “We had to huddle in a corner to avoid them, and I was so focused on not embarrassing myself in front of Fleur that I barely even looked at her before the dance was over.”

Harry smiled. "Me too."

After swallowing the chocolate cake to replenish his energy, Harry picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth. "I'm going to go over to the girls' area and ask Ginny to dance. Do you want to come?"

"You and Ginny!?" Ron was a little surprised, but then thought he might be overthinking it, and scratched his head.

There will be a few minutes between songs, which gives the boys time to invite partners. Many people saw Ms. Maxim and Hagrid leave the auditorium side by side, and there will be no more two half-giants occupying the dance floor.

He was half-pushed and half-pushed to the girl's table. Ron looked around, hesitated, and then stepped forward to ask, "Hermione... Hermione."

"Hemien, may I have the honor of dancing with you?" a deep voice suddenly interrupted.

Ron looked up and saw Durmstrang's Krum. As the world-class football star approached, the surrounding area suddenly fell silent, with some of the witches in the fan club looking at Hermione with envy.

"I'm sorry." The little witch calmly shook her head.

Watching Krum leave dejectedly, Ron suddenly felt happy. At this moment, Krum seemed no different from him, and he gave up the idea of ​​inviting Hermione.

Harry bowed slightly and led a delighted Ginny onto the dance floor. Ron casually sat down in Ginny's empty seat and made conversation: "That's Krum, and you actually turned him down, Hermione!"

"What did you want to say when you came over?" Hermione asked, lifting her eyelids.

"I……"

Ron's heart, which had finally calmed down, started racing again. He stammered out a few words but still couldn't explain clearly.

"You should be braver and more decisive, and stop stuttering. Whether it's Furong, Parvati, or Padma, they would all be willing to dance with you tonight."

"And what about you?" Ron blurted out.

Hermione shook her head: "I'm not planning to dance anymore. If it weren't for Cedric, I wouldn't have spent so much time fixing this dress and my hair. I haven't finished my holiday homework yet, and preparing for the competition has taken up too much of my energy..."

Ron let out a sigh, and all the indescribable emotions vanished with it. He muttered to himself, "Easier said than done. You are brave because you have courage, you are warriors, and I am nothing."

"In the first year, you got to watch Professor Levent's videos. Your pay was used for tutoring, and you learned a lot. You never lost a practice session at the Duel Club. As for me, I could only give my pay to my family to help with household expenses and also buy myself a suitable wand."

He started to ramble on and on, these were words he'd kept to himself for a long time.

"And it also saved Ginny from having to buy old textbooks or wear the wizard robes from the secondhand store. She picked out a suitable dress for her tonight."

Hermione interrupted, "So Ginny is very grateful to you, and her friends think you're a reliable brother. Gabrielle also told Fleur the same thing. If you were a little braver and went to invite Fleur yourself, she would say yes."

"..." Ron opened his mouth, but was speechless.

(End of this chapter)