The Return to Hogwarts

"I thought you danced wonderfully just now!"

Lavender's eyes sparkled as he looked at Ron with eager anticipation.

"Oh, go ahead, Ron, why refuse?"

Hermione was a little surprised by her roommate's eagerness, but not at all surprised that she would ask Ron to dance. She smiled, her eyes forming crescent shapes, and gently nudged Ron, who was turning his head to look at Lavender.

When Lavender took his hand, Ron's eyes were still blank. He looked back at Hermione, but Hermione had already turned and walked off the field to rest. He had nowhere to express his 'heartfelt sorrow'.

Ron looked at Lavender again. The girl not only had gold thread embroidery on her skirt, but her hair ornaments were also made of gold thread, which looked very extravagant. However, they were not ugly. The key point was that the light in her eyes when she looked at him made Ron feel a sense of lightness.

Do you really think I jumped well just now?

“Oh, of course!” Lavender said, looking at Ron with fascination.

"All right--"

Ron muttered something, his body already swaying gently with Lavender, his dance steps appearing much more relaxed.

There is no rehearsal for the end of youth. Without you even realizing it, your destinies have already gone in different directions.

"I have to apologize to you, Harry—"

On their journey to the stage, Harry and Fleur were undoubtedly the most talked-about pair. Fleur is currently the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts, while Harry is the most famous boy at Hogwarts. Of course, this year's Triwizard Tournament has shifted people's attention to the warriors, but that does not mean that Harry Potter is no longer the 'darling' of the British wizarding world.

But as the music started, Cedric and Cho Chang gradually attracted everyone's attention.

The handsome Hufflepuff warrior and the gentle Ravenclaw girl were no less beautiful than anyone else, and their tacit and skillful dance steps were like elves dancing among flowers. Not only did the students in the audience admire them in their hearts, but even Harry on the stage was attracted by Cedric and Cho Chang, and had no time to pay attention to Ron's stumbling steps.

They are such a perfect match!

Harry glanced at Cedric and Cho Chang, who were walking lightly and whose eyes were practically melting into each other's. He thought sadly that Cho Chang's decision to be with Cedric was indeed a very wise one.

Harry was dejected. He felt as if he had been completely defeated by Cedric. He had beaten him on the Quidditch pitch, but in the competition for a dance partner—no, it wasn't a competition, because he hadn't even had a chance to speak.

Harry didn't care about the pointing and whispering like Ron did, but the ball was indeed annoying to him, whether it was Cedric and Cho Chang walking around in front of him or Fleur, who was right in front of him and kept glancing at the main stage.

The music became a bit more urgent, marking the climax before the end.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, his mind filled with the thought that all of this was finally coming to an end. However, Fleur suddenly said—

“Oh, it’s okay—” Harry answered instinctively in a low voice, “I don’t care—”

Harry realized what he had said as soon as he spoke. He immediately looked into Fleur's eyes and saw that she was staring at him with raised eyebrows, seemingly surprised.

"Oh, okay--"

Fleur carefully guided Harry's awkward steps with her own rhythm. After muttering something, she smiled at Harry.

"Then perhaps I should thank you—"

A hint of unease flashed across Harry's face; she knew what Fleur meant.

He knew perfectly well she didn't genuinely want to dance with him at the ball, but he came anyway. To be honest, even now, Harry didn't understand why he was standing on that stage. Maybe it was because Hermione and Ron were there, or maybe it was because of his ridiculous, unwilling-to-lose mentality?

"You like that girl, don't you?"

Fleur's sudden remark startled Harry again. He looked at the smiling Fleur and saw her pointing at Cho Chang with her eyes.

Why didn't you invite her? Were you rejected?

Fleur's question pierced Harry's heart like a knife, causing it to clench. He stammered, unable to utter a word, but the darkness in his eyes confirmed Fleur's suspicions.

“Tell me about it, Harry—”

But Fleur wasn't going to let Harry off the hook; she seemed particularly interested in this kind of thing and asked with great enthusiasm.

Harry didn't know why he was telling Fleur this; perhaps he just wanted to take the opportunity to vent his bitterness.

"This is my plan--"

Harry's breathing became erratic, and his cheeks flushed slightly as he spoke.

"But it wasn't in time—"

"Oh--"

Hibiscus's eyelashes fluttered.

"Be brave when you meet a girl you like, Harry. Hesitation will only lead to missed opportunities."

Fleur said this, but after she spoke, her expression turned strangely somber. Harry, slightly touched and wondering what was wrong with Fleur, suddenly saw her smile and wink at him playfully.

"Since you helped me, let me help you out."

The music stopped, and people flocked to the dance floor.

"What are you going to do?"

Harry didn't understand what Fleur was up to, and he asked in surprise.

Be brave this time!

Fleur smiled slightly at Harry, then nimbly walked past Hermione and Ron. Under Harry's tense gaze, she arrived beside Cedric and Cho Chang, raised her head, and flashed a bright smile at the astonished Cedric Diggory.

"Hi, Diggory, can I dance with you?"

Chapter 712 Ah, Youth (Part 2)

2024-01-25

The moment Fleur spoke, Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. He never expected that Fleur's offer to help him would involve this. However, Fleur had already attracted the attention of Cedric and Cho Chang, and he couldn't pull her back...

Actually, he could have turned around and left, but Furong's words just now seemed to have touched his heart. He stood there awkwardly, but an uncontrollable sense of anticipation arose in his heart.

"You want to invite me to dance?"

Cedric asked in surprise, but his eyes were fixed on Cho Chang. When he sensed the wariness and rejection in Cho Chang's gaze as she looked at Fleur, Cedric's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, sorry, I...I feel...um, a little tired--"

But Fleur seemed not to have heard Cedric's refusal at all. She knew very well who was in charge, so she looked at this gentle and refined Asian girl with a faint smile on her face.

"This dance, like the Triwizard Tournament, is meant to foster understanding between the three schools, isn't it?"

Cho Chang hesitated for a moment. She looked at Cedric, who had an innocent expression, and after thinking for a moment, she slowly nodded.

“Alright, Cedric, I’ll be waiting for you downstairs--”

With that, he turned and walked off the stage, intending to have something to drink and rest for a while.

Cedric was stunned that Cho Chang would agree, but Fleur had already nimbly grabbed his hand and pulled him to the other side of the stage.

Seeing this, Harry's heart nearly jumped out of his throat. To create an opportunity for him, Fleur actually took Cedric away from Cho Chang.

He was still hesitating, but then Fleur, who was holding Cedric's hand, suddenly turned her head and gave him a 'stern' look!

That look shattered Harry's hesitation. Without thinking twice, he dashed out and called out to Cho Chang, who was about to leave the stage.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Harry rushed up behind Cho Chang, panting as he called out to the girl. His wildly beating heart pumped blood into his brain, making him feel dizzy.

"What? Oh, Harry?"

Turning around, Cho Chang was surprised to see that it was Harry who had called out to her. However, she seemed to have anticipated something, and her face flushed visibly. She clasped her hands together and said nervously.

Tonight, Qiu Zhang wore a pale yellow cheongsam that hugged her curves, and her long, flowing black hair was styled into an elegant updo at the back of her head, which undoubtedly complemented her gentle temperament perfectly.

Cho Chang's temples were covered in fine beads of sweat from her earlier dance with Cedric, but Harry, who was close to her with a fluttering heart, smelled a sweet scent on the girl so close to him that made his heart race again, as if he were tasting a clear, sweet mountain spring.

"Dancing, I—"

Harry didn't give himself a chance to think, because he might just turn around and run away, he stammered.

"Excuse me, what did you say?" Qiu Zhang brushed aside a stray strand of hair and slightly opened his eyes.

Would you like to dance with me?

Harry blushed, but having come this far, he couldn't possibly give up the opportunity. To be honest, he was now somewhat glad that he had attended the banquet with Fleur.

"Oh!"

Qiu Zhang clutched her chest, her breathing slightly erratic. She realized that there was probably more to the story than met the eye when Fu Rong invited Cedric.

If Cho Chang said she hadn't noticed Harry's silent gaze during gym class, she would be deceiving herself. Girls are especially sensitive to this kind of look, and she had already noticed that Harry was looking at her rather frequently. Moreover, there was an eagerness in his emerald eyes...

Cho Chang didn't tell anyone about it, because earlier she thought it was just her imagination, since Harry hadn't made any real move except to silently watch her. But after she confirmed that the famous Harry Potter might secretly like her, another boy had already captured her heart.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't agree to Harry's request, but she hesitated. She could deceive others, but she couldn't deceive herself; deep down, she had some feelings for Harry.

"All right."

Looking at the girl in front of him who still hadn't given a clear answer, Harry's anxious heart grew colder and colder. Feeling embarrassed and disappointed, Harry finally decided to give up.

I shouldn't have made such an unreasonable request. (Apologies.)

"Don't--"

Harry pursed his lips, looking lost and about to leave. However, just as he was about to take a step, Cho Chang suddenly snapped out of her reverie. She bit her lower lip, her cheeks flushed, looking quite embarrassed, but she still nodded gently to Harry.

A surge of elation welled up in Harry's cold heart. He stared at Cho Chang in disbelief, almost unable to believe that Cho Chang had actually agreed. But fearing it was all an illusion, he couldn't help but ask...

“Are you serious? Oh no—” Harry said excitedly, “You’re willing?”

This time Harry didn't think he had misunderstood, because Cho Chang nodded at him again, biting her lower lip lightly.