Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Chapter 337 The Ball

Dumbledore stood in front of the faculty seating area, wearing a silver-white robe and holding a glass of pumpkin juice, talking to Madam Maxim.

Ms. Maxim wore a long purple dress, much more glamorous than her usual attire, as if it were specially prepared for this evening.

Karkarov stood not far away, dressed in a black suit, his expression more tense than usual, as if trying to make himself look less serious.

The band, seated in the corner, consisted of a group of wizards in golden robes, tuning their instruments.

Some of the instruments they held were recognizable to Muggles, such as violins, cellos, and flutes, while others were unfamiliar to Muggles, such as a harp that could play chords on its own and a wind instrument that could produce sound without being blown.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore's voice rang out during a break in the band's tuning, "Welcome to the Christmas Ball. I know many of you have been waiting for this day for a long time. So I'm not going to say much, I just want to say one thing—dance."

He raised his hand holding the pumpkin juice, as if raising a glass in a toast: "Have a pleasant evening, everyone."

The music started.

The first piece was a waltz—the tempo was just right, neither too fast nor too slow, perfect for the opening.

Dumbledore and Madam Maxim were the first to step onto the dance floor, their steps perfectly synchronized, as if they had practiced together for a long time.

Karkaroff hesitated for a moment, then invited a female professor from Beauxbatons who was next to him to join him on the dance floor.

Ron watched Dumbledore and Madam Maxim twirling in the center of the dance floor, and he knew it was his turn.

He took a deep breath and turned to Padma: "Can you dance?"

"A little," Padma said. "And you?"

"A little bit too," Ron said. "I stepped on people twice, but not a third time."

"The third time is progress."

"Yes," Ron said, "so I still have hope."

He reached out his hand, and Padma took it. The two of them stepped onto the dance floor. Ron's steps were more careful than usual. He counted the beats in his head—one, two, three, one, two, three. Padma's coordination was unexpectedly good; she didn't step on his feet, and he successfully avoided stepping on hers.

"You dance better than you say," Padma said.

"That's because you're a good leader," Ron said. "You're following my pace, so I don't get confused."

Padma smiled but didn't say anything more. Their conversation was brief, but their dance moves were well-coordinated.

Harry and Parvati were also on the dance floor. Harry was a little more nervous than Ron; his hand was on Parvati's waist, and his movements were as stiff as a wooden block.

Parvati led him around in a circle, and he almost lost his way, but he managed to steady himself on the last step.

"Relax," Parvati said. "You're too tense."

"I wasn't nervous," Harry tried to explain. "I was just concentrating."

"Focusing your attention doesn't mean tensing your shoulders."

Harry tried to relax his shoulders a bit, and it did help. He followed Parvati around half a circle, feeling the rhythm slowly becoming more natural.

Hermione and Krum were also on the dance floor. They were positioned at the edge of the dance floor, near the band.

Krum's movements were more steady than Harry's and Ron's, as if he had done the same thing many times before. His right hand rested on Hermione's waist, and his left hand held hers; his steps were precise but not stiff. Hermione's expression was somewhat focused, as if she were carefully counting her steps, but a slight smile played on her lips.

"You jumped well," Hermione said.

"Durmstrong also has dances," Krum said. "Although I always stood in the corner, I watched how others danced."

"So you learned it by watching?"

"Part of it is," Krum said. "The other part is from my own practice."

"You practice in your dorm?"

"I practice on the deck of the ship," Krum said. "At night, nobody will see me."

Hermione imagined the scene: Krum standing alone on the deck of Durmstrang's ship, practicing his dance steps under the moonlight.

"Then your practice has paid off," Hermione said. "You jumped very well."

On the other side of the hall, Henry and Miss Farley were also dancing.

Henry was wearing a well-tailored black suit and a dark green tie with a subtle silver stripe.

Miss Farley wore a deep blue dress that shimmered silver in the candlelight, as if someone had mixed a little moonlight into the fabric.

Her hair wasn't tied in a ponytail, but loosely draped over her shoulders, revealing the lines of her neck—a softness I'd never seen at a regular tea party.

"You danced very well," Miss Farley said.

"I practiced for a long time," Henry recalled. "I even had a dance teacher at Kensington Palace."

"You'll hire a dance teacher?" Miss Farley was somewhat surprised, yet it was also expected.

“My grandmother arranged it,” Henry said. “She said a prince couldn’t not know how to dance.”

"Then she is absolutely right," Miss Farley said with a smile.

"She's right most of the time," Henry sighed. "You know what? Having a queen as a grandmother is second only to having your father as God—basically, don't ask questions, your grandmother is always right. If you have any opinions, refer to this sentence."

Miss Farley chuckled and twirled around in sync with him: "So, when you said you accepted my invitation in the tea room, Weasley's expression was quite interesting. Did you see what he was wearing tonight?"

"I saw it," Henry said, suppressing a laugh. "A dark purple dress with lace trim, quite unique."

"Who made the choice?" Miss Farley asked curiously.

"His mother," Henry said, "Molly Weasley's taste has always been consistent."

Miss Farley thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think his mother knew that the dress wasn't nice?"

"I don't know about that. It's like there's a kind of coldness in this world that your mother thinks you're cold, right?" Henry said with a smile.

"That's also a way of expressing love," Miss Farley said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Henry said, "it has nothing to do with whether it looks good or not."

The music in the hall continued. More and more people filled the dance floor, their skirts and robes swirling in the candlelight, creating a flowing spectacle of color.

Some people were talking in hushed tones, some were laughing, some were counting their steps carefully, and some had given up counting their steps and were just swaying freely to the music.

Ron led Padma around halfway, and as they passed Harry and Parvati, he saw that Harry had finally relaxed a bit; his shoulders were no longer so tense, and his hands were in a more natural position than before.

He led Padma around halfway again, this time passing Hermione and Krum.

Hermione was laughing, a more relaxed laugh than usual, as if she were listening to something interesting.

Krum looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Ron looked away.

The dance lasted for more than an hour, with the music changing several times. Some people got tired of dancing and went to the seats at the edge of the dance floor to rest, some stood by the wall chatting with pumpkin juice, and some were still spinning on the dance floor.

Ron and Padma stopped after dancing to four songs. Padma said she was a little thirsty, so they walked to the edge of the dance floor and took two glasses of pumpkin juice from a passing tray.

Ron took a sip, his gaze involuntarily sweeping across the dance floor.

He saw Harry and Parvati on the other side of the dance floor, Fred and George on the edge of the crowd laughing and talking with a few Ravenclaw girls, and then he saw Hermione and Krum.

They were still dancing.

Krum looked down at Hermione, seemingly unsure of what she was saying.

Hermione looked up and smiled softly, but she seemed completely relaxed in that moment, just like the expression she usually had when she was reading in the library, as if she were the only person left in the world.

Ron put down his cup and walked to the other side of the hall.

He didn't know where he was going, he just felt he should take a walk.

He walked to the pillar at the edge of the hall.

He stopped behind the pillar because he saw Hermione.

She stood at the edge of the dance floor, holding a glass of pumpkin juice, talking to Krum.

Her features are clean and sharp when viewed from the side.

Ron stood there, looking at her profile, when suddenly something came to mind.

When they were in their first year, during the Halloween troll incident, all three were saved because Henry alerted Hermione in time. Hermione was terrified at the time, like a soaking wet little beaver.

Four years have passed, and she is still Hermione, but she has also changed. She has become more composed than she was in fourth grade, and more like someone who knows what she wants to do.

Ron stood behind the pillar and did not go up to greet him.

He just stood there, watching her.

After a while, he turned around and walked down the corridor to the other side of the hall.

Hermione didn't see him.

She was engrossed in talking to Krum and didn't notice the red-haired figure behind the pillar.

The ball lasted until midnight. When the clock struck midnight, the music in the hall paused for a moment, then started playing again, this time with a more soothing tune.

The people on the dance floor slowed down; some were talking in hushed tones, some were standing by the window looking at the snow outside, and some had already left.

Ron walked back to the edge of the dance floor as the clock struck midnight, and he saw Harry and Parvati sitting in a corner, eating a plate of cheese and biscuits, looking very content.

Harry's dance partner seemed quite satisfied with the evening; she was engrossed in chatting with Harry.

He saw Hermione; she was standing at the edge of the dance floor, Krum no longer beside her.

He probably went to get a drink, or to talk to someone. Hermione stood alone, holding a glass of pumpkin juice, quietly drinking it.

Ron's beam of light passed through the crowd, paused on Hermione for a moment, and then moved away.

He turned and walked out of the hall into the corridor.

The snow was still falling outside the window, and moonlight streamed through the window onto the corridor floor.

Ron stood by the window, looking at the snow outside and listening to the faint music coming from the hall.

He didn't know why he was standing there. He just felt he should stand there for a while.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Ron turned around and saw Hermione walking out of the hall.

She saw Ron standing by the window and stopped in her tracks.

"Ron?" she said. "What are you doing out here?"

"Let's get some fresh air," Ron said. "There are too many people inside."

Hermione walked over and stood beside him, also looking out the window at the snow: "How was your dancing tonight?"

"Not bad," Ron said. "I didn't step on any Padma."

"That's good," Hermione said. "I thought you were going to step on her."

"You have that much confidence in me?"

"I have confidence in your dancing," Hermione said. "I don't have confidence in your ability to step on other people's feet. But you didn't, which means you've improved."

Ron thought for a moment: "How was your dancing tonight?"

"That's good," Hermione said. "Krum jumped very well."

"So, how many songs did you dance with him?"

"Five," Hermione said. "I've counted."

Ron paused for a moment: "Five songs, then your dance partner tonight is indeed quite good."

Hermione glanced at him, as if trying to confirm something, but in the end she just said, "Padma was great too. I saw you guys dance to several songs."

"She's a good dancer," Ron said. "She doesn't step on my feet when she walks with me."

"That's good."

The two stood side by side by the window, looking at the snow outside.

"Hermione," Ron said.

"Um?"

How did you feel about tonight?

"It's great, better than I expected," Hermione said after thinking for a moment.

"Better than you expected?"

“Yes,” Hermione said. “Before I went, I thought I would be very nervous, but after I got there, I found that there was nothing to be nervous about. As long as you know what you are doing, you won’t be nervous.”

"So, do you know what you're doing now?"

Hermione glanced at him briefly, but a slight smile played on her lips. "I was standing by the window with a friend, watching the snow."

Ron paused for a moment, then laughed: "That's good, better than dancing."

"Why is it better than dancing?"

"Because you don't need to count the beats when watching snow," Ron said. "You just need to stand there and watch."

Hermione smiled but did not refute.

The corridor was quiet for a moment, with only the faint sound of music coming from the lobby and the soft sound of snowflakes falling outside the window.

"Ron," Hermione said.

"Um?"

The robe you wore tonight—

'

"I know," Ron interrupted her, "it looks awful."

"No," Hermione said. "I mean, even though it's not pretty, it's special, and once you wear it, you won't be forgotten."

Ron looked at her and asked, "Are you trying to comfort me?"

"No," Hermione said. "I'm stating a fact. Your clothes are indeed easily remembered, good or bad, it's all memory, just choose whichever you want to believe."

"Then I choose to believe you," Ron said with a simple smile.

Hermione smiled slightly and didn't say anything more.

The two stood side by side by the window, looking at the snow outside and listening to the faint music coming from the hall.

It was already midnight, and the ball was slowly coming to an end, but no one was in a hurry to leave.