The teachers and students of Hogwarts constantly showed a desire to impress the guests of busbarton and demstrom. They seemed determined to show the best appearance of the castle this Christmas.
The school was arranged very carefully. It can be said that this castle has never been so beautiful!
The handrails of the marble stairs are covered with eternal icicles. The twelve Christmas trees usually placed in the auditorium are decorated with all kinds of small toys, from glittering Holly fruit to chirping golden owls.
The armor was enchanted. As soon as someone passed by, they would sing Christmas carols.
To tell you the truth, listening to an empty helmet sing "Oh, come on, you devout people" makes people feel very funny.
Originally, armor only knew half of the lyrics. Filch, the gatekeeper, had to pull the leather ghost out of the armor several times, because the leather ghost hid in it. Whenever the armor couldn't sing, he made up some lyrics to fill in.
Believe me, those are very rude and ugly words.
However, while everyone was busy for this Christmas, Hermione hid alone in her bedroom and looked at the flat gift box on her bed without saying a word.
The gift box had no ribbons or decorations, but was tied with a thin rope - it was obviously not a gift given to her.
On the lid of the gift box is printed the following line: wear elegant clothes and be a "best" wizard!
This was sent by an owl early this morning.
When the package containing the gift box was placed in front of Hermione by a trained owl, she didn't even finish her breakfast and went back to her bedroom with the package.
But until now, she hasn't opened this beautiful gift box.
"... no, this is not the time to think about it," she muttered, raising her hand and gently putting it down.
After coming and going a few times, she simply picked up the gift box again and stuffed it under the bed.
Hermione was preoccupied, and Harry and Ron were having a hard time now - they were very worried.
Ron wouldn't make a fool of himself if he didn't have a partner. But Harry was different - he had to take the lead and start dancing with the other warriors!
"I think the crying myrtle is always there." Harry looked a little abandoned.
"Harry - we have to bite our teeth out," Ron said, as if they were planning to break through a solid fortress. "We must all find a partner when we return to the common room tonight - it's a deal?"
"Well... All right," said Harry.
Harry saw the lovely and charming Qiu Zhang several times that day.
He remembered very well, three times in all!
Once during recess, once at lunch, and once on the way to magic history class. However, every time I see her, she is always surrounded by many friends.
Does she never go anywhere alone? Maybe he can ambush her when she goes to the bathroom? No - even if she went to the bathroom, she was accompanied by four or five students!
But if Harry doesn't take action again, she will be invited.
In Snape's Potion test, he found it difficult to concentrate. As a result, he forgot to add a main component - dung stone, which meant that he could only get the lowest score.
But he doesn't care anymore. Now he is busy plucking up courage and preparing to take decisive action!
As soon as the bell rang, he grabbed his schoolbag and rushed to the door of the underground classroom.
"See you at the dinner table," he said to Ron and Hermione, who was more silent than usual, and rushed upstairs.
"Just ask Qiu Zhang alone, it's so simple... It's so simple!"
He hurried through the crowded corridor looking for her figure. Unexpectedly, he saw her almost as soon as he turned the corner. At the moment, she was coming out of the classroom of defense against the dark arts.
"Well - Qiu Zhang? Can I have a word with you?"
The Ministry of magic should issue a new bill, which stipulates that no one is allowed to "giggle"! Because the girls around Qiu Zhang giggled.
Fortunately, Qiu Zhang himself didn't laugh.
She said "all right" and followed Harry where her classmates couldn't hear her.
Harry turned and looked at her. There was a strange spasm in his heart, as if he had emptied a step when he came downstairs.
"Well," he faltered.
He can't ask, he can't even open his mouth... But he must ask! Cho Chang is standing in front of him now, looking at him with a puzzled look - the arrow is already on the full hunting bow!
The sentence came out of Harry's mouth, incoherent, and didn't have time to bite.
"Company... Follow me!"
"Sorry, what did you say?" Qiu Zhang was stunned.
"You -- would you like to go to the ball with me?" asked Harry.
This sentence was finally asked clearly by him, but why did he blush? Why?
"Oh!" Cho Chang's face flushed. "Oh, Harry, I'm really sorry," she looked at him frankly. "I've agreed to go with another person."
"Oh," said Harry.
This feeling is really strange: a minute ago, he felt his internal organs wriggling like a snake; But now, suddenly, he felt as if his internal organs had been hollowed out.
"Oh, well," he said, "it doesn't matter."
"I'm really sorry," she said again.
"Never mind," said Harry.
They stood looking at each other, and then Qiu Zhang whispered, "that's it."
"All right," said Harry.
"Well, goodbye." Cho Chang's face was still red. She moved back two steps, then turned and left.
Harry stopped her from behind - he didn't want to do it, or he didn't have time to stop himself from doing it.
"Who are you going with?"
"Oh - Cedric," she said, "Cedric Digory."
"Oh, all right," said Harry.
His internal organs seemed to come back, but he felt that they had just been filled with lead and were falling in his stomach.
Harry forgot all about dinner. He walked slowly back to the Gryffindor common room upstairs. With each step, Qiu Zhang's voice echoed in his ear:
"Cedric - Cedric Diggory -"
Yeah, yeah... Cedric is the seeker and captain of the Hufflepuff team, which is no worse than him... Cedric is tall and handsome, which he can't compare with... Cedric is gentle to others, and his popularity is much better than him... Cedric
"But I am the warrior of Hogwarts!"
Harry suddenly thought discontentedly: Cedric is actually a useless handsome boy. His brain is not enough to fill an egg shell!
"Alas -" he thought and sighed, "well, I'm a warrior for no reason..."
"The light of the fairy mirror," he said dryly to the fat lady - the password was changed the day before.
"By the way, by the way, dear!" she said with a tremor, stroking her newly tied gold and silver ribbon, turning forward to let him in.
Entering the common room, Harry looked around and was surprised to see Ron sitting stiff in a distant corner. Ginny sat beside him and spoke to him in a low voice, as if comforting him.
"What's the matter, Ron?" asked Harry, walking towards them.
Ron looked up at Harry with a look of shock on his face.
"I'm too anxious..." he said absently. "I've been thinking about my partner. I didn't know how --"
"What?" asked Harry.
"He -- uh -- he just invited Fleur Dracula to the ball with him." Ginny seemed to be trying to suppress her smile, but still patted Ron on the arm sympathetically.
"What's the matter with you?"
Harry wanted to say - what are you crazy about, but that's too sorry for his good friend. But who can think of it? That's stupid.
"I don't know how I could do such a thing!" Ron sighed heavily. "What am I kidding? It's full of people - crowded - I'm so dizzy - everyone's watching!"
"When I walked through the hall, I met her - she was standing there talking to Digory - I suddenly couldn't control myself - and came up to her and asked her!"
He looked very upset, rubbed his face and said, "maybe after that day, everything went too well... I think I seem... Arrogant."
"Oh, I remember... She does have a part of Meiwa's blood," said Harry. "You were right - her grandmother is Meiwa."
"Listen to me, it's not your fault - I dare say she was doing that magic to Digory, and you happened to pass by and were hit --"
"But..." Harry continued after a pause. "She's wasted her time this time because Digory and Cho Chang are going together."
Ron suddenly raised his head and looked at Harry in surprise.
"I just asked her to come with me," said Harry dryly. "She told me."
Ginny next to her suddenly stopped laughing.
"It's just the two of us who don't have a partner -" said Ron. "Oh - yes, except Neville! But seriously, Neville hasn't been right this semester. He asked for leave last time - I asked him, but he wouldn't say anything."
Just then Hermione climbed in through the hole behind the portrait.
"Oh - Hermione -" Ron suddenly looked away, because now he felt guilty.
"Why don't you two go to dinner?" she came and sat in the armchair next to her.
"Because -"
Ginny's words had just begun when her brother hurriedly covered her mouth.
"Nothing!" Ron shook his head hard, even if he didn't know why he did it - hadn't he decided to give up?