Chapter 374: Prom (2 in 1)

Chapter 374: Prom (2 in 1)

Winters in the UK are obviously a little colder than in France.

But Jon had basically spent last winter literally in the Arctic Circle, so this bit of cold back in the UK didn't bother him much.

It was only that as November rolled on and there was still no news from Lyon that Jon basically lost hope that he would be able to learn the Animagus this year.

As winter advanced, the chances of a thunderstorm were about as good as a snowstorm in July, but Jon wasn't expecting to be that lucky to learn Animagus in six months.

And it was towards the end of November that Jon learned from Dumbledore that a different kind of event would be held the week before the tournament began, on Christmas Day.

"A ball? This tournament is on the verge of becoming a duel to the death and there's going to be a ball?"

Jon's eyes widened, obviously full of disbelief at the announcement.

Dumbledore, on the contrary, relaxed against the back of his chair, with a gentle smile still on his face.

"Of course, it's going to be held, regardless of the purpose of this tournament, it's a Triwizard Tournament and the Yule Ball is a tradition of the Triwizard Tournament, that won't be erased."

Jon's mind was already going through an elaborate image of that scenario.

"So I'll need to dance in a hall with those guys then? And then the duel to the death will begin five days later?"

"It's perfectly in line with gentlemanly etiquette isn't it?" Dumbledore said with a wink, "Even rivals can share a dance on a formal occasion."

Jon scoffed, "Really? According to their bloodline theory, shouldn't it be an insult to purebloods to even have me in the Hall?"

Dumbledore suddenly looked at Jon strangely.

"You look like you really don't want to go to this ball?"

Jon's little thought was noticed, but he didn't deny it, he just spread his hands and said.

"You know Professor, I was an orphan before I was brought to the wagon, and I've barely had a few days to myself since I came to the wagon, even in my free time I've basically stayed in the library or at the lake."

"So?"

"So I can't dance at all."

Jon said bluntly.

Dumbledore laughed, a smile that was clearly tinged with glee and amusement.

"No one can be good at everything as long as they are human Jon, no one is asking you to learn that much in a short school life of a little under a decade, there are still close to two months until the start of the Yule Ball, I'm sure you just need to set aside half an hour a day to practice and hone your skills, then you will discover if you have a talent for it."

Jon looked side-eyed, even though Dumbledore had expressed his full trust in him, Jon was actually still not too happy about going to this ball.

As he had said before, he actually hated the idea of parading himself around, especially public dancing, something that Jon, who had considered himself half a social outcast in his previous life, had subconsciously resisted.

"Can't we just not go?"

Dumbledore crossed his arms as if he was seriously contemplating Jon's proposal.

"This ball is something we should preferably attend if we want to keep public opinion in check, as it is, we came to the Castle for the tournament and Riddle, who is the occupant of the Castle, has been completely wary that he has settled us on the edge of the Forbidden Forest and will not permit us to even enter the Castle. It may seem that we are being belittled, but he, as Headmaster of a school and now nominal master of the British magical community, will let the outside world see that he is not behaving in a way that is remotely fitting to be a leader."

"The same goes for this ball, as the more we are treated with discourtesy, the more we can be seen in contrast to what he is doing. Of course, such a display doesn't mean much if it's done while Riddle still holds an overwhelming advantage, but it will benefit us when the situation enters a stalemate."

He made both the pros and cons clear to Jon but ended with a smile.

"Of course, if you really don't want to go to this ball then it's fine if we don't give Riddle that honour in kind, as long as we end up winning this tournament, who would think to accuse us of this then?"

Jon hesitated for a moment and then asked afterwards.

Hearing her sound so serious, Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"I wonder how many times Jon would roll his eyes if he heard that himself. The Professors at your school have really gone to great lengths to smear him, when really all you have to do is use your head and think about it, if Jon was really as vicious as the rumours say, then why would he rescue so many students from the Castle in the first place, along with me?"

"But everyone believes it." Assia said with a tilt of her head, "So did the students around me, eh. It was Diggory who always found the rumour suspicious, and stopped everyone from bad-mouthing you guys when the school first started, and then he was suspected of being a 'mudblood sympathiser', so from then on he refrained from saying such things, though he didn't participate in the others' belittling either."

"Diggory?"

Hermione carefully took the herb out of the dirt, then before the roots, which waved about like tentacles when they left the soil had reacted, she violently pressed it back into the long-prepared pot.

Assia bent over with her hands on her knees, watching Hermione's face in awe as she fluidly did this.

"Yes, Cedric Diggory, I feel like he's the anomaly among everyone. Before he was very well-liked by his classmates, very friendly no matter who he was with, and he would say yes to anyone who asked him for a favour if he could. It was in the last two years that he had made a lot of people feel that he had become dangerous because of some of his comments and actions, which had caused a lot of people to alienate him, and even Professor Greengrass had talked to him alone a few times."

Of course, Hermione knew about Cedric and was likewise present when Jon came out of the Forbidden Forest and recounted his encounter within there.

She in fact had known even before Jon that there was something wrong with that boy, but of course, she wouldn't say those things out loud in front of Assia.

"He does count as an anomaly then."

After planting the herb, Assia was ready to say goodbye to Hermione, she couldn't be away from the Castle for too long, and doing that frequently would surely lead to the others finding out the problem, so she was trying very hard to refrain from spending time with Hermione every day, even if it was the most happiest time of her day.

"See you next time."

The girl with a shy smile waved at Hermione under the rays of the sun, who waved back at her with the flower pot clutched in her hand.

"Bye."

Assia turned around happily, her long, pale blonde hair bouncing merrily behind her, just like the girl was feeling at the moment.

She had started off humming a light tune and bouncing at a brisk pace like a little girl as she made her way across the Quidditch pitch, but after leaving the shade of the pitch and seeing the towering castle, she slowly changed back to her normal walking pace until she came into the shadow of the Castle when her long beautiful hair stopped bouncing and her pace subconsciously got heavy.

The timid look returned to her face as she walked carefully into the Castle under the watchful eyes of the Aurors guarding the perimeter.

It was lunchtime and the corridors of the ground floor were filled with students who were constantly coming and going from the great hall, laughing and talking as they passed by Assia.

Once in the castle, Assia kept her head down, both hands in front of her, clutching her robes, focusing on the robes of the surrounding students, trying to stay away from them like a scared rabbit whenever she saw a student with a gold-embroidered school robe pass by.

As she entered the great hall, where most of the students were still eating their lunch, Assia made her way to the long table that belonged to the half-blood students.

Seeing her sitting over, some students around her looked up at her curiously.

"Assia, you often seem to head outside the Castle these days? Is it a new hobby you've developed?"

Assia's picked up a knife and fork from the table while answering in a small voice.

"No, no, I'm just feeling a bit bored and want to take a look around outside."

No one had any doubts about her words, usually, Assia's personality was like that, very timid and easily bullied.

The student who had asked the question had no interest in continuing after hearing her answer, and Assia was able to finish the lunch without any problems.

Just as she had finished her lunch, left the great hall, and was about to return to her dormitory, however, a slim man with a faint smile on his face at all times stood in her way halfway.

"Konrad, do you have time to talk to me in my office?"

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