After HP shared the dream, Lao Fu was conquered by me

Chapter 269 Christmas Ball (4)

"You're - well - very beautiful," said Harry awkwardly, a little embarrassed.

"Thank you," she said. "Padma will meet you in the hall," she said to Ron.

"Okay," said Ron, looking around. "Where's Hermione?"

Parvati shrugged. "Let's go down, shall we, Harry?"

"Okay," said Harry, who wished he could stay in the common room. Fred gave him a playful wink as Harry emerged from the portrait hole.

……

The foyer was also crowded with students, milling back and forth, waiting for eight o'clock to arrive, when the doors to the auditorium would open. Some people want to meet their dance partners from other colleges, so they squeeze through the crowd sideways to look for each other.

Parvati found her sister Padma and brought her over to meet Harry and Ron.

"Hello," said Padma. She was as beautiful as her sister, and wore a bright green gown. However, she didn't seem very interested in Ron as her partner. Her dark eyes looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on the sparkling sequins on his gown, especially at his collar and sleeves.

"Hello," Ron said, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking around at the crowd. "Oh, my God..."

He bent his knees slightly, hiding behind Harry as Fleur Delacour approached.

She was stunningly beautiful in her silver-grey satin robes, and she was accompanied by Roger Davies, captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

After they were far away, Ron straightened up again and looked into the distance over the crowd.

"Strange? Why aren't Lamia and Hermione here? Where did they go?"

Harry was also looking around. He now began to doubt whether what Lamia had said was false and that she had not found a dance partner.

Harry suddenly felt a little excited. Lamia was a warrior and she couldn't dance without a partner. So, would he be able to dance the opening dance with her? Even if not, she wouldn't have close contact with other people.

But when Harry turned around and saw Parvati with a bored look on her face, he felt a little guilty for some reason. "Hey, Parvati, should we go dancing?"

"Of course, Harry, I thought you were going to stand here all night," said Parvati.

"I'm sorry, Parvati, I was just looking for a classmate. You know, we have a good relationship." Harry said embarrassedly.

"Wait a minute, Harry, isn't that Malfoy and Lamia? Why are they together?"

Just as Harry was about to dance with Parvati, Ron patted Harry on the back and pointed to a pillar not far away. Draco was holding Lamia's wrist next to him, and the two were talking about something.

At the same time behind them a group of Slytherin students came up the steps from their underground common room.

Malfoy, in his high-collared black velvet robes, looked like a vicar, Harry thought. Pansy Parkinson, in her frilly pale pink gown, held Malfoy's arm tightly. Crabbe and Goyle, both dressed in green, looked like mossy boulders, and Harry was pleased to see that neither of them had found a partner.

Just when Draco wanted to get close to Lamia again, Harry's heart was lifted up. He was afraid that Lamia would be with Draco. This was a heavy blow to Harry.

Fortunately, Lamia took a step back, and the distance between her and Draco suddenly widened. Harry couldn't hear Lamia's voice, but he could tell from her actions that Lamia must have rejected Malfoy for the second time.

The oak front door opened and everyone turned to see the Durmstrang students walk in with Professor Karkaroff.

Krum was walking first, with a pretty girl in a blue robe at his side whom Harry did not recognize. Over their heads, Harry could see that a patch of castle lawn had been transformed into a grotto, twinkling with fairy lights—this meant that there were hundreds of living fairies, sitting among magical rose bushes or flapping their wings on statues that seemed to be Santa Claus and his reindeer.

At this time, Professor McGonagall's voice sounded: "Warriors, please come over here!"

Parvati adjusted her bracelet, a broad smile on her face, and she and Harry said "See you later" to Ron and Padma and walked forward, making way for the chattering crowd to let them pass.

Professor McGonagall, who was wearing a red tartan gown and a hideous wreath of thistles on the brim of her hat, told them to wait by the door while the others went in first.

When the students were seated, they filed into the Great Hall, Fleur Delacour and Roger Davis standing nearest the door.

Davis seemed incredulous at his good fortune in getting Fleur as his partner; he could hardly take his eyes off her. Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang were also standing beside Harry.

Harry looked away so he wouldn't have to talk to them, and his eyes fell on the girl next to Krum. Suddenly, his mouth dropped open in surprise.

It's Hermione.

But she looked nothing like Hermione anymore. She had done something to her hair so that it was no longer matted but smooth and shiny, and was pulled back in an elegant bun.

She was wearing a gown of flowing violet-blue fabric, and she looked different somehow—perhaps simply because she hadn't taken off the twenty or so heavy books she usually carried.

She smiled too—a little nervously, of course—but her shrinking front teeth looked even smaller, and Harry wondered how he hadn't noticed before.

"Hello, Harry!" she said. "Hello, Parvati!"

Parvati stared at Hermione with undisguised suspicion, and she wasn't the only one.

As the doors to the Great Hall opened, the members of Krum's fan club strode from the library, all casting glares of intense hatred at Hermione.

Malfoy was furious, but of course he couldn't dance without a partner, so Pansy came over with her arm around him, and they both glared at Hermione, whom even Malfoy couldn't seem to find the words to insult.

Ron, on the other hand, walked straight past Hermione without even looking at her.