Chapter 524: Formal Robes
Chapter 524: Formal Robes
On the night before Christmas, a timely snowfall blanketed the castle and the grounds, adding a unique touch to the scenery.
The Black Lake was covered with a thick layer of ice, and the Durmstrang ship was frozen in place, glistening under the sunlight with a layer of frost on its sails—a much more appealing sight than before.
The Christmas breakfast consisted of hearty stew and delicious pudding. Although it was a holiday, the castle was still bustling with people, and the Great Hall was as crowded as ever.
"The food at Hogwarts is too greasy," Fengrong complained quietly as she filled her plate with cornbread and boiled potatoes. "I feel like I can't even fit into my formal robes anymore."
Kyle calmly ate his stew without saying a word. He had heard similar complaints from Fengrong many times recently.
Sometimes, Kyle even wondered if Fengrong would find the food greasy even if he served her a plate of leaves.
However, Cona seemed to take it seriously. She glanced at Fengrong's plate, which barely had enough food for an owl, and then compared it to her own bowl of stew, which was filled to the brim. After a moment of hesitation, she reluctantly put the bowl back on the table.
"It's okay, go ahead and eat," Kyle said, pushing the bowl back to her.
"You'll grow taller next year, and you'll need new formal robes anyway. You can buy new ones then," he added.
"No," Cona shook her head and whispered, "Not today..."
She then took some cornbread for herself.
At that moment, Fengrong seemed to realize something. She turned and glared at Kyle, speaking in an unfriendly tone, "Are you saying I won't grow any taller?"
"No, no, no, I didn't mean that... You said it yourself," Kyle shrugged, refusing to admit it, which made Fengrong even more annoyed.
After finishing their meal, they returned to the Hufflepuff common room and began unwrapping their Christmas presents.
Fengrong's gifts were also delivered here, piled up in a corner of the common room, forming a small mountain. However, she only picked out a few items and packed the rest into a box, sending it back to Beauxbatons via a Portkey.
They spent the entire morning in the common room, organizing their Christmas gifts, and then they returned to the Great Hall for a sumptuous lunch.
The house-elves in the kitchen had prepared new treats—Cribeek Wizard Crackers. The sound of the crackers was truly crisp, and each bite was like setting off a firework in the Great Hall, with crackling sounds echoing everywhere.
Finally, it was afternoon, and as soon as it turned six o'clock, Cona immediately jumped up from her chair and returned to the dormitory to prepare for the Christmas Ball.
It wasn't just Cona; after six o'clock, the common room was devoid of female students.
"Two hours... just to change into a different set of clothes. Do they really need that much time?" Mikael expressed his disbelief.
By seven o'clock, as the sky gradually darkened, Kyle and Cedric stopped their game of Wizard's Chess and returned to their dormitory to change into their formal robes.
...
At half past seven, everyone started to come out of their dormitories. The common room felt strange, as the people inside were no longer wearing uniform robes, but instead, a colorful array of outfits.
Mikael donned a dark cyan formal robe, looking more mature than before, while Ryan wore a burgundy one.
As they exited the dormitory, Ryan suddenly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Ladies..." Ryan said with a mischievous smile, "You have no idea what you're missing..."
"If you're referring to yourself..." Hannah glanced Ryan up and down, unable to resist teasing, "Well, I don't think I'm missing out on anything."
"Hey, don't say that," Susan Burns nudged her friend, laughing, "He's my dance partner, give him some face."
"Thanks for the compliment, Hannah..." Ryan said with a huff, "But to your disappointment, I wasn't talking about myself, but...oh, here he comes."
Everyone followed his gaze.
And so, as Kyle stepped out of the dormitory, he was met with this peculiar sight...almost everyone in the common room was staring at him.
"What are you all doing..." Kyle looked down at his formal robes, puzzled, "Did I wear the wrong robes? Nope."
"Oh..." Susan couldn't help but gasp, then tugged at her friend's arm, "Hannah, do you think I can still change dance partners?"
But Hannah didn't respond; she was looking at Kyle, just like everyone else.
For most Hufflepuff students, this was the first time they had seen Kyle in anything other than his school uniform.
Dressed in a black velvet formal robe, with a simple floral pattern embroidered with gold thread at the collar and cuffs...it was a perfectly normal formal robe, but somehow, it made Kyle's demeanor instantly different from before.
"I'm so envious..." Susan sighed, "I wonder who Kyle's dance partner is..."
"Is there any need to guess?" Ryan walked over.
But before he could say anything, a voice came from behind them.
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"Are you all ready?"
"Oh..."
Another gasp filled the common room.
"I think I know who you're talking about." Susan looked at Cona behind her, unable to resist saying, "She's so beautiful..."
Cona seemed to have taken Professor McGonagall's advice to heart; she didn't use a headband but carefully braided her hair into a simple bun.
Her originally loose and baggy school uniform was replaced with an apricot silk gown, and she wore no extra accessories, but none were needed; just like this, she was beautiful enough to make people unable to look away.
"Why are you all looking at me..." Cona looked down, "Did I wear the wrong clothes?"
"Oh, I'm even more certain they're dance partners now." Susan muttered.
"Don't worry, you didn't," Kyle walked over, "You're...um, very beautiful."
"Thanks..." Cona said softly, "Should we go to the Great Hall now? Or should we wait for Cedric, he doesn't seem to be out yet."
"Let's go to the Great Hall first." Kyle said, "Professor McGonagall asked us to go ahead of time."
"Alright." Cona smiled and nodded, and the two of them walked through the wooden barrel door towards the Great Hall.
"They really are a perfect match." Hannah couldn't help but say.
"Who can disagree?" Mikael smiled.
...
(End of Chapter)
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