Chapter 902: Dance Partner
Chapter 902: Dance Partner
Albert was barely awake when his well-meaning roommates bombarded him with their grand plans, leaving him utterly bewildered.
What on earth were they talking about? He was still groggy from sleep and couldn't quite make sense of their ramblings. Annoyed, he covered his yawn and rubbed his sleepy eyes as he climbed out of bed.
Only after a trip to the bathroom to freshen up did he join the trio for lunch, where they resumed their earlier conversation. It was then that Albert learned he had received over a hundred Christmas gifts.
He had noticed the pile of gifts under his bed when he returned in the early hours, but he hadn't expected the number to be so astonishing.
"You've received a ton of enchanted snacks and treats from the girls at school—over thirty packages of chocolates, cakes, and candies, to be precise. Lee Jordan has tested them, and they're all laced with Love Potions, and..." Fred and George sneaked glances at Lee, trying hard to hold back their laughter.
"They work incredibly well."
"If you guys actually shared those treats with others, you'd probably get beaten up by a mob," Albert said, shaking his head at the enthusiastic trio.
The image of a group of people collectively falling under the influence of Love Potions was a terrifying thought.
"Don't worry, if things get too hot to handle, we can always lie low at the Burrow for the rest of the Christmas break. We'll have the house-elves send over some food, and by the time the holidays are over, everyone will have calmed down," the Weasley twins assured, clearly intent on causing some major mischief during the upcoming break.
"Alright, if that's what you want to do, go ahead. I'll be leaving the school again after the Christmas ball anyway," Albert shrugged, indicating that he didn't want to be involved in their scheme. He left them to their own devices.
After all, they would continue their mischief as long as they were alive.
As for Ludo Bagman, sending him a gift was a perfect idea. According to the information provided by Black in his letter, Bagman still had no intention of repaying his substantial debt. Not a single Knut had been returned so far.
Being chased by goblins from Gringotts had become a regular occurrence for Bagman. He often played a game of cat and mouse with them, and even when caught, he would simply claim he didn't have a Knut to his name. The goblins would have no choice but to give him a stern lecture.
What about seeking help from the Ministry?
The goblins had, of course, lodged complaints with the Ministry. After all, Ludo Bagman was the Head of the Department of Sports and Games. However, the Ministry regrettably stated that Bagman's debt was a personal matter, and they had no jurisdiction or means to intervene.
The goblins were left fuming.
"The decorations in the school are amazing!"
Albert noticed that the banisters of the marble staircase were adorned with icicles that would never melt, and beautiful decorations could be found everywhere.
The professors of Hogwarts seemed determined to impress the guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, transforming the entire castle into a winter wonderland.
"I heard the prefects and student council members were recruited to help. Shan'na was looking for you for a while," George said with a smile, "You'd better come up with an excuse."
As they entered the Great Hall, the four of them were immediately drawn to the long tables laden with food. There were abundant turkeys, Christmas puddings, and wizard crackers for everyone to enjoy, making for a sumptuous lunch.
In the afternoon, Albert returned to his dormitory to sort through his Christmas gifts. He wanted to know what his old friends had sent him so that he could mention it in his reply letters later.
Meanwhile, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan set off to deliver "Christmas gifts" to Ludo Bagman and a few despicable Slytherins. By the way, they also didn't forget to include Ron and Percy on their list, with Fred justifying that poor little Ronnie rarely received decent Christmas presents, and Percy would be spending Christmas alone in his office, so they needed some consolation.
Albert spent the entire afternoon in the dormitory, inspecting the Christmas gifts according to the list provided by Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. He also unwrapped the gifts that the house-elves had set aside for him.
Nia sent him a pair of exquisite gray woolen gloves, the Lemay couple gave him a thick book, Dumbledore gifted him an old notebook, Mog provided copies of ancient magical scrolls, and Bard sent a book titled 'Forgotten Ancient Magic and Spells'.
As for Lee Jordan, he was as predictable as ever with his gift of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Fred and George, on the other hand, gave him a hardcover copy of 'Practical Household Magic', and by the way, they planned on gifting him a hardcover edition of 'Common Magical Ailments' next year.
The Weasley twins' line of thinking was that since Albert didn't need any Christmas gifts, they might as well give him something that could come in handy in the future, like a book they always kept at home. By the way, the twins never missed a chance to scoff at Lee Jordan, who consistently gave a box of Every Flavor Beans as a gift, even though he also scoffed at them for only giving one gift.
Most of the greeting cards were tossed aside after a cursory glance, while notes and such needed to be kept separately. As for the snacks and treats sent by the girls, Albert left them entirely to his three good roommates to deal with, along with things like scarves, socks, and gloves. By the way, Dobby the house-elf had knitted him a pair of brightly colored woolen socks, which Albert decided to give to Hermione another day.
"You're still not done sorting through your Christmas gifts?"
The dormitory door was pushed open again, and Fred, George, and Lee Jordan walked in. Their clothes were damp, and their shoulders were dusted with melting snowflakes.
"We were playing a snowball fight," Albert asked casually.
"We wanted to invite you to join us," they replied.
The three exchanged glances and produced a snowball from somewhere, throwing it at Albert's head. The snowball bounced off and hit the trio in the face.
"Damn, do you always have a defensive bracelet or something on you?" Lee Jordan asked, wiping the snow off his face. "I thought that thing wasn't supposed to work against objects."
"I told you your plan was unreliable," one of the twins said.
"Ahem, we should change into our dress robes too," the other twin said.
Fred playfully dumped the snow on Tom the cat, who gave him a disdainful look, shook the snow off, yawned, and returned to his cat bed, continuing to ponder his cat life.
"I think you should've agreed to let the Fengya Wizard Clothing Store tailor a ball gown for you," Lee Jordan said with a hint of regret as he eyed Albert's simple-style robe. "You would've definitely become the center of attention at the ball, enchanting all the girls."
"This robe doesn't look like it's from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions," George said as he inspected the fabric. "Don't you think Albert's robe is noticeably finer than ours?"
"Where did you get it?" Fred asked curiously.
"It was a gift," Albert replied as he examined himself in the full-length mirror in the corner. "It adjusts to the wearer's height and weight!"
"Why doesn't anyone ever send me such nice things!"
Lee Jordan gloomily straightened his bow tie, feeling a bit deflated as he noticed how much more dashing Albert looked in his robe, while his own bright red robe seemed somewhat...
"Don't be glum," Fred patted Lee Jordan's shoulder consolingly. "No one will care what you're wearing unless you show up to the Christmas ball in your underwear." The twins were clad in deep blue dress robes.
As they made their way downstairs, they passed through the common room, which was filled with students in colorful robes. Albert's arrival immediately drew the attention of the girls.
"Sorry, I have to leave first. See you later," Albert said, having no intention of standing there any longer as the center of attention. He bid Lee Jordan farewell and made his way toward the common room entrance.
"See you," Fred and Lee Jordan replied.
They still had to wait in the common room for their dance partners.
"Have you and Luna decided on a meeting spot?" Albert asked a glum-looking Lee Jordan as they parted ways after leaving the common room.
"In the entrance hall," Lee Jordan replied. "What about you? Where are you going to meet your girlfriend?" he asked with a wink.
"Dance partner," Albert corrected.
"Is there a difference?"
"There is a difference in the literal sense," Albert said, glancing at his pocket watch. It seemed a bit early, so he took out his wand and cast a Disguise Charm on himself to lower his presence and avoid unwanted attention on the way.
"Everyone loves being famous..." Lee Jordan muttered under his breath.
"You can ask Potter about that," Albert said. "He probably doesn't enjoy being famous right now."
As Albert approached the entrance hall, he parted ways with Lee Jordan and soon spotted Katrina in the crowd. Whether it was her attire or her appearance, Albert saw traces of Isabelle in Katrina.
"You—uh—look beautiful." Albert said awkwardly.
"You don't seem to like it?" Katrina raised an eyebrow.
"No, I do," Albert said helplessly. "It's just that you are you, and she is she."
"You don't have to apologize," Katrina said calmly, understanding the meaning behind Albert's words. "Isabelle and I are sisters, and we like and appreciate similar things. Besides, I'm glad to hear you say that."
As they spoke, they attracted envious and jealous stares from a large group of girls. Lee Jordan, accompanied by Luna, made their way over. The Ravenclaw girl wore a lake-blue dress and looked quite lovely.
"I suddenly understand why you said Davis' invitation would fail," Lee Jordan said, recognizing Katrina as they often had classes together. "I thought you would..."
"It's too noisy here," Albert interrupted. "Let's go outside and walk around. We still have some time before eight o'clock."
The two walked towards the entrance hall, and Albert noticed that the lawn in front of the castle had been transformed into a cave, shimmering with fairy lights, and he could also see a statue of Santa Claus and his reindeer.
"Is this your dance partner?"
Yania, dressed in a red dress, walked up to them and looked Katrina up and down before addressing Albert. "I really don't understand why you rejected me. Do you find the sister duo more interesting?"
"You always have a strong attraction to beautiful girls." Katrina frowned.
"And where is your dance partner?" Albert asked expressionlessly.
"I didn't find a dance partner, and I don't think I need one," Yania said mockingly, glancing in a certain direction. "I certainly don't need to find just anyone after being rejected like some people."
Following Yania's gaze, the two spotted the stunning Phoenix in her silver-gray satin robe, accompanied by Roger Davis, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team captain.
Noticing their stares, Roger Davis turned his head towards them and his gaze fell on Katrina, then moved to Albert. His expression suddenly turned strange as he recalled Albert mentioning that he knew who Katrina's dance partner was.
However, Davis didn't care about that anymore, as he had found an even more beautiful dance partner. To be honest, sometimes he couldn't even believe his own luck.
"A poor soul bewitched by Delacour." Yania watched as the two turned away, a contemptuous smile on her face.
After Yania left, Lee Jordan and Luna appeared from somewhere.
"You really called it," Lee Jordan said. "I suspect you knew about this from the start. By the way, Professor McGonagall is looking for the champions. You should go over there."
"It's a bit earlier than I expected. Let's go!" Albert offered his arm to Katrina, and as they stepped into the entrance hall, they heard Professor McGonagall's voice. "Mr. Anderson, please come over here with your dance partner!"
The two walked towards Professor McGonagall and joined the group of champions.
Feng Ya's dance partner was Davis, Harry's was Pavati, and Krum's was indeed Hermione.
History had come full circle, and if it wasn't forcibly changed, it would easily revert to its original path.
Of course, if he had taken the initiative to invite Hermione to be his dance partner, there would be no question of Krum.
Feng Ya Delacour's gaze fell on Katrina, and after appraising her up and down, a strange smile curved her lips.
"I bet Yania is furious." She commented.
"What do you mean?" Katrina asked, tilting her head.
"Girls always like to compare who's prettier."
Albert had thought that the champions would enter the hall amidst the crowd's applause, but Professor McGonagall had them wait by the door while the other students went in first.
Once everyone was seated in the hall, Professor McGonagall instructed the champions and their partners to follow her, leading them towards a large round table at the front of the hall where the judges were seated.
The people in the hall applauded enthusiastically, perhaps as a tribute to the champions. However, not every champion appreciated the attention. At least, Albert remained expressionless, Krum looked gloomy, Phoenix showed no reaction, and Harry scowled, seemingly focused on the ground to avoid tripping.
(End of Chapter)
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