Hermione's attitude undoubtedly spoke volumes, the onlookers whispered among themselves, whispering to Roger Davies, occasionally erupting into hushed giggles, which embarrassed Roger Davies. His expression darkened.
"Alright, alright..."
Roger Davies spread his hands towards Hermione and shrugged his shoulders.
"What about the ball?"
"Hey, dude!"
Ron stared at Roger Davies with an unfriendly expression.
"Did you go deaf? Didn't you hear Hermione saying she's already accepted someone else's invitation?"
"Who are you?"
Ron's statement successfully attracted Roger Davies' attention to himself. Standing tall and imposing, Davies looked down at Ron with disdain, his gaze filled with arrogance.
"What's it got to do with you?"
Ron was not good at handling such dismissive attitudes, especially not in front of a crowd of onlookers. The red flushed from Ron's cheeks to the tips of his ears visible to the naked eye, but he did not retreat. He strained to hold his chest high.
"I'm Ron Weasley. What do you have to say?" Ron gasped slightly, "As for the relationship, well, we're friends, so I think I have the right to protect her from unrelated harassment!"
"Said well, Ron!"
Harry admiringly sighed and then turned his sharp gaze towards Roger, hoping that this big guy could recognize the situation and not get involved with Hermione anymore.
Hermione twisted her head to look at the two boys behind her, her lips slightly pursed, with a faint sparkle in her brown eyes. Her gaze lingered more on Ron, watching the red-haired boy, a wave of melancholy and sadness suddenly welled up inside her. Suddenly, she remembered the first year when she first entered Hogwarts. It was due to Ron's sarcasm that pulled her into his little group.
Perhaps, everything should come to an end.
"Dude?" Roger Davies eyed Ron sideways, "If it's just being friends."
"It's more than just friends—"
Hermione suddenly turned her head back, fixing her gaze on the showy Roger Davies, her eyes intense, yet her tone incredibly calm.
"Ron has also invited me to Christmas, to spend it with him! And I!" Hermione emphasized, "I have already accepted his invitation!"
Phew!
A fierce gust of wind swept up the loose snow, forcing students standing outside the entrance hall's marble balcony to squint their eyes against the stinging snowflakes. However, Harry and Ron remained motionless.
Harry stared in shock at Ron, feeling a mix of emotions. Both Ron and Hermione were his close friends, and yet they both chose to keep him in the dark about their relationship?
However, when Harry noticed Ron's bewildered face amidst the fluttering snowflakes, he suddenly realized that what Hermione had just said might not be the whole truth.
"Please--"
Even without turning her head, Hermione probably guessed the reactions of Harry and Ron. In the howling snowstorm, she quickly turned her head, frowning at Ron. Her lips moved as she whispered softly, "Don't you think you should react, Weasley?"
Reaction?!
Ron suddenly trembled violently, fully regaining his senses.
He was going to partner up with Hermione for the Christmas ball?!
But he hadn't invited her. Hermione was his friend, wasn't she? Going to the ball with her wasn't bad, of course, she's not unattractive. It's just that she has a temper sometimes. And going with her wasn't a problem, as long as she didn't mind his 'retro' ball gown.
Ron's heart was beating rapidly, thumping, as if it was a mistake. He realized that Hermione looked much more attractive now. Oh, it seemed to be because of her teeth. He had never noticed before that they had become less pronounced!
In just a few seconds, all sorts of random thoughts were flooding Ron's mind. But he had no time to continue his wild imaginations. Roger Davies had already shot him a suspicious look.
"Cough cough, um--" Under Hermione's sharp gaze, Ron quickly replied, "Yes, that's right. I mean, that's exactly what I said!"
Ron had noticed that Harry's lips were tugging into a suppressible smile, which made him even more embarrassed. But he still stared back at Roger Davies' suspicious gaze, determined not to show any weakness.
"I invited her, that's right!"
Gryffindor's brave Hermione Granger has found a dance partner, her good friend Ron Weasley.
The other wizards around them showed some surprise. It wasn't a particularly shocking news, after all. The dance partners of the brave Hermione Granger had been a recent hot topic among students. About Hermione Granger, most students believed she would go to the ball with either Harry Potter or Ron Weasley, as everyone who knew them slightly knew how close they were to each other.
What surprised the little wizards was that they thought Hermione Granger would choose Harry Potter, after all, his fame was much greater than that of the boy from the Weasley family, and he was also more attractive.
Roger Davies' face turned a deep liver color. Being rejected by two girls in one day was nothing, but Hermione Granger was just a lucky little girl!
Roger Davies' lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to make some mocking comments. But the piercing gaze from Harry Potter made him feel suffocated, so he instinctively looked away. Only then did he realize that there were already so many people around them.
"Alright!"
Realizing that if he continued, he would be the absolute clown, Roger managed to force a smile that he thought was dignified.
"That's a shame. Then, I wish you both a good time."
After dropping that line, he quickly left, squeezing himself into the crowd behind and disappearing from the view of Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
The end of this little drama was quite dramatic. But the little wizards gathered around seemed somewhat unsatisfied. If Roger Davies and Ron Weasley were to have a magical wand duel over the love of a girl, that would be even more exciting!
The little wizards looked at the three people in the 'encirclement', who looked a bit embarrassed, and their slightly apologetic eyes began to brighten. Perhaps there would still be some good drama to watch!
Three best friends, two guys fighting over the same girl and splitting up?!
"Hmm, what a funny situation..."
In the awkward silence, a series of laughter with a slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang out. Including Harry, Hermione and Ron, all the little wizards looked down at the steps below immediately. It was the person who was laughing.
It's Parvati Patil!
She had arrived at the castle at some point and watched the interesting scene unfold from below the stairs.
Parvati Patil cautiously stepped forward, making her way over the slippery stairs to stand next to Harry, Hermione and Ron.
Even with the relentless north wind blowing her silvery hair into disarray, Parvati still unconsciously tugged at her hair. She looked at Hermione, flashing a charming smile that would make any young male wizard swoon.
"Seriously--" Parvati glanced at Ron before refocusing on Hermione, who had become alert.
"The boy who just left was pretty good, wasn't he? I heard he's very good at Quidditch and, well, he's handsome too. It wouldn't be a bad choice to go to the ball with him--"
"Right?"
Hermione would bet her end-of-term exam grades that she didn't like Parvati simply because she was her competitor in the Quidditch Championship. She simply didn't like how Parvati spoke as if nothing mattered to her. Plus, Hermione had heard from various sources that Parvati had expressed quite negative opinions about Hogwarts.
"Since you don't like her, why did you reject him?"
The two female warriors of this year's Triwizard Tournament didn't have any personal relationships. Hermione recalled that she had only formally spoken to Parvati once, when Harry knocked her nose off, and at midnight, she and Harry went to give Parvati an apology at the request of Professor Branagh. They could be said to know each other.
Parvati didn't seem to notice Hermione's sarcasm and impatience in her tone. Facing Hermione's question, she just tilted her head, pretending to think. Her cute expression immediately drew a series of excited growls from the little male wizards gathered around. Even Ron's eyes flickered for a moment.
"Maybe it's because--"
After a long while, Parvati finally 'exposed her cards'. With her impeccable facial features perfectly coordinating, Parvati smiled brightly, her gaze leaving Hermione and facing Harry.
"I think there's a better option—"
(End of chapter)
