A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

"I think I might have to wait a while longer, my dance partner hasn't arrived yet."

"What? It's already this late."

"She will arrive in time."

“Alright!” Professor McGonagall nodded. “Potter, take Parvati to Cedric’s place. Get ready to line up in a bit.”

As for you, Weasley, you go into the Great Hall with Padma first.

After the others left, Aaron continued pacing back and forth.

Krum entered the foyer with his dance partner, presumably a member of his fan club.

He stopped as he passed Aaron. "She hasn't arrived yet?"

"Yeah, not yet," Aaron said instinctively, but quickly realized, "Who are you talking about?"

"Her...M...En".

"Hermione," Aaron said speechlessly, "your pronunciation is a little off."

Krum nodded slightly, not at all embarrassed.

“Viktor,” Professor McGonagall called out, “you should come and line up.”

Krum immediately led his dance partner toward Cedric and the others.

"So, it seems only I'm left." Aaron picked Abe up. "And you too."

Time ticked by, and with less than five minutes left until eight o'clock, Professor McGonagall and the other four groups of warriors gradually turned their attention to Aaron.

“Mr. Gaius,” Professor McGonagall anxiously called Aaron over, “I hate to say this, but… if Miss Granger still doesn’t come, I must suggest you find a different dance partner.”

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

"Still waiting?" Professor McGonagall's voice was clearly laced with anger. "We can't wait any longer."

“Professor, Hermione might have been held up by something,” Harry said. “You know her; she’s always been very reliable, isn’t she?”

That's what they say, but now all the students and teachers are here.

"The five champions of the Triwizard Tournament aren't ready. What am I supposed to do?" Professor McGonagall looked distressed. "Gaius, this concerns Hogwarts' reputation."

call!

Aaron took a deep breath. "How much time do we have left?"

“Three minutes.” Cedric glanced at his watch. “Either Granger gets here in three minutes, or you find a new dance partner in those three minutes.”

“Aaron, you heard me. It’s not that I’m being heartless, it’s just that we really don’t have time.” Professor McGonagall forced herself to calm down. “You wait here, I’ll go find you a dance partner.”

She patted Aaron on the shoulder and quickly turned to walk towards the crowd.

"Beautiful." Aaron shrugged. "I never thought I'd get stood up on my first invitation to a girl for a dance."

"This is incredibly embarrassing," Hibiscus laughed gleefully. "If you hadn't refused my invitation, things might not have gone this far."

Aaron: ......

Roger Davis: ......

Is it really appropriate to say this in front of me, your dance partner?

Chapter 378 Professor McGonagall's Efficiency, and the Temporarily Acquired Dance Partner

The clock struck eight o'clock sharp. Aaron looked at the entrance to the hall, but the familiar faces did not appear.

“Gaius.” Professor McGonagall walked over quickly, pulling a girl with her. “We’ve arrived just in time. This is Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw. I had a hard time persuading her.”

"Hehe!" Aaron looked at the blonde girl with waist-length hair and a quirky appearance, and couldn't help but smile wryly. "Professor, your efficiency is really high. You found it in less than three minutes."

“This is not the time for jokes.” Professor McGonagall anxiously pushed Luna in front of Aaron. “I’ll go tell Filch to open the doors to the Great Hall first. You two should get familiar with it quickly.”

“Uh… hello,” Luna said slowly. “I’m a third-year Ravenclaw, and I don’t like dancing, so you’d better be prepared.”

“Perhaps I’m the one who should apologize,” Aaron sighed. “It’s really embarrassing to have someone who doesn’t like to dance accompany me to the ball.”

"At least the result is good," Cedric couldn't help but tease. "Luna, you've done me a great favor this time."

“I didn’t want to come either, but Professor McGonagall said she would lend me her pet for a day.”

Aaron paused for a moment, then turned to look at Abe, who was squatting on the ground with an arrogant expression, and his heart skipped a beat.

"No, this is absolutely not okay."

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Professor McGonagall glared at Aaron. “I’m the vice-principal, and there’s nothing I can do about your dance partner not being here on time.”

"But Professor, you know, Abbey isn't an ordinary cat, it..."

"I believe you can see its potential."

"Is that right, Mr. Gaius?" Professor McGonagall gritted her teeth, her voice filled with a warning.

Aaron suddenly felt immense pressure and nodded blankly.

Crunch!

The oak doors of the Great Hall opened, and Fleur and Roger walked confidently and gracefully in front, followed by Krum and his dance partner. Cedric and Cho Chang were in the middle, Harry and Parvati followed somewhat reservedly behind, and finally Aaron and Luna arrived.

The walls of the auditorium were covered with silver frost, and the ceiling was a star-studded night sky, with countless silver stars falling like raindrops.

Hundreds of beautiful flower fairies flew around in mid-air, and several long tables were replaced by hundreds of tables lit with lanterns.

After they entered, hundreds of people applauded in unison to welcome them.

The warriors, accompanied by their dance partners, arrived at the main seating area. Dumbledore flashed a friendly smile, and the other referees also changed into formal attire.

Barty Crouch was not there; Percy Weasley was sitting in his seat.

Adrian glanced at Aaron, then at Luna beside him. After a moment of confusion, he gave an approving look and a thumbs up.

The warriors and their dance partners sat down at the main table. There was no food on their plates, but there was a menu. When a name was called, the corresponding food would appear on the plate.

“It’s very Christmassy,” Luna said with a smile, hugging Abbe. “It’s really beautiful.”

“After all, we have guests.” Aaron said meaningfully, “We need to make them feel at home.”

“Beauxbatons’ Great Hall has huge, sparkling diamond statues,” Fleur said dismissively. “The food is top-notch, there’s the Mountain Fairy Choir, and no mischievous ghosts.”

“Exactly right, that’s it, no doubt about it,” Davis said, slapping the table as if everything Fleur said was correct.

"This senior's composure is really exceptionally poor!" Aaron said in a low voice, with disdain.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing, just eat your food!"

The Christmas feast is much more lavish than usual.

"It's just too greasy."

“You don’t have to eat it!” Aaron rolled his eyes.

“If Miss Delacour is dissatisfied with the food in any way, you can ask my brother,” Adrian said with a smile. “It’s no exaggeration to say that he is an expert in various cuisines from different countries, and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

"Are you kidding me?"

“It’s true,” Harry interjected. “I had the pleasure of tasting it at the Weasleys’ house a couple of years ago, and it was an unforgettable delicacy.”

“Harry,” Aaron immediately gave him a wink, and said seriously, “You can’t just say things like that!”

Harry realized what was happening, gave an awkward smile, and silently lowered his head to eat.

“No need to be so modest, it’s the truth,” Percy said.

puff!

Aaron suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest; Percy's finishing blow was truly exhilarating.

"Really?" Hibiscus asked Aaron with suspicion.

"It's fake," Aaron said irritably. "I'm the family heir, for goodness' sake. Do you think someone like me needs to study recipes?"

"It seems to be true."

Aaron chuckled, not wanting to explain.

Whether you believe it or not is your business, but whether he cooks or not is his business.

“Not bad,” Adrian said abruptly. “I really didn’t expect you to find a second dance partner in such a short time.”

Bang!

Aaron's fork fell onto the plate, and he said incredulously, "So... Hermione, you did this?"

Adrian shrugged. "You really shouldn't have revealed who your dance partner was. How does it feel to get stood up?"

Where is she? You didn't do anything to her, did you?

“Don’t worry.” Adrian pointed to the room behind, “Miss Granger is having her meal in there.”

I have to admit, you have good taste; she really is beautiful.

Aaron rolled his eyes and was about to get up to go check on things when Adrian stopped him with a look. "Sit down!"

I'll explain what needs explaining; now you need to eat properly.

"Sis, are you bored? What's it to you?"

Instead of answering directly, Adrian smiled and asked, "Did you receive your Christmas present?"

"An unforgettable ball, is that what you mean?" Aaron said irritably, "You made someone stand me up and deliberately embarrass me."

“I know you have a way to solve this.”

And you actually did it.

"Um..." Luna said shyly, "I was called here by Professor McGonagall."

"Is that so?" Adrian was a little surprised. "I thought you had just pulled in a pretty girl at the last minute. It seems the teachers at Hogwarts are quite good."

“Minerva has always been reliable; otherwise, she wouldn’t be the Vice-Headmaster of Hogwarts,” Dumbledore said.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Aaron scoffed. "I have a dance partner, and knowing that she didn't stand me up on purpose actually makes me feel much better."

Adrian smiled without saying a word, but the familiar playfulness in his eyes made Aaron's heart pound and a sense of unease welled up inside him.