Chapter 179 The Gift Box Under the Bed

Hogwarts students and teachers have shown a constant desire to impress Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's guests, and they seem determined to present the castle at its best this Christmas.

The school was decorated with great care. It can be said that this castle has never been so beautiful!

The banisters of the marble stairs were covered with never-melting icicles, and the usual twelve Christmas trees in the auditorium were adorned with baubles of every kind, from glittering hollies to Hooting golden owl.

The armor was enchanted so that it would sing Christmas carols whenever anyone passed by.

Honestly, hearing an empty helmet sing "Oh, come on, you godly ones" is pretty hilarious.

Originally, the armor only knew half of the lyrics. Filch the gatekeeper had to pull Peeves out of his armor several times because Peeves was hiding in it, and whenever the armor couldn't sing, he made up some lyrics of his own to fill in.

Believe me, those are some very rough words.

However, when everyone was busy going around for this Christmas, Hermione hid alone in the dormitory, looking at the flat gift box on her bed without saying a word.

The gift box had no ribbons or decorations, but was tied with a thin string - it was obviously not a gift from someone else.

On the lid of the gift box was printed a line of text: Wear elegant clothes and be a "superior" wizard!

This was delivered by an owl early this morning.

When the package containing this gift box was gently placed in front of Hermione by a well-trained owl, she didn't even finish her breakfast, and returned to her dormitory with the package in her arms.

But until now, she has not opened this exquisite gift box.

"...It shouldn't be, now is not the time to think about these things." She muttered to herself, raised her hand, and put it down gently.

After going back and forth like this a few times, she simply picked up the gift box and stuffed it under the bed.

Hermione is preoccupied, and Harry and Ron are not having a good time now-they are already very anxious.

Ron wouldn't make a fool of himself like he did without a partner. But Harry is different - he has to take the lead and start dancing with the other warriors!

"I think the Crying Myrtle is always there." Harry looked a little resigned.

"Harry - we've got to grit our teeth and fight it out," said Ron, as if they were planning to break into an impregnable fortress, "we'll all have our partners when we get back to the common room tonight - That's a deal?"

"Um...well," said Harry.

That day, Harry saw the lovely and charming Cho Chang several times.

He remembered it clearly, a total of three times!

Once at recess, once at lunch, and once on the way to History of Magic class. However, every time I see her, she is always surrounded by many friends.

Did she never go anywhere alone? Maybe he can ambush her when she goes to the bathroom? No way - even when she was going to the bathroom, she was accompanied by four or five students!

But if Harry is going to take no further action,

She will definitely be invited by others.

In Snape's Potions quiz, he found it difficult to concentrate and forgot to include one of the main ingredients - bezoar - which meant he could only get the lowest mark.

But he doesn't care about that anymore. Now he is busy mustering up the courage to take decisive action!

As soon as the get out of class bell rang, he grabbed his schoolbag and rushed towards the door of the basement classroom.

"See you at the dinner table," he said to Ron and Hermione, who was more silent than usual, and rushed upstairs.

"Just ask Qiu Zhang alone, it's that simple...it's that simple!"

He hurried through the crowded corridors, looking for her. Unexpectedly, he saw her almost as soon as he turned the corner. Right now, she was coming out of Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Hmm—Cho Chang? Can I have a word with you?"

The Ministry of Magic should come up with a new law that says "giggling" is not allowed! Because the girls around Cho Chang giggled.

Fortunately, Cho Chang himself was not smiling.

She said "Okay" and followed Harry out of the ear of her classmates.

Harry turned to look at her, and suddenly there was a strange spasm in him, as if he had missed a step on the way down.

"Hmm." He faltered.

He couldn't ask, he couldn't even open his mouth...but he had to! Cho Chang was standing in front of him now, looking at him with a puzzled expression—the arrow was already on Zhang Man's hunting bow!

The words came out of Harry's mouth, so incoherently that he didn't have time to catch the words.

"Be with me...with me!"

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Qiu Zhang froze for a moment.

"Would you — would you like to go to the dance with me?" Harry asked.

This sentence was finally asked clearly by him, but why did he blush? why!

"Oh!" Qiu Zhang's face also flushed red, "Oh, Harry, I'm really sorry," she looked at him honestly, "I've already agreed to go with someone else."

"Oh," said Harry.

It was a strange feeling: a minute ago, he felt his guts wriggling like snakes; but now, all of a sudden, he felt as if his guts were being ripped out.

"Oh, well," he said, "it's all right."

"I'm really sorry," she said again.

"It's okay," Harry said.

They stood there looking at each other, and then Qiu Zhang whispered: "Then, that's it—"

"Okay," said Harry.

"Okay, goodbye." Qiu Zhang's face was still red, she took two steps back, then turned and left.

Harry stopped her from behind - he didn't want to do it, or rather, he didn't stop himself in time.

"who are you going with?"

"Oh—Cedric," she said, "Cedric Diggory."

"Oh, all right." Harry said.

His internal organs seemed to be back again, but he felt that they were taken and filled with lead just now, and they were falling down in his stomach at this moment.

Harry forgot all about dinner. He walked slowly back upstairs to the Gryffindor common room, and every step he took, Cho Chang's voice echoed in his ears:

"Cedric—Cedric Diggory—"

Yes, yes... Cedric is the Seeker and captain of the Hufflepuff team, that's no worse than him... Cedric is tall and handsome, he can't compare to him... Cedric is gentle and popular Much better than him... Cedric...

"But I'm the Hogwarts warrior!"

Harry thought suddenly dissatisfied: Cedric is actually a good-for-nothing handsome guy, he doesn't have enough brains to fill an eggshell!

"Alas—" he thought about it, and couldn't help but sigh, "Well, I, a warrior, also got here somehow..."

"Light of the fairy mirror." He said dryly to the fat lady - the password was changed the day before.

"Yes, yes, darling!" she trilled, smoothing her fresh lamé headband as she rolled forward to let him in.

Entering the common room, Harry looked around and was surprised to see Ron sitting stiff-faced in a far corner. Ginny sat beside him, talking to him in a low voice, as if to comfort him.

"What's the matter, Ron?" Harry asked, walking towards them.

Ron looked up at Harry with a look of horror on his face.

"I'm too anxious..." He said absently, "I've been thinking about my partner, just now I don't know why—"

"What?" Harry asked.

"He - well - he just invited Fleur Delacour to the ball with him." Ginny seemed to be trying to hold back a laugh, but still patted Ron's arm sympathetically.

"What's wrong with you?"

Harry wanted to say - what are you crazy about, but that would be too much for his good friend. But, who would have thought of it, that would be too stupid.

"I don't know how I ever did something like that!" Ron sighed heavily. "What am I kidding? It's full of people - packed with people - I'm so dazed - Everyone is watching!"

"I met her walking down the hall—she was standing there talking to Digory—and I couldn't help myself—I went up and asked her!"

He looked annoyed, rubbed his face vigorously and said, "Maybe after that day, everything went too smoothly...I feel like I'm...arrogant."

"Oh, I remembered... she does have some Veela blood," said Harry. "You were right—her grandma was a Veela."

"Listen, it wasn't your fault—I bet she was casting that spell on Digory, and you happened to walk by, and you got hit—"

"But..." Harry couldn't help but paused before continuing, "Her effort was wasted this time, because Diggory went with Cho Chang."

Ron suddenly raised his head and looked at Harry in surprise.

"I asked her to come with me just now," said Harry dryly, "and she told me."

Ginny next to her suddenly stopped smiling.

"It's just the two of us without a partner—" said Ron, "oh—yes, except for Neville! But really, Neville hasn't been quite right this term, and he's gone home on leave last time—" —I asked him, but he wouldn't say anything."

Just then, Hermione crawled in through the hole behind the portrait.

"Oh—Hermione—" Ron suddenly looked away, because now, he felt guilty.

"Why don't you two go to dinner?" She came and sat in the armchair next to her.

"because--"

Ginny had just finished speaking when her brother hurriedly covered her mouth.

"Nothing!" Ron shook his head vigorously, even if he didn't know why he did it - didn't he already decide to give up?