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Chapter 445 Christmas Arrives Quietly
Chapter 445 Christmas Arrives Quietly
Time flies, yet it also drags. Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, Christmas has quietly arrived.
This Christmas was different from previous years. Although there was a holiday, most students did not choose to go home but stayed at Hogwarts instead.
The reason is simple: to celebrate the Triwizard Tournament, Hogwarts will hold a grand ball. This is different from the costume ball held on Halloween. The Christmas ball has a special meaning.
Therefore, both students and professors had an inexplicable anticipation for this ball.
Of course, this excludes Miss Loila Hamilton.
She was a bit too tired yesterday. She was helping Hagrid move a large Christmas tree from the Forbidden Forest while also studying magic circles. It wasn't until after 10 a.m. that she finally opened her eyes, still sleepy.
But so what?
She turned over, glanced at the time on the wall clock, and pursed her lips—should she sleep a little longer?
Today is a rare day with nothing to do. I don't have to take the students to dance practice, nor do I have to prepare for a competition, and I don't even have classes—maybe I should take another nap?
Unfortunately, this idea could not be put into action in the end. Miss Nagini, who found her awake, coughed lightly and then walked over.
"Time to get up—Loila." She looked at Loila's twitching pointed ears and couldn't help but slowly reach out and pinch them.
"Ugh!" Loila, whose ear had been pinched, woke up with a start. She sat up and looked at Nagini in astonishment.
"Nagini—how come you're—just like Luna now?"
"What's wrong?" Nagini chuckled softly. "Is she the only one allowed to touch these ears?"
"No one can touch it without permission!"
After Miss Nagini pinched her ear, Loila lost her desire to sleep. She yawned, then rolled over and sat up, her messy silver hair draped over her back.
"You've gotten up late enough today," Nagini said, slowly walking behind her and skillfully picking up a comb to brush Royla's hair.
"But—but nothing much happened today—"
"How could you not?" Nagini raised an eyebrow. "Don't you need to go to the Christmas ball?"
"Do—do I need to?" Loila thought for a moment and tilted her head, then Nagini gently straightened her head with her hand.
"Me neither—I don't have a dance partner or anything—I'd probably just be there to watch the fun, right?" She thought for a moment and added, "Nagini—do you have a dance partner?"
"I can't dance," Nagini said, shaking her head with a laugh. "And I don't need a dance partner."
"Because no matter who you dance with—I'll always be your dance partner."
"Can it really be like this?" Loila blinked, still a little sleepy, and started to space out again.
"And you said you don't have a dance partner—I don't think so," Nagini said casually. "I know how popular Professor Hamilton is at Hogwarts."
"They—they're just students—" Upon hearing the word "welcome," Loila chuckled, but still added with a laugh, "And—and it's not necessarily a welcome."
"Maybe—maybe they just want to see me make a fool of myself—"
"You're always like this—thinking of everyone in the worst possible light." Nagini shrugged, her hands never stopping.
"I'm sorry—I'm sorry." Loila apologized softly, but it was hard to say how much apology she had—Loila's mind was always a little slow to process things after just waking up.
She didn't come to her senses until Miss Nagini helped her comb her hair and she washed her face.
After regaining her senses, Loila began to think about what would happen that night.
So, does that mean she has to participate? To be honest, she doesn't really want to go—after all, she doesn't have a dance partner, and if she goes, she'll just be sitting on the professor's bench watching the students dance.
It wasn't just the students, but also Luna, Lupin, and other professors—and so on—yes!
That's why I had to go!
Loila suddenly realized what was happening and nodded seriously.
Who Luna's dance partner is is extremely important! If it's a boy—I'll use a forgetting spell to make him forget Luna! He's definitely not up to any good anyway—if it's a girl—
I'll just gently use the Oblivion Spell myself.
Loila made up her mind and then clenched her fist.
However, just as she made up her mind, Nagini, who had been sitting in the chair observing her, seemed to have made up her mind as well and nodded.
"Loila—you're going to the ball tonight, right?"
"Hmm—Hmm!" Loila nodded and looked at Miss Nagini.
"In that case—could you give me two hours before you go?" Nagini counted on her fingers.
"Huh?" Loila paused for a moment and said, "Why?"
"It's a secret," Nagini said, blinking. "I'm going to make you the brightest star at the ball."
"What—does that mean?" Loila scratched her head, not understanding Miss Nagini's intention.
Unlike the calm atmosphere inside the office, Hogwarts outside was bustling with activity.
Students dressed in Christmas costumes ran happily down the corridor, calling out to each other and exchanging smiles.
It seemed that whatever had happened in the past few months was forgotten on Christmas Day. Even Durmstrang students dared to walk into Hogwarts and talk to the Hogwarts students they usually didn't like.
Of course, it's also possible that the relationship between these students, who were initially somewhat hostile, has gradually eased due to recent dance training.
Seeing the students' smiles, Dumbledore also smiled slightly.
"Albus—" The smile on his face slowly faded only after Professor McGonagall walked up to him.
"What's wrong, Minerva?" he asked, turning slightly to the side.
"Are you sure he'll come today?" McGonagall thought for a moment and said, "On Christmas Day?"
"Even judging by the timeline—it was probably after the Christmas ball?" She seemed a little skeptical.
"As arranged by the Ministry of Magic—that's how it is," Dumbledore said softly. "And isn't it for the best?"
"This guest from Germany can celebrate Christmas with us."
"He's hardly a guest, Albus," McGonagall sighed softly. "He's more like a detective."
"He'll suspect anyone he wants to suspect—that might make Hogwarts even more—" McGonagall pursed her lips but didn't say anything more, because she knew it was necessary.
Although many people disliked Karkarov, his death ultimately caused a lot of problems.
These are problems that a professor like her cannot solve.
"Do we need to prepare any welcoming ceremony?" she asked after thinking for a moment.
"No need," Dumbledore shook his head. "Remus will receive him."
"Regarding the investigation—Remus will also be in contact with him."
"Professor Lupin?" McGonagall nodded slightly upon hearing this. For the past few weeks, Lupin had been in charge of investigating Karkaroff's matter. Although he hadn't made any major progress, it seemed that he had made some strides.
With his cooperation, the German agent should be able to resolve this matter more quickly.
Seeing the little wizards running around in the corridor, McGonagall pursed her lips and coughed, "No running or playing in the corridor!"
As she spoke, she put on a stern face and strode over.
Watching her retreating figure, Dumbledore chuckled again.