On the night of the Yule Ball, the Hogwarts Great Hall was completely transformed.
Holly and Mistletoe covered in frost hung from the ceiling, and the walls were covered with shimmering silver drapes.
The long dining tables of the four houses had disappeared, replaced by hundreds of small round tables covered in white cloths, each lit by a flickering lantern.
Students were dressed in their finest robes, and the air was thick with excitement and anticipation.
Ron's flashy dress robes looked especially out of place.
When Lia appeared at the entrance of the Great Hall, arm-in-arm with Hermione, the clamor at the doorway came to a brief halt.
Hermione wore a sky-blue gauzy dress, its layered skirts flowing like a moving lake.
Her bushy brown hair had been meticulously styled with magic into an elegant bun, revealing her slender neck.
She was no longer the book-clutching, hurried overachiever, but a radiant young woman.
But even more eye-catching was Lia, standing beside her.
Hermione had chosen a moon-white silk gown for her; the style was simple, yet it perfectly outlined her petite and soft curves.
Her long silver hair cascaded down like moonlight, pinned with several tiny star-shaped hair clips.
Most unique of all were those cat ears and the fluffy long tail behind her.
Rather than ruining the overall aesthetic, they added an otherworldly charm and innocence to her.
Not far away, the Durmstrang champion Viktor Krum was surrounded by a group of admirers.
He felt the commotion at the door and instinctively looked over.
When he saw Hermione and Lia standing intimately together, he froze.
That girl... she looked even more dazzling than before.
And the brown-haired girl beside her was asserting ownership with an inviolable posture.
Krum's gaze lingered between the two for a moment.
Finally, his lips twitched into a smile that could hardly be called pleasant.
He turned away and continued to deal with his companions.
His upbringing and dignity would not allow him to pry into a pair that already belonged to each other.
"They're beautiful," Parvati Patil said to her sister Padma.
"Yeah, especially Lia. She looks like..." Padma couldn't find the right words.
"...A dream."
Ignoring the surrounding stares, Hermione led Lia straight to an empty seat near the edge.
"Sit here."
Lia sat down obediently, taking in her surroundings.
The magic of the Veela, the hormones of the boys, the aroma of the food... all the scents intertwined in her nose to form a bizarre and colorful tapestry.
But there was only one scent that made her feel most at ease.
It was the scent from Hermione, a mix of old parchment books and a faint hint of shampoo.
When the music for the dance floor began, Hermione stood up and reached out to Lia, performing a standard invitation to dance.
"My dear Lia, would you care to dance with me?"
Lia placed her hand in Hermione's palm, her deep blue eyes reflecting Hermione's figure.
"Mhm."
They glided onto the dance floor.
Among the many male-female pairs, the combination of these two girls was particularly striking.
Hermione led the steps.
And Lia responded with complete trust.
She didn't need to think or judge; she only needed to follow Hermione's rhythm and surrender herself completely.
Her long hair and tail drew dreamlike afterimages in their spins.
With only one night of practice, they were able to coordinate seamlessly.
They were born to dance together.
As the song ended, Hermione held Lia's waist and led her away from the crowded dance floor.
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