Professor Flitwick beamed with joy after hearing Amanda's words. It was wonderful; he wouldn't have to teach it himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but rather that he simply couldn't do it.
"Very good, Miss Amanda. Then please, would you and Miss Granger give everyone a demonstration?"
Professor Flitwick said as he stepped aside from his spot. Hermione, whose name had been called, followed Amanda to the front.
"I'm not very good at ballroom dancing," Hermione said with a troubled expression, looking at Amanda who was standing opposite her.
Although her parents were dentists and her family was relatively wealthy, they felt there was no need to put too much pressure on her since it was only primary school, so she had attended a public primary school.
Public primary schools didn't teach ballroom dancing at all, so all of Hermione's knowledge of it came from watching television. One could only say she knew what should be done, but she was completely clueless about how to actually do it.
"It's alright," Amanda shook her head with a calm expression. "I will lead Hermione through the movements. As long as Hermione follows along, there won't be any problems."
"I'll take the lead steps, and Hermione will take the follow steps."
Because it was uncertain whether the "elite class" members inviting students to dance at the banquet after the final exams would be young masters or young ladies.
Therefore, every student was required to learn both the lead and follow steps at the same time, and Amanda was naturally proficient in both.
"Okay." Hermione pursed her lips and nodded, took off the fluffy slippers on her feet, and walked over to Amanda.
Professor Flitwick pulled out his wand with a face full of smiles and began to wave his hands rhythmically. Accompanied by his movements, elegant music began to resonate within the Ravenclaw Common Room.
Listening to the music in her ears, Amanda gently took Hermione's hands and led her step by step into the ballroom dance. She ensured every movement matched the music while slowing down sufficiently so that everyone in Ravenclaw could see clearly.
Under her almost professional-level lead, Hermione was able to perform the follow steps with ease. The concern she had at the beginning about stepping on Amanda's feet never materialized.
After finishing the entire piece, Amanda slowly let go of Hermione and gave a polite bow to her and everyone in Ravenclaw.
She looked just like a true gentleman active in a grand ball.
"Look at Amanda!" a Ravenclaw girl took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling as she nudged her boyfriend next to her.
The boyfriend looked at Amanda as she straightened back up, applauding while saying as if it were a matter of course, "I'm not even going to compare myself to Junior Lin Yue. I can't compete."
His girlfriend turned to look at him, caught between laughter and tears. What could she say? As expected of her boyfriend, he was quite self-aware.
"Good, Miss Amanda and Miss Granger have finished the demonstration for us. Now, everyone pair up and give it a try."
Professor Flitwick said, raising his wand again. Once all the Little Eagles had paired up, he began to wave it.
Under the melodious music, the Little Eagles danced gracefully in the Ravenclaw Common Room.
It wasn't until three days before the Christmas Ball that Amanda finally finished making the Dress Robess for both her and Hermione.
Of course, if the person making them hadn't been her, these two Dress Robess, which were handmade from the very beginning, would likely have taken much longer.
After packing the Dress Robess into boxes, Amanda quietly slipped out of the Dormitory in the dead of night, after Hermione, Cho Chang, and Marietta Eckmore had all fallen fast asleep.
Walking through the empty Hogwarts Castle, Amanda didn't feel the slightest bit of fear or nervousness.
Firstly, because she didn't have much of an ability to keenly perceive these emotions, and secondly, because Hogwarts always seemed to make the Young Wizards within it feel at ease.
Carrying the box to the Owlry, as soon as she opened the wooden door, pairs of round eyes looked over, faintly glowing in the dark night.
Amanda walked into the Owlry, randomly selected an Owl, and placed the box in her hands in front of it.
"Could I trouble you to help me deliver this to Hermione Granger during breakfast tomorrow?"
The Owl looked at Amanda and tilted its head, then spread its wings to fly down from its perch and land on the box, indicating it had accepted the task.
"Thank you." Amanda crouched down and gently stroked the Owl's small head, then turned and walked out of the Owlry with a light step.
On the way back to the Ravenclaw Common Room, she couldn't help but simulate in her mind what Hermione would look like wearing that Dress Robes.
The mental simulation, which had always been infallible, seemed to be malfunctioning at this moment.
No matter how Amanda simulated it, her brain kept telling her that the simulation didn't look right, that something about it was off.
Yet the fact was, whether it was Hermione's facial features, her figure, or her posture and movements, Amanda had simulated them perfectly in her mind, absolutely identical to the real Hermione.
But something just wasn't right; it was still Amanda's own brain, and she still believed this.
Perhaps only after actually seeing Hermione wear that Dress Robes would she be able to know exactly what was off.
At breakfast the next morning, the four girls—Hermione, Cho Chang, Marietta Eckmore, and Penelope—sat together enjoying the delicacies on the Ravenclaw Table.
For the past few days, Amanda had been obsessed with "sleeping in," so she hadn't come to breakfast with them.
Consequently, when an Owl flew in front of Hermione carrying what looked like a rather large box, the other three girls and even the other Little Eagles couldn't help but turn their gazes toward her.
"It should be the Dress Robes I ordered."
Hermione blinked excitedly, impatiently reaching out to open the lid of the box.
"So beautiful!"
"Merlin, is this a Dress Robes?"
Even without taking the Dress Robes completely out of the box, just opening the lid to reveal a part was enough to make Hermione let out a satisfied sigh and cause the three girls next to her to voice their amazement.
The part of the Dress Robes that was revealed was a paw of a golden lion. This single paw was embroidered so lifelike that every strand of fur and every muscle line, stepping on the ground embroidered on the dress, made it look as if a real golden lion was walking through the dress, revealing a single paw.
"Hermione, which high-end wizarding boutique did you order this from?"
Marietta Eckmore turned her head, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Hermione. She wanted such a beautiful dress too! Even if it meant overdrawing her pocket money for the next two years.
"I don't know," Hermione shook her head honestly. "I chose it from a magazine Amanda gave me, then I gave her the money and she ordered it for me."
Hearing Hermione's explanation, and then looking down at the needlework she had never seen in the Wizarding World—no, it should be said, never seen in the UK—Cho Chang said hesitantly,
"Um, Hermione, may I be so bold as to ask how much you spent on this Dress Robes?"
"Of course," Hermione nodded. "It cost five Galleons."
"Five Galleons?!" Marietta Eckmore looked at Hermione, dumbfounded.
Was she joking? A wand cost seven Galleons, and a Dress Robes like this was clearly meant to "fleece" the wealthy; it was only five Galleons.
"Yes, why? Is it too cheap?"
Hermione furrowed her brows. In truth, she also felt something was a little bit off.
For instance, she had heard her mother mention the prices of some of her father's suits, which cost a lot of money.
And this Dress Robes, she believed, definitely surpassed her father's suits, and it clearly looked hand-sewn, so the price shouldn't be low.
But that was the price Amanda had stated, and she never lied... so even if Hermione had a faint feeling that something was wrong, she didn't truly suspect anything.
But now, seeing Senior Marietta's reaction, she couldn't help but start to suspect again.
"No!" Cho Chang suddenly snapped out of it, reaching out to cover Marietta Eckmore's mouth, not letting the girl continue.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to use a slightly more subtle way to let Hermione figure it out.
"Actually, for Dress Robess, if you go to a high-end boutique for a custom order, they are indeed very expensive."
Cho Chang placed heavy emphasis on the words 'very expensive.'
"But if someone hand-sews it and is willing not to charge for labor, then it's just the cost of materials, which would be quite a bit cheaper."
She again placed heavy emphasis on the words 'quite a bit cheaper.'
Ordering from a boutique would be very expensive? But if someone hand-sewed it and didn't charge for labor, only counting the material costs, it would be very cheap?
Hermione froze for two seconds, slowly looking down at the Dress Robes in the box on the table in front of her.
A design pattern she had never seen before, every detail matching her own preferences.
An astonishingly cheap Dress Robes, Amanda's sudden sleeping in these past few days... these clues instantly connected in Hermione's mind.
"Silly girl."
She whispered softly, not knowing if she was talking about Amanda or herself for only noticing now.
Reaching out to touch the Dress Robes in the box, the smooth and silky feel made Hermione's eyes sting uncontrollably.
Mhm... it must be because this Dress Robes feels too comfortable to the touch, that must be the reason.
On the other side, Marietta Eckmore, whose mouth was suddenly covered by Cho Chang, blinked and turned her eyes innocently toward Cho Chang, whose cheek was pressed against her shoulder.
Cho's profile... looks so beautiful, her skin so delicate, her features so exquisite.
No, Cho's face, one should say, looks beautiful no matter how you look at it.
Thinking this, Marietta Eckmore couldn't help but pucker her lips, and her moist, soft lips instantly touched the palm of Cho Chang's hand.
Before Cho Chang could react, Marietta Eckmore took the initiative to stick out her tongue and give a gentle lick.
A sensation as if her palm was on fire came through, and Cho Chang instantly withdrew her right hand from Marietta Eckmore's mouth.
Her face also turned red in an instant, as if it were burning.
Seeing Cho Chang's quickly withdrawn hand and her burning cheeks, Marietta Eckmore faintly curled her lips, her eyes filled with triumph.
Cho Chang took a deep breath, almost losing control of herself.
Marietta Eckmore... you just wait. When the Christmas Ball comes, both your lips and mine are bound to end up swollen!
Facing the close and distant interactions of her three juniors, Penelope felt as if something was stuck in her throat. She stiffly turned her head to stare at the plate she had already emptied.
Fine, one by one they've all found happiness, leaving her all alone, right?
Propping her chin with her right hand, Penelope blinked, sighing inwardly.
In fact, she herself was a great beauty, and being a Ravenclaw top student to boot, there were many students in Hogwarts who wanted to invite her to be their date.
Both boys and girls, but Penelope just didn't want to agree, as if... she wasn't quite satisfied with any of them.
But seeing as the Christmas Ball was almost here, was she really going to fail to find a suitable partner?
Gently brushing her hair, Penelope also relaxed her mind. Forget it, if she couldn't find one, she couldn't find one. At worst, she wouldn't dance during the Christmas Ball and would just eat the feast.
After all, she wasn't a Champion; she didn't have to lead the dance.
Thinking this, Penelope smiled again, preparing to turn her head to snap the three juniors immersed in their own worlds back to reality so they could head back to Ravenclaw.
However, before she could turn her head, a delicate, dazed face suddenly leaned in beside her.
The owner of this face was looking at her with a misty gaze.
"Junior Luna? Do you need some help?" Penelope reacted for a couple of seconds before instinctively speaking.
Only after speaking did she realize that she was no longer the Prefect of Ravenclaw House. If Luna needed help... she shouldn't really be looking for her, right?
"I have something to discuss with Senior Penelope, but it's not that I need help."
Luna shook her head, her voice ethereal and distant.
"Then why are you looking for me?" Penelope shook her head to clear it and asked Luna.
"I've observed that Senior Penelope hasn't accepted anyone's invitation to be a dance partner," Luna said, as if chanting.
"Uh, yes, maybe I'm just not that interested in dancing?"
Penelope thought for a moment and gave an ambiguous answer.
Luna curled her lips into a smile and gracefully extended her right hand to Penelope.
"I wonder if I might be so bold as to request to be Senior Penelope's partner? Though I might be a bit late, perhaps I've come at just the right time?"
Penelope's brow twitched slightly, feeling a bit surprised by the cleverness in Luna's words.
Looking at her slightly hollow and vacant eyes, as well as her face as pure as moonlight, Penelope felt... perhaps, it really could work.
Also reaching out to take Luna's right hand, Penelope acted like a gentleman, bowing her head to kiss the back of her hand.
"Then I gratefully accept you as my beautiful partner."
Looking up, a pair of clear, bright eyes and a pair of misty, distant eyes met, and silver-bell-like laughter spilled from both girls' mouths simultaneously.
Not many people noticed this scene at the Ravenclaw Table at the time, but time would eventually engrave this moment into the hearts of these girls.
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