The Christmas Ball finally arrived amidst the anticipation and nervousness of the Young Wizards.
Before this, Ron had finally mustered the courage to invite Fleur to be his dance partner, but unfortunately, the result was a failure.
However, both he and Harry managed to find partners in time, allowing them both to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Amanda, your makeup skills are actually this good?" Cho Chang allowed Amanda to work on her face, and after a full fifteen minutes, she opened her eyes to find an exquisite and unique look awaiting her.
The makeup Amanda designed for Cho Chang was completely customized based on her individual features, maximizing her gentle qualities.
"I read about it in a book before," Amanda said, her voice devoid of any ripples.
At the same time, she deftly packed her things and walked over to Marietta Eckmore, picking up cosmetics with both hands and working with both simultaneously.
Cho Chang pursed her lips, and after taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she turned to look at Marietta Eckmore on the opposite bed.
At this moment, Marietta Eckmore's face had just been given a layer of base makeup by Amanda; even so, she was so pale she seemed to glow, causing Cho Chang's heart to skip a beat.
Of course, unbeknownst to her, Marietta Eckmore had also clenched her fists tightly upon seeing her makeup.
After another fifteen minutes, Marietta Eckmore's overall makeup "work" was completed. Amanda lowered her hands and said, "Senior Marietta, please open your eyes and see if you're satisfied with this look."
Marietta Eckmore slowly opened her eyes and was immediately startled by her reflection in the mirror.
Because of the makeup, her facial strengths were all magnified. In particular, Amanda had captured an indescribable charm at the corners of her eyes; with the addition of a bit of eyeliner, she looked much more enchanting.
At the very least, Marietta Eckmore herself was dazed for a second looking at her reflection, let alone Cho Chang on the opposite bed, who had to use all her willpower to "pull" her gaze away from Marietta Eckmore's face.
Having finished the makeup for the two seniors, Amanda watched them walk out of the Dormitory one after the other, unsure of where they were going, but... why did it feel like they didn't dare look at each other?
Could it be that her makeup skills had failed, making the two seniors look so bad they didn't want to see each other?
That seemed unlikely; both seniors had clearly just praised her.
Amanda tilted her head, not quite understanding what was going on between Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore.
"It's not a problem with the makeup you did," Hermione said, seeing through Amanda's thoughts at a glance as she stood up and walked over to gently stroke her cheek. "It's that the two seniors feel..."
She raised an eyebrow and added teasingly, "If they were to look at each other, they might very well lose their composure right in front of us."
"Lose their composure in front of us." Amanda blinked mechanically, not having a deep understanding of Hermione's words.
She only analyzed that if Senior Cho Chang and Senior Marietta had made eye contact just now, they might not have been able to resist doing something impolite to each other in front of them?
"Let me do your makeup, Hermione." Amanda shook her head, casting aside those messy thoughts, and gestured for Hermione to sit at her desk.
"Then I'll trouble you, Amanda." Hermione nodded with a smile and sat down at the desk. Watching Amanda approach her bit by bit from behind through the mirror, a sense of happiness welled up in her heart.
Fantasizing that every day in the future could be like this, she slowly closed her eyes.
Facing Hermione's face, Amanda's makeup technique was incredibly gentle, like a spring breeze brushing against willows, or a dragonfly lightly touching the water's surface.
It was all completed without Hermione even feeling much of anything.
Facing Hermione's face, Amanda didn't need to conceive a look in her mind at all. Just by picking up the tools and looking at this face, she knew how to apply it; she knew exactly what needed to be "emphasized."
Even without needing to think, Amanda took a full twenty-five minutes to finish Hermione's makeup.
"Hermione, open your eyes and take a look."
Amanda placed the items from both hands on the desk and stood up straight behind Hermione.
Hermione slowly opened her eyes and met her own gaze in the mirror.
Her reflection was flamboyantly beautiful, yet it also carried a hint of the domineering aura of one who would contend for the world.
She didn't look like a thorny rose, but more like an empress looking down upon everything.
Letting out a soft laugh, the Hermione in the mirror immediately became much more playful and lively. The domineering aura was replaced by the vivacity of a young girl as she turned around in her chair to look up at Amanda.
"The makeup you did for me is really quite imposing."
"Hermione's aura was always like this." Amanda shook her head. She had only enhanced Hermione's inherent aura and features, rather than intentionally creating new ones.
"Thank you." Hermione took Amanda's hand and gently rubbed the back of it.
"Can I watch you do your own makeup?"
"Of course." Amanda nodded without hesitation. Expressionlessly, she picked up her makeup tools and sat down at her own desk.
Staring straight into the mirror, Amanda's hands moved rapidly as she applied makeup to her own face.
Hermione stood to the side, watching Amanda's swift movements. Every step required no thought; every step was almost instinctual.
She didn't want to think about why Amanda, who had been suffocated by studies in her original world and harmed to such an extent, was so familiar with makeup—just as she was reluctant to think about why Amanda was so familiar with ballroom dancing.
Some people were too black-hearted; even after taking the vast majority, they still wanted everything.
When the final look was complete, Amanda opened her eyes, and a delicate yet cold face appeared in the mirror.
Her face, which was already heart-stirring without any makeup, was even more moving now.
That cold sense of aloofness made one couldn't help but want to pull her into their arms and try to warm everything about her.
Stepping forward to gently embrace Amanda, Hermione leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"You're so beautiful, whether without makeup or with it."
"I..." Amanda, who had originally wanted to say she wasn't pretty or even call herself ugly, felt the air Hermione breathed against her ear and instinctively swallowed those words. Her ears turned red as she said instead:
"Mm, thank you for the compliment, Hermione."
"I'm just telling the truth." Hermione shook her head, straightened up, and walked to her bed to pull the curtains.
"It's almost time. Amanda, you should hurry and change into your Dress Robes too."
"Okay," Amanda replied in a flat tone, standing up and walking to her bed to pull her curtains.
Her wizard robe was folded neatly on the bed as Amanda put on her Dress Robes.
The long hem fell; the upper part of the Dress Robes featured a sky identical to the one on Hermione's Dress Robes.
In fact, if someone were proficient in Astronomy, they would discover that if the starry skies of the two sets of Dress Robes were overlaid, they would form the most common starry sky seen in the real world.
Beneath the starry sky, a goshawk occupied the hem of the dress. The goshawk had sharp eyes and spread wings, soaring under the stars.
Pulling back the curtains and walking out, Hermione looked at Amanda and felt that she, too, was born to soar like the goshawk on her Dress Robes, her wings never to be broken by anyone or anything.
Amanda put on her high heels and walked steadily to Hermione's side, watching as she slowly stepped into her own heels and stood up somewhat unsteadily.
Extending her hands to subtly protect Hermione, Amanda looked up at her. "Have you never worn high heels before, Hermione?"
"No," Hermione shook her head honestly, trying a few steps to slowly get used to the feel of the heels.
"My mom rarely wears them either. High heels are uncomfortable and bad for your feet."
As she spoke, Hermione had already become somewhat accustomed to the sensation and was able to walk freely.
"If you don't like them, don't wear them."
Amanda spoke without hesitation, bending down to help Hermione take off the heels.
"Don't," Hermione pursed her lips and held onto Amanda, a faint blush appearing on her face. "I want to be a bit more formal today."
"Alright." Amanda nodded, straightening up and looking at Hermione as if waiting for something.
Hermione smiled and extended an arm; Amanda cooperatively reached out and lightly took it.
Before she could walk to the Dormitory door with Hermione, Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore hurried back; they still had to put on their own robes.
Keenly noticing that Marietta Eckmore's lips were somewhat swollen, Amanda blinked twice and looked at Cho Chang with near certainty.
Only the two seniors had gone out just now, so Marietta Eckmore's swollen lips were undoubtedly related to Cho Chang.
So what had Cho Chang done to make Marietta Eckmore's lips swell? Did Cho Chang hit her? That shouldn't be right; according to personality analysis, Cho Chang's character was the gentlest among the girls, how could... "Wow, you two girls really are beautiful!" Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore's eyes lit up simultaneously.
"You should dress up more often." Marietta Eckmore, with Cho Chang's arm around her waist, spoke with complete sincerity.
"Thank you, Senior Cho Chang, Senior Marietta."
Amanda and Hermione thanked them together, and then, before Amanda could say anything more, Hermione led her out of the Dormitory.
"Are you curious why Senior Marietta's lips are swollen?"
Hermione leaned into Amanda's ear and asked with a mischievous grin.
"Mm," Amanda nodded without any expression on her face. "It shouldn't be that Senior Cho Chang hit her; she wouldn't do that."
"Of course Senior Cho Chang didn't hit her." Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or cry; if Cho Chang heard that, she'd probably protest her innocence on the spot.
"As for why Senior Marietta's lips are actually swollen..."
As Hermione spoke, she looked at the Dress Robes on herself and Amanda. Her heart trembled violently, and her eyes felt slightly warm. "You'll find out in a bit."
"Oh," Amanda responded, assuming Hermione would give her the answer later.
Led down the stairs by Hermione, the moment Amanda appeared with her, the Little Eagles still in the Common Room were collectively hit with the mute and pause buttons.
This... this, they certainly knew Amanda was beautiful, and Miss Granger was also very good-looking.
But because both girls usually weren't the type to dress up, often just combing their hair before coming out, the awareness hadn't been this strong.
Looking at them now... the two of them were simply glowing with beauty!
Furthermore, Hermione's beauty carried a hint of regal dominance, making people instinctively want to lower their heads and look away.
Amanda's beauty, on the other hand, held a glacier-like cold indifference, making one feel as if they were about to be frozen in the bitter cold of the Far North.
Neither girl's beauty was something that could be easily admired or easily plucked.
Only between the two of them could they stand by each other's side and scrutinize each other's beauty in detail.
"Pfft," Hermione couldn't help but smile radiantly as she leaned close to Amanda's ear. "Everyone's been stunned by us."
"Because you're too beautiful, Hermione."
Amanda said this without any pause or thought. Hermione smiled and patted the back of her hand, and after nodding to the Little Eagles with her, she led Amanda out of the Ravenclaw Common Room toward the ball.
Following Hermione all the way to the Great Hall, Amanda's gaze constantly swept over the different Young Wizards.
Every Young Wizard they passed was dressed in their robes and meticulously groomed.
Every Young Wizard was drawn to them, and after admiring their beauty for a few seconds, they would instinctively look away and lower their heads.
Walking into the ball venue arm-in-arm with Hermione, the arrival of the two girls caused the Professors and Young Wizards already present to daze in unison for two seconds.
Headmaster Dumbledore came to his senses, stroked his white beard, and turned to Professor McGonagall to tease her.
"I still remember you having such a style when you were young, Minerva."
Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow, not giving her old friend any face at all. "Are you saying that now that I'm older, I've lost it?"
The hand stroking his beard stopped abruptly. Headmaster Dumbledore shook his head with a smile. "I didn't say that. Women have their own charm at every stage of life."
With a soft laugh, Professor McGonagall turned back to look at Amanda and Hermione, who had found seats after entering the ball. "It should be that everyone, regardless of gender, has their own charm at every stage of life."
"Oh, is that so?" Headmaster Dumbledore blinked slyly. "Then I hope I still have a bit of charm left."
Professor Snape, sitting nearby, said nothing, only casting a few silent glances at him.
Not long after Amanda and Hermione sat down, Cho Chang and Marietta Eckmore arrived arm-in-arm, and Penelope and Luna also walked into the ball venue hand-in-hand just in time.
Headmaster Dumbledore stood up with a smile, wished everyone a Merry Christmas, and then announced the start of the ball.
The Four Champions led their partners to the center of the venue, waiting for the music for the opening dance to begin.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.