But it was not cold at all in the castle, as if there was some magic that isolated the cold air. At seven o'clock in the afternoon, many little wizards had gathered at the door of the auditorium. They had rarely changed out of their wizard robes and put on very formal suits or dresses.
Draco looked good in a white suit today.
His dance partner was not the poodle-like Pansy, but another girl.
Harry and Ron finally found the beautiful twin sisters, even though they were not that enthusiastic about their dance partners, especially Ron, who was wearing a cumbersome and heavy dress like an old lady, and looked like an alien among the wizards.
He felt awkward everywhere and had no desire to go on stage and dance. He just wanted to find a place to hide and eat something.
As for Harry, his eyes were about to fall on Zhang Qiu who was wearing a cheongsam in the distance. It was a pity that Zhang Qiu was holding Cedric's arm. The tall and handsome boy looked impeccable.
Harry looked away angrily.
"Who do you think Hermione and Ginny chose as their dance partners?" Ron asked curiously.
He was very sure that Ginny and Hermione did not look for Cyrus, because he and Harry struggled for a long time that night and decided to try their luck with Cassandra - in fact, it was mainly Harry, Ron did not dare to talk to Cassandra - as a result, they saw from afar at the edge of the Black Lake that Cassandra took the initiative to invite Cyrus.
"I don't know, Cyrus accepted Cassandra's invitation." Harry said absentmindedly.
"I say, if it were me, I would choose Cassandra too." Ron said as a matter of course, "She has such a good figure. She is not like Ginny, who is a complete brat. She is also different from Hermione..."
However, at this moment, two terrifying voices suddenly sounded behind him.
"Who are you calling a bad-looking person?"
"Tell me, what's the difference between you and me?!"
Ron trembled with fear, feeling as if he was shrouded in the shadow of death.
"Let me explain, Hermione..." He turned his head stiffly, but when his eyes followed the voice, he was stunned.
The girl standing in front of him was no longer the messy girl she used to be. Her hair had become smooth and shiny. It was not tied up but draped behind her like a waterfall. She wore a purple long dress like a princess. She was so beautiful that she was almost unrecognizable.
"Who are you?" Ron asked stupidly.
"This really opens my eyes. It took you four years to find out that Hermione is a girl, and now you simply don't recognize her?" Ginny, who was dressed similarly to Hermione, sneered coldly.
She was half a head shorter than Hermione, with fiery red hair and a red dress. Her fair skin stood out against the striking red, making her look like a blooming red rose.
The only regret is that this rose is indeed a little lacking in some places.
"Hermione, Ginny?"
Ron and Harry showed surprised expressions at the same time. Not only them, but other students also did not expect that Hermione, who usually looked unkempt, could be so beautiful after dressing up.
But Ron's focus was clearly different.
He glanced behind Hermione and Ginny in a sly way, but didn't see the boy who was with them.
"Where's your dance partner? I knew you were bragging!" Ron put his arm around Harry's shoulders as if to say "she's out of your reach now", then raised his eyebrows and said, "You shouldn't have boasted, otherwise Harry and I could have been your dance partners, but it's too late now, we've caught up with one of the most beautiful girls in the school.
"Especially you, Ginny. Hermione can still go to the ball, but you are in trouble!"
"I don't know what you are talking about in your sleep." Ginny rolled her eyes, ignoring Ron's antics, and tilted her smooth neck to put her arms around Hermione's arm.
Then, the pair who amazed all the students walked towards the auditorium door hand in hand like a beautiful garland.
It was exactly eight o'clock at this time, and Professor McGonagall walked past the stunned Ron - she looked a little younger than Ron in her clothes, and gave Ron a surprised look as she passed by.
"What are you wearing, Weasley?" McGonagall said in surprise and disgust. "Even actors in medieval plays wouldn't dress like this... Perhaps you and Sir Nicholas will have something in common when it comes to dressing..."
Ron's face turned red and he lowered his head in embarrassment.
Then she opened the oak front door of the auditorium. The students were afraid of messing up their clothes, so there was not too much crowding. They walked in proudly on the red carpet one by one.
The auditorium had also changed drastically. The most noticeable thing was that the four lifeless long tables had disappeared. Instead, a hundred small round tables were scattered around the auditorium like lotus leaves in a lake, with garlands hanging above the starry sky.
Perhaps it was Dumbledore's magic, there was no snow on the dome of the auditorium tonight, but it was shining with stars.
He looked at the original professor's seat. There was not much change there, except that Dumbledore, Cyrus, and even the dark wizard Grindelwald were not there.
Harry quickly realized that the warriors who were still going to participate in the competition were the protagonists of tonight, and they should make a grand appearance.
Just as Harry was thinking this, he heard a muffled exclamation from the crowd.
He immediately raised his head and looked out the door.
Dumbledore was a tall man in a gorgeous white robe, and walking beside him was Grindelwald, who was completely different in black. The two of them walked side by side, and Harry's mind immediately imagined a holy angel and a devil walking together.
He felt very confused.
"Why didn't they bring a partner? I thought Dumbledore would invite Professor McGonagall?"
"You're wrong, boy." A sweet voice pierced Harry's doubts.
Rita Skeeter didn't know what had gotten into her, but she looked a lot better during this period, and even her body shape had begun to return to its original obese state.
At this moment, she put her ostentatious arm adorned with gold and silver on Harry's shoulder, and wore gold-rimmed glasses on her powdered nose. She looked at Dumbledore and Grindelwald with eyes full of decadent excitement.
"Albus Dumbledore is Gellert Grindelwald's dance partner. Look, does he look like a bride in a wedding dress?" Rita ruthlessly shattered the image of angels and demons in Harry's mind, and then painted a picture of the wedding scene in his naive mind.
— Grindelwald, wearing a black suit with a bright rose on his chest, married Dumbledore, who was pure white but had a lot of beard! Harry shuddered immediately.
"It's a pity that Cyrus didn't allow me to write about those things between the two of them..." Rita Skeeter said regretfully.
However, Rita is now looking forward to it. Grindelwald suddenly walks into the ball with Dumbledore, looking like he is about to have a second spring. Perhaps there is no need for her to write, and these two old men will expose themselves?
'I wonder if these two old roses can continue to bloom...' Rita thought expectantly in her heart.
Harry was a little disgusted by Rita, but he couldn't say anything. This woman was just a rotten girl who was obsessed with old men. What was wrong with her? In fact, even Harry himself was almost labeled as Nantong.
Many girls have always thought that he and Ron have some ambiguous relationship.
Harry subconsciously distanced himself from Rita Skeeter, and then another round of surprised voices rang out among the crowd.
This was different from the somewhat frightened voice Dumbledore had when he came in just now. This time there was a lot more shock and admiration in his voice.
"She's absolutely stunning!" Ron couldn't even take his eyes off her.
Harry looked over immediately.
Cassandra also dressed up carefully. She wore a black long dress. Her long golden hair looked more dignified today. The headdress on her head was also black, with a silver snake-shaped hairpin in her hair. The ends of her golden hair were curled and draped on the right side, so that the ear on the left side could be exposed. The silver pendant was like tassels.
It was a rare occasion for her to wear a necklace around her neck. The necklace looked inconspicuous, or not at all eye-catching, but it added an embellishment to her swan-like smooth neck.
The black dress was also very exquisite. The neckline was open to the shoulders, revealing Cassandra's collarbone. The long skirt did not drag on the ground, but revealed Cassandra's ankles. She was wearing black high heels with red soles!
Only then did Harry notice that Cassandra was wearing very bright lipstick today, so red that it stung his eyes like the blood of the Death Eater.
He quickly looked away. In fact, he was not the only one. Many people, after being amazed by Cassandra, immediately avoided her. It was as if the thorns of this rose were too dangerous to look directly at.
But someone can hold the thorn! Cyrus walked in with his body erect.
If Cassandra's beauty attracted all the boys' attention, then Cyrus made almost all the girls in the audience keep their eyes on him.
He didn't actually dress up much, but even so, his handsome face was as irresistible as a love potion.
In fact, when Cyrus walked into the auditorium, the whole ball seemed to be held for him. He was like the protagonist of the ball, even more like a king.
"Cassandra? Why is she with Cyrus?" Ginny's eyes widened. Jealousy was as easy as breathing.
"We just think that Cyrus won't accept everyone's invitation, which leaves her with an opportunity!" Hermione also covered her face, looking like she had made a mistake.
"I thought he would be with Bella..." said Ginny.
It's not that she thinks Cyrus likes Bella more, but it's a matter of status. Although Cyrus doesn't look very old, he is a principal after all, and it always feels strange to accept invitations from students.
"It was a mistake..."
She said in annoyance.
But it's too late now.
Cyrus took Cassandra to the dining table, and then it was time for dinner.
It is called dinner, but it is not just a meal. It is a good opportunity for dance partners to get to know each other. After all, many people have invited dance partners, but it is very likely that they have not spoken to their dance partners since the first competition.
Cyrus and Cassandra were naturally familiar with each other, and they were whispering to each other at this moment.
"The competition for the second event will not be held in Hogwarts." Cyrus shared his information with Cassandra.
As the winner of the first game, Cyrus currently has the highest score and the most information: "The danger may indeed be very high. Do you plan to withdraw from the game?"
"That was my original plan." Cassandra used her dinner knife to scratch the plate, then cut a small piece of pork chop and put it to Cyrus' mouth. "However, since the headmaster has come into conflict with the International Confederation of Wizards because of me, wouldn't it be a bit of a letdown for you if I withdraw from the competition at this time?"
Cyrus sneered: "I just can't stand their attitude. Whether or not to participate in the competition is not up to them, but our own will."
The International Confederation of Wizards? Who the hell are they?
To be honest, the content of the second game was similar to the original book, but the location of the game really surprised Cyrus. If the intelligence and clues he obtained were correct, then the location of the game would be very intriguing.
Cyrus glanced at Ms. Maxime, who was sitting alone at the dining table with a gloomy face and an unhappy expression. In the distance, another big guy had tears on his face and was biting a dirty handkerchief sadly.
It looks like Hagrid and "Maxim" didn't get to hang out this time around.
But this is certainly not what Cyrus cares about.
He really doubted whether the Death Eaters had made preparations in advance to get the International Confederation of Wizards and British Magic to agree to set the venue in that place? "Clock, curtain, death..."
Cyrus reviewed Grindelwald's prophecy, and several key words in the prophecy could correspond to the second project.
"Could it be possible that Voldemort will be resurrected in the second task?" he speculated.
At the same time, he looked at Grindelwald.
Unexpectedly, Grindelwald was also looking at him, but his gaze was not friendly, and was even full of hostility.
Cyrus showed no fear at all. Instead, he raised the corner of his mouth towards him in a provocative manner.
He personally participated in the competition not to make friends with this old man.
He wants to show his power to the world!
Defeat Grindelwald first, then defeat Dumbledore...
Then let's see who dares to stand in front of him and block his progress? ! (End of this chapter)