HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 178 Leila's Hesitation

Despite the professors assigning students a mountain of holiday homework, and Professor Snape threatening to give poisoned tests in every class at the end of the semester, no one could concentrate on studying.

“Hermione, right now there’s no one else who can learn except you—” Harry had to point this out.

“Lyra studies diligently every day—” Hermione said haughtily, “If you and Ron continue to play around every day, don’t expect me to lend you your homework after school starts.”

Harry and Ron tried to persuade Hermione to change her mind, and the three of them made a ruckus in the Gryffindor common room.

Leila saw this from a corner not far away and smiled slightly.

It is said that Harry has found a dance partner, a beautiful girl named Parvati in the same grade, and he has also found a dance partner for Ron—Parvati's twin sister Padma from Ravenclaw.

Therefore, the two boys who were worried about being embarrassed because they didn't have a dance partner can finally enjoy their vacation in peace.

The day after Lyra received the green dress, she found an opportunity to return it to Harry.

Only Harry and Ron were present at the time. Faced with a beautiful green dress, the two boys stared wide-eyed, looking utterly panicked.

“No, I didn’t—” Harry waved his hands repeatedly, “This wasn’t given to me, you must have made a mistake—”

“Your initials are on this too—” Lyra showed the evidence only to Harry.

“Harry, this green dress and your formal robe are from the same shop; they look like matching items.” Ron observed carefully.

Ron, because of his secondhand lace dress, was extremely envious of Harry's formal robes and had even held them up close to examine them.

“The colors are from the same series!” Ron analyzed in great detail.

"Uh, but I really didn't..." Harry was utterly speechless.

Although the dress is indeed beautiful, and it is indeed a matching set with his suit, and he really likes it, he really hopes that he and Lyra can wear matching suits to the Christmas ball...

“I know—” Ron suddenly slapped his thigh, “It’s Sirius!”

"Didn't Sirius tell you in his last letter that he had a surprise for you? —"

Harry and Lyra exchanged bewildered glances. Sirius was indeed capable of such a thing.

Just think, he once anonymously sent Harry an expensive fire bolt!

Okay, case solved.

Before leaving, Lyra smiled and wished Harry a successful opening dance at the Christmas ball, and even suggested that he could give the green dress to his new dance partner.

But Harry decided to keep the dress and hide it deep inside the trunk—hoping that one day it would find its original owner—its only owner.

But what Harry really wanted to do right now was write a letter to Sirius, asking him to stop preparing "surprises" behind his back.

It was so embarrassing that the girl he liked but decisively rejected returned his dress, which he had no idea about. He was so awkward that he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

However, Harry and Ron still don't know who Hermione's dance partner is.

Ron has been asking Hermione questions every now and then, trying to find out who Hermione's dance partner is by surprise.

Harry had already given up his curiosity, but Ron's reaction was clearly overly concerned.

Interestingly, Ron himself was unaware of this.

During the summer vacation, Ron actually developed a vague and strange feeling towards Hermione, who was dressed up in a new way, and both of them were somewhat aware of this feeling.

However, after returning to school, Hermione reverted to her unkempt academic style—messy hair, a black school robe, a heavy backpack that she always carried, and thick books that were never separated from her arms.

This buried the vague stirrings that Ron had once felt deep inside his heart—this academically gifted Hermione was still the Hermione he knew, the Hermione as a good friend and old buddy, not a woman, a lovely girl who made his heart flutter.

There's a magical law about Christmas—it always snows heavily.

As the holidays approached, heavy snow fell on the castle and grounds.

Beauxbatons' carriage looked like an ice sculpture covered in frost in winter; Hagrid's cottage not far away resembled a gingerbread house sprinkled with icing sugar; and Durmstrang's ship on the Black Lake was covered in a layer of ice, making it smooth and shiny, with a layer of white frost on its sails, making it extremely beautiful.

People are going out more often, and in addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery of Hogwarts in the snow while taking a walk, they can also have a great snowball fight.

Lyra, Fred, and George formed one group, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione formed another. The six of them played happily in the outdoor area.

“It’s four o’clock, Lyra,” Hermione glanced at her pocket watch, “we should go upstairs—”

"What? You need four hours to prepare for the ball?" Ron stared at Hermione in disbelief.

"Ow—"

In that moment of distraction, Ron was hit hard on the head by a large snowball thrown by George, his head and face covered in snow, a truly pitiful sight.

“If it weren’t for wanting to play with you guys for a while,” Lyra clapped her hands, shaking off the snow, “Hermione and I would have gone up long ago. Angelina and Arya would probably be in their dorms getting ready by now—”

“That’s horrible—” Fred and George pretended to tremble, but then they both caught a threatening look from Lyra and immediately changed their tune, “No, no, no, we mean, it’s what it should be!”

Leila withdrew her gaze with satisfaction—thankfully, these two redheads knew what was good for them, otherwise she would have quit in a heartbeat, leaving them heartbroken and without their dance partners.

Lyra and Hermione walked hand in hand back to the castle.

"Who exactly did you go to the dance with?"

Behind them, Ron continued to press them loudly, unwilling to give up.

Lyra couldn't help but laugh; she noticed that Hermione's lips had also curved into a slight smile.

“Serves him right,” Lyra said with a smile, watching Hermione’s lips quickly straighten. “He deserves this torment for not inviting her sooner. Well done, Hermione!”

“He’s just a fool…” Hermione was a little embarrassed, but she didn’t try to hide it from Lyra.

After all, Lyra knew who her dance partner was, and in fact, it was Lyra who had initially helped to set them up.

"Lyra, are you planning to wear the red dress Fred and George gave you?" Hermione changed the subject to something else that interested her.

The next morning, Fred and George couldn't resist jumping out and asking her if she liked the dress they had given her.

Leila had already guessed it; the color and style were very similar to the twins' aesthetic.

But she was still undecided about which dress to wear to the Christmas ball tonight.