HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 174 Lyra's Choice

“Uh, it’s Fleur Delacour,” Harry said, under Hermione’s watchful gaze.

“I don’t know why I suddenly went up to her and asked her!” Ron covered his face with his hands and groaned. “In the auditorium on the first floor, she was talking to Diggory… I must have been crazy to invite her in front of everyone, and she didn’t even answer, just looked down at me like I was some kind of sea cucumber…”

“It seems Fleur will be going to the ball with Cedric,” Lyra said.

"What?" Everyone around her stared at Leila and asked.

“Oh, I just turned down Cedric this morning, and then I told him that Fleur doesn’t have a dance partner either, and I think they would be a good match,” Lyra explained under everyone’s gaze. “You know, they’re both warriors, so they’ll definitely have a lot in common.”

"What--"

You rejected him!

"Then who did you promise?"

Why did you recommend Furong to him?

In an instant, everyone was chattering and asking Lyra questions. Even Hermione, who had just learned that Ron had invited Fleur, shifted her attention and grabbed Lyra to ask.

“Uh, why are you all so excited?” Lyra asked, somewhat confused. “I already promised Fred and George that I would go to the ball with them, so of course I have to decline other invitations—”

"..." Everyone was speechless.

"Why go to the once-in-a-lifetime Christmas ball with your best friend?!" Angelina exclaimed in exasperation.

“Exactly, you’ll dress up all the time but only show it to Fred and George,” Arya quipped. “What’s the difference between that and showing it to the squid in the Black Lake?!”

"By the way, have you finally decided what dress to wear...?"

Leila and her roommates chatted as they walked back to their dorm room.

Hermione and Ginny stayed behind and sat in the chairs next to Ron and Harry.

"Does it really matter what you wear to the ball?" Ron said sullenly.

Harry knew what Ron was worried about. The dress Mrs. Weasley had bought for Ron was secondhand, and the collar and cuffs were decorated with exaggerated lace, perfectly in line with the fashion of a hundred years ago.

When Ron first saw the lace-trimmed maroon robe, he thought it was something Mrs. Weasley had bought for Ginny and had mistakenly given to him.

Fortunately, Harry's suit was bought by Sirius. He and Remus helped pick out a dark green, almost black robe, made of understated yet luxurious material, which perfectly complemented Harry's emerald green eyes.

No, the biggest problem right now isn't what dress to wear to the ball, but that we don't have a dance partner to go with to the Christmas ball!

"So what are you going to do next, Harry?" Hermione looked at Harry with concern, knowing without asking that his invitation had failed.

“I don’t know—” Harry said dejectedly.

Ron, sitting next to Harry, was still slumped on the sofa in a daze, like a freeze-dried sea cucumber.

"Then you should keep trying. I think there will eventually be girls willing to accept your invitations."

Hermione looked at her two listless friends, trying her best to avoid sounding harsh—after all, their current predicament was entirely of their own making.

One was procrastinating and afraid to take action early; the other was daydreaming every day that a beautiful girl would come to his door.

She had absolutely no sympathy for them—well, Harry could get a tiny bit of sympathy, but he'd been hesitant for a long time and only got two points at most.

As for Ron—humph, he doesn't deserve any sympathy!

“Now it seems the Midggan sisters’ acne isn’t so bad after all, is it?” Hermione couldn’t resist teasing Ron.

Ron stared at Hermione, as if he had suddenly discovered something new.

“Wait, Hermione—” Ron sat up. “You’re a good girl—”

This time, Hermione was completely unaffected and haughtily refused first.

"I'm no longer going to help you two gather information or invite any girls over—"

“No, no, no, I mean, you’re a girl too!” Ron said. “You can choose between me and Harry as your dance partner!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hermione and Ginny glared at Ron; it was too hurtful.

"What, it took you so long to realize Hermione is a girl—" Ginny couldn't help but kick Ron.

“Hey! I’m your brother—” Ron said, displeased. “Besides, Hermione isn’t losing out by doing this. She needs a dance partner too, doesn’t she?”

“No, I don’t need it,” Hermione said coldly.

"Don't you want to go to the Christmas ball?" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "Or are you planning to go alone—that would be too embarrassing. Rather than all three of us losing face, you could choose one of us, at least two of us would have someone else in the picture—"

Harry looked up at Hermione. Since Lyra was going with the twins, perhaps it wouldn't be so strange for Hermione to go to the ball with him and Ron at the same time? Hmm, but he needed Hermione to dance the opening dance for him first...

"I already have a dance partner."

Upon hearing Hermione's words, Harry swallowed back the solution he was about to propose.

"Come on, there's no need to lie at a time like this," Ron said with a laugh. "Besides, it's just the few of us here, no one's laughing at you, there's no need to save face—"

“I already told you, I have a dance partner!” Hermione said angrily. “There will always be someone who isn’t as blind as you, and it will take many years for them to realize that I’m actually a girl!”

Hermione stormed upstairs in a rage.

Ginny glanced at the dazed Ron and had a bad feeling that Ron might be going to live in the Burrow for the rest of his life.

“She’s definitely being stubborn—” Ron said, staring at Hermione’s retreating figure.

“She didn’t,” Ginny said.

"And who is her dance partner?" Ron asked irritably.

“Since she didn’t tell you,” Ginny said firmly, “I will not expose her privacy.”

“Never mind, she’s just…” Ron shook his head. “By the way, Ginny, you can be Harry’s dance partner!”

“No, I already have a dance partner.” Ginny stood up and prepared to go back to her dorm.

"What? Which brat—" Ron's eyes widened suddenly. "What mischief is he up to—"

“Not all boys have bad intentions—” Ginny was a little disappointed. She hadn’t expected Harry’s last dance partner spot to be empty. She glanced at the two of them one last time before going upstairs.

After Ginny left, Harry whispered to Ron that Neville had invited Ginny to go with him.

"So, are you and I the only ones in the whole world who haven't found a dance partner?" Ron groaned in despair.

*

The news of Lyra White's chosen dance partner spread quickly, and by the end of the morning, everyone in the four houses knew that she had chosen to attend the ball with her best friends—the Weasley brothers.

Some boys were inevitably disappointed, while others couldn't hide their joy.