HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 164 Ball Invitation

Harry did not answer.

He knew very well who his real dance partner was, but did he have the courage to ask her...? Most importantly, could he really get her to dance with him?

“Listen, buddy, you’re a warrior, no girl will turn you down,” Ron reassured his friend. “You just defeated a fire dragon! You don’t have to worry at all, girls will line up to dance with you—”

Ron is quite right. Harry is constantly being hinted at and suggested to by girls, and they are all very willing to be Harry Potter's dance partner.

This caused Harry a lot of trouble, but it also boosted his confidence a little.

“What we need now is to muster the courage to say it out loud—” Ron encouraged himself and his best friend.

“If you don’t hurry, all the good girls will be taken—” Ginny kindly reminded her youngest brother after hearing Ron’s words, “You don’t think all the girls are waiting for you to invite them, do you? If you ask me, you can find out before you invite them whether they are already with someone.”

That makes sense! Harry and Ron's eyes lit up!

While it's good to muster the courage to extend an invitation, it's also important to do your research beforehand.

The problem is... how do you find out if a girl has a dance partner?

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance, then he turned to Hermione.

Hermione felt Ron's intense gaze and turned a page of her book somewhat uncomfortably.

“Hermione, you’re a good girl!” Ron flattered enthusiastically and exaggeratedly.

Harry noticed that Hermione was blushing a little because of Ron's words. Indeed, Ron's tone was too enthusiastic, but it's not shameful to ask for a favor.

“What do you want to say?” Hermione awkwardly brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Just say it—”

“Then I’ll say it: I have a request—” Ron said, “Could you…could you help me and Harry find out if any of the girls have dance partners?”

"...Is this all you wanted to say?" Hermione's voice was low, but she continued, "Who do you want to ask?"

"Uh, I...actually..." Harry stammered. He had someone in mind, but he was a little embarrassed to say it.

“Never mind,” Hermione said, her voice returning to normal as if she had given up on something. “You don’t need to say anything, Harry. I know who you want to ask.”

"And what about you, Ron?"

“Oh, I’m fine with anything, as long as I’m not ugly—” Ron said nonchalantly.

“Oh, I see! So you just want to invite the prettiest girl who’s willing to accept you,” Hermione said sharply, looking completely enraged, “even if she’s not a very good person?”

"Yeah, pretty much, that's basically it," Ron said honestly.

"I'm going to sleep!" Hermione slammed her backpack over her shoulder and stormed upstairs to her dorm.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron was a little confused by Hermione's reaction. "I'm just telling the truth. Am I supposed to lie to her?"

Harry remained silent; he simply couldn't bring himself to take sides between his two best friends.

Emotionally speaking, both of them were his best friends.

From a critical standpoint, one had just agreed to help him gather information, and the other had just reconciled with him—both were precious friendships he needed to carefully protect.

*

As Christmas approaches, the entire Hogwarts Castle is displaying its finest splendor to the distinguished guests who have traveled from afar.

The school was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the handrails of the marble staircases were covered with icicles that would never melt.

The Christmas tree in the auditorium was adorned with sparkling little trinkets: glittering holly berries, chirping golden birds, and fairies scattering petals at passersby.

Even the armor in the school corridors was enchanted by the professors; whenever someone passed by, the armor would sing Christmas carols.

After breakfast, Hermione caught up with Harry and quietly told him that Lyra had not yet announced her dance partner among the girls.

“It’s now officially announced that Arya is with her Hufflepuff boyfriend, and then she introduced another Hufflepuff guy to Angelina, who accepted last night,” Hermione whispered.

"Lavender accepted Seamus's invitation, and Ginny accepted Neville's invitation. Lyra hasn't announced it publicly yet, so she most likely doesn't have a dance partner yet, but you know she's very popular, so you'd better hurry up—"

Harry became nervous when he heard that so many girls around him had found dance partners, and even his roommates had found partners.

Ron was talking to Hagrid and didn't hear what Hermione was saying.

Should Harry tell Ron that Ginny accepted Neville's invitation? Harry hesitated.

But Hermione urged Harry with her eyes that if he wanted to invite Lyra, he had to act quickly.

Harry nodded haphazardly, but he was completely unsure. However... Lyra didn't have a dance partner yet! That was really good news.

Harry was walking down the third-floor corridor when, before he even reached the corner, he heard an empty helmet sing, "Oh, come, you pious people—"

The singing was hilarious, but it also made him feel much more relaxed.

"Let's do it tonight," Harry thought, quickening his pace back to the Gryffindor tower. But as he rounded the corner, he saw a familiar figure.

Cedric Diggory stood not far from the empty singing helmet, opposite a strikingly familiar and exceptionally beautiful dark-haired girl.

Standing next to this black-haired girl were two equally familiar red-haired boys.

Harry immediately shrank back, quietly standing at the corner, hiding himself against the wall.

"Layla, can I talk to you alone?"

After the empty helmet stopped singing, Harry heard Cedric Diggory's voice in the hallway.

“Of course—” Lyra was about to agree when someone interrupted her.

“Of course not—” Fred interrupted Lyra loudly.

“We’re Lyra’s best friends,” George said matter-of-factly. “We don’t need to hide; we’re involved in everything she does—”

Harry was filled with admiration upon hearing Fred and George's words, and couldn't help but peek out to see how Lyra would beat up the twins.

Lyra did indeed slam her textbook down on the twins, but when she told them to leave, the red-haired, freckled creatures displayed their usual style—

They are cheeky, pretend to be deaf and dumb, and won't give up until they achieve their goals.

Fred grinned and put his arm around Lyra's shoulder, while George, with the same grin, hugged Lyra's textbook, stubbornly insisting on staying to listen to Diggory and Lyra's "chat."

"You two get away from me—" Leila tried to shake them off, but she couldn't shake off the two clingy people at all.

"It's okay if you don't say it separately. I just want to say one thing—"

Cedric smiled, completely unperturbed by the twins' behavior. He looked tenderly at Lyra and extended his hand in an invitation—

"Lyra, would you like to come to the ball with me?"