HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 93 An Excuse for Getting a New Boyfriend

Lyra was doing her homework alone in the library, but half an hour had passed and she still had less than ten words to write on her potion paper.

Lyra absentmindedly fiddled with the quill, rubbing the poor quill until it started to shed bristles, but the thought of George and Fred made her irritable.

These two wretched red-haired monsters have been at odds for some reason, starting from lunchtime.

First, there was George, who inexplicably kept putting celery and broccoli, which she hated, on her plate, or he would go on and on telling those wizard fables about people who prioritized romance over friendship and ended up in big trouble. As for Fred, he was even more unusual, sitting right next to Wood while they ate. The two of them spent the entire lunchtime having a heated discussion about how to beat Hufflepuff in the next match, and ideally, to the point that the Hufflepuff captain would automatically tremble at the sight of the Gryffindor red sign.

"?"

Leila felt completely bewildered, as if invisible tickling flies were swarming around her head.

But incredibly, at the entire Gryffindor table, she was the only one who felt that George and Fred were being unreasonable, while everyone else seemed to think that their current behavior was perfectly normal.

Lyra also saw Angelina and Arya sitting at the other end of the table, looking at her with touched and guilty eyes; Hermione and Ginny, sitting nearby, would occasionally glance at her with supportive and sympathetic eyes, while Harry and Ron had heartbroken expressions as they discovered their friend's descent into depravity.

"??" Did she do something she shouldn't have? Everyone was perfectly normal when we were having breakfast in the auditorium this morning, so why are they all acting so strangely at lunchtime after half a day of classes?

The afternoon then turned into a magical affair, with Fred sleeping the entire time, completely unmoved no matter how much you poked him with a quill or pinched him with your fingernails. This wasn't magic at all; only someone pretending to be asleep could be so undisturbed.

Lyra was completely baffled and asked George, who put on a wronged expression with the same face as Fred and said that he had suffered great emotional damage.

"???" Leila felt that she was the one who should feel wronged.

I completely don't understand these red-haired, freckled creatures. Oh well, never mind. This semester is almost over, and not only are professors assigning tons of homework every day, but the word count for my new book is still far from meeting the editor's demands for more.

Leila tapped her forehead, deciding to focus on her homework. If she went back to the common room that evening and found George and Fred still behaving the same way they had that afternoon, she could just give them a good beating.

If one beating isn't enough, then two. There's no such thing as a bad beating; there's only a lack of punching power.

“Hi, I can—” A blond boy walked up to the table where Lyra was sitting. He was tall and fairly handsome, wearing a Gryffindor robe. He seemed to be a sixth-year student. Lyra vaguely remembered him.

“Sorry, the seat across from me is taken.” Layla refused without hesitation.

There was no one opposite her, but if she didn't refuse, all the boys sitting opposite her would eventually hand her a note shortly after sitting down, asking if she would like to go on a date with them.

This kind of scenario has happened countless times before. If she would occasionally choose to go on a date with one or two guys who seemed nice when she was in a good mood, she really doesn't feel like it lately.

"Hi, I can—"

Leila had just bent down to write a word when the same question appeared in her ears again.

At this moment, Lyra's temper flared up instantly. She angrily raised her head and said impatiently, "No—uh, Dexter?"

Lyra recognized the Ravenclaw standing in front of her as someone all too familiar: "Oh, sorry, I mean, of course, please sit down, there's no one across from you."

“I think it’s because too many people have bothered you before.” Dexter Fosco smiled knowingly.

"Uh, it's not that I'm bothering you... well, a little bit, I just don't really feel like going on dates lately." Lyra frankly admitted her feelings. "Fifth grade homework is getting harder, and there's more assignments, plus I have other things to do—"

"So all the people who've tried to meet up with you lately have ended up leaving empty-handed?"

"That's right, I've been very busy lately."

“But I’ve heard that Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff is the only exception?” Dexter smiled, trying to phrase the question in a light tone, though a hint of tension lingered in his eyes.

“Cedric?” Lyra was stunned. “What do you mean by ‘only one’? What do you mean by ‘exceptional’?”

“Oh, it was this afternoon in the hallway that you made plans to go to Hogsmeade with Cedric Diggory.” The blue-eyed Ravenclaw said, carefully observing the expression of the dark-haired girl opposite him. “Everyone’s saying that Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff will be your next boyfriend.”

“Merlin!” Lyra rubbed her forehead in exasperation. “This is a complete misunderstanding. I was asking on behalf of my roommates. All the girls in our dorm really like Cedric and just wanted to go for a walk around Hogsmeade together. It’s just a few Gryffindor girls and a few Hufflepuff boys, it’s not really a date.”

“So that’s how it is,” her beautiful blue eyes lit up instantly. “I think everyone has misunderstood. You know, some things always get distorted as they’re passed around.”

“Absolutely! Merlin’s briefs,” Lyra suddenly understood what Fred and George were arguing about. “Cedric and I are just friends. As for a next boyfriend, that’s just a pipe dream.”

“It’s said that the news came from the Badger Gossip Association,” Dexter casually provided the source of the rumor, “plus, everyone in the corridor heard you two agree to go to Hogsmeade together, so everyone believed it.”

“It really was just a misunderstanding,” Leila explained earnestly. “And I have no intention of finding a new boyfriend in fifth grade. Maybe I’ll wait until sixth grade, when I have more free time, to date or something, and then break up when I have to take the NEWT test in seventh grade.”

"!" Lyra's words caused Ravenclaw's smile to freeze instantly. "Why break up when you have exams in seventh grade? Maybe your boyfriend can study with you then, it won't interfere with your studies and exams—"

“Oh, maybe,” Lyra said casually, twirling her quill. “Perhaps it was just an excuse I made up to break up with him. I can’t exactly tell him that I just want to find a new boyfriend, can I?”