great-warnovel Chapter 496 Dance Partner
Chapter 496 Dance Partner
Chapter 496 Dance Partner
The library on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower was originally Grindelwald's private collection.
He would occasionally grant permission for some people to borrow books, which was both a reward and an honor.
Krum has the right to go there at any time.
After Hermione arrived, that place became her temporary residence, and the old man also handed over the power to manage the library to her.
Occasionally, someone would come to borrow books, and she would never make things difficult for them. No one who could go up to the second floor was a fool; they all knew to keep quiet and try not to disturb the young lady.
As the Seven Kingdoms tournament began, Hermione, with the aim of broadening the students' knowledge and understanding, opened the only large library containing science books to students from all schools.
Anyway, she's always busy outside, and rarely spends time among the bookshelves except when she's sleeping at night.
Today, however, there are an unusually large number of students coming here to borrow and read books.
Several house-elves were busy at the lending desk, while Hermione sat in the sun behind a quiet bookshelf by the window, holding the wary Crookshanks.
Even though everyone was trying to keep their voices down, a faint buzzing sound still filled the library.
After returning from the fairy realm, Hermione wanted to be alone for a while, sitting in this secluded corner to bask in the sun and think about her own affairs.
But her great wizard intuition told her that there were always people around her watching her.
Looking up, I saw only students, some seventh graders from Durmstrang, holding books they had haphazardly pulled from the shelves, pretending to read them. When they realized I was staring at them, they quickly buried their heads in their books.
"Maybe it's just curiosity—" She didn't take it too seriously. With Krum's publicity, it was normal for his classmates to be interested in her.
There was a slight commotion outside the door, as if more people were coming in.
Hermione didn't get up; she simply turned and looked over the bookshelf.
The Heavenly Eye activated silently, and this small obstacle could not block her vision.
It was Krum. Hermione's mood immediately soured. This guy walked into the library surrounded by several boys.
He made eye contact with the students who had come in earlier, and they quietly reached out to point out Hermione's location.
"Did you come to see me?" The Finger Witch became curious for a moment, because she had long forgotten about the Christmas ball because of Grindelwald and the Holy Grail.
The sound of hurried footsteps drew closer, and the classmates who had come to Krum's aid stopped behind two bookshelves.
After taking a deep breath, the boy stepped out from behind the cover and appeared in front of Hermione.
"Miss Granger, excuse me."
Viktor noticed a slight tremor in his voice. Even the fierce aerial battle in Volgograd, even the Black Death's dragon scales brushing against his back, had not instilled in him the slightest fear.
But when facing Hermione, he couldn't muster that courage.
"What is it?" The witch did not get up; she nestled in her chair, holding the increasingly robust little Zouwu.
Crookshan emitted a steam engine-like hissing sound from his nose, his golden, vertical pupils glancing sideways at the boy.
"I would like to invite you to be my dance partner at the Christmas ball."
He pulled out a black invitation card with gold lettering, handmade and exuding a faint lavender scent, the same scent he had smelled around Hermione—the scent of the scarf Lily had knitted for her. Clearly, a lot of care had been put into it.
Hermione then remembered that the mad old man had clearly reminded him before: the Christmas ball! All the champions from the seven schools would have to invite their own partners!
I didn't expect it to come so quickly. No, it's not that time has passed too quickly, but that I've been so busy these past few days that I forgot!
Just as she was about to refuse, another series of hurried footsteps approached.
In the deliberately quiet library, the sound of footsteps was particularly jarring.
It's Harry and his friends.
Four boys rushed into the library, drawing a lot of disapproving stares.
"Don't say yes, Hermione!" Harry yelled.
"Quiet!" The Finger Witch glared at him.
The four of them were like ducks whose beaks had been suddenly pinched shut, panting heavily but unable to utter a single word.
Those who came to support Krum were met with hostility from Durmstrang students, while Viktor himself remained quite calm.
He anticipated that Porter would definitely try to cause trouble, but he didn't expect his methods to be so simple and brutal.
"This guy is still a kid—" he thought to himself.
However, his eyes remained fixed on Hermione.
Although Hermione gave him a rather low score in the dragon trial, he didn't think it was because the witch disliked him.
"That's more like a higher requirement for me. If it takes me so long to deal with a fire dragon, how can I stand by her side?" he encouraged himself.
When he announced in Durmstrang’s lounge that he wanted to invite Miss Granger, all his classmates and fans went wild.
No one thought he was unworthy; even the girl who had always been infatuated with him withdrew from the competition.
"Only someone of Durmstrang's caliber is worthy of Miss Granger!" they said, surrounding Krum and making sure everything was arranged for him.
"I'm sorry, but I already have a dance partner." Hermione smiled and shook her head in refusal.
This made the already quiet library even quieter.
Harry and his friends were initially shocked, then their joy was mixed with confusion and disappointment.
Krum, on the other hand, calmed down relatively quickly. He blinked twice with his eyelids lowered, and then immediately looked up.
"Is that so? I'd like to know who has this honor?"
His classmates had the same question: besides Krum, could anyone else win Ms. Granger's favor?
Harry, Ron, and the others were also staring intently at Hermione, hoping to hear a name.
The Finger Witch smiled and pointed behind them.
"Of course it's Hilmi."
The goddess under the full moon is now walking into the library with a face full of excitement.
He didn't know what was happening yet, only that as Hermione pointed, a large group of students turned to look at him.
This slightly thin, dark-haired boy grew up alongside Hermione and is now a handsome young man, though he appears somewhat effeminate due to the influence of the moon's aura.
"Oh, it's Hilmi~" Krum said with a hint of disappointment, but then relieved.
"It's Hilmi!" Harry and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
They are not foreign warthogs, but family members we know well.
Hilmi, that's Hermione's half, or rather, her own body. Her dance partner is herself, which makes perfect sense and is beyond reproach.
"Hermione! I've fulfilled your request! Come on, let's go see!"
The boy was absorbed in his own world, oblivious to the strange atmosphere around him and not wanting to know what they had just been discussing.
They pulled themselves up, and the pyroxene particles flashed by. The two disappeared without even saying goodbye to anyone else.
All that remained was the black and gold invitation letter that hadn't been sent, and two groups of students who looked like they were crossing their eyes.