HP: It's a snake, not a badger.

Chapter 134 The Day of the Ball

"Knock knock".

"Ron, are you dressed? We're going to be late if we don't leave soon." Hermione knocked on the door for the second time. She had no idea what Ron was hiding. "If you don't come out, I'm opening the door!"

"No, no, no, I...I'm here," Ron stammered. He was really afraid Hermione would do such a thing, so he quickly opened the door and stood in front of her.

Although he felt extremely uncomfortable, he tried his best to stand up straight and present his best self to his dance partner. When he saw Hermione's dress, his face instantly turned red. It was a matching dress with his! No wonder Emeric had been laughing like that.

"Our clothes, how... how could they be like this?" Now everyone knows they're dating.

"What's the problem? Or do you think we're not dating?" Hermione's simple question startled Ron, who quickly waved his hands, clearly indicating he didn't mean it that way.

"Then hurry up and leave."

Ron quickly hooked his arm around Hermione's, and the two of them thought there was nothing wrong with it, until they saw the other people and realized that it should have been the girl hooking her arm around the boy's.

"You idiot, you've made me stupid too." Hermione realized she had acted foolishly, sighed helplessly, and reached out to hook Ron's arm before going inside.

After everyone was seated in the auditorium, McGonagall told the warriors and their partners to line up in pairs and follow her and Sprout inside.

Harry followed Salafina's footsteps, his attention entirely focused on his feet, afraid of stepping on her, not only out of politeness, but also because stepping on her would surely result in extra training.

After the opening dance, he quickly hid by the side of the auditorium, staring blankly at the stage. He was so exhausted from the dance that he almost fainted. He and Draco agreed to hide by the wall after the opening dance.

"Good jump, you didn't step on the professor's foot." Draco walked over to Harry with a smile, reached out and ruffled his fluffy head, and handed him a cup of black tea.

"Let's go for a walk in the garden, just the two of us. Ron and Hermione are still dancing," Harry said excitedly. He hadn't been alone with Draco in a long time. He continued, "Nobody will notice us tonight. Everyone else is busy dating. How about we just go out for a little while?"

"Alright, if you see anyone else, you need to hide, understand?"

"I will."

After saying that, Harry took Draco's hand and quietly left the Great Hall, walking down the steps into the Rose Garden, a popular dating spot. The garden was filled with low bushes, paths lined with streetlights, and plenty of benches.

They hadn't walked far when they heard Severus's voice, with Karkaroff entangled beside him. Just as the two were wondering why they had encountered these two, Karkaroff spoke up.

"Snape, you can't pretend nothing's happened. It's getting more and more active this month. He's coming back soon, and I'm very worried..." Karkaroff lowered his voice, afraid that others would hear what he was saying.

"I told you a long time ago to go back to Germany and not come to Hogwarts again. He doesn't have time to go to Germany to find you." Severus's voice was full of impatience.

If Dumbledore hadn't again tasked him with monitoring Karkaroff, he wouldn't have been standing in the garden in this cold weather. Severus, entangled and drawn in, continued forward, and after turning a corner, he raised his wand to part the bushes beside him.

A scream came from the bushes, and two black figures darted out and ran around. Severus's face turned ashen. "Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, ten points deducted. Report to Salafina's office tomorrow. Don't think I don't know who you are."

Draco pulled Harry back, afraid that Severus would find them there. They were going to talk to Emeric about Karkaroff later, and Draco felt that Karkaroff wasn't saying anything good.

Thinking of this, the two lost interest in continuing their stroll, fearing they might run into Severus again, but this time there were no young lovers blocking their way.

Upon returning to the Great Hall, Draco searched for Emerick along the walls, believing that Emerick would not want to dance alone. Sure enough, he found him sitting alone in the right corner.

"Brother Ellie, I need to talk to you. Can we go outside for a bit?"

"Hmm? They're here."

Upon hearing Draco's voice, Emeric put down his cup. He wondered why the two of them weren't out on a date; they shouldn't be here.

"What's wrong?"

"We saw Karkaroff pestering the Godfather, telling him not to pretend nothing happened, saying he was coming back, he was very worried. We didn't hear anything else. Brother Eli, protect the Godfather."

"Thank you, I will."

Emeric knew immediately what Karkaroff was talking about. After all, his arm had been burning hot lately, and Severus probably guessed that he would come to him again to ask about the contract.

Halfway through the ball, Emeric noticed Severus coming in after inspecting the school. Of course, this had nothing to do with him, as Karkaroff was still following behind Severus.

Emeric curled his lip. If it weren't for the suspicion that making another move so soon would arouse suspicion, he would have already let Reand continue causing trouble. Every day Karkaroff stayed at Hogwarts meant he and Severus would be separated for a day.

Given the current situation, it's estimated that he won't even be able to go to the cellar for a while. Who knows if Karkaroff will get nervous and run to the cellar to complain? Whatever he sees then won't be good.

Severus sat down directly next to Dumbledore; he didn't want to be bothered anymore. Scanning the food on the table, Severus's face was full of disgust; the whole table was filled with things he didn't like. He tapped the table to order.

"Fufu, a small bowl of cabbage and fish ball soup, a piece of herb chicken thigh, and a small dish of pine nut corn." It's past ten o'clock now, and eating too much at this time will keep you awake, so Severus restrained himself and chose just a little bit of food.

"Yes, Professor." Fu Fu bowed obediently and immediately returned to the kitchen to cook.

While waiting for their food, Severus stared at Ron and Hermione with a stern face. Their matching outfits were so eye-catching that it was hard not to notice them.

"Severus, relax," Dumbledore said quickly, noticing his gaze. "Hermione's grades have always been excellent, and Ron's are good too. You don't need to worry about them dropping out of school."

"Heh." Severus chuckled. If it weren't for this, he would have rushed over and deducted the points long ago, instead of waiting for Dumbledore to persuade him.

"Let's not talk about that. Aren't you going to dance? The songs today are pretty good," Dumbledore said curiously. Gellert, who was next to him, had just recovered. The two of them had been dancing on the dance floor for a whole hour, and their old bones were almost falling apart.

"Don't worry about me, mind your own business." After saying that, Severus stopped talking. He looked at Emeric in the corner. He had caught the little rascal sneaking a drink. He would teach him a lesson when they got back.

A short while later, Fufu brought the dishes to the table and thoughtfully prepared a small pot of milk tea for Severus, placing it next to him.

"Clang clang clang".

At midnight, as soon as the bells rang, the performing band stopped playing, and everyone lined up to leave the auditorium, each feeling reluctant to leave and wishing the ball could be extended.