Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 117 Christmas Ball

Harry did not report Barty Crouch.

He didn't explicitly state the reason, but Mo Ran already knew it perfectly well.

Upon closer reflection, their interrogation of Barty Crouch was actually quite lenient. Not only were things like the Imperius Curse, Legilimency Curse, and Confusion Curse—which are supposed to help detect memories and magic—completely ignored, Harry even extended an olive branch to Barty Crouch at the end.

"You can put the search for Bertha Jorkins on hold for now. For the next while, I need you to focus all your energy on finding your son. If I'm not mistaken, he must have somehow managed to contact Voldemort, and you are his father, so you should know best where he's most likely to be and who he might be meeting. If you're willing to cooperate, then I won't reveal your family's past to the Ministry of Magic for now..."

The unexpected leniency left Barty Crouch feeling incredibly surprised and grateful.

He had considered the possibility that there might be a way out, but at most, he could only use all his wealth and political resources to buy his life. Besides, even if he managed to escape to a place outside of Europe, he would still inevitably have to live a life of anonymity and hiding.

To be able to retain his position as Director of the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation and be given the opportunity to redeem himself is simply an incredible miracle.

In this way, Harry removed a thorn in his side by recruiting a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Magic as an inside man.

......

After returning to the Gryffindor boys' dormitory from the Astronomy Tower, Moran very tactfully detached himself from Harry's body. Looking at Harry, who was now comfortably dressed in the Black family attire, he suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction, like an old father seeing his child grow up.

"What do you think of my appearance?"

Having prepared everything, Harry asked Moran somewhat anxiously for confirmation.

"Fantastic!"

Mo Ran answered without hesitation, but his certainty didn't seem to completely calm Harry down. After a moment of silence, Harry asked in a more serious tone:

"Are you...are you sure you don't want to go to the ball? I mean, these kinds of events aren't that common."

"Don't feel guilty. Life isn't just about hard work and struggle. No matter how great a wizard or Muggle you are, you have to understand the importance of enjoying life to go far. Alright, hurry up and go downstairs. Don't keep that young lady waiting too long."

Mo Ran's sincere answer reassured Harry. He straightened his cuffs and collar in front of the mirror one last time before heading towards the Great Hall via the spiral staircase.

Soon, Harry went up the stairs to the first floor.

Standing closest to the top of the stairs were Parvati and Padma, who were Harry Ron's dance partners in the original story.

Wearing pink and green dresses, and adorned with gold headbands and gold bracelets respectively, the two women not only exuded the exotic charm of Indian beauties but also successfully captivated Dean Thomas and another Ravenclaw boy.

In fact, it wasn't just Parvati and Padma; the entire atmosphere of Hogwarts Castle had changed. With students no longer wearing uniform black robes but instead donning colorful dresses, this castle, imbued with profound educational significance by history and great wizards, was radiating youthful energy for the first time.

Harry had no intention of attracting attention; in order to spot Hermione undisturbed in the crowd, he was prepared to cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself. Fortunately, Fleur Delacour's entrance drew everyone's attention. In just one glance, all the students who had arrived early outside the Great Hall to await the ball were focused on one spot.

Today, Furong is wearing a silver-gray silk robe. The exquisite and fitted cut perfectly accentuates her stunning figure and complements her fair complexion.

Faced with the stunning beauty of Fleur, many girls couldn't help but slightly bend their knees and hide behind their male companions. Only after Fleur's male companion—Roger Davis, the Quidditch captain of Ravenclaw—took her hand and walked away did they straighten up again and look at the two of them over the crowd.

"Didn't the Daily Prophet say that Fleur and the Weasley boys were getting along really well?"

"It's not the Weasleys, is it? The newspapers only mentioned redheads."

"But Davis isn't redheaded either. If you ask me, that reporter named Rita is just a blabbermouth who likes to make things up!"

......

While the younger students were discussing, Harry strode to the other side of the stairwell, only to bump into Malfoy and his group who were coming from the direction of the Slytherin common room.

"What a bunch of country bumpkins! What's the point of coming so early? We still have to wait until the auditorium opens on the hour to get in, don't we?"

Listening to Draco's lazy mockery of everyone, Harry couldn't help but think about giving Draco a makeover. However, when he saw Pansy Parkinson clinging tightly to Malfoy's arm, he finally decided to be lenient with Malfoy this time.

He stepped forward and said:

"Hey! You parish priest over there, come over here and help me out."

Dressed in a black velvet high-necked robe, Draco Malfoy, whose face was full of arrogance and composure, blushed instantly upon hearing Harry's voice. He glanced at Crabbe and Goyle following closely behind him, then steeled himself and walked over.

What are you going to do now?

"Malfoy asked in a low voice."

"It's nothing, just that when the ball starts later, you should ask the Slytherin students to behave a little more politely and not embarrass their own people in front of other schools."

As Harry spoke, he glanced at Crabbe and Goyle. The two were dressed in green suits and looked like two miniature trolls covered in moss.

Malfoy was somewhat puzzled by Harry's words. He first glanced at Harry's formal attire with suspicion, and only after confirming that there was nothing wrong with his clothing did he ask:

"What do you mean? You're dressed quite normally, aren't you? Besides, after seeing your performance in the first event, who would dare to boo you?"

"Ah... I mean, I should encourage and cheer for my dance partner."

"Your dance partner?"

Malfoy squinted, then suddenly widened his eyes as if remembering something, and said:

"You didn't actually invite Granger to be your dance partner, did you? Oh my god, is that rumor true? I thought you were just using her as a shield to appease your fans."

"What do you mean by 'to appease the fans'?"

Harry, somewhat annoyed, glared at Malfoy and said:

"Can't you make your head a little more normal and honest? Am I the kind of person who uses a good friend as a shield? If you ask me, with your ability to see everything as a conspiracy, you might as well write a novel to vent your frustrations. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before you develop paranoia."

What condition?

"Persecution complex is a paranoid mental disorder... Ah, why am I telling you this... Anyway, when the warriors start entering the arena, don't just keep cheering for that Bulgarian Quidditch star, understand?"

boom!

Before Malfoy could give a reply, the oak front door connecting Hogwarts to the outer gate of the castle suddenly opened. Durmstrang students and their headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, entered.

Wearing a bright red Bulgarian uniform, Viktor Krum was leading the way. Unlike when they first visited Hogwarts, the Northern pride, who usually liked to wear hats and cloaks, now simply draped a fur over their left shoulder as an embellishment, making them look much more energetic and presentable.

Harry didn't recognize the girl in the light blue dress next to Krum, but judging from the material of her dress, she probably wasn't a girl from Beauxbatons School.

The handsome man and beautiful woman, coupled with the aura of Quidditch stars, garnered Krum and his friends many envious glances. However, Harry and Malfoy's attention was focused on other things.

The lawn outside Hogwarts Castle had been magically transformed into a shimmering cave. Wizards skilled in magical biology could immediately tell that this cave was the habitat of fairies and elves.

(Fairies are a rare, benevolent type of elf, the complete opposite of Cornish elves. They typically play positive roles in Muggle fairy tales, granting wishes or bringing good luck.)

The Draco, having received a noble education from the Malfoy family, naturally recognized these little creatures. Besides Albus Dumbledore himself, probably no one else in the world could have found and magically moved the cave inhabited by fairies and elves here. Thinking of this, he suddenly became arrogant again, despite his initial plan to take Pansy to get some magical starlight.

"How childish."

He said:

"Those who can attend the dance are all students in fourth grade and above. Why are you doing this childish stuff? Don't you think so, Potter... wait?"

Like Crabgoore and the others, Draco's mouth dropped open as his gaze fell upon a girl walking gracefully toward Harry.

Is it Hermione?

Hermione Granger?

But she doesn't look like that annoying know-it-all at all anymore.

She had done something to her hair; the smooth, shiny brown hair was so different from its previous messy state that it didn't seem like it could have grown from the same person's head at all.

Also, who taught her to style her hair into such an elegant bun? And who picked out such a beautiful dress for her?

Was I misjudging her? Or was it because she took off the dozen or so thick books that she always carried in her arms and on her shoulder?

No, no! Her front teeth have become much smaller; there's definitely something fishy going on!

A jumble of thoughts swirled silently in Draco Malfoy's head, and soon, more people noticed Hermione, who seemed to have undergone a Cinderella transformation.

Some were surprised, some were doubtful, but most were filled with jealousy and resentment.

Hello Harry.

Hello Hermione.

How do I look?

"Perfect".

"Um... thank you. Actually... I secretly learned a spell from Madam Pomfrey. You know, sometimes she needs to cure Fred and the others' runaway magic when they're experimenting with candy. So I learned the counter-spell 'Tooth to a Stick' from her. Of course, I overdid it a little when I cast it on myself."

Hermione's playful voice was more melodious to Harry than the tinkling of reindeer bells. He chuckled softly, his eyes seeming to pierce the depths of the Black Lake, and said:

"Give me your hand?"

"Ah."

......

The Christmas ball officially began after Professor McGonagall summoned the heroes to the Great Hall. Harry and the others were told to wait by the door, and only after all the other students were seated would the six of them enter the Great Hall to the accompaniment of music.

Roger Davis and Fleur Delacour were in first place. Perhaps because of Fleur's Veela bloodline, Davis was in a dreamy and ethereal state. Unable to take his eyes off his dance partner, he became one of the very few people who did not notice Harry and Hermione.