George smiled sheepishly, but did not disagree with Hermione.
Fred asked curiously.
"Ivan, who are you going to invite to the ball? That Luna of Ravenclaw? Or…"
Fred's eyes flicked to Hermione, but he knew he had said too much, and did not continue.
Hermione clutched the book to her chest and tried to pretend that she didn't care, but her brown eyes kept glancing at Ivan.
She wondered who Ivan would choose as a partner, and if it would be her…
Hermione's heart began to race at the thought, but she soon realised that she was too good at reading and too bad at dressing up to be as attractive as Fleur, and too clever at best…
Ivan's voice rang in the witch's ears.
"Hermione, would you like to be my date for this year's Christmas dance?"
"Me?" Hermione's eyes widened.
Although she had expected Ivan to say something like this, when the idea came true, she became flustered. It took her a while to calm down, and she couldn't help but ask.
"Why? You're a champion and you've just defeated a dragon. Many girls will want to invite you, like Fleur, the champion of Beauxbatons, or Parvati. I often hear her talking about you in the dormitory. She's also very beautiful, and that… that Ravenclaw…"
"A lot of people…a lot of people like you…" Hermione's voice trailed off, and she looked at Ivan with less confidence.
Ivan has been a household name at Hogwarts since his first year, when he easily killed a troll and caught the Dark Wizard Chino.
Hermione often overheard people gossiping about Ivan in the Gryffindor girls' lounge.
Yesterday's match pushed Ivan's popularity among the girls to its peak!
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the vast majority of the young witches and witches at school were looking forward to being invited to school by Ivan — which they generally considered to be something to be proud of, or even something to be proud of!
"Yes, they may be nice, but I wanted to ask you to be my dance partner. Can't I?" Yvonne interrupted, smiling.
Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and her head swam with joy. She was so close to saying yes.
However, the teasing gazes of the people around her made her very embarrassed, and her expression changed drastically.
"You have to let me think about it for a while…" Hermione said haltingly.
Ivan scratched his head in frustration, wondering what the hell was there to think about.
He was secretly relieved that Hermione did not outright refuse, as it was the first time he had ever invited a girl to a ball.
George and Fred, seeing that there was nothing to see, turned to Harry with a lack of interest and asked, "What about you, Harry? Who are you going to ask as a partner?"
"I…I don't know." Harry looked embarrassed.
"Goodness, you haven't decided yet, have you?" George asked, looking at him in surprise. "I'd advise you to hurry up. Many people are planning to ask their partners to dance today. If you're too late, all the good girls will be picked!"
Fred also nodded quickly, looking extremely concerned.
Harry hesitated, his gaze shifting to the Ravenclaw table. In fact, he had already thought of the girl he would like to invite — Cho Chang of Ravenclaw — but he had not made up his mind to do so, fearing rejection.
"George, Fred, why are you so concerned about whether or not we have a partner?" Yvonne suddenly asked.
"How can you say that, Ivan? It's a matter of concern for a best friend!" George exclaimed angrily.
However, before Ivan and Harry could move, Fred pulled the rug out from under him, indicating that they had recently launched a new fee-paying business.
Ivan rolled his eyes. He knew it couldn't be that simple.
"What kind of business?" Harry asked curiously.
"Ahem… George… I guess we'll have to show them!" Fred cleared his throat and pulled a flower basket from under the long table.
George took out an accordion from somewhere and got into position.
They looked at each other, then nodded solemnly.
"Oh, beautiful girl…you're as bright as the moon and as clear as the water of a lake…" Fred sang a newly composed English ditty in a voice that had almost run away, his right hand reaching into the flower basket to grab a handful of petals, which he threw high into the air.
As the petals danced, George slowly played the accordion to accompany Fred's singing.
However, as both of them were amateur players, the entire performance could only be considered a nuisance. However, the two of them continued to perform for a few minutes before reluctantly stopping.
"Well, isn't it exciting? For a Galleon, you can hire us to make sure you get the girl you want!" George said with a grin.
Ivan looked at the brothers and didn't know what to say.
If only they were better at singing, they would really be little money-making geniuses…
But now… Ivan glanced at them and decided that unless someone was crazy, they'd pay for trouble…
Harry's thoughts were much the same as Ivan's, and he was left speechless after being harassed by George and the others. "So did you find yourselves a partner, George? Fred?"
"That's a good question! Wait a minute…" Fred immediately understood that this was the time to show off his skills and turned to yell at the girls.
"Hey, Angelina, would you like to come to the dance with me?"
Due to their performance, many girls were peeking in their direction, including Angelina.
Angelina blushed when Fred called her name, then asked teasingly, "I have to think about it. Do you know how to throw flowers, sing, play the accordion?"
"Of course, no problem, it's meant for you! I'll do it every day if you like!" Fred promised, thumping his chest. He then pushed the girls aside and sat down next to Angelina, scattering a handful of petals into the air as he began to sing.
George hurried to join them, playing the accordion…
Angelina smiled happily and, at Fred's repeated pleading, agreed on the spot.
The girls who were watching didn't mind Fred's off-key voice, and instead looked at Angelina with envy.