"The Forbidden Forest is too dangerous. Can't you talk her out of it?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"I'm afraid that's going to be very difficult," Ivan said, shaking his head in frustration. Luna had made up her mind to find the flowering tree and possibly the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, and Ivan could think of no good reason to dissuade her…
In fact, he considered Luna's actions to be dangerous, especially given the recent unrest at Hogwarts, where Barty Crouch Junior was hiding.
This was why Ivan wanted to give Luna a protective ring, so that she would at least be able to protect herself in times of danger.
"Why don't you go with her?" Hermione asked, seeing the worry in Ivan's eyes.
Ivan looked at Hermione in surprise. "But…I thought we were going to the dance together?"
"So it can't be today!" Hermione added hastily, and then, feeling herself getting carried away, blushed and continued coyly. "You and she can go in a few days!"
Yvonne stared at Hermione for so long that she thought she might have misheard.
"You're the only friend she's got, aren't you?" Hermione asked Ivan, looking at him earnestly, thinking of her contact with Luna the day before and sounding apologetic.
"I'll talk to her, ask her if she'd like to wait a while, and then the three of us can go together!" Ivan laughed. He had been worried that Hermione would get on Luna's bad side, but now it seemed he had been wrong.
"I wouldn't spend my time looking for something that didn't exist. It must be boring!" Hermione declared, shaking her head.
"By the way, you haven't told me what you've got for me," Hermione said, as if she had no intention of continuing the conversation.
"Keep it a secret for now. You'll see when the time comes for the ball!" Ivan said mysteriously, not intending to reveal the secret.
Hermione pretended to be angry and turned her head away, ignoring him, but was surprised to see someone looking at her from the Slytherin table.
Yvonne followed Hermione's gaze, and when she saw Krum, her cheerful mood soured.
"Has Krum been bothering you lately? Do you want me to teach him a lesson for you?" Ivan asked.
"Come on, Ivan!" Hermione grabbed Ivan's arm and scowled at him.
Concerned that Ivan might misunderstand, she quickly added, "What if Gryffindor gets points deducted?"
"We've had a lot of extra points this term, so it's okay to deduct a little…" Ivan shrugged nonchalantly.
This year was different, as Harry and Ron, the Big Three and the Big Two, had been unable to find a chance to shine, and combined with his and Hermione's hard work in class, Gryffindor had been leading the school since the beginning of term.
When he reached the top of the Triwizard Tournament, he was expected to gain even more points, and the second place would never catch up.
Hermione didn't know whether to be amused or offended when Ivan actually tried to hit her.
However, in an attempt to avoid a confrontation, she tried her best to comfort Krum. He did want to invite her to this year's dance, but she refused!
"He invited you? When?" Yvonne frowned.
"I told him the other day that I had found a partner!" Hermione whispered.
Hearing Hermione's words, Ivan's desire to beat the living daylights out of Krum grew, but Hermione's pleas and supervision dissuaded him.
… .
After spending too much time flirting all morning, Ivan's expected study programme was forced to come to a halt…
After all, the Christmas Ball was in the evening, and everyone would be busy setting up the place and preparing for it in the afternoon.
It didn't matter to Ivan, as he could only change clothes for a few minutes at most, but it was different for the girls, who had to spend hours on their makeup, make-up, and clothes.
After lunch and a short break, Ivan had to leave Hermione for a while and return to the boys' dormitory alone.
When she opened the door, she found Harry, Seamus, and Neville early, changing into their dresses, as well as Ron, whom she didn't normally see.
Ivan smiled and greeted them, then walked all the way to the bed and clapped his hands.
A house-elf appeared with a bang in front of Dobby.
"Merry Christmas, sir!" said Dobby, looking delighted, as if he had been infected by the cheerful atmosphere of the castle.
Yvonne took off her coat and slipped the gown on, and Dobby duly brought a mirror for her to examine.
Ivan thanked it for its kindness, then looked at himself in the mirror.
The dress he was wearing resembled a modified version of the Muggle tailcoat, which was black with gold and red stripes on the corners, giving it an air of mystery and evil.
"Hey, you look great, Ivan!" Harry teased as he came over and patted him on the shoulder.
"I would have seen that even if you hadn't warned me…" Ivan replied with a smirk.
While Harry was teasing her, Ivan noticed that Dobby had put the mirror down and was too scared to speak.
"What is it, Dobby? Is there something you want to tell me?" Yvonne asked.
"Will Dobby be able to give you a present, sir?" Dobby asked, gathering his courage to speak. He gripped the corner of the mirror with both hands and looked at Ivan in fear and trepidation.
"Of course, I'd be delighted!" Ivan nodded.
"That's great!" Dobby snapped his fingers and disappeared, returning with an armband.
It was just that the fabric on top looked like it had been ripped out of a tattered bedsheet. One of the pieces was even patched up, and in the middle was a strange-looking dragon made of red thread. A small person could be seen sitting on the dragon's back.
Ivan was barely able to recognise that this was the first time he had defeated Norbert.
"Dobby made it himself, sir!" Dobby explained carefully.
"Thank you, Dobby!" Yvonne never thought she would wear the armband, but she did appreciate the gesture.
Dobby jumped for joy, then looked eagerly at Ivan as if expecting something.