At the guest table, several strangely-dressed wizards with unusually thick hair and deliberately torn black robes approached the stage.
"It's the Weird Sisters!"
They were soon recognised in the Great Hall, where they were greeted by excited shouts and applause from the other wizards.
As soon as they got on the stage, they began to play with their own instruments, and a melancholy melody began to play in the Great Hall.
When the music began, Ivan turned his head, bowed slightly in invitation, and spoke.
"Beautiful Miss Granger, may I have this dance?"
Hermione smiled and put her hand on Ivan's outstretched forearm.
Ivan reached out and led Hermione to the centre of the stage, placing his free hand gently on her slender waist.
Their eyes met, and a hazy, heart-stopping pallor spread between them.
It seemed to Hermione that Ivan's hand was magical, as it caused a sort of tingling sensation just by touching the tips of his fingers, causing Hermione's head to swim and her dancing to become erratic.
"What are you thinking about, Hermione?" Yvonne asked, looking at her.
"Can't you see for yourself?" Hermione whispered back.
Ivan's arm around the girl's waist tightened slightly, closing the distance between them, and he whispered to her, "I'm not going to use that magic on you without your permission…"
"Then I'll do it now…" Hermione said shyly.
Ivan, of course, would not let this opportunity to know the thoughts of a young girl slip by, so he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, Hermione's thoughts were reflected in his mind, and Ivan could clearly feel the shyness and affection in her.
Their scattered steps were soon in perfect order.
Yvonne suddenly understood why Hermione had opened her mind to him there, when dancing would be so easy when they were connected.
Hermione relaxed and allowed Ivan to take the lead, feeling as if she were floating and dancing with him.
Like the finest of dancers, Yvonne whirled Hermione around the stage to the beat of the music.
The breeze lifted the hem of Hermione's dress, causing her to dance like a butterfly in the wind, in stark contrast to the young witches and wizards around her who were new to dancing.
Many people stopped in surprise as they watched the pair pass by.
More and more people looked over and stopped dancing, and the space in the middle of the dais became almost exclusively Ivan and Hermione's private domain.
Dumbledore waved his wand to extinguish the candle, allowing most of the light to fall upon Ivan and Hermione.
The Weird Sisters switched to high-pitched music at the last minute, so that they could dance to their heart's content, and the intense drumbeat mixed with the sound of guitar and lute echoed throughout the Great Hall.
Ivan and Hermione, however, were too absorbed in each other's lives to notice, and as time passed, their dancing became more perfect, each step sounding like a drumbeat.
After some time, Hermione's strength was almost gone, and beads of sweat could be seen on her forehead, so Ivan guided her to a halt at the corner of the stage.
At the same time, there was a thunderous round of applause, and countless stars fell from the sky on to their heads.
It was only then that Ivan noticed that everyone in the Great Hall was looking at them, and Hermione noticed this and blushed, but she didn't have much strength left, so she just leaned against him.
After nodding to the crowd, Ivan sat down with Hermione in his arms, ready to take a break and give up the stage.
"How long have you been practicing secretly? You dance really well!" Angelina was not in a hurry to dance and looked at them enviously.
"We haven't had a chance to practise, and this is the first time!" Hermione exclaimed, as she picked up the glass of iced orange juice and gulped down half of it.
Angelina clearly didn't believe him. How could they work so well together on the first try?
Ivan and Hermione looked at each other and smiled, but neither offered an explanation.
For the rest of the dance, the pair sat around chatting and watching the others dance.
Occasionally, girls would approach Ivan to ask him out for a dance, even going so far as to suggest that they needed guidance, but he would firmly refuse.
Krum also turned his head to look at Ivan several times, but Ivan forced him back with a look each time.
However, Krum's lackadaisical behaviour displeased the Slytherin girl who was dancing with him. She deliberately stepped on Krum's foot to show him who his partner was.
Dumbledore also waltzed with Madame Maxime, and it is worth noting that he rarely wore thick woollen gloves, presumably because he did not want to be seen with his right hand.
Even Mad-Eye found a partner on the stage, and though his wooden prosthetic leg was quite clumsy, much to the horror of Professor Sinistra, who was sitting opposite him, he seemed to take it in his stride and gave it his all.
At the end of the dance, the Weird Sisters sang a beautiful closing song, and the organ's vibrating notes were magically lifted into the air.
Hermione, who had been resting for some time, became interested and took Ivan to the stage for another round of dancing, full of enthusiasm, as if she had been suppressed too much and had let it all out.
By ten o'clock that evening, the music had stopped altogether, and the Weird Sisters, who had been busy all night, gathered up their instruments and enjoyed their refreshments.
The young wizards and witches who had not had their fill of fun were disappointed and left to their own devices.
Ivan led Hermione down the hall, and they strolled around the castle hand in hand.
They tried to find a quiet, undisturbed spot nearby, but it proved too difficult. Wherever they went, couples would flock to each other, and they ended up wandering around the Black Lake.
Yvonne squeezed Hermione's hand tightly as they talked about the gossip on the school grounds, but nothing else.
"Where's my Christmas present?"
The little witch looked up, her beautiful brown eyes shining with anticipation.
"Well…it's not time yet. It's something important!" Ivan drawled, trying to keep her in suspense. "I wanted to see what you had for me."
(PS: Third chapter complete! Requesting tickets and subscriptions.)