The Weird sisters had started playing a new tune, much faster-paced than before.
However, Hermione was a complete novice when it came to dancing, so Alaric had to patiently start teaching her from scratch.
Meanwhile, Harry and Rona had already left the dance floor; neither of them knew how to dance and felt extremely awkward staying there.
Not far from them, Fred and Angelina were energetically dancing.
Their moves were so wild that people around them kept stepping back to avoid getting hit.
Dumbledore was waltzing with Madam Maxime.
Compared to her, he looked like a dwarf with his tall hat just grazing her chin.
Yet, for such a large woman, her steps were surprisingly graceful.
Mad-Eye Moody was clumsily dancing with Professor Sinistra, who nervously dodged his wooden leg.
After the second dance ended, Hermione finally began to grasp the rhythm of dancing.
However, just as she was getting into it, Cho Chang emerged from the crowd.
She had been watching from the sidelines for a while and turned down invitations from at least twenty boys.
Now, she couldn't wait to dance with Alaric.
Thus, Alaric found himself stuck on the dance floor, endlessly rotating between the four girls.
Fleur liked to challenge Alaric with elaborate and complex steps, always producing the most spectacular effects.
Cho Chang enjoyed dancing close to Alaric and then suddenly pulling away.
Perhaps due to a sense of competition or maybe out of a sense of urgency, Hermione, who was least interested in the ball, insisted on dancing with Alaric until the end.
Only Gabrielle caused no disturbances throughout the ball, but being a naive girl, she always managed to cause some mishaps during the dance.
In short, the girls vented their grievances on Alaric during the ball.
Alaric noticed that many couples left the hall hand in hand midway through the dance.
When they returned, both of their faces were flushed, and there were even some "strawberries" visible on their bodies.
Unnoticed by him, Hermione's face turned immediately red upon seeing those couples.
She seemed hesitant for a moment, then glanced determinedly at the three other girls waiting at their seats.
For the final dance, Alaric danced with Hermione.
By the time they finished their last dance, the stage was empty.
The Fleur sisters and Cho Chang had already left early. Alaric led Hermione out of the Great Hall.
The front door was wide open. As they descended the steps, the fairy lights in the rose garden shimmered.
They found themselves surrounded by low shrubs, ornate winding paths, and massive stone statues.
The sound of splashing water could be heard here, like from a fountain, and occasional glimpses of people sitting on latticed benches could be seen.
Following a winding path through the rose bushes, Alaric and Hermione had only taken a few steps when Hermione suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Alaric looked at the girl in confusion.
The girl gazed at his face dreamily, as if she had made a decision, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
Alaric initially thought it was impulsive, but suddenly he felt the girl's mouth open and her stiff tongue.
It dawned on Alaric immediately what this meant. He gently embraced her waist, and the two entered the rose bushes.
Alaric hadn't forgotten; he softened the rose bushes with Transfiguration, weaving them into a hammock, and hung a silencing charm nearby, a skill that looked quite proficient.
Soon, a faint cry of pain came from the girl, followed by the melodious sound of nightingales, gradually becoming urgent, and then finally stopping, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.
The rose bushes acted like a small tent, separating them from the outside.
Inside, Alaric was gently holding the girl, stroking her back.
The girl's fair skin had turned pink, her eyes glazed, still immersed in the experience they had just shared.
Suddenly, an unpleasantly familiar voice came from outside.
The girl immediately held her breath and nervously covered Alaric's mouth, afraid of being discovered.
She was too sensitive.
"Severus, you can't pretend none of this happened!"
Karkaroff's voice sounded anxious and hoarse, as if afraid of being overheard.
"It's been getting more and more obvious over the past few months. I'm really worried now, I can't deny—"
"Then run away," Snape's voice replied impatiently. "Run away—I'll cover for you. But I want to stay at Hogwarts—"
Snape and Karkaroff turned a corner.
Snape held a wand and blasted the rose bushes apart. His face was grim.
Many screams came from the bushes, and several dark figures dashed out.
"Ravenclaw loses ten points, Fawcett!" Snape said harshly as a girl ran past him.
"Hufflepuff also loses ten points, Stebbins!" Another boy chased after the girl.
Snape and Karkaroff didn't speak further. Soon, their footsteps, belonging to them, faded away.
"What... what were they talking about?" Hermione panted, looking at Alaric.
"For heaven's sake, Miss Know-It-All," Alaric said with a wry smile, pinching the girl's softness. His hand was immediately slapped away.
"Please, just tell me," Hermione suddenly leaned against Alaric's chest, her brown eyes looking into his, starting to act coquettish.
Although she hadn't done this much in the past, Hermione being coquettish was indeed cute.
However, Alaric always felt it was a bit strange, not quite fitting her character—could it be that being coquettish was a skill that girls naturally acquired after getting a partner?
But unable to resist Hermione, Alaric still explained to her.
He mentioned Karkaroff and Snape's identities as former Death Eaters and what had happened near the Quidditch World Cup final this year.
Hermione immediately understood.
"You mean, the Death Eaters have already sensed... their master, V—"
Before she could finish, Hermione's mouth was covered.
"Don't say that name," Alaric said somewhat irritably. "Can't you see our current situation?"
The name Voldemort was cursed.
As long as someone uttered that name, Voldemort could sense that person's location and state.
Although Alaric wasn't afraid of Voldemort and often casually mentioned that name himself, he didn't want to give the ugly guy without a nose any advantage.
Then, he acknowledged Hermione's guess and reminded her, "In the last two matches of the Triwizard Tournament, you have to be careful.
I always feel that the Death Eaters have some conspiracy in the Triwizard Tournament, which is why I personally agreed to be the judge."
Taking this opportunity, he gave Hermione an early heads-up.
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