Vid had never imagined that the corridors of Hogwarts would be so crowded.
The students were all dressed in meticulously prepared ceremonial robes, their colorful clothes making everyone's faces distinct, and their smiles much brighter than usual.
Vid had to sidestep several times to make way for girls in long gowns, whose voluminous skirts could occupy every inch of the corridor space with just two or three of them.
And as everyone knows, girls always like to move in groups.
Upon reaching the first floor, Michael adjusted his bowtie and waved casually, saying, "Good luck, Vid, try not to get clobbered... I need to find my dear Daphne!"
The colorful stream of people converged towards the entrance hall, while Vid turned alone towards the main door.
It had just snowed earlier in the day, and outside the castle, the snow glowed with a pearly sheen. The snowmen made by students during the day stood on the open ground, some with striped scarves around their necks.
His timing was impeccable; he only had to wait a short while before seeing the students of the Kodostorians approaching the castle in groups.
Someone in the group glared at Vid, but since their headmaster was right there, no one dared to cause a scene, so Vid pretended not to notice.
He had always been good at ignoring irrelevant people.
Natalia walked at the front of the group, wearing a deep blue velvet gown whose hem rippled with her steps, the silver-gray trim glistening like water.
Her eyes scanned Vid up and down, and then she smiled approvingly, taking the initiative to link her arm with his.
"Great, our outfits match perfectly today," she said with a smile. "Have you been waiting long in the snow for me?"
Vid didn't say how long he had been waiting, only replied, "I couldn't possibly let a well-dressed lady walk into the castle alone, that would be too impolite."
Natalia's smile grew even brighter, the tiny ice crystals on her eyelashes twinkling with her movements: "So considerate, I guess you must have had several girlfriends."
"No, I just have a friend who's quite experienced," Vid said politely. "Romance can be a distraction, I don't plan to get too close with anyone until after I graduate."
"Oh..." Natalia gave Vid a sidelong glance and raised an eyebrow: "Afraid I'll confess to you and you're preemptively warding me off?"
Her bluntness almost made Vid choke, and his steps paused involuntarily, then he laughed and said:
"I'm not that narcissistic… just making small talk."
Natalia glanced at Vid, her lips curling into a teasing arc, as if she had been joking, though she felt a hint of some indescribable disappointment.
She knew that the more polite a person appeared, the more resolute their inner thoughts were, like a glacier in the far north, unlikely to change easily.
Then Natalia thought: But I don't want to date him, I just want to know… if he is the one who saved my mother.
But that person had disguised himself as Harry Potter at the time, probably for some secretive action? Perhaps even something illegal…
So even if I ask, he probably wouldn't tell the truth.
"Mr. Gray, Miss Petrova!"
Professor McGonagall, in a red robe, stood by the door, waving: "Champions come here first, you'll enter in line after the other students are seated."
Vid walked over and saw Harry, with Padma spinning the golden bangle on her arm and chatting with Hermione.
Hermione looked stunning today—it might be the stark contrast, as she usually looked so plain—but anyway, she looked like a completely different person.
Harry even walked over to Vid with a mysterious look, pointed at Hermione, and asked, "Do you know who that girl in the blue dress is?"
Vid gave him an odd look and said: "…Hermione."
Harry was greatly surprised: "You recognized her at a glance?"
"No… I had to look three times to be sure," Vid replied perfunctorily.
Harry: "…"
Just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed, turning his gaze towards the stone wall with a pained look.
Vid turned to look, and sure enough, Cedric and Cho Chang were approaching.
"Harry, Vid, you're already here!" Cedric cheerfully greeted them: "Oh, Natalia, you really are Vid's dance partner!"
"Of course!" Natalia laughed. "I thought this news had spread everywhere! Guess I overestimated our importance."
After a few jokes, the previously congested students seemed to have melted away, disappearing quickly from the hall. Then Professor McGonagall came over again to line up the ten champions and their dance partners.
The tightly closed doors of the great hall opened once more, and with applause and music, everyone filed in.
The great hall was particularly splendid tonight, walls adorned with silver frost and the ceiling depicting a starry sky;
Icy pillars hung down from the ceiling, embellishing the place with crystal clarity;
The twelve Christmas trees were adorned with shimmering holly berries, golden bells, and owls;
Fairies fluttered around, leaving flickering glimmers of light, while the surrounding suits of armor swayed and sang carols.
Under everyone's gaze, the champions sat in the seats closest to the teacher's table. Vid was looking at the few additional Ministry of Magic officials at the teacher's table when a small voice reached his ear:
"Hel...hello."
He turned around, and the person sitting down was the Beauxbatons champion—Clementine Durand. She had honey-colored curly hair, a freckled face, and was rather petite, overall a rather cute-looking girl.
Her dance partner was a Beauxbatons boy, who looked well-mannered but stared silently at his plate, seemingly disinterested in conversation.
"Hello, Miss Durand." Vid nodded.
"I wanted to say that you were amazing in the arena before, Mr. Gray," Clementine said softly, "If it wasn't for your outstanding performance, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to participate in the second task. So I wanted to thank you."
Her dance partner immediately turned to look, and Vid also raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Due to the love for Fleur, many people said Clementine's participation was accidental—although it was somewhat true, other school champions did not face such verbal attacks and doubts.
Most people would likely feel dejected or strive to prove themselves, but the meaning in this girl's words… had a sense of pride?
Vid vaguely felt a hint of sarcasm.
"No need to thank me," he laughed. "You've already proven your strength by getting past the Fire Dragon."
"Actually, I can't quite say that," Clementine said bashfully. "The champions before me had already injured the Welsh Green dragon's eyes; it couldn't see and had hurt ears… I didn't have much trouble running past it."
Her dance partner's expression twisted slightly, yet he didn't retort. Then Clementine said softly:
"In the Chamber of Secret as well… when I went inside, there were no more traps, nor did I encounter anyone else. The scorpions guarding the Golden Egg had already been knocked down by others… I went in and accidentally stepped on a Golden Egg."
Vid: "…"
"So, my entry into the second task was honestly luck, but I fear I won't be so fortunate in the future. It's said that the further it goes, the more dangerous the tasks become."
Clementine clasped her hands together, speaking softly: "I know Mr. Gray is very clever, you must have already cracked the secret of the Golden Egg, right? Could you give me a little hint? Just a tiny one!"
Before Vid could speak, a hand suddenly reached over and pushed Clementine's leaning head back.
"Excuse me," Natalia said, lifting her chin coldly, "this is my dance partner."
Clementine paused, then asked, "Sorry, but how about you two switch seats?"
"Sure!"
Natalia replied decisively, not being subtle at all, pulling Vid's arm to make him stand up, then taking the seat beside Clementine herself, giving her a cold smile.
Vid, pushed behind the girl: "…"
He sighed and sat back down silently.
Clementine's cheeks turned slightly red, she leaned forward a bit, shyly saying, "Actually, Miss Natalia, I'd rather discuss with you than Vid Gray."
"You know my strength is much weaker compared to you all, and the second task is truly dangerous for me. For the sake of us all being girls, could you help me a bit?"
Her eyes darted nervously, full of admiration and pleading as she looked at Natalia.
Natalia's mouth hung slightly open, and after a long moment, she emitted a single, monotone sound:
"…Ah?"