Chapter 376: Both were rejected, what a pair of brothers in distress
"Have you found the clue from the golden egg?" Snapeasked Aaron sternly in the Potion Class Professor's office.
"I found it. The difficulty of the second task is to breathe underwater for at least an hour."
"Bubblehead Charm," Snape said. "You can go to Professor Flitwick to learn this spell. With your talent, you can definitely master it before the competition.
If you find it troublesome, I have an herb in my private storeroom that might help you."
"Uh…" Aaron raised an eyebrow slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Professor, but I think I have a better way."
"Don't force yourself!"
"Not at all," Aaron waved his hand and walked out of the office with Abey.
As he reached the entrance hall, he saw Cedric talking to Fleur, and he walked over curiously.
"Gaius," Fleur greeted him familiarly.
"What are you talking about?"
"The golden egg, of course," Cedric said somewhat proudly. "I finally managed to decipher the clue inside."
"You didn't decipher it while taking a bath, did you?" Aaronscoffed.
The expression on Cedric's face instantly froze. "You didn't decipher it too, did you?"
"Is it that hard?
Wait, you really did decipher it while taking a bath, didn't you?"
Cedric gave an embarrassed smile. "I was thinking of eliminating its noise, and at that time I was in the Prefect's bathroom, so I put the golden egg in to try."
"Krum also deciphered it," Fleur said casually. "Someone from Beauxbatons told me he's been practicing diving recently.
I have to say, Durmstrang's ship is really an excellent training tool."
"Has Harry deciphered it?" Cedric asked curiously.
"From my judgment, probably not.
Knowing him, he wouldn't consider such a thing before the Christmas ball."
"How willful," Fleur said disdainfully. "What do you think of the clue inside the golden egg?"
"Mermaid, Mermaids in the Black Lake will steal our most precious possessions." Aaron didn't reveal his own speculation; the Mermaids might not be stealing objects, but living people.
If nothing goes wrong, the boys will have to rescue their respective dance partners from the Black Lake, and Fleurmight have to rescue her younger sister.
"I think so too. The key is how to breathe underwater for an hour.
Delacour and I decided to use the Bubblehead Charm, which will give us enough oxygen underwater.
What about you? What are you planning to do?"
"It's a secret," Aaron said with a slight smile, looking mysterious. "The magic I'm going to use consumes more than the Bubblehead Charm, but it's the most practical."
"What magic?" Fleur asked curiously.
"I said it's a secret.
By the way, Miss Delacour, you're not a Hogwarts student, so there are some things you might not be clear about.
There are more than just Mermaids in the Black Lake. If you have time, you can ask Hagrid; no one knows the dangers there better than him."
Fleur paused, then nodded thoughtfully. "Why are you telling me this? We're supposed to be rivals, aren't we?"
"Because of my sister's unreasonable request," Aaron said wearily. "The last one to pass the task, so you all better perform well. Don't make it so troublesome for me this time."
Fleur's mouth twitched. "You really are oblivious to romance!"
"Heh heh!" Aaron rolled his eyes. "I'm only fourteen. Why would I need to understand so much romance?"
"Hmph! The fact that you can say that means you understand a little."
"So what? I'm just a fourteen-year-old kid."
"This is the first time I've seen a kid who can fight several adult Dragons."
...Cedric stood there dumbfounded, inexplicably feeling that his presence was a bit out of place.
"Should I... step aside first?"
"No need, if anyone should step aside, it's me!" Aaron said, waving his hand. "See you at dinner!"
"Miss Delacour," Ron's voice suddenly came over. "May I invite you to be my dance partner?"
His voice was very loud, almost a shout, making it hard for people not to notice.
The entrance hall instantly fell silent, everyone curiously looking at Fleur, wanting to know if this gossip was ripe.
"You idiot," Aaron rolled his eyes, speechless. "If I were you, I'd ask somewhere private. At least it wouldn't be as embarrassing as it is now."
"This only proves that Delacour is still very charming," Cedric said with an awkward laugh.
"Perhaps! But I'm more inclined to think someone was smitten at first sight."
Hearing this, Ron's face turned crimson. He looked at Fleur Delacour humbly, anxiously awaiting her reply.
Fleur smiled sweetly, which made Ron's body feel a little numb, and a foolish grin appeared on his face.
This time it was a sure thing. Fred's words were quite reasonable.
It was better to act than to just think. With such a good dance partner as Fleur, Ron Weasley would definitely be the most dazzling boy at the ball.
"Gaius," Fleur suddenly looked at Aaron, her eyes full of playfulness and teasing. "I wonder if you need a dance partner now?"
Holy crap!
Aaron's eyes widened in astonishment, unable to react for a moment.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead silently mourned for Ron for a second.
What was a major public humiliation? This was it.
He turned his head and saw that, sure enough, Ron seemed to have a dark cloud over his head, radiating an unprecedented level of gloom.
"Uh... I'm sorry, I already have a dance partner."
"That's a pity," Fleur shook her head regretfully, walking straight past Ron without even glancing at him.
"Sigh!" Aaron sighed, walked up to the dazed Ron, and helped him walk step by step towards the Gryffindorcommon room.
"How could this happen? Why did I say such a thing?"
"You're a man, at least. Don't be so fragile, alright?"
"Aaron, believe me, I really wasn't in control just now," Ronsaid, covering his face in Pain!, almost pleading.
"I believe you, I believe you," Aaron said perfunctorily, but in his heart, he didn't believe it at all. He just felt that Ronhad suffered a serious blow and was trying to deceive himself.
Fleur did have Veela blood, that was true, but it was only a quarter.
This part of her lineage could make her more charming, but it wouldn't reach the point of enchanting people's hearts.
Just then, Harry walked over, looking distraught. Aaronsensed the same gloom from him as Ron's, and asked incredulously, "You confessed, not... failed to invite someone?"
Harry nodded blankly, walked to Ron's other side, and helped him with his arm. "What happened to you?"
"He invited Fleur Delacour to the Christmas ball."
"Was he rejected?"
"Pretty much, but the situation is much more serious," Aaron said, stifling a laugh. "He made the invitation in the entrance hall in front of at least twenty people, and then... his dignity shattered."
"Hiss!" Harry gasped. "You're too brave, aren't you?"
Ron was on the verge of tears, breathing heavily. "I don't know what happened. She was talking to Aaron and Cedric, and I suddenly couldn't control myself and just blurted out the invitation."
"It's not your fault, Ron," Harry comforted. "She has Veelablood. She was probably trying to cast a spell on Cedric or Aaron, and you just happened to walk into it."
"Casting a spell on two Wizards who are not weaker than her in the entrance hall, how audacious!"
Harry seemed not to hear Aaron's teasing and continued, "But her efforts were in vain this time. Aaron has Hermione, and Cedric has Cho Chang."
"Wait, how do you know Cedric and Cho Chang are going to the ball together?
You didn't go and invite her, did you?"
Harry nodded in silence.
Aaron was immediately speechless. They really were a pair of unfortunate brothers!
They finally mustered the courage to invite someone, only to both be rejected.
"At least I wasn't rejected in public," Harry said with a forced smile. "I waited until she was alone to ask her."
"Much better than me," Ron said sarcastically. "Harry, we desperately need a dance partner now, or we'll lose too much face."
"You don't have much time left, and your options will become fewer and fewer.
So, lower your expectations a bit and make the best of it!"
Hearing this, Harry and Ron exchanged glances knowingly.
Now their hearts were filled with urgency. A dance partner... they would just find any girl to make do. As for anything else, they dared not hope.
They did find dance partners that afternoon. Harry found Parvati Patil, who shared a dormitory with Hermione, and Ron found her sister, Padma Patil of Ravenclaw... Due to the Christmas ball this year, many more people chose to stay at school than in previous years.
After the first term ended, most students put their homework behind them and enjoyed playing at school.
On Christmas Day, it snowed heavily outside.
Aaron sat up in bed, a pile of gift boxes arranged by his bedside.
His parents had sent several postcards, featuring photos of a snow-covered forest, quite poetic.
Gines sent him a piano and several sheet music scores, which could add some decoration to Shenming Hall.
Most surprisingly, Adrian had also sent him a gift box.
When he opened it with a mix of apprehension and curiosity, inside was a pure black ore, presumably for the unfinished divine artifact.
Besides that, there was a message: "Wishing you an unforgettable ball."
"How inexplicable."
Aaron pouted, quickly washed up, and left the dormitory with Abey.
Draco was in the common room showing off his dress robes, with Pansy Parkinson occasionally offering suggestions.
"The ball is still a dozen hours away. Do you really need to be this serious?" Aaron teased.
"Just getting used to it. There's still some difference between Wizard robes and formal wear.
You're one of the champions who will open the ball, so I suggest you practice dancing with your partner beforehand, or it'll be embarrassing if you don't dance well tonight."
Aaron:... "You don't need to worry about that. I'm a professional."