Chapter 576: Chapter 576: Not Being Absent Is the Greatest Happiness (Edited)
Tom watched as the body under the white t-shirt trembled slightly. Obviously, the girl in front of him was also excited.
Hermione tucked the hem of her light blue jeans into her jeans. If an ordinary person dressed like this, they would look quite unconventional, but in Hermione's case, it perfectly accentuated her long legs.
Perhaps for protection from the cold or shielding herself from the sun, Hermione wore a light gray shawl over her body, which she claimed was sun-protective wear. Tom lifted the jacket and placed the magical silver wings he had prepared earlier on Hermione's back.
In the next moment, the small silver sphere in the center of the wings "melted."
It liquefied and seeped into Hermione's clothing, connecting her with the wings.
Hermione frowned and suddenly felt a cool sensation on her back.
"What are you doing?" she couldn't help but ask.
"I've given you a pair of wings," Tom replied.
"Wings?" Hermione didn't immediately understand what Tom meant.
"Now you can fly," Tom said even more cryptically.
"How is that possible...?"
Hermione's next words got stuck in her throat because she was shocked to find that her feet had left the ground. She was now floating several inches above the floor!
The wings on Hermione's back fully extended and began to move slowly. However, this flapping frequency wasn't enough to lift Hermione off the ground. In reality, it was the levitation spell on the wings that kept her floating.
"Oh my... wait, ah!" Just as Hermione realized she was floating in the air, she lost control of her body.
She panicked, like a person drowning. But just as the weightlessness sensation intensified, firm and powerful hands landed on her armpits, helping her maintain her balance.
Once Hermione regained her balance, she stopped feeling nervous. However, when she regained her composure, she also had enough energy to feel the strange sensation beneath her armpits: a tingling feeling, like an electric current running through her body.
"You... let me go first!"
"Alright..."
"Hey! Hold me!"
As expected, after Tom let go of Hermione, she soared uncontrollably into the sky again. In her panic, she could only cling to Tom's hand, like a non-swimmer holding onto a float.
"Stay calm, take deep breaths. The buoyancy of the wings is very weak; at most, it will keep you floating a few meters above the ground," Tom gently reassured Hermione.
Tom's wings were designed to be very user-friendly. He knew very well that Hermione had a natural talent for flying, much like her talent for Divination, so he added a restriction to the levitation spell in the wings, limiting it to a few meters off the ground. She would only be able to ascend further after receiving the next instruction.
Hearing that she would only float a few meters, Hermione felt more at ease. She slowly let go of Tom's hand, extended her arms, and struggled to maintain her balance, as if she were on roller skates.
Finally, after a few minutes of effort, Hermione adapted to the sensation of floating in the air. It was a very novel experience for her.
"Alright, now you can float steadily. I'm going to teach you how to control these magical silver wings." After Hermione acquired basic floating skills, Tom began teaching her how to control the magical silver wings.
Tom simplified the wing control method to the utmost, allowing the operator to manipulate them directly without the need for other means. If the operator wanted to move forward, the wings would fly forward; if they wanted to ascend, the wings would lift them.
The control method wasn't complicated, and Hermione learned it in no time.
A gust of wind blew, and Hermione swiftly flew past Tom, leaving a trail of fragrance behind. After grasping the principles of how the magical silver wings worked, Hermione fell in love with flying.
She fluttered around the edge of the Forbidden Forest like a butterfly, and finally, after a sudden 180-degree turn, landed in front of Tom.
"Thank you, Tom!" After landing, Hermione hugged Tom, picked up her wings, and wrapped them around both of them.
Finally, Hermione experienced the sensation of flying. In the past, she had never flown independently because she wasn't good at using flying brooms, but Tom fulfilled her dream.
"I'm glad you like it," Tom said as he looked at the girl in his arms, smiling contentedly.
Hermione loved it, so all the effort of the past few days had not been in vain.
And in Tom's arms, Hermione blinked and realized something: she had never asked Tom for his birthday.
...
The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students gradually integrated into life at Hogwarts. Although they attended the same school, students from the other two magical schools did not attend classes with Hogwarts students. Most of the time, they stayed in carriages and boats, only entering Hogwarts Castle to eat.
These days continued for a month and a half. During that time, ordinary wizards studied and gossiped about the Triwizard Tournament news. Meanwhile, less common wizards like Fred and George engaged in business, continuously selling surprise boxes. As for the higher-ups from the three magical schools, they worked tirelessly to gather information to give their respective champions an edge.
Professor Sprout from Hufflepuff often walked around the school with Cedric, Hogwarts' champion, and during one of those walks, they "ran into" Charlie Weasley and his companions who had come from Romania.
The relationship between Madame Maxime from Beauxbatons and Hagrid quickly warmed up, and she knew everything Hagrid knew in terms of information.
On the other hand, Professor Karkaroff from Durmstrang didn't seem to have any activity...
As Halloween approached, the school buzzed with excitement: Halloween day was when the first challenge of the Triwizard Tournament would begin!
However, before the first challenge, there was another event that excited everyone.
"A Halloween party?" Tom looked surprised at the notice on the bulletin board.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore has prepared a big Halloween singing party to foster integration among students from the three schools. It's said that they've even hired the famous No-Muertos magical music band to perform, and students are allowed to dress however they like!" Hermione explained excitedly to Tom and had a bold idea for her Halloween outfit.
Tom sighed: he had to buy clothes again...
On the morning of Halloween's eve, Hogwarts was decorated with a festive Halloween style. The castle was full of live bats and dark clouds. To please Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, this year's decoration had an exotic touch. There were many black veils in the hallways and in the Great Hall, and there were flags with skulls and swords decorating everywhere. In the corners of different rooms, there were more oak barrels, and a strong scent of alcohol could be detected when you approached. This matched Durmstrang's pirate style.
As for the Beauxbatons-themed decorations, Tom couldn't find them; perhaps the guillotine on the dining table was Beauxbatons' distinctive touch. Watching the executioner repeatedly behead a small person dressed in elegant clothing was rather eerie.
When night fell, young wizards began to gather outside the Great Hall. At least half of them had taken off their robes and were wearing Halloween-themed outfits. At that moment, the doors of the Great Hall were closed, and the early arrivals could only wait outside.
As the last ray of sunlight disappeared on the horizon, the doors of the Great Hall opened with a creak.
A harmonious melody flowed from the Great Hall, along with powerful male choruses:
"Saying goodbye is so hard, my love, we'll meet another day, raise the anchor! Full sail ahead, Santiago!
Tears are as deep and salty as the ocean, my sailor's heart burns like fire...
As long as the sea and wind are here, hoist the sails, full sail ahead, Santiago!"
They were singing the legendary pirate song Santiago.
The old teacher's table vanished, and in its place was a wide, curved stage where several pirate-dressed skeletons were singing at the top of their lungs. After they finished singing, they raised the liquor bottles they had next to them and downed the contents in one gulp, the red liquid dripping from between their bones, leaving a strong alcohol scent in the air.
The Great Hall was completely transformed, creating the feeling of being inside a ship. The long house tables were placed at the sides of the Great Hall, loaded with rustic food. In the center of the Great Hall, an open space was left for the students to enjoy the party.
"Oh, pirate style!" Excited young wizards entered the Great Hall and started moving to the music.
"Yodel, cool!" When Tom entered the Great Hall, several people whistled at him. Tom, dressed as a pirate captain, even had a stuffed monkey with fangs and claws on his shoulder.
In the face of all these praises, Tom laughed heartily. He looked around a bit confused because he couldn't see Hermione anywhere.
But he didn't necessarily have to find Hermione himself; he could also let her find him!
Seeing that the atmosphere was set by the music from the band Dumbledore had brought, Tom rushed to the stage, took a guitar from the somewhat bewildered singer's hands, and began to play and sing:
[There once was a ship that put to sea
And the name of that ship was the "BILLIE O' TEA"
The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down
Blow, me bully boys, blow
Soon may the "WELLERMAN" come
To bring us sugar, tea, and rum
One day, when the singing's done
We'll take our leave and go]
With the song "The Wellerman," he managed to ignite the party's atmosphere even more. Everyone joined Tom in singing and clapping to the music. Towards the end, Tom's voice was drowned in the crowd's chorus.
While everyone sang joyfully, Tom searched for Hermione. However, when his gaze turned to the entrance of the Great Hall, his expression suddenly changed upon seeing an impressive and dazzling figure.
It was Hermione, elegantly dressed.
Chapter 577: Chapter 577: Dressed Up and Mojito (Edited)
Hermione had also dressed differently today, wearing an outfit that contrasted with her usual style.
The theme tonight at Hogwarts was Ghost Pirates. Although there were already ghostly elements, this theme didn't quite fit with Halloween. Unlike Hogwarts, the outfit Hermione was wearing was very Halloween-appropriate.
Hermione donned a gothic violet velvet dress with black cutout details resembling crow wings, falling to the upper thighs and featuring two edges of six-pointed gold stars. She wore a light purple bow tie around her neck, beneath which hung a black cross. In the Halloween ambiance, the cross didn't convey the sacred feeling of other days but rather a sense of decadence.
Upon closer inspection, it could be noticed that the bow was hanging from a leather strap. Just with this detail, it was enough to captivate Tom, a naïve boy.
Beneath the leather strap, there were two black ribbons crisscrossing around her neck. These ribbons connected the front of the black mesh bodice with two golden star-shaped buttons, serving a functional purpose.
Hermione's bodice was a snug and carefully selected velvet corset that accentuated her figure. While the front was well-covered, at the back, there was a deep V-cut that extended to the waist, revealing her smooth, white skin.
And beneath the dress, in a place invisible to everyone's gaze, Hermione wore a pair of V-cut pants made of the same material as her top, making her the huntress prepared for the night.
The dress had no sleeves, but Hermione couldn't leave her two fair arms exposed. For that, she chose two asymmetrical black lace sleeves with delicate pink trim at the top. On her left hand, she wore a half-blue, half-black glove, while on her right hand, the sleeve stopped at the back of her hand, leaving her delicate white hand and black nails exposed. In the right sleeve, there was also an irregularly cut blue hem, further accentuating the sense of asymmetry, taking the beauty of asymmetry to the extreme.
Tom noticed Hermione's long and slender legs; she seemed to want to take asymmetry all the way, even her stockings were asymmetrical! On her right leg, she wore black stockings that reached her knee, hiding within the dress's hem, while on her left leg, she wore lace stockings secured with two buckles, and at the end of the stockings, there was a garter of white roses that Tom had given her. This was the only white decoration in her outfit today.
Not only had she worked on her attire, but Hermione had also carefully styled her hair. Her messy brown hair had become soft and shiny, and she styled it into two small pigtails with a headband decorated with stars and bats. The rest of her hair was left loose, cascading down her back.
Tom also noticed that Hermione wore a black eye patch over her left eye, giving her a touch of eccentricity.
"It's an honor to meet you here, beautiful lady," after finishing the song, Tom descended from the stage and approached Hermione. He removed his captain's hat and bowed to her.
Hermione's face blushed slightly, and she responded a bit shyly, "Clearly, I have become your prisoner, my pirate lord."
Tom raised an eyebrow; were they playing dress-up as characters? Interesting!
Then, with a serious expression, he asked, "Very well, what can you do? There's no place for idle people on my ship. If you don't know how to do anything, I'll sell you."
As he said this, Tom glanced at Hermione from the corner of his eye, and his mouth watered. If someone were to really auction off the girl in front of him, he would be willing to buy her with all the gold that could fill Hogwarts' Great Hall!
"I can make cocktails, my captain... would you like to try one?" Hermione reached out, and a bottle of liquor appeared in her hand.
Since most young wizards at Hogwarts were not of legal drinking age, they rarely encountered alcoholic beverages. The same went for the barrels of alcohol in the Hogwarts hall; though they emitted an intoxicating aroma, they were all magical effects.
Dumbledore cared greatly about the healthy growth of young wizards, but Hermione clearly had something real in her hands, something that could have led to detention if Filch had caught her.
"This is a forbidden item," Tom narrowed his eyes; he didn't expect Hermione to break the rules so openly.
"So, are you going to report me?" Hermione shot him a flirtatious and somewhat inexperienced look. "Or perhaps, do you want to punish me severely?"
Tom looked away. "First, let's mix the cocktails..."
Hermione tilted her head and smiled.
"No problem~"
She took a lime from a plate on the long table and cut it in half with a knife, then sliced one of the halves into smaller pieces.
"Today, I'm going to make a classic mojito; the original Cuban mojito is made with mint commonly found on the island of Cuba. Its freshness, combined with the kick of rum, creates a nice balance." Hermione explained as she presented the mojito she was going to prepare for Tom.
She took a glass and placed the lime pieces into it, then gently mashed them with a mortar similar to the one used in potions class. Somehow, she also found some sprigs of mint and lightly rubbed them along the rim of the glass, adding the refreshing aroma of mint.
Without wasting the used mint, Hermione also put it into the glass, along with a bit of sugar cane syrup.
"Mojito is the drink of pirates, a romantic and passionate drink." Hermione opened the bottle of rum and poured some of the golden liquid into the glass.
The liquid ingredients mixed, and the color deepened, and the consistency thickened.
Hermione pulled out her wand and aimed it at the remaining half of the lime, which deflated as fresh lime juice was extracted to join the cocktail.
"It's a pity it's not summer," Hermione lamented a bit. The mojito was an ideal summer drink, evoking a tropical beach feeling.
But it was almost winter now...
As she sighed about the bad timing, Hermione added crushed ice and sparkling water to the cocktail.
At this point, the cocktail was nearly ready. Hermione waved her wand, and the different components of the mojito blended into a unique flavor.
During the stirring process, the gas in the sparkling water was released, filling the inside of the cocktail with tiny bubbles.
Once the ice melted, the cocktail was ready.
Hermione filled the glass with more crushed ice and added a sprig of mint as garnish.
And finally, she placed two straws.
"Hemingway and Marilyn Monroe used to enjoy this drink; you should give it a try," Hermione pushed the freshly made mojito toward Tom with an anticipatory look.
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