Chapter 660: Chapter 660: Hermione's High Heels (Edited)
Tom and Hermione moved on the dance floor, exuding energy to the beat of the lively and fast music.
Both holding hands, they were close to each other, feeling each other's warmth, scent, and heartbeats.
Tom felt the young girl's body in his arms was as soft as a feather, emanating a fresh and elegant aroma. In the dim candlelight, Hermione's eyes sparkled.
Hermione also examined Tom closely. She could feel the boy's inexperience in his movements; he obviously didn't have much experience dancing. Beginners in such situations were prone to getting nervous, but Hermione noticed that Tom's handsome face showed no signs of panic. His deep black eyes were full of heart-accelerating emotions, as if, in his world, there was nothing but Hermione. She couldn't help but get lost in his deep eyes, captivated by them.
At this moment, their souls had merged.
The song was exceptionally long, as if it wanted to give all the dancers a chance to fall in love with their partners. But even the longest song has an ending. After a quick drum solo, the music finally ended.
Tom and Hermione were a little tired, so Tom grabbed some butterbeers and, holding Hermione's hand, they left the Great Hall together. It was a wise decision because the next song was even more frenetic. If we personified the songs, the first would be the calm Ariana, the second the mischievous Luna, and the third, just released from Azkaban, Bellatrix.
This song had the power to make young wizards find true happiness and enter a frenzy of dancing. Fred and his partner, Angelina, loved this type of music. The two of them danced extremely energetically, and even though they were on the dance floor, it looked like they were in the middle of a battle.
Once outside the dance floor, Tom took two cups of butterbeer and walked with Hermione out of the hall.
"Let's go outside for a walk. I just saw that the exterior of the castle has been decorated." Obviously, Hermione had enjoyed dancing a lot and now wanted to rest a bit.
A stroll under the Milky Way with the boy she liked could be a good idea. As for the mistletoe and such, they could kiss if they wanted to; it had nothing to do with the mistletoe!
Like many other couples, they exited the Great Hall from the edge and entered the vestibule. At that moment, the castle's main door was open, and outside there was no familiar lawn but a cave full of blooming flowers.
Upon entering the garden, Tom noticed that everything was surrounded by low bushes, and the intricate marble path under their feet led to nowhere in particular. Unlike the bustling dance hall, here was peace and only the sound of murmuring water, as if there was a spring in the garden. At the same time, it was even darker than the Great Hall, with only the marble fairy statues occasionally glimmering.
The dim and tranquil atmosphere made this a popular spot for couples' dates. One after another, couples entered the garden and then disappeared without a trace.
After walking a few steps, Hermione frowned. Tom quickly caught her expression and looked around, finding a stone that looked comfortable.
Then he asked cautiously, "Would you like to sit for a while?"
Hermione nodded.
They both sat together on the clean stone and sighed in unison. Watching the small beads of sweat on Hermione's forehead, Tom felt a little worried. "Are you tired? I told you that you don't need to overdo it, forcing yourself to dance in those high heels to these fast-paced songs."
Many times, beautiful and expensive things are not necessarily comfortable. Although high heels can make the boyfriend madly in love and accelerate his heartbeat, wearing them to dance is not a pleasant experience.
At this moment, Hermione felt her feet were sore and aching.
"Mmm~" She leaned into Tom's arms, pouting and showing her tender side.
"Help me with a massage~"
This sound, so cute and coquettish, softened Tom's bones. First, his hand landed on Hermione's soft shoulder, then descended, passing her slender waist, and finally landed on her beautiful legs covered by the white dress.
Those white stockings with an oily sheen looked so tempting, but Tom couldn't resist, and his fingers stopped at Hermione's delicate feet, clad in Valentino high heels, gently caressing them back and forth. From the hidden toes in the high heels to the pale arch of the foot, and then to the partially exposed heel...
Hermione shivered. With Tom's movements, the sensation of pain in her body slowly faded away, transforming into warm currents that sped up her heart.
She turned Tom's face and kissed him first, maintaining the kiss for a long while before parting.
"The kiss you wanted." After parting their lips, Hermione had flushed cheeks and was a bit shy, but above all, her gaze was filled with sincere affection.
Both of them looked at each other without saying a word.
With one hand, Tom held the pink shoe heel, gently playing with it, while his other hand ascended Hermione's ankle, tied with a thin pink ribbon. Hermione was only blushing and allowed Tom to do as he pleased.
"If you like it so much... Then, I'll allow you to massage for three minutes," Hermione said softly.
The flames burned fiercely within Tom as he held Hermione's high-heeled feet. He inclined his head and smelled them, a fragrance mixing leather and the young woman's aroma entering his nose. Tom felt as if he had just consumed two cocktails and was slightly intoxicated.
He undid the thin ankle ribbons a couple of times, easily releasing the shoes from her feet. He gazed at the flesh-colored leather lining and relished it while Hermione looked at him with a look that was a mixture of a smile and flirtation.
Hermione shifted slightly and took Tom's shoes while, as a trade, she placed her legs over Tom's.
Having the shoes in her hands, Hermione curiously smelled them and then blushed a bit, squeezing the shoes a bit tighter. "Don't do this again next time!"
After Tom removed the shoes, Hermione's delicate and perfect feet were exposed before him, causing his heart to race.
He wanted to take this work of art in his hands, delicately caress it, then suck and nibble on it as if savoring candy. But this was not the right place for that. Tom could only massage Hermione's feet over and over again.
They were such perfect feet; the gently elevated smooth curve, the flawless skin, the tiny and charming toe tips, and the faint sheen on the nails through the sheer stockings, all left Tom fascinated.
...
Distant voices broke their world, and Hermione snapped back to reality. Quickly, they hid among the nearby bushes together, taking advantage of the shrubbery's cover. After a while of whispering, she put her shoes back on.
The voices gradually drew near, growing louder, and it was Snape's voice. He sounded very impatient.
"Igor, don't you understand something so simple?"
Snape mentioned the name of Durmstrang's headmaster, Karkaroff.
The headmaster Karkaroff, who was absent from the ball, appeared here, walking with Snape! Moreover, considering that both were single, this fueled the imagination of the secretly eavesdropping couples.
Could it be that the reason Professor Snape has always been single is...?
Of course, if Snape were to find out about these thoughts, it would surely not end with just detention.
However, Karkaroff had no such thoughts. His voice was filled with fear and anxiety. "Severus, you should understand! They nearly killed me! They found me!"
When he mentioned "they," Karkaroff shivered, as if Voldemort were behind him.
"And what of it?" Snape's voice was already full of impatience.
Karkaroff wanted to say more, but Snape raised his hand to stop him. He quickly drew his wand and waved it forcefully, clearing all the surrounding bushes. Several figures emerged from them.
Fortunately, Tom and Hermione were far enough away not to be affected by Snape's spell.
Once they had cleared out the eavesdroppers, Snape looked at Karkaroff. "If you're afraid, stay in Hogwarts. Anyway, Dumbledore is here; he won't come."
"But I can't..."
Snape paid him no further attention and left, swirling his cloak. Karkaroff's expression changed several times until he finally seemed determined. He ran in the direction Snape had gone.
"All right, all right, I'll resign from the position of headmaster. I guess there are still vacant teaching positions at Hogwarts..." His voice gradually faded away.
It was then that Hermione rose from among the bushes with Tom. She frowned and said, "I won't attend his classes, no way!"
"Relax," Tom reassured her. "He might end up doing cleaning duty!"
Hermione chuckled.
"Shall we go back to the dance floor?" he asked again, leaning closer to Tom's ear. "If you move like that again there, it might... though it seems you like it."
This time it was Tom who blushed, and like a puppet, Hermione led him back to the dance floor.
A night of dancing and fun.
On the second day of Christmas, everyone slept in late, including Tom and Hermione, who were in the Room of Requirement.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to afford this clothing even if I sell you." Hermione rolled her eyes as she picked up the dress from the floor.
"You have a mending spell, don't you?" Tom lay on the bed, speaking weakly. He felt exhausted.
"Yes, you're right," Hermione found the pair of high-heeled shoes she had worn the night before under the bed, but she realized she had only found one shoe...
Hermione pulled the umbrella bag from the shoe, threw it in the trash bin, and also discarded the used umbrellas on the floor.
Tom simply lay on the bed, watching her silently as she tidied everything up.
"I didn't expect you to wear..." Tom swallowed the rest of his words upon seeing Hermione's threatening look.
Hermione took the umbrella box, shook it, and realized it was empty, so she threw it away along with the packaging.
In addition to the umbrellas, umbrella boxes, and umbrella packaging on the floor, there was also a photo: it was the snapshot Tom had taken with the magical camera Hermione had given him.
In the photo, the girl was laughing happily while tying a knot with a small wet umbrella in her hand.
Seeing the photo, Hermione blushed.
"I'll keep this photo; you can pretend it doesn't exist!" She stored the photo away.
In the blink of an eye, the long Christmas had come to an end. During the first week of the holidays, nobody studied, but once the first week had passed, everyone should start considering assignments and duties, including Tom and Hermione.
Although Tom had a girlfriend who was the top student at Hogwarts, after one night, Hermione imposed a "homework embargo" on him as a punishment.
Christmas disappeared in the blink of an eye, taking with it the magical singers, castle decorations, and the garden's roses. The only trace left of the Christmas party was the couples walking hand in hand through the castle hallways. A single dance party had made many hearts race, and in the castle, there was an aura of hormones. Tom was sure Dumbledore had given the order for them to openly display their affection.
This dance, undoubtedly, contributed to the increase in the wizarding population.
After the holidays, school is about to begin. Christmas has gone, but it hasn't taken the snow with it. From the windows of Hogwarts Castle, the outside is still a vast white landscape.
In this weather, going outdoors for classes is clearly a challenge. If it weren't for the fact that there are so few students per class, there would surely be some who would opt to skip classes. Perhaps Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts could provide some warmth, but many students would rather endure the outdoor cold.
Just at this moment, something happened that was neither big nor small: Rita Skeeter, a reporter from the Daily Prophet, published a shocking article with the title "Dumbledore's Grave Mistake."
In this article, she revealed Hagrid's identity as a half-giant.
This matter cannot be considered a major problem; the real problem would be related to Voldemort, but it is also not a small, insignificant gossip news.
Half-giants are not a good label in wizarding society. The brutality and bloodthirstiness of giants are well-known facts among wizards. In a magical society like this, even pure-blood wizards who have a single Muggle parent are discriminated against, so what more can be said if one parent is a giant!
Half-giants, like werewolves, basically find themselves at the bottom of the magical community's disdain chain. Veela hybrids have a relatively higher status due to their appearance, which is also appreciated by wizards' hormonal tendencies. Almost everyone knows that Fleur has Veela blood, but no one cares; she remains a highly sought-after companion. What if it were a werewolf or a half-giant?
Now, the fact that Hagrid, this half-giant, is a teacher at Hogwarts has attracted many people's attention and become the hot topic of conversation.
Before this, no one had questioned Hagrid's lineage, which seemed a bit abnormal, but in the wizarding world, it could also be understood.
The wizarding world has countless strange spells and potions, which has led to the emergence of countless strange diseases. Hagrid only has a slightly tall stature, which is quite normal in the magical world. It's very possible that he took a growth potion with an incorrect concentration as a child or attempted a failed transformation spell on himself, but the idea that he's a half-giant is something mentioned for the first time.
As for the consequences, Hagrid was temporarily suspended.
Chapter 661: Chapter 661: Rita Skeeter Can't Comprehend It (Edited)
Hagrid's suspension was undoubtedly a bad thing for him and the young wizards who knew him. But for the average students, things didn't seem so bad. Dumbledore quickly found a substitute teacher for Care of Magical Creatures class and didn't delay the teaching for the students.
The new teacher's name was Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank, a witch with short gray hair and a pronounced chin. Her attire was similar to Professor Sprout's, but her personality was more like McGonagall's.
Professor Grubbly-Plank was clearly displeased with the students' laziness after the Christmas holidays.
"The bell for class rang five minutes ago!" she pointed to her wristwatch with a serious expression, while the young wizards who were struggling through the snow showed surprise.
"Who are you?" Ron asked, wide-eyed.
"I am Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank," she replied succinctly. "I am the substitute teacher for Care of Magical Creatures."
She had a very tight-lipped mouth and was not inclined to say much more, which began to frustrate Harry.
Harry's impatience was evident to Professor Grubbly-Plank, but she had no intention of explaining anything to him. From her perspective, even if Harry knew the reason for Hagrid's suspension, he couldn't do anything to help him. What Hagrid needed at that moment was not chatty young wizards but someone like Dumbledore with influence in the wizarding world.
And most importantly, it was time for class!
So she paid no attention to Harry and led the students to the stable. She believed that the mysterious magical creature she had obtained with great effort for this class would surely "captivate" these young wizards.
In the stable, the gigantic Beauxbatons Abraxans were huddled together to keep warm. Before the class, Professor Grubbly-Plank had given them a bit of whisky in their feeders and added a new bag of coal to the outdoor fire, so these horses weren't too cold.
Not far from the stable was the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where a beautiful adult unicorn was tethered. The unicorn was dazzlingly white, and the surrounding snow looked faint in comparison. When it saw a large group of strangers approaching, it raised its head with some unease and began to scrape the ground with its hooves.
"How beautiful!"
"It's so pretty!"
"How did the professor get it? They say seeing a unicorn is very rare..."
Professor Grubbly-Plank waved the boys back and let the girls approach first since unicorns like to be caressed by girls while showing hostility towards males.
That's just what Harry wanted, so he stepped aside and started talking to Ron.
"Do you think something happened to Hagrid? It can't be that he ran away with Madame Maxime, can it?" Harry recalled the scene he and Ron had seen on Christmas night, and a very absurd but not entirely impossible idea came to mind.
In case... yes, in case Hagrid and Madame Maxime had run away together.
It wasn't impossible. When one is swept away by love, a professor and a headmistress running away together...
After hearing this, Ron displayed a "I don't understand but I'm quite surprised" expression. He couldn't think of anything more ridiculous than that, but then he thought that maybe it was possible: Hagrid and Madame Maxime were both half-giants, and with mutual sympathy and opposite attraction, wouldn't it be normal for sparks to fly between them?
They had both strolled through the garden together at the Christmas party. How many couples walk in the garden together?
But looking at Harry, Ron suddenly realized that he had also been strolling in the garden with Harry...
But right at that moment, Harry grabbed Ron's arm, and Ron's skin prickled.
Opposite sex! Opposite sex! He quickly added a restriction to his thoughts.
"Wow, Potter! I beg you to use your brain a bit more!" echoed a familiar and drawling voice. Harry didn't even have to turn to know it was his eternal rival, Draco Malfoy, who was speaking.
Malfoy had been in a bad mood lately and had no intention of messing with Harry, but he happened to overhear what he said. This argument had so many flaws that Malfoy couldn't contain his desire to mock.
"Look at the newspapers more!" he handed a newspaper to Harry and went to talk to Crabbe and Goyle elsewhere.
Harry thought a verbal battle was brewing, but he didn't expect Draco to leave after just two sentences, displaying a killer elegance, like an assassin who attacks and immediately withdraws, leaving no room for confrontation.
Harry understood that if he ran fast, he would only have to attack and not be hit, a smart choice.
Harry unfolded the newspaper in his hands and was met with a photograph of Hagrid and the bold headline that read "Dumbledore's Big Mistake."
Harry and the other Gryffindor students who gathered around were astonished.
Now they knew why Hagrid hadn't come to teach; it would have been better if he had run away with Madame Maxime!
The worst part was that, since it was in the newspaper, most British wizards would know that Hagrid was a half-giant, as there weren't many people who didn't read newspapers like Harry and his friends.
After reading the newspaper article, Harry was furious, and his hands and feet grew cold. He wanted to chase after Draco and confront him, but Ron held him back.
Confronting Draco would be pointless; the most important thing now was Hagrid's situation.
"According to the investigation, the vast majority of students either hate Hagrid or have objections to his teaching methods," Harry pointed out angrily, pointing to a paragraph in the article. "It's pure lies!"
Harry didn't notice the strange looks from his peers. He stared at Rita Skeeter's name in the newspaper, wishing he could kill her with his gaze.
However, he soon realized that Dean, Seamus, Neville, and even Ron were all lost in thought.
Finally, Ron, with an uncomfortable attitude, said to Harry, "Harry, I actually think Rita isn't entirely wrong..."
Harry: ???
"Can you look me in the eye and repeat that? Do you hate Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"I don't hate him, but the point is in the second part of her sentence; I have objections to his teaching method... Harry, don't tell me you're completely satisfied with Hagrid's teaching methods."
Harry was speechless. Even if he had a close relationship with Hagrid, he couldn't deny a fact: his teaching methods were really outdated, especially when Blast-Ended Skrewts grew to over two meters long.
If Rita had used this approach in an interview, the dissatisfaction of Hogwarts students with Hagrid would be one hundred percent.
The "or" in Rita's statement allowed her to avoid any accusations of slander; there was no way to find a weak point.
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