As the banquet finally drew toward its conclusion, with dessert plates vanishing and coffee appearing in cups, Adrian became the first among the faculty to excuse himself from the champions' table.
He rose and made his way across the transformed Great Hall toward the corner where the Weird Sisters had been patiently waiting for their reminder to begin the evening's musical performance.
The band members stood grouped near their equipment, checking instrument tunings and exchanging quiet comments among themselves while they observed the concluding dinner conversations.
"Mr. Wagtail," Adrian addressed their lead singer with courtesy, "I believe it's nearly time for your performance to begin. Are you and your bandmates prepared?"
"Oh, absolutely, we're completely ready," Wagtail responded enthusiastically, stepping forward with the confident energy as he had performed at countless similar events.
His face broke into a wide smile that revealed surprisingly white teeth. "All our instruments have been checked and magically enhanced for optimal sound quality. Christmas schedules are always incredibly packed with performance requests, you know."
"That's totally understandable," Adrian replied smoothly, gesturing slightly with the wand he held casually in his hand. "After all, many important venues throughout the wizarding world require the services of an unparalleled musical group during the holiday season, Mr. Wagtail."
"Ah, indeed that's quite true," Wagtail nodded with obvious pride in his band's reputation and success. "That's precisely why we accepted contracts for three separate performances tonight—all to occur at the same time."
"At the same time?" Adrian repeated with genuine puzzlement, his eyebrows rising as he tried to understand the logic of such an arrangement. "How is that possibly manageable?"
"Well... it seems I've said rather too much about our professional secrets," Wagtail replied with sudden awkwardness, scratching his wild hair as one of his bandmates shot him a warning look.
Adrian chose not to press the matter further, knowing that this was their private business practices and that excessive curiosity might be considered rude or intrusive.
Besides, the apparent impossibility wasn't truly impossible at all. Something like careful use of Time-Turners could theoretically allow the band to fulfill multiple simultaneous contracts, though such magical devices were supposed to be strictly regulated by the Ministry.
"I believe the moment has arrived," Dumbledore's voice suddenly carried across the hall from near the stage area. "Everyone, if you would all please rise from your seats so we can clear the necessary space for dancing... Is everything ready? Professor Westeros, if you would be so kind as to assist with the furniture arrangements."
Understanding immediately what was required, Adrian raised his wand and executed a complex series of coordinated Levitation and Shrinking Charms with efficiency.
In an instant, all the tables and chairs near the center of the Great Hall became miniaturized to around one-tenth their normal size and flew through the air in graceful arcs, depositing themselves neatly into a large wooden storage box that had been placed in the far corner for exactly this purpose.
The rapid transformation cleared an enormous open space that would serve as the dance floor.
Simultaneously, a proper performance stage began rising from the floor smoothly to accommodate the band while various musical instruments appeared in their designated positions.
"Let's go, everyone," Wagtail called to his bandmates with excitement. "Time to show these Hogwarts folks what real wizarding rock music sounds like."
With that enthusiastic statement, he led the other seven band members in a rush onto the newly formed stage, and each musician immediately began taking their positions.
After a brief moment of final preparation and sound checking, the Weird Sisters launched into their opening number: A surprisingly slow and melancholy piece that stirred bittersweet nostalgia rather than the aggressive energy Adrian had been anticipating based on their reputation.
Though the sorrowful tone didn't particularly align with the celebratory Christmas atmosphere, the music was at least relatively conventional.
Adrian had privately expected them to perform something considerably more... strange and experimental, perhaps comparable to the infamous Skeleton Dance Troupe during the Halloween celebration—that performance had produced sounds that could hardly be classified as art that humans were prepared to appreciate.
Accompanied by the opening musical notes that filled the Great Hall, the formal ball officially began according to traditional tournament etiquettes.
The lighting throughout the space gradually dimmed to create a more intimate and romantic atmosphere, leaving only the magical candles that floated above the performance stage and around the perimeter of the dance floor.
The tournament champions, as tradition required, were the first to step onto the dance floor and begin the ceremonial opening dance that would signal all other guests to join them.
Harry moved somewhat awkwardly with Parvati Patil, though to be more accurate, it appeared that Parvati was actually leading Harry through the basic waltz steps while he tried to follow with limited success.
Adrian noticed with some disappointment that Harry didn't seem to be using the dancing charm that he had taught him during their practice session.
Viktor Krum and Hermione Granger moved together in perfect harmony, their synchronized steps and natural rhythm made them easily the most fluid and graceful pairing among the champions.
Fleur Delacour with no partner to dance with according to traditional pairing arrangements had improvised by pulling her younger sister Gabrielle onto the floor. The two siblings spun in circles near the center of the dance space.
Soon after the champions had established the pattern, other students and faculty members gradually began entering the dance floor as well, filling the space with couples moving in various combinations of steps and enthusiasm.
The Weird Sisters' melody gradually began to quicken in tempo, the drums and bass guitar becoming more obvious and driving the energy level rising.
Adrian remained along the side of the hall, observing the scene like someone who had absolutely no intention of participating in the dancing at all.
His gaze remained fixed with intensity on Karkaroff who stood on the opposite side of the dance floor. Karkaroff seemed to be glaring with intensity in the general direction of Viktor Krum and Hermione though whether his displeasure was focused at his star student's choice of companion or at Hermione herself was unclear.
Regardless of the specific target, Karkaroff's expression was deeply unsettling and inappropriate for such a festive occasion. The naked hostility radiating from his face seemed to poison the atmosphere around him.
Honestly, if Adrian had been in Krum's position and noticed such a threatening stare focused at him or his chosen partner, he would never tolerate such behavior.
Fortunately, both Krum and Hermione were completely immersed in their dancing and the pleasure of each other's company, and were apparently oblivious to their headmaster's disapproving scrutiny.
"Aren't you planning to join the dancing at all?"
A sudden voice interrupted Adrian's observation, startling him slightly from his focused observation of Karkaroff's suspicious behavior.
He turned to identify the speaker and discovered that Ruskin had somehow appeared beside him without any advance hint of her approach.
Though she wore a beautiful formal dress that suited the evening's elegant atmosphere, Adrian immediately noticed several incompatible details like the collar appeared somewhat wrinkled and disheveled, and there were even a few unidentifiable plant leaves still clinging to the cloth.
"Where have you been?" Adrian asked with curiosity about her rumpled appearance.
Come to think of it, when the banquet began, he had searched for quite a while without seeing any trace of Ruskin.
"Oh, it wasn't anything particularly significant," Ruskin replied with a casual tone. "I simply went to feed the Abraxan horses. You know, if I'm not personally present, they become rather temperamental and refuse to eat properly, and this evening is their usual dinner time."
Adrian shot a skeptical look in her direction, clearly not convinced that such routine animal care was an important enough matter to justify missing the Christmas ball's opening ceremonies and formal banquet.
Recognizing that Adrian didn't quite believe her explanation, Ruskin felt somewhat embarrassed by the clear weakness of her excuse.
"All right, there was something else involved as well," She finally admitted with obvious reluctance to explain further. "But never mind about that now, the evening is still young and the music is excellent. Come on, let's dance together."
Before Adrian could say anything, Ruskin had firmly grasped his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor.
Adrian didn't remain on the dance floor with Ruskin for particularly long.
After the Weird Sisters shifted their performance style to another melancholy, slow tune, Ruskin abruptly pulled Adrian away from the other dancers toward the edge of the floor.
"I honestly don't care for music with this kind of depressing tone," She complained with disappointment. "It's not very suitable for the kind of dancing I enjoy."
Shortly after expressing this criticism, Ruskin was summoned away by Madame Maxime, who beckoned her with an urgent gesture that showed some important matter needed her attention.
Finding himself suddenly alone once more, Adrian quietly shifted himself along the sidelines, resuming his careful observation of the other people dancing throughout the Great Hall.
Among the faculty members who had chosen to participate in the festivities, Professor Moody was trying to dance with Professor Sinistra. He moved with obvious clumsiness, his famous wooden prosthetic leg was clearly not suited for the complex footwork required in formal ballroom dancing.
Adrian winced sympathetically as he observed Moody's wooden leg come down heavily on Professor Sinistra's foot. Professor Sinistra's face tightened with an instinctive grimace, that impact must have been genuinely painful despite her polite attempt to conceal her discomfort.
After they concluded their shortened dance and parted with mutual relief, Moody limped directly toward Adrian's position with his uneven gait that made his magical eye bounce disturbingly in its socket.
"I probably shouldn't have tried dancing at all," He said with self-deprecating humor, tapping his wooden leg. "This piece of equipment isn't designed for such elegant movements but more suited for kicking down doors and stomping on dark wizards."
"At least Professor Sinistra was gracious and didn't mind," Adrian replied tactfully.
"Oh, she's genuinely a good person with considerable patience for incompetence," Moody approved while moving closer to Adrian's position, his voice dropping to a low volume.
He leaned near Adrian's ear and spoke in a whisper.
"You need to watch out for Karkaroff. I have strong reason to believe he intends to harm Harry Potter."
At these ominous words, Adrian immediately looked at Moody with alertness and concern, his casual posture shifting to something more attentive.
"Have you discovered something specific and unusual about his behavior or intentions?" Adrian asked softly.
Moody's magical eye performed one of its typical spinning rotations that allowed him to survey the entire hall without moving his head, then he nodded with grim solemnity.
"Haven't you been paying attention to the obvious signs?" He said with apparent disappointment in Adrian's observational skills. "You seem to be even more careless than I had expected. Karkaroff has been spending considerable time in private conversation with Snape during the past several days, and moreover..."
He gave a cold laugh.
"That damned mark is becoming more visible and obvious. I saw it quite clearly on Karkaroff's left forearm during a moment when his sleeve shifted."
'The Dark Mark,' Adrian pondered for a moment.
This observation aligned perfectly with his own analysis of the situation. Voldemort's power was gradually recovering, and the matching activation of his Death Eaters' marks was a normal phenomenon associated with his return to strength.
"I've already warned Harry," Moody continued. "I'll keep watching them from now on, and so should you, Professor Westeros."
"You should be careful yourself, Professor Moody," Adrian said meaningfully.
"Don't waste your worry on me," Moody snorted as if he had heard an absurd joke. "No one can hurt me. I've survived more ambushes, curses, and assassination attempts than most Aurors see in their entire careers. My paranoia is what keeps me alive."
Adrian pressed his lips together in a thin line, choosing not to say his actual concern aloud. He felt somewhat worried that Moody might be replaced by Barty Crouch Junior through Polyjuice Potion, exactly as had occurred in the original story.
Just at that moment, Karkaroff suddenly made a move that immediately captured both Adrian's and Moody's attention.
Without any warning or polite farewells to the other guests, he quietly slipped away from the ball and exited the Great Hall through one of the side doors.
Both Adrian and Moody naturally noticed this abnormal departure.
"Ah, it appears my evening just became more interesting," Moody muttered with satisfaction at having his suspicions confirmed. "Time for me to go investigate what our friend Igor is really up to."
With these parting words, he immediately began dragging his wooden leg toward the same exit Karkaroff had used, moving with surprising speed despite his limitations.
Before disappearing from view, he casted one final meaningful look back at Adrian.
Adrian had no intention of personally tracking Karkaroff through the castle corridors as such obvious pursuit would be far too deliberate and might alert their target.
This type of secret investigation was much better left to Moody, who had long experience in following suspects without being detected and wouldn't be missed from the festive gathering.
Besides, Karkaroff's departure didn't necessarily indicate anything genuinely threatening or criminal in nature. He might simply be attending to personal business, checking on his students, or seeking privacy away from the overwhelming social atmosphere.
Most importantly, Harry was still safely inside the Great Hall, surrounded by hundreds of witnesses and protected by multiple faculty members. He was in no danger while he remained in such a public and well-monitored location.
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