"What, you're saying Delacour is also someone your brother sent to monitor you!"
In the Gryffindor common room, the warm fire crackled, illuminating Harry and Hermione's shocked faces.
The book in Harry's hand dropped to the floor.
Hermione instinctively covered her mouth.
The two couldn't help but exchange glances.
Ever since Sherlock had said Fleur recognized him, they had imagined countless possibilities.
But they never expected it would turn out like this.
Though thinking about it again, this was the very same Mycroft Holmes whom Sherlock had called "the British government."
Although there was a hint of mockery in that statement, considering the things he had done before, having such behavior now didn't seem too surprising.
"I thought he had given up already."
Harry murmured.
The reason for saying "already" was because he remembered his first contact with Mycroft.
At that time, Mycroft had done the same thing over the phone, offering large sums of money for him to keep track of Sherlock's every move and report back to him.
Harry regarded Sherlock as a friend and naturally wouldn't agree, refusing him on the spot.
Back then, Harry had even thought the person might be some sort of villain, even briefly believing he might be connected to Voldemort.
Later, Sherlock actually felt it was a pity, thinking Harry should have agreed so they could split the payment.
Only afterward did he learn that person was actually Sherlock's own brother.
He had thought that after several years, Mycroft had abandoned this matter, but unexpectedly there was still a sequel.
"Actually, this was my oversight."
Seeing his two companions' surprised expressions, Sherlock suddenly smiled.
"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"Have you forgotten about this Triwizard Tournament?"
Sherlock's fingers lightly tapped the table. "It was able to be held again precisely because of changes in the Muggle world—how could that fellow not have a hand in something like this? In fact, he already hinted at it to me last Christmas. It's my own lack of acuity in not discovering this point."
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances again.
"But you discovered this so quickly..."
"It doesn't matter."
Sherlock shook his head. "That fellow never expected to hide it from me anyway.
He's merely using this method to send me a message.
Whether it's you or Miss Delacour, you're both just his tools."
Harry gave him a look.
"Don't look at me like that, dear Harry, because that's exactly the kind of person he is."
Just as Harry and Hermione were once again feeling amazed by Sherlock's brother's influence, Ron walked in with an ashen face.
As soon as Ron entered the common room, he walked straight to a corner and sat down.
His face was pale with an expression of lingering shock.
"What happened to him?"
Seeing that Ron didn't even acknowledge them, Harry asked in a lowered voice.
"Ten minutes ago, he invited Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him."
Sherlock said lightly. "I met with her right after that incident."
Harry and Hermione simultaneously gasped.
"Has he lost his mind?"
Harry's eyes widened, his voice full of disbelief.
He knew Ron harbored great interest in Fleur Delacour, but he really couldn't understand where Ron got the confidence to invite her.
She had been at school for nearly two months and had long since become the center of attention.
Could it be that he was truly affected by her Veela heritage?
Hermione also found it incredible. After glancing at Ron, she withdrew her gaze. "What was he thinking?"
In her view, this simply wasn't something a rational person would do.
"That's how it is when you lose your reason."
Compared to Harry and Hermione, Sherlock wasn't surprised at all.
He knew very well that this was exactly the kind of person Ron was.
It wasn't just Fleur Delacour either—he also had special feelings for Madam Rosmerta, the mature and beautiful owner of the Three Broomsticks, though nobody had discovered this yet.
Just as Harry and Hermione were both shocked by this news, Ginny also entered the common room.
She quickly scanned around, her gaze first landing on the three people by the fireplace, then glancing toward Ron in the corner.
Soon, she tiptoed over with understanding, leaning into the middle of the three and asking in a voice only they could hear. "Ron's situation... I mean, his just now inviting a dance partner... do you know about it?"
"Sherlock is telling us about it now."
Harry replied. He could now communicate normally with Ginny.
But hearing this, he also reacted, asking in a lowered voice. "Does everyone know about it already?"
Ginny's face immediately showed sympathy. She glanced again in Ron's direction, her voice dropping even lower. "Um... there were lots of people gathered in the Entrance Hall at the time. Quite a few people from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were there. It's probably spread through half the castle by now."
Harry and Hermione instantly fell silent. The two of them, along with Ginny, simultaneously turned their gazes toward Ron in the corner.
He still maintained his face-covering posture, motionless, as if a Dementor had sucked out his soul.
Come to think of it, that kind of embarrassment witnessed by a crowd was even more mortifying than being publicly hit with a "Bat-Bogey" hex.
However, Ginny quickly withdrew her gaze, gently shaking her head, her tone carrying some disapproval. "Honestly, I think he brought it on himself."
She leaned back against the chair, quietly adding. "These past few days he's been going on and on in the common room about how if everyone but him had a partner for the Christmas ball, he'd be too embarrassed."
"How about... having him try Eloise Midgen?" Harry suddenly spoke up.
Sherlock nodded. "That's a good idea. If Ron is willing, I think that young lady would definitely agree."
Hearing this, Hermione immediately bit her lower lip, her shoulders trembling slightly, clearly struggling hard to hold back laughter, even her ears turning red.
Harry was being wickedly sneaky.
And Sherlock truly loved watching the drama unfold.
Ginny asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Regarding Eloise Midgen, she only knew that this witch had used a curse to try to remove the abundant acne on her face.
She ultimately had to go to Madam Pomfrey to have her nose reattached.
This accident left her nose somewhat crooked, but the acne seemed to have lessened, at least temporarily.
But she didn't understand what connection Ron had with Midgen.
Hermione repeated what Ron had said in the common room the night before last.
"I'd rather go alone than ask Eloise Midgen."
"Then he really deserves it!"
Ginny said without mercy. "I know what he's thinking. He panicked because all the pretty girls were taken! At times like this, even Eloise Midgen starts looking pretty! Never mind, I'm sure he'll find someone willing to accept him somewhere."
"Oh, don't be like that, Ginny."
Even Hermione, who occasionally made cutting remarks to Ron, now felt Ginny's words were too harsh.
She gently touched Ginny's arm, signaling her to say less.
"Alright." Ginny shrugged at this.
"Her grandmother was a Veela," Harry mused. "Maybe he wanted to cast a spell on Cedric but accidentally hit Ron walking past..."
Harry was still trying to make excuses.
"No, Miss Delacour didn't actively cast any magic."
Sherlock said without mercy. "He was simply smitten."
Harry. "..."
Hermione. "..."
Ginny. "..."
The three exchanged glances. If Ginny's earlier assessment could be called harsh, then Sherlock's words could already be considered cruel.
What could they say? Typical of him!
"But no matter what, we still need to help him, right?"
Harry was the first to recover. Taking a deep breath and looking at that motionless figure in the corner, his tone was full of sympathy. "We can't let him stay dejected like this. He can't really be alone at the Christmas ball."
Hearing this, Ginny immediately turned her head, looking at Harry with admiring eyes.
That's so like Harry, so kind!
Hermione shook her head. "Finding a suitable partner now is too difficult... If, like Harry said before, he could have approached Lavender earlier, there might have been a chance."
"Lavender—you mean Lavender Brown? Why would she agree to Ron?" Ginny couldn't help interjecting.
She was Hermione's roommate, but Ginny didn't know she had any connection with Ron.
As soon as Ginny finished speaking, Sherlock and Hermione simultaneously turned their gazes to Harry.
The "you explain" meaning in their eyes couldn't have been more obvious.
Harry had no choice but to recount how Ron had previously offered to look at Lavender's Uranus in Divination class.
Ginny looked at Ron, still sitting dazed in the corner, with shock.
Good heavens, what a character!
Not getting angry after Ron made such crude jokes publicly—Miss Brown might actually have some interest in her brother.
Compared to Eloise Midgen, Ron would definitely be more willing to accept her.
Unfortunately, as Hermione said, it was too late now.
"What are we going to do..."
Harry seemed at a loss. When he saw Ginny, his eyes suddenly lit up.
"That's right, Ginny, you can go with Ron!"
He thought this idea was brilliant! Ginny wasn't yet in fourth year. If no one actively invited her, she couldn't attend the ball anyway.
But what surprised him was that Ginny blushed and shook her head. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"I already promised—promised Neville."
"What?"
Harry was taken aback. Neville had actually invited Ginny.
Who would have thought his roommate had such intentions?
However, Hermione's sudden words surprised him even more.
"He invited me first," Hermione said naturally. "He said I'd always been kind, helping him with homework and such."
"Uh..."
Harry thought about it—Hermione had indeed helped Neville quite a bit normally.
"After Hermione refused him, he invited me."
At this point Ginny continued. "I thought... anyway... anyway, if I didn't agree to him, I couldn't go either. I'm not in fourth year yet."
With Hermione and Ginny explaining it this way, Harry could understand.
But then he fell into distress again. "Sigh, what are we going to do?"
"Stop saying that, Harry. It's becoming your catchphrase."
Ginny smiled at Harry, a hint of dejection hidden in her eyes, but she quickly said. "Ron's situation—let him figure it out himself!"
Harry shook his head, looking at Sherlock and asking with a try-anything attitude. "Sherlock, do you have any ideas?"
"Yes."
Sherlock nodded.
At this statement, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all looked at him in surprise. There really was a solution!
During this holiday break, the teachers ignored the Triwizard Tournament and the approaching Christmas ball, assigning fourth-year students a huge pile of homework for the holidays.
But once term ended, most people had absolutely no mind for schoolwork.
In the week before Christmas, everyone played to their hearts' content.
Heavy snow drifted down on the castle and grounds.
The light blue Beauxbatons carriage looked like a giant pumpkin covered in frost, with Hagrid's hut beside it resembling a frosted gingerbread house.
A layer of ice had formed on the hull of the Durmstrang ship, making it smooth and transparent, and the rigging was also coated with white frost.
The house-elves in the kitchens were working frantically, preparing various flavors of steaming hot stews and sweet puddings.
Only people like Hermione Granger seemed out of place at times like this, still frequently visiting the library.
Ron often complained about this.
"But as long as she stops trying to push S.P.E.W. on us, I can accept it."
He told Sherlock and Harry. Before he finished speaking, he immediately ducked behind Sherlock.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing his friend's action, Harry was quite puzzled.
"He's worried about being seen." Sherlock pointed ahead.
Following Sherlock's pointing direction, Harry suddenly understood.
Fleur Delacour and several Beauxbatons students entered the Entrance Hall and walked into the Great Hall. She was complaining to someone beside her. "The food at Hogwarts is all too greasy. My dress robes are getting too tight!"
Before she finished speaking, she saw Sherlock and Harry (and a red-haired boy hiding behind Sherlock).
Fleur's expression changed, and she immediately hurried away, heading toward the Ravenclaw table.
"She seems afraid of you?"
Seeing Fleur leave, Harry couldn't help asking quietly.
"That's how it is after being exposed."
Sherlock pulled Ron out from behind him. "She's gone, stop hiding."
"Phew—"
Ron let out a long breath. He looked around and asked somewhat puzzled. "Why is Hermione so late today? Isn't she planning to eat dinner?"
"Maybe something held her up."
Harry didn't take this matter to heart because he saw Cho Chang walking in his direction.
"Hey, abandoning friends for romance!"
Watching Harry happily greet Cho Chang, Ron complained, then said. "Sherlock, how did you think of having her be my dance partner?"
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"Not exactly dissatisfied... forget it, it's still much better than Eloise Midgen—if it really were her, I'd rather go to the Christmas ball alone."
Ron sighed deeply and couldn't help sneaking another glance toward Fleur's direction.
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