"It seems everyone has finished their meal," Dumbledore stood up and called out loudly, "Then, the Yule Ball is about to begin!"
At Dumbledore's command, all the students left their seats. Then, with another wave of his wand, Dumbledore made tables and chairs whizz to the walls, leaving the Great Hall completely empty.
In their place, a tall stage now stood against the right wall, laden with musical instruments.
Suddenly, the Weird Sisters appeared out of nowhere and surged onto the stage, met by thunderous applause from the audience.
"JJon, look—that's Myron Wagtail!" Astoria grabbed Jon's hand and introduced, "The lead singer of the Weird Sisters!"
"And that white-haired one is Kirley Duke, lead guitarist; the one with the braid is Gideon Crumb, the bagpiper; the heavily bundled one is Orsino Thruston, the cellist..." Astoria clearly knew Jon wasn't familiar with these household names in the wizarding world.
"Wait, I have a question!" Jon asked curiously. "Why are all the Weird Sisters members men?"
Astoria was momentarily speechless, shaking her head in equal puzzlement.
"Time to dance!" Dumbledore approached them, gently patting Jon on the shoulder.
Jon suddenly noticed the other three pairs of champions had all taken the stage, waiting only for them.
"We should go!" Jon said hurriedly.
The two quickly took each other's hands and ran onto the stage. Along the way, Astoria tripped over her own skirt and nearly fell; luckily, Jon caught her just in time.
...
The Weird Sisters played a slow, melancholy tune, and the singing began.
Astoria kept her head bowed, avoiding the mocking glances of her Slytherin classmates.
Jon spotted Zacharias Smith and Steven Lucas, who had somehow slipped in. They sat at a round table in the corner, munching on cream puffs while waving at him.
Professor Dumbledore's dance partner was Professor McGonagall. The headmaster and deputy headmistress were holding hands, waltzing together.
Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout were together. One tall and stout, the other short and thin—the contrast was simply... Flitwick's pointed hat brushed against Sprout's chest, while Professor Sprout struggled not to step on Professor Flitwick's feet.
Madame Maxime and Hagrid were a pair. Hagrid looked utterly entranced, though he clearly couldn't keep up with Madame Maxime's pace. For such a large woman, her dance steps were remarkably graceful.
Mad-Eye Moody danced awkwardly with Professor Sinistra, who nervously dodged his wooden leg.
Professor Snape sat in a corner as well, with Karkaroff leaning in close, seemingly discussing something, though Snape paid him little attention. As Jon observed Snape, the professor's gaze suddenly met his... startling Jon, who quickly averted his eyes.
"Am I really that poor at dancing..." Astoria whispered into Jon's ear, sounding somewhat disheartened.
"No... actually, it's me!" Jon forced a wry smile. "I'm the one who can't dance at all..."
"Actually, I could teach you," Astoria's face lit up with a smile again. "Come, I'll start by teaching you the waltz... Hold my waist firmly with your right hand, take my hand with your left... Left foot down, toes touching the floor, leg straight, no bending the knee..."
To prevent others from overhearing their conversation, Astoria kept whispering into Jon's ear; Jon could only catch a faint, intoxicating fragrance emanating from her...
...
Jon had no idea how many tunes the quirky band had played, but his legs were starting to ache.
"Shall we take a break?" Astoria seemed to notice his fatigue.
"Sure!" Jon nodded.
"Over there!" Astoria pointed to a corner.
Jon led her out of the dance floor toward the table where Daphne Greengrass sat. Passing Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson danced so wildly that people nearby scrambled back to avoid being knocked over.
"Honestly, you're a poor dancer!" Astoria giggled as she maneuvered around Fred and Angelina. "Just like you are in Quidditch class!"
Jon pursed his lips, tacitly admitting the truth.
Arriving at the long table where Daphne sat alone, Astoria greeted her with a cheerful hug. Daphne looked up and offered Jon a strained smile.
"I'll go get drinks!" Jon suggested.
"Sure... I'll wait here for you!" Astoria nodded.
...
Jon pushed through the crowd, heading straight for the corner where Zacharias and Steven were sitting.
"Hey, buddy!" Zacharias spotted Jon and burst into laughter. "You danced terribly back there!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Jon shot him a glare, followed by a wave of chuckles from the two boys.
Jon ignored them, grabbing two bottles of Butterbeer from behind them and three clean glasses before turning back toward the Greengrass sisters' table.
"Remember to have fun tonight!" Zacharias called out from behind him.
Jon pretended not to hear his nonsense.
...
Returning to his previous spot, Jon saw Draco Malfoy saying something to the Greengrass sisters. But before Jon returned, Malfoy had already left with an awkward look on his face.
Jon poured a Butterbeer for both Astoria and Daphne.
Astoria sipped her drink and said, "Mr. Malfoy asked me to dance... I told him I was too tired... I turned him down..."
Glancing at her sister, she suggested to Jon, "Shall we continue? I'll teach you how to tango!"
"Perhaps we could stroll through the gardens outside first?" Jon murmured, his eyes briefly meeting Daphne's.
After all, leaving Daphne alone here felt a bit awkward.
"Sounds wonderful!" Astoria blinked and nodded.
"No need, you two go ahead!" Daphne Greengrass stood up. "I'm a bit tired. I'll head back to the Slytherin common room first!"
With that, she walked dejectedly toward the ballroom doors, not looking back.