"So what is this book?"
Ron watched George reluctantly put away the Marauder's Map, and had to turn his eyes to the book that he had also taken from Filch's office.
The cover of the book was bright yellow with a line of strange words engraved in an uneven pattern on it - "A Clever Combination of Alchemy and Pranks".
"It's actually a book about pranks. No wonder you guys are reading it with such gusto..." Ron curled his lips. "Is there really someone who would write a book just for pranks?"
Harry and Ron were not very interested in this prank book. Compared with the magical Marauder's Map, they both felt that this book was a bit mediocre.
"I can tell you two don't know what's good!" Fred rolled his eyes at the two people who had no taste, then picked up his book "The Clever Combination of Alchemy and Pranks" with great interest and said to them:
"This book talks about a lot of things related to alchemy. It is not one of those obscure and difficult tomes in the library. Instead, it is quite easy to understand. Even people with no basic knowledge of alchemy can learn it."
"Yes, the author of this book is so talented!" George also praised it. "We don't need to fully understand alchemy. We only need to borrow some small details of alchemy to extend our joke products in a variety of different directions."
“I can already imagine how many funny joke products we will produce in the future!”
Harry and Ron were also immediately interested in the blueprint the twins drew for the future.
Ron pulled out a strange-looking wand from his pocket, the same one he had used to play "fencing" with Harry in Transfiguration, and asked:
"Can this thing be improved? It feels quite interesting."
"It's a piece of cake!" Fred smiled and held out his hand to George.
George pulled two similar looking wands out of his pocket and handed one to Ron and one to Harry.
"Try these two," he said with a smile.
Harry and Ron took the wands dubiously and, using the same method they had used in the Transfiguration classroom, they collided the two wands together.
With a "bang", almost in an instant, the two wands changed their shapes at the same time -
The one in Ron's hand turned into a tinned parrot, and the one in Harry's hand turned into a rubber haddock.
"Wow!"
The two looked at the wands in their hands... or animals, in amazement, thinking that this idea was simply great.
"Well, I told you this book is useful, right?" Fred said with a beaming face. "I'm not bragging. Now, if we get any magic prop, it won't take long for us to figure out what it can do!"
Harry happily took the "haddock" in his hand and wanted to study it carefully to see how it worked.
At this moment, he was suddenly stunned.
He found that he was holding a golden egg in his left hand, reflecting the sparkling light in the firelight of the fireplace.
"Wait a minute, Fred..." Harry asked with a dazed look in his eyes, "Do you think... this golden egg is also a magical prop related to alchemy?"
…
The Yule Ball was getting closer and closer, but Harry and Ron still hadn't found a dance partner.
But there is at least one piece of good news. Fred and George, who claim to be experts in magic props, have determined that the golden egg that Harry got from the dragon's nest in the first game is an alchemical product, so they took it away for research.
Harry felt that he couldn't find a solution anyway, so he might as well hand it over to the twins who had a lot of experience in making magic props...
It was another Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Dracula saw that the little wizards' minds had already drifted to the Christmas ball in a few days and they had no mood to study, so he simply changed this Defense Against the Dark Arts class into a self-study class.
Of course, the more important reason is that Dracula himself is too lazy to give lectures...
"Harry, I have some sad news for you." Ron sat on a chair in the classroom and whispered to Harry who was sitting next to him.
Harry turned his head and looked at him with some confusion.
"You may not believe it, but after asking around, I found out that we are the only two boys in Gryffindor who don't have dance partners," Ron said dejectedly.
Then, his expression brightened a little, "Oh, by the way, there's also Neville... Do you know who he invited? Hermione!"
"What? Hermione's invited?" said Harry, completely fascinated by this surprising news.
Harry and Ron have always regarded Hermione as their good brother, and they never seemed to have thought that this good brother would one day be invited to a dance as a girl.
"Yeah, I just found out about this not long ago!" Ron laughed as he spoke, and the frustrated expression on his face faded a lot. "Neville told me after the Potions class yesterday!"
"He said Hermione had been so kind, helping him with his homework and all that - but guess what Hermione said? Hermione told him she'd already been promised someone else!"
"Hahaha... You sound so serious. She just doesn't want to go with Neville..."
Not only Ron, but Harry also had an expression that couldn't help laughing.
"What are you two whispering about?" Hermione suddenly turned around and asked.
She sat in the row in front of Harry and Ron, listening to their whispering for a long time. Finally, she couldn't help but look up from the textbook in front of her and glared at her two friends behind her.
"No, we didn't say anything." Ron forced himself to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth were almost curled up to the sky because he couldn't control it.
"I heard everything!" said Hermione angrily. "You two don't trust me to find a partner, do you?"
"Ah, that's not the case..." Harry realized that he had said the wrong thing and stammered, "We just think that you can focus on your studies and not think about those miscellaneous things."
"Yes, yes, Harry is right!" Ron quickly echoed with a strong desire to survive.
He looked at Hermione, his eyes suddenly brightening, staring at her as if he had suddenly discovered a whole new person.
"Hermione, I suddenly realized that Neville is right—" Ron said hesitantly, "You are also a good girl..."
"Oh, you're very observant," Hermione said sharply, curling her lips. "I didn't discover this until my fourth year, and I had to be reminded of it by others!"
"Don't say that, Hermione, I just didn't notice it for a moment." Ron scratched his head, "How about... you can choose between me and Harry as your dance partner?"
"No, I refuse!" Hermione refused him without thinking.
"Oh, come on," said Ron irritably, "we need partners, and it would be embarrassing if everyone else has one and we don't... and you need a partner too, right?"
"I can't go with you," said Hermione, and her face flushed in spite of herself. "I've already promised someone else."
"No, you didn't!" said Ron confidently. "You only said that to get rid of Neville!"
"Oh, really?" Hermione suddenly raised her voice, her eyes becoming a little scary, "Just because it took you three years to realize that I'm a good girl, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has noticed it!"
Ron stared at her blankly, then he grinned again.
"Okay, okay, we know you're a good girl," he said with a smile, "Okay? Can you promise me?"
"I already told you!" Hermione said angrily, "I already promised someone else!"
After saying that, she turned around angrily, laid down on the table and ignored the two straight men behind her.
"She's lying, right?" Ron whispered to Harry, looking at her back.
"I don't think it's too much like that..." Harry shook his head blankly. "If we have to wait until the Christmas ball to be exposed, it will be totally un-Hermione's style."
The movement between the three little wizards also attracted the attention of Dracula, who was slacking off on the podium.
He stood up and walked over to Harry and Ron.
"I heard... you were discussing the Christmas ball just now?" Dracula raised his lips and asked with interest.
"Ah, no, Professor Dracula..." Ron was startled, and instantly straightened up, sitting upright in his chair, and said, "We are discussing study problems!"
At the same time, he took out a book from the desk drawer and placed it in front of himself, pretending to study seriously, and occasionally glanced to the side, trying to observe Dracula's reaction.
"Stop pretending, you're not like that at all." Dracula pulled the book in front of Ron out from under his arm and said jokingly, "Tsk, you didn't even notice you were holding the book upside down, you can't even pretend to be professional."
"Look at your deskmate Potter, he's different - when he was slacking off, he would take his pen in his hand and spread out his book on the table... And you're facing a bare table and saying you're studying, who would believe you?"
Harry blushed with shame and lowered his head without saying a word.
Ron stammered, not knowing what excuse to make to "exonerate" himself, so he could only follow Harry's example and lower his head, pretending to be an ostrich...
"Here, take your book." Dracula laughed faintly and threw the book he had taken from Ron back to him. "Remember to act more conscientiously next time. Don't study like a fool facing an empty desk."
After saying that, Dracula turned around and returned to his podium.
"We... weren't punished?" Ron blinked as he watched Dracula leave, then looked at Harry, "Professor Dracula didn't make us double our homework for next semester?"
"Maybe, maybe, maybe not..." Harry also shook his head uncertainly, "It seems that Professor Dracula is in a good mood today. Maybe he will let us go."
In fact, it didn't take long for Harry and Ron to figure out why they hadn't been punished.
"Everyone, stop what you are doing!"
Standing on the podium, Dracula spoke to the audience.
The young wizards in the classroom reflexively stopped studying, chatting, or discussing the Christmas ball that would be coming in a few days, and looked up at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor on the podium.
Dracula was very satisfied with the little wizards' quick response and nodded happily.
"I heard that you are going to attend a Christmas dance in a few days, and everyone needs a dance partner, right?" he asked.
"That's right, Professor." Ernie MacMillan from Hufflepuff replied, "Students above the fourth grade can attend the dance. No one wants to stand on the stage and watch others dance."
It can be seen that this Hufflepuff badger must have found a good dance partner, and his expression seemed very high-spirited when he spoke.
"Very good. Then I would like to ask, is there anyone here who has not found a dance partner yet?" Dracula asked excitedly while looking at the little wizards in the audience.
However, except for the honest Neville who raised his hand, the others probably felt embarrassed and did not raise their hands consciously.
"Tsk, why don't you use the chance I gave you?" Dracula sneered, "How about this, those who have found a dance partner, raise your hands."
Sure enough, after changing the way of asking the question, most of the students in the classroom raised their hands.
"Very good, then those who have found dance partners can be the audience today."
Dracula moved his fingers casually, and before the little wizards who raised their hands could react, they and their desks and chairs moved sideways and appeared neatly at the edge of the classroom wall.
The rest were the little wizards who didn't raise their hands - Harry, Ron, Neville and a few girls were among them.
Those who failed to find dance partners were suddenly exposed to the public's attention. Their expressions were first stunned, and then their faces turned red.
It took Harry and Ron a long time to realize what was happening -
Professor Dracula must have thought of another way to have fun. Now he has put them under the public's attention and is watching their embarrassing performance with great interest.
"Professor, you can't do this—" Ron wailed, "If you do this, our company will be killed!"
"How can you say that?" Dracula said with a playful expression on his face, "I just have good intentions and provide a platform for you little guys who don't have dance partners so that you can find each other as partners."
"But I'd rather not dance at the Yule Ball than find a partner like this..." Ron muttered angrily.
"Alright, hurry up and move, gentlemen who don't have dance partners yet." Dracula, looking like he was just looking for trouble, urged the little wizards in the middle of the classroom, "This is a rare opportunity. The two who succeed in holding hands will be exempted from half a month's homework!"
Sure enough, there will always be brave men when there is a big reward.
Neville, as a not very smart little wizard, always does not have enough time to finish his homework... Dracula's promise is quite effective for him.
Besides, Neville really wanted to find a dance partner...
So, Neville, who was usually dull, was the first to stand up from his seat.
…
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