Professor Vampire.

Chapter 263: Choosing a dance partner

"Then what is this book?"

Ron reluctantly watched George put away the Marauder's Map, and had to look at the book that he also got from Filch's office.

The cover of the book was bright yellow, with a line of strange words engraved on it - "A Clever Combination of Alchemy and Pranks".

"It's actually a book about pranks, no wonder you read it with great interest..." Ron curled his lips, "By the way, is there really someone who publishes a book for pranks?"

Both Harry and Ron were not very interested in this prank book. Compared with the magical Marauder's Map before, they both felt that this book seemed a bit mediocre.

"I can tell you two don't know what's good!" Fred rolled his eyes at the two people who didn't have good taste, then picked up his book "The Clever Combination of Alchemy and Pranks" and said to them:

"This book talks about a lot of things about alchemy, and it's not one of those obscure and difficult tomes in the library. Instead, it's quite easy to understand, and people with no alchemy foundation can learn it."

"Yes, the author of this book is so talented!" George also praised it, "You don't need to fully understand alchemy, you only need to borrow some small details of alchemy to extend our joke products in a variety of different directions."

"I can already foresee how many interesting joke products we will produce in the future!"

Harry and Ron were also interested in the blueprint drawn by the twins for the future.

Ron took out a strange-looking wand from his pocket, the 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 stretched out his hand to George.

George took out two wands that looked similar from his pocket and handed one to Ron and one to Harry.

"Try these two." He smiled.

Harry and Ron took the wands half-believingly and used the method they played in the Transfiguration classroom to collide 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 said this book is very useful, right?" Fred said with a beaming face, "I'm not bragging. Now, no matter what kind of magic props we have, it won't take long for us to judge what tricks it has!"

Harry happily took the "Haddefish" in his hand in front of him, wanting to carefully study how it works.

At this time, he was suddenly stunned.

He found that he was holding a golden egg in his left hand, reflecting the glittering light in the firelight of the fireplace.

"Wait a minute, Fred..." Harry asked with a dazed look, "Do you think... this golden egg is also a magic prop related to alchemy?"

...

The Christmas ball is getting closer and closer, and Harry and Ron still haven't found a dance partner.

But at least there is good news. Fred and George, who claim to be magic prop experts, have made a judgment that the golden egg 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 long drifted to the Christmas dance a few days later and they were in 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 was that Dracula himself was too lazy to teach...

"Harry, I have some bad news for you." Ron sat on a chair in the classroom and secretly said to Harry sitting next to him.

Harry turned his head and looked at him with some doubts.

"You may not believe it, but I asked around and found that we are almost the only two boys in Gryffindor who don't have a dance partner." Ron said frustratedly.

Then, his expression became a little more energetic, "Oh, by the way, there is actually Neville... Do you know who he invited? Hermione!"

"What? Hermione was invited?" Harry said, he was completely attracted by this surprising news.

Harry and Ron have always regarded Hermione as their good brother, and it seems that they have never thought that this good brother will also be invited to a dance as a girl.

"Yeah, I just found out about this not long ago!" Ron laughed, and the frustrated expression on his face was much less, "Neville told me after the potions class yesterday!"

"He said Hermione has always been so kind, helping him with homework and so on - but guess what Hermione said? Hermione told him that she had promised someone else!"

"Hahaha... It sounds like the truth, she just doesn't want to go with Neville..."

Not only Ron, but Harry also had a funny expression on his face.

"What are you two whispering about?" Hermione suddenly turned her head and asked.

She sat in the row in front of Harry and Ron, listening to the two whispering for a long time, and finally couldn't help but raise her head from the textbook in front of her and glared at her two bad 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.

"I heard everything!" Hermione said angrily, "You two don't believe that I can find a dance partner, right?"

"Ah, that's not the case..." Harry realized that he had said the wrong thing and stammered, "We just thought that you would focus on studying and not think about those miscellaneous things."

"Yes, yes, Harry is right!" Ron also hurriedly agreed with a strong desire to survive.

He looked at Hermione, and his eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at her as if he had suddenly discovered a new person.

"Hermione, I suddenly realized that Neville is right -" Ron said hesitantly, "You are also a good girl..."

"Oh, you are very observant," Hermione curled her lips and said sharply, "I didn't realize this until the fourth year, and I was reminded by others!"

"Don't say that, Hermione, I just didn't notice it for a while." Ron scratched his head, "Or... you can choose between me and Harry as your dance partner?"

"No, I refuse!" Hermione refused him without thinking.

"Oh, hurry up," Ron said impatiently, "We need dance partners. If everyone else has one and we don't, it would be too embarrassing... and you need a dance partner, too, right?"

"I can't go with you," Hermione said, her face flushed involuntarily, "I've already promised someone else."

"No, you haven't!" Ron said confidently, "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

"Oh, really?" Hermione suddenly raised her voice, her eyes became a little scary, "It took you three years to find out that I'm a good girl, Ron, but that doesn't mean no one else has noticed it!"

Ron stared at her blankly, and then he grinned again.

"Okay, okay, we know you're a good girl," he said with a smile, "Okay? Can you promise it?"

"I've told you!" Hermione said angrily, "I've already promised someone else!"

After that, she turned around angrily, lay on the table and ignored the two steel straight men behind her.

"Is she lying?" Ron whispered to Harry, looking at her back.

"I don't think so..." Harry shook his head blankly, "If we have to wait until the Christmas ball to be exposed, it will be too inconsistent with 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 to Harry and Ron.

"I heard... you were discussing the Christmas ball just now?" Dracula raised his mouth and asked with interest.

"Ah, no, Professor Dracula..." Ron was startled, straightened up instantly, sat 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 him, pretending to study seriously, and his eyes occasionally glanced to the side, trying to observe Dracula's reaction.

"Stop pretending, you're not like that at all." Dracula pulled the book from Ron's arm and said jokingly, "Tsk, you didn't even notice that you held the book upside down, you don't even pretend to be professional."

"Look at your deskmate Potter, he's different - when he was slacking off, he knew to take the pen in his hand in advance and spread the book on the table... and you actually said you were studying facing the bare table, who would believe it?"

Harry blushed with shame, lowered his head and said nothing.

Ron stammered, not knowing what excuse to find to "exonerate" himself, so he could only learn from Harry and lower his head and pretend to be an ostrich...

"Here, take your book." Dracula laughed lightly and threw the book he took from Ron back to him, "Remember to pretend to be more like him next time, don't study like a fool facing an empty table."

After that, Dracula turned around and returned to his podium.

"We...were not punished?" Ron blinked as he watched Dracula leave, and looked at Harry, "Didn't Professor Dracula double our homework for next semester?"

"Maybe, maybe, maybe not..." Harry shook his head uncertainly, "It seems that Professor Dracula is in a good mood today, maybe he let us off."

In fact, it didn't take long for Harry and Ron to know why they were not punished.

"Everyone stop what you are doing!"

Standing on the podium, Dracula said to the audience.

The little wizards in the classroom stopped studying, chatting, or discussing the Christmas ball that was 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 quick response of the little wizards and nodded happily.

"I heard that you will attend a Christmas ball 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 participate in the dance. No one wants to stand in the audience and watch others dance."

It can be seen that this little badger from Hufflepuff must have found a good dance partner. His expression when he spoke seemed to be in high spirits.

"Very good, then I want to ask, is there anyone here who hasn't found a dance partner yet?" Dracula asked excitedly, 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 consciously raise their hands.

"Tsk, why don't you use the opportunity?" Dracula sneered, "How about this, those who have found a dance partner raise your hands."

Sure enough, after changing the way of asking, 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 casually moved his fingers, and before the little wizards who raised their hands could react, they and their desks and chairs moved horizontally, and then appeared neatly at the edge of the classroom wall.

The remaining ones were the little wizards who did not raise their hands - Harry, Ron, Neville, and a few girls were among them.

Those who did not find dance partners were immediately exposed to the public's eyes. Their expressions were stunned for a while, and then their faces turned red.

It took Harry and Ron a long time to realize what happened -

Professor Dracula might have come up with another way to have fun. Now he put them in the eyes of the public and was watching their embarrassing performance with interest.

"Professor, you can't do this--" Ron wailed, "If you do this, we will be killed!"

"How can you say that?" Dracula said with a playful expression on his face, smiling, "I have good intentions and provide a platform for you little guys who don't have a partner, so that you can find a partner for each other."

"But I would rather not dance at the Christmas ball than find a partner like this..." Ron murmured in grief and anger.

"Okay, get moving, gentlemen who don't have a partner yet." Dracula looked like he was watching the fun and urged the little wizards in the middle of the classroom, "This is a rare opportunity. The two who successfully hold hands can be exempted from half a month's homework!"

Sure enough, there must be a brave man under a big reward.

As a little wizard who is not very smart, Neville always doesn't have enough time to finish his homework...Dracula's promise is quite effective for him.

What's more, Neville really wants to find a partner...

So, Neville, who has always been dull, was the first to stand up from his seat.