By the time Cohen arrived, Hagrid was already walking back from the Beauxbatons carriage with a spring in his step.
That pale blue carriage was now dusted with snow, looking like a frosted pumpkin, and Hagrid resembled a cheerful farmer returning from a successful harvest.
"Cohen!" Hagrid called out the moment he spotted him. "You were right! Guess what—she said yes! She's going to dance with me!"
"That's great," Cohen said. "But there's something we need to talk about—inside."
With Hagrid looking thoroughly confused, Cohen dragged him into his hut.
"Even though she agreed, you still need to steer clear of certain topics," Cohen said. "Especially anything about her being half-giant."
"Huh?" Hagrid looked puzzled. "But isn't she one too—?"
"That's not the point—it's not about whether she is, it's about whether she wants to talk about it," Cohen explained. "Stick to topics that aren't racially sensitive. Talk about things like Blast-Ended Skrewts or Thestral-taming if you must…"
"Oh—oh, I get it," Hagrid nodded repeatedly, clearly grateful. "Thanks so much, Cohen—I was actually thinking of—"
"Well, now you're not thinking about it at all," Cohen sighed.
[Kindness Points +100]
Note: Dementor Matchmaker
Why did that feel like an insult?
Still, compared to the Earl, the system's snark felt more like light teasing. It didn't faze Cohen anymore.
At 7:10, after helping Hagrid tidy up his hairy brown suit, Cohen returned to the dormitory with Harry and Ron to get dressed.
On the eighth-floor corridor, the unicorn, Little Serpent, and Xisoco were waiting. Xisoco kept them in check while delivering a nonstop lecture to Little Serpent.
Things like, "Don't you dare hold hands with that Harry brat," and "You're too young to understand the wickedness of humans."
In response, Little Serpent rebelliously turned its head away, refusing to look at Xisoco. It quite liked Harry—he helped it with everything it wanted to do. They'd even snuck into the kitchens that afternoon for a feast.
Unlike the creatures in the hallway, Harry and Ron were both visibly nervous in the dormitory—they were now wearing their formal dress robes.
Harry wore a deep green robe that looked somewhat like his school uniform, while Ron had on an old-fashioned, ruffled maroon robe that made him look like a medieval baron—or a bridesmaid.
Harry was nervous because he didn't know how to dance. Ron, meanwhile, was more upset by how his robe looked... a little too much like a skirt.
"Did you forget to wear black tights?" Cohen raised an eyebrow.
"I am not wearing those things!" Ron growled, trying to use a Severing Charm to remove the frills, only to leave the edges ragged and frayed.
"Well... at least it doesn't look like a wedding dress anymore?" Harry offered uncertainly.
"It's fine—Cathy won't care about any of this," Cohen reassured them.
"Oh! Right—I need to find Ruby!" Harry exclaimed, rushing off. "We need to go over dancing again—she said she's not great at it either."
"You've spoken with her?" Ron asked in disbelief. "That Cathy won't even talk to me."
"Means you didn't impress her," Cohen said flatly. Though he felt a bit weird about having one of his dads go flirt with his friend, the situation was so absurd it was almost laughable. Almost.
They headed down the corridor and met up with their dance partners.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked for the first time since they left the common room.
Harry, now holding Little Serpent's tail, was excitedly babbling about quick-dance tips he'd picked up from others.
Little Serpent listened intently, nodding as it learned, while Xisoco trailed behind them, visibly annoyed and gnashing his teeth with little crack crack crack sounds.
"Dunno, maybe she already went to find Krum," Cohen said.
"She might still be in the dorm," Ron said hopefully, refusing to face reality.
They reached the entrance hall around 7:45, still fifteen minutes before the ball began. The doors to the Great Hall hadn't opened yet.
More and more students gathered, all dressed in vibrant, colorful robes—unlike their usual black Hogwarts uniforms. It looked more like a high school prom than anything else.
Cohen regretted choosing a gray robe before the term started—it was too dull.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron jumped around, searching the crowd.
Xisoco had been sidelined, which suited him perfectly—he could now focus all his attention on glaring at Harry and Little Serpent.
"You've been saying nothing but 'Hermione' since we left the dorm…" Cohen said, exasperated.
"Have I?" Ron blushed and looked away, clearly not wanting to discuss it.
The oak front doors opened. The students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons began making their entrance.
A nearby flowerbed had been transformed into a small open-air grotto, complete with hundreds of fluttering fairies sparkling among rose bushes. Some perched on blooms, while others landed on statues of Santa Claus and reindeer within the rock garden.
Krum and Karkaroff led the way—and right beside Krum was a girl in a blue gown: Hermione.
She had clearly done something astonishing with her hair and overall appearance. Even Cohen, without peeking at her soul, barely recognized her at first glance.
Following them was Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, her date being Roger Davies of Ravenclaw. Cohen didn't know him well, but he looked dazed, as if still in disbelief he was dancing with Fleur.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked for the third time.
"You didn't see? She's right next to Krum," Cohen pointed.
"What—?!" Ron's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Cohen could feel an emotional bomb explode beside him—waves of jealousy, regret, and rage erupted into the air, all radiating from one person.
Sigh. Humans, huh?
"That's Hermione?!" Harry, still holding Little Serpent's tail, leaned in, utterly stunned. "She looks… nothing like Hermione…"
"Hello, Harry!" Hermione greeted brightly as she walked past. "Hello, Cohen!"
"You look amazing, Hermione," Harry said, making her smile happily.
"Very effective," Cohen added. "Ron, what do you think—Ron?"
Cohen turned and found that Ron had completely vanished—along with Xisoco.
[Yay! Mum's finally stopped watching me!] Little Serpent cheered.
"???"
Harry looked at it in horror.
"Wait—what did you just say?!"