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Chapter 665 Are They Still Doing That to You?!!
Lini was still crying.
Her eyes were swollen into little bubbles.
The small freckles on her face reflected the tears, giving off a faint shine.
Harry frowned and asked, "They still won't leave you alone?"
"It's Harry… they just called me out and scolded me again…"
"Where are they? I'll go find them!"
Harry said angrily.
Lini shook her head. "It's okay. Professor McGonagall already scolded them. I'm just still sad. If I hadn't grabbed Katie's things in the first place… I knew something was wrong with her state…"
Lini swallowed.
Harry patted her shoulder helplessly.
"Since it's all right now…"
"Thank you for comforting me. I heard you're attending Slughorn's banquet. I hope you have a great time tonight."
Lini forced a smile.
Harry suddenly blurted out, "Can I invite you to be my dance partner?"
Lini froze.
Her tears hung in the middle of her face, tangled with a stray strand of hair.
It almost made Harry laugh.
The tension he had felt vanished.
He said seriously, "I don't really know how to dance, so… nominally, I think you might need a few banquets to feel happy."
"Thank you. I'll go get ready," Lini said with a smile.
Blushing, she hurried back into the Gryffindor common room.
Ron and Hermione smiled when they heard Harry was taking Lini to the banquet.
"Obviously it's you who's having spring fever. Men like that kind of delicate, tearful girl. Of course, I still think Lini isn't as attractive as Romilda!"
Ron said confidently.
Darren felt his taste was questionable.
Although Lini wasn't as stunning as Hermione or the beauties of their year, she was still a pretty girl when dressed up.
More importantly, she was sensible.
Except for one love letter to Darren, which she stopped after being rejected, she never bothered him again.
Unlike some girls who dated everywhere, kissed other boys in public, yet still came to hand him love letters.
So Darren had a good impression of her.
At least better than Romilda.
Therefore, he had no objection to Harry starting a relationship.
Harry looked speechless.
"I'm not in love. I just think she's quite pitiful. She probably needs a little happiness. Anyway, I can take anyone, so it's better to take her."
Eight o'clock in the evening.
Darren arrived at the foyer.
He saw Ginny, who looked unusually beautiful.
Except for Hermione.
Hermione was hardly dressed up at all.
She was still wearing her school uniform and looked as if she didn't intend to be invited by anyone tonight.
Yet she happily took Darren's other arm.
Some girls nearby, except for Luna, looked at Ginny and Hermione with resentful expressions.
Luna seemed to be passing by.
Her face was still slightly dreamy.
When she saw Darren, she smiled and said, "I heard a vampire is coming to the banquet!"
Darren nodded.
Luna said mysteriously, "The vampire is Rufus Scrimgeour. My father once wrote an article about it when he first took office, but it was banned.
They don't allow others to know this truth!"
Darren really wanted to say that the Ministry of Magic hadn't arrested her father was already very lenient.
Even the Minister was being arranged.
But he only laughed.
He said softly, "I'll be careful. Don't worry."
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[Ding, Father +100]
[…]
Luna seemed to want to laugh.
But she pressed her lips together and put her carrot-shaped glasses over her eyes.
Tilting her head, she waved at Darren.
"Can I trust you to take care of yourself?"
"Of course!"
Darren replied with a smile.
Luna then drifted away.
Throughout this, Ginny and Hermione didn't say a word.
Although they looked as if they wanted to complain about something, they remained silent.
The banquet was held in Slughorn's office.
Slughorn had cast an enlargement spell.
On the ceiling and walls hung curtains of green, red, and even gold—clearly taking care of students from every house.
There were beautiful house-elves present.
The floor was covered with green grass, and they moved through the crowd carrying drinks and food.
Every corner had groups chatting.
There was singing everywhere.
A band played, and a radio echoed.
All in all, it was lively.
"Oh my goodness, Darren, you're finally here! Harry too! Come quickly—we were just talking about you!"
Slughorn spotted Darren and Harry and pulled them toward the crowd.
"This is my former student, Wald, a guest writer for a magazine. His famous work is—well, I think you could let him write your biography!"
Wald was clearly interested.
He looked at Harry and Darren and said, "I already have inspiration. For Harry, I'll write My Friend the Savior Star. For Darren, My Genius Celebrity Friend. If you're not satisfied, the title can be changed!"
Harry grabbed Darren and fled.
He felt Wald was just like Rita Skeeter.
He didn't want to deal with another Wald.
Darren noticed Wald write on his paper: Harry Potter—manic.
Clearly, never offend a writer.
Darren pretended not to see and let Harry pull him away.
Outside, Ginny was waiting beneath the parasitic mistletoe.
The Weird Sisters were singing a lively old magic song—It's My Love for You.
The tune was a little dated.
But the rhythm was cheerful.
At that moment, Ginny looked exceptionally beautiful, and Darren felt the atmosphere was just right.
So he invited Ginny to dance.
Harry wore the expression of an old man staring at his phone, unable to imagine why Hermione wasn't reacting at all.
Ginny knew Hermione liked Darren, yet she still accepted—this troubled him.
What tangled him further was that Slughorn followed them out.
He didn't seem to mind Harry dragging Darren away earlier and laughed as he clinked glasses with Harry.
"What a youthful scene, Harry! You should have invited a girl to dance. I remember your partner…"
"Lini."
"Yes, Lini! You should dance with her!"
Harry's eyes instinctively searched for Lini.
She was sitting nearby with a glass in her hand, head lowered, lost in thought.
Her expression looked dazed and anxious.
Harry understood she was still troubled about Katie.
He felt full of sympathy for the girl.
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