Chapter 576: Not Being Absent Is the Greatest Happiness (Edited)
Tom watched as the body under the white t-shirt trembled slightly. Obviously, the girl in front of him was also excited.
Hermione tucked the hem of her light blue jeans into her jeans. If an ordinary person dressed like this, they would look quite unconventional, but in Hermione's case, it perfectly accentuated her long legs.
Perhaps for protection from the cold or shielding herself from the sun, Hermione wore a light gray shawl over her body, which she claimed was sun-protective wear. Tom lifted the jacket and placed the magical silver wings he had prepared earlier on Hermione's back.
In the next moment, the small silver sphere in the center of the wings "melted."
It liquefied and seeped into Hermione's clothing, connecting her with the wings.
Hermione frowned and suddenly felt a cool sensation on her back.
"What are you doing?" she couldn't help but ask.
"I've given you a pair of wings," Tom replied.
"Wings?" Hermione didn't immediately understand what Tom meant.
"Now you can fly," Tom said even more cryptically.
"How is that possible...?"
Hermione's next words got stuck in her throat because she was shocked to find that her feet had left the ground. She was now floating several inches above the floor!
The wings on Hermione's back fully extended and began to move slowly. However, this flapping frequency wasn't enough to lift Hermione off the ground. In reality, it was the levitation spell on the wings that kept her floating.
"Oh my... wait, ah!" Just as Hermione realized she was floating in the air, she lost control of her body.
She panicked, like a person drowning. But just as the weightlessness sensation intensified, firm and powerful hands landed on her armpits, helping her maintain her balance.
Once Hermione regained her balance, she stopped feeling nervous. However, when she regained her composure, she also had enough energy to feel the strange sensation beneath her armpits: a tingling feeling, like an electric current running through her body.
"You... let me go first!"
"Alright..."
"Hey! Hold me!"
As expected, after Tom let go of Hermione, she soared uncontrollably into the sky again. In her panic, she could only cling to Tom's hand, like a non-swimmer holding onto a float.
"Stay calm, take deep breaths. The buoyancy of the wings is very weak; at most, it will keep you floating a few meters above the ground," Tom gently reassured Hermione.
Tom's wings were designed to be very user-friendly. He knew very well that Hermione had a natural talent for flying, much like her talent for Divination, so he added a restriction to the levitation spell in the wings, limiting it to a few meters off the ground. She would only be able to ascend further after receiving the next instruction.
Hearing that she would only float a few meters, Hermione felt more at ease. She slowly let go of Tom's hand, extended her arms, and struggled to maintain her balance, as if she were on roller skates.
Finally, after a few minutes of effort, Hermione adapted to the sensation of floating in the air. It was a very novel experience for her.
"Alright, now you can float steadily. I'm going to teach you how to control these magical silver wings." After Hermione acquired basic floating skills, Tom began teaching her how to control the magical silver wings.
Tom simplified the wing control method to the utmost, allowing the operator to manipulate them directly without the need for other means. If the operator wanted to move forward, the wings would fly forward; if they wanted to ascend, the wings would lift them.
The control method wasn't complicated, and Hermione learned it in no time.
A gust of wind blew, and Hermione swiftly flew past Tom, leaving a trail of fragrance behind. After grasping the principles of how the magical silver wings worked, Hermione fell in love with flying.
She fluttered around the edge of the Forbidden Forest like a butterfly, and finally, after a sudden 180-degree turn, landed in front of Tom.
"Thank you, Tom!" After landing, Hermione hugged Tom, picked up her wings, and wrapped them around both of them.
Finally, Hermione experienced the sensation of flying. In the past, she had never flown independently because she wasn't good at using flying brooms, but Tom fulfilled her dream.
"I'm glad you like it," Tom said as he looked at the girl in his arms, smiling contentedly.
Hermione loved it, so all the effort of the past few days had not been in vain.
And in Tom's arms, Hermione blinked and realized something: she had never asked Tom for his birthday.
...
The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students gradually integrated into life at Hogwarts. Although they attended the same school, students from the other two magical schools did not attend classes with Hogwarts students. Most of the time, they stayed in carriages and boats, only entering Hogwarts Castle to eat.
These days continued for a month and a half. During that time, ordinary wizards studied and gossiped about the Triwizard Tournament news. Meanwhile, less common wizards like Fred and George engaged in business, continuously selling surprise boxes. As for the higher-ups from the three magical schools, they worked tirelessly to gather information to give their respective champions an edge.
Professor Sprout from Hufflepuff often walked around the school with Cedric, Hogwarts' champion, and during one of those walks, they "ran into" Charlie Weasley and his companions who had come from Romania.
The relationship between Madame Maxime from Beauxbatons and Hagrid quickly warmed up, and she knew everything Hagrid knew in terms of information.
On the other hand, Professor Karkaroff from Durmstrang didn't seem to have any activity...
As Halloween approached, the school buzzed with excitement: Halloween day was when the first challenge of the Triwizard Tournament would begin!
However, before the first challenge, there was another event that excited everyone.
"A Halloween party?" Tom looked surprised at the notice on the bulletin board.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore has prepared a big Halloween singing party to foster integration among students from the three schools. It's said that they've even hired the famous No-Muertos magical music band to perform, and students are allowed to dress however they like!" Hermione explained excitedly to Tom and had a bold idea for her Halloween outfit.
Tom sighed: he had to buy clothes again...
On the morning of Halloween's eve, Hogwarts was decorated with a festive Halloween style. The castle was full of live bats and dark clouds. To please Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, this year's decoration had an exotic touch. There were many black veils in the hallways and in the Great Hall, and there were flags with skulls and swords decorating everywhere. In the corners of different rooms, there were more oak barrels, and a strong scent of alcohol could be detected when you approached. This matched Durmstrang's pirate style.
As for the Beauxbatons-themed decorations, Tom couldn't find them; perhaps the guillotine on the dining table was Beauxbatons' distinctive touch. Watching the executioner repeatedly behead a small person dressed in elegant clothing was rather eerie.
When night fell, young wizards began to gather outside the Great Hall. At least half of them had taken off their robes and were wearing Halloween-themed outfits. At that moment, the doors of the Great Hall were closed, and the early arrivals could only wait outside.
As the last ray of sunlight disappeared on the horizon, the doors of the Great Hall opened with a creak.
A harmonious melody flowed from the Great Hall, along with powerful male choruses:
"Saying goodbye is so hard, my love, we'll meet another day, raise the anchor! Full sail ahead, Santiago!
Tears are as deep and salty as the ocean, my sailor's heart burns like fire...
As long as the sea and wind are here, hoist the sails, full sail ahead, Santiago!"
They were singing the legendary pirate song Santiago.
The old teacher's table vanished, and in its place was a wide, curved stage where several pirate-dressed skeletons were singing at the top of their lungs. After they finished singing, they raised the liquor bottles they had next to them and downed the contents in one gulp, the red liquid dripping from between their bones, leaving a strong alcohol scent in the air.
The Great Hall was completely transformed, creating the feeling of being inside a ship. The long house tables were placed at the sides of the Great Hall, loaded with rustic food. In the center of the Great Hall, an open space was left for the students to enjoy the party.
"Oh, pirate style!" Excited young wizards entered the Great Hall and started moving to the music.
"Yodel, cool!" When Tom entered the Great Hall, several people whistled at him. Tom, dressed as a pirate captain, even had a stuffed monkey with fangs and claws on his shoulder.
In the face of all these praises, Tom laughed heartily. He looked around a bit confused because he couldn't see Hermione anywhere.
But he didn't necessarily have to find Hermione himself; he could also let her find him!
Seeing that the atmosphere was set by the music from the band Dumbledore had brought, Tom rushed to the stage, took a guitar from the somewhat bewildered singer's hands, and began to play and sing:
[There once was a ship that put to sea
And the name of that ship was the "BILLIE O' TEA"
The winds blew hard, her bow dipped down
Blow, me bully boys, blow
Soon may the "WELLERMAN" come
To bring us sugar, tea, and rum
One day, when the singing's done
We'll take our leave and go]
With the song "The Wellerman," he managed to ignite the party's atmosphere even more. Everyone joined Tom in singing and clapping to the music. Towards the end, Tom's voice was drowned in the crowd's chorus.
While everyone sang joyfully, Tom searched for Hermione. However, when his gaze turned to the entrance of the Great Hall, his expression suddenly changed upon seeing an impressive and dazzling figure.
It was Hermione, elegantly dressed.