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Chapter 620: Preparations for the Ball
🕑 Added 2019-10-13 05:36:40 +0000 UTC"Dobby, what are you doing?!" Evan scrambled away from the elf. "Don't lie near me like this again!"
“Dobby is sorry, Master Evan!” squeaked Dobby anxiously, jumping backward with his long fingers over his mouth. “Dobby is only wanting to wish Master Evan ‘Merry Christmas’ and bring him a present.”
"All right; it’s okay," said Evan, his breathing gradually returning to normal.
He got up from the bed. In the dim light, he saw a large pile at the foot of his bed, all Christmas gifts.
Dobby was standing nervously next to Evan’s bed, still looking worried that he had upset Evan.
He was now probably the weirdest house-elf in the world, with socks on his feet one pair after another, and the outermost pair of colors were so festive that they could be pulled all the way to the legs of his shorts. He was wearing the clothes Evan had given him some time ago, and there was a Christmas bauble tied to the loop on top of his tea cozy.
"Can Dobby give Master Evan his present?" he squeaked tentatively.
"Of course you can!" Evan rubbed his head. “I have a gift for you, too!”
He turned out a wrapped box from his own bedside cabinet, in which there were gloves he had specially purchased for Dobby.
"Master Evan is so generous, so noble, so selfless, He has given Dobby clothes and now he is giving Dobby a pair of gloves!" unwrapping the package, Dobby danced with joy, "This is exactly what Dobby needs..."
"Well, they’re just gloves!" said Evan, checking the presents at the feet of his bed.
The first thing he found was Hermione's present. Evan thought it would be another book, but it was a hand-knitted sweater.
It seemed that she had been secretly preparing it in the bedroom during this period, with many thread ends on it. Although not exquisite, it had a great significance.
After Evan put on the sweater, Dobby handed him a small package, which turned out to be something he made himself: socks.
"Dobby is making them himself. He is buying the wool out of his wages, Master Evan!"
The left sock was bright red, while the right one was green with meaningless patterns on them.
"Thank you, Dobby!" said Evan, not asking what the patterns on the socks were. He pulled them on, causing Dobby’s eyes to leak with happiness again.
"Dobby must go, sir, Dobby is going to give Harry Potter a present!" said Dobby, bowing deeply. "And then go back as soon as possible, we is already making Christmas dinner in the kitchens."
After Dobby left, Evan began to open the rest of the presents.
Harry had given him a book on ancient magic texts. Ginny’s present was also a book. Ron had given him a bulging bag of Dungbombs; Colin a thin book of photos he had taken in the past year; and Cho, a beautifully crafted quill.
As for Fred and George, they had given Evan newly developed prank products and the latest product list.
Sirius had sent a magical item that could automatically remind and record the time. Hagrid, a vast box of sweets including all kinds of sweets: Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, and Fizzing Whizbees.
Gabrielle also gave a present, a lovely crystal owl decoration that represented good luck and blessings.
Mrs. Weasley sent the usual package, including a new sweater and a large quantity of homemade mince pies.
There were also many other students who had sent many other things. There were dozens of varied pieces.
To Evan's surprise, he received a printed bat locket from Elaine with a hint of magic, using a special technique to seal a blood-specific protective magic that could be activated at critical moments.
Not long ago, Evan had specially ordered a batch of bloody lollipops in Honeydukes sweet shop. This was Elaine's favorite candy, he directly handed them to fake Moody Caresius.
It seemed that Elaine had indeed received his gift.
More than half an hour later, Colin woke up.
When Evan and Colin went to the Common Room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting there.
They went down to breakfast together. They spent most of the morning in Gryffindor Tower, where everyone was enjoying their presents, then returned to the Great Hall for a magnificent lunch, which included at least a hundred turkeys and Christmas puddings, and large piles of Cribbage’s Wizarding Crackers. There, they met Gabrielle.
At the suggestion of Fred and George, Evan did not return to the Common Room after lunch. They went out onto the grounds. The snow was untouched except for the deep channels made by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students on their way up to the castle.
Hermione, Ginny and Gabrielle chose to watch Evan, Harry, Colin and the Weasley brothers’ snowball fight rather than join in.
The three of them gathered together and talked about the ball, and from time to time they burst out with laughter.
At five o’clock they said they were going back upstairs to get ready for the ball.
"Go back so early?!" Harry asked.
"Girls always need time to dress up. It's not like we just need to change into dresses," said Evan.
"They’re absolutely crazy. They need three hours to get ready!" Ron said unbelievably.
They did not return to the castle early, but continued the snowball fight.
At seven o’clock, when it had become hard to aim properly, they abandoned their snowball fight and trooped back to the common room.
The Fat Lady was sitting in her frame with her friend Violet from downstairs, both of them extremely tipsy, empty boxes of chocolate liqueurs littering the bottom of her picture.
"Lairy fights, that's the one!" she giggled when they gave the password, and she swung forward to let them inside.
Now, all the boys in the Common Room seemed to be a little bit nervous.
Everyone made fun of each other for a while before returning to their dormitory to change into their dress robes.
Evan’s robes fit well, and the extra pattern on it gave him a noble temperament.
Colin didn't expect he would attend the ball. His dress robes were ordered just a few days ago.
It seemed a little bigger than his thin figure, and he put it on loosely.
It was clear that the boys used to school robes were not comfortable in fancy dress robes.
