Although Harry felt that Wade's words made a lot of sense, every time he wanted to go and invite Cho Chang, the lines he had rehearsed countless times in his head would freeze in his throat.
Cho Chang was pretty, gentle, and kind—like a lily touched with morning dew. She was well-liked in Ravenclaw, and no matter where she went, there were always four or five girls around her.
From a distance, when Harry saw her, his fingers would unconsciously tighten on his backpack strap. He longed to find a chance to speak with her alone, yet never managed to.
…
On the other side, Wade was leisurely spreading raspberry jam on his toast, not giving the matter of a dance partner much thought.
After all, if he excluded the girls around him, he still had his magic dolls—an even more perfect choice.
Now that Hogwarts was filled with so many students from other schools, even if a beautiful girl appeared at the ball whom no one recognized, it wouldn't seem strange.
Suddenly, a particular piece of parchment inside his book of friends began to heat up. Wade opened it, saw the long, looping script circled over and over, and paused in surprise.
Half an hour later, Wade arrived at the Headmaster's office.
"The Yule Ball is coming up," Dumbledore looked at him over the rim of his half-moon spectacles, with a smile in his eyes. "I suppose you've already invited a partner?"
Wade assumed this was just a polite opening for conversation. Looking at the slender silver kettle on the Headmaster's desk, he said, "I'm still considering, Professor."
"Mm… a sherbet lemon?"
Dumbledore pushed over a box of sweets. Wade took one casually.
As he bit into it, Dumbledore suddenly said, "Wade, I assume that within the scope of your considerations, you aren't including life-sized magic dolls?"
Wade froze, then looked up at Dumbledore.
"No matter how finely crafted, a magic doll is not flesh and blood. There's always the risk of being discovered," Dumbledore said. "Don't underestimate others' eyes—especially Madam Owens and Mr. Moreau from Salem."
"But…" Wade crunched up the candy and swallowed. "Even if they saw through it, it doesn't matter, does it? In others' eyes, magic dolls are my trademark."
"To be precise, pet-shaped magic dolls are your trademark," Dumbledore corrected. "They can be cute, elegant, defiant, even terrifying scorpions or snakes—but never human."
Wade's expression grew thoughtful.
He recalled the so-called uncanny valley effect: artificial beings that nearly but imperfectly resemble human appearance and movements evoke feelings of eeriness, unease, or revulsion in observers, rather than empathy or affinity.
But his magic dolls weren't merely near—they could be indistinguishable from the real thing.
Perhaps because he had personally given them life, Wade never felt there was anything frightening about them.
Dumbledore's reasoning, however, echoed his own thoughts.
"Making alchemical creations in the form of animals is wise. But letting a humanlike doll appear would do you no good at all."
Looking into Wade's eyes, Dumbledore said gently, "Besides, such an existence might become your trump card at a crucial moment. Why reveal it just for a ball?"
"Go and invite a real good girl, Wade. Be brave… a true embrace is much warmer than the cold limbs of an alchemical construct."
…
"So you were actually planning to bring along a magic doll you made yourself as your dance partner?"
Michael stared wide-eyed in astonishment, as if Wade's idea were some kind of serious illness. "There are so many good girls in the school!"
"I already know it was a pretty unreliable idea," Wade sighed. "So? Do you know who still doesn't have a partner?"
"Plenty. But if someone has already accepted an invitation in private, they wouldn't exactly come and tell me!"
Michael said, "But really, it's not that hard. As long as you don't vanish mysteriously again today, I promise—you just stand there, and more than ten girls will immediately come up and invite you."
Wade started to think asking Michael was a mistake.
But an hour later, he still followed Michael's advice and went to have dinner alone in the Great Hall at the busiest time.
"No broomsticks, don't disappear the moment you finish eating, drag out your mealtime a bit—you've got to give others a chance."
Michael advised with practiced experience: "Girls are shy. If they see you already surrounded by people, they won't dare come over."
On his way down from Ravenclaw Tower, Wade suddenly heard voices around the corner—
"W-would you like to go to the ball with me?"
It was Rolf's voice.
The end trembled slightly; even without seeing him, one could imagine his blushing face.
Wade stopped, not wanting his footsteps to interrupt the invitation.
"Oh…" Luna said slowly.
She tilted her head, and her carrot-shaped earrings fluttered. After a moment she said, "But only fourth-years and above can attend."
"I've already found Oliver Rivers and Linnie Kane from Hufflepuff for that!"
Rolf spoke rapidly: "They agreed to help—one will invite you, one will invite me, so that way we can both attend. After the opening dance, I… I can invite you to dance with me."
He sneaked a glance at Luna, then added, "Actually, we don't even have to dance the opening at all—no one's going to be paying attention to us anyway."
"…You already asked them?" Luna's voice drifted as if from far away.
"Yes, I had to first make sure we'd have a chance to go," Rolf said shyly. "So… will you?"
Luna blinked, as though waking from a dream. "Ah… sure!"
Leaning against the railing, Wade waited until their footsteps faded before continuing downstairs.
He had never considered inviting Luna as a possible partner—Rolf had liked her for quite some time, probably drawn to her ethereal, otherworldly aura.
Of course, even without Rolf, Wade hoped that at such a grand ball, as one of the evening's focal points, his partner wouldn't look too eccentric.
—She doesn't need to be outstanding, but at least she should look like a normal person.
And Luna… though the thought felt a little offensive, she was somewhat like a miniature version of Professor Trelawney—equally messy hair, bulging eyes, a mysterious and eccentric air, and that perpetually dreamy expression.
The difference was, one was an intentionally exaggerated performance, while the other came naturally.
As Wade silently listed their similarities in his mind, he walked toward the Great Hall. In the corridors, students were often paired off, and the very air seemed to grow heated.
Of course, he also came across quite a few girls, but they didn't approach him the way Michael had predicted. Instead, they huddled together in small groups; some kept staring at Wade, then shoved and nudged their companions, bursting into giggles.
Wade suspected some of them were actually waiting for him to take the initiative to invite them, but he was afraid he might just be overthinking it.
By the time he reached the Great Hall, he still hadn't found himself a partner.
Before he even stepped into the entrance hall, a loud voice suddenly rang out—
"Fleur!" Ron, face flushed crimson, rushed forward, and his voice was cracking with nervousness: "I think we could go to the Yule Ball together, what do you say?"
The entire hall was stunned. Everyone stared in disbelief at Ron, who had been far too bold. The looks in their eyes nearly reduced the boy's pride to ashes.
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