It was amusing to watch everyone else rush to secure dates, with guys chattering nervously among themselves while sneaking glances at the girls, who now seemed to move around in tight-knit groups.
As someone who already had a date, it was quite relaxing to watch all the excitement unfolding around Hogwarts.
At any given moment, you could spot someone nervously asking another to the Yule Ball—the lucky ones walking away beaming with joy, while the less fortunate looked crestfallen.
Even without the pressure of finding a date, I couldn't help but be caught up in the buzz of activity. Students were swapping tips on how to ask someone out, debating the best way to make an impression, and gossiping about who had already paired up.
The common room became a hub of speculation every evening, with rumors flying faster than owl posts. I occasionally chimed in with light-hearted comments, but mostly, I watched from the sidelines, amused.
I was chatting with Hermione as we walked through the corridor, talking about classes and the Yule Ball. The castle was buzzing with life, and the noise from the Great Hall drifted toward us as we got closer.
That's when I noticed Ron and Dean heading toward lunch. Ron was gesturing wildly, clearly in the middle of one of his rants, while Dean looked like he was barely holding back a laugh.
"Think he's finally worked up the nerve to ask someone?" I asked Hermione, nodding toward them.
Hermione glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe. Or he'll chicken out at the last second."
As we approached the Great Hall, I spotted Fleur standing near the entrance, chatting casually with Cedric.
I could see Ron's eyes lock onto Fleur like he was in a trance. Dean said something, probably teasing him, but Ron didn't respond. Instead, he slowed down, his face turning bright red as he kept staring.
"Uh-oh," I muttered to Hermione, catching the look on Ron's face.
"What?" she asked, glancing over—and then she groaned. "Oh no. He's not seriously…"
Before she could finish, Ron stopped dead in his tracks, turned toward Fleur, and blurted out loudly, "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"
The whole entrance hall seemed to freeze for a second. Cedric raised an eyebrow, looking like he was trying not to laugh, while Fleur blinked in surprise before her expression turned into disgust.
Then, without giving Ron another glance, Fleur turned back to Cedric, her attention fully on him, as though Ron hadn't spoken at all. She treated him like he was nothing more than the surrounding air.
Ron stood there, frozen in place, his ears turning a vivid shade of red. The surrounding crowd began to snicker, and I saw a few Ravenclaw's hiding their laughter behind their hands.
As if coming to his senses, Ron turned on his heel and bolted out of the hall. He practically sprinted toward the Gryffindor common room, clearly trying to escape the awkwardness that was quickly growing in the air.
Dean just shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "Poor Ron," he muttered, watching his friend disappear around the corner.
Hermione and I exchanged a look, both trying to suppress our smiles.
"Well, that's one way to make a quick exit," I said, shaking my head.
Hermione chuckled softly. "He's going to need a lot of time to recover from that."
Within moments, the surroundings returned to their usual atmosphere, as if nothing had happened. That's how common these things had become at Hogwarts.
With so many people getting rejected and dramas unfolding left and right, everyone had grown immune to the awkwardness. It was just another part of the daily routine. No one seemed to make a big deal out of it anymore.
After dinner, I made my way toward the Room of Requirement again, eager to continue practicing and work on a few spells I'd been refining.
Most of my focus was on a particular one, the one I'd be using to capture Voldemort's soul. It was a delicate spell, and I needed to perfect it before any confrontation.
I checked the Marauder's Map, ensuring that no one was nearby. Satisfied with the emptiness of the corridors, I focused my thoughts and imagined the door to the Room. After a moment, it appeared, and I opened it quietly, stepping inside.
The room was as it always was—spacious and empty, perfect for my practice. I moved my arms, and a few targets appeared around the room, floating in midair.
I started easy with some transfiguration, changing the dummies into different objects. I created chains, swords, rocks or other weapons and launching them towards other dummies.
With a continuous flicker, I apparated from one point of the room to another. This method, typically used by house-elves, had been modified by me to work faster and quieter.
Each time I reappeared, I barely made a sound, and the space between each jump felt fluid, like I was moving through a seamless blur.
And with my improved reflexes, keeping track of where I was became easy as well, ensuring I wouldn't be disoriented while using this technique. Each shift in position felt natural, as if I were simply moving through space rather than teleporting.
I kept practicing, gradually increasing the speed of my blinks, zipping around the room like I was a blur. I appeared and disappeared, launching transfigured projectiles and spells at the dummies, which also moved randomly.
After an hour of practice, I left the poor dummies alone, letting them have a moment to be repaired by the room.
I focused on the spell and envisioned a sphere of light forming around my hands. With some effort, it formed, a swirling, radiant orb that pulsed with energy.
The light was bright, but not blinding, and the surrounding air seemed to hum with power. I held it for a moment, feeling the intensity of the magic flow through my fingertips.
I focused on my scar and forced the shard of Voldemort's soul to be removed from my body. With a screech, it flew out and was then promptly absorbed by the light orb.
While his Horcruxes were around, his main soul won't be destroyed, so the spell would only capture and trap Voldemort's main soul but for the Horcruxes they would be destroyed as soon as they enter the spell.
With his soul now marked by my magic, I knew I could track down his other horcruxes and, eventually, him. That was one less thing to worry about.
Given that I was behaving so differently during the tasks, it might make Voldemort rethink his plan to capture me during the final task of the tournament.
If he saw that I wasn't the same as in the past, it might even scare him into abandoning the idea altogether. It was nice to have another layer of security, knowing I had a way to find him when the time came.
I exhaled deeply, feeling a deep weight being removed from me, knowing the spell had worked and Voldemort's piece of soul was no longer a threat.
I experimented some more with different spells that I was working on, like recreating Gojo's infinity to form a perfect defense to learning Protego Diabolica, it was a rewarding session.
As the hours went by, I spent my time in a focused state, slowly learning more and more and getting myself ready for any type of situation that I might face.
Whether it was refining my defense, strengthening my offensive spells, or fine-tuning my control, I could sense myself becoming more capable with every passing minute.
By the time I left the Room of Requirement, the castle was quiet, with most students tucked away in their dorms. I walked through the empty corridors, feeling a sense of satisfaction from the night's practice.