Chapter 291: No Sweet Talk, No Romance Sense – A Pure Stat Monster
The Great Hall had gone utterly silent.
Every student stared, stunned, at the river of stars flowing overhead like black silk studded with diamonds, drifting through the air as a cradle rocked by an unseen mother, radiating peace and quiet.
It was a completely different mood from Fleur's flamboyant sea of flowers.
Merlin's leopard-print underpants.
Was the battle over Ethan's "sovereignty" finally about to begin?
Students held their breath, nervous and thrilled, eyes glued to the two girls facing off, terrified of missing a single detail.
"…You."
Fleur's brows snapped together.
She glared at the blonde girl who had suddenly stood up. Her proud face flushed scarlet, anger boiling off her in waves.
"Ha."
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Fleur whipped out her wand and slashed it through the air. Great plumes of purple irises burst into bloom, surging forward like an invading tide, forcing back the encroaching starry sky.
"Hmph."
You want to fight me? You are not there yet.
Fleur's lips curled in smug triumph. She looked down at Luna with barely concealed contempt, one hand on her slim waist, already convinced of her victory.
Then her gaze met a pair of clear, tranquil blue eyes.
It felt like touching the surface of an icy lake.
She flinched before she could stop herself.
A heartbeat later—
"[All living things, grant me the light of flawless life…]"
The soft murmur slid from Luna's lips in a tongue that was not English.
It was older, more complex.
Ancient Runes.
Ethan turned, surprised.
He knew Luna borrowed his Ancient Runes textbook all the time. He had not realised she had actually mastered the language.
The words were not among the primal root runes, but the power behind them still far outstripped modern English incantations.
"Heh. You really do keep surprising me," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting, a hint of approval in his eyes.
The students were stunned all over again.
They gaped at Hogwarts' resident "Ravenclaw oddball."
What was happening? Was this really the same "loony girl"?
Luna stood wreathed in ghostly blue light. Her hair lifted, hem fluttering. Her blue eyes shone like twin moons, too bright to look at directly.
A moment ago, everyone had clamped their mouths shut to better enjoy the drama.
Now they could not have made a sound if they tried.
"I did say," Luna murmured, "that Ethan already promised to go to the Ball with me."
From first-year letters to every time they had stood back-to-back.
Some things did not yield that easily.
She finished speaking and held out a hand toward Fleur, who stood rigid in front of her. Fleur's terrified reflection swam in those blue irises.
Then—
"My, my. You all seem to be having great fun."
An old, kindly voice rang out.
Like a stone dropped on river ice, it shattered the tension in an instant.
The storm of blue magic dispersed with a sigh. Luna's hair settled, her robes fell still.
Tap.
She landed lightly.
When she looked up again, her small pale face was all innocence and guileless curiosity.
She blinked at the dumbstruck crowd, then turned to the entrance.
"Good morning, Headmaster Dumbledore," she said with an easy smile.
Dumbledore chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling.
He regarded Luna's "nothing happened" expression, then pointed up at the star-filled sky dominating the Hall.
"Good morning, Miss Lovegood. Are we doing a little talent show today?"
He winked.
Behind him, a row of professors and officials stood frozen.
What magic was this? The sheer pressure of it…
"Miss Delacour!"
Madame Maxime surged forward in two long strides, grabbing Fleur, who was still trembling faintly.
"Are you all right? Did they bully you?" she demanded.
"…"
Fleur jolted back to herself.
She took a long, deep look at Luna.
"I am fine," she rasped. "I will not be bullied by a girl several years younger than me."
She sniffed hard.
Shooting Ethan a furious glare, she turned on her heel and strode away. The swing of her hips was as imperious as ever, but the tips of her ears were so red they were almost translucent, betraying the storm of shame and anger inside.
Every click of her heels sounded like she meant to drive them straight through the stone.
Damn Ethan. Damn, damn, damn.
"I will beat Ethan into the floor and drag him back to France to apologise," she vowed under her breath.
Fighting spirit roared up in her chest.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the blonde girl and could not help pouting in frustration.
Clearly, to defeat Ethan, she would first have to break through this "guardian."
The memory of the spell Luna had been about to unleash made Fleur's heart give a tiny shiver.
Maybe it was all just for show, she told herself.
"She is still several years below me," Fleur thought. "The schools cannot be that different. She has lived and learned less than I have."
This Christmas Ball, then, could be hers.
The next task would speak for itself.
She pulled her shoulders back, high-bred arrogance sliding neatly back into place.
She swept past the boys, trying to speak to her without so much as a glance, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind.
She did not see the other pair of blue eyes watching her go.
"Next time," Luna whispered, "no one will interrupt."
Blue light curled around the tip of her wand.
Caught between the two of them, Ethan glanced left, then right.
He hesitated.
Under the collective gaze of every boy in the Hall, he slowly rose to his feet.
The "Pillar" was moving.
Michael and the others held their breath. Their eyes shone like Dementors that had suddenly grown minds of their own.
Good.
Let them see which way Ethan chose.
He raised his wand.
Blinding gold light erupted, drowning out the stars and filling the entire Hall.
"My eyes!"
"Merlin! Who chucked a flashbang?"
"It is holy light! Everyone, bow your heads and pray!"
Under Dumbledore's exasperated gaze, the Hall, which had just calmed down, exploded into chaos again.
In the dazzling radiance, they could only hear Ethan's ringing laughter, bright and unrestrained, making more than one professor's palms itch.
This child.
"Ethan!" Michael's despairing howl vanished into the din. "Is there nothing in your head but light?!"
Too much. Far too much.
No sweet words, no emotional intelligence, no desire to sow his wild oats and populate the world.
Born of Old Gods and holy radiance, destined to ram light directly into people's skulls.
The new saviour, the purest of [stat monsters], Ethan Vincent.
In any case, after this "battle," the girls who felt they could not compete with Fleur and did not dare take on Luna finally lowered their flags a little.
When they talked about it, they sounded lofty and unconcerned.
"Back in the day, I sent Ethan a love letter too," they would sigh.
And so, amid everyone's hurried preparations, the long-awaited Christmas Ball finally arrived.