Chapter 616 Weighty News
Evan could feel Hermione trembling in his arms.
Just like last time, her glossy lips were cold and sweet, emanating the unique fragrance of a young woman.
Initially, Hermione instinctively resisted due to astonishment, but quickly responded involuntarily.
Amid hundreds of watching eyes, Evan and Hermione immersed themselves in the ecstasy of that kiss, embracing each other passionately, oblivious to anyone else...
Harry, Ron, and Ginny, who were closer to them, also stared with open mouths in disbelief.
Several seconds later, as Evan led the now red-faced Hermione out of the Great Hall, the shouts and whispers continued.
Everyone excitedly discussed the matter, incredulously watching their backs.
It was undoubtedly weighty news. The news of Evan and Hermione spread rapidly throughout the castle.
"Evan kissed Hermione in front of so many people!" said Harry, surprised, as if he had just reacted.
"I just want to know, besides Evan and Neville, who was Hermione going with?" Ron asked.
"With no one!" Ginny replied. "She wasn't planning on going to the ball."
"Why?"
"Anyone listening to your offensive words would think that," Ginny said sharply, "You simply judge people by their appearance, Ron. Regardless, you only want to pick the prettiest girl as your partner, which is why Fleur rejected you!"
"Come on, I told you nobody invited her. Hermione just didn't want to say."
"Hermione is much better than you think. She's a good girl. You never pay attention to the girls around you, and you'll never realize!" Ginny said angrily, casting a glance at Harry. "It's not that nobody invited Hermione. Krum invited her. The Durmstrangs knew about the ball long before Professor McGonagall announced it!"
"God, Krum?!" Ron looked at Ginny in disbelief. "This is ridiculous, Hermione never mentioned it."
"Why should she tell you?" Ginny replied, disgusted.
"So, did Hermione accept Krum's invitation?"
"Whether Hermione accepted any invitation is her own business, and we have no right to discuss it," Ginny continued, "But as I said, she didn't promise anyone. Hermione wasn't going to the Christmas Ball. She told me!"
"But why?" Ron's face was increasingly surprised, looking at Ginny incredulously. "Everyone looks forward to the Christmas Ball. Hermione actually planned not to go, and rejected Krum. What happened to her?"
"For Evan!" Ginny said angrily, "Fleur went to see Hermione, hoping Evan would be the partner for her sister, Gabrielle. Even though they had not reached the fourth year, she will ask Madame Maxime to let them go to the ball."
"Fleur did WHAT?!" Both Harry and Ron felt completely bewildered.
What exactly was happening? Now, listening to Ginny, asking for a partner was much more complicated than they had expected.
"She spoke with Hermione in private. No one knows what they talked about," Ginny said angrily. "After that, Hermione wouldn't go to the ball! She's been avoiding Evan, unsure whether to be with him or not. But after what happened today, she should make a decision!"
There was still much talk in the Great Hall, and Harry and Ron were still digesting the shocking news they had just received from Ginny.
Despite what everyone thought, in general, the kiss between Evan and Hermione at dinner suddenly became the second most popular topic in the castle after the Christmas Ball, and it was talked about for a long time.
After Evan led Hermione out of the Great Hall and they walked towards the empty corridor, he was ready to have a serious conversation with her.
Lately, Hermione had been acting a bit strange.
Why had she been avoiding him and accepting invitations from others?! This was truly abnormal; it was not at all like Hermione!
Especially after learning that Hermione accepted another person's invitation, Evan was very angry and felt betrayed.
He preferred to believe that Hermione had been under the Imperius curse, Amortentia, or even that she had been replaced by someone with Polyjuice Potion, rather than believe that she would accept others' invitations. This was simply impossible; it was a major catastrophe that shook all his beliefs!
Facing Evan's force, Hermione now appeared as a very shy girl, nothing like her usual self.
She timidly glanced at Evan beside her and quickly looked away.
The way Evan was looking at her at that moment made her feel as if she was doing something wrong.
Remembering his passionate kiss, Hermione's face uncontrollably blushed. Evan had been so bold to kiss her in front of all the students.
Hermione was certain she would remember the scene in the Great Hall for a lifetime and never forget it. Especially when she thought about herself finally kissing Evan voluntarily, her mind went completely blank.
She never imagined her relationship with Evan could reach this stage... not so soon!
Their relationship began during the werewolf attack in Hogsmeade a year ago and made significant progress last Christmas.
After that, she had experienced many things. Throughout a year, she chose to escape most of the time.
Every time Hermione could find enough reasons; everything was happening too fast... she didn't want to lose their friendship... Evan was a year younger than her... his magical strength surpassed hers... And as Evan became more famous, the gap between them became more apparent.
Hermione had not set aside these concerns and had repeatedly thought about stepping back halfway in their relationship.
The more you are attached to something, the more you fear losing it.
For the Christmas Ball, she had received an invitation from Krum in early December. Hermione was greatly surprised at that moment and never imagined that Krum would ask her.
It was a weekend night, and Krum shook off the girls pursuing him and took the initiative to sit beside her.
He told Hermione that he went to the library every day just to talk to her, but he couldn't muster enough courage. Since they met at the Quidditch World Cup, he liked her, and so forth...
Certainly, Hermione would not accept Krum's invitation, nor did she have any intention of pursuing any relationship with him.
But after spending some time together, she felt that Krum was not as disagreeable as she initially thought, and that it was pleasant to be friends; they conversed extensively on Durmstrang and magic.
Certainly, from start to finish, Hermione did not entertain thoughts of Krum, let alone envision herself as his romantic partner.
Despite such concerns, if she were to attend the Christmas Ball, she would only accompany Evan.
