Fleur Delacour was originally talking to Cedric.
In fact, she hoped Cedric would take the initiative to invite her, so she deliberately displayed some of the allure of her Veela bloodline.
Unexpectedly, after a long effort, although Cedric's attitude was good, he still didn't invite her to be his dance partner as she wished. Instead, a freckled boy rushed over clumsily.
The air froze for a second as Fleur's gaze slowly swept over Ron, from his tufted ears to the hem of his school robe still stained with grease, then she twitched the corner of her mouth slightly, saying nothing, and walked past with her head held high, as if he were a troublesome sea cucumber.
Ron stood frozen in place, his ears buzzing, unable to believe he had done something so impulsive.
Buzzing voices filled the air around him; he didn't dare look at anyone. Once his brain finally processed what had happened, he jerked around and staggered, dashing through the entrance hall and sprinting all the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
...
Vid stood outside the entrance hall, watching Ron whirl past like a gust of wind, without noticing who was nearby, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
He lingered briefly at the doorway, waiting until the discussions from the entrance hall moved away, then Vid crossed the hall and entered the banquet room, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowd, feeling a subtle tension.
There were quite a few empty seats at the Ravenclaw Long Table, and Vid found a place to sit down. Just as he picked up his fork, he sensed a faint gaze from the other end of the table.
Fleur Delacour was standing with several of the Beauxbatons girls. Even though she lost the first event, everyone understood that her elimination was not due to lack of strength, but because she faced an unreasonable Vid Gray.
So now Fleur is still Madam Maxime's favorite, the center of the Beauxbatons students.
However, the girl Clementine who ended up benefiting seemed to be excluded by some classmates, as if her qualification for the competition was stolen.
Of course, Fleur herself would not easily forget that scene back then. Seeing Vid now, she raised an eyebrow, her gaze lingering on Vid for a few seconds, and her lips curved thoughtfully, as if weighing some possibility.
She stepped towards Vid, her tall figure swaying slightly, with a long neck and slightly raised chin, like a proud and beautiful swan, her silver hair rippling like water with her steps.
In the banquet room, more than half of the boys couldn't take their eyes off Fleur, and as she moved, the surrounding conversations unconsciously lowered, many eyes watching her expectantly and eagerly.
"My goodness!" At the Slytherin Long Table, Daphne's fork hovered in mid-air: "Could she be going to actively invite Vid?"
"Impossible!" Blaise said decisively: "You forgot how embarrassed she was after being defeated by Vid? She wouldn't forget that!"
Pansy snorted: "Bet a Galleon she's definitely going to pour pumpkin juice on his head!"
Another girl looked jealously at Fleur's perfect face and figure, saying: "Or more directly, she might give Gray a slap in the face."
There was a brief silence at the long table.
Then, Goyle said enviously: "...Does such a good thing actually happen?"
The girls: "..."
As everyone discussed, a tall figure suddenly intervened, decisively standing between Vid and Fleur.
Fleur paused slightly, her gaze scrutinizing the back in front of her unkindly, but Natalia didn't look at her nor seemed to notice the subtle atmosphere in the air, instead showing a brilliant smile.
"Vid Gray!" Natalia said brightly: "You wouldn't have failed to find a dance partner yet, would you?"
When she spoke English, her accent had a uniquely wavy intonation, as if reciting poetry.
Vid glanced at Fleur, who was frozen in place, and smiled, saying: "No, I haven't."
He certainly wouldn't just wait for a girl to take the initiative, so he stood up, bending slightly: "May I invite you to dance with me?"
"Great, that's settled!"
Natalia snapped her fingers briskly. Not only did she agree, but she also boldly took a seat next to Vid.
Fleur curled the corner of her mouth, returning with a cold face to her classmates, and quickly said a few words in French.
Some students subtly observed Vid and Natalia, guessing at the relationship between them. But seeing them sitting together just eating, after a while they boredly withdrew their gaze.
Natalia was cutting her steak when she suddenly asked softly: "Do you mind that I made you miss a chance to dance with the prettiest girl?"
Vid sipped his juice, saying leisurely: "I only want to thank you—so I wouldn't be standing alone on stage like a fool."
Natalia burst into laughter.
She blinked and said: "As a champion, how could you lack dance partners? But I did step in on purpose, guess why?"
"I think—" Vid glanced at Fleur from afar and said: "She probably wanted me to have a doomed moment like Ron, as revenge for me defeating her."
Natalia laughed again, a sly sparkle in her eyes: "It seems even if I hadn't intervened, you wouldn't have been easily caught."
"No, it's lucky you appeared in time." Vid admitted frankly: "Because I don't know if I could maintain clear thoughts when she fully displays her bloodline's allure."
Natalia didn't believe this at all, but Vid's words made her feel better.
As dinner neared its end, Natalia suddenly leaned forward, tilting her head with a smile and asked: "One last question—why would I help you after you eliminated my teammate Olga?"
As she spoke, the smile on her lips deepened, and her meaningful gaze roved over Vid's face, seemingly wanting to capture every subtle change in his expression.
Vid leisurely put down his napkin and said calmly: "Of course because you're kind and helpful."
"Hahaha..."
Natalia suddenly burst into a crisp laugh, attracting quite a few curious glances, but she didn't mind, and casually waved her hand.
"Alright...let's assume that's the reason..."
Natalia put down her cutlery and stood up, then suddenly leaned close, a strand of golden hair draping over Vid's shoulder.
"My gown robe is a deep blue dress with silver-gray trim." She smiled and said: "Hope it won't clash with your attire's style at the time."