[HP] Aunt of the Savior

Even if James was looking forward to it, Sirius, who knew the "essence" of the two Slytherins, didn't want to invite Jody.Lupine, on the other hand, has a fairly deep understanding of the "intimate relationship" between Jody and Snape because he took ancient rune lessons with Jody and Snape, and he doesn't intend to make fun of himself.As for Peter... He didn't even dare to expect to invite a girl who was much taller than himself as a dance partner.

Jody breaks the news to Doris after confirming that James intends to invite Lily.It could be seen that Doris was extremely disappointed by this, and there was a taste of resentment in her expression, as if she wanted to blame Jody for not being able to persuade her brother to accept her roommate's invitation.But Jody was not in the mood to comfort her more—after James persuaded her not to accept Snape's invitation in his way of "beating around the bush"—even though she hadn't heard Snape mention half of the ball words.

Just thinking about it made Jody feel a little irritable.Snape behaved the same as usual, he and Jody went to and from get out of class together, went to the auditorium to eat, went to the library to complete homework, or went to the secret base to practice and study magic beyond textbooks.They were together almost all day, but even so, she didn't want to ask him if he was going to invite Lily.

In the next month, the atmosphere in Hogwarts became more and more lively day by day.Those students who didn't have a dance partner stared at their classmates all day long to choose possible candidates. People could be seen gathering together and whispering everywhere. The girls would giggle whenever they saw a boy coming over. They are like a group of hens who have no brains at all and only know how to cluck.He was sincerely glad that Jody wasn't infected at all, she seemed as unenthusiastic about the dance as he was.

Snape still hadn't extended an invitation to Jody, and he found it more difficult to say such a thing than asking him to memorize a whole book of potion formulas or learn a single spell.

After the quarrel at the secret base, Lily sneaked excitedly to ask Snape if there had been some change in the relationship between him and Jody. What kind of erratic conversation happened between them.No doubt those conversations made him feel more confident, less timid than he was before, and he probably really needed just a little bit of that stupid Gryffindor's... courage, no, maybe a little more...

In fact, there are people in Slytherin who are more courageous than Snape, such as Barty Crouch.

"Jodi, I hope...you can be my dance partner for Christmas." After the club meeting that weekend, Barty Crouch looked at Jody with pleading eyes, and blushed to propose the invitation.

He took great pains to ask Regulus for help for this invitation, and only when Regulus was entangled with Snape did he have the opportunity to talk to Jody alone and propose the invitation.

Jody looked at Barty Crouch unexpectedly, and seriously began to consider whether he should accept the invitation.Crouch was the first person to ask her to be a dance partner, and considering that no one has asked her so far except him, and now that the time has come to December, maybe she should nod to the more emotional one. Boy's invitation?

"She's already my dance partner." Just when Jody was about to nod in agreement, Snape suddenly appeared with a straight face, followed by Regulus who looked uncomfortable. "I don't think I need to repeat that, it's something all Slytherins know."

Regulus showed a helpless expression.Snape was far more vigilant than he had imagined.The reason he used to snag Snape was very legitimate, but Snape still noticed that Crouch, who was usually inseparable from Regulus, was absent, and quickly deduced the whole truth and arrived in time.

Crouch's face turned pale immediately, his lips trembled a little, but he still insisted: "No, Jody hasn't responded to your invitation yet."

Snape raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Jody, as if waiting for her choice.

Jody looked at Snape, then at Crouch, smiled apologetically at the latter, stretched out his hand and gently took Snape's arm beside him.Then they turned and walked away as Crouch and Regulus stared dumbfounded, as if they would have done so.

Crouch clenched his fists tightly and stared at their backs, his eyes gleamed with gloom, frustration and unwillingness.

Facing the stinging gaze from behind, Jody pretended not to notice the stiffness of the boy who pretended to be calm and proud in front of others when she held his arm, and asked in a low voice: "All Slytherins know, Um?"

So that's why she hasn't gotten a prom invitation from anyone until now?Jody wondered if she'd been so dumb lately that she didn't even notice when Snape did something like this.

—actually all the Slytherin boys knew, though of course Snape wasn't going to correct that detail with Jody.

"Ahem," Snape cleared his throat, his ears blushing unscrupulously under the half-covered black hair. "I thought, of course you understand that I can't ask a girl who thinks nothing but a prom gown as a partner, and I seriously doubt I can stand that stupid guy standing next to me for even a second, no, not even half a second Zhong and I are also worried that I will infect their stupidity, so of course I..." He closed his mouth abruptly, stopping this meaningless chatter, because the girl's low chuckle came from beside him.

Jody could not help laughing, even though she knew it would embarrass Snape beside her, but Merlin, she hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

Jody found himself miraculously soothed by Snape's chatter, which was obviously masking his nervousness.There is still the last trace of hoarseness in his voice, but the deep and slightly nasal voice has made his voice stride towards a man, even though he looks shy and clumsy now, it is still enough for her to hold back Attracted by it, not to mention himself is the reason for his shyness and awkwardness.

"I'm sure the whole of Hogwarts isn't full of stupid girls with clothing stores in their heads, there are always some who are smart enough to meet your standards, or who are familiar enough to-" After completely leaving Crouch and Regulus Jody didn't intend to let go of Snape's hand before he could see him. Her fingers exerted a little force on the boy's stiff muscles, and there was a hint of pleasure and undisguised malice in her voice: "For example ...Lily? And you don't have to worry about me, your poor friend, becoming a poor little girl without a partner—I'd rather be invited, wouldn't I?"

Just because she cooperated with Snape in front of Crouch, it didn't mean that she planned to be his dance partner as a matter of course - he didn't even ask her directly, damn it!

"There is no doubt that the person I intend to invite has always been you and not anyone else, and of course it can't be anyone else." Snape was still worried about Crouch's invitation just now, his lips moved unconsciously, as if Cursing the bold boy.This kind of anger made him say the answer the girl was expecting to hear in a rather violent tone, and then he made a meaningless cover-up and added: "And... and based on Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter's summer vacation During the warm and considerate reception, I thought it was a lack of the most basic etiquette to deliberately compete with their son for a dance partner."

"Well, it looks like I've had to sacrifice a bit even for my brother to get the girl he wanted." Jody let go of Snape's arm as they turned to the stairs, He showed a slightly mischievous smile. "Hope we have a nice Christmas night, Severus."

When Jody's body temperature disappeared from his arms, Snape felt a sense of loss hit him, and at the same time, for the first time, sincere anticipation for the Yule Ball was ignited in his heart.He couldn't help imagining how Jody would walk into the auditorium with his arm and dance with him, and he could embrace her openly...

Well, maybe that boring dance party wasn't totally disgusting, either?Snape couldn't help the corners of his mouth curling up in pleasure.

Hogwarts during the Christmas holiday is usually very deserted, because few students stay and reunite with their families.But this year is obviously different from previous years. Almost all the students above the fourth grade plan to stay, and quite a few students in the lower grades are also elated because they can stay to participate in the dance.Voldemort's sense of horror seems to have been completely forgotten during this time.

The layout of the castle was also different: in addition to the usual floating candles, countless mistletoe wreaths were hung on the ceiling for decoration; Hagrid brought twelve tall and beautiful fir trees from the Forbidden Forest as Christmas trees , and now they are hung with more delicate and beautiful little things, there are holly berries that are constantly changing and shining, there are miniature statues that can move between the twelve Christmas trees and act out the story of Santa Claus and the reindeer, and there are also The living fairies shuttled back and forth among the branches, flapping their wings, and even the roots of the trees were piled up with wizard firecrackers like hills; the walls and stair railings were wrapped in crystal clear icicles and snowflakes that would not melt, making the whole The auditorium looks like a crystal palace with a dreamlike atmosphere.

All the students were absent-minded during lunch. They were excitedly discussing how grand the ball will be tonight. Some senior students who had attended the ball three years ago talked about the last Hogwarts dance in a showy tone. How the choral rehearsal by the ghosts of the [-]s failed because Moaning Myrtle wailed and wailed next to the deadpan Bloody Baron.

Jody retired to his room after lunch.It was too early to start getting dressed, but she desperately needed to go back to her room to cool off.

From the moment she saw the festive decorations in the auditorium, she could feel her heart pounding against her throat as if it could come out of her throat.After accepting Snape's invitation that day, they hadn't talked about the ball. If Snape hadn't said that he would wait for her in the common room at seven o'clock when they parted after lunch, she would have almost To think he forgot about the ball!

Doris was also very nervous. She was not particularly beautiful. Her overly thin cheeks and figure made her look a bit lacking in femininity, and her short brown hair couldn't be decorated with too many patterns.But under the current situation, she still got an invitation, even though she knew very well why the other party invited her.At five o'clock in the afternoon, she put on the purple robe, and sat on her bed in a daze, watching Jody dress herself up.

Jody coiled her long black hair, which was always simply tied or draped over her shoulders, and put them into a beautiful bun—the book "Let Witches Easily and Quickly Have Beautiful Hairstyles" sent by Mrs. Potter One Hundred Spells helped her very well. She chose a hairstyle that best suits her face shape. With a simple spell, part of her hair was well combed into a bun, and the rest of her long hair was loose. on her shoulders.She thought about it, and finally added a silver-green ribbon to the bun for decoration.

Women are probably born with a talent for dressing themselves. Even though Jody rarely spends a lot of time studying how to dress up, she still seems to be very familiar with these things.She changed into the gown that Mrs. Potter had prepared for her. The smooth silver fabric wrapped around her body and fell to her ankles. A pair of silver-gray leather shoes matched the gown very well.She adorned it with the turquoise brooch that Lily had given her this morning for Christmas.

Jody stood in front of the mirror and looked at his new image, as if he knew himself again.

"Oh, you look so beautiful." Doris covered her mouth in admiration, looked at herself, and sighed regretfully.

Jody immediately handed Doris the hairstyle book sent by Mrs. Potter: "Come and choose one, there are also some short hair in it that can make very good hairstyles!"

At seven o'clock, Jody restrained his nerves and entered the common room.Snape was sitting on a chair facing the direction of the girls' dormitory. When he saw Jody coming out, he immediately stood up to meet him.

Snape's hair looked clean and fresh today, his complexion looked healthier than usual, and he was wearing a black dress robe.But if you look closely, you can still find that there are dark green dark lines on the black robe, and the neckline and cuffs of the dress are trimmed with silver. The color matching is not only enough for Slytherin, but also matches Jody's robe very well.Even though he did picture Jody dressed up, the situation left him parched and short of breath.He swallowed in embarrassment.

Jody smiled nervously and timidly at Snape. She wanted to be as natural as usual, but this obviously didn't work out.The change of clothing and styling seems to change everything at once.Others in the common room looked at the two of them unabashedly.

Avery on the side couldn't help but whistled, "Severus, you are really...too discerning."

"Thank you for your compliment, but I hope you can pay attention to maintaining etiquette." Even though he said this, there was undisguised pride and complacency in Snape's eyes.Jody found that since Avery and Mulciber joined the society this year, Snape seemed to be on better terms with them than in the past.

They distanced themselves from the crowd and left the common room side by side.Without the attention of the people around them, the quiet corridor made the two of them feel more natural.

"You really like black robes." Jody couldn't help saying after looking at Snape's attire.He had also been wearing black wizard robes when he visited her house during the summer vacation.

"...you like it, don't you?" Snape's voice sounded a little louder as if he was talking to himself. "I mean, I remember you saying you liked black."

"Oh yes, I like it very much." Jody smiled at Snape and took his arm. "Come on then, my partner."

When Jody took Snape's arm and walked into the hall, Snape was not as tense as before, and his steps seemed decent and graceful.

Seeing them appear, Sirius pouted triumphantly at James, tilted his head to signal the appearance of Severus and Jody, his eyes flashed "as I expected".

"Jodi, you are so beautiful!" Lily came to Jody earlier than James and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad that Sev invited you."

"Thank you, and thank you for your brooch, I like it very much." Jody leaned closer to Lily's ear, and whispered to the red-haired little witch, "And thank you for accepting James' invitation."

"Don't mention it," Lily showed an annoyed expression, "Oh, even if you don't come to ask me, I think I have to promise him in the end. He will definitely pester me until I can't go dancing with other people, I Don't want to miss the only Yule Ball while you're at Hogwarts."

As she spoke, Lily couldn't help but glared at James.

Regarding Lily's complaints, James still looked complacent. Only when he saw Snape standing next to Jody, his bright smile restrained a little, and his eyes were clearly filled with disapproval.

His beautiful and smart sister deserves better!Even tonight the slugs look pretty good.

"Look, you should actually thank us." Taking advantage of James' silence to criticize Snape, Jody smiled at James without showing his teeth: "If Severus invites Lily instead of me, then you will invite me today." Impossible to ask Lily as a partner. I guess you wouldn't want to dance with your twin sister without a partner? Merry Christmas, James, and have a good night."

"Merry Christmas." Snape put away his usual sharp attitude, nodded briefly to Lily and James, and walked into the auditorium with Jody.Leaving James with a bitter face to think whether Snape's invitation to Jody was really good news for him.Seeing his pensive look, Lily couldn't help laughing: "Since you insist on inviting me, let's go. I hope your dancing skills are as good as your Quidditch skills."

Seeing James smirking at Lily, Sirius rolled his eyes and shook his head helplessly.His partner, Burns, had to clear his throat to remind him to pay attention to himself—it's not a good idea to focus on a friend instead of a partner at a dance.

The four long tables that were usually used as dining tables in the auditorium are gone, and replaced by a long buffet table set against the wall, which is filled with fat turkeys, large pieces of fragrant barbecue, and Plates of marmalade pudding, Christmas cakes decorated in various patterns and icing icing on their heads.The variety of drinks is also very rich. Jody can only recognize the butter beer and mead that she is most familiar with, as well as other fruit wine, fruit juice and other magical drinks.

The middle of the auditorium was vacated as a dance floor, and around the dance floor there were many small round tables and chairs for people to eat and rest.

After Dumbledore took a seat in the middle of the rostrum, the students also found their own seats and sat down to eat without taste.It wasn't until the end of the dinner time that the professors walked onto the dance floor to dance, and even Professor McGonagall danced with Professor Dumbledore, which marked the official start of this year's Christmas ball.

The students couldn't wait to slide onto the dance floor, Snape bent slightly, and stretched out his hand to Jody beside him.She put her hand on his, and he held her palm gently as if he were dealing with a fragile object, stretched out his hand to wrap around her soft and slender waist, and led her to follow the melody of the music. There was a circle in the middle of the dance floor.

Snape lowered his head slightly, at an angle that was just right for him to look at Jody, whose head was up in his arms, and those deep black eyes were now as soft as a lake, staring intently at his partner. .

She is in his arms!Just thinking about it made Snape feel hot all over.But the strange thing is that when he was really embracing her majesticly in front of everyone, he had an indescribable pious feeling coming from the bottom of his heart, which allowed him to keep more calm and lose himself completely There was still a bit of sanity left before.

Jody was more surprised than Snape's rare expression that she had never noticed the way her friend looked at her.She was too confident to believe the secret she heard that night, thinking that it was absolutely impossible to change the fact, and ignored that it was herself, not Lily, who stayed with Snape all day in these years.

Snape's dance moves were so good, he danced so well that Jody had no trouble keeping up with him, even if he was still a little awkward about dancing.

"I didn't know you were so good at dancing." She sighed in a low voice, the hot air from her twirling blowing against Snape's ear.She stared at the ear with interest, which quickly turned pink at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"My mother and I learned a little," Snape said.He didn't intend to say that he had actually practiced dancing for a month in the dormitory alone for tonight's dance. "But I think maybe it's so easy to work together because we're familiar with each other."

"Maybe so." Jody narrowed her eyes, trying to make herself dance more relaxed, and she entrusted herself more to the boy in front of her, letting him lead her back and forth in a spin.She wasn't sure when she had started feeling this way about Snape, maybe when the boy was with her after the discovery of the fertility potion, maybe earlier than that?

They danced so intently and engrossed that they didn't notice Sirius and his partner dancing in harmony without enthusiasm, James and Lily dancing awkwardly but happily, and Lupine standing outside the dance floor with a look on his face. Exhausted and envious...until someone interrupts them at the end of the song.

"I'd like to invite you to a dance, Snape." Doris' expression was twisted.

Behind her, Crouch smiled, "Just right, we can switch partners and dance to the next song."

It is obviously impolite to refuse a female invitation to dance at a ball, and the movement here has already attracted the attention of some students.Snape's lips were pursed tightly again, but Jody squeezed his hand hard, which made him finally reluctantly nod slightly.

"I didn't know Doris was dancing with you, Barty." Jody frowned and stared at the boy in front of him.He looked as excitable and shy as usual, his whole face was flushed, which accentuated the freckles on his face. "There's no way she wanted to ask Severus to dance."

"But if you don't, Severus won't want you to dance with me." Crouch didn't care about using Doris at all, only for the fact that Snape was Jody's partner Indignant, his eyes looked a little dark and unclear. "Obviously I invited you first. He only knows to warn everyone, but he refuses to invite you directly!"

"Oh," Jody felt a little uneasy, she smiled at him apologetically, and said in a light-hearted tone on purpose: "But I have a deeper friendship with Severus, I will not refuse his invitation, and if I refuse Without him, he won't be able to find a partner! Why do you have to dance with me? Even if it's just in Slytherin, there are still a lot of lovely girls, aren't there?"

"Because I like you, Jody Potter." Barty Crouch leaned close to Jody's ear and said softly, with a kind of fanatical excitement in his voice. "I really like you very much. From the first day I entered Hogwarts, when you smiled at me, I liked you."