HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 105 The Scent of Pine

"Why are you two still following me?" Leila looked at the two red-haired stalkers with disdain.

Fred and George pretended not to understand Lyra's intention to make them disappear. One looked up at the sky with a lively expression, while the other looked down at the ground with a deep gaze. In short, they resolutely refused to engage in conversation, lest they be kicked out.

Lyra and the twins had just given Harry an early Christmas present. Instead of going through the secret passage behind the One-Eyed Witch statue, they headed towards the main gate of the castle—because Lyra, her two roommates, and the Hufflepuff boys had arranged to meet at the castle gate and go to Hogsmeade together.

However, the Weasley twins were not among those who made the appointment.

“You know what I’m talking about—” Lyra drawled impatiently, “Don’t think you can cheat your way into joining us girls at the party with the Hufflepuff boys.”

“Did you hear me, Fred? Stop following us—”

"I was clearly talking about you, George, don't disturb our party—"

“I was talking about the two of you—” Leila stopped, crossed her arms, and said with a forced smile, directly exposing the twins’ antics, “Neither of you are among those invited.”

“We’re also Gryffindors, so it’s normal for us to attend Gryffindor and Hufflepuff parties—” George put his hand on Lyra’s left shoulder, trying to reason with her.

“Don’t be like that, Lyra. It’s no fun without us at the party—” Fred put his hand on Lyra’s right shoulder, trying to appeal to her emotions.

“No,” but Leila remained unmoved, ruthlessly sweeping the two hands off her shoulders. “Because today is not an ordinary party, it’s a social gathering.”

George and Fred's smiles vanished as soon as they heard the word "social gathering," and they quickly rushed over to Lyra, whining and pestering her, trying to stop the damn social gathering in this way.

Lyra felt that the two red-haired, freckled creatures surrounding her were like five hundred annoying bees, buzzing incessantly.

Unable to be chased away or beaten, she could only cover her ears and hurry forward until she was almost at the castle gate—

Angelina and Aria, both wearing new robes, were chatting at the door, waiting to meet up with Lyra.

"Angelina! Aria!" Leila waved to her two beautifully dressed roommates.

Angelina and Aria, who had been waiting for a while, were about to smile when they heard that Laila had finally appeared, but when they saw the two red-haired dog-skin plasters next to Laila, their faces darkened.

Having been teammates on the same team for several years, I know the Weasley twins all too well—if those two troublemakers had come along, they would have definitely ruined today's get-together!

After greeting her two roommates who were nearby, Lyra didn't rush over to join them. Instead, she smiled at George and Fred, but her words sent a chill down their spines—

“See? Angelina and Aria got up an hour early today to get ready and even changed into new robes,” Leila gestured for the twins to look at her roommates, whose faces were as black as the bottom of a pot. “If you two make them work for nothing, do you think they’ll go ballistic on the spot?”

*

Under the threat of the three girls' stern faces, Fred and George finally left reluctantly, deliberately bumping Cedric's shoulder before leaving.

Not only did Cedric, being good-natured, not care, but even the other Hufflepuffs didn't glare at them as the twins had imagined. Instead, they seemed to understand, "We understand, we know you can't throw a tantrum at the sorority party," which made Fred and George feel even more suffocated.

After the two groups of young men and women met, they were initially a little reserved, but the snowy weather quickly opened up a conversation, and as a result, they changed their original plan to walk to Hogsmeade and chose to go by carriage.

The carriage chug along, the interior bumping a bit, but the light brown-haired boy sitting opposite Leila sat upright as if attending a funeral, his back ramrod straight, his hands obediently placed on his knees, only daring to steal a glance at the opposite side occasionally.

“I don’t eat people,” Leila raised an eyebrow, looking calmly at the brown-haired boy who was starting to fidget with her words. “If you’re worried, I can assure you that.”

“Uh, thanks, no, I mean,” the brown-haired boy was clearly flustered, but soon his innocent, round, cornflower-blue eyes widened, and like every eager, genuinely gossipy Hufflepuff, curiosity overcame his shyness, and he said, “We all thought you’d be sitting with Ced—”

When choosing a carriage, Lyra and Angelina very tacitly pulled Cedric's friend into the carriage, leaving the last carriage for Arya and Cedric.

"Why should I sit with Cedric?" Lyra leaned back in her chair, letting herself relax and enjoy the creaking of the carriage as it drove across the snow.

"Because you like Cedric...?" The Hufflepuff boy opposite him took his first tentative step, like a small animal venturing out to forage in winter.

“I do like Cedric,” Lyra said, seeing the brown-haired boy’s expression as if he wanted to get out of the car and tell Cedric right then and there, “but it’s just a friendly liking.”

Lyra watched with satisfaction as the other man's expression shifted dramatically. No wonder Fred and George enjoyed teasing Ron so much; it was so much fun to tease someone by watching their ever-changing expressions.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and everyone was thankful they hadn't chosen to walk. Soon, the carriage stopped; they had finally arrived at Hogsmeade.

"Angelina! Lyra!" Arya seemed eager to get out of the carriage. She jumped down nimbly, without even waiting for Cedric to reach out and help her.

"It's so cold! The snow is getting heavier and heavier. Let's find a place to sit for a while—" Angelina suggested warmly, shrugging her neck.

Everyone agreed, and Leila was also eager to find a warm indoor place for a while. She had only worn a cloak and no scarf when she went out today, and she could feel the cold wind constantly blowing in through her collar, and her ears felt numb from the cold within seconds.

The students who came to Hogsmeade hadn't expected the weather to be so cold; in the snow, everyone surged towards the central street. In an instant, the group that had been gathered together was scattered by the bustling crowd, and Lyra was bumped on the shoulder by a large man rushing past, causing her to stumble on the snow—

"Watch out!" In her haste, a pair of warm, large hands pulled her into their embrace. Layla could feel herself buried in the other person's cloak, a cool, pine scent lingering in her nostrils, making her feel as if she were walking in a winter forest, pure and gentle.