HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 91 Hogsmeade Weekend Invitation

When Leila returned to her dorm, she unsurprisingly saw two familiar owls waiting for her.

That very night, after the professors had searched the castle overnight to confirm its safety and the students returned to their dormitories, Lyra received a letter delivered by the two owls.

The golden eagle owl brought a veiled apology letter from the platinum young master, expressing deep remorse for accidentally hitting her, and included a beautiful emerald hair clip as an apology gift.

Lyra really wanted to tell him that it wasn't necessary to choose emeralds for all the gifts; she wasn't really interested in collecting head-to-toe emerald outfits.

The brown owl's owner didn't send any gifts this time, but her pen pal vividly described in her letter how she secretly stopped the Slytherin girls around her from countless malicious attacks on her, and how she was so tired that she didn't dare to blink all night, for fear that the slightest carelessness on her part would allow the most beautiful rose of Hogwarts to be mercilessly attacked.

After a long, self-congratulatory spiel, the letter concluded by stating that if his rose would do him the honor of spending the next Hogsmeade weekend with him, all his hard work that night would vanish.

Leila's replies to the two long letters were very brief, saying she wasn't angry and didn't care, and thanking her for reconsidering.

After that, the two owls would fly over every few days, one bringing gifts in different ways, and the other asking for dates in different ways.

Layla skillfully took out two pieces of jerky and fed them. The eagle owl flew reservedly to the highest bookshelf to enjoy it slowly, while the brown owl affectionately pecked Layla's fingers before flying to the table to eat.

The package delivered by the eagle owl contained an exquisite carved comb, along with a simple note with everyday blessings.

The brown owl brought a bag of filled chocolates, and the pen pal subtly hinted that he hoped to have the opportunity to enjoy the chocolates together sometime.

*

With the weather getting worse, the first Quidditch match of the year is getting closer.

During the final training session before Saturday's game, captain Wood brought the team some unwelcome news.

“We’re not playing against Slytherin this time,” Wood told his teammates angrily. “Flint just told me that we’re going to play against Hufflepuff instead.”

"Why?" the other team members asked in unison.

"The excuse is that their Seeker's arm is injured." The rumbling thunder outside the window seemed as angry as Wood.

But when Wood mentioned Hufflepuff's new captain and Seeker, Cedric Diggory, the three girls on the team suddenly burst into silly laughter, as if they had been given a mind-altering potion.

"Is he that tall, handsome guy?" Angelina said.

“The strong, quiet one,” Katie said.

“The really popular one,” Aria added, and they started giggling again.

"He's quiet because his head is full of water," Fred said impatiently, completely ignoring the girls' introduction of Diggory's top grades. "It's long overdue for someone to teach these flashy pretty boys a lesson—"

“Let everyone know that Quidditch isn’t just about good looks—” George said, counting on his fingers.

"Keep dreaming about picking up girls with your looks and Quidditch! It's time to show those Hufflepuffs what we're made of!" Fred waved his fist. "Wood, don't worry, this time we'll fight seriously and give them a piece of our minds!"

The twins, who were used to joking around during meetings, suddenly made a solemn vow and seemed to be serious, which greatly surprised the other members of the Gryffindor team.

Only Captain Wood was pleased to extend his pre-match pep talk by another half hour, until everyone's stomachs started rumbling in protest.

*

Outside, the wind and rain were raging, and the windows were pounded by large raindrops, but this did not dampen the lively atmosphere of the girls' late-night chat in the dormitory.

“We’re about to have a match against Hufflepuff—” Arya said dreamily as she lay on the bed.

“This is a great opportunity to get close to him openly and legitimately—” Angelina sat on the bed and grinned foolishly in agreement.

"Who did you come into contact with?" Leila was the slowest to move; she was still applying moisturizer to her legs, doing the last step of her pre-sleep skincare routine.

“Of course it’s Cedric Diggory!” Angelina and Aria said in unison.

"Oh, it's Cedric." Lyra realized that the perfect boy from Hufflepuff was indeed very popular among the girls in each house.

“You called him by his given name! You, you could it be—” Arya suddenly realized the key point and sat up abruptly from the bed.

"Oh, no, no, we're just friends—" Layla quickly clarified to her roommates, facing two pairs of menacing eyes.

“Oh, that startled me. I thought Diggory had become your new boyfriend.” Arya and Angelina both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Luckily you’re just friends, otherwise we’d lose the fun of talking about Diggory,” Angelina said with a laugh. “It’s never appropriate to tease your roommate’s boyfriend, but if any of us actually ended up with Diggory, it wouldn’t be a big deal. There are so many handsome guys at Hogwarts, we can always talk about someone else.”

“But I still think Cedric Diggory is the best—” Arya rolled around on the bed with a pillow between her legs, “A handsome face, a strong body, and the typical demeanor of an English gentleman. Even if you asked my mother, she wouldn’t find anything wrong with him.”

“It’s a pity he’s not from our college—” Angelina said regretfully, “otherwise, just sitting at a long table watching him every day would be enough to eat an extra syrup pie.”

"Pfft—" Lyra was amused by Angelina; wasn't this just a feast for the eyes?

“If I could go on a date with a handsome guy like Cedric Diggory before graduation, I feel like my entire seven-year Hogwarts school life would be complete,” Arya exclaimed.

“Hey, Diggory doesn’t have a girlfriend yet! Arya, be bold, have the courage of Gryffindor and give it a try—” Angelina encouraged Arya, adding even more daringly.

"Oh, but so many girls wrote him love letters and confessed their feelings, and he didn't accept any of them. He doesn't even know me, so how could he possibly accept me?" Aria clutched the pillow in her arms and analyzed objectively.

"Well, you can start as friends first." Leila finally finished applying her moisturizer and got ready for bed.

“You’re right…” Arya slumped back onto the bed with a thud. “But it’s easier said than done. How about I throw a few more bouncy balls at him during the match?”

"!" Merlin's lace stockings, what a brilliant idea that is!

Lyra looked at her roommate, who was playing Quidditch, in shock. This was a truly ingenious idea that no one who didn't play Quidditch would have come up with.

“That will only leave Diggory with the impression that you’re a rival, not a cute girl. I think there’s a better way—” Angelina suddenly looked at Lyra with sparkling eyes—

"Lyra, aren't you and Diggory friends? Why don't you ask him if he'd like to hang out with the Gryffindor girls next Hogsmeade weekend?"