HP: Hogwarts Snake

Organizing an engagement party is no easy task, especially when you have a father with ill intentions.

The goal was to transform what was traditionally a small, private event into a medium-sized, public one—or more precisely, a public execution ground—and it was explicitly stated that all guests on the day should enter wearing the black robes of Death Eaters, and those with silver masks should also wear them.

So the engagement ceremony was moved to the garden, with rows of spaced seats arranged in a circle to surround the center, so that the couple could receive "blessings" from all sides. To prevent the black and white from looking eerie, the rows of benches were made of dark wood and covered with many delicate fabrics to reduce the cold and solemn feeling.

Having finally resolved the framework issue, the unmarried couple's various small requests began to arise one after another.

Sheena spoke subtly, but she clearly had her own aesthetic sense when it came to color schemes and decorations, and Della had to coordinate the overall decor based on her choices.

Maggie was also very subtle in her words, only making a request about the clothing; she wanted Sheena's tea party dress for the ceremony to be more luxurious.

Luxury, a nice word, but unfortunately, the heart isn't that kind.

Tea party dresses have evolved to be quite comfortable and lightweight, and Della still owns several everyday dresses in this style. However, Maggie's desire for more luxurious, layered dresses clearly goes back to an earlier era, and she probably wants to add elements from even earlier times.

Tsk.

Della gave Maggie a lot of eye-rolls during that time, but after all, Maggie was the main character. Once Della confirmed that Sheena actually liked those dresses, she changed all of Sheena's options to those kinds of dresses.

After that, she kept adjusting the venue and process according to the needs of the three people. Only when everything was finalized did Della feel a little relieved.

That high and mighty one, the two of them were having an affair, while only Della was busy.

In short, the engagement ceremony began.

Dressed in a black gown, Della stood under an archway adorned with roses and lace, smiling as she greeted one guest after another, giving the Death Eaters a glimpse of the obedient and humble Miss Riddle.

But Della's way of greeting guests was actually a bit disrespectful to Sheena.

In theory, an engagement ceremony should be held at the bride's home and presided over by her family. Although Hina's parents are now deceased, the fact that the groom's family is handling the entire ceremony still damages her dignity.

However, there was no other way, and Voldemort was happy to see it happen.

The more pathetic Sheena becomes, the worse Maggie's choices seem.

"My loyal followers, thank you for taking the time to attend this unexpected ceremony," Voldemort stood in the center of the solemn crowd, also dressed in black robes, his snake-like face displaying a half-smile, "As a descendant of Slytherin, I have always been proud of it, and have kept in mind the expectations of my ancestors, but today—"

He drew out his words, tilted his head slightly, and instead of looking directly at Sheena and Maggie behind him, he drew everyone's attention to them. The room remained quiet, but the atmosphere suddenly became unbearable. Della, sitting in the front row, saw Sheena nervously flicking her thumb and forefinger nails.

"I think everyone has noticed that the person standing here is a lovely girl. Compared to her previous life, which made her lovely, she still has such poise despite having a father who frequently goes to casinos and whose family is in debt. You can't help but call her lovely."

Voldemort spoke in a gentle tone, praising Sheena thoroughly, thus earning himself a reputation for being a charming and debonair man.

Della listened to these words with a disinterest. She disliked this kind of grand display just to humiliate others. Fortunately, Maggie had quietly taken Sheena's pale hand, making the humiliation less unbearable.

"However, it's a pity that her charm lacks the confidence befitting our family," Voldemort was quite adept at speaking, especially in this formal setting, and he spoke subtly, "It's not her fault, not everyone is chosen by the noble, it's just that my son's emotions are too intense."

It's finally time to humiliate Maggie.

Della became more interested and sat up straighter, wanting to see what kind of harsh words Voldemort would say to Maggie.

Although she often said harsh things to Maggie, Maggie was really good at dealing with her with a shameless and roguish attitude. Della was quite interested to see Maggie unable to fight back.

"We cannot understand the stubbornness of young people. We can only watch from afar as they step into reality. This marriage has not only failed to continue the family's reputation—in fact, it has greatly diminished the principles we have always adhered to—but it has also brought no reasonable benefit to my son himself. Leaving aside wealth, the lack of confidence in the partner he has chosen is also regrettable."

As he spoke, Voldemort truly sighed, as if he genuinely regretted it. "But what can I do? The young man chose passion, a passion whose duration is unknown, leaving only this old man to sigh over the family glory that will surely endure."

Della's eyelids drooped slightly as she listened, and she gradually grew impatient. Yes, Voldemort was mocking and humiliating Maggie, but it was all too official-sounding and contained a lot of reassurance for his subordinates. There was no aggression at all. Look, there wasn't a single change in Maggie's expression.

Thank goodness, we've made it to the very last sentence of this boring talk.

"Kids won't give up until they hit a wall. I believe he'll eventually find the right path. Now, let's raise a glass to this marriage, which at least provides some laughs and topics of conversation for everyone. Cheers!"

He finished speaking with absolute certainty, and the people below the stage raised their glasses. Voldemort took a sip of his drink and continued, "Thank you again for your loyalty in coming to this farce. To be honest, announcing this engagement has exhausted me. Please forgive me for taking my leave now."

Della took another sip of wine with the others as a sign of respect and farewell. She watched Voldemort's black smoke disappear, her face impeccably smiling, but her mind was already wandering, thinking about the next steps.

Voldemort had previously hinted that he would leave after announcing the engagement, and Della had to commend him for that. Although he was high and mighty, he had at least informed her, allowing her, the planner, to be prepared.

Next comes the exchange of tokens. Maggie has prepared a very old emerald ring, and Sheena will hand over her hand-embroidered handkerchief. Then comes the toasting, and oh, here comes the ordeal: Maria and Lydia are asked to toast.

If this were an ordinary wedding, Della would have hinted to Sheena to just give her the cold shoulder and leave. But these are wizards who could kill her at any moment, and they're the kind who look down on Muggles. Sigh, she has no choice but to put up with it.

Fortunately, this ordeal won't last long. Of the two, only Maria will be jealous, but her weakness and sadness will outweigh that jealousy. As for Lydia, she will probably offer her blessings with a smile.

Della, lost in thought, watched almost blankly as Sheena and Maggie exchanged tokens of their affection. It was strange, really; the moment these two engaged people met, sparks ignited without a care in the world, perhaps even burning away much of Voldemort's humiliation.

Then, during the toasting ceremony, Lydia stood up with captivating charm, raising her glass, her red lips about to part—

Bang bang bang!

Several plumes of smoke exploded, followed by exclamations. Della saw a familiar figure dart past.

Why would they choose to cause trouble in this place?

Yes, Voldemort is gone. Although it was a bit risky, causing some damage in this situation and then trying to escape is a great morale booster.

Della watched the smoke spread coldly, making no move. Just as the smoke was about to envelop the engaged couple on the stage, she noticed that Sheena's face showed almost no panic.

Excessive calmness.

Something's not right. Even knowing there's a sabotage plan, one would still be wary of sudden changes—

Oh, she understands. This change wasn't sudden for Sheena.

The timing was perfect; it happened just as Maggie's ex-lover started speaking.

Thinking about it carefully, she did reveal a little bit about the moments that required patience in order to prepare Hina mentally in advance.

Last night, because of Maggie and Sheena's kiss, out of respect, Della turned off the snake-eye projector for a while. When she turned it back on, Maggie had been gone for a while.

It was probably around that time that Sheena, who was in a superior position, made her demands of Harry and the others.

......

Having figured this out, Della raised her right eyebrow slightly, and for the first time, she found Sheena quite interesting.