[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring":3,"chapter-starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-217":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Starting at Hogwarts, Logging into Elden Ring",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1496341,1944,"Chapter 217: The Riddle Inside the Golden Egg, the Ball Is About to Begin","starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-217",217,"\u003Cp>\"Arthur, I really can't find a dance partner. You have to help me!\" Harry pleaded, grabbing Arthur like a drowning man clutching at driftwood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Easy,\" Arthur replied casually. \"Hermione recently upgraded her gender-change potion. One sip lasts a full week. With your looks after the transformation, I guarantee you'll be drowning in invitations.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur didn't know about others, but Draco would definitely be interested in a female version of Harry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of Draco—Arthur actually wondered whether he'd found a partner yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not, pairing up with Harry wouldn't be such a bad idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether Harry sensed Arthur's malicious amusement, or simply imagined himself turning into a girl and being surrounded by overeager boys, he shuddered violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's… let's forget that idea. Is there any other way?\" Harry asked quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course there is,\" Arthur said seriously this time. \"Why are you only looking at girls your own age or older?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know, students younger than us aren't allowed to attend the Yule Ball unless they're invited. They'd be thrilled to receive an invitation from an upper-year.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And honestly—aren't you pretty close with Ginny? Why not try inviting her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur finally gave him a genuine suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he definitely wasn't curious to see Ron's expression when he found out his best friend had invited his little sister to the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Weasleys only had one daughter, doted on by all her brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget Ron—if the twins found out, Harry might not survive the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry, completely unaware of this potential disaster, suddenly looked enlightened, as if struck by divine inspiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right! Why did I only think about girls in my year?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overjoyed, he thanked Arthur and immediately dashed toward the girls' dormitory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur grabbed him by the collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you doing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Inviting Ginny! What else?\" Harry replied, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur rolled his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's bathing time in the girls' dormitory. If you want to die, go ahead and charge in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry froze mid-step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Oh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changing the subject, Arthur continued, \"By the way—have you figured out the riddle inside the golden egg yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No. What does that have to do with bathing?\" Harry asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arthur smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Try taking it into the bath with you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't elaborate further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riddles were meant to be solved with hints, not handed answers. Otherwise, where was the fun?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, it was bathing time. So Harry returned to his dormitory, grabbed his golden egg, and went to wash up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the dorms only had showers—and Arthur specifically said bath—Harry found an unused prefects' bathroom and filled the tub.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clutching the golden egg, he sank into the warm water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he opened the egg, a hauntingly beautiful song filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come seek us where our voices sound,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We cannot sing above the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour long you'll have to look,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And find what we have took.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry instantly recognized the voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mermaids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hagrid had talked about them in Care of Magical Creatures—ugly, aggressive, but possessing breathtaking singing voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interestingly enough, merpeople were officially classified as humans by the wizarding world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, the ancient Wizard Council—precursor to the Ministry—defined \"human\" as any being capable of speaking human language, which excluded merpeople, since they spoke only underwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, wizards discovered that merpeople could speak—just not on land—so they were reclassified as a special humanoid race, like centaurs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this day, merpeople were still invited to international wizarding conferences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Arthur, he preferred calling them fishmen rather than mermaids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked nothing like the elegant mermaids of fairy tales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not all merpeople were equally ugly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Fantastic Beasts, northern species—like Irish Merrows and Scottish Selkies—were famously hideous, while merpeople from warmer southern waters, such as the Caribbean, were considered genuinely beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Environment shaped everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Harry wasn't concerned with aesthetics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mattered was the message of the song.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to go to the merpeople's domain—underwater—and retrieve something within one hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone made the second task extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Underwater, Harry couldn't speak, which meant no verbal spellcasting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at his current level, silent casting was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bubble-Head Charms existed, sure—but they were fragile. One poke, and the charm would burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing aggressive merpeople, that was practically a death sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Harry decided he'd need a potion that allowed underwater breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set his sights on Snape's stores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That, however, would have to wait until after the Yule Ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Harry was planning his next move, Moaning Myrtle suddenly burst out of the water and started groping him enthusiastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked disturbingly like a perverted fan assaulting her idol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While ghosts couldn't truly touch the living, their contact brought an icy chill—like someone stuffing snow down your back in winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry shuddered violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he remember why no one ever used this bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing he was completely naked, Harry snatched a towel, wrapped it around himself, and fled in utter panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time flew by, and soon it was Christmas Eve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most students below fourth year had gone home, save for a few staying behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Hogwarts felt livelier than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yule Ball venue glittered brilliantly as students from all three schools entered in pairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, many were still making last-minute preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry was one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having just changed into his dress robes, he headed to brush his teeth—just in case he got too close to Ginny later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he returned, he saw Ron standing before the mirror, wearing the dress robes his mother had sent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron gestured wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look! Lace! A torn collar! And it smells weird! This is the worst dress robe I've ever seen!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is very… traditional,\" Harry said, discreetly stepping back. \"Also—why didn't you wash it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh… I forgot,\" Ron admitted awkwardly. \"It was so ugly I didn't touch it after it arrived. Anyway—help me transfigure it already!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He handed Harry a photo of a modern dress robe design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry studied it, then drew his wand—but not before casting Scourgify to clean the robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No way he was letting Ron's partner flee halfway through the dance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Harry transfigure the robe according to the photo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron admired himself in the mirror—then frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, where's the back pattern?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What pattern?\" Harry asked. \"You didn't give me a picture of the back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron slapped his forehead. He'd forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it looked good enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ball's about to start. Let's go—our partners are waiting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked, Ron eyed Harry suspiciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why is your robe green? Are you secretly a Slytherin?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry rolled his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The school doesn't restrict colors. Besides, do you think finding a well-fitting robe is easy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled shopping in Hogsmeade with his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She'd dragged him through the entire shop, making him try on everything before settling on this one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry swore that day was the most exhausting experience of his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would rather fight a Hungarian Horntail again than ever go shopping with a woman—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Advance Chapters Available on Patreon\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>patreon.com\u002FWhiteDevil7554\u003C\u002Fp>",1159,"2026-06-06T04:19:46.381Z",1,"novelbin.me","99a19a32f380ecd8e51c8d3b078b4ec8a625b0da54eb8228f055b1ba6795907a","starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-218","starting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-chapter-216",281,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-at-hogwarts-logging-into-elden-ring-cover.jpg"]