Officially, the Yule Ball wasn’t a Triwizard Tournament task, but it was just as dramatic. Set against the spectacular backdrop of a wintry Great Hall, with a swirling storm of teenage hormones, strong emotions and dancing, the stakes were just as high.

Friendships, love lives and even international relations were on the line and bold moves were made. Whether the characters made the right decisions? Now that’s the real question.

And who better to answer that question than you, the fans! We asked for your hot takes on this glamourous Christmas party and you did not disappoint. Here are just a few of our favourites…

Was Ron actually a fashion icon?

With everyone donning their dress robes for what was possibly the glitziest event Hogwarts had ever hosted, the Yule Ball was a mix of dazzling fashion wins and dismal fashion fails. Ron’s frothy concoction of maroon, lace and great-aunt Tessie smell is the latter… or so we thought.

It turns out not all of you agree. David Czarnik even claims: ‘Ron was actually the best dressed at the ball 👀’.

You know what, there’s something to be said about how unique Ron’s outfit was. It was vintage! Vintage is cool! If he had just worn his robes with a bit more confidence… perhaps he could have pulled it off?

Although, many thought it would take more than an attitude change to make that outfit work.

As Nancy Gedenberg told us: ‘I have always wondered why they didn't alter Ron's robe with a little magic’.

She raises an interesting point! In the Goblet of Fire book, Ron did use a Severing Charm to try and tone down the frilliness. However, Ron is no Madam Malkin, and his alteration attempts just left him with some ‘depressingly frayed’ edges instead… we’re not sure which is worse.

Ron’s robes showed that Harry was a bad friend…

That’s right, those who firmly agreed with Ginny’s assessment that Ron’s robes were ‘ghastly’ were incredulous that Harry had let his friend wear them at all.

Like Stephanie Marcum, who had some strong feelings about it: ‘Harry did Ron dirty here. Harry is literally a millionaire. He could easily have bought new dress robes for Ron but instead chose to let him wear those and look like a dork’.

On the surface, it does seem baffling that Harry didn’t just buy him some better robes. Ron’s were second-hand and out of fashion. However, we think it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Ron was a proud person, but he was also self-conscious about his family’s financial situation and struggled with feelings of being overshadowed. Harry was fully aware of this. He knew that Ron might have been insulted if he just bought him some brand-new robes as he would have found it condescending.

After all, Ron only accepted an expensive pair of Omnioculars because Harry told him not to expect another Christmas present for at least a decade. If anything, Harry was being sensitive to Ron’s feelings – that makes him a good friend.

Pink or blue? You had thoughts on Hermione’s outfit too

The other outfit that had everybody talking – but for all the right reasons – was Hermione’s. Or should we say outfits? Yes, the belle of the Yule Ball’s dress from the film did not match her dress from the book. It seems that some of you have some strong opinions about that…

Such as Mary Main who was definitely team pink dress: ‘The costume department was right to put Hermione in a pink dress. If her dress was blue like in the books, she would have blended in with the ice decorations in the background and therefore not stood out visually’.

Mary does make an excellent case and Hermione’s dress did add a pop of warmth to the wintry Great Hall – but we just can’t choose! Both gowns were stunning in their own way… we’re going to sit firmly on the fence for this one.

The Patil twins should have had better dress robes

There was an overwhelming sense that the Patil twins were hard done by when it came to their Yule Ball experience – they deserved more.

Jo Schendel wanted more for the twins’ Yule Ball look: ‘Padma and Parvati Patils' dresses in the movie were sooo plain. Saris are much more elaborate and pretty’.

Honestly? We adored the gorgeous shades of pink and orange that Parvati and Padma wore in the films. Yet, we’d also love to see how their outfits could be taken to the next level with the help of a few magical details.

And better dates

That wasn’t Jo’s only frustration with the sisters’ experience. She also took umbrage with ‘their treatment at the hands of their "dates"’.

Harry and Ron messed up here. They were too busy being stuck in their own heads to make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Even if there was no romantic spark with their dates, they still could have had a joy-filled evening as friends.

Anthony Tom is one fan who agrees with this: ‘I think Harry should have just had a fun night with Parvati instead of being depressed that he couldn’t go with Cho’.

Absolutely! With music, dancing and fantastic company, deciding to sulk the entire time is a baffling choice. It wasn’t Parvati or Padma’s fault that Harry and Ron’s romantic dreams had been dashed and honestly, they were both being rather immature about it all.

Speaking of dates… you had thoughts about who Harry went with

Most fans seemed to agree that Harry and Parvati were not the ideal match and had some alternative suggestions…

Andrew Llewellyn Collins told us: ‘Harry should have taken Ginny to the ball. It would have given Ron an actual reason to be angry towards him’.

Well, we know Andrew was firmly ‘Team Harry’ during his Goblet of Fire fight with Ron.

Anyway, with Harry and Ginny’s loving marriage and three kids, we agree with this Yule Ball pairing… but not with the reasoning! We found it far too stressful when Harry and Ron were at each other’s throats and would not like to have it happen again – thank-you-very-much.

And Hermione

With Ron and Hermione’s jealousy-fuelled argument revealing hidden feelings, many saw the Yule Ball as a turning point in their relationship. This was the moment we released that they might be more than just friends.

Dave Tullio had a different perspective though. He believed: ‘Hermione never lit up for Ron the way she did for Viktor Krum’.

When you compare the difference between how Ron and Krum handled the Yule Ball, we can see why he might think this. Viktor Krum took notice of Hermione. He danced with her and made her laugh. He didn’t make her feel like an afterthought. Whereas Ron overlooked Hermione until it was too late and then allowed his jealousy to cast a cloud over her brilliant evening.

Having said that, this was one, small, turbulent moment in Ron and Hermione’s story. There were far more that showed the love and loyalty they had for one another. We’re thrilled that Hermione had a wonderful time with Krum at the dance… but we’re more thrilled that it gave Harry’s best friends the nudge they needed to see each other in a whole new light.

Some of you questioned whether there should have been dates at all!

As teenagers, the mere thought of asking someone to be our date would cause us to break out in a cold sweat. Growing up is embarrassing enough! Who needs that added pressure?

Canisha Russ would agree, sharing her view that: ‘Making the champions find dates because they have to open the ball with a dance is a form of bullying on the school's part 😂’.

While that approach would have saved Harry (and all of us) from his mortifying ‘Wangoballwime’ moment… the Yule Ball wouldn’t have been the same without the magic of romance.

Thank you to everybody for sharing your hottest takes on the Yule Ball! These were just a handful of brilliant responses. You’ve certainly got us thinking.

Look out for more unpopular opinions soon!

Please note: the answers to this article have been edited for spelling/grammar/clarity.