Glenn ultimately didn't get to learn the name of the peculiar emotions that had been troubling him from the shy and flustered young girl. This left him feeling a bit regretful.
But it didn't matter. Since Hermione didn't want to talk about it, Glenn decided not to press further. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future—he could wait until Hermione was ready to share it with him.
...
With books, time flies; without them, it drags. Glenn's favorite peaceful days passed by one after another, and soon it was Wednesday of the following week.
Their parents, having been away from work for too long, reluctantly decided to forgo accompanying the two children to Diagon Alley to buy books.
"Take good care of Hermione, okay?" Glenn's mother gave him a knowing wink before leaving. Glenn, not understanding the gesture, simply nodded.
Since Hermione adamantly refused to take the Knight Bus, Glenn had no choice but to use Shrinking the Ground into Inches to bring her to Diagon Alley.
The distance was quite far, and Glenn had to stop and rest every so often to replenish his magical energy.
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
After consuming five or six bottles of magical energy potions and traversing countless spaces, the young girl was left dizzy and disoriented. Finally, the two of them arrived on the rooftop of a building near The Leaky Cauldron.
"Glenn~ I can't go on anymore. Let me rest for a while~" Hermione, panting heavily, held her forehead as she sat down by the edge of the rooftop.
Although she had grown accustomed to the sensations of Shrinking the Ground into Inches, the repeated long-distance teleportation had left her a bit overwhelmed.
Glenn nodded. With a tap of his cane, it transformed into a black umbrella, which he opened to shield both himself and Hermione from the sun. He sat down beside her, allowing the young girl to lean against him and catch her breath.
Returning to the wizarding world, Glenn once again donned his black silk blindfold—for safety's sake, at least until he had fully mastered the contents of the magical book.
After a short rest, Hermione finally regained her energy.
Glenn put away the umbrella, and the two of them leaped off the rooftop, gently landing in a nearby alley.
Strolling into The Leaky Cauldron, Hermione greeted the enthusiastic Tom behind the bar, and the two of them knocked on the brick wall that led to Diagon Alley.
"It's about two o'clock in the afternoon now. We still have half an hour before the time Draco asked us to meet. We can wander around a bit first," Glenn estimated the time and informed Hermione.
"Perfect! Let's go! I heard from Parvati and the others that there's an ice cream shop in Diagon Alley that sells the most delicious ice cream. I've been wanting to try it for ages!" Hermione beamed with excitement, grabbing Glenn's hand and pulling him along as she ran.
Glenn, helpless, retracted his cane into a black ring on his finger. What he didn't notice was the gentle smile that unknowingly crept onto his lips.
Hermione ordered a strawberry-butter ice cream, and as usual, Glenn let her decide for him. Without hesitation, the young girl bought him a lemon-vanilla ice cream.
Holding Hermione's small hand, Glenn absentmindedly licked his ice cream, lost in thought. Meanwhile, the young girl took on the role of guide, eating her ice cream while dragging Glenn around Diagon Alley.
In his daze, Glenn briefly scanned the items displayed in the shop windows of Diagon Alley. They didn't seem much different from last year's offerings. It appeared that the wizarding world's development had indeed stagnated.
Noticing Hermione's bright eyes as she pressed against a shop window, staring intently at something inside, Glenn took the initiative and pulled the young girl into the store, paying for whatever she wanted.
"Feel free to get whatever you like. We're not short on funds," Glenn assured her, indicating that his pockets were brimming with Galleons. Hermione could pick anything she fancied, and he would cover the cost.
Hermione playfully punched Glenn's chest, scolding him for being too extravagant.
But it was true—Glenn had little concept of money. After all, he could easily earn Galleons by brewing potions, and Dumbledore occasionally commissioned him for tasks. The Galleons Glenn earned were more than enough to support both himself and Hermione in the wizarding world, with plenty to spare.
Given this, Glenn raised his right hand and retrieved a pouch from the spatial ring on his finger. He extended his other hand toward Hermione's chest.
The flustered young girl slapped his hand away.
Glenn handed the pouch to Hermione and said, "You should manage the Galleons from now on. I have no idea how to spend money appropriately."
After a moment's hesitation, Hermione accepted it. She knew Glenn wasn't lying—he truly had no concept of money.
It couldn't be helped. Glenn's extraordinary talents were limited to combat and academics. In other areas, such as common sense, he was as innocent as a child.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have casually pounced on her!
And he even had a convincing reason—Glenn's expression had been one of pure curiosity, as if he genuinely wanted to ask a question!
How could she refuse?
"Alright, from now on, Big Sister Hermione will take care of Little Glenn's food, clothing, and shelter," Hermione declared, placing the pouch of Galleons, enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm, into her amulet. She patted her slightly budding chest and raised her chin, her tone triumphant.
…Having grown up with Hermione, Glenn was used to such declarations and didn't bother to argue.
If she said so, then so be it.
The two of them realized they were running low on ink and parchment—essential materials for two studious individuals. They headed to a shop filled with the scent of ink and stocked up on a large quantity of parchment and ink, storing everything in Glenn's black ring.
Fortunately, during their summer vacation in China, the Chief Artificer Lin Yingqing had paid them an uninvited visit and gifted Glenn a ring enchanted with Mustard Seed Holds Mount Sumeru to replace his pouch. Otherwise, there would have been no way to store so many items—the space Glenn had created with the Undetectable Extension Charm would have long since collapsed.
The memory of that day was still vivid for both of them. Glenn's grandmother had emptied his pouch, taken out various magical materials, and demonstrated the art of top-tier artificing right before their eyes.
It wasn't just crafting—it was art.
Before long, a brand-new black ring enchanted with Mustard Seed Holds Mount Sumeru was in Lin Yingqing's hand, ready to be gifted to Glenn.
Of course, Lin Yingqing had also intended to upgrade Hermione's amulet, but Glenn had unexpectedly declined on her behalf.
"I want to wait until I've learned better techniques and magic so I can upgrade Hermione's amulet myself."
Lin Yingqing had silently given him a thumbs-up, feeling like she had just witnessed a heartwarming moment.
Back to the present, with his pouch retired, Glenn now carried all his belongings in the ring his grandmother had given him.
It allowed him to instantly produce a change of clothes for Hermione or arm himself from head to toe in no time.
A must-have for adventurers and treasure hunters.
They ran into several familiar faces in Diagon Alley that day. The two spotted Parvati and Padma Patil browsing robes at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. They also saw the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan laughing and trying out magical prank items at Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop.
Although Hermione wasn't interested in prank items, she greeted the trio out of politeness. Unfortunately, her greeting caught the attention of George and Fred, who hadn't noticed her and Glenn before. Embarrassed by their teasing whistles, Hermione blushed and dragged Glenn out of the joke shop.
As they wandered, they also spotted Percy Weasley engrossed in a book at a cluttered secondhand shop.
Hermione's sharp eyes quickly caught the title on the book's cover.
"Prefects Who Gained Power? I heard Percy wants to become Head Boy at Hogwarts someday. Leading those mischievous Gryffindors must be tough for him. I hope he succeeds—may Merlin bless him," Hermione said, clasping her hands together in a gesture of prayer, even though she wasn't sure if it was appropriate.
Realizing they couldn't wander aimlessly forever, they retraced their steps and found Parvati and Padma still at Madam Malkin's, now joined by Lavender Brown. Hermione immediately dragged Glenn into the shop.
After greeting the three girls, Glenn let go of Hermione's hand, allowing her to join her friends while he found a seat to review the Classical Chinese knowledge he had already learned, waiting for time to pass.
An hour flew by like a fleeting moment. Sensing Hermione's movements, Glenn realized the four lively girls were still chattering about a robe, with Hermione completely forgetting their appointment with Draco.
Should he remind her?
Glenn weighed the importance of the two matters in his mind.
Was it more important for Hermione to have fun with her friends or to meet Draco?
There was no comparison.
Sorry, Draco, but you'll have to wait a bit longer.
Glenn continued feigning sleep, pretending to be unaware of the passage of time.
About twenty-three minutes and forty-six seconds later, Hermione finally bid farewell to her friends and realized with horror that she and Glenn had likely missed their appointment with Draco.
Glancing at the seemingly asleep Glenn, Hermione hurriedly approached and gently tapped his shoulder, "waking" him up.
"We're late for our meeting with Draco! Let's hurry—the meeting was at Flourish and Blotts, right?" Seeing Glenn awake, Hermione grabbed his hand and dashed out of Madam Malkin's.
The two ran all the way to Flourish and Blotts, only to find the bookstore crowded with people for some reason.
"Glenn, look." Hermione pointed to a large banner hanging above the bookstore.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot you're wearing your black blindfold. It says, 'Gilderoy Lockhart Signing Event for Magical Me—Today from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM.' So that's why it's so crowded," Hermione read the banner aloud, finally understanding the reason for the packed bookstore.
But Glenn sensed something off—a discordant noise coming from within Flourish and Blotts.
Shouts... the sound of impacts... muffled groans.
It seemed… someone was fighting?
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"8 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.
Support for 200+ advance chapters:
patreon.com/DarkGolds"