After their meal, the girls pulled Hermione along to pick out her birthday gift. Once they had done some window shopping, they parted ways.
"See you at Hogwarts! Glenn and I are heading off now, bye-bye!"
Hermione waved with a smile, holding Glenn's hand as they bid farewell to their friends. Since they had come on their own, Parvati and the others still needed to meet their parents at a shop in Diagon Alley.
With goodbyes said, Glenn and Hermione began their journey home. As they walked through a deserted street, Glenn subtly moved his left hand, storing the bags in his black ring.
"Thank you for carrying all those bags for us."
Hermione's hand swung gently as she smiled at Glenn. Her boyfriend was truly remarkable, having the patience to accompany her and her friends shopping.
Glenn showed no particular reaction; the weight was nothing to him now.
They hailed a taxi, and after giving the driver their home addresses, Glenn used the Hand of Sorcery to cast a Confundus Charm, ensuring the driver only heard mundane chatter from them.
"So, did you gather any useful information? Honestly, not subscribing to the Daily Prophet during our trip was a mistake. Just over a month, and I already feel out of touch with the wizarding world."
Hermione knew Glenn had been gathering information while they shopped in Diagon Alley. Now that they had some downtime, she was eager to hear what had happened in the wizarding world while she wasn't paying attention.
"Since it was a vacation, and things have been a bit unstable lately, I decided not to subscribe, knowing how easily your mood can be affected by outside events. Besides, we weren't completely cut off. I asked Neville and Draco to update me on important matters via letter, though their judgment on 'important events' was... unexpected."
Neville's updates, while not particularly insightful, at least filled some gaps in Glenn's mental map.
But Draco's letters? They were something else entirely.
"The latest in broomstick technology—the Firebolt is now on sale...," "A new breed of dragon has been developed at the dragon reserve (with photos)," "Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, wins the Daily Prophet's Annual Galleon Award, and the Weasley family plans to spend the money on a summer trip to Egypt..."
And the last piece of news about the Weasley family was annotated with Draco's thoughts, dripping with envy and disdain.
What was all this?
Clearly, these were topics Draco found interesting!
Glenn had been expressionless as he wrote a detailed definition of "important events" in his reply to Draco, filling two sheets of parchment.
As he began a third, he reconsidered, recalling Hermione's advice on speaking to friends. He tore up the drafts and simply replied, "Nicely written, but don't send more like this."
He'd explain in person back at school—two sheets weren't enough.
"Oh? Tell me more?"
Hermione was clearly intrigued by Glenn's mention of "unexpected important events."
Glenn recounted the contents of Neville and Draco's letters regarding those events.
"Well, that certainly sounds like the two of them."
Hermione rolled her eyes with a hint of amusement.
"Let's hear about the information you gathered today."
Glenn nodded and began sharing the news he had overheard, detailing Sirius Black's actions and his escape from Azkaban.
"This is his photo."
Glenn retrieved a copy of Sirius Black's photograph from his black ring, which he had duplicated at the restaurant.
Hermione took it and gasped softly upon recognizing him.
"I saw this man on TV last night, on the news... So this is the Ministry's doing?"
"Yes, that's what I was about to say. The Minister of Magic informed the Prime Minister, asking Muggles to help track Black."
Glenn nodded, adding his thoughts.
"...I think we should hurry home. This guy blew up half a street with one spell; he's dangerous. If he comes near our homes, it won't be good."
"We need to prepare our house—if necessary, let's have Mom and Dad stay at Grandma Lin's for a while."
Hermione clutched the photo tightly, her brown eyes filled with unease as she looked at Glenn.
Coincidentally, Glenn shared the same concern and had already planned to return home quickly.
Both were suffering from PTSD.
"Driver, please pull over. We need to get out early; sorry for the inconvenience."
Hermione communicated politely with the taxi driver as Glenn lifted the Confundus Charm.
After paying, they quickly exited the taxi.
"I'll handle this, Hermione. Your Shrinking the Ground into Inches and Apparition aren't quite ready for this."
Glenn opened his arms to her. Hermione nodded, stepping into his embrace, knowing this wasn't the time for practice.
Glenn held her close, orienting himself.
Then...
"Shrinking the Ground into Inches."
They vanished from sight.
................................................
Moments later, they reappeared in the Hawthorne's yard. Though Hermione was still slightly disoriented from the rapid long-distance travel, she quickly adjusted.
They exchanged a glance and began setting up and activating magical defenses around their homes.
Though both the Hawthorne and Granger residences were protected by the Fidelius Charm, with Glenn as the Secret Keeper, he remained uneasy. The charm had been breached before, with dire consequences.
While betrayal was often the cause, the thought still unsettled Glenn, who already struggled with a sense of security.
Better to overprepare than underprepare.
Only when both houses, along with their parents and Hermione's, were fully equipped with his alchemical devices and his grandmother Lin Yingqing's magical artifacts did Glenn feel somewhat reassured.
He also set up a perimeter of detection devices to sense malice or hostility, handing the controls to the four parents.
"If anything seems off, use the Teleportation Door to get to Grandma's."
Since the adults had work commitments and Hermione didn't want to alarm them unnecessarily, she advised caution without causing undue worry.
...
On the rooftop.
Glenn crouched, activating one protective device after another, murmuring to himself.
"I won't let that happen again."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds