Whether it was for her own safety or to avoid endangering those around her, Ginny's silence was nothing more than a slow march toward doom.
"This is unacceptable! We need to act now!" Hermione was so shocked that she instinctively leaned forward, trying to stand up. Hearing that her friend was in mortal danger, the young girl couldn't sit still any longer.
Glenn, however, remained seated, grabbing the arm of the agitated girl. "No, we can't. If our suspicions are correct, then this situation is far more complicated than we initially thought. The methods of Slytherin's heir are likely more insidious than we can imagine. If the two of us approach Ginny Weasley with such clear intent, there's a chance we might also fall under their control."
Hermione tilted her head in confusion. "I never said it would just be the two of us confronting Ginny. If Slytherin's heir really has control spells like the Imperius Curse, then it's far too dangerous for just two inexperienced wizards like us to face them."
Caught off guard by Hermione's response, Glenn found himself momentarily speechless. He had assumed Hermione would charge ahead recklessly, as she usually did, and directly confront Ginny.
But…
"Do you really think Dumbledore doesn't know about this? Even if Hermione and I—and the wizards around us—have noticed Ginny Weasley's odd behavior, there's no way Dumbledore, who loves to use the Disillusionment Charm to spy on students, wouldn't have picked up on it," Glenn thought to himself with exasperation.
Glenn didn't believe for a second that Dumbledore was unaware of what was happening to Ginny. The control of this situation was undoubtedly in the hands of that seemingly irresponsible yet highly calculating old wizard.
It was likely another one of Dumbledore's elaborate schemes. In this regard, Glenn found their approaches surprisingly similar—both would utilize every available resource to achieve their goals. The difference was that Dumbledore cared about the lives of those resources, while Glenn… did not.
The last time Glenn had reported to Dumbledore about increasing survival chances during the basilisk attacks, he had left immediately afterward without looking back.
When questioned, he would simply say he didn't want to be led around by Dumbledore's words.
The less information he received, the harder it would be for Dumbledore to influence him.
While Glenn acknowledged Dumbledore's methods, he had no intention of being a pawn in his plans.
This was one of the reasons Glenn appeared to care deeply about the matter but had actually been spending his time leisurely accompanying Hermione. Whether it was investigating the situation or researching the gender transformation potion, as long as Hermione was safe, he couldn't care less if Hogwarts was in chaos.
Of course, Glenn couldn't share this thought with Hermione. Based on his understanding of her, if she found out, he'd undoubtedly face both her anger and a flurry of her tiny fists.
"Fine," Glenn thought, releasing her arm. "Let's just go see Dumbledore again."
"Let's go, then," he said aloud.
Hermione grabbed his hand. "Hurry up! Time waits for no one!" she replied urgently.
Even as Hermione pulled him along, Glenn felt no annoyance. On the contrary, he found himself inexplicably happy.
Being led by someone else wasn't necessarily a bad thing—it depended on who was doing the leading.
And being pulled along by the soft and sweet-smelling Hermione? Glenn didn't mind at all.
...
Knock, knock—
"Professor Dumbledore, are you there? We have something to report," Hermione called softly as she knocked on the door to the headmaster's office.
The door opened.
The two stepped inside to find Dumbledore working at his desk. Four or five quills floated above the table, each scribbling on different letters. He appeared quite busy.
Even the portraits on the walls, usually noisy and chatty, were quietly minding their own business.
"Oh, welcome! Please, make yourselves at home. If you'd like a drink, just tell the tea table what you'd like, and it'll serve you. My apologies for not being able to greet you properly—I'm sure you understand," Dumbledore said, briefly glancing up to adjust his glasses before returning his attention to the pile of letters on his desk. "Now, Hermione, Glenn, what brings you here today?"
The two sat on the sofa but didn't order any drinks. Hermione got straight to the point, explaining their purpose and the analysis she and Glenn had conducted.
"We need your help, Professor Dumbledore. If possible, I think involving Professor McGonagall and the others would make things more secure," Hermione concluded.
Dumbledore looked up, his eyes filled with admiration and approval. Yet he sighed deeply.
"I see. Thanks to you and Glenn, I now understand the situation," Dumbledore said. "However, if this is the case, neither I nor the other professors can intervene. The key to resolving this lies in your hands."
"Why?" Hermione asked, confused. While she was happy to be praised by the headmaster, she couldn't understand why the professors couldn't help.
"If we professors take action, Slytherin's heir might panic and resort to desperate measures, putting Ginny's life in danger," Dumbledore explained. "But if it's you two, it's different. Slytherin's heir is unlikely to see you as a threat and may lower their guard, giving you the opportunity to find a weakness and defeat them."
"Oh…" Hermione nodded seriously, her brows furrowing as she began analyzing the situation in her mind.
Meanwhile, Glenn remained expressionless. He didn't believe a word of what Dumbledore had just said.
Quietly, Glenn turned his face toward Dumbledore, activating his heightened perception in an attempt to read the old wizard's true thoughts.
Naturally, he found nothing.
Like Glenn, Dumbledore had long since integrated a habit of maintaining a perfectly controlled expression into his daily life.
Noticing Glenn's actions, Dumbledore turned slightly and smiled at him.
Glenn silently deactivated his heightened perception.
"Forget it. Not worth it," he thought.
After a brief moment of internal debate, Hermione finally convinced herself. Seeing this, Dumbledore smiled contentedly.
"I will protect you in secret during your mission. Rest assured, I won't let anything happen to either of you," Dumbledore promised.
Hermione smiled, feeling much more at ease with Dumbledore's assurance. Her tension visibly eased.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. Glenn and I will get going now!" Hermione said decisively. She quickly stood, bid Dumbledore farewell, and dragged Glenn out of the office in a whirlwind of energy.
They came quickly and left just as quickly.
As the door to the office closed, Dumbledore's outstretched hand froze mid-air.
"…I didn't even get to tell them about the basilisk, the Chamber of Secrets, or how to destroy a Horcrux…" Dumbledore muttered, sounding somewhat resigned.
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