Chapter 36 - Quirrell's Sneaking Around

BANG!

A flash erupted from the gun barrel, illuminating the white smiling mask beneath the cloak's shadow. Red and white matter splattered across the surrounding wall.

It had been a while since Glen's last visit to Knockturn Alley. He wore a new disguise, with his equipment completely upgraded through alchemy and inscribed with various protective magical circuits.

He was literally armed to the head.

Quite literally to the head indeed.

Glen had put tremendous effort into his mask. Made from the hardest material he could currently transmute through alchemy, it was inscribed with a series of stealth-oriented spells including presence elimination, perception blur, and facial reconstruction. The process had left him bedridden for three days, recovering his magic that had been nearly depleted.

He had almost become a Squib.

Thankfully, the reliable Hermione had taken good care of him. What a dependable girl she was!

Now with the holiday nearly over and his resources from the first half of the year almost depleted, Glen had finally found an excuse to come out alone without telling the little girl. Yet no sooner had he entered Knockturn Alley than he was ambushed by another would-be robber.

Glen expertly cleaned up the scene and looted the body, adding another wand to his collection - he now had over ten ownerless wands for daily use and research.

Were all dark wizards this bold? What gave them the courage to attempt murder and robbery on an unfamiliar face? Was it Leann Rimes?

Though perhaps these people were truly desperate.

But what did that matter to Glen? If you choose to attack others, you should be prepared to face the consequences.

Survival was cruel - it's either you or me.

Glen.Convinced.jpg

Setting up his blanket in the black market area, he began selling the various potions he'd accumulated over the past half year.

He needed substantial funding now, not just for buying things for Hermione, but also for acquiring rare metals for his alchemy research. Mithril, with its mystical properties, was particularly precious - despite spending a fortune in Galleons, he'd only managed to obtain a small piece so far.

His current daggers and cane blades were still too weak, requiring frequent replacement.

A night of chopping giant spiders would leave them blunted.

Speaking of the Forbidden Forest's Acromantulas, Glen had noticed before leaving Hogwarts that they'd discovered their rapidly disappearing numbers. Their spider brains couldn't process much, so they'd resorted to sending out their weaker members in groups, forming communication lines - if one was attacked, nearby spiders would rush to help.

This made it troublesome for Glen to select teaching materials for Neville and Draco.

There were still some wild troll groups and Red Cap colonies in the Forbidden Forest. He could try those instead.

As Glen pondered, his potions sold one by one, filling his depleted coffers back up.

After placing orders for metal materials at the shops in Diagon Alley, Glen prepared to head home. But in the Leaky Cauldron, he sensed a familiar presence.

Quirrell.

Like himself, Quirrell wore a black cloak that shrouded him in shadows.

Someone dressed like that sitting openly at a corner table in the Leaky Cauldron might as well have "SUSPICIOUS" written on their face.

But what about Glen? Wasn't he dressed the same way?

No, no, no - he had removed his disguise as soon as he left Knockturn Alley. His attire was completely different from when he'd first entered Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. After switching to another disguise, his mask's alchemically inscribed "cognitive interference" and "facial reconstruction" spells - though still imperfect - altered his facial features and bearing. Unless someone knew him well, they couldn't see any resemblance to Glen's original face.

But that only worked on strangers. People familiar with him could still recognize him if they looked carefully.

These two spells were Glen's self-created, incomplete versions based on his research into the magical circuits of the Confundus Charm and human transfiguration spells. While he was quite proficient with the Confundus Charm, his human transfiguration was lacking - he could barely manage minor facial adjustments.

Transfiguration really held him back, but Glen truly had no talent for it.

Back to Quirrell - since confirming his ill intentions and his search for something at Hogwarts, Glen had become wary of him. He needed to prevent any dangerous actions that might threaten or accidentally harm the little girl.

What about Quirrell's actual goal? That wasn't Glen's concern.

He continued observing Quirrell's behavior patterns, including his stride frequency, step length, height, arm span, body type, and other external human characteristics.

His observations further confirmed that Quirrell was hiding something.

Quirrell was putting on an act - his every movement was fabricated, but they were transparent to Glen's rich experience and enhanced perception.

Human disguises are always less natural than normal behavior. Even master imposters leave traces. As someone who had successfully completed various infiltration and assassination missions in his previous life through disguise techniques, Glen was clearly a master of deception, and he understood the limitations of these skills.

Through daily observation, Glen had stripped away Quirrell's disguises layer by layer, memorizing his true physical characteristics. No new disguise could fool Glen now.

Currently, Quirrell sat with his hands clasped, fingers occasionally stretching and curling, his lower legs restless against the floor. The hooded head slightly turned from time to time, observing the surroundings.

He seemed to be anxiously waiting for something.

Glen was in no hurry to leave. He approached the counter, changed his voice to greet old Tom, paid for an iced lemon water, and sat down in a crowded area. Casually crossing his legs, he pretended to read today's newspaper while secretly expanding his enhanced perception to cover Quirrell's corner.

Soon, Glen's eyebrows raised as Hagrid's presence entered his perceptual range.

Hagrid was coming from Diagon Alley, carrying various items, some of which could only be found in Knockturn Alley.

Glen keenly noticed Quirrell's posture change - his feet stopped fidgeting as he slowly stood up, but hesitated to approach, seemingly pondering how to naturally start a conversation with Hagrid.

He needed to appear natural; even someone as thick as Hagrid would grow suspicious otherwise.

After all, these were sensitive times, and even the simple-minded giant would maintain some vigilance.

Hagrid continued walking without pause, heading straight to the fireplace during Quirrell's moment of hesitation, and used the Floo powder.

"Hogwarts," he said, and his massive frame disappeared in the green flames.

Quirrell: ...

He raised his hand slightly in futile restraint, finally shaking his head and collapsing back into his chair.

"So Hagrid's the target?" Glen pondered, continuing to sip his iced lemon water through a straw inserted through his mask's mouth hole.

"He wants to extract information from Hagrid, probably about dealing with the three-headed dog behind the fourth-floor corridor door." Considering Hagrid's connection to the three-headed dog and Quirrell's objective, his purpose became obvious.

Having seen enough and finished his drink, Glen stood up and left the Leaky Cauldron.

He made a mental note to warn Hagrid when returning to Hogwarts, given how the giant seemed to have been raised on Veritaserum - Glen firmly believed this rumor.

Glen reached an open area and raised his wand.

With a "BANG," the Knight Bus arrived promptly.

Though the ride was extremely uncomfortable, it was undeniably convenient. When not traveling with Hermione, Glen preferred the Knight Bus's speed over conventional transportation.

By early evening, near dinnertime, Hermione pushed open her front door with her backpack. Glen had almost finished preparing a sumptuous dinner.

While Glen was at Diagon Alley, the little girl had no other plans and spent a rare day at the town library, enriching her knowledge. Glen had seriously told her that both wizarding and Muggle knowledge were important to learn - mastering both was the best approach. Although mystical powers seemed more powerful now, Glen, living in the 21st century, knew well that technological power and human development couldn't be underestimated. Each had its merits, but undeniably, while wizard power development had stagnated for long, Muggle technology was advancing rapidly. It was impossible to judge which was superior.

So why not master both?

That was the assertion of Hermione "Academic Elite" Granger and Glen "Barely Academic Elite" Hawthorne.

Satisfied after absorbing knowledge all day at the library, Hermione returned home and thoroughly cuddled Crookshanks, who had come running at the sound of his little master's footsteps. Glen's voice called from the kitchen: "Last dish coming up, go wash your hands first, it'll be ready soon."

Hermione kicked off her shoes and ran to wash her hands in her white stockings. When she sat obediently at the dining table, Glen emerged from the kitchen in his apron, carrying a steaming dish.

She naturally took the dish, and after Glen returned from the kitchen with bowls and chopsticks, the two humans and one cat began their meal. Hermione shared what she had learned from books today, while Glen offered his perspectives on this knowledge.

When they were together, it seemed their topics would never end.

"Tomorrow's the end of the holiday, time really flies," Hermione said, sitting backwards in her chair watching Glen wash dishes.

She wanted to help with the dishes, but Glen had refused, citing that dishwashing liquid would damage her skin. So she could only wait outside to keep him company.

"Once we're back, exams will be coming up soon. Let's compete again to see who can get first in the year," the little girl said, pumping her fist enthusiastically, even though exams were still more than ten weeks away.

"Mm, so what are the rules this time?" Glen asked as he placed the clean dishes on the rack. In their occasional competitions, they always let Hermione set the rules, like reward and punishment systems.

It could be understood as their little couple's game.

"Haven't thought about it yet, maybe just like before - whoever gets first place can ask the other to do one thing," Hermione replied, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Like before?" Glen asked.

"Mm, like before," Hermione smiled.