Chapter 85: The Letters

A few days after Glenn and Hermione returned from the Dragon Nation, they received a letter from Hogwarts detailing the textbooks they needed to purchase for the upcoming term.

"Let me see… The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2—oh, we already bought that last term. We can skip to The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 3 then… And… Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart… Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart… Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart… Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart… Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart… Wandering with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart… Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart?"

Lying on her bed, Hermione read through the list until her mouth went dry. Glenn handed her a glass of water, which she gratefully gulped down in one go.

"Why are there so many autobiographies by Gilderoy Lockhart on the textbook list?" Hermione asked, clearly puzzled.

Glenn, unfamiliar with the name, asked, "Who's Gilderoy Lockhart?"

Hermione pondered for a moment, seemingly choosing her words carefully. She flipped onto her back and replied, "An internationally renowned figure and author, recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class, an honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League… emmm, and some other less important titles I won't bother mentioning."

She paused before continuing, "From the interviews in newspapers and his books, it's clear that Gilderoy Lockhart is not only a writer but also a powerful wizard. One of my dormmates once shared one of his autobiographies with me. It vividly described his battles with various dark creatures. In the book, his prowess was impressive, and some of the techniques he used were actually quite practical."

Recalling Lavender's fervent and adoring expression while recommending Gilderoy Lockhart, Hermione shivered involuntarily.

Ugh~

Shaking her head to dispel the image, Hermione began explaining in detail some of the combat techniques she had read about in the book to Glenn.

"That does sound impressive," Glenn remarked after mentally simulating the techniques and scenarios Hermione described. He wasn't stingy with his praise.

"But why would Hogwarts require us to buy his autobiographies? Aren't those just storybooks?" Hermione was still confused. In her opinion, there was no apparent connection between Hogwarts and Gilderoy Lockhart.

Glenn pondered for a moment. Hogwarts wouldn't ask students to prepare books unrelated to their courses… but requiring multiple autobiographies from a single author? What could be the reason?

He couldn't figure it out either.

"I don't know. But if Dumbledore arranged it this way, he must have his reasons. Let's just follow the instructions and not overthink it. After all, we're not only studying Hogwarts' curriculum now," Glenn concluded. Speculating on such matters was pointless; it was better to spend more time learning Classical Chinese and starting on the contents of the Book of Magic.

The little girl nodded in agreement. "You're right. Let's not worry about it. But when should we go to Diagon Alley to buy these books?"

Glenn was about to suggest going tomorrow when a small, elegant owl with beautiful feathers flew in through the window, carrying a fancy-looking letter. It interrupted his train of thought.

?

The owl dropped the letter onto Glenn and gracefully perched on a nearby cabinet without leaving.

Was it waiting for a reply?

"Whose letter is that, Glenn?" Hermione rolled over to Glenn's side as if gliding, her eyes fixed intently on the ornate envelope in his hands, as if trying to see through it to discover the sender's name.

Why is the envelope so pretty? Could it be from a girl?

Strange thoughts began to bubble up in Hermione's mind.

Noticing the little girl's odd behavior, Glenn gently straightened her head so they could make eye contact.

Several strange emotions flowed into Glenn's heart.

What a peculiar feeling.

Glenn silently placed a hand over his chest. This emotion felt stifling, almost oppressive.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before. He made a mental note of it.

Hermione, forced to meet Glenn's gaze, grew flustered as she thought about her current emotions. She struggled against Glenn's hold, her small hands pushing at him in an attempt to break free.

Glenn released the now wary little girl and deduced the likely cause of her emotions: the letter from someone else in his hands.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Glenn asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Nothing," the little girl replied, turning her head away in a slight huff.

Glenn thought for a moment and decided to trust his instincts.

"Hermione, since you seem so interested in this letter, why don't you open it and read it for me?" Glenn suggested, handing the letter to her.

The little girl hesitated. After all, this was Glenn's personal correspondence, and it didn't feel right to intrude.

She sighed, about to refuse, but Glenn, anticipating her concern, simply placed the letter in her hands and said, "Don't worry about privacy or anything like that. I have nothing to hide from you in my conversations with others. Go ahead and read it."

Hermione turned slightly, catching sight of Glenn's earnest and passionate gaze. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away, her face flushed. Muttering something under her breath, she reluctantly opened the suspicious letter.

Glenn knew he had made the right call. In the brief moment their eyes met, he had felt the positive emotions of joy and excitement from Hermione through the bracelet.

Opening the envelope, Hermione's eyes went straight to the sender's name at the bottom. Upon recognizing it, she immediately lost interest. Without even reading the content, she handed the opened letter back to Glenn.

"It's from Draco. You can read it yourself," she said.

Glenn took the letter and skimmed through its contents.

It turned out that Draco had written to invite Glenn and Hermione to join him in Diagon Alley next Wednesday to purchase their second-year textbooks.

"Draco wants us to go to Diagon Alley next Wednesday. What do you think, Hermione?" Glenn asked, leaving the decision to her.

Hermione, bored, tapped Glenn's chest absentmindedly with her smooth little foot. "Whatever, it's fine. We don't have much else to do anyway."

Catching her restless foot, Glenn activated the Hand of Sorcery on his left hand. Draco's letter floated into the air, its ink shifting and rearranging into a new message:

[Alright.

—Glenn Hawthorne]

He placed the letter into a new envelope and handed it back to Draco's owl, which flew off into the distance with the reply. Glenn nodded, ready to move on to the next task.

Even though her foot was now restrained, Hermione continued to wiggle it. Glenn simply pulled her closer.

"Hermione, what was the emotion you just felt? Could you explain it to me?" Glenn asked earnestly. The feelings he had sensed through the bracelet were ones he had never experienced before, and he was eager to learn.

With such a convenient tool from his grandmother, Glenn wasn't going to let it go to waste. Not only could it help suppress his Obscurial powers through Hermione's positive emotions, but it was also a great way to learn about different emotions from her.

The little girl blushed as she thought about the silly things running through her mind earlier.

How could she possibly tell Glenn about that?

What was she supposed to say? That she was jealous?

Jealous of Draco, of all people?

No way. She'd rather die than admit that.

Hermione stubbornly turned her head away, pretending not to hear him.

Glenn leaned in closer to repeat his question, only to be pushed away by Hermione's small hands.

Undeterred, Glenn pinned her hands to the bed and continued his inquiry.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Glenn getting closer and closer. She panicked, finally realizing she could struggle.

She wriggled on the bed with all her might but couldn't escape Glenn's hold.

She could already feel his breath on her skin! Too close!

The little girl grew excited (crossed out) terrified, torn between resistance and surrender, as Glenn repeated his question right next to her ear. But she remained silent.

"Son, Hermione, look what I brought you—" Mrs. Hawthorne burst into the room, a bag of goodies in hand, only to freeze mid-sentence at the sight before her.

Hermione's dazed expression of feigned terror quickly turned into genuine horror.

"Oh—hahaha, sorry, excuse me, pardon me! Looks like I walked into the wrong room! Carry on, you two!" Gwen Hawthorne spun on her heel with the grace of a dancer, exiting as quickly as she had entered. She even kicked the door shut behind her on her way out.

The little girl lay frozen on the bed, staring blankly at the door. She had just witnessed Mrs. Hawthorne's flawless sequence of entering, making her presence known, and leaving—all in one smooth motion. And the woman had even politely closed the door on her way out.

"Click."

?

Was that… the sound of a lock?

It was definitely the sound of a lock!

Hermione vaguely heard Mrs. Hawthorne's excited voice echoing from downstairs.

Wait, Mrs. Hawthorne! Let me explain—no, let me deny everything!

Glenn, momentarily distracted by his mother's unannounced entrance, quickly refocused. He was far more interested in understanding those unfamiliar emotions.

Turning back to Hermione, he asked once again, "Hermione, what was the emotion you just felt? Could you explain it to me?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Hermione's frustrated scream echoed throughout the house.

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

"8 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.

Support for 200+ advance chapters:

patreon.com/DarkGolds"