Chapter 14: Random Thoughts

Hermione was angry, no doubt about that, but leaking secrets was something she would never do. Even if Draco's request for secrecy put her own house's Quidditch team at a disadvantage, well, they were friends, weren't they?

"This means our team's chances of winning are pretty slim," Hermione said with a frown. Last year, Gryffindor's score had already fallen far behind Slytherin's, and if Harry hadn't caught the Golden Snitch at the last minute, they would've lost miserably. This year, Slytherin's Quidditch team had even upgraded their gear, which only added to Gryffindor's pressure. "I just hope Angelina and the others can withstand the pressure. As for the points we might lose, I'll make up for them myself as compensation for keeping their secret."

Hermione clasped her hands together, silently praying for her house's team. She had also come up with a way to feel better about the situation: since she had promised Draco to keep their secret weapon under wraps, she would take responsibility for the points Gryffindor might lose and do her best to make up for them.

That's what the little girl told Glenn. Although he thought Hermione didn't need to go that far, she seemed determined, so he didn't try to persuade her otherwise.

After all, even without this particular situation, the little girl would still do everything she could to earn points for Gryffindor and help win the House Cup.

Different paths, same destination. It made no difference.

"Let's go study. Let's try to finish analyzing the rest of the Memorial to the Throne today," Hermione said, deciding to focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about what lay ahead. "What do you think, Glenn? Same plan as before?"

"Sure," Glenn nodded. His plan was to multitask: while working on the protective badges he had promised Dumbledore for the Dueling Club, he would also study Classical Chinese with Hermione. Multitasking wasn't a problem for him; he could make those badges with his eyes closed. Not that he actually closed his eyes—his main focus was still on studying the text.

"I'm actually looking forward to the Dueling Club. By the way, can I make a suggestion about the ranking system you mentioned before? I have some ideas," the little girl said, swinging Glenn's hand back and forth as they walked toward the Room of Requirement. Glenn had previously mentioned that the future Dueling Club would have rankings and a leaderboard, which had sparked some thoughts in Hermione's mind.

"As long as it's something I can do," Glenn replied. He always tried to meet the little girl's requests, though he hoped it wouldn't be beyond his capabilities.

"Hmm, it shouldn't be a problem, right? I was just thinking about adding something to the leaderboard, like customizable pictures or something. It would make it more fun," Hermione said, touching her chin as she thought about her idea.

"Avatars?" Glenn asked, quickly grasping what the little girl wanted. It wasn't a difficult task—just a matter of adding some alchemical devices to display images next to names on the leaderboard. Making them customizable might involve linking them to the dueling badges.

It reminded him a bit of the assassin leaderboards from his previous life.

"Oh, right, avatars! Glenn, with your skills, you should be able to pull it off, right?" The little girl's eyes sparkled, as if she could already see her own cute name and adorable avatar at the top of the leaderboard.

"I can. If I can't, I'll ask Grandma for help," Glenn replied calmly, fully embracing the philosophy of seeking help when needed.

Hermione silently gave him a thumbs-up in approval.

"By the way, when are we going to use the Teleportation Door to visit Grandpa and Grandma?" Speaking of Grandma, Hermione remembered the Teleportation Door they had received. The two of them had been too busy to find time to use it to return to China.

"I think weekends would be best. And it's better to contact Grandpa and Grandma before we visit. They're very busy during the school term and might not be at the courtyard," Glenn analyzed the situation seriously. Although they had the Teleportation Door and could technically visit anytime, their grandparents were often busy—one running one of the top guilds in China, the other serving as the head of the Artificer Department at the North China School of Sorcery and the country's top Artificer. Plus, school was in session. "But not long from now, on our birthday, which falls on a Saturday, I think we could go to Grandma and Grandpa's place to celebrate. We should let them know in advance and invite our parents to join us."

Hermione raised both hands and feet in agreement with this suggestion.

The little girl was very fond of her grandparents. After spending an entire summer with them, she had grown attached to them. The distance between them, with the two kids in England and their grandparents in China, only deepened the sense of longing Hermione felt after leaving them.

Fortunately, the existence of the Teleportation Door could change that. It gave her the opportunity to visit often, to spend time with her grandparents, and to have family gatherings even while staying at Hogwarts.

Yes, since Glenn and Hermione had received a specially crafted long-distance Teleportation Door from Lin Yingqing, naturally, Alan and Gwen had also been given one to connect to the courtyard.

Lin Yingqing and Antin had been planning this for a while. Now that Alan and Gwen were aware of sorcery, there was no need to keep it a secret. With that in mind, Lin Yingqing made it her mission to use every sorcery tool at her disposal to ensure the safety of her son and daughter-in-law.

Lin Yingqing's mastery of crafting sorcery devices was unparalleled. She concealed the spatial fluctuations of the Teleportation Door, effectively bypassing detection by the British Ministry of Magic. She even created a spatial passage to the Hawthorne residence and, on the same day, made extensive modifications to their home. Defensive sorcery, protective devices, and defensive arrays were installed in abundance. Outwardly, the Hawthorne house appeared as an ordinary residence, but inside, it was fortified like a fortress. Thanks to the concealment devices, not a trace of magical energy leaked out.

The same treatment was extended to the Granger household next door. Lin Yingqing didn't hesitate to replicate the setup. After all, nothing was more important than family safety, and crafting sorcery devices was second nature to her.

Glenn and Hermione had already learned about this through Dumbledore, who acted as a messenger.

"I've heard that Hogwarts is the safest place for young wizards, but now, thanks to my humble sorcery devices, I'd like to see how it measures up," Hermione read aloud from the letter, marveling at its contents. "Grandma is so confident. Professor Dumbledore, Glenn and I haven't seen the modifications she made. What do you think?"

Dumbledore wasn't offended. He chuckled warmly, his half-moon glasses glinting with wisdom. "China's top Artificer truly lives up to her reputation."

Dumbledore's praise wasn't limited to Lin Yingqing's crafting skills; it extended to her actions as well.

Lin Yingqing's "smuggling" of the devices had bypassed the British Ministry of Magic, but she had informed Dumbledore. Clearly, she had considered many factors.

It wasn't just because Dumbledore was a friend of her elders and her grandson's professor. Lin Yingqing had likely learned about the current state of the British wizarding world through her own channels—the Ministry's corruption and the tension between Dumbledore and the Ministry. Her actions represented her personal stance, though not that of the Lin family or China as a whole. China's policy was non-interference in foreign affairs.

On a personal level, however, Lin Yingqing's support for Dumbledore was clear. It was a gesture from Lin Yingqing as an individual, a grandmother, and a mother, unrelated to her status as the Lin family's prodigy or China's top Artificer.

As for what the British Ministry of Magic might think? That wasn't her concern. Let them discover her actions first. Even if they did, there wasn't much they could do about her.

Confront her? They wouldn't dare.

Restrict her? They couldn't.

If the Ministry found out about Lin Yingqing's actions, given their current state, they'd be better off pretending they hadn't. Trying to intervene would only bring trouble.

After all, Lin Yingqing had once dared to storm into Britain alone to rescue Antin. Many of the companies that had swallowed up the Hawthorne enterprise had ties to the wizarding world, some even backed by the Ministry. Yet Lin Yingqing had returned to China unscathed with Antin.

The British Ministry of Magic had demanded her extradition, even sending Aurors across the sea to capture her.

But nothing came of it.

At the time, the Lin family was furious over the attack on Lin Yingqing. Her father, then the future chairman of China, refused to entertain the Aurors' requests and turned them away at the border.

"You failed to capture my daughter, and now you want us to hand her over? Really?"

"And do you even know who she is? Trying to mess with the Lin family? Get lost."

The message was sent back to the British Ministry, and the matter was quietly dropped.

Pursuing it further would only backfire.

Back to the present, Lin Yingqing's strength had only grown. The Ministry truly couldn't touch her. Informing Dumbledore, however, was a different matter. It was a gesture of trust and support for him as an elder. The implications were vast and complex, but we won't delve into them here.

"Your grandmother is very good to you and your family," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard with a smile.

"Of course she is!" The little girl puffed out her chest, hands on her hips, proudly declaring that she already considered Lin Yingqing her own grandmother.

"Indeed," Glenn agreed with a nod.

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