"For heaven's sake, I've told you a dozen times—go ask Professor Dumbledore and you'll have your answer! Why do you keep pestering me here?"
Hermione was utterly exasperated. Her patience had matured considerably after everything they'd been through. Now, witnessing someone's unreasonable tantrum only evoked the same irritation she'd feel toward a screaming toddler. She simply wanted this pest gone—she couldn't even summon proper anger anymore.
At least not yet. Hermione was nobody's pushover, and Glenn could practically see her fury levels climbing with her blood pressure.
"What does Dumbledore have to do with anything?! You're just deflecting! The right move is finding your cat and interrogating it."
Faced with Hermione's seemingly dismissive response, Ron wasn't buying it. In his mind, only one creature had motive to harm Scabbers—that hideous monster cat Hermione kept.
Who else would hurt poor Scabbers?
Sirius Black, perhaps? Really?!
Scabbers was just an ordinary old rat!
The thought that Scabbers might already be digesting in that monster cat's stomach—probably transformed into cat droppings and deposited somewhere by now—filled Ron with unstoppable grief and rage.
Sensing Glenn's arrival, Hermione whipped around, fixing him with helpless eyes.
This helplessness stemmed from not knowing how to handle a completely unhinged child.
Hermione(blinking): What do I do? I refuse to keep explaining. This guy won't listen to reason.
Glenn (pointing upward): Then let's go. Room of Requirement for studying.
Hermione(discretely indicating Ron): I suspect this lunatic will block our exit.
Glenn (drawing his wand): "Stupefy."
Hermione: ?
Neville: ?!
Harry, Seamus, Dean: ?!!!
"Thud—"
Ron crumpled instantly, his head striking the desk before sliding to the floor. Faced with Glenn's sudden ambush—Glenn having materialized from nowhere—Harry and company stood frozen. Neville quietly averted his gaze.
Hermione buried her face in her palm.
What possessed me to ask Glenn for help with something like this?!
"Ron!"
Harry rushed forward, hauling Ron upright and examining where he'd struck the desk. Finding nothing serious beyond a bump, he exhaled with relief, then turned to glare murderously at Glenn.
"Now we can leave."
Glenn didn't spare Harry a glance, instead addressing Hermione and continuing their previous eye-contact conversation.
"Now we absolutely cannot leave!" Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If she didn't know Glenn's personality so intimately and understand his reasoning, she'd assume this guy was deliberately provoking trouble.
Who simply arrives and immediately casts Stunning Spells without uttering a word—at least that's how everyone except Hermione perceived it!
Predictably, Glenn's actions were interpreted as pure provocation by Harry and the others. They immediately drew their wands, pointing them at Glenn.
Though they weren't entirely unified—Neville, for instance, kept his wand sheathed. He was already perspiring nervously.
"Wait, everyone calm dow—"
Blazing red light flooded the space just as Neville began restraining Harry and company, followed by three sharp sounds.
Glenn flicked his left hand, and three different wands that had been sent spinning through the air landed in his palm. The red light had been his Disarming Charm.
"—n..."
Neville's words finally concluded, but they'd lost all intended impact. The boy lapsed into silence.
Glenn's reflexes remained characteristically lightning-fast.
"Neville, help us! You're the strongest here!" Harry clutched his right hand, still refusing surrender. Noticing Glenn had ignored Neville and that Neville's wand remained undisarmed, he shouted desperately.
Neville paused thoughtfully, then said quietly: "Who exactly do you think I was telling to calm down?"
Harry and the others fell silent. Since Neville had phrased it that way, his warning must have been directed at their opponent!
"Spare me. This was supposed to be a rare peaceful day, yet troubles keep multiplying exponentially." Hermione gazed at the ceiling, hoping the blank white expanse would soothe her agitated nerves.
This should have been utterly straightforward. If only Ron—this stubborn, obsessed fool—could temporarily abandon his conviction that Crookshanks was the culprit behind Scabbers' disappearance and follow her suggestion to consult Dumbledore, none of this aftermath would exist.
Why did Hermione want him questioning Dumbledore directly?
First, Professor Dumbledore seemed deliberately containing this situation to prevent escalation, sealing all related information. Several people present didn't need entanglement with anything Peter Pettigrew-related, and besides, these guys were notorious gossips. Tell them this story, and the entire school would know within hours. Wouldn't that render Dumbledore's information lockdown completely pointless?
Second was simpler still—could these individuals truly set aside their preconceived notions about her and Crookshanks to believe her words? Compared to herself, Professor Dumbledore's testimony carried infinitely more authority.
But now look what had transpired. Glenn entered, stunned one person, disarmed three others, and escalated the entire conflict...
What manner of earthly torment was this? And why was she even considering these irritating brats? She wasn't their nursemaid!
She should simply drag Glenn away and call it finished.
...
Sigh...
Ultimately, Hermione couldn't steel herself for such ruthlessness. She retrieved Harry and company's wands from Glenn's grasp and tossed them back.
"Harry, bring Ron with us to see Professor Dumbledore. Actually, Scabbers' situation involves you somewhat as well."
"What? It involves me too? How?" Harry was utterly bewildered. He'd merely accompanied Ron for moral support in demanding explanations, but now suddenly the matter concerned him personally?
"It relates to ancient truths. You should understand." Hermione gave Harry a cryptic look that screamed "you know exactly what I mean," then pulled Glenn toward the exit.
"Neville, Seamus, Dean—you needn't know about this. Professor Dumbledore specified this matter requires absolute secrecy, restricted to involved parties only."
The girl added this parting comment. Harry remained somewhat mystified, but Seamus and Dean beside him had already transformed expressions.
We desperately want to know!
The two boys exchanged furtive glances, confirming identical thoughts.
They'd definitely extract this information from Harry and Ron afterward!
The pair continued their silent communication, unaware that Hermione had observed everything through sensory sharing via Glenn's enhanced perception. She couldn't suppress a cunning smile.
This maneuver—this was redirecting disaster elsewhere!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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