Fear? Impossible. That was mere exaggeration - how could the greatest wizard of the tury, a man who had lived for over a tury, have wasted all those years of experience?

  Yet, it was truly astonishing.

  "So Professor Snape was outmaneuvered after all," Dumbledore mused, his blue eyes twinkling thoughtfully.

  Glenn had shown nothing like this during his previous duel with Snape, where he had merely engaged in ventional spell bat.

  Watg as the dying giant spider's screams attracted a swarm of Aantus, and Glenn's distant figure making a strategic withdrawal, Dumbledore's expression grew increasingly plex.

  "Clever little devil," he thought, stroking his silver beard. "Hiding such abilities from us, and with such a ruthless streak too. If I didn't know there was still love in that heart of his, still people he truly cares for... well, I might have had to fine him to the Forbidden Forest right here and now."

  Dumbledore's fihoughtfully traced through his long beard as he pted.

  "Perhaps I should enlist the professors' help in young Miss Granger's cause? Get our young friend properly anchored in the boat of love?"

  In Dumbledore's mental assessment, Glenn's threat (or rather, nuisance) level quietly escated several notches.

  ...

  "You crafty old fox," Glenn thought, safely ba the castle. "Actually tailing me like that. If you hadn't leaked that tiny bit of emotional fluctuation at the end, I would never have detected you."

  Glenn had burst from the Forbidden Forest with every enha spell he knew activated. He truly hadn't expected Dumbledore, the esteemed Headmaster of Hogwarts, to have su peculiar habit of trailing first-year students.

  "Well, he isn't called the greatest wizard of the tury for nothing - his cealment was absolutely impeccable," Glenn reflected ruefully. Throughout the entire journey, he hadn't detected the slightest trace of the headmaster's presence.

  "Disillusioned and floating in the air, no wonder my staff couldn't sense anything on the ground."

  It was only in that final moment, when Dumbledore's surprise had bee evident, that Glenn had caught the briefest glimpse of that peing gaze.

  Glenn's intuition had saved his life tless times in his previous existence, and even more so in this magic-oriented world. Yet even with such finely-honed senses, he could only detect Dumbledore when the headmaster's emotions slightly wavered.

  He was nothing like the frail old man the Daily Prophet so often portrayed.

  "Old Dumbledore, keepis, are we?" Glenn's lips curled slightly, suppressing a shiver. He became even more determio learn the headmaster's cealment teiques - properly and officially, of course.

  e thehis be a mutual exge of knowledge!

  With such teiques, what target would be beyond reach?

  He could even outmaneuver Voldemort himself!

  Shaking off these thoughts that clearly didn't suit his current persona, Glenn hurriedly showered, donned his pajamas, aled into his meditation posture on the bed.

  Monday m, seven forty - Glenn opened his eyes precisely on schedule and began his m routine.

  He had arrao meet Hermione in the Great Hall at eight for breakfast, followed by a m walk before their first css at nine.

  After a quick but thh wash-up, Glenn, immacutely dressed in his school robes, left the Slytherin on room and headed upstairs to the Great Hall. Shortly after taking his seat, Hermione desded the stairs.

  "Good m," Glened, settling into ay spot at the Gryffindor table. Hermione handed him her bag and sat beside him, her eyes bright with excitement. "Good m! Our first css today is Transfiguration - I hardly wait to meet Professonagall properly!"

  The young girl's enthusiasm alpable, uandable since she hadn't seen her favorite professor in person for a year, their iion limited to correspondend academic queries.

  Hermione served breakfast, pg a portion beflenn while chattering animatedly about her experiences from the previous night, includiailed descriptions of the dormitory.

  However, wheopic turo her roommates, her excitement dimmed noticeably.

  "I offered to help them preview this year's material," she said softly, "but they didn't want to study with me." Her voice carried the hurt of reje - she had only wao help and make friends, but instead found herself fag the familiar specter of isotion.

  She had just wao belong.

  "Not everyone shares our enthusiasm for advaudy," Glenn said gently. "I'm ly an expert on social iions myself, but perhaps try a different approach? Observe what they talk about, find on is. Sometimes friendship starts with simply sharing versations rather than study sessions."

  Though irely fident in his social advice, he suggested that Hermione might try "mirr" as a way to ie into the group.

  While this method might create only an initial bridge, he trusted in Hermione's intelligeo build genuine es from there.

  He desperately wao prevent her from experieng the isotion she'd known in her previous schools - such loneliness could leave deep scars on a young soul.

  As for himself, being Muggle-born had already marked him for isotion among the Slytherins, but that was of little sequeo him.

  Glenn remained indifferent to their reje.

  Hermione sidered his words thoughtfully, her expressihtening slightly.

  They fiheir breakfast at a leisurely pace, walked together to the Transfiguration , aled in to review their textbooks.

  The stood empty, with nearly half an hour until the bell.

  Soon, measured footsteps approached, and Professonagall's voice rang out behind them, "Good m, you two."

  "Professonagall!" Hermione excimed, dropping her book iement as she turned.

  "Hermione, and Glenn - it's been quite some time," Professonagall smiled warmly, entering with her teag materials.

  "Good m, Professlenn aowledged with a respectful nod.

  The young witch eagerly retrieved a notebolenn's bag and was about to rush forward with questions when Magall raised a gentle hand to stop her. Seeing Hermione's crestfallen expression, Magall's smile softened. "We'll have plenty of time for your questions after css, dear. For now, I have something special prepared for your first lesson. But remember - this is our little secret."

  To Hermione's absolute delight, Professonagall executed a graceful twirl in mid-air, transf mid-motion into a tabby cat that nded lightly on the floor.

  Glenn watched in amazement as the feline Magall leaped onto the desk. Never had he entered a spell capable of suplete human-to-animal transformation.

  Hermione, with her passion for Transfiguration and encyclopediowledge of the magical world, recovered quickly from her initial shock. "An Animagus!" she whispered excitedly. "Yes, Professonagall is a registered Animagus!"

  Noting Glenn's puzzled expression, Hermione unched into a rapid expnation: "The Animagus transformation is one of the most advanced forms of Transfiguration. It allows a witch or wizard to transform into a specifiagical animal at will. Usually, each person only achieve one animal form. Currently, there are only seveered Animagi in Britain, and Professonagall is one of them!"

  Glenn absorbed this information thoughtfully.

  Su ability would be invaluable for surveilnd intelligehering.

  He made a mental o research this thhly in the library, study it iail.

  As for official registration?

  What registration?

  Official dotation was definitely not in his pns.

  Clearly, he would o dedicate even more effort to mastering Transfiguration.

  He gently pressed a fio Hermione's lips, stemming her enthusiastic lecture about famous Animagi and their forms - he'd noticed other students approag the .

  Professonagall had requested their discretion, likely wanting to surprise their cssmates with an unfettable first lesson.

  Hermione froze momentarily in fusion.

  What? Why had Glenn...?

  Then uanding dawned, but she still swatted his hand away with modignation. Though she uood his warning, she turned away with an exaggerated "hmph," pretending to bury herself in her book while fighting a smile.

  As nine o'clock approached, students filtered into the , their excited chatter filling the air as they wondered about their absent professor.

  The Slytherin students cast dark looks at Glened among the Gryffindors - the ohey had collectively decided to shun.

  Just as Harry and Ron burst through the door, breathing heavily from their rush to avoid being te, Professonagall made her dramatic felirahe transformation from cat to professor left the young witches and wizards spellbound, their fasation with magistantly heightened.

  "Transfiguration," she decred, her stern gaze sweeping the , "is some of the most plex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my css will leave and not e back. You have been warned."

  With that anding pronou, the first-years' magical education truly began.