In the following days, first-year students atteheir other csses, though many were still arriving te - unsurprising given Hogwarts' stantly moving staircases that would sometimes lead to pletely unfamiliar pces.

  This, of course, didn't apply to Glenn and Hermione.

  They had both memorized all the routes perfectly.

  As for the csses themselves, some seemed less magical than expected. Every Wednesday night, they had Astronomy at the top of the tower, where they studied celestial bodies and their movements through telescopes - supposedly ying groundwork for future Divination csses. While Glenn showed little i, Hermiohhly enjoyed admiring the beautiful night sky through the telescope.

  History of Magic was taught by Professor Binns, a ghost who reportedly had fotten t his body along one m after falling asleep.

  Now that was magical.

  In css, Professor Binns droned on about history in his monotonous voice. Hermione, determio memorize the textbook, kept up with his lectures, frequently taking notes. Glenn found himself intrigued by the spell usage described in various historical events, sidering them worthy of study.

  As for the other young wizards... they scribbled down names and dates haphazardly, unclear which beloo erhaps everyone was just trying to ehis first History of Magic css - Harry fighting to keep his eyes open, Ron's head bobbing like a peg chi, Neville secretly ping his thigh, while Draco had simply fallen asleep on his desk.

  Charms was taught by Professor Flitwick, a rather short man rumored to have some goblin ary. His personality was utterly charming, and his abilities anded respect.

  Hermione had read that Professor Flitwick had won multiple dueling championships in his youth - he was a true bat expert and a hidden gem of a teacher.

  Glenn's practical magic training had e from Professor Snape, with little iion with Flitwick, so he was eager to learn different teiques from this professor.

  Flitwick didn't disappoint. Even in these basitroductory lessons, he wove in his personal insights that Glenn found incredibly valuable.

  "So slight ges in wandwork affect a spell's power, angle, flexibility, and duration, even f distinct systems... The wand clearly does more than just assist and enhance spells," Glenn mused to himself. Hermione, sharp as ever, noticed his thoughtful expression.

  "What did you learn? Share, now." It was more demand than request.

  "...This isn't something to rush. Let me anize my thoughts first, and you sider your own insights. We discuss ter, plus we o start your practical spell bat training."

  Glenn's magical studies leaoractical application, while Hermione favored theory - together they could achieve more than the sum of their parts.

  "Fair enough." The little witodded seriously, her fluffy brown hair boung in a way that made Glenn want to ruffle it.

  He suppressed the urge as soon as his arm started to rise. These impulses had been increasing tely, and while Glenn wasirely sure what they meant, he khey were caused by the adorable person before him.

  It probably wasn't a bad thing, so he'd let it develop naturally.

  Notably, sinpining to Glenn about her dormitory retionships, Hermione had somehow mao improve things with her roommates.

  Children could bee friends quite quickly, after all.

  Now Hermioe meals with her roommates, leaving Glenn to enjoy his food uhe curious gazes of a group of girls watg him like some fasating magical creature.

  A lone Slytherin snake frequently appearing at the Gryffindor table was strange enough.

  Especially a boy - who knew what might be going oween him and their little Hermione?

  Ooh, a forbidden romaween rival houses!

  How exg!

  Even without his heightened senses activated, Glenn could feel their stares, but he remained calm, eating quietly. While ued in the girls' versation, he focused his hearing on the nearby Gryffindor boys discussing Defense Against the Dark Arts.

  "Holy, I think Quirrell's a fraud," Ron said, resting his on one hand while mung on a chi leg with the other. "When Seamus asked him about how he defeated that zombie, he just mumbled and ged the subject."

  "Plus he only teaches theory, hardly anything about actual defense against dark arts," Harry agreed.

  Neville wore a pained expression, finding the garlic smell emanating from Quirrell even worse than the dragon duilizer in the greenhouses.

  Due to Voldemort's curse, the Defense Against the Dark Arts position had to be refilled every year as something always happeo prevent professors from tinuing. This gave Dumbledore an annual headache in findieachers.

  Quirrell was this term's new hire - a fwarts student who had reportedly spent the past couple years researg something in Albania before retly returning. Seeing the job posting, he had applied to teach.

  There was something odd about him though. Beyond his peculiar attire, he reeked of garlic - supposedly to ward off a vampire he'd entered who might return for him. He also wore a rge turban ed round and round his head, which gave off a strange smell of its own, and refused to remove it under any circumstances.

  But most importantly, there was what Glenn had observed during the S Ceremony.

  Why had there been that almost imperceptible flicker of soul energy between Harry Potter and Quirrell? If Glenn hadn't been especially sensitive to soul energy from his alchemy studies, he likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.

  Glenn had sidered monit the situation, but an inexplicable sense of danger prig at his mind had made him abandon the idea.

  Everything about it was strahe man himself, that momeween him and Harry, and how someone of his apparent caliber had been chosen by Dumbledore to teach such a crucial subject as Defense Against the Dark Arts.

  But clusions couldn't be drawn hastily. Following Occam's Razor, there was o multiply entities unnecessarily. The term was long - any issues would reveal themselves in time.

  Still, Defense Against the Dark Arts was essentially a write-off this term.

  At least Glenn still had his dear Professor She professor seemed quite pleased about Glenn being sorted into Slytherin, his mood notably improved tely. Glenn sensed Snape's attitude toward him had warmed as well, though he kept insisting Glenn keep close wat and suppress Harry Potter from Gryffindor.

  Something fishy there.

  One headache flenn though was Snape's increasing tendency to provoke and mock Hermione.

  Glenn had no choice but to protect her from excessive exposure to Snape's verbal venom.

  Snape's smugness really ahe young witch, but she didn't want Glenn speaking up for her - she was determio earn Snape's respe her ows!

  Hmph!

  Even so, Glenn still faced his usual share of mockery and "training" - perhaps even more intehan before.

  Uhe guise of "teag you more teiques" and "maintaining high standards," Snape was likely getting back at Glenn for defending Gryffindor's Hermione instead of bag up his own Head of House.

  After the "training," Glenn would take the opportunity to ask Snape about Defense Against the Dark Arts tent. Snape would answer nguidly, add a few casual insults, then physically toss Glenn out of his office, smming the door shut.

  Glenn took it in stride, being used to it by now. He'd process the knowledge in the Room of Requirement while practig alchemy, then share Snape's private Defense lessons with Hermione during their evening library sessions.

  As they settled into this daily routine, Friday m arrived.

  "Hoo hoo" - During breakfast, as they chatted casually, an owl flew in, dropping off a package and two letters.

  The package was for both of them, while the letters were from their respective parents.

  Glenn opened his envelope and began reading:

  Dear Glenn,

  Your father has some business in the Dragon try and o return there for a while. As it happens, Chris and Tina (Hermione's parents' names) also o visit there soon, so we've all decided to travel to a together. We won't be celebrating Christmas this year - instead, we pn to experiehe Dragon try's New Year "Spriival". You and Hermione will o spend Christmas on your own, but when your term ends for summer holiday, we'll arrange for you both to e spend summer in the Dragon try.

  The package tains living expenses for you and Hermione.

  That's all! >-o

  Love,Mlenn took a deep breath.

  He felt a pressure in his chest, with too many points to criticize to even know where to begin, though Glenn wasn't one for criticism anyway.

  He silently swallowed his feelings and opehe package, roughly ting about 20,000 pounds inside.

  Both families were quite wealthy, Glenn mused as he tucked away the package aer into his waist pouch.

  Beside him, Hermione's letter likely tained simir tent, but why was her face so red?

  Glenn said nothing, quietly watg Hermione's flushed cheeks while finishing breakfast. Their first Potions css of the term would begin soon.