After Glenn finished cleaning up, confirming that no traces of Dementor remains were left at the scene, he turned toward Hogwarts. He raised his left hand and cast a space-folding spell, teleporting through the void to arrive at the outskirts of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Upon landing, Glenn walked toward the main entrance. As expected, Hermione was already waiting there, waving happily at him through the evening gloom.
Dumbledore, who should have been beside Hermione, was nowhere to be seen—probably off dealing with some troublesome aftermath, no doubt.
Glenn approached Hermione, and the girl rushed straight at him, pouncing into his arms like an affectionate cat. Glenn spread his arms wide and caught his kitten steadily, letting her cling to him with obvious relief.
Taking advantage of the dark night, high winds, and drifting clouds that obscured vision, Hermione wasn't behaving herself while hanging on Glenn. Her hands roamed up and down, checking his body for injuries with methodical thoroughness.
"...Very good, no missing arms or legs," she declared with mock solemnity. "Then I hereby pronounce this mission a complete success—though my contribution was rather minimal."
"Hardly minimal," Glenn objected firmly. "Whether our timing for action and withdrawal was accurate depended entirely on your information relay."
In his view, obtaining and processing time-sensitive intelligence was among the most crucial elements of any operation, especially in situations like today where circumstances shifted every moment.
"Yeah, yeah, you're such a smooth talker," Hermione said, rolling her eyes adorably at Glenn. "I can't be bothered arguing with you anymore. Let's go enjoy dinner now—well, this barely counts as a victory banquet, doesn't it?"
She knew perfectly well that Glenn wouldn't lie to her, but this infuriating boy always only told half the story. If he didn't want her involved in danger, he should just say so directly. His intention was to protect her—it wasn't like she'd bite him for it.
Though the possibility was admittedly quite high. Hermione believed she wouldn't actually do such a thing.
Unless she couldn't help herself.
As Glenn walked alongside Hermione toward the Great Hall, she secretly pinched him the entire way—small, sharp little nips that made him wince. Fortunately, when they entered the hall, the girl just huffed and released her small hands with a satisfied air.
The timing was perfect. Hogwarts' dinner had only just begun, and in informal situations like this, not all the students arrived punctually. Glenn and Hermione's slight lateness passed entirely unnoticed.
The two acted as if nothing extraordinary had happened, chatting casually as they usually did when returning from the library. They found their respective seats and settled calmly into their chairs, showing no signs whatsoever that they had just participated in an event that violated dozens of Ministry laws.
Hermione was merely somewhat parched from talking too much. Glenn, however, was genuinely ravenous from the significant expenditure of physical strength and magical power. Still, he maintained his usual eating pace, chewing slowly and swallowing methodically, betraying no hint of abnormality.
The Mandrake leaves in their mouths remained troublesome, though. With each bite of food, both had to carefully ensure the leaves weren't accidentally swallowed—quite torturous, really.
Fortunately, they would be free of this burden tonight.
Although the alchemical devices worn around their necks assisted with speech, trying to eat while talking with Mandrake leaves tucked in their cheeks proved nearly impossible. Hermione reluctantly abandoned her long-established habit of dinner conversation, instead using magic to write on parchment.
"...But you're absolutely mad, using Obscurus form to cushion your fall from that height. Did you ever consider that failure would have turned you into a puddle of mashed flesh?"
The words appeared in her neat script as she spooned soup into her mouth, her gaze fixed on Glenn with clear displeasure.
"Since I planned to attempt it, I was fully prepared," Glenn's response materialized on the parchment as he cut into his steak with practiced precision. "What you're describing simply couldn't happen."
Since Glenn seemed confident about the matter, Hermione decided not to press the issue. She huffed softly and changed topics.
"You got one thing wrong, though. When you checked the carriage situation after landing, those Aurors weren't rescued by Ministry reinforcements. Someone else was responsible."
"I wasn't aware of that. Who?"
"Guess."
"I won't."
"..."
"Fine. It was Sirius and Professor Lupin. When the Ministry reinforcements returned with the Aurors who'd been escorting Pettigrew, I overheard several of them discussing it."
"I also slipped into the medical wing using a Disillusionment Charm while they weren't watching. Sirius and Professor Lupin's injuries were far worse than the Aurors'—especially the burns. I think they found those Aurors you and Professor Snape had Stunned before the Ministry reinforcements arrived, and rescued them despite the flames."
"Sirius collapsed from magical exhaustion. Professor Lupin didn't lose consciousness, but he's still in werewolf form. The fur on his back was almost completely singed by fire, while the Aurors only suffered smoke inhalation. Lupin probably used his massive werewolf body to shield them from the flames. He really is a good man."
Good old Lupin rated extremely highly with Hermione—testament to the professor's excellent character.
"I see..." Glenn paused his eating momentarily, considering this information. "I suspect their motivation for being there matched ours exactly—they intended to intercept Pettigrew during transport."
"Oh!" Hermione's eyes widened as the implication struck her. "That means we disrupted their plan?"
"Not our concern, but this outcome actually benefits them," Glenn replied with a slight shrug.
"Consider this: a former Azkaban prisoner who just had twelve years of wrongful charges cleared, and a werewolf generally unwelcome in wizarding society, rescuing endangered Aurors before Ministry reinforcements could arrive. What do you think would happen to their reputations if this story reached the papers?"
Hermione's expression brightened considerably. "Put that way, it really is rather fortunate."
She decided to abandon this line of discussion.
"Speaking of which, where's Professor Snape?"
"Probably attending to personal business. Such as using magic to ensure Pettigrew—"
Hermione quickly moved the parchment away, cutting off Glenn's inappropriate speculation.
"That's quite enough. Let's focus on our dinner."
"Right."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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