LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 9 Some Classes and Letters
In the following days, first-year students attended their other classes, though many were still arriving late - unsurprising given Hogwarts' constantly moving staircases that would sometimes lead to completely unfamiliar places.
This, of course, didn't apply to Glenn and Hermione.
They had both memorized all the routes perfectly.
As for the classes 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 laying groundwork for future Divination classes. While Glenn showed little interest, Hermione thoroughly enjoyed admiring the beautiful night sky through the telescope.
History of Magic was taught by Professor Binns, a ghost who reportedly had forgotten to bring his body along one morning after falling asleep.
Now that was magical.
In class, Professor Binns droned on about history in his monotonous voice. Hermione, determined to memorize the textbook, kept up with his lectures, frequently taking notes. Glenn found himself intrigued by the spell usage described in various historical events, considering them worthy of study.
As for the other young wizards... they scribbled down names and dates haphazardly, unclear which belonged to what. Perhaps everyone was just trying to endure this first History of Magic class - Harry fighting to keep his eyes open, Ron's head bobbing like a pecking chicken, Neville secretly pinching 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 ancestry. His personality was utterly charming, and his abilities commanded respect.
Hermione had read that Professor Flitwick had won multiple dueling championships in his youth - he was a true combat expert and a hidden gem of a teacher.
Glenn's practical magic training had come from Professor Snape, with little interaction with Flitwick, so he was eager to learn different techniques from this professor.
Flitwick didn't disappoint. Even in these basic introductory lessons, he wove in his personal insights that Glenn found incredibly valuable.
"So slight changes in wandwork can affect a spell's power, angle, flexibility, and duration, even forming 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 organize my thoughts first, and you consider your own insights. We can discuss later, plus we need to start your practical spell combat training."
Glenn's magical studies leaned toward practical application, while Hermione favored theory - together they could achieve more than the sum of their parts.
"Fair enough." The little witch nodded seriously, her fluffy brown hair bouncing 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 lately, and while Glenn wasn't entirely sure what they meant, he knew they were caused by the adorable person before him.
It probably wasn't a bad thing, so he'd let it develop naturally.
Notably, since complaining to Glenn about her dormitory relationships, Hermione had somehow managed to improve things with her roommates.
Children could become friends quite quickly, after all.
Now Hermione ate meals with her roommates, leaving Glenn to enjoy his food under the curious gazes of a group of girls watching him like some fascinating magical creature.
A lone Slytherin snake frequently appearing at the Gryffindor table was strange enough.
Especially a boy - who knew what might be going on between him and their little Hermione?
Ooh, a forbidden romance between rival houses!
How exciting!
Even without his heightened senses activated, Glenn could feel their stares, but he remained calm, eating quietly. While uninterested in the girls' conversation, he focused his hearing on the nearby Gryffindor boys discussing Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Honestly, I think Quirrell's a fraud," Ron said, resting his chin on one hand while munching on a chicken leg with the other. "When Seamus asked him about how he defeated that zombie, he just mumbled and changed 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 dung fertilizer in the greenhouses.
Due to Voldemort's curse, the Defense Against the Dark Arts position had to be refilled every year as something always happened to prevent professors from continuing. This gave Dumbledore an annual headache in finding new teachers.
Quirrell was this term's new hire - a former Hogwarts student who had reportedly spent the past couple years researching something in Albania before recently 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 encountered who might return for him. He also wore a large turban wrapped 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 Sorting 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 considered monitoring the situation, but an inexplicable sense of danger pricking at his mind had made him abandon the idea.
Everything about it was strange - the man himself, that moment between 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 conclusions couldn't be drawn hastily. Following Occam's Razor, there was no need to 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 Snape. The professor seemed quite pleased about Glenn being sorted into Slytherin, his mood notably improved lately. Glenn sensed Snape's attitude toward him had warmed as well, though he kept insisting Glenn keep close watch on and suppress Harry Potter from Gryffindor.
Something fishy there.
One headache for Glenn 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 angered the young witch, but she didn't want Glenn speaking up for her - she was determined to earn Snape's respect on her own merits!
Hmph!
Even so, Glenn still faced his usual share of mockery and "training" - perhaps even more intensely than before.
Under the guise of "teaching you more techniques" and "maintaining high standards," Snape was likely getting back at Glenn for defending Gryffindor's Hermione instead of backing up his own Head of House.
After the "training," Glenn would take the opportunity to ask Snape about Defense Against the Dark Arts content. Snape would answer languidly, add a few casual insults, then physically toss Glenn out of his office, slamming 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 practicing alchemy, then share Snape's private Defense lessons with Hermione during their evening library sessions.
As they settled into this daily routine, Friday morning 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 Country and needs to return there for a while. As it happens, Chris and Tina (Hermione's parents' names) also need to visit there soon, so we've all decided to travel to China together. We won't be celebrating Christmas this year - instead, we plan to experience the Dragon Country's New Year "Spring Festival". You and Hermione will need to spend Christmas on your own, but when your term ends for summer holiday, we'll arrange for you both to come spend summer in the Dragon Country.
The package contains living expenses for you and Hermione.
That's all! >-o
Love,
Mom
Glenn 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 opened the package, roughly counting about 20,000 pounds inside.
Both families were quite wealthy, Glenn mused as he tucked away the package and letter into his waist pouch.
Beside him, Hermione's letter likely contained similar content, but why was her face so red?
Glenn said nothing, quietly watching Hermione's flushed cheeks while finishing breakfast. Their first Potions class of the term would begin soon.