"You can use that potion you mentioned to change your gender and spend more time around Ginny," Hermione said, breaking the silence after calming herself. "But I have one condition... You must stay by my side the entire time and not wander off or look around, understood?"
"After all, you're a boy, and sneaking into the girls' dormitory is already wrong. If you also... if you also start looking around... Oh, just—just keep your eyes to yourself!"
The two discussed in detail what would happen once Glenn's potion was ready. When Glenn infiltrated the girls' dormitory in disguise, he wouldn't be able to wear the black silk mask he usually had on—it was too recognizable. This meant Glenn would have to rely on his own eyes to observe his surroundings.
But this worried Hermione. The girls' dormitory wasn't as tidy as people might imagine.
Girls naturally had a lot of belongings, and once they were in their dormitory, they let loose. For instance, their undergarments were often scattered everywhere. If someone else saw that...
It'd be utterly humiliating.
Well, maybe "utterly humiliating" was an exaggeration, but it would certainly shatter their image.
Take Hermione, for example. Back home, when Glenn visited her house, she always made sure her room was spotless, with everything neatly arranged. Why?
To leave a good impression on Glenn, of course.
But now, at Hogwarts, living with her roommates? Ha! Her bed was a complete mess. Her little vests and underwear were casually thrown on her bed, and her pink pajamas were crumpled into a ball by her pillow.
And Hermione was actually one of the tidier ones. At least she didn't sleep naked and still wore pajamas in the dormitory.
Most Brits didn't sleep naked, but there were exceptions. And in their dormitory, that exception was Lavender!
After her nightly bath, Lavender's clothes would fly off like a suit of armor being dismantled, leaving her in nothing but a pair of panties. She'd then dive into her bed like a swimmer, leaving only her head exposed.
Of course, Lavender also had a habit of playfully teasing her roommates. Their dormitory was often filled with giggles, screams, and the sounds of playful scuffles.
It was unimaginable!
At least Lavender repeatedly assured everyone that her orientation was perfectly normal. Otherwise, Hermione would have moved out of the dormitory ages ago!
Hermione couldn't help but cover her face with her hands. She made up her mind: if Glenn used this method to enter the girls' dormitory, she would have to keep a close eye on him.
Looking around indiscriminately is a surefire way to get into trouble!
And...
There was no way she was letting Glenn into their dormitory!
Hermione's face turned red, then pale, as her thoughts raced. Meanwhile, she continued rambling on, listing all sorts of rules and precautions for Glenn.
"Got it," Glenn said calmly. He didn't mind Hermione's demands. After hearing her concerns and thinking it over himself, Glenn decided to let Hermione take the lead in this operation.
If she said go east, he'd never go west. He'd follow Hermione's instructions to the letter.
In short, Glenn temporarily handed over his decision-making to Hermione, turning himself into a machine solely focused on gathering intelligence.
"The potion will still take some time to brew... I need to speed things up."
"Hey! Are you even listening? What I'm saying is really important! You have to remember all of this, or I won't let you use that method!" Hermione, noticing Glenn seemed distracted, poked him in frustration. "Answer me!"
"Okay."
"You were totally zoning out! You're driving me crazy!"
...
In the days that followed, Hermione would frequently check in with Glenn about the progress of his potion. Glenn, for his part, patiently updated her on his work every day.
Meanwhile, the rumors about Harry being the heir of Slytherin grew more and more outrageous. Having missed the best time to clear his name, Harry now found himself in a situation where, even if he jumped into the Black Lake, he couldn't wash away the accusations.
However, a small group of people still stood firmly by Harry's side, insisting the rumors were false.
Surprisingly, this included Draco Malfoy, Harry's arch-nemesis. Draco, leading a group of Slytherin students, staunchly opposed the rumors.
"So, there must be something going on between Draco and Harry, right?" Hermione whispered to Glenn, glancing at Draco, who was fuming nearby. "I mean, it's hard to imagine him defending Harry, even if his reasoning is a bit... off."
"There's no way Potter is the heir of Slytherin! That's absolute nonsense! Have those people lost their minds?" Draco was furious. He refused to believe that Harry could be a descendant of the great Slytherin.
A descendant of Slytherin sorted into Gryffindor?
Ridiculous!
If anyone looked like the rightful heir of Slytherin, it was Draco himself, not that scar-headed Potter!
This was an insult!
Unacceptable!
Draco ignored Hermione's teasing glance and turned his glare toward Harry, who was standing behind him.
To his annoyance, he noticed Harry and that Weasley were sneaking glances at him. When they realized they'd been caught, they panicked for a moment before brazenly glaring back at him.
What?
How dare they act all smug after getting away with it? And now they're challenging me?
Draco immediately...
...glared back.
This is class, for Merlin's sake. Focus.
I'll deal with you after class!
Draco snorted and turned back to his cauldron, focusing on his potion. Potions class was no joke—Professor Snape could appear out of nowhere, and Draco needed to stay sharp to avoid getting reprimanded.
"He's definitely feeling guilty," Harry whispered to Ron, using his cauldron to shield his face.
"Obviously. His whole family is in Slytherin, and Malfoy always brags about it," Ron muttered. "Just look at his rat-like face. It's obvious. They're all evil enough. I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to carry on Slytherin's legacy and purge Hogwarts."
"We need enough information to clear our names," Harry said. "We have to get Malfoy to talk!"
"But..." Ron hesitated, about to say something, when a large book slammed down on his head, cutting him off.
It was Snape.
Harry's head was next.
"Excellent... It seems Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have everything figured out, don't they?" Snape said coldly, his expression devoid of any warmth.
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