Neville and Draco walked away dejectedly. Even when their friends came to congratulate them on their exam results, they could barely force a smile.
While smiling was impossible, screaming seemed quite tempting.
They never imagined they would have to continue training during the holidays.
Both stared down at the parchments in their hands, covered in Glenn's meticulous training schedules. Being thoughtful, Glenn had prepared separate schedules to ensure they wouldn't forget.
How "considerate" indeed.
More like heartless! Glenn, where's your mercy? We're just children!
Their dreams of a relaxing summer vacation instantly shattered.
Neville's situation was slightly better. Knowing he needed to help his grandmother care for his parents, Glenn had given him a lighter schedule.
Draco's case was different. As he carefully examined his schedule, his legs trembled. What kind of inhuman arrangement was this? Besides essential daily activities, only two hours of free time remained - training in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
The stark contrast in emotions proved too much. His vision went dark, and he collapsed, promptly caught by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Boss, are you okay?" "Quick, to the hospital wing!" They rushed him away, supporting him between them.
Glenn couldn't care less. He had distributed the schedules - whether they followed them or put in the effort was their choice. If they didn't meet the standards and got eliminated, that would be on them.
Several days passed, and as departure day approached, farewell sentiments grew heavier throughout the school.
Hermione declined all summer invitations from her friends. Several sensitive young witches burst into tears, asking if she disliked them. Caught between laughter and exasperation, she quickly explained - she actually wanted to go, but she and Glenn had to visit their parents in the Dragon Nation.
Indeed, as their mothers' letters had mentioned, they would spend their summer vacation there.
Since those letters, they had been receiving countless travel photos from both families. Their parents seemed to be traveling non-stop - Glenn and Hermione had accumulated quite a stack.
This irritated Hermione.
Weren't they supposed to be there for business? Why hadn't they stopped traveling?
The photos were practically overflowing!
What annoyed her most was that her parents had never taken her abroad. During "business trips," they always left her at Glenn's house, often for a month or more.
But now, seeing Glenn's mother's letters and photos, Hermione suspected that when her parents claimed to be working, they were secretly vacationing without their adorable daughter!
How else could Glenn's mother praise them as experienced travelers?
She had absolutely no memory of such experiences!
Someone had been deceiving children!
Just to have couple time, they'd abandoned their precious little girl at the neighbors'...
Where was the love?!
Hermione was utterly indignant, strongly condemning these terrible adults.
"We could ditch them and go exploring ourselves," Glenn suggested.
Hermione perked up, pursing her lips thoughtfully before nodding vigorously.
"But we don't know anything about the Dragon Nation," she frowned. "Where should we go? We can't venture too far."
Glenn shrugged helplessly. Though he'd been on missions worldwide in his previous life, especially in the Dragon Nation, he had zero tourist experience.
During missions, who had time to appreciate scenery?
"We'll figure it out when we get there. But how are we getting there? By plane?" Hermione's eyes sparkled - she had never flown before.
...Just thinking about it made her angry again. Her parents must have flown countless times!
With nothing else to do, they went to sunbathe by the Black Lake. The temperature was perfect - warm but comfortable.
As they chatted idly, Hermione had a thought.
"Glenn, what do you think wizards are like in the Dragon Nation?" She was quite curious. Thanks to Glenn's father, there were many Chinese books at his home. Though she couldn't read them, Glenn would read her historical stories and teach her simple phrases like "nǐ hǎo" and "zǎo shàng hǎo."
But those were Muggle books with no mention of the magical world.
Now that she knew magic existed and they were visiting, her curiosity was piqued.
Glenn shook his head blankly. Though he'd grown up there in his previous life, most of his cultural knowledge came from his father's books in this life.
An assassin raised from childhood had no time for such things. Between kills and missions, studying unrelated topics was fantasy.
Let alone wizards, whom he'd never encountered before.
"How come you don't know anything?" Hermione asked several questions, but Glenn couldn't answer any. Exasperated, she squished his confused face between her hands.
...Actually, it felt quite nice - though lean, still soft and squishy.
She seemed to remember something and released him. "I read in 'British Wizard Immigration Regulations' that foreign wizards must register with the Ministry before entering. The Dragon Nation must have similar rules."
"We should ask Professor Dumbledore first, to prevent any issues," she suggested.
Glenn agreed - he hadn't considered this. Hermione was always quick-witted.
They reached the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office. Spotting Glenn, it immediately jumped aside.
Hermione was surprised. From her frequent visits, she knew a password was required. Why was today different?
When Glenn explained his past interactions with the gargoyle, she was speechless.
No wonder it jumped aside at sight of him.
Who could endure someone methodically reading an endless password list with a straight face?
Classic Glenn.
They climbed the stairs and entered after Dumbledore's permission. The moment they sat, Hermione got straight to the point.
She received both confirmation and praise.
"Indeed, Hermione. Foreign wizards must register with local magical authorities when visiting another country. Very impressive that you thought of this."
"Thank you, Professor!" she beamed proudly.
"However, young wizards needn't register in advance, as most don't know this requirement. Without prior registration, you'll simply be stopped at arrival for verification. Once cleared, you'll be free to go," he explained.
Winking, he added, "Though this only applies to young wizards. Adults who enter unregistered are immediately detained."
Hermione listened attentively, nodding her understanding.
Glenn remained silent. They couldn't contact the Dragon Nation's Ministry themselves. While not registering wasn't serious, it would be inconvenient.
Reading his thoughts, Dumbledore smiled. "I have a friend there with Ministry connections. I'll handle your registration." He patted his chest reassuringly. Before them, he seemed less the stern headmaster and more a kindly grandfather.
Glenn wasn't surprised. As Britain's greatest wizard of the century, such connections were expected.
But this was still a favor.
"Then you needn't pay what we agreed upon," Glenn said.
He meant the 10,000 Galleons for the Voldemort-Harry incident.
Dumbledore paused, smiled wryly, and said nothing.
Seeing Glenn's silence, he sighed and agreed.
It wasn't distrust - Glenn simply didn't understand genuine kindness or care.
He still saw everything as transactions.
Dumbledore understood this could only change with time.
The confused Hermione wasn't pleased. Lost in their cryptic exchange, she frowned, pouted, and stared them down, hands on hips.
Glenn feigned blindness.
Dumbledore laughed nervously, avoiding her gaze.
If she learned he'd given Glenn such a dangerous task, wouldn't this protective girl yank out his beard?
"Oh my, I just remembered something urgent in Paris," he suddenly recalled, slapping his forehead apologetically.
"Sorry to cut this short. Don't worry about registration - I'll handle everything. You can rest assured," he smiled, winking as he snapped his fingers.
Nearby, Fawkes opened confused eyes from his nap.
Fawkes: Isn't it a holiday?
Dumbledore: Never mind that, come quickly.
Resignedly, Fawkes flew to his shoulder. Man and phoenix vanished in flames.
After they left, Glenn felt Hermione's knowing smile.
Glenn: ...