A plane was parked on the runway, its engines humming as the in-flight broadcast played safety instructions before takeoff.
"Ladies and gentlemen:
Our plane will be taking off shortly. Please cooperate with the cabin crew for safety checks. Fasten your seatbelt, stow your tray table, and return your seatback to the upright position. Passengers seated by the windows, please assist by opening the window shades…"
Early in the morning, the two of them had arrived at the airport and boarded the plane, ready to head to China.
Since they were traveling abroad, they decided not to bring Crookshanks along and left him in the care of Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall, being a cat lover, gladly accepted the request without hesitation.
Seated by the window, Hermione attentively listened to the safety instructions and obediently opened the window shade. As sunlight flooded in, the young girl squinted her eyes against the brightness.
Seeing this, Glenn took off the sunglasses he was wearing and placed them on Hermione. He guessed that once the plane stabilized after takeoff, Hermione would likely want to press her face against the window to enjoy the view.
The weather today was quite nice, with clear skies. The sunlight was a bit harsh, so it was better to let the little girl wear the sunglasses.
Glenn was dressed in a casual outfit picked out by Hermione: gray trousers paired with a plain white T-shirt, giving him a clean and neat appearance. His bangs slightly covered his eyes, and his long, wavy hair draped over his shoulders. His fair complexion added a touch of artistic charm.
At this moment, he had already put away the alchemical silk gifted by old man Nicolas. Such attire was too conspicuous, and Glenn didn't wear it outside Hogwarts.
However, he couldn't figure out why Hermione insisted he wear a pair of sunglasses.
If Hermione knew what he was thinking, she would have secretly stuck out her tongue.
After being altered by the Obscurial, Glenn's eyes had become increasingly mysterious, especially after being nourished by Nicolas' alchemical device. Neither of them could understand what exactly had happened.
Glenn, however, considered it a good thing. Since his eyes were altered, he could now vaguely see the flow of magic. Over time, the images of magical energy became clearer.
This ability was incredibly useful. It allowed Glenn to predict what spell an opponent was about to cast or to discern the magical circuits within enchanted objects.
But the little girl clearly didn't see it that way.
Her reason was simple: Glenn's eyes were just too captivating. Even for her, who had grown up with Glenn and witnessed the changes in his eyes, it was hard to resist. She would find herself momentarily entranced and feel an overwhelming urge to cling to him.
Fortunately, Hermione had strong willpower—or perhaps she had grown accustomed to clinging to Glenn—so she quickly snapped out of it.
Still, she pretended to be mesmerized and threw herself onto Glenn for a good cuddle.
When Glenn asked about it afterward, the little girl angrily insisted it was all Glenn's eyes' fault, adamantly refusing to admit otherwise.
The Slytherin wizards, however, understood the situation. Their attitude towards Glenn had shifted from simple reverence to something bordering on fanaticism—all because of his eyes.
That's why Hermione decided Glenn had to wear sunglasses to cover his peculiar eyes.
Just in case some weirdo tried to kidnap him.
Of course, that was unlikely.
But I'm still going to do it.
Glenn's eyes are for my eyes only. Hehe.
…
Darn it! When did I start thinking like this?
Glenn, obliging Hermione's request, wore the sunglasses. At this moment, he handed them to the little girl so she could enjoy the view outside the window. He wasn't interested in such things anyway, so he simply closed his eyes.
"It's about to take off. You can look later," he suggested when he felt the plane begin to move.
Hermione obediently sat back in her seat. Today, she was wearing a casual white floral dress and a pair of sandals. The hem of her dress reached her knees, revealing her smooth calves. Her feet barely touched the ground, dangling in the air and swinging back and forth, exuding the pure charm of a youthful girl.
(Ah, there was supposed to be an illustration here, but I can't find it!)
Although her hair was still loose, the protective charm Glenn had given her maintained a comfortable temperature around her. Even in summer, it kept her cool.
As the plane began its ascent, the two of them felt the pushback, pinning them to their seats. Glenn remained unfazed, but the little girl was different. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
During the brief moment of weightlessness as the plane climbed, Hermione let out a soft gasp, followed by a light giggle.
(I have to admit, even as the author, I still enjoy that weightless feeling when flying. ?o ? o?)
"This feels so fun! I think I like it," Hermione said, tugging on Glenn's sleeve to share her thoughts.
"That's the feeling of falling," Glenn replied after a moment of thought.
Hermione fell silent.
This guy! How could he kill the mood so easily?
It's a good thing I'm the only one who can keep a conversation going with him.
Once the plane stabilized, the little girl lost interest in Glenn, pressing her face against the window to admire the scenery outside. She seemed quite excited.
Glenn didn't mind. If he guessed correctly, the little girl would soon…
Sure enough, after a while, Hermione grew bored of the view. The scenery above the clouds remained unchanged, apart from the shifting shapes of the clouds.
Feeling bored, she rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
Hmm, there's only one thing left to do.
Take a nap!
She raised the armrest between herself and Glenn, removed the sunglasses she was wearing, and placed them back on Glenn. Without asking for his opinion, she grabbed his arm and hugged it tightly, using him as a pillow to sleep.
Glenn had no objections. He called over a flight attendant and requested a blanket to cover both himself and Hermione.
The flight attendant, seeing the two of them snuggled together, smiled warmly.
Glenn nodded to her in gratitude.
With nothing else to do, Glenn settled into his position and closed his eyes to rest.
The flight lasted thirteen hours. During that time, Glenn woke the little girl to eat, drink water, and use the restroom.
After a few hours of sleep, Hermione didn't want to sleep anymore. She felt uncomfortable from sleeping too long, and any more sleep would make her dizzy.
Besides, they'd need to adjust to the time difference after arriving in China, and sleeping too much now would make it harder to fall asleep later.
That said, Hermione didn't want to move. She lazily clung to Glenn, no longer sleeping but not letting go of him either.
Now that she was well-rested, Hermione started pestering Glenn. Since they couldn't talk about magic in front of the Muggles on the plane, she asked him to teach her some Chinese phrases.
"Her…mione Granger?" The little girl stammered as she tried to pronounce her name in Chinese. Though her pronunciation was a bit off, she quickly memorized it after Glenn repeated it a few times.
Even if she didn't fully understand, Hermione was excellent at rote memorization. Mimicking Glenn's pronunciation was relatively easy for her.
"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger. I'm from England. It's nice to meet you. I'm very cute, please compliment me." Hermione, having practiced a few times, managed to recite the entire sentence. She believed she had mimicked Glenn's pronunciation quite well and proudly tilted her head up, resting it on Glenn's shoulder with a satisfied smile.
After memorizing a few short phrases, she pestered Glenn to teach her how to greet people. Glenn thought for a moment before teaching her a specific phrase.
Glenn looked at the little girl leaning close to him, her head tilted up, her pink lips just inches away. His usually calm heart seemed to ripple slightly, as if a pebble had been dropped into still water, stirring a strange impulse within him.
But Glenn wasn't someone with weak willpower. He leaned in slightly before stopping himself, silently returning to his original posture, though he still lingered on the sensation he'd just felt.
"Glenn, did I say it right? Also, what does this phrase mean?" Hermione asked, looking at Glenn with curiosity and anticipation, hoping for praise.
The woman seated on Glenn's other side, who appeared to be Chinese, overheard Hermione's practice and her question. Watching the interaction between the two children, she couldn't help but smile warmly.
Hermione noticed the woman's expression and became even more curious about the meaning of the phrase she had just learned.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Glenn explained the meaning of the phrase to Hermione.
The little girl fell silent. She buried her face in the blanket, hiding from view.
Hermione touched her face. It felt so hot. If only she had a mirror, she was sure she'd see her face turning red.
It's all Glenn's fault, making that lady laugh at me!
In her embarrassment, Hermione pinched the soft flesh on Glenn's waist with her small hand.
Finally, after thirteen hours of travel, the plane landed at the airport in Beijing, China. By then, it was completely dark, and the clock had already passed midnight.
As Dumbledore had mentioned, no Chinese officials responsible for foreign wizard immigration greeted them upon arrival.
With that, they felt free to leave.
Following the crowd, Glenn protected Hermione as they retrieved their shared suitcase and headed toward the airport exit.
According to their parents, Glenn's grandfather was supposed to pick them up.
The problem was, Glenn had no idea what his grandfather looked like. According to his father, his grandparents had always lived in China, and his grandfather had never brought his grandmother back to England. Glenn, in this life, had never been to China and had no impression of his grandparents.
What now? The unreliable adults didn't even bother to send a photo of his grandfather, only their vacation pictures.
So unreliable.
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