HP: Wizardry’s a Hassle, Wand in the Right Hand, Gun in the Left

"Hey! Glenn! That's so rude..." Hermione smiled as she tightly covered Glenn's mouth. Her lips didn't part, yet her suppressed voice clearly reached Glenn's ears.

"Although it's true that Professor Dumbledore appeared at this exact moment, it's only because he was worried about us getting hurt."

As expected, Glenn had predicted Dumbledore's arrival before their operation even began.

"Even though what we said back then was a bit offensive to Professor Dumbledore, Glenn's guess was spot on..." the young girl muttered internally.

Of course it was. Glenn didn't believe for a second that Dumbledore wouldn't be secretly monitoring the situation. Based on last year's experience and how he handled things, Glenn had initially been suspicious. But the book about magical creatures that appeared in her sight on the eve of their operation confirmed her suspicions.

The Heir of Slytherin, the Chamber of Secrets, and the Basilisk—Dumbledore had probably figured it all out long ago. His inaction was likely because he was plotting something.

Glenn couldn't care less about all that. Danger, missions, targets—her style was to resolve them as quickly as possible.

It felt like Dumbledore was playing chess with Voldemort, and the chessboard happened to be on Glenn's path. Then Dumbledore invited Glenn to join the game.

And Glenn? She'd flip the chessboard over with one kick and walk away without looking back.

When Hermione saw that Glenn had no intention of speaking further, she let go of the hand covering his mouth. After all, they were now surrounded by allies, with two professors present. Tom Riddle's diary had also been sealed by Glenn again. Feeling safe, Hermione removed her hood, taking a deep breath of the crisp, cold air.

The young girl still wasn't used to having her face covered—it felt stuffy and uncomfortable.

Glenn also pulled down his hood and the mask covering his face, dispelling the Disguise Charm on both of them.

"...Who are you?"

Professor Snape squinted, glaring at Glenn.

He had already noticed something was off when Glenn spoke earlier. That voice had sounded...

...strange?

Well, now it wasn't just the voice that was strange. Even his appearance had changed.

...

...This wasn't just a simple change in appearance!

This sweet-looking transformation had even changed his gender!

Finally, Snape realized where all those questions Glenn had asked him earlier had been applied.

"You... went to all that trouble just to sneak into the Gryffindor girls' dormitory?"

Snape immediately saw through Glenn's actual motive for researching the Gender-Swap Potion.

Clearly, Glenn had started researching this potion long before the Chamber of Secrets incident. So where his thoughts had been directed was obvious.

Unlike Hagrid, who was too shocked to speak, Dumbledore, having already been surprised once before, remained calm.

"Professor Snape, there's no need to put it so harshly. Glenn did this more to resolve the situation and save Ginny from Tom's control."

"Though perhaps the Gryffindor girls' dormitory's protections do need an upgrade..."

This last remark was quieter.

Snape snorted, choosing to ignore Dumbledore's playful second comment.

"Even now, you still call him Tom?"

The old bat crossed his arms, his face cold as he questioned.

Dumbledore simply sighed softly, shaking his head without elaborating further. But Hermione could see the complex emotions hidden deep within the old man's bright blue eyes behind his half-moon glasses.

Seeing that Dumbledore had fallen silent again, Snape lost interest in pressing him further. He glanced at the lounging Norbert, who was resting behind a sheepish Hagrid, then walked over to the long-dead Basilisk's massive corpse.

"As agreed, we'll split the materials from this Basilisk fifty-fifty." Snape crouched beside the enormous body, his wand already in hand, ready to start extracting potion ingredients.

"Alright," Glenn replied.

This was the agreed-upon price for having Snape oversee the operation. Even though Snape hadn't actually intervened, his presence at the scene was enough to fulfill his responsibility in Glenn's eyes.

Snape froze for a moment, his expression turning disdainful.

"You're better off keeping your mouth shut. That voice of yours is unsettling."

After a brief pause, Snape added, almost reluctantly, "…Also, give me a copy of the data and recipe for that potion you developed."

"Sure," Glenn replied again.

Snape snorted, then focused on dissecting the Basilisk to harvest its potion materials.

Seeing the conversation between Glenn and Snape come to an end, Dumbledore spoke up.

"Glenn, may I take a look at Tom's diary?"

"I'd like to confirm something."

Glenn nodded.

"Sure, but remember to return it when you're done. This is Hermione's and my spoils of war."

Dumbledore was speechless, caught between amusement and exasperation.

"Glenn, do I look like someone who'd steal from young wizards?"

"Don't worry, the diary will ultimately belong to you and Hermione. But I do need to know what you plan to do with this... well, dark artifact."

"Come on, don't be so stingy." Hermione sighed, tugging at Glenn. She felt like she was babysitting. "Professor Dumbledore isn't that kind of person."

Then she turned to Dumbledore.

"It's fine, Professor. Take as long as you need to study it. Just, um, try to keep the diary intact, along with whatever's inside. I think Glenn wants to research it or something."

"Of course, I'll make sure Glenn doesn't do anything reckless!"

As she spoke, Hermione patted her chest confidently.

"Yes, I trust you can handle this, Hermione."

Dumbledore smiled warmly, nodding at her before turning his gaze to Glenn. The latter remained expressionless as the black box containing the diary floated into Dumbledore's hands.

Dumbledore nodded slightly at Glenn, then, with a hint of seriousness, touched the diary and opened it.

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