"Professor, y?" The day after the troll i, Glenn visited Snape's office alone following Potions css.

  During the lesson, he had distinctly noticed Snape's awkward gait and pronounced limp. Perhaps he had been ihe previous night.

  Could it have been... the creature behind the door on the fourth-floor corridor?

  He decided to iigate.

  Snape's face darkened instantly at Glenn's words. How had this boy mao be so observant?!

  Bst it, the boy had witnessed his moment of vulnerability.

  Elimihe witness (not really)

  "Don't ask questions that aren't your ," he snapped coldly, unwilling to eh Glenn and preparing to dismiss him from the office.

  Some knowledge was dangerous to possess, and he had no iion ing Glenn, an uninvolved party, into Dumbledore's maations.

  However, to his surprise, Glenn didn't follow the expected line of questioning. Instead, he cut straight to the chase, suctly stating the clusion he had drawn the previous night.

  "Professor Quirrell is trying to achieve something behind that sealed door on the fourth floor, isn't he?"

  Snape's expression shifted. How did Glenn know about this?

  Surely Dumbledore hadn't decided to draw the boy into this scheme!

  That meddlesome old bee, could he be so ruthless?

  Dumbledore: I'm i!

  Silently cursing Dumbledore's irresponsibility, Snape asked icily, "Did Dumbledore tell you all this?"

  Glenn's lips curved into a slight smile. "It's merely a dedu based on avaible information, Professor."

  ......

  Snape: Damn it

  He had let his guard down.

  Seeing Snape's dark expression, Glenn remained unfazed. He proceeded to expin his plete theory, including his and Hermione's experience from the previous day.

  Snape fell silent, flenn's dedus were spot-on. When he had reached that door, the Cerberus had already been awakened by someone and was lurking silently behind it, waiting viciously for the return of whoever had disturbed its sleep.

  Unfortunately, Snape became the scapegoat. The momeered, that cursed Cerberus lu him. The only sotion was that the trapdoor remained firmly secured beh the beast's weight - Quirrell hadn't succeeded, though Snape's leg had paid the price.

  The Cerberus's saliva tained properties that inhibited physical healing. Potions couldn't immediately repair the injury. For now, he could only roughly ba and wait several days for the residual saliva to depose before proceeding with proper treatment.

  As a result, every step Sook caused his robes to brush against the wound, leading to his spicuous limp.

  At least only Glenn had noticed his promised state - a small mer an unfortuuation.

  "Don't tell anyone else. This information isn't meant for young wizards like yourself. It's dangerous."

  "And don't iigate! No one guarantee your safety if you do!" Snape warned menagly.

  Glenn readily agreed but ventured one question: "I'm not ied in what Quirrell's trying to do, but Professor, could you tell me what kind of creature it was?" He merely wao know what could have injured Snape.

  Not realizing he was rubbing salt in the wound, Glenn noticed the increasingly dark expression on Snape's fad sehe atmosphere turning sour. Assumiion, he prepared to take his leave.

  "A Cerberus," Stered after a moment's silence, before shooing him out.

  Leaving Snape's office, Glenn had no desire to iigate the fourth floor. Instead, he went to the library, found information about Cerberuses, heir characteristid abilities, a it at that.

  ......

  As it turned out, the Cerberus beloo Hagrid.

  Well, that was ued. Glenn discovered this when he saw Hagrid carrying a bucket of fresh meat into Hogwarts one night during his spider-hunting expedition in the Forbidden Forest. The day, when Gleio to Hagrid, the gentle giant actally let it slip.

  "Don't worry, Hagrid. I'm not ied in what's inside, and I won't tell anyone. Dumbledore won't bme you, but if you really want to keep this secret, you should be more careful with your words." Glenn reassured the remorseful giaedly, advising him to be more discreet.

  He had only mentiohe word "Cerberus"!

  Was the rumor true that Hagrid was raised oaserum?

  Though he couldn't recall any dotation about prolonged effects from overption of Veritaserum. Perhaps it was due to Hagrid's unique stitution?

  It seemed his knowledge of potions still needed work. He made a mental o practice more.

  As Hagrid began muttering to himself, Glenn quickly slipped out of the hut. No way - if he stayed any longer, he'd learhing. Time to ru Dumbledore deal with these matters. He o find Hermione.

  ......

  Sinber's arrival, the weather had grown increasingly cold. Their study location had shifted from the library to fortable sofas before the warm firep the Room of Requirement.

  Currently, Glenn's favorite activity was studying with Hermione, cuddled together. He couldn't expin why, but it felt wonderful - a fortable serenity and an indefinable feeling.

  But it felt good, making Glenn feel tent and peaceful.

  They both tacitly accepted their closeness, bming it on the cold.

  It really was quite cold. To keep the young girl warm during winter, Glenn worked te into the night to add a heating fun to the protective charm he'd given her as a birthday present. Now Hermione was like a walking hot water bottle, with girls clustering arouo determiheir seating positions during css.

  If you wao find Hermione in css, you only o look at the ter of the de tration of girls.

  Even Professonagall, when she had nothing else to d Transfiguration css, would transform into a cat and jump into Hermione's p for warmth. This delighted the young girl, who was both honored and thrilled.

  She loved cats, and she admired Professonagall - it was a double blessing.

  The boys could only watviously, too embarrassed to push through the girls to pete for positions. They could only yearn for the warmth that leaked from the circle of chirping girls, catg what little heat escaped.

  But what did this matter to Glen invariably beside Hermione in every css, enjoying both his alchemical creation and the soft, sweet presence of little Hermiohis made the freezing boys even more envious.

  Why did he get to be so warm? Traitor to all boys!

  (Boys! Is this all you care about!)

  This envy reached its peak during Potions css.

  The cold, damp dungeon became even chillier with November's temperatures, and the young wizards had to prepare themselves for shivering through each lesson.

  Here, the students' desire for warmth reached its zenith.

  The Gryffindor boys gred angrily at Glenn - why should this Slytherin enjoy the warmth reserved firls! Why?!

  Traitor to all boys!!!!!!!!!

  Glenn: Wouldn't you like to know.

  He had inally thought Snape, who wore only thin bck robes in winter, was some special being immuo cold. But after Glenn upgraded Hermione's charm, Seag position ged from the podium to the seat on Hermione's other side, much to the distress of the Gryffindirls.

  They wao stay warm, but the old bat was sitting there. As for driving him away...

  That was impossible - he rofessor after all!

  To prevent his Head of House's popurity from plummeting further among the students, Glenn had to take out one of the Christmas presents he had prepared for the professors and give it to Snape early - indeed, Glenn had prepared heating devices for all the Hogwarts professors who taught him, including Dumbledore, and had also given one eaadam Pince, who specially looked after him and Hermione in the library, and their big friend Hagrid.

  Clearly, Snape appreciated this, slowly yielding the seat beside Hermione while openly awarding Glenn many points.

  Snape: All acc to pn.jpg

  The girls who wao get close for warmth were very grateful, though they wished Glenn would give them ooo.

  Faced with the eager gazes of the young witches, Glenended not to notice. He was thinking: dream on.

  Oh, he was wearing bck silk anyway, so they couldn't see his expression.

  Never mind then.

  Apart from this, the days were peaceful, with no troublesome is like the troll event .

  This satisfied Glenly - no days were more wonderful than ordinary ones.

  Worth mentioning was that the Slytherins he had beaten up were gradually preparing to duel with him. However, due to the approag annual inter-house Quidditch tour at Hogwarts, they hadn't made any moves yet. Glenn had already arraimes - they would duel with him successively after the Quidditch matches ended.

  Seeing the upper-year snakes flexing their muscles, they had apparently prepared well, rec from their trauma after beien. They started making threats to Glenn again, seemingly ready to stake their blood status pride on redeeming themselves. This included Draco, who had been w incredibly hard tely and finally gathered the ce to challenge Glenn. He even sought training from Snape occasionally, attempting to master more dueling spells to improve his ces of victory.

  He just didn't uand why Snape kept smiling at him. Could it be! The professor had faith in him?

  Draco was very excited, suddenly feeling his future was full of light!