As Draco fell unscious, the headless corpse of the Aantu colpsed with a thunderous crash, pinning Neville beh its massive body. A pu liquid seeped from the creature’s wounds, dreng him pletely.

  The Aantu’s blood was toxid slightly corrosive. Fortunately, Neville’s face had only been spttered with a few drops during his cle attack, causing no signifit harm. However, his body was entirely covered in the poisonous blood. Luckily, he was wearing the alchemically crafted tactical suit Glenn had given him, which provided temporary prote against the corrosion.

  But the suit wouldn’t hold up forever. Neville o free himself quickly, or he would face a sloainful death.

  Trapped beh the Aantu’s corpse, Neville was drenched in blood, his left arm pierced through. Thankfully, the creature’s body hadn’t pletely crushed him, leaving him just enough room to move slightly.

  “Haa… Diffindo.” He gasped for breath, his voice trembling with pain. After resting for a moment, he summohe st remnants of his magid cast a Severing Charm on the spider leg impaling his arm. The spell succeeded, cutting through the limb.

  Dragging his injured arm behind him, Neville crawled out from uhe Aantu’s corpse with great effort. Finally, he escaped its oppressive weight.

  He colpsed onto the ground, utterly spent.

  They had do. They had actually killed a Css 5X magical creature, even if it had already been severely weakened by Glenn.

  It was an unbelievable feat—somethiher he nor Draco could have ever imagined. It felt utterly surreal.

  Would anyone even believe them if they told this story? Creatures like this were so fearsome that even adult wizards would avoid them at all costs.

  Does Glenn face monsters like this every night? No wonder he’s so powerful.

  Neville’s thoughts grew muddled as his magic was pletely drained, and his injuries began to sap away his sciousness.

  “Am I going to die here? Glenn… why haven’t you e yet… Grandma… Mom… Dad…” His vision blurred, atered ily as his mind drifted.

  His eyes rolled back, and he slipped into unsciousness.

  Nearby, Glenn, who had been watg silently all along, finally lifted the Disillusio Charm and the Presence cealment Charm, revealing himself. He walked briskly to Neville’s side, pulling several potions from beh his cloak and p them down Neville’s throat.

  He carefully extracted the broken spider leg from Neville’s arm. The unscious boy flinched violently, but Glenn quickly sprinkled Dittany over the wound, sealing it. He followed up with a Blood-Replenishing Potion and ed the injury tightly with bandages.

  , Glenn turned his attention to Draco, whose legs were broken. He used a H Charm to lift Drato the air, stabilizing him.

  After administering a dose of Wiggenweld Potion and a numbing agent, Glenn gripped one of Draco’s legs firmly. Log the correct position, he applied force, realigning the fractured boh a siing crack. He repeated the process with the .

  Draco didn’t move. He looked utterly peaceful.

  Poor little dragon… pletely unscious now.

  Glenn pulled out a bottle of Skele-Gro and unceremoniously shoved it into Draouth, f him to swallow a rge gulp. With that, the treatment was plete.

  Both of them would o spend some time rec in bed, but that was no llenn’s .

  In Glenn’s eyes, their performaonight had already proven their worth.

  “Not bad. You’ve both got talent,” he remarked sio the two unscious boys.

  Initially, Glenn hadn’t expected them to kill the Aantu. Surviving for five minutes would have been enough to pass his test. But their performance had exceeded his expectations.

  “Lions and snakes, huh.” Glenn mused as he carried the two floating boys toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

  Neville and Draco’s fighting styles were por opposites. pared to Draco’s cautious and evasive approaeville was more ined to front his enemies head-on. While this made him appear reckless, it also showcased his bravery.

  Though perhaps his trembling legs and the inability to run earlier had pyed a role in f him to stay.

  But deep within, Neville possessed a fierce tenacity—a desperate, beast-like ferocity that emerged in moments of despair.

  A lion. A brave lion.

  His ce was endable, but reckless bravery was not without its fws.

  Draco, oher hand, had a pletely different style. He avoided direbat whenever possible, instead seeking opportuo strike decisively. If Neville was a warrior standing on the frontlines, Draco was an assassin or sniper, lurking on the fringes of the battlefield.

  This was quintessentially Slytherin. The ing little snake.

  Draco was selfish, unwilling to share the burden of damage with Neville. He ragmatic, prioritizing self-preservation and attempting to flee when faced with overwhelming odds. Yet, he was also rational. Even in the midst of panic, he forced himself to calm down. Realizing that Neville’s death would spell his own doom, he ultimately chose to take a gamble, devising a strategy to turables with a single, decisive blow.

  These two, so tradictory and opposed, had unsciously formed a synergy. Together, they had sin a mohat her could have defeated alone.

  The battle was a success. Based on what he had witonight, Glenn had already determihe general dire of their future training.

  “Don’t disappoint me,” Glenn said softly, his expression calm and unreadable.

  Exiting the Forbidden Forest, Glenn carried the two boys back to the castle. First, he brought Draco to the Slytherin dormitory, pg him on his bed and seg his legs with splints.

  Then, he floated Neville to the Gryffindor on room. Using the password Neville had given him earlier, he entered and located Neville’s bed. Casting a Sileng Charm to avoid disturbing the other boys, he gently peville down.

  The ryffindor boys were sprawled across their beds in various aositions, fast asleep. Glenn pced a few potions on Neville’s bedside table, along with a ailing how to use them, before quietly leaving the room. Of course, he didn’t fet to close the door behind him.

  As he climbed out of the Gryffindor on room’s entrance, Glenn suddenly felt a presence behind him.

  “Professor Dumbledore.” He turned and greeted the old wizard, sighing inwardly.

  Once again, he hadn’t noticed Dumbledore’s approach.

  Dumbledore’s expression was plicated as he looked at Glenn. He had witnessed everything tonight.

  “This is too much for them, and for you as well. You’re all just children,” Dumbledore said gently, his tone more like a ed elder than a reprimanding headmaster. “When trouble arises, we adults are here to bear the burden. There’s no need for you to push yourself so hard.”

  Both of them tacitly aowledged that Dumbledore was aware of Glenn’s nightly activities. Though the headmaster didn’t explicitly call out Glenn’s rule-breaking, it didn’t mean he approved of Glenn’s relentless self-training.

  He’s just a child. Why does he push himself to such extremes, sacrifig everything to grow stronger?

  Over the years, Dumbledore had e to trust Glenn pletely. Despite the boy’s cold and ruthless demeanor in battle, Dumbledore saw the purity in his heart—perhaps even more so than his peers.

  But why had Glenn, who grew up in a loving and normal enviro, developed into someone so... twisted?

  Emotionally, he was deeply fwed. Yet, buried within him, there was still love.

  He loved his parents, his friends, and everything he cared about. But he was also cold and uing, dealing with anything that might threaten those he loved with brutal efficy.

  This twelve-year-old boy was fighting desperately to climb to the pinnacle of strength, as if only by doing so could he protect everything he held dear.

  At any cost—even his own life.

  These two extremes had ed him into something unreizable.

  “Thank you for your prote, Professor. But you ’t shield us forever. Only by being stronger I feel secure. This is simply my way,” Glenn replied, his expression unging, his tone ued.

  “As for Neville and Draco, they chose to follow me in pursuit of strength. I will train them in my own way. If you wish, I eheir safety during training. But askio stop is impossible.”

  Neville and Draco were valuable allies for the future. Glenn saw no reason to waste such resources.

  “If they choose to withdraw, I won’t stop them. But, Professor Dumbledore, please don’t interfere with me or with them.” Glenn removed the bck silk c his eyes, revealing his abyss-like, pitch-bck gaze. He stared calmly at the old wizard.

  His eyes radiated a mysterious depth, like a bck hole pulling everything into its void.

  Azure blue eyes met pitch-bes, and the two stood in silence for a long time. Dumbledore showed no anger, only a deep sadness.

  He knew he couldn’t ge Glenn’s mind. There was nothing he could do.

  Dumbledore’s face twisted with a bitter smile as he nodded relutly, agreeing to Glenn’s request.

  He uood that even if he refused, it would make no difference. Glenn would carry ardless.

  “Thank you for uanding. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.” Glenn repced the bck silk over his eyes, turning and disappearing into the shadows.

  Dumbledore remained where he was, deep in thought.

  Maybe I should ask the professors to help Hermio closer to him. She might be the only one who rein him in.

  But no, if Glenn realizes we’re using Hermio’ll only make things worse.

  What a headache!

  Even someone as wise as Dumbledore couldn’t find a clear solution to save Glenn from himself.

  Perhaps time will heal all wounds. Let things take their course.

  He shook his head, lingering for a moment to watch Glenn’s retreating figure.

  That brat... staying up all night, ning two other kids into this mess. He’s really testing the limits of my old bones! I don’t have the energy to keep up with you three troublemakers!

  Dumbledore’s plex thoughts faded, repced by exasperation.

  Glenn, leaning on his staff, left the brightly lit corridors behind, strolling down the long hallway. His figure grew smaller and smaller until he disappeared into the darkness.