The news of Hermione being admitted to the hospital wing quickly spread across the entire campus.
The young wizards were abuzz with gossip, and everyone naturally assumed she had been attacked.
"Just look... Harry and Ron even attacked Hermione! Truly despicable scumbags, worse than beasts!"
The duo's danger index instantly soared by five percentage points. Their reputation hit rock bottom and showed no signs of recovery, there was even the risk of total ruin.
Isn't that exactly what it was?
As Harry and Ron walked down the hall, someone ambushed them with a bag over their heads, all while shouting, "Justice shall be served!"
English is such a broad and profound language, but the translation boiled down to that meaning.
Aside from being beaten senseless, they also had to endure sneak attacks, pranks, and ambushes. All the hardships and tears that Quirrell endured last year were now being revisited upon the two of them.
Thus, a new round of school-wide cold-shouldering and silent bullying began.
However, thanks to Moaning Myrtle's "reporting," the narrative quickly shifted.
Students lined up outside the hospital wing, eager to catch a glimpse and see if Hermione had really turned into a cat-girl!
William had no choice but to conjure a thick curtain and hang it around Hermione's hospital bed to prevent anyone from seeing her furry face.
Annie also came by.
Madam Pomfrey informed her that it wasn't an attack, just a severe cold, but Hermione couldn't have visitors.
Once Annie confirmed Hermione wasn't faking illness to avoid her just so she could spend Christmas alone with William at school, she offered some lukewarm words of comfort: "Get plenty of rest, Hermione. If you need anything, let me know…"
Not that she had anything to offer, really.
Before leaving, Annie even promised to send Hermione a beautiful Christmas card.
"Just a Christmas card? How stingy!"
After Annie left, Hermione lay in bed, pouting and muttering that she should send Annie a hefty workbook collection in return.
Go on, let's exchange blows!
William, who was sitting by her bedside peeling an apple, slowly caught on and realized what was happening. These two were practically performing a double act, hinting that he should give a more meaningful Christmas gift.
Heh... girls sure had their ways!
Soon, the Christmas holidays arrived, and most students took the Hogwarts Express home.
William had no intention of staying at school either. He planned to bring Hermione back to his home in St. Catchpole.
William was more than capable of helping Hermione recover, whether it was brewing restorative potions or using Transfiguration to treat her condition, there was no need to stay in the cold, sterile hospital wing.
Even though the school was now devoid of students, home was far cozier.
Hermione agreed wholeheartedly; she couldn't wait to return to their little cottage.
Madam Pomfrey also approved of the arrangement. She planned to leave the school during the holidays to seek some thrills herself and wouldn't be staying on campus.
Those who stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas were basically "lone wolves."
For example: Dumbledore, Snape, Professor Trelawney… (and an omitted list of most Hogwarts staff).
Even Professor McGonagall would be leaving. As a lifelong, Dementor-level Quidditch fanatic, she was heading to Hawaii to watch an underwater Quidditch match.
Professor Flitwick had plans to visit a matchmaking event to look for potential love interests.
Lockhart was hosting a fan meet-and-greet to spend Christmas with his female readers and hand out bottles of his homemade fresh milk.
Even Hagrid was planning to do something wild with a few of his unusual friends during the holiday.
"How are we getting home? By train?"
On the second day of the holidays, William led Hermione toward the Headmaster's office.
After a period of treatment, Hermione was finally able to walk on her own and had grown accustomed to her half-human, half-cat form. The fur on her face had also receded significantly.
"We'll use the fireplace in the Headmaster's office, it's connected to the Floo Network," William explained.
Most fireplaces at Hogwarts weren't connected to the Floo Network; otherwise, students could zip around through fireplaces at will, and outsiders could invade the school.
However, the Headmaster's office was a special exception. All Dumbledore needed to do was notify the head of the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry of Magic.
As for the Floo Network Authority's chief... there was no need to contact him. The chief's rank was too low for Dumbledore to bother with.
That's just how things worked in the wizarding world.
William also brought along Bobo Tea and Mrs. Norris.
Mrs. Norris had practically become the Stark family's cat now.
Due to the lingering curse in Filch's body, she didn't dare go near him. And since she was expecting kittens, William had no choice but to bring her along.
Although William didn't know exactly when Mrs. Norris would give birth, he was sure they would soon have a litter of kittens this school year.
There was already a long line of people waiting to adopt the kittens, it was a classic case of demand far outstripping supply!
When the two arrived at the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore was leisurely entertaining himself by walking his phoenix.
In front of Fawkes was a massive, enchanted octopus, which the phoenix casually devoured as a light snack.
William and Hermione both wore simple, solid-colored woolen hats, making them look extra cozy.
Dumbledore carefully examined the two of them before suddenly breaking into a smile. "Nice hats, they look very warm."
William sighed inwardly. It was obvious that Dumbledore was subtly hinting that he wanted a warm woolen hat for Christmas.
Was this how holiday gift requests worked now?
Seeing Dumbledore's cheerful expression, Hermione quickly pulled her fluffy hat down from her forehead until it covered her entire face and then hid behind William.
"Well then, goodbye, Headmaster. See you next year!" William said softly.
With a whoosh of green flames, the fire swallowed them whole. When William opened his eyes again, they were back at his house.
The room was spotless, just as it had been when they left.
That was no surprise as Nicolas had sent a house-elf to clean the house daily.
Hermione immediately relaxed upon returning home. She tossed her hat onto the table, rolled around on the sofa a few times, then bounced up and ran to her room on the second floor.
Before long, William heard Hermione standing on the balcony and shouting at the top of her lungs, "We're home!"
On Christmas Eve, a heavy snowfall blanketed St. Catchpole.
Hermione, having slept until noon, opened the door to find the persimmon tree in the yard bent under the weight of the snow, looking like an old, crooked tree.
She stretched her arms wide, took a deep breath at the doorway, and began doing a set of broadcast callisthenics.
Bobo Tea and Mrs. Norris sat on the sofa, watching Hermione's bizarre antics with puzzled expressions.
What baffled them most was why Hermione still had a cat tail.
Unable to figure it out, they gave up. Bobo Tea yawned, kneaded the cushions a few times, and then hopped off the sofa, padding toward the door.
The moment its paws touched the snow, it shivered from the cold, let out a little squeak, and quickly bounced back inside.
Mrs. Norris, on the other hand, remained motionless on the sofa like a wooden statue.
Hermione burst into laughter, scooped up some snow from the ground, and formed a snowball, aiming it at Bobo Tea's head.
Although Bobo Tea had grown chubbier, it was still agile, after all, some skills came naturally.
With a few swift leaps, it darted into the kitchen and sprang onto the counter, where it watched William cooking breakfast-cum-lunch.
Like Hermione, William had also just woken up. The night before, they had stayed up until nearly two in the morning, watching videotapes in the living room, so waking up early was out of the question.
This chaotic schedule had been their routine for a while now.
Ever since the holiday started, the two of them had been living without restraint:
Watching movies, playing games, playing wizard chess, practicing magic, and occasionally having a wild karaoke session while squeezing in time for Hermione's treatment…
They did whatever they felt like, after all, it was just the two of them at home. Annie wasn't there.
As for the two feline overlords… who cared about them?
Everyone was doing their own thing.