Lia stood expertly on Ron's head. After spending some time together, Lia had found four more "cat scratching posts."
Why four?
Besides Harry and Ron, there were, of course, Parvati and Lavender.
Quirrell's curse was interrupted by the chaos Hermione caused. Harry eventually swallowed the Golden Snitch without further incident, winning the match for Gryffindor.
The turmoil of that match, along with the Quaffle incident, was eventually drowned out by cheers for Gryffindor's victory.
Only Hermione was convinced that Snape was behind it, while Lia's hostility towards Professor Quirrell...
...was interpreted by Hermione as Lia the Cat's stress response to strong magical fluctuations.
Although Lia had become much more cheerful than when she first arrived, she still rarely spoke on her own initiative.
Time slipped quietly by amidst the swirling snow, and the Christmas atmosphere at Hogwarts grew richer by the day.
Twelve massive Christmas trees, draped with lights and icicles, were erected in the Great Hall. The suits of armor in the corridors were enchanted to sing out-of-tune Christmas carols.
Most students were excitedly discussing their plans to go home for the holidays.
The approach of Christmas arrived along with the falling snow.
Hogwarts Castle was decked with holly and mistletoe, and every so often along the corridors stood a suit of armor that sang Christmas carols, though they were always out of tune.
In the common room, discussions about going home for the holidays grew more and more enthusiastic.
Ron had long been clamoring to stay in the Castle with Harry to experience a perfect holiday without his older brothers' supervision.
While packing her luggage, Hermione looked at Lia, who was wagging her tail and helping her pack, and fell into deep thought.
Hermione couldn't bring herself to leave her alone in the peril-filled Castle.
"Lia," Hermione stopped what she was doing and looked at her seriously, "Would you like to... come home with me for Christmas?"
Lia was stunned.
Home?
That was a word that felt both distant and foreign to her.
She looked into Hermione's sincere and worried eyes, which held not a single trace of reluctance.
"Is it okay?"
"Of course. Mom and Dad will love you."
Hermione absentmindedly rubbed Lia's head; after a semester, they had both grown accustomed to this gesture.
Whether it was for Lia or Lia the Cat.
Lia squinted her eyes and wagged her tail happily.
And so, on the last day of the term, Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express back to London with a "distant cousin."
To avoid unnecessary trouble, she used magic to temporarily hide Lia's cat ears and tail, and warned her never to transform randomly in front of people.
The Grangers were typical middle-class intellectuals—rigorous, open-minded, and full of love for their daughter.
When they saw Hermione bring back a girl as delicate as a porcelain doll but exceptionally shy and timid, they were initially surprised.
"Oh, dear, is this Lia? Welcome." Mrs. Granger warmly opened her arms and gave Lia a polite hug.
On the way, Hermione had already explained her background as a "friend from the orphanage."
Lia's body stiffened instantly, but after smelling the reassuring scent on her—which was somewhat similar to Hermione's—she slowly relaxed.
"She's... a bit shy around strangers," Hermione explained. "Can she stay in my room?"
"Of course, of course," Mr. Granger said with a smile. He pushed up his glasses and looked Lia over with a dentist's professional eye. "This child looks like she needs more vitamins... and calcium."
In Hermione's home, Lia felt an unprecedented sense of... "normalcy."
There were no moving staircases, no talkative portraits, and certainly no dangers lurking in the shadows.
There was warm heating, soft carpets, and a couple who would smile and hand her hot milk and biscuits.
Hermione's room was filled with books, but it was neat and orderly.
At night, they slept in the same bed. Lia would still transform into her Cat-girl form, clutching Hermione like a lifeline, but her tense nerves unconsciously began to relax.
Hermione seemed to be secretly preparing something.
For several nights, Lia woke up in the middle of the night to see Hermione busy at her desk, acting suspiciously by the light of a small lamp.
As soon as Lia approached, Hermione would immediately hide whatever she was holding behind her back.
"No peeking!" Hermione whispered, a mysterious smile on her face. "It's a surprise!"
Lia had no choice but to retreat back into the covers, her heart filled with curiosity, as if it were being scratched by a kitten's paw.
On Christmas morning, a light snow also began to fall in London.
Lia was awakened by the sound of light bells.
She opened her eyes to see Hermione sitting by the bed with a smile, holding an exceptionally beautifully wrapped gift box.
"Merry Christmas, Lia."
"Good morning, Hermione."
Lia sat up sleepily and saw a few presents piled at the foot of the bed.
One of the largest was from The Grangers, while the one in Hermione's hand was undoubtedly the most exquisite.
She took the gift and, somewhat clumsily, used her not-yet-too-sharp nails to tear open the wrapping paper printed with snowflake patterns.
Inside was a small dark blue velvet box.
Lia's heart raced for some reason as she gently opened the lid with her fingertips.
A beautiful silver collar, shimmering with a soft light, lay quietly on the velvet lining.
The collar was very thin and had no extra patterns, with only a small, shiny bell hanging from it.
Lia's gaze instinctively fell on the hook connecting the bell to the collar.
Any sharp edges that could catch on fur or scratch the skin had been finely polished until they were rounded and smooth.
Every detail revealed the creator's extreme care and tenderness.
Hermione watched her expression and nervously pursed her lips.
"You... turn it over and take a look."
Following her suggestion, Lia carefully picked up the collar and turned it over.
On the smooth inner side of the collar, a line of elegant, clear English script had been deeply engraved using a Carving Spell.
[Lia, Hermione's.]
Lia, Hermione's.
This line of words was like a warm electric current, instantly striking Lia's heart.
She looked up and stared blankly at Hermione.
Hermione's cheeks were slightly flushed. She took the collar from Lia's hand, her voice gentler than ever: "Let me put it on for you, okay?"
Lia didn't answer; she simply lowered her head obediently and brushed back the hair on the nape of her neck.
The cool silver band gently pressed against the softest fur on her neck.
Hermione moved behind her, her fingertips brushing against Lia's skin with a slight tremble as she gently fastened the collar's clasp.
"Ding-ling."
Lia moved her neck, and the small bell made a clear, pleasant sound, its sharp edges all smoothed away.
It didn't represent restraint or ownership.
It represented favoritism and protection, as well as a unique mark.
A thin mist of tears welled up in Lia's deep blue eyes.
She looked into Hermione's gentle eyes, and the unprecedented warm current in her heart almost overflowed.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
Before Hermione could react, Lia's body quickly transformed back into that snow-white Ragdoll Cat in a burst of light.
Lia the Cat lowered her head and plucked a tuft of fur from her chest with her mouth.
Then she transformed back, holding her hands together as if in prayer and bringing them to her lips.
A faint white light overflowed from the gaps between her palms. When the light dissipated, Lia opened her hands.
A bracelet woven from pure white cat fur lay quietly in Lia's hand.
"This is mine, for you."
Hermione hugged Lia and rubbed her head, carefully putting on the bracelet.
"Is this a protective charm for me? Thank you, Lia." Hermione leaned down and pressed a light kiss on Lia's smooth forehead. "This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."
The Christmas feast that day was more sumptuous than she could have imagined.
What shocked Lia even more was that there were no knives or forks on the dining table, even though she had prepared herself for them.
Even The Grangers and Hermione did not have any utensils with sharp edges in their hands.
Only round-headed wooden utensils appeared on the table.
All the food, from the roast chicken to the pudding, had been carefully cut into small pieces before being brought to the table.
Lia sat in her high chair, watching The Grangers use those strange utensils to enjoy dinner naturally and elegantly, as if they had eaten this way all their lives.
She looked at Hermione again.
Hermione was smiling, using a round-headed spoon to place a small piece of boneless fish onto her plate.
Without warning, large tears rolled down from Lia's eyes and splashed onto the clean dinner plate.
Lia didn't even know why she was crying.
She was simply... completely overwhelmed by a sense of happiness she had never experienced before—the feeling of being cherished and carefully protected.
She ate heartily with the spoon Hermione had given her while crying.
The food that night was the most delicious meal she had eaten in three lifetimes.
During the remaining days of the holiday, Hermione took Lia out shopping, just like any other ordinary London girls.
Lia was still afraid of crowded masses and sharp honking, but as long as Hermione held her hand, that fear seemed to become bearable.
She drank the first sweet and creamy hot cocoa of her life, curiously touched the non-magically printed picture books in the bookstore, and even, with Hermione's encouragement, cautiously patted a Golden Retriever that was wagging its tail at her through a fence in the park.
Under the nurturing of the unreserved love from Hermione and her parents, the little cat that had been alert and bristling with sharp thorns for years was beginning to relearn how to expose her soft belly, bit by bit.
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