"Lia, come back."
Hearing Hermione's call, Lia immediately lost interest in Malfoy and trotted back into Hermione's arms.
"Purr..."
A wronged guttural sound came from the furball as her small head rubbed hard against Hermione's chin. It was as if she hadn't been the one tearing into someone's flesh just moments ago, but rather as if her soft paw pads had been hurt by the rough school robes.
The corridor was dead silent.
Malfoy even forgot to shout his usual "My father will hear about this." He looked at his nearly destroyed hand, gasping for air with a wheezing sound in his throat, and fled toward the Hospital Wing on all fours, supported by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Hermione..." Ron's voice was trembling. He pointed at the expanding pool of blood on the floor, then at the cat in Hermione's arms who was innocently licking her paws. "She... she just tried to kill him! That wasn't a warning!"
"I've seen that look before!" Harry's voice was hoarse and dry. The lightning scar on his forehead throbbed with a burning pain, dragging him back to an ominous memory filled with green flashes. "On the back of Quirrell's head!"
Hermione's reaction was to tighten her arms.
A gesture of ownership.
She pressed Lia's face into the crook of her neck, cutting off all prying eyes.
"So what?" She looked up, her brown eyes filled with a coldness and hardness that Harry and Ron had never seen before. "He drew his magic wand, Harry. In Hogwarts, when a Wizard draws their magic wand and utters the first two syllables of a spell, according to the 'Wizarding Trial Law', it's called 'attempted lethal threat'. Lia simply neutralized the threat before he could complete it."
Her logic was like a blade quenched in ice, precise and devoid of any emotion.
"And," Hermione's gaze swept over her two pale-faced friends, "he called me a 'mudblood'. Am I supposed to thank him?"
Harry and Ron were instantly silenced.
"Get one thing straight." Hermione's voice lacked its usual gentleness. "I have never treated Lia as a pet that needs to be tamed."
She paused, emphasizing every word.
"She is mine..."
The rest of the sentence was left unsaid.
Hermione gave the two no further chance to argue. Holding Lia, she walked straight toward the Great Hall. Harry and Ron exchanged a look, both seeing shock and confusion in the other's eyes.
The two boys could clearly sense that something was wrong with Hermione, but they just assumed she hadn't yet recovered from the near-death experience.
They followed silently, a heavy and awkward silence enveloping the three of them for the first time... In the Great Hall, the silver and green banners of Slytherin hung high, silently mocking the efforts of the other houses throughout the year.
The feast began, and Dumbledore stood up, announcing with a chuckle that some last-minute points were to be awarded.
After Ron earned fifty points for a perfect game of chess and Hermione earned fifty points for breaking a magic spell with logic, bringing their score level with Slytherin, the entire hall's anticipation focused on Harry.
"...and to Mr. Harry Potter, for unparalleled courage, sixty points!"
Gryffindor went wild! They had overtaken Slytherin! A sea of red and gold erupted into deafening cheers.
However, Dumbledore raised his hand again, and the noise subsided miraculously. His gaze swept over everyone and landed precisely on the white furball in Hermione's arms. At the staff table, Snape's face instantly darkened to the point of dripping, his fingers gripping his goblet so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Finally," Dumbledore's voice rang clearly throughout the Great Hall, "there is another kind of courage—the instinct to stand up when faced with insults and threats. Just now, Mr. Draco Malfoy used a severely insulting and discriminatory slur against Miss Granger and was the first to draw his magic wand in an attempt to cast a spell."
The hall erupted in an uproar. Countless gazes shot toward the Slytherin table, then turned toward Hermione with shock and uncertainty.
"And Miss Lia," Dumbledore's eyes rested on Hermione's arms with a hint of amused appreciation, "in the face of her companion being pressured by both verbal assault and magical threat, showed the purest loyalty and the most efficient defense."
He paused, letting the hall digest this startling definition.
"For this, I award Gryffindor House another ten points!"
The Great Hall fell into a dead silence.
Awarding points... to a cat? Because she scratched a Slytherin student? This was a first in the history of Hogwarts!
"Principal!" The Slytherin prefect, Felix Rosier, stood up abruptly, his face flushed red. "The school rules clearly state that students must not engage in malicious attacks! That... that thing, it seriously injured Draco!"
The smile vanished from Dumbledore's face.
His bright blue eyes peered through his half-moon spectacles, quietly watching the standing student. No words were spoken, but an invisible, mountain-like pressure instantly enveloped the entire Slytherin table.
"Mr. Rosier," Dumbledore's voice was calm but carried an unquestionable authority, "are you questioning whether the Principal of Hogwarts is unable to distinguish between a 'malicious attack' and 'legitimate self-defense in the face of a potentially lethal threat'?"
Felix's face turned from flushed red to deathly pale. Under the combined murderous glares of Dumbledore and Snape sitting nearby, he sat down, drenched in cold sweat, not daring to utter another word.
With a casual wave of Dumbledore's hand, the silver and green banners on the ceiling were instantly replaced by the red and gold lion.
"And now, let the feast begin!"
The Gryffindor students were stunned for three seconds before erupting into a celebration that nearly brought the roof down!
Amidst this ocean of noise, Hermione carved out a space of tranquility for herself and Lia. She took a small object wrapped in a handkerchief from her robe pocket and gently opened it.
A small wooden spoon and a small fork with a rounded, smooth head and no sharp edges.
"I went to see Professor McGonagall," Hermione's voice reached Lia's ears clearly, cutting through all the surrounding noise. "I traded my perfect score in Transfiguration for the entire semester to have her permanently solidify this temporary magic. This is yours."
Lia looked at the familiar, non-aggressive utensils, her bright blue eyes blinking.
With a flash of white light, Lia transformed back into the Cat-girl with waist-length silver hair, sitting steadily beside Hermione, her snow-white long tail naturally curling around Hermione's waist. She picked up her round-headed spoon and, somewhat awkwardly but with great seriousness, scooped a small piece from the caramel pudding Hermione pushed toward her and put it in her mouth.
Sweet and smooth.
Lia narrowed her eyes happily, a satisfied purr coming from her throat.
The corner of Hermione's mouth curved into a possessive smile she didn't even notice herself. This was her Lia.
"Hey, Hermione!" Ron squeezed over, his mouth stuffed with chicken legs. The winning of the House Cup had washed away the earlier unpleasantness. "We won! Seriously, what are your plans for the summer holidays? My mum invited Harry to The Burrow; do you want to come too?"
Harry also looked at her expectantly. "Yeah, Hermione, come along! We can all go to Diagon Alley together to buy things!"
Summer holidays. A word that had to be faced.
"Yeah, I'll bring Lia along when the time comes."
Hermione picked up a napkin and gently wiped the pudding stain from the corner of Lia's mouth, then tenderly stroked her white cat ears, which were twitching slightly from chewing.
She lowered her head and whispered a question to Lia.
"Lia, do you want to come see my bed at home? The Dried Fish you didn't finish last time is still in the jar by my pillow."
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.