Bang—!!
Hermione slammed the girls' dormitory door shut with all her might. The massive sound shook a bit of dust from the windowsill and completely cut off all the noise and prying eyes from the common room.
The dormitory was empty.
But Hermione had no mind for anything else at this moment.
"Come here." Hermione's voice was raspy and tense.
The cat ears on Lia's head drooped limply.
She could clearly "smell" the burnt scent of fear, anger, and despair on Hermione, a scent even more intense than the stench of a Troll.
Her Hermione was being repeatedly tortured by a form of torment called "fear of loss," and she was on the verge of breaking.
Lia obediently walked up to her.
Hermione reached out a trembling hand, stroking the brand-new collar around Lia's neck almost neurotically.
Her fingertips traced the gold and red patterns of the Phoenix feather over and over, confirming that it was the only line of defense capable of blocking the Reaper.
"Don't talk to Krum ever again!" Hermione's voice rose sharply. "Or anyone else I don't know! The way they look at you is no different from how Harry looks at the Golden Snitch! They all want to steal you away from me!"
Lia's cat ears twitched uneasily, but she didn't respond with a nod or a cheek rub as she usually did.
Under Hermione's gaze, this Cat-girl, who usually liked being passive, took a proactive step forward. She opened her arms and pulled her tall "owner" into a tight embrace.
She pressed Hermione's head against her fragrant soft flesh, gently stroking her bushy brown hair over and over, just as Hermione used to comfort her.
The roles of protector and protected had quietly swapped.
"Hermione," Lia's voice was clear, carrying a strange, soothing power. "Hermione, don't be afraid... I'm here. They can't take me away."
This soft yet powerful call completely broke down the last dam Hermione had built with her reason.
"How could I not be afraid!"
Hermione's face was buried deep in Lia's milky-scented softness. Her voice finally carried an uncontrollable, broken sob, and hot tears instantly soaked the front of Lia's clothes.
"Dumbledore said you would be assimilated! You'll turn into... into a monster whose very soul is possessed!"
"Do you have any idea what that means?! It means you'll completely disappear, Lia!"
Lia didn't say anything, only tightening her embrace.
She wasn't afraid of Lord Voldemort; in her perception, that noseless bald man wasn't powerful.
Hermione's fear, however—this pain rooted in "love" and "fear of loss"—was a chronic soul ailment she had never seen and was powerless to heal.
After a long time, Hermione's sobbing gradually subsided.
She raised her eyes, red and swollen from crying, and held Lia's small face, commanding word by word.
"Promise me, Lia. At any time, if anything feels wrong, tell me immediately. We'll figure it out together, okay?"
"I promise you."
Lia didn't hesitate, affectionately nuzzling Hermione's palm with her cheek.
Having received the promise, Hermione finally squeezed out an exhausted smile.
She leaned down, pulling Lia onto the bed and wrapping her arms tightly around the warm, soft body from behind.
Only with this skin-to-skin contact, feeling the steady breathing and heartbeat in her arms, could her frantic heart find a moment of peace.
The night deepened, and all was silent.
Hermione fell into a deep sleep in her extreme exhaustion.
And Lia, without any warning, fell into an inescapable nightmare woven by another soul... In the void of darkness, the ground beneath her feet was cold and smooth as a mirror.
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