Colin Creevey's small figure looked particularly thin under the glow of the fireplace embers.
His fingers clutching the camera turned white from nervousness.
"I... I just wanted to take a picture of Harry..." His voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Hermione's face held no reproach, only her usual smile. "I know, Colin. But now I hope you can help us photograph something even more important than Harry Potter."
She stepped forward, directing Colin's attention to the tabletop.
"You will record a beginning," Hermione's voice echoed in the silent common room. "The beginning of a resistance."
Under Hermione's arrangement, the news spread quietly through the shadows of the Castle like vines through several absolutely reliable channels.
There were no grand announcements, only whispered conversations and exchanged glances in library corners and corridor bends.
A few days later, a Hogsmeade weekend.
Inside the Hogs Head Inn, the air was filled with an indescribable mixture of smells.
Old dust, damp wood, and a strong goat-like musk mingled together, making many first-time students wrinkle their noses.
The atmosphere was oppressive yet tinged with excitement.
Over twenty students from different houses gathered here, their faces filled with unease and anticipation.
Hermione briefly explained the purpose of the meeting, and then Harry, as the nominal instructor, stood in the center of the crowd.
"Alright... today... we'll start with the basics." Harry cleared his throat, sounding a bit nervous. "The Disarming Charm. The incantation is 'Expelliarmus'."
Harry pointed his wand at the ceiling and demonstrated the movement with standard precision.
A red light flashed, hitting a dirty barrel on the opposite side.
"Good. Now, pair up and start practicing," Harry announced.
The students clumsily began practicing in pairs.
The light of spells flickered one after another in the dim pub. Occasionally, a wand would fly out of a hand, drawing a small gasp.
Lia had no interest in such basic practice. She curled up lazily on Hermione's lap, her tail flicking occasionally as she napped with half-closed eyes.
Hermione's fingers gently combed through the soft fur on her back, making her purr comfortably.
"Hey, look at that," a harsh voice rang out.
Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff student, winked at his companion with undisguised curiosity.
"Why aren't they practicing? Do they already know how?"
He turned toward Hermione and Lia, raising his wand.
"Let me try and see if their reactions are fast enough." Zacharias had a smirk on his face as he pointed his wand tip at Lia.
He didn't even intend to say the incantation, wanting only to use a weak Fire-Making Spell to scare the harmless-looking Cat-girl.
Hermione's eyes instantly turned cold, and she was about to scold him.
However, before Zacharias could make a move, the Cat-girl who had been dozing on Hermione's lap simply raised her hand impatiently.
Her movement was light, even lazy, as her fair fingers moved slightly in the air.
No incantation, no light.
Zacharias's wand was suddenly snatched as if by a massive invisible hand. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if it were clamped by iron pincers.
The wand traced a graceful arc through the air, flying over several tables and landing steadily in Lia's outstretched paw pad. The soft pink pad caught the hard wood without making a sound.
The entire pub instantly fell into a deathly silence.
All practice stopped. Over twenty pairs of eyes stared at Lia in unison, filled with shock and disbelief.
They had never seen Lia take action before.
Non-verbal magic.
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